Tag: soup

Escape to the Black Sea

M's Adventures
Trabzon has lots of pedestrian streets.

As the temperature started getting too hot for middle of the day outdoor activities (and frankly even too hot in the morning), I decided that I would do what the Turks did in the old days before air conditioning. They went to the Black Sea.

Giant bread larger than your head.

I went to Trabzon. For the respite from the 94-degree heat in Adana. In Trabzon, it was 84 degrees but humid. I still sweated. But Trabzon was an interesting diversion. The airport is seven minutes from downtown which they call Meydan (in Adana, most use the word, “merkez” for the center of town). There are many pedestrian streets in Trabzon, both in an area that feels like Switzerland or Italy, and then in an area that feels a bit more like Amman or Adana with covered cloth criss crossing the narrow alleys and older streets leading to Turkish baths or a mosque. Trabzon is now a tourist destination for middle easterners looking to escape the heat (84 is downright winter compared to 120) and many stores and restaurants have writing in Arabic. At one place I went to, the waiter was from Saudi Arabia and had been hired for his Arabic and English speaking skills.

Lots of metal containers for sale.

As I mentioned, I am done with touristy things unless it is food related. In Trabzon, the food specialties are a cheese cornmeal fondue type dish, gigantic bread larger than your head, a black cabbage soup, and sardines.

The melted cheese dish is called, “kuymak” and is melted cheese mixed with cornmeal. You use bread to dip into it. Very hardy food. It is nice if you can get a really good “pull” on your cheese but I went to a place where the cook apologized because she had not achieved that on my serving.

The gigantic bread is massive with the largest size weighing two kilograms (4.4 lbs). It is sourdough. The bakeries where they sell the bread can be hard to find as they seem to be all in one area. But, they sell the bread at the airport so no fear, one can take one with you last minute.

Black cabbage soup which is really kale pottage.

The soup is actually not a soup. So I was told. Apparently, one is supposed to use the cornbread as an additive and then the soup becomes a pottage or stew. This dish reminded me of the south in the USA.

I did not have any sardines but I did look for black tea as Trabzon is in tea growing country.

Overall, I felt like Trabzon was built for shopping.

It is a hilly town.

Turkish 101

M's Adventures

The first thing one has to get used to is the ‘c’ is a ‘j’ as in “Can” is “Jan” or “Jon” — or as in Jif. Then, there are those tails on some of the letters. That makes is an es sound.

The C sound make this product, “Jif”

Speaking of es sounds, the word for water is “su” but it’s a fast su and not “sooo” — that is broth or “suyu”… I think that’s what I was told. The soup in the photo below is a chicken soup, or “çorba” (say “shor-ba”) with spicy oil and lemon.

Rice and chicken soup with spicy oil.

Much of the food here involves lemon/lime so you can add a fresh zest to every bite. Another thing about the limes and lemons here is that they are a mix of the two but not as sour.

Not-Official Food Tour in the Largest Chinatown in America

M's Adventures

In a nod to Chinese/Asian new year (February 10, 2024), this article is about a Chinatown. The largest Chinatown is in Flushing, Queens, New York.

A sign in the dim sum house.

We went to eat good Chinese food and we went to Flushing to find it. It is a mere Subway ride (take the 7 from Midtown — also, you can pay by credit card at the Subway turnstile! No need for a ticket.) and get off at the Flushing-Main Street stop. Just down the street to Roosevelt and Prince streets, you will feel and hear the Chinatown atmosphere. Actually, the minute we got above ground, we heard people talking loudly in Mandarin Chinese. The smells made us realize that we were near some dumplings.

After doing some research, we decided (also because it was all last minute) to make our own food tour. There is a new mall called Tangram at the modern fancy end and then “hole in the wall” types of places like the famous White Bear. We headed for White Bear. The dumplings were good but can be had at other places for equal quality. The sauce was not spicy. Also, I felt a bit sad for the staff as they did not seem happy to have gained such fame.

White Bear is only take away.
Dumplings with spicy sauce from White Bear.

We were only there for a short while and only had so many stomachs to fill so we ONLY managed to eat at four places in as many hours. After White Bear, we headed to a dim sum place called Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (as seen in the first photo at the top of the article). This place had the legit dumplings included their famous soup dumplings (xiao long bao).

Bamboo steamers.
Multicolor dumplings are a modern take.

Luckily we got there before noon (yes, we already had the dumplings above before noon) so we only had to wait a few minutes for a table. This restaurant offered warm fresh soy milk which is apparently an authentic thing to have for breakfast. Warm soy milk and a cruller (deep fried dough).

Warm fresh soy milk and crullers is breakfast.
The famous soup dumplings.

