MEAT PLUS

4.5 out of 5 stars

I cannot --- CANNOT ---- stop raving about Meat Plus. It's an eatery that has been a cornerstone of Subic. Your trip would not be complete without a visit to this restaurant (then, of course, a hop and a skip across its duty-free stores to burn off that steak you've eaten).

The rating spiked up since my last review not only for staying alive for over a decade, but that it has maintained its superb service, facilities and quality of meats. You may queue up to pay akin to a cafeteria, but the difference ends there. The restaurant is bright, airy and comfortable (except when the crowd spills through its doors); the bathroom is spotless; the condiment options are great; plus, I really appreciate their huge steak knives. How about the food, you ask? Imagine spending a little more than grand for two massive ribeye meals (and drinks)? And it's not just some run-of-the-mill beef, but USDA standard Angus beef from US or Australia!

So please, if you can, just open the chiller to the side of the counter and take out your Angus steak! Don't bother ordering the smaller, local ones from the placard up front. Prepare to drool as your stare at the picture below. I promise you --- it tastes just as good as it looks.

USDA Angus Ribeye (500++ PhP)

Meat Plus MENU. Click on the pic below to magnify.










MEAT PLUS
Building 65 Sampson Road
Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Zambales 2222
tel: (047)252-7091
fax: (047)252-6365

open 10am to 9pm

Gaufres

Don't you just love Japanese food? I surely do! This also means loving everything else they eat, including their snacks and junk food. Not only do the Japanese pay extra attention to detail, but they're very meticulous with the quality and uniformity of their food products, making sure that it doesn't get "lost in translation" by the time it reaches their consumer. From fancy gift-wrapping and intricately carved boxes to different textures of sticky and crunchy upon eating them, Japanese snacks are the closest snacks I've known to edible works of art. Living in a subdivision near Robinson's Galleria has made the Japanese convenience stores in "Japanese Town" less accessible for me. So it's a blessing that the Northerners have their own Japanese convenience store dislocated from its companions in Makati called "Konbini." Apart from selling foodstuffs and snacks, they also have a small restaurant where the "Tonkatsu Ramen" is to die for. But that's a separate review altogether. For now, there's this snack that the household constantly get when dropping by the store after work called GAUFRES (French for waffles).

It's a big round wafer which has a thin layer of cream inside. There are three packets inside the tin, containing 3 flavors of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate in it. So basically, nine wafers in all. It tastes light, crunchy and slightly sweet all at the same time! It is made by Fugetsu-Do, which is a famous Japanese bakery in Kobe that was founded in 1897. These snacks are a pretty price to pay, but it's worth every peso! Finishing off a pack of these is all the sugar craving you need.

outer wrapper

on the inside

heavenly wafers inside the plastic packet

GAUFRES by Fugetso-Do at the
Konbini Store
57 Connecticut Street
North Greenhills, San Juan
Metro Manila
02(7224263)

VAN GOGH IS BIPOLAR

4.5 out of 5 stars

Jetro Rafael is a true artist, and is reflected with his day job of travel photography. He also happens to have bipolar disorder or manic depression, along with the likes of famous people like Edgar Allan Poe, Ludwig Von Beethoven, Kurt Kobain and yes, Vincent van Gogh. Being productive about his condition, he decided to customize a meal plan to help calm his erratic mood swings instead of taking drugs with extensive side effects. What began as a personal meal guide turned into an idea for a restaurant, and hence, the birth of “Van Gogh is Bipolar.”

Make sure to leave lots of free time when visiting this restaurant because VGIB is a visual treat. His masterals in UP Fine Arts is apparent with the way the place is decorated. Every corner of the wall and table isn’t left empty. From hanging suits and headpieces, indigenous instruments and photographs, to leaving a chiffon divider with a decorative dragonfly, this place is an explosion of the senses. In fact, it got me befuddled in a manner that made me want to explore each and every nook and cranny. I only wish I had more time to take in all that is VGIB.

Even the concept of the restaurant walks off the beaten track, being that it is “semi-self-serve” and non-formal in some ways. Guests write down their names and orders in paper, which they bring to the kitchen window. Jetro or his helpers (who are sometimes his friends) will call out your name from the window, so you can pick up your food. Whenever you need anything, you ring the bell beside the kitchen window. I have used this bell to return my used dishes, request for more sauce or simply ask questions regarding my food. Jetro is quite gracious and says that if you’re not satisfied with your food, you can return it to the kitchen, and they’ll try to cook according to your specification. Apart from this, you make your own tea from materials provided in the center counter, and you’re even encouraged to compute for your own bill. Yes, the honesty system is carried through to the open container on the tea table carrying Palawan honey for 5 pesos per stick, or the travel tissue packs provided in the bathroom with a 10-peso donation box.

