New York City 2023 Travel Log: Day 3 — A Little Midtown International Food Crawl

The best thing to do with a free afternoon in NYC when you just like eating? A little international food crawl across midtown:

Chicken tikka masala naan wrap from Mysttik Masaala at Bryant Park Winter Village
Adobada corn tortilla tacos from Los Tacos No. 1
Chicken and beef gyro platter from The Halal Guys
Kaya butter toast from Kopifellas at Urban Hawker

Everything was incredible, but especially those adobada tacos from Los Tacos No. 1, which are easily my new favourite tacos of all time. If the long line-up out the door on a super-cold November day is any indication, it's everyone else's favourite tacos, too. And speaking of international, I just gotta mention how crazy huge The Halal Guys have gotten. The first time I ever ate there was when I was visiting my brother in 2008. He was working at BlackRock at the time (which used to be located at Park Avenue Plaza), and he was like, "I'll take you to my favourite lunch spot." So we walked a few blocks to this little cart with a giant line-up and I was like, "Really?" And he just said, "Trust me." Indeed, the chicken and rice was one of the most tasty, satisfying, and cheap (it was $5 back then) meals I'd ever had. I went back a few more times on that trip. And since then, I have trusted my brother on all his food picks.

Mystiik Masaala

Winter Village at Bryant Park

W 41st St. and 6th Ave.

New York, NY 10018

(917) 438-5166

Los Tacos No. 1

Times Square

229 W 43rd St.

New York, NY 10036

(212) 574-4696

The Halal Guys

W 53rd St. and 6th Ave.

New York, NY 10019

(347) 527-1505

Kopifellas

Urban Hawker

135 W 50th St.

New York, NY 10020

(917) 769-5513

Dining Out: Falafels and Kefta at Tabulé

Had a lovely reunion dinner with my friend Austin this evening at Tabulé:

Falafels with tahini
Kefta with vegetables and rice

We got the falafel appetizer to share and the kefta as our mains. The falafels were amazing — delightfully crispy on the outside, moist and perfectly seasoned on the inside. These are a must-order. The kefta was decent — good portion and really flavourful — but about mid-way through, it started to feel really dry because it didn't come with any kind of sauce to relieve the intense amount of spices. It would've been infinitely better if it was served with tahini or hummus or garlic dip. A good dinner overall, but I think for the price, I'd go to Paramount for my Middle Eastern food fix instead.

On that note, though, I don't think I've laughed this much in a long time so the evening was a win regardless of the food. 

Tabulé

Bayview Village

2901 Bayview Ave., Unit 27

Toronto, ON M2K 1E6

Cooking at Home: Za'atar Chicken Bulgur Bowls with Baby Spinach and Chopped Olives

Za'atar chicken bulgur bowls with baby spinach and chopped olives
In an effort to both save money and be healthier, I decided to stay home for dinner and make my last Hello Fresh kit of the week: Za'atar chicken bulgur bowls with baby spinach and chopped olives. The chicken came out really juicy (again, props to my air fryer) and I don't mind bulgur (it was my first time trying it), but at the end of the day, the whole dish just tasted really... healthy. I don't mind eating healthy, but with the amount of seasoning and the addition of olives, I thought it would be more enticing. It really was just like a warm chicken salad. Also, I absolutely hate the feta that Hello Fresh includes in their kits. It's already pre-crumbled, so it doesn't look or taste like real feta. It's not a huge deal but, you know, it's a new-found pet peeve.

Cooking at Home: Turkish-Style Spiced Chicken with Almond Rice and Yogurt Sauce

Turkish-style spiced chicken with almond rice and yogurt sauce

Tonight's dinner from Hello Fresh: Turkish-style spiced chicken with almond rice and yogurt sauce. Excellent flavours, great amount of spices, and a good combination of textures. Both the chicken and the sweet potatoes were cooked in the air fryer and came out PERFECTLY. (Enter ode to my air fryer here.) Probably could've used more vegetables, but I'm not complaining. Also, yogurt sauce is freaking delicious and I wanna eat it with everything. (Enter ode to yogurt sauce here.)