The soup dumplings were excellent although a touch too big for the spoon so there was no room on the spoon for the soup that ran out of the dumplings when poked with a chop stick. In some places in the world, the soup dumpling is so big that it is served with a straw. This is a gimmick. It is an amateur move to try and put the whole dumpling in one’s mouth. This is steamed dumpling and if you bite into it whole, it will explode like a magma filled volcano. I poked my dumpling over a bowl and drank the soup from there. There is a soy and ginger sauce for the soup dumpling but I loved the dumpling as it was. Inside was a lovely pork meatball juicy with soup.

Cleaver smashed cucumber salad.
Vegetarian leaf shaped dumplings.

Even here at Nan Xiang, there was some concession to being in the US. There were colorful dumplings made to please the eye, vegetarian dumplings, the scallion pancake made too sweet, and the cucumber salad not smashed (apparently the way I like Chinese cucumber salad is too garlicky — which is not authentic).

Notice our order ticket taped to our table?

As we ordered dishes, our ticket was taped to our table. Once we stopped ordering and had paid, we were told, gently, to leave, as there were long lines of people waiting for our table. So we left. But then went on to have dessert soup. I wrote about that in my article about my spirit starch. After a walk around Tangram mall, we went and had Peking Duck at Jiang Nan. Read about that in my article about that. It had gold leaf on it.

We ended our self made food tour of Mandarin Chinatown Flushing and headed back to Midtown New York. I do not think we ate anymore that day.

Oh, I tell a lie. We had boba tea. Which is a meal in of itself. More on that in another article.

Traditional Food in Serbia

M's Adventures

One can tell that modern day Serbia was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not only in the architecture, but also from the food.

There seemed to be a bakery or sandwich shop on every corner in Belgrade. We went to a modern one built in wood and with space to sit. Some of the ones I saw on the street seemed to be more of a walk up style.

The pastries were much like in the Viennese traditional (in Danish, danish pastry is actually called “Viennese bread” as that is where the traditional stems from). In a small town near the Hungarian border, I had a sandwich made with a simple unleavened flatbread.

There is quite a cafe coffee culture here as well but the local coffee was topped high with whipped cream. Reminded me of that time I had Sacher Torte and had to ask for it “mit schlag” — with cream.

Every culture has a dumpling and one of the dumplings of Serbia is called a “knedle.” It is a round fried ball filled with, traditionally a plum, but now made with chocolate and anything else one could imagine. The dough is boiled first and has the consistency of a matzo ball or thicker.

I was delighted to see “potage” on the menu because as I am a bit of history buff, I had seen shows about medieval cooking where everyday the peasants at potage which was anything they could find to add to their pot. In Serbia, it was a thin delicate soup. At the place we had it, it was served in mini cast iron pots. Adorable.

We had other soups as well that were simple hearty soup that for some reason is not so easy to find in many restaurants. At least not in Rome.

Another classic food is meat stew. Served with pasta and sour cream on top. Very hearty.

They have Greek salad here, but their Serbian salad is called “shopska” (spelled differently but sounds like that) which means “hat” because the salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers, has a “hat” of shredded fresh cheese which is a bit like cream cheese.

Another food here is polenta (maize/corn) and I had it served as cakes topped with shredded meat. Before I lived in Colombia and Venezuela, I did not really like polenta or arepas or anything made out of cornmeal but now I have a hankering for it once in a while.

I like dairy products and one of the traditional types here is a cultured product that I think is made from the whey, a bit like kunefe in Turkey but more delicate. It was called “ayvar” and was served with toast and flossed pork.

As I hoped for, another local specialty is spicy pickled peppers, a bit like a banana pepper. One of the spiciest things I have tried in a while.

Then there is the rolled stuffed meat a bit like a chicken cordon bleu but this one was pork. The local slang term for it roughly translates to “a woman’s dream boyfriend” and it was about 10 inches long.

For dessert, one of the traditional items is called a snowball but it is more of a snow cloud or floating iceberg of meringue in custard.

Aside from traditional foods, Serbian food also includes pizza and gelato and all manner of international foods. More on that another time.

Swiss Food

M's Adventures

Other than cheese, we also had other delicious food in Switzerland. I liked the “cep” mushroom soup.

I also liked the steam carrot, broccoli, and zucchini. But, what was so Swiss were the potato rosti. Oddly, there was real cream on the dishes as well. Yay for that. I approve.

Also, I ate everyone’s pea shoot.

America, Melting Pot of Food

M's Adventures
Pho soup with brisket.

Every country takes the food of their immigrants and makes it their own. In Italy, it’s “Italianized” and mild. In America, it is supersized. But, as the US is a country of many immigrants, the food melds and blends seamlessly across menus.

Half a banh mi sandwich.

Case in point, I recently went to Pho-Cue in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a hipster vibe-y place that could easily be in Oakland, California, or London, England. The staff have tattoos and shaved manbuns. The food is a mix of Vietnamese food, pan-Asian food, and American barbecue.