It is apparent that profit-making is only secondary to VGIB’s main purpose, which is for Jetro to share two of his numerous passions, namely cooking and photography. Most of the photographs and some of the artworks posted were created by him. And the menu is basically what Jetro eats on a daily basis. And in opening these interests to his guests in a restaurant where he literally lives, he essentially opens his lifestyle and heart to his guests. This sincerity shows through the effort put into the food (where the herbs come from his garden, vegetables from Tagaytay and Batangas, honey from Palawan and black rice from the Mountain Province, all organic!) and the creative way of entertaining his guests. While in the bathroom (where it’s also Jetro’s dark room), peruse through his photos, some books or drop a name of your real love in a bottle with the wilted rose. How about writing a greeting or message in the red healing wall in one corner? Or when dining al fresco, why not try eating from a bed? Not only does he advocate a healthy diet loaded with fresh vegetables, but the eclectic place encourages conversation and languid moments with friends over mood-altering teas.

Our dining area, where we ate by the red-curse healing wall

The menu is as complicated as the venue, perplexing but exciting to read. Once you’re accustomed to their system, though, it becomes as familiar as your favorite worn-out pair of slippers. The menu starts off with the bipolar concept, followed by the “House Rules,” namely:

1. Indoors are reserved for 10 diners only
2. Please enjoy your after dinner tea outdoors to accommodate other diners
3. NO SERVERS HERE. If you need anything, just ring the kitchen bell.
4. Please see the menu & write your name, orders (sic) on paper provided.
5. For tea drinkers: Read the instructions on how you (sic) to make your own tea.
6. After eating, kindly place soiled dishes at the kitchen window and ring the bell.
7. Celebrate your shit life on the red-curse healing wall or put your mark at the tea table.

Then come the Royal Bipolar Meal (Premium Platinum meals with a “narcissistic” serving), the bipolar appetizers, the bipolar salads, the Bipolar Presidents’ Manic Set Meal (Executive Premium meals), Rice Meals (Ford Coppola’s Episodic Meals), Fish Meals (Bipolar Hollywood Happy-Chill Meals), Tim Burton’s Dish of the Day, Tipid meals priced at 44 PhP (Ozzy Osbourne’s frugal Thursday’s semi-manic delight), Bipolar desserts, an explanation of Courtney Love’s Potion of the day (a special non-alcoholic drink), bipolar’s blend and concoctions (which includes teas, cocoas, and alcoholic beverages), Sunday Thanksgiving Dinner Selections, Instructions on how to make your own tea, a chart of the Bipolar diet which tabulates what to take (when you feel depressed, fatigues, stressed or in a bad mood), and articles on the unique black mountain rice as well as published articles on the restaurant. Whew! Quite a mouthful, right?

It’s almost like a book because the menu contains tidbits of information on neurotransmitters that you receive on eating a certain meal, trivia on the ingredients of a dish, how certain ingredients alter the mood you’re in as well as philosophies on life. The categories and the dishes are also named after famous people with bipolar disorder, such as Lord Byron, Isaac Newton, Axl Rose, Sting, Francesco Scavullo and too many more to mention. Noteworthy among the drinks are the Van Gogh Expensive Spicy Beer (299 PhP) where the blend of herbs and spice in the beer brew is home-made, Mel Gibson’s Darkest Sin (sweet vodka with 70 percent German dark chocolate, wild Palawan honey, almond and walnut) and Axl Rose’s Organic Egg-Jaegermeister shot (submerged in hot water for 10 minutes. Served in an egg shell. With wild honey and organic black, spicy sauce – 99 PhP)

But we didn’t choose any of the drinks since my boyfriend and I settled for the Presidents’ Manic Set Meal (a notch lower than the “Royal Bipolar Meal”), which already include both tea AND a choice of red/white wine or the Courtney Love’s Potion of the Day (which is non-alcoholic). I chose President Clinton’s Meal, which is grilled Australian lamb, along with the Courtney Love’s Potion (555 PhP), while my boyfriend picked President Lincoln’s Meal, which is Organic Turkey slow-cooked and simmered with Fresh fruit extracts and Organic Herbs, along with organic berry-based white wine (555 PhP).

We got our drinks at the same time as getting the tea, but the next time we return, we’ll remember to get the tea in the end to cap off our meal. Anyway, it wasn’t much of a biggie because you can refill your house tea thrice.

The organic wine was served with mint and garnished with strawberry. It was organic, light and fruity, but I preferred my drink so much more. The Courtney Love Potion was a mix of some tea, melon, mint, lemongrass, and had diced cucumbers, fresh mint and a strawberry on top. It was refreshing and tasted unlike any other iced tea or fruit concentrate that I’ve drank! I would go back to VGIB if only to drink this again!

From the top clockwise: Courtney Love's Potion, Mango-mint Tea
and Organic Berry-Based White Wine
Courtney Love's Potion - a very healthy non-alcoholic cold concoction made from the most fresh and organic fruit extracts with real fruit bits and pulp, varying from time to time. No sugar added, only wild Palawan honey is used. (144.44 PhP if bought alone)

We also had fun making our teas! From choosing your own teapots and teas (I chose mango for a “happy chill” mood while my boyfriend got avocado for “soothing”), to measuring the tea leaves and mint, it was quite an experience for a first-timer! Be sure to get a shot glass of that yummy Palawan honey to drizzle into your teacups for that boost of natural sugars.