Cooking at Home: Za'atar Beef Bowls with Hummus and Spiced Rice

Za'atar beef bowls with hummus and spiced rice
Tonight's dinner kit from Hello Fresh: Za'atar beef bowls with hummus and spiced rice. This was DELICIOUS. Fantastic combination of flavours — weirdly enough, it tasted like a mix of Middle Eastern and Mexican cuisines — and easy and quick to prep. The tomatoes and parsley add a really nice, fresh contrast to the spice-forward beef and rice. Even my mom (who is staying with me for another week) didn't have much to complain about. Then again, she is biased towards rice dishes.

Cooking at Home: Beef Kofta Tray Bake with Couscous and Lemony Hummus Sauce

Beef kofta tray bake with couscous and lemony hummus sauce
Okay, Day 2 of Cooking for Two. (No, I'm not pregnant. My mom is staying with me for the week.) Tonight's dinner kit from Hello Fresh: Beef kofta tray bake with couscous and lemony hummus sauce. Okay, so my kofta turned out way rounder than intended, but whatever, they were still really good — tender, savoury, spicy — and paired beautifully with the lemony hummus. And aside from the couscous, cooked entirely with my air fryer. (My baby love.) Surprisingly, my mom liked tonight's dinner more than the steak I made yesterday, which I disagree with. But then again, tonight's dinner had more carbs.

Cooking at Home: Crispy Falafel Tacos with Hummus Slaw and Pickled Onions

Crispy falafel tacos with hummus slaw and pickled onions
Crispy falafel tacos with hummus slaw and pickled onions

It's Taco Tuesday! Tonight's dinner kit was the crispy falafel tacos with hummus slaw and pickled onions from Hello Fresh. It's a strange mix of Middle Eastern flavours with the sweetness of coleslaw and honey and the acidity of pickled onions, but then wrapped up in tortillas so you can eat it in the form of a taco. It's tangy, it's garlicky, it's zesty, it's crunchy, and IT WORKS. A totally delightful combo of flavours and textures, and it's fast and easy to prepare, too. But as much as I love tacos, I'd have preferred a thicker flatbread like pita or laffa rather than tortillas to give it some more chew and body and to better support all the filling. Still, I'd deem this week's Taco Tuesday a success.

Photolog 2020: Day 262 of 366

Been so busy unpacking, organizing, getting more stuff from the old house, loading, and unloading that I barely have time to do anything else. Looking for a quick lunch, I was hit by a sudden craving for shawarma, so I went to Greek Stop and got myself the chicken shawarma with rice, potatoes, and Greek salad (with extra tzatziki and hot sauce, obviously). Eating this lunch platter is, by far, going to be the best 20 minutes of my day.

Photolog 2020: Day 187 of 366

Mixed Grill Plate and Kafta Plate from Paramount Fine Foods
We ordered dinner from Paramount this evening 'cause it's been a really long time since I've had Lebanese food (or any Middle Eastern food, for that matter) and I was randomly craving meat skewers today. We decided on the Mixed Grill Plate (grilled skewers of BBQ beef and shish tawook with fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, spicy pita bread, and fries) and the Kafta Plate (two skewers of seasoned barbecued ground beef with pickled beets, peppers, and rice), which are served with warm fluffy pita bread, garlic dipping sauce, and hummus. The real question is, why the hell did I go so long without eating Middle Eastern food? Like, I've eaten at Paramount several times before and I have never been disappointed. It is always delicious and always satisfying. I mean, I have some serious dragon breath now, but whatever, it is TOTALLY WORTH IT.

Photolog 2019: Day 323 of 365

Greek salad
Kebab Torsh with saffron rice and tomato
Zoolbia Bamieh, Bastani, and Faloodeh
A second belated birthday dinner tonight, this time with my friends Amanda and Viv! We decided to go for Persian food since we'd never had that together before, so we made reservations at North Restaurant. While Viv opted for salmon, both Amanda and I decided on the Kebab Torsh, a skewer of charbroiled sirloin veal marinated with pomegranate paste, walnuts, and spices. The meat was very flavourful and tender, but I think I would opt for the Chengeh Kebab next time to really taste the original flavours of the meat. Still, the Kebab Torsh is very good, especially if you like a sweet-savoury profile to your meat. I ordered mine with half rice and half Greek salad, knowing I wouldn't be able to finish such a big mountain of rice... but the portion was still tremendous. The rice, to which you add several pats of butter, is amazing; it's a loose basmati with the soft aroma of saffron. I can see why so many people come here just for the rice (or add a whole side of rice to their already rice-laden dishes).