A pork belly steamed bun, bao, sandwich.

The barbecue was too strong for the pho soup but I like that they tried. The banh mi sandwiches were gigonormous.

Smothered fries topped with jalapenos.

The best thing were the pork belly “chips” — because why not take a fatty pork belly and deep fry it? It’s almost the American way.

Pork belly chips.

After living in Rome, it was nice to get both pho and barbecue of high caliber.

Barbecue with a side of kimchi.

Soup for Soupy Skies

M's Adventures
A really old photo of a delicious Korean beef rib soup.

After the gray skies of Lima, I feel like it’s blue skies here in Rome every day. But, of course, that’s not true. There are rainy days and I’ve had to use my umbrellas for the first time in years (it never rains in Lima). When it’s rainy out, I really like to slurp soup.

One of the delights of Peru was that I never had a bad bowl of soup. It seemed like everyone knew how to make “sopa criolla” or creole soup — basically a chicken noodle soup. The kind your Jewish mother used to make (as David Chang says).

While I like chicken soup, I love spicy Asian soups with spice and treasure trove of ingredients in my bowl. Some of my favorites are hot and sour soup, pho, and laksa. Pho always allows for lots of greens which I love in spicy soup. Laksa is a curry style soup with noodles and seafood, plus tofu cakes, and many other things.

Pho is a clear bone broth soup.
Look at the serious amount of greens this couple is putting in their pho.
Laksa with hard boiled eggs, fish cakes, and other yumminess.

In Singapore, I went to the most famous location for laksa. It was good. One day I went to a mall (it’s a country of malls), and found a “pick your own 100 ingredients” soup place. Heaven! While not on par with the famous place on the number 14 bus, even the laksa at the airport was good.

Laksa with tofu cakes, seafood, and the usual noodles.
Laksa on the menu!

Here’s to happy virtual traveling and soon, slurping at the source!

Seven Restaurants in Lima

M's Adventures

Lima is a seventh heaven for food so perhaps that’s why there are so many restaurants with the number seven (siete in Spanish). Here is a list of the ones people ask me about:

Siete, Jirón Domeyer 260, Barranco (around corner from Isolina): high end restaurant.

Lima 27 and 27 Tapas, Calle Santa Luisa 295, San Isidro: restaurant and a tapas restaurant that is connected to the Lima 27 restaurant. (I didn’t like this place — the food was just odd in a not tasty way).

La 73, Av. el Sol 175, Barranco

Siete Sopas, Av. Arequipa 2394, Lince and second location at Av. Angamos 609, Surquillo: This is the 24-7 soup (they have nine soups — soup of the day and the two house soups — in the photo at top is the “sopa criolla” which has beef,noodles, and milk) restaurant chain by La Lucha Sangucheria. The location on Arequipa is the first. Their bread is kind of magical.

Where to Slurp Ramen in Lima

M's Adventures

Ramen is more than just instant. It’s gourmet too. In the previous year, I went hunting for gourmet ramen in Lima… A Nikkei food festival is happening this weekend in Lima so you could go hunting as well. Below is what I found on my search:

Tokio Ramen: Probably the best in Lima. It’s all by itself over in Jesus Maria. **** update October 19, 2019**** Tokio Ramen has opened a new location in Miraflores: Calle Coronel Inclán 235.

Noruto: Was a reliable go-to place for my Nikkei friend (Nikkei refers to the Japanese restaurants as well as the Japanese-Peruvians).

Kaikan: the ramen was actually better than at Norutu, even though the restaurant is part of the same chain.

Takuenn. Tried sushi. Soup not a thing.

Maido: this is often the best restaurant in South America (according to 50 Best Restaurants) but it is Japanese fusion so they also have ramen. It is served with a large rustic ladle, but I didn’t think much of the soup.

Tzuru: I can’t recall so I think it says it all.

Cosme: When I saw the ramen on the menu, I had to order it. It was not good. I ate the pork belly but that was it. When I didn’t eat it the rest, the staff took the dish off my bill even though I didn’t ask them to.

Korean restaurants: The Korean restaurants have ramen as well. I’m guessing that it is also made from instant noodles. The Koreans make a popular version of instant spicy ramen.

Happy slurping!

