Yo! NYC

Have you ever avoided a subway seat because of the filth on it? Well this person took the idea and made this an item called “seat savers”. Basically he took a messy situation you typically see on the street, like spilled coffee, spilled ice cream, exploded ketchup packet and froze it with some plastic material. Pretty cool idea, I bought a few of them, going to try and see how it works on the LIRR.

@ Union Sq

*UPDATE* – Check out Jeremy Sage’s (the guy in the hat) website for more of his work. – jeremysplace.com

If you are in Chinatown, especially if you work around this area sometimes you want anything but Chinese, well this is the spot! In the morning you can get breakfast sandwiches, hash brown, and coffee. They always have newspapers so you can relax a bit before your day starts. For lunch, they have all the standard cold cut and many choices of hot sandwiches like chicken parmesan, chicken cordon bleu, etc. They usually have specials or new items so you can’t get too bored from eating here regularly. This deli wouldn’t be so special anywhere else, but because it’s right in the heart of Chinatown I think it really deserves a mention.

This dingy, steamy cart serves only one thing and that is rice noodle roll. They do it quite well and it’s made to order so it’s always fresh and piping hot. But if you want to try this cheap eats ($1.25 an order!), you need to be here early from 7am to 1pm. There are 5 varieties: pork, beef, chicken, dry shrimp, and plain. All are made by steaming in their special pan with the above mentioned ingredients. They are perfectly soft and practically melts in your mouth. The light soy sauce and scallions brighten this savory treat. I like mine with a little hot sauce on the side. Just remember to eat it right away and it’s perfectly fine to do so on the street.

(in front of 157 Hester st, Hong Kong Supermarket)
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Latest China food scare: Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up that means it mooncake season. Be sure to check where your mooncakes came from and most importantly look for the expiration date. A good advice is to buy the loose ones from bakeries so you’ll know where it comes from and can inspect for freshness.

Look what a pretty box.

They hidden the expiration date underneath a *FAKE* storage instruction label, how shady. You can’t see the expiration date because they marker out the month.

There are two big Vietnamese sandwich shop in Chinatown, Paris Sandwich and Banh Mi Saigon, both well known for their fresh delicious sandwiches but which one has the BEST Vietnamese sandwich(Bánh mì)? My judging criteria are on presentation, ingredients, and taste.

1. Presentation:

(left)Paris Sandwich $4  (right) Saigon Sandwich $3.95

The Paris Sandwich took maybe less than 5 minutes from order to pick up. The Saigon Sandwich took about 20 minutes with close to 15 people waiting on line.

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Parking in Chinatown can be a bit tricky; especially during the weekends when everyone is out and about. I prefer mass transit, for those who would rather drive, below are some helpful tips. Some of you may not be aware of the rules of parking in the neighborhood. Just because a meter space exists, that does not mean a vehicle can be parked legally. Please check the parking signs at all times.  “When in doubt of the space, do not park in the space.”

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The Cheapest ice coffee in town, can’t beat this bargain and yes it’s drinkable.

Don’t be scared off by the shabby storefront appearance. Inside all the pastry comes fresh out of the oven in the back room.  The regular ice coffee here is only $1.25, no joke. It’s comparable to a light McDonald ice coffee. Decent size too, 16 oz cup.
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Street Fighter 4 is here at your one and only local arcade “Chinatown Fair”, 8 Mott Street (between Chatham Sq & Mosco St). Japanese style sit down cabinets with 32″ bad ass hd monitors. The waiting list is long but that’s expected.  A notepad is available on the side to add your name on the wait list.

$1 dollar start and continue
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The Cheapest “Hong Kong Mini Cakes” in Chinatown, $1 for 20 ping pong size cakes.  While other vendors sells theirs for $1 for 15 pieces, this cart never change their price after many years. You can find this cart on the corner of Grand and Bowery Street. A great cheap and lite snack on the go.

Pronounced like you’re giving out a sneeze, “A Chau”, the only place in chinatown that just sells authentic Vietnamese sandwiches. A menu of 10 different sandwiches to choose from, each costing no more than $3.50, definitely a great place for a cheap tasty meal on the go. I typically prefer the classic Vietnamese Cold Cuts with Pate Sandwich which consist of Pâté(meat paste), Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on a toasted French baguette. The sandwich hit the spot and filled me up nicely.

A Chau Deli
82A Mulberry Street
(212) 766-3332
9am-7pm

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