We wanted to get some dessert to end our meal, but they don't have an official dessert menu, so our server (who was somewhat slow and seemed kind of new, or perhaps didn't speak English that well) told us some options. We didn't really know what she was talking about, so we just asked her to get us three of their most popular desserts and we'd share them. She ended up presenting us with Zoolbia Bamieh (one was a thinner, harder, sweeter, candied version of funnel cake, and the other were like syrup-filled mini doughnuts, but both infused with saffron and rosewater), Bastani (a saffron- and rosewater-based ice milk with pistachios and frozen clotted cream — the floral-herbal flavour combination reminds me somewhat of Chinese Five Flower Tea), and Faloodeh (a sorbet-like dessert made with thin noodles made from starch in a semi-frozen rosewater syrup and lemon juice). While the zoolbia bamieh was palatable (a little too sweet, but decent overall), the other two desserts were a little too off-putting for all of us. I'm personally not a fan of floral flavours in my food, and I just wasn't a fan of the vermicelli-like texture in the faloodeh. Still, I'm glad I was able to try something new tonight. That's what being a foodie is all about, right?

Sababa

Steph and I found ourselves heading to Thornhill, so she recommended Sababa for dinner:
Pickled beets, pickles, pickled peppers, and olives
I will be the first to tell you that I do not know the difference between Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Like, to me, they are the same thing. Maybe there's a difference in the spices they use, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what they are. Shish kebab and souvlaki? One and the same to me. So, I wouldn't be the person to go ask about authenticity of said food. (This may be like a non-Asian person saying that sushi is Chinese food or something. I understand that ignorance now.) That having been said, the food at Sababa was thoroughly enjoyable, at least to my amateur palate. We got a couple of mango juices to start, and then they presented us with a plate of pickled goodies (my favourite are the beets), followed by a basket of warm pita bread (though I do wish they had given us something to dip it in), and then our salads (which come as sides to our entrées). Oh, there you go, I could definitely see and taste a difference in the salads. Whereas Greek salad comes with Greek dressing, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and olives, this salad came with... a different dressing and parsley (okay, so I don't know exactly what was in it, but it wasn't Greek, okay?). 

"Moroccan Cigars"
To start, we shared the "Moroccan cigars," which is their name for delicious, golden, crispy deep-fried dough stuffed with spiced ground beef, and served with tahini. You really can't go wrong with these babies — they're high in calories and high in fat, so they're a crowd-pleaser by default. While Steph opted for the tilapia, I decided to get the lamb shish kebab upon her recommendation. Again, it could be the same thing as souvlaki for me, but the meat was perfectly cooked, tender, and flavourful. I like lamb, but they offer beef, pork, and chicken as well. The one skewer made me full, but the menu also has an option for a two-kebab platter if you're feeling particularly peckish. As a side, you get your choice of fries or rice or, as our waiter offered, half rice and half fries. No room for dessert, sadly, as we both had food babies by the time we finished our entrées. Didn't want to have twins, you know.
Lamb shish kebab
The restaurant itself was clean and organized with some Middle Eastern touches in the decor. Our waiter was super friendly and attentive and quite efficient for the most part, though by the time we finished our meals, he was nowhere to be found (I think he might've been on dinner break, actually). So, we had to get another girl to get our bill, and she was not friendly at all. Kind of rude, actually, like we were doing some great disservice to her by asking her for our bill. Both Steph and I were using cards to pay, and I swear I could hear her sigh before saying, "I have to go get the machine." Maybe my food baby and I were just feeling sensitive that night, but I just got hostile vibes from her. I just hope the tip we gave ended up going to our original waiter. Anyway, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to go there, but it's a great place to go for Middle Eastern (or Mediterranean?) food if you're in the area.