Oh to Breakfast

M's Adventures

yck49Lt6OkC5oorMFnaWCNYyCA9y3E4Totccbetqk-C41t3TAwsLHW9mmK2VhaGUD71Y07nBEI1FHwIgR0Bw6G3H9RDiR0F4ZCW_JKyxSjJSaIm60aCQlHYC2KQ9ppMHqCBRhhSO0PYj9sSRQM6FNid-Q1sgiZsgqrc1JHF6_e_egEffGRIMf7lIXBreakfast is one of my favorite meals (well, so are: brunch, elevenses, lunch, sobremesa, linner, high tea, supper, dinner, natmad “nightmeal”, and stumble-home-greasy-and-spicy-mouthful…). Some people consider eggs to be a vital part of a “breakfast” and others consider a piece of bread dipped in coffee to be the start to the day. In some countries, soup is it. In Vietnam, it’s pho (as in my photo from New Mexico, USA) and in Colombia, it’s a broth with rib meat and potatoes. In China and Thailand, the breakfast “oatmeal” is a rice porridge soup… I hereby advocate for more soup for breakfast!

And palta avocado! (It’s delicious in soup too!). Photo from El Pan de la Chola in Lima.

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Food in Lima – 100 Dishes

M's Adventures

lAkyX9n0y5B4hXlrRyuweqDlhQMJgy27i1HrHdEnD0aTszZU86au8Fzc9xvEcrIW-CSZJ9DaaNgKqXXAcJUZgVSkoeCo5vHc3-_oq-jCBnWv7MDoBNI4_Zpavhly6kd24EkiXWmjphGjoZpoEr3dzdC4tA-Iui9uNakT9OEImOcaRg8yOCWsIiELhkAs I did 100 restaurants in Dhaka and 100 new fruits in Colombia, I intend to try 100 dishes in Peru. It will not be difficult as Lima, Peru, has become the “it girl” of food destinations (including a ten-day annual food festival: Mistura). I have already tried 50 or so dishes so I could aim for the 500 in Gaston Acurio’s book, but I am going to include new and fusion dishes and not just home cooking.

Hqq1GtF6298Id2lEVl4hYvgowCNnJzmoCnI0-nYTyP8mn-K2driJ4TFcX9O2QxoaBfBLi90kbJJ_xIYQhh9jxrCE2nvfwJhNVECsa-yE9X27R7eW_aInSu8mTpCtDH5FGC0wN6ZZO9AOWKXV8LCgSDc046eBMGGWAjnORYt57NV5Dawr3lPOSALemNThat said, I start with including photos of a “criollo” or “creole” soup of meat, noodles, and fried egg (can be had in lots of restaurants. The addition of a fried egg to a dish tends to make it “criollo”). Plus an uber modern dish of sushi made with raw tuna and foie gras (from Osaka restaurant). The photo doesn’t do it justice. You will just have to go there and try it. You may feel the earth move.

100 dishes. Are you hungry yet?

 

Best Ramen in Bogota

M's Adventures

****** Update February 21, 2016***** The rising trend of ramen shops has reached Colombia. Here are the ramen shops I’d say are the best. Actually, Ramen Factory’s noodles and pork combined with Tokyo Ramen’s broth served at Tomodachi would be the best.

Tokyo Ramen, Carrera 11 and Calle 98. 12/13: It’s probably the best ramen shop in Bogota, and the restaurant is perfectly nice to sit in when slurping. They are not open on Saturday night (and maybe not at all on Sundays?). They have a variety of items to eat. I’m not a huge fan of their pork, a rolled style with a slightly porky flavor (and not in my favorite sort of way). They have a variety of types of ramen.

Ramen Factory Tokai-No-Men, Calle 93B # 13-65, Centro Comercial VEI Plaza (down the street from Parque 93, after the Andres kiosk, inside a courtyard that whose entrance looks like a parking garage). 11/13: It’s the far left corner of a covered food court courtyard. The broth is a whitish color and the noodles are chewy in that good alkaline way. I liked the pork here as it’s tender pork belly. But most people would not be impressed with the iceberg lettuce or lack of seaweed in the soup. Also, this is truly a hole-in-the-wall sort of feel (not elegant at all as it’s located in a food court). I liked the place. For those who care about this sort of thing, the guy working here is Japanese. His gyozo/dumplings are fine.

Tomodachi, Diagonal 70A No. 4-66 (turn up the little hill at Bagatelle, and it will be on the left just before the butcher), 12/13: This place has the atmosphere down perfectly. The broth is not special. And the noodles are too bland with a tendency to get overcooked instantly. They are open 12-3 and again 7-10, even on Sundays. Also, this is the only of the ramen places in Bogota that serves the eggs soft boiled. Yum.12716323_10153900139189618_6961970452263989506_o

Arigato, Calle 80 No. 11 – 28. 10/13: It’s a large restaurant and the service is fine. Feels like a chain restaurant. 12265966_10153716933019618_1713243912304424123_o

Sushigozen, Carrera 14 # 93B – 45. 10/13: I don’t like the their sushi but the bowl of ramen was okay.

Wok, various locations. 8/13: It’s not as bad as one might expect. It’s a chain.

I’ve also been to a restaurant called Ramen in Macarena. Not good.

Happy slurping!