Eat. Live. Love. ~Infinite Happiness~

Eating like a CRITIC. Living like a FOODIE. Loving to be HAPPY.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Reykjavik, Iceland: Sjávargrillið: Seafood Grill ~

On our trip to Iceland, we wanted to try one thing that Iceland is known for, langoustine. We were suppose to go to The Lobster House, but it was closed for renovations. So we went to this restaurant, instead. It was good BUT not great. The best thing about our meal was the fried langoustine, which had the texture of a fried dumpling. Crème Brûlées are usually served in a ramekin, but their version was able to standalone by itself. Unfornately, even with the unique technique it was not a favorite of ours because it was too sweet.

If we had a second chance, we would probably go to The Lobster House for langoustine, even after trying this place.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Reykjavik, Iceland: Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur ~ 

We heard Reykjavik was famous for their hotdogs and we could understand why. The hot dogs were delicious, even Bill Clinton came to this hot dog stand and tried it. The hot dogs are different from the ones in New York. They are bigger and have more ingredients, including fried onions, radishes and their secret sauce which is comparable to gravy. Another great thing about their hot dogs is that they are relatively cheap, USD 1.75. In our entire trip, we had total of 9 hot dogs, that's more hot dogs than I would ever eat in New York.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Reykjavik, Iceland: Friðrik V ~

This is THE best restaurant we went to in Iceland, but also the top rated in TripAdvisor. The menu contained different types of prix-fixe, such as 3 or 5 courses with or without local beer and wine. We chose the 5 course prix-fixe without beer and wine, which we were lucky to have 2 bonus courses in between our meal.

What we really appreciated about this restaurant was that our server explained to us where all the ingredients of each dish came from - all of it were locally grown. One of the biggest ingredient that impacts a dish was the colostrum from the Crème Brûlée (colostrum is the milk from a cow after giving birth). This type of milk is nutritious because this milk is used also to feed the newborn calf. The Crème Brûlée’s tasted creamier than the Crème Brûlée we ever had.

For the rest of the courses, not a single dish was disappointing. The most unique dish we had was the Langoustine Cappuccino. There was a strong lobster taste that wasn’t overpowering with a hint of nutmeg sprinkled ontop. If you are ever in Iceland, definitely check this place out. The restaurant is quite small, so it would be best to make reservations.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Reykjavik, Iceland: Perlan (The Pearl) ~

We came only for the view of Reykjavik and the experience in a revolving dome, and not for the food. In the end, that was basically what we got. The food was mediocre and not worth recommending, but the experience was worth trying. The dome rotates a complete 360 degrees in 2 hours with the full view of the capital.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Hamborgarafabrikkan ~

This was our first restaurant we went to in Iceland. We have never ate a burger like this. The burgers were so massive that we were forced to use a fork and knife, like everyone else in the restaurant. The Animal Park burger has 120g of both lamb and beef patties, with an additional fried egg on top. It was really juicy and you could taste the lamb and the beef. The burger was about $20, compared to other burgers we can get locally this burger is larger in size and tastier. If you ever visit Iceland, this is definitely a spot to come eat.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Via Quadronno ~

The desserts here are what we would recommend coming here for. The tiramisu is one of the best we ever had. One thing is that the slice is huge. It is not too sweet and is creamy. It is a must try if you ever come here. It is conveniently located on the east side of Central Park.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Restaurant Week Summer 2013: 21 CLUB ~

The restaurant was upscale, it requires a jacket and the ambiance of the restaurant felt like a private club. Due to the fact we heard a lot of good reviews about this restaurant, we decided to order some dishes not on the Restaurant Week menu. The best appetizer was the Ahi Tuna Tartare because the pickles added tanginess to the tuna. The entrees were adequate, and by the time the desserts arrived we were full. The most interested dish of the night was the steak that someone across from us ordered. If we were to come back here, it would be to try the steak.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Restaurant Week Summer 2013: Perilla ~

The ambiance was romantic with the "Christmas" lights illuminating the restaurant. The appetizers were disappointing with our high expectations on the Spicy Duck Meatballs because there wasn't much flavor in the entire dish. For the entree, the chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy in the inside. Unlike the meatballs, there was a lot of flavor in the dish. Both desserts were delicious, although the White Chocolate Blondie was a bit hard and chewy. We were glad this restaurant was part of Restaurant Week. It was a great way to try this restaurant without paying a whole lot.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Dominique Ansel Bakery ~

Following the cronut craze, we decided to spend our early Saturday morning waiting on line. Before the cronut was created, we came to this bakery and tried their pastries, such as the DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann) and the madeleines. They were made well, especially the DKA. The DKA tasted like an “Elephant Ear” cookie but with the texture of a croissant. It felt like the DKA was precursor to the cronut. The cronut is unique because biting into a croissant it collapses but when biting into a donut it is denser. These two pasties define what cronut is. It has the texture of a croissant but the density of the donut. Every month the cronut has a different flavor. Unfortunately, we were not able to try the original cronut. The flavor we had was the Coconut and Blackberry Lime. For our tastebuds, it was too sweet due to the filling. It is definitely worth a try, but not worth waiting several hours on line for.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Restaurant Week Summer 2013: Nougatine ~