Sababa 390 Steeles Avenue West Thornhill, ON L4J 6X2 (905) 764-6440

Paramount Fine Foods

Jack, Ronsee, and I went downtown this evening to do a little shopping at the Eaton Centre (even though I did warn myself to avoid it... alas, I received a $20 off coupon from Sephora and decided that I had to take advantage of it), and decided to grab a bite to eat across the street at Paramount 'cause we were in the mood for some shawarma.

Fresh pita bread

It was busy but we managed to grab a table when we got in; I imagine it's much more packed on weekends because I've heard the wait times for a table can get pretty long. As soon as we ordered, we were given a basket of pita bread, baked fresh and still puffy, straight from the oven. It was soft and pillowy and piping hot with steam billowing out the moment we tore into it. However, this pita bread was clearly made for dipping (and dips like hummus or moutabel cost about $5) because it was terribly bland. I can't complain because the pita is complimentary, but I did learn that you can ask for a side of tahini, which is super garlicky and delicious, and is ideal for dipping the pita bread (and pretty much everything else) into. You will have severe dragon breath, but it's so worth it.

Beef shawarma sandwich (innards)

Beef shawarma sandwich (more innards)

I wasn't too hungry as I had eaten a few hours prior, so I opted for a beef shawarma sandwich instead of a full shawarma platter. Each sandwich (or pita, really) is packed with grilled beef shawarma, parsley, onion, turnips, pickles, tomatoes, and tahini sauce. Since I have a love affair with tahini, I added some more to mine, but my sandwich was quite divine on its own; everything was super-fresh and flavourful, and I thought the meat was perfectly soft and tender (though I have read in some of the reviews that some of the shawarma can be dry). I also liked that the parsley didn't overwhelm the other ingredients as it often does. I will say, however, that the portion is somewhere in between a large snack and a meal, so if you're looking to grab a full meal, I would definitely do a platter or two sandwiches if you have a large appetite.

The service, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. There are no designated servers, and all of them seemed to be impatient, hurried, and curt. The lady taking our order cut me off with a, "Yeah, yeah, okay," when I asked for a glass of water with my food. And it just so happens that all of the rude servers are female. The only server that seemed genuinely nice was the guy that brought our food, though it is possible that he is a manager because he seemed to have more authority than the others. Moreover, the interior is very bright with minimal decor, and is generally no frills — this is a place to order, eat, and pay as fast as possible, not to linger around and enjoy the atmosphere. All in all, I would come here again, but only if I'm in the downtown core and craving Middle Eastern food. As good as the food is, I wouldn't go out of the way for it.


Paramount Fine Foods
253 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON M5B 1N8
(416) 366-3600

NYC — Spring 2012: The Halal Guys

If you have ever been to The Halal Guys food cart on the corner of 53rd and 6th, you will know that it is the busiest food cart in New York. That cart is never without a line-up. And everyone (suits, tourists, yuppies, hipsters, drunks, the odd hungry student pulling an all-nighter) is drawn to it. At any given time, even at 3:00 in the morning, there is usually a 20-minute line-up. What do they sell? Chicken and gyro, on either rice or in a pita. Sounds simple, right? But no, they have this secret white sauce that is so addictive, I swear there is crack in it.

Mixed platter: Chicken and gyro with lettuce, tomatoes, and pita slices on a bed of yellow rice with tons of white sauce

Underneath the meat and salad

I don't actually know what's in the white sauce, but it's like tahini or tzatziki sauce except better. Which means it's like, the super hero of sauces. Which means anything that is drenched in this sauce is insanely, ridiculously, super-duper tasty. And for $6, you get a colossal platter of epic deliciousness. (Seriously, there are only raves about this cart.) If you are in New York, you need to go to this food cart to try the legendary sauce. You will become hooked.

The Halal Guys

53rd Street & 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

NYC — Spring 2012: Cambodian Cuisine, Mamoun's, Gray's Papaya, and Grom

For our first night in New York, we felt like having a casual, mellow dinner, and taking a stroll around the neighbourhood. So my brother decided to take us on a little "cheap eats" tour around Soho and Greenwich Village:

Cambodian Cuisine food truck: On the street looking to survive

Chhar Kuey Teo Koke: Triple sautéed flat rice noodle with egg, chicken, garlic, baby bok choy, and cabbage

Karry Koke: Sautéed chicken with bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, browned potatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, and baby bok choy in Cambodian curry sauce on rice

First stop of our tour was the Cambodian Cuisine food truck. I don't have much experience in eating Cambodian food, but if the food from this truck is any indication, then I need more of it in my life. Just the right amount of spice, generous portions of meat and vegetables, and super tasty curries. Wondering why they stated, "On the street looking to survive" right on the truck, I checked out the web address that was posted across the top of the truck, and read the super-sad story behind Cambodian Cuisine. This article basically sums it up. If you're ever in New York and are looking for some super-tasty and cheap South East Asian food (and want to help out a dude and his family to survive on the street), definitely hit up the Cambodian Cuisine food truck. (You can check out their Twitter for their whereabouts.)

Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant

Falafel sandwich: Falafels, lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini stuffed in a pita

After our Cambodian food, we hit up Mamoun's and shared a falafel sandwich. There's nothing fancy about Mamoun's; there is a single counter in front of the kitchen where you order and pick-up your food from. There are no seats inside, but if you're lucky, you might be able to snatch up the single bench outside. Either way, you can be damn sure that a place that calls itself "falafel restaurant" is going to have a damn good falafel. And what do you know? It was the best falafel sandwich I've ever had. The falafels are made fresh in-store, so they're perfectly soft and flavourful on the inside with a lovely thin crisp exterior. The pita is then stuffed to the brim with lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini. At $2 each, it's easy to see why the line-ups are so damn long here. Falafel fans heading to New York need to check out this place.

Hot dogs at Gray's Papaya

After the falafel, we walked over to Gray's Papaya — you can't go to New York without getting a classic New York hot dog. If Gray's Papaya sounds familiar, it's because it's been featured in many movies and television shows (Carrie eats a hot dog there on Sex and the City, Ted and Robin go there on How I Met Your Mother, Anthony Bourdain featured it on No Reservations, etc.). Gray's Papaya is not fancy, nor do they have the best hot dogs in the city. But they're cheap and tasty, and they are open 24 hours a day. We got two, one with sauerkraut and mustard, and one with ketchup and mustard. Any hot dog craving was totally satisfied. And at under $2 each, they're cheaper than the hot dog carts.

Chocolate fondant, pistachio, and vanilla bean gelato at Grom

Of course, our "cheap eats" tour ended with dessert: Gelato at Grom. The best way to test whether or not the gelato at any given place is good is to try the classic flavours. We shared three flavours in one cup: Chocolate fondant, pistachio, and vanilla bean. The cup looks really small, but each gelato is so rich, dense, and flavour-packed, that all you need is that small cup. Any more, and you'd be over-doing it. The pistachio is seriously the best and most true-to-flavour version I have ever tasted. Chocolate fiends need to try the chocolate fondant, which is a ridiculously decadent, almost bitter chocolate flavour, not "milked down." The vanilla, as boring as it sounds, helped temper out the strong flavours of the pistachio and the chocolate fondant. You can tell they use real vanilla beans in there, too, not just flavouring.

A very successful New York cheap eats tour, if you ask me!

Cambodian Cuisine Food Truck

Find location on Twitter

Mamoun's Falafel Restaurant

119 MacDougal Street

New York, NY 10012

(212) 674-8685

Gray's Papaya

402 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10011

(212) 260-3532

Grom Gelato

233 Bleecker Street

New York, NY 10022

(212) 206-1738

NYC (Fall 2010): Day 1, Halal Guys (53rd and 6th)

My brother took us to the Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th for a late lunch. He was like, "You guys have to try this, it's my favourite thing for lunch and probably the most popular place around here for cheap food." And I was like, "What is the big deal about this food cart that causes mile-long line-ups?" So we shared a platter ($6), which includes chicken, gyro meat, rice, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, pita bread, white sauce, and hot sauce. You sort of mix it all together so it looks like a big pile of random crap. And regardless of what's in it, it's still called "chicken and rice."

I was skeptical at first, but I soon understood why people wait up to 2 hours for this stuff, because it is like crack. Seriously, what do they put in there? Why don't they have this in Toronto? They could dominate the world of street vendor food! I mean, they sell their own sweatshirts! People have started fights over that food that resulted in death! They have their own Wikipedia page!