At the end of last year, I participated in Adá Supper Club’s A NIGHT IN with chef Toya Henry. Adá Supper Club showcases black and female chefs, and A NIGHT IN is an at-home dining experience that occurs quarterly.
I had a fabulous three-course meal delivered to me that included drinks and a personal message from the chef about the meal. Chef Toya’s menu focused on the similarities between her Jamaican & Bajan heritage and Indian, Vietnamese & Cambodian culinary styles.
It was a great date night for my husband and me. The food came with easy heating instructions, was rich in flavor, and everything tasted amazing. I recommend the experience to everyone. Check out Adá Supper Club’s website and join the mailing list to receive information about the next dining experience.
Last month, Andrew and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary at Sushi on Me. It’s a small place in Jackson Heights, Queens, with a cool speakeasy vibe. We enjoyed a 15-course omakase dinner with unlimited sake 😁.
When you arrive, they have you sit down at a table while they finish setting up, and then they move you over to the sushi bar. The bar only fits nine people, and they have four dine-in time slots (5 pm, 6:30 pm, 8 pm, and 9:30 pm).
We didn’t capture it all, but here are some pics of the food.
Overall, we had a fantastic experience. The staff and chefs were incredible, and all the sushi was fresh. The main highlight for me was watching them make the sushi right in front of me. Check it out if you can!!!
Like most holiday weekends, this past weekend just came and went. It was a low-key one, but I prefer low-key these days.
Friday, I got the best type of delivery. Crawfish!
10lbs of crawfish, to be exact, and they were still kicking.I made them nice and spicy for Andrew and me.I made them plain for Mom and Dad.In terms of entertainment, I finally watched Turning Red. It had its cringy moments for sure, but it was super cute.Saturday, I picked a bunch of goodies up. “A Place at the Table” was a curated box of desserts made by home bakers and professional chefs to honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Everything was delicious.On Memorial Day, Andrew and I enjoyed a local street fair.I had an overpriced lobster roll, but I had to have it.I found a vendor who made fruity drinks… with some alcohol and gave a free refill 🙌.Bad Habits was giving away free sushi samples. Overall, pretty awesome weekend. Looking forward to what this summer will bring.
As I mentioned in my last post, I was brainstorming ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I came across an Instagram post about “A Place at the Table.” Which is a curated box filled with treats from experienced home bakers and professional chefs honoring their Asian heritage. Of course, I had to support it!
As an additional bonus, a portion of the sales is donated to Heart of Dinner, a nonprofit combating food insecurity and isolation within NYC’s elderly Asian American community.
Check out the beautiful packaging.
🤩
Check out the desserts.
Of course my favorite was the Filipino focused one, which was a Mango, Coconut and Sago piece (I may or may not be biased 😉).
😋
Here are the home bakers and chefs who participated (from top to bottom and left to right): Ying Ting Hu, Guadalupe Lucero, Andrew Cheng, Kimberly Camara, Ruth Li, Shirley Yu, Christine Yen, Joy Chu, Ayaka Ando, and Kelly Miao.
Pic via FromKora Instagram
Glad I was able to participate in and support this initiative. The box was a bit pricey ($75, $82 with tax), but it was well worth it! I would love to see more collaborations like this in the future.
Two weeks ago, I attended my first ‘Eat Something New in Queens’ meet-up at Hug Esan, a Thai restaurant in Elmhurst.
I had such a great time. It was a date night/food adventure/reunion kind of night. An old friend from high school, small world, planned the event, and Andrew and I got to venture out, try new things, and meet new people.
Everything was amazing! Here is what we ate.
Pork Spring RollsBamboo Larb Salad- *the spiciest dishCrispy Pork BellyTom Zabb- spicy and sour soup with spare ribs and various mushrooms *my favoriteEsan Pork SausageChive DumplingsMoo Num Tok- sliced pork salad with rice powderLarb Pla- fried fish with herbs in a sweet and spicy sauce *the most exciting dishSom Tum Thai- papaya saladCoconut Ice CreamThai Coconut Pudding
In March, I took part in the ‘Eat Something New in Queens’ Challenge. The purpose was to step out of your comfort zone, try new restaurants and food, and support local restaurants around Queens. Although I took a little staycation during the challenge, I still tried to participate. All the food I tried was excellent!
Here are the restaurants I tried.
Nneji is a West African spot in Astoria. It’s more a pickup type of place but has fantastic food. Don’t feel shy and ask the owner for recommendations on what to eat.
Harissa Chicken with Jollof RiceSpicy Goat Stew with Okra and Tomato – was definitely spicy!
Coco Malaysian Cuisine in Elmhurst.
Golden Fried ChickenCoco House Special Fried RiceChow Kueh Teow NoodlesFried Squid with Fresh Mango
I’m half Filipino, so Filipino food is life, but I did find a new dish I had never had before at Kabayan Authentic Filipino Cuisine in Woodside.
Binagoongan Rice (Fried rice with shrimp paste, mango, and scallions)
My family stayed at the TWA Hotel in JFK, in Jamaica, during the challenge (more on the hotel in another post), but we still tried some great food.
Yardie Bistro was in the food court area of the hotel.
Brown Stew ChickenJerk ChickenBeef Patty
Splurged a little at the Paris Cafe by Jean-Georges. It was well worth it!
Crispy Salmon SushiBurrata and CranberryCream of Tomato SoupBlack Truffle Pizza with Egg
I had a blast trying all the food. The challenge has an awesome Facebook group page that offers food ideas and recommendations year round. If you love food and live in Queens, or don’t mind traveling to the borough, join the group!
Easter was a two-day adventure this year. My family and I dyed and decorated some eggs, had two yummy feasts, creative Easter basket ideas, and egg hunts.
Dying and decorating the eggs was a family affair! My mom was in charge of the dye, but we all pitched in decorating the eggs with stickers.
Dying some eggsFinished product
Saturday night we had our big feast.
Leg of lambLamb, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and sweet potatoes
I got my daughter a Slumberkins Unicorn basket, and I got my husband and me a little planter that Maxine could also enjoy. She could watch the veggies grow before her eyes. She is still small, but I think she’ll still enjoy it.
Lastly, and my favorite, the egg hunts. I did two, one indoors at my Mom and Dad’s place on Saturday and another outside at my in-laws. Maxine had a blast!
My Mom is a leap year baby, so she celebrated the big 7 8 twice this year. Last night we had Filipino food, and tonight I went all out ordering some yummy food from Sugar Freak in Astoria. Since it’s also Mardi Gras, I thought, why not indulge in a seafood boil!
Check out the yummy grub!
Maxi and Mom ❤️Seafood Boil Beignets Banana Pudding
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but I’ve been celebrating all week.
On Wednesday, I took part in a chocolate-making class with my parents. It was a lot of fun and very hands-on. We learned how to temper chocolate and made jumbo peanut butter cups, pecan turtles, almond bear paws, dipped Oreos, and strawberries. It was messy yet yummy!
Getting everything ready!Rolled up caramel and peanut butter and chocolate chunks.I put Dad to work.A bit messy but it still tasted fantastic.
On Friday, Andrew, my parents, and I did a Valentine’s Day-themed chocolate tasting. The tasting was packed with chocolate facts and insight on how they make the chocolate. We also tasted five different chocolate pieces, milk chocolate peanut butter heart, milk chocolate sea salt caramel, pecan toffee crisp, dark chocolate truffle, and dark chocolate lemon satin crème heart. Mom loved the peanut butter piece, I loved the dark chocolate truffle, Dad loved the truffle and lemon satin crème, and Andrew loved them all.
The Casual Explorer 