This was on the top of our list for Restaurant Week due to the fact it was owned by Jean-George and is one of his well-known restaurants in New York. To start off, our waiter was very attentive to our every need. We ordered a ton of food, which consisted of the Restaurant Week courses and two extra appetizers. Unfortunately, most of the appetizers weren't as good as we hoped it would be except for the Peekytoe Crab Fritters. The salmon for the entree was absolutely delicious, it was cooked so well that it fell apart. Just like the appetizers, the warm chocolate cake wasn't anything special. On the other hand, the profiteroles were surprisingly good due to the fact that the apricots complimented the cinnamon flavor.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Restaurant Week Summer 2013: Aureole Bar Room ~

We came here to take part of Restaurant Week with high expectations based on the restaurant having 1 Michelin Star. However, our expectations I guess a bit too high because we were definitely disappointed at the end. Every dish was a disappointment. If only the Cavatelli Pasta was warm, we would have definitely enjoyed the dish from the flavorful meat ragu. The Braised Pork Shank had absolutely no flavor despite how it looks on the plate. The desserts were no better than the appetizer and entrees. The Vanilla Panna Cotta had a similar taste to jello, a little bit watery, also despite of how it looks. Even though everything was disappointing, the one bright spot of the meal was the crispiness of the Alaskan Salmon skin. Overall, this restaurant does not live up to the 1 Michelin Star.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Tommy Bahama ~

Found in center of Midtown, is a hawaiian themed restaurant with live music. Tommy Bahama is famous for their Coconut Shrimp, which was surprisingly good as I don't like either coconut or shrimp. Skipping to dessert as we do not have anything to say about their entrees except that they were pretty good, both the Pineapple Crème Brûlée and the Butterscotch Pudding were too sweet for our taste.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Beard Papa’s ~

(Clockwise From Top Left) Classic Vanilla, Paris Brest, Dulce De Leche, Banana Puff

Beard Papa is known for their cream puffs, and being that they only have one location in New York (Upper West Side) we decided to buy multiple. Depending on what day you come, the type of cream puff flavors they have will vary. In general, the cream puffs were huge and flaky. Some of the cream puffs became too sweet because of how large and how much filling there were. From the flavors we had, the best one was the original Classic Vanilla and the Paris Brest. It is a nice place to try cream puffs, but it wouldn't be a place that we would go often.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Nice Matin ~

This is a great place to stop by anytime of the day, whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner. The large open windows helped create that feeling of relaxation. Unfortunately the food didn't match the quality of the ambiance. For our appetizer, the escargots was overcooked and the breadcrumbs had too much garlic flavor, overpowering the taste of the escargots. The Chicken Paillard was bitter from the vegetables and dry, probably because the chicken is so thin that it can be easily overcooked. For the Original Five Napkin Burger dish, it was any typical burger but we decided to add a fried egg on top because seemed like it would be a great combination. The fried egg was DEFINITELY a great decision that we made.

This restaurant wouldn't be on the top of our list to come back to, but after seeing the breakfast menu we would probably come here a lot sooner than we thought.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ 2013 Madison Square Eats ~

A food festival near the Flatiron building on 24th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue. The favorite was from the food vendor, Seoul Lee Bar B Cue, which serves a take on Korean BBQ with an American influence.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Smorgasburg: Williamsburg ~

The best time to go to Smorgasburg is during the spring and summer time because on Saturdays they hold it outdoors in Williamsburg overlooking the Hudson River. We've went to Smorgasburg twice. The first time we went, our favorite was the Mac & Cheese from Milk Truck, mainly because our toppings paired well with each other (grilled onions, mushrooms & sausage). The Brisket Sliders from Mighty Quinn was tender and the sauce was flavorful, however, it was a bit dry. The second time we came to Smorgasburg was mainly for the Ramen Burger. The concept of the burger is unique, but the execution was sloppy because they weren't consistent with every burger they make. One of our burgers didn't have enough sauce, which made it too dry, while the other one was perfectly cooked. The ramen was soft (we expected it to be crunchy and hard), and tasted like it was hand pulled noodles.

[yesbin-nobin]

~ Le Parisien ~

This restaurant reminded us of being in a small café in Paris from the decor. There are old French art posters lined up on one side of the restaurant with a huge selection of wine. With that being said, the dishes served were not as great as the decor. The steak was overcooked and the french fries were soggy because it was left on the steak au jus for too long. They serve french fries with everything, even with their omlettes.

We decided to give this place a second chance because we heard rave reviews about their brunch, and they had a brunch special, $15 for a drink and an entree. However we were let down again, there was nothing special about their brunch.

In the end, this place is not a bad place to try, but we would not come back here again.