Kenka

After another failed attempt at ippudo - didn't feel like waiting 2 hours, I ended up at st marks place again. This time to try out a different yakitori place. I was recommended this one previously - but given the long lines, I've put it off. Luckily tonight it wasn't so bad and was definitely going to give it a try!

Kenka

Now this is probably one of the few places decked out with pachinko machines (although I don't believe they work).

Kenka

Some of the notable specials they have available... turkey testicles.

Kenka

Otherwise some bull's penis if that's you're thing...

Ox Tongue

Ox tongue. Presentation isn't anything fancy, a bit too plain actually. Taste was reasonable, a little chewy for certain pieces.

Braised Pork Belly

Braised pork belly with mustard. Mmmmm. As unhealthy as it is, it's probably one of the best dishes! The pork belly melting in your mouth...

Calamari

Calamari that was a little too plain and lacking flavour.

Chicken Skin

Chicken skin. Can't really go wrong with deep fried things generally.

Sashimi Platter

Sashimi platter. Nice selection of sashimi to share. Although not the best place to have sushi, but was worth trying. With the grills and hot food around, was little warmer than desired.

Grilled Skewers Platter

Grilled skewers platter. Bit of everything, and it's somehow the chicken that always tastes the best. As simple as a chicken thigh skewer is, it does bring wonders with its texture and flavours.

Chicken Gizzards

Chicken gizzards. Can't not have these as I've always loved them. Nothing special about this serving though, apart from the fact it was maybe fried a little too much.

Kenka appears to be a fine yakitori place with some exotic selections on the menu. When I get a few game enough to try, will definitely give it a go.

25 Saint Marks Place

Laut

In the mood for some more malaysian food, and given the first experience wasn't that great, this place apparently had some rave reviews.

Laut

Located at union square, it was another small little place with some interesting designs and artwork on the walls. It didn't really feel like malaysian designs much in certain areas of the room, but still had a nice atmosphere.

Malaysian Iced Tea

Again, I went for the malyasian iced tea! Still sweet, but much better than the previous place. Tasted a lot lighter too.

Blanket Shrimp

Blanket shrimp. Wasn't expecting deep fried shrimp like a spring roll based on the menu, but was actually quite nice. Wanted something more refreshing and light, as opposed to deep fried goodness, but surprisingly this wasn't too heavy.

Roti Canai

Had to give their famous roti canai a try. Presentation looked the goods, though the pancakes could have been a little more crispy. Curry sauce was reasonable, but nothing spectacular.

Prawn Mee

After much deliberation and trying to decide what to order, I went with prawn mee. Wasn't originally on my list of to try's, but somehow I just did. And it was good. Pretty strong flavouring in the soup but I didn't feel it had enough kick with the spice (either that or maybe I'm getting more immune to spice).

I'd say this place is one of the better malaysian food I've had, but a little more on the pricey side. Still worth it for some good food though! To add to the surprise, this is also listed as one of the one star michelin restaurants in nyc. And I will be back =)

15 East 17th Street
(Between Broadway and 5th Avenue)

Applebees

And as it happens so often on a shopping spree, there's not many decent choices available for food. Which leaves me with the only choice of going to applebees (either that or mcdonalds... and you can't really compare).

Wildberry Frozen Lemonade

With the hot weather, a nice refreshing frozen lemonade (wildberry flavoured) was on offer. It looked quite ineresting, and definitely cooling! Only issue was, it was too sour and too sweet... not sure how that's possible, but it does combine the crazy amounts of sugar with sourness.

Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp

In an attempt to try for something healthy, the under 550 calorie option of sirloin with garlic herb shrimp looked like a great choice. The garlic shrimp tasted much better than the sirloin itself... and funnily enough, it was the veges that I preferred over the main. Worth trying (though I really do wonder if this only contains 550 calories... it sure doesn't look it!)

448 Evergreen Ct
Central Valley

Aurora

Having wanted to try this place before (when I came across some review), but found it just too hard to get a reservation - this time a few of aimed to go there early after work. And luckily enough, was able to grab a table. Sure enough, located in soho - this was a pretty small place with an even smaller bar section.

Aurora

The layout, seating and decorations gave off an old school vintage farm-house feel, with some class. Though I've still wonder how much of a hazard the candle light inside the paper bag would provide...

le Pappardelle al Vitello

I settled on the spinach pasta with "humanely" (yes humanely) raised vermont veal ragu, with asparagus and gremolata. Haven't tried spinach pasta before, so it was worth giving that a shot and it surely didn't disappoint. The pappardelle was cut widely and slightly thick as it should be. The veal was nice and gave a good contrast to the spinach pasta. Either I was hungry or the serving size was a little small - it didn't last very long on the plate.

Affogato

Still feeling hungry - but not wanting to go overboard, settled on an affogato. This had cocoa dusted madagascar vanilla ice cream with caramelised hazelnuts, drowned in an espresso shot. What's great is the espresso shot is poured in front you, not to melt the ice cream much before it arrives. The best bit was the caramelised hazelnuts...

Aurora does give off its italian farm-house aura and I can see why how popular it is. A small little joint in soho, serving great food. Not the best pasta I've had to date, but definitely something that's worth going for with its nice service and ambiance.

510 Broome Street
(Corner of West Broadway)

Elsewhere

After another failure in the attempt to visit fleet week, stuck in the crazy heat and humid weather, found myself just wanting to get out of the heat and into somewhere for a nice cold drink and food. The next closest place that showed up was what appeared to be an elegant yet casual cafe

Elsewhere

Given how early it was, it was pretty empty. Really empty... But I was still in the mood for some brunch.

Scrambled Eggs with Old Bay Potatoes and Sausages

Something simple, and it did visually appear even more simple and unappealing. Scrambled eggs with old bay potatoes and sausages. Nothing was done that well. The potatoes were too crisp/burnt on the outside, and too dry on the inside. The eggs, would of been nice if they had of told me cheese was mixed in (you could totally taste it and it was overpowering in certain bites). What was worse, sea salt flakes added into the eggs where it hasn't fully dissolved and u then bite into that =/ And the sausages, I didn't even finish... although I know sausages are better with fat, this was just... leaking out oil to the point the plate was covered in it. A bit excessive??

Not a great morning on both reasons, missed the fleet week tour and to end it with some very ordinary food thats overpriced... Not some place I'd go back to (for some simple brunch anyway).

403 West 43rd Street
(Between 9th and 10th Avenue)