Everything I ate for dinner this week
I was on a night shoot with a friend and we checked out this new rice noodle restaurant in Chinatown that we saw online. It was a rather humid day and we were all sweaty from the shoot, but I’ve always been told that a hot bowl of noodles is best for hot days. (Apparently, Thai people think that it makes you sweat even more and thus cools you off. Don’t quote me on the logic of that statement.) Our expectations might have been a tad bit high because we ended up being slightly disappointed by the dishes. Everything tasted alright but it wasn’t anything to write home about either. The beef was a bit tough and the soup had a bit of an instant taste to it, but the portions were very generous and so were the prices.
All in all, a perfectly mediocre meal.
I end class late on Mondays so I started the school week off simply with some kimchi fried rice. This is a dish I fall on often when I don’t know what to make or I’m short on time. I almost always have the ingredients for it in my fridge and it’s a great way to use leftover rice as fresh rice will give the dish a mushy texture.
Perfect lazy meal.
I spent most of my day in the studio doing homework, but my friend came over for dinner and we decided to try out the popular Jiapaguri recipe from the movie: Parisite. I haven’t watched the movie in years, but I remembered the instant noodle concoction that the it stuck out to me both for the greater symbolism it held in the film as well as its amazing visuals. It was a relatively easy recipe to make, but we spiced it up a bit by adding some chili garlic crisps and chili powder. It was the perfect end to a long day of working.
Lived up to the hype.
I spent most of the day running around the city getting materials for my upholstery class and had a late lunch so I whipped something simple up for a late-night dinner. I really just cooked up some thinly sliced beef and rice, topped it with kimchi, a soft boiled egg, and some seaweed flakes. It was delicious, convenient, and perfect to keep me going as I worked late into the night.
A cozy meal.
I didn’t have any classes today so I decided to clear out my fridge a bit to prepare for the weekend grocery haul. For me, this dish can sometimes in many forms, fried rice, soup, congee, but the idea is always the same. I started laying out all the little bits of ingredients that were starting to go bad: half an avocado, some homemade pickled onions, a half-opened can of corn, some leftover chicken, and half a tomato. I made some guacamole, heated up the rest of the ingredients, and dosed everything in as much cheese and hot sauce as my heart desired and dug in. It was super simple to put together and was made even more delicious by the fact that I was able to clear out all my leftovers in one fell swoop.
No utensils required.
It was chalked up to be a bit of a long week, so my friend and I decided to go out to this Singaporean restaurant near Union Square we had been eyeing to celebrate the end of the week. I had Asam Pedas Daging, which was a slow-cooked beef cheek dish in a spiced sauce. We were a bit unsure of our choice because the restaurant was a pretty empty when we got there, but it ended up being a delicious meal. It was a great way to catch up over this week's events and it was great trying some new dishes.
Would visit again.
Very nostalgic.