Mid-Autumn Festival

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!  I’m celebrating with some moon cakes.  I got these at an Asian market.

They came in a nice tin with a pretty gift bag.

Aren’t they lovely?

One has salted yolk and one doesn’t.  I like the salted yolk one best.  It was a bit salty with a peanutty taste (from the peanut oil).

Last year, I tasted one a friend had gotten from a bakery.  Of course it was better–much more pronounced peanut flavor, flakier crust and very delicious.

Ramen Dinner

Guess what I had for dinner last night?

Homemade with marinated eggs.  Yum!

Japanese Fast Food Coming to Times Square

Wasabi, a London-based Japanese fast food chain, will open its first U.S. location in Times Square at Seventh Avenue and West 40^th Street on Monday, February 24, 2014.

From the English site, Wasabi looks like a fun place to get Japanese favorites like sushi, bento boxes and noodle soups.  Everything is made in-house every day.  They use sustainably sourced yellowfin tuna and salmon.  There are at least 50 types of sushi to choose from in the form of hosomaki(thin rolls), futomaki (fat rolls), nigiri (thinly sliced fish over rice), gunkan (torpedo-shaped pieces), hand-rolls and onigiri (triangles of rice wrapped around a choice of savory filling).  Also, the sushi is individually wrapped.

Not sure what fast-food ramen would be like (isn’t that an oxymoron?), but Wasabi has ramen as well as soumen, made with super-thin rice noodles, and tanmen, made with thick rice noodles.

Two for Tuesday: Volcano Roll

The volcano roll is one of my favorite sushi rolls.  I don’t see it often on NYC menus, and when I do, it’s not how I like it so I don’t order it in NYC.  My favorite volcano roll is at Neo Asia in Raleigh, NC.  It’s a warm roll with a scallop-mayo topping that is very delicious!

I recently tried a new restaurant in North Raleigh, Sushi One, and they have a volcano roll that stands up to Neo Asia.  Its topping has cream cheese and is equally delicious.

Swad Indian Cuisine

Swad Indian Cuisine is fairly new to the North Raleigh scene.  It’s located in a strip mall that houses one of my favorite restaurants, Neomonde.  Because Neomonde is a very casual spot and the strip mall is pretty much your average strip mall, I wasn’t expecting Swad to be so lovely inside.  It looks as if it should be in Manhattan.  The design is sleek and modern, and it has a fully stocked bar.  There is also a lunch buffet area.  The dining area is very comfortable.  I went midweek and it wasn’t crowded.  We were promptly seated at a booth.

To start, I got the Swad tikka–tender boneless chicken bites marinated with Indian spices served on small skewers.  These were very flavorful.  The chicken was very moist, which was nice, but I think it could’ve been cooked a bit longer.

For entrees, we shared two vegetarian dishes:

Maharaja malai kofta–hand-rolled spiced potato balls cooked in India’s rich creamy sauce

and

paneer masala–oven-flamed homemade cheese cooked in succulent tomato based cream sauce.

Both of these dishes were delicious.  I enjoyed sopping up the sauce with Peshwari naan (sweet naan stuffed with dry nuts, raisins, cashews and cherries).

In addition to the excellent food, the service at Swad is attentive and friendly.  Thanks to Swad, this area in North Raleigh no longer lacks an upscale restaurant.

Coconut Ladoos

When I saw the coconut ladoos recipe on Aromatic Cooking, I knew I had to make them.  Little balls of coconut sweetness?  I’m there.  They did not disappoint.  They are really yummy!

Lunch: Umami Shoppu

I really wanted to try the ramen at Umami Shoppu in the West Village, but when I went here for lunch, I was craving sushi.  So I ordered a lunch special of two rolls and salad for $9.  A great deal in NYC!

My salad:

My sushi:  a Philly roll and a salmon avocado roll.  A great value for lunch.  I do want to return to try the ramen some time, as it sounds delish!