Dining at Little Pepper

Little Pepper moved to College Point and opened earlier this year. Nicer digs and more manageable traffic. Street parking isn't contentious either.

Food is as good as ever. For this visit I had braised fish, cumin beef, and stir fried cabbage with peppers.

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Kyochon Chicken

The most crispiest and consistently spicy chicken ever. Simply addictive. (Full disclosure- I went there at least six times last month.)

Original wings. Tasty and crispy. Good on its own right but I only eat to have a short respite from the hot and spicy irresistible wings.

My friends order it and I usually get a fry or two, just to change it up and give my mouth and tongue a rest. The fries are slightly crispy on the outside while the inside is cooked just right.

Kyochon Chicken
15652 Northern Boulevard
Flushing, NY

Another Dinner at La Flor

Quesadilla de bistec (beef)- soft homemade "bread" and I could taste its main ingredient, corn. The red sauce has a very light bite to its taste, but more than enough to make things interesting when mixed with the green sauce.

Yummy beef and cheese innards.

Chocolate souffle with raspberry sorbet. I was too busy eating to bother taking a pic once I cut it open. The sorbet was a nice substitution to the usual ice cream, it makes the entire dessert less richer. Also the sorbet's lightness is a contrast to the heavy and thicker hot fudge (not to mention less calories).

My friend and I shared all this plus we each had a cup of hot chocolate. The total was almost $25.

La Flor

5302 Roosevelt Ave

Woodside, NY 11377

Dinner at Imperial Palace

Oyster with XO sauce.

My friend said the XO sauce tasted like light soy sauce and the oyster was lightly steamed. She liked it.

Fish Hong Kong Style. Light crispy batter on the outside and the white fish inside was very delicate and soft. Dipping it with hot sauce adds a nice bite, well if you're in the mood for it.

Beef chow fun dry. This dish was greasy but delicious, and I definitely liked it with hot sauce.

A huge plate of Pork Chop Peking Style. They always do this dish very well here.

I think it's safe to say this is my go to Cantonese restaurant. The total was close to $45 and this was way too much food for three women who didn't arrive at the restaurant starving. The three entrees could have easily fed 4 people.

Imperial Palace
13613 37th Ave
Flushing, NY

Dinner at Dera Restaurant

Sweet Mango Lassi, $4. I just wish it was served cold.

I believe this was Chicken Tikka Boneless. I'm not 100% sure because my friend ordered this, but nonetheless this was amazingly tasty. The spices really soaked into the chicken well.

Tandoori Beef, $8. Just like the chicken, deliciously well-spiced. I loved both dishes. However next time I'd also get a dish with some curry sauce.

Dera Restaurant
7209 Broadway
Jackson Heights, NY

More Cannelle Patisserie

I usually don't like pear or hard bread but this pear tart slice was too tempting to not try. I would definitely try it again.

The chocolate macarons were sinful extras. Soft and nicely chewy chocolate heaven and not too sweet.

Cannelle Patisserie
7559 31ST Ave
East Elmhurst, NY

Dinner at La Flor

I'm usually not a fan of bread, but I couldn't get enough of this one. Crunchy on the outside but nice and airy on the inside. It's a blueberry bread with one or two blueberries inside.

Steak with soft tacos. The meat was delicious and soft. The salad on the side was also very good.

Chicken pineapple pizza. It was tasty but we couldn't finish it at this point of the meal.

We had this in the beginning so that was probably why we couldn't finish the pizza. Different but just as good as Cannelle Patisserie's hot chocolate, maybe even better because the chocolate flavor is more pronounced.

All of this was $25 before taxes.

To top it off there was a guy singing Beatles's songs with the guitar. It added to the already idyllic atmosphere of the place.

They also have excellent desserts here. I highly recommend their flan, tres leches, and tiramisu.

La Flor

5302 Roosevelt Ave

Woodside, NY 11377

Lunch at Suki Thai Shabu Shabu

Fresh wrap filled with veggies with one nicely sized and lightly boiled shrimp. Citrus like dipping sauce was quite sweet.

Shabu shabu aka hot pot is basically where you throw veggies and/or meats into boiling hot water which may or may not be flavored already. The dish above a mix of veggies and noodles is a base given by most if not all the hot pot places I've tried in NYC. The plate was brimming, but I took the pictures after I took out some ingredients already.

This place had a little corner in the restaurant where you pick your sauces and condiments to be mixed in the boiling water. This was my chosen spicy mix.
Thinly sliced meat, this one happens to be beef.

My shabu shabu aka hot pot.

One appetizer and two hot pot orders with no extra toppings added to around $35.

Suki Thai Shabu Shabu
6015 woodside ave
New York, NY 11377

Canton Gourmet

Pork Chop Peking Style. My favorite dish in Cantonese restaurants. Nicely crispy on the outside while soft enough on the inside not to need a steak knife. It's drizzled with sauce that's a touch sweet.

Canton Gourmet
3808 Prince St
Flushing, NY

Arepa at Arepas Pues Mixtas

Arepa Mixtas- shrimp, chicken, pork, and chicharron or pork rinds. It may look small and expensive at $7, but this is very filling and I couldn't eat more than half of it. Individually I really liked the shrimp with mayo, but I would love to try the arepa with just the pork rinds or cheese. The "bread" itself is made of corn and was crunchy outside but soft inside. It complemented the insides quite well.

Arepas Pues Mixtas
83-15 37th Ave
New York, NY 11372

Dinner at Listo El-Pollo Restaurant

Steaming hot steak with a nicely sized maduro (fried sweet plantain). I wish I was eating this now.

Lightly breaded pork.

Calamari. One of the best calamaris I've had. Batter was light while the squid was cooked just right.

Mixed-grill plate. It was good but next time I'd just order the steak.

Listo El-Pollo Restaurant
8602 37th Ave
Jackson Heights, NY 11372

More Desserts at Cannelle Patisserie

Tiramisu in a cup. It tastes just as good as it looks.

Bread Pudding. A mix of custard and soft and airy brioche.

Chocolate mousse cake. The different shades of brown of the mousse layers are not just for show- the darker one tastes like it's made of more darker chocolate. I love how there's just enough cake layers to balance out the mousse layers.

It's been awhile so I can't remember the exact prices...Bread pudding less than $3, and the other two less than $5.

Cannelle Patisserie
7559 31ST Ave
East Elmhurst, NY

Desserts at Cannelle Patisserie

Mango Kiwi.

The mango and kiwi flavors make this a perfect summer dessert. I do wish I could taste more of the mango a tad more though. I also like the different textures- the mango mousse, the kiwi filling, and the crumbs at the bottom. I believe this was $3.75.

If I recall correctly these macaroons were Black Currant flavored.

I prefer the coffee macaroon but this was good too. It's expensive for $1 a piece but I also know a place in Manhattan that sells one for $2.50.

I rarely not get the large hot chocolate. Even in the summer I can't resist this delicious real chocolate drink.

Another shot. I forgot how much this costs, but it's definitely less than $4.

Cannelle Patisserie
7559 31ST Ave
East Elmhurst, NY

A Meal at Baluchi's (Forest Hills)

Veggie Samosas, mainly filled with curried potato and peas. The green sauce has a bit of a kick and the red sauce is smoky and sweet.


Chicken biryani- the chicken was a bit player on this one. The chunks of chicken were delicious but the rice absorbed the spices better.

Chicken Vindaloo! The reason why I go here. Well-seasoned and SPICY!!! J, my partner in crime at this favorite haunt, insists on the chicken chunks being cut in half and they're tender enough that we just use the spoon to do it. Some finesse is required so none of the sauce spills over, but the flavor dividend is worth it.

Garlic naan on the left- it was aromatic in a "I can't wait to eat it!" way. The right was my cheese naan, and even though the cheese didn't have much of a taste, the added texture made it interesting.

A little chicken vindaloo on top of the naan goes a long way. I can't decide which one I like better, mixing the chicken vindaloo with the naan or with biryani rice. Ahm both?

Baluchi's has other branches in NYC, but they cook some of the dishes differently. This is my preferred branch, because their version of chicken vindaloo is my favorite in NYC. I'm not sure if it's authentic, but I love the taste of the dish.

Baluchi's (Forest Hills)
11330 Queens Blvd
Flushing, NY 11375

Bacon Cheeseburgers at Five Guys (Forest Hills)

Finally went to Five Guys. The chain prides itself for its fresh ingredients and the taste is definitely above the typical fast food burger chain.


Hmm nicely melted cheese. If I allowed it to stay in the wrap a little longer I think the other side of the cheese would have melted just as well. The photos don't really show it but this burger came with strips of bacon, grilled onions, and mushrooms. Next time I'll pass on the grilled onions bec. it didn't add anything to the burger's taste.

Good burger but I wish it came medium rare, they only do well-done.

Five Guys
7325 Woodhaven Blvd
Queens, NY 11385

Crab Soup Dumplings at Joe's Shanghai (Flushing)

I'm not 100% sure but I think the Joe's Shanghai in Manhattan charges more for one order of soup dumplings and gives you six instead of eight.

One soup dumpling about to be poked.

Eating soup dumplings can be messy and this is how I try to avoid it.

1. Poke somewhere in the top because that's usually the softest area.
   
2. Swivel the dumpling so it pours the soup onto the spoon and not over it.
   

This is the meat inside the dumpling or the innard (as some people call it). It's mostly pork and a tiny bit of crab meat. It also has crab roe but not all restaurants do it. I prefer Joe's version bec. the crab roe adds flavor the the soup.

This is the only other dish I really like at this restaurant, shredded beef with jalapeños. It's not spicy at all, just a tiny kick to make it interesting. Perfect with nice warm rice.

This was my first visit in Joe's Shanghai in a couple of months, and on each table they now have a note stating how they'll add tax and a 15% gratuity on the bill. Not sure if the latter really works to the server's favor or not...

My sister and I had two orders of crab soup dumplings, one shredded beef with jalapeños, and two sodas. The food could have easily fed 3 people maybe even 4. Anyway the bill came out to be ~$35.

Joe's Shanghai
13621 37th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354-4110