Pictured above: Standard NYC Time Square with the accompanyment of standard NYC yellow cabs.
I'm going to apologize ahead of time. I absolutely failed to make use of my camera on this trip,
so all of my pictures were taken VIA my oh-so-dear iPhone. Here's a small glimpse of my trip to
the big apple and an additional guide to some great eateries in the city.
1. Painting-esque clouds along with a pair of attractive goggly eyes
2. Hillsong NYC held at the Best Buy Theater -- it's never a bad time to connect with Christ, even when traveling.
3. View of my Distrikt Hotel room ft. my sidekick, Mini-Pashli by 3.0 Phillip Lim)
4. SOHO in iPhone panoramic view
5. Corn that is worth waiting an hour to hour and a half for. (@ Cafe Habana)
Let's talk FOOD.
Some eateries I got to try this trip included Pio Pio, Juniors, and Woori Jip. I didn't have much free time after work, so I was pretty limited to what I was able to try. Also, I couldn't miss out on my favorite Manhattan eateries to date such as Cafe Habana, Momofuku Milk Bar, and Laduree.
Woori Jip was our first stop in NYC. After a long red-eye flight from Los Angeles, we just weren't up for hard decisions, so we easily decided to go for some home-style Korean food. Woori Jip had a great selection of Korean "DoShiRak" style food for us to grab to our taste. Since everything was at such a great price point, we were able to grab a few different dishes and share within our group. Thankfully, Woori Jip had a great selection of vegetarian and seafood dishes for Vegetarians or Pescatarians such as myself. Overall, Woori Jip is a great place to go if you are looking for Korean food to snack on or for a delicious cost-friendly, Korean style meal.
Pio Pio was recommended to us by one of our good friends that we made in the city. After searching Yelp and reading reviews, we decided to give it a shot since it was in walking distance from where we were and to where we were planning on heading next. Going into Pio Pio, we were amazed at the great interior of the restaurant and we were extremely astonished that it was such a large restaurant, in comparison to what it seemed from the outside. We were seated and served with great service; unfortunately, they weren't able to make my favorite dish, the Lomo Saltaldo with shrimp to replace the beef that originally comes with the dish. Eventually, I decided to try something new and to be honest, I can't even remember what it was called because it wasn't very favorable for my taste. I had a taster of the Lomo Saltaldo, avoiding the meat, and it was delicious though! Generally, Pio Pio had great ambiance and great service. I highly recommend it for people who are familiar with Peruvian food or people who really like Lomo Saltaldo...
Junior's is apparently already a well known restaurant/diner for their amazing food and cheesecake. A friend of mine was highly recommending it for the cheesecake, so we had to make a stop to try it. It just so happened that Junior's was right by where we were for Hillsong NYC at the Best Buy theater, so timing was perfect. We went in, not knowing what to expect and we were surprised with the wait for seating. Overwhelmed with the wait, we settled to sit at the bar and weren't we glad we did. We were seated and served with great service and decided to try the famous original cheesecake and the red velvet cheesecake. Both were super delicious and very sweet! Junior's is definitely a must-try if you're by Time Square! My friend later told me that the Chocolate Mousse is exceptional, so we'll be back for that one soon.
Cafe Habana is one of my favorite places in the city -- I always order the shrimp tacos and corn!
Momofuku Milk Bar is David Chang's genius dessert stop which I always stop by to get some cookies as souvenirs and to satisfy my cereal soft serve ice cream cravings when the weather permits.
Laudree is obvious queen of all macarons. That is all.
I always have such a great time exploring New York and it's fast-pace urban charm. I can't wait to be back! What are some places that you recommend for my next visit or where are you dying to visit in Manhattan? I'd love to hear all about it!
Happiest regards,
Sally