Our turkey soup came along with the set meal, and it was delicious! It was thickened soup infused with turkey broth, and flavored with basil leaves, banana chips and toasted garlic. We finished it in no time, my only minor complaint being that they could have strained the turkey bones before serving it. But it was very tasty, nonetheless, and at least we knew that the savory portions were indeed infused by turkey bones and bits.

Our main courses came, and the dish is a true reflection of the place and menu. It was organized chaos with a burst of color from the fresh fruits and vegetables. My dish almost seemed like the grilled lamb chops were an accompaniment to the star of the show, the black mountain rice. Although the lamb wasn’t as tender as Jetro wanted it to be (he said it wasn’t marinated long enough), it was still satisfactory. But there may have been too little meat and a lot of the bone.

President Clinton’s Meal, Grilled Australian lamb(555 PhP)
"Grass eating animals are always a healthy source of protein which makes you energetic minus the negative effects of chemically fed animals which alter your mood in a bad way."

What was really mouth-watering was the way he prepared the black rice, almost as glutinous as a risotto, and mixed with banana chips, peanuts, mangoes, corn, basil leaves, lettuce, cabbage and edible flowers. Weird combination, but they just seemed to meld into one another perfectly, starting with the sweetness of the mangoes and ending with the soothing and rich aftertaste of the rice. What makes it better is that it is one of the healthy kinds of rice, being completely made of complex carbohydrates and low on the glycemic level.

Black Mountain Rice up close

My companion’s turkey was served inside an orange, and had the same rice accoutrement that ended up outshining its viand. Like the lamb, there was not much turkey, but whatever there was was scrumptious. It was moist and sweet and slightly tart at the same time. I preferred my lamb, though, not because of the flavor, but because I generally prefer lamb over turkey. Both dishes were accompanied with a sauce that tasted like patis and bagoong at the same time, and I chose not to use it because I was already enjoying all the sweetness coming from the rice. There were also much lettuce and cabbage leaves that we ended up making lettuce or cabbage rolls of our food, and we still kept on eating the rice even when there were no more lamb or turkey, it’s that good!

President Lincoln’s Meal, Organic Turkey slow-cooked and simmered
with Fresh fruit extracts and Organic Herbs, (555 PhP)
THE UNIVERSE'S BEST MEAT TO EAT.
TURKEY contains a natural chemical - "trytophan"- that activates serotonin hormones in the brain that flush out bad mood and gives you that super chill mood..."

This place is only open late afternoons. According to an article written by Anne Jambora in the Inquirer, "For a time, his restaurant was open 24 hours, with guests knocking on his door at dawn for some teatime. He was amused at first, he said, since it felt like he had visitors coming over to his house. But when word spread of the place and more people trooped to his place, he decided to open only for teatime (5-7 p.m.); dinner (7-10:30 p.m.); and late teatime (10:30-1 a.m.)."

This restaurant is not the place where you’d be focused on cooking technicalities, but its vibe and creativity all the more makes up for it. Nobody puts it better than Jetro himself, as quoted from the same article where he says:

“You’re not here to experience fine-dining service. You have to go to the counter, ring the bell, write down your order, wait for your order to get cooked and then come back for it at the counter when it’s done. You’re not here for good food, either. You’re here for an experience, to understand the life and world of a bipolar…. Here we celebrate our imperfections; here we embrace our flaws and weaknesses. I set this up as a way of sharing my life and my diet. Van is not about me; it’s not about the place. It’s a personal experience about the people who come here.”

Jetro Rafael : Owner of VGIB

part of the menu. Click below to magnify.

Van Gogh is Bipolar
living art space. cafe.
154 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village
(02)394-0188

*open everyday except Tuesday from 5:30 pm to 12:30 am
*cash basis only, wheelchair friendly
Su: 6:00 pm - 1:00 am
Su: 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm

ROMULO CAFE

3.75 out of 5 stars

Romulo Café is a relatively new restaurant which opened late last year along with good company near its streets: A Taste of LA, Zuchinnni’s and Katre. The architecture is cool, clean, chic and predominantly white, all thanks to the skills of famed designer Ivy Almario. Her husband, Yong Nievas (of the former Salumeria, thanks Noni) is the proprietor of this establishment, which serves Filipino comfort food, the name of this place coming from the grandfather’s surname. Admittedly, you can’t really tell that it’s Filipino food that they’re serving since the place is a little too modern. The only trace of Filipino art is a floor-to-ceiling poster of the poem “I am Filipino” halfway up the stairs.

Interiors

"I am Filipino" poem

Exteriors

The menu is brief, but put-together, consisting of only two pages worth of Filipino food with a modern twist. Even if their specialty is the Boneless Crispy Pata Binangoonan (PhP 595) (which I shall try on my next visit), it was only Martin and I, and we weren’t that hungry to eat something fit for 4. So we settled with the Flying Tilapia with 3 Sauces (290 PHP), Honey-Garlic Pork Spareribs (235 PhP) and the Pinoy Nachos (75 PhP) as our appetizer.

The nachos looked better than it tasted. It was kamote and taro chips drizzled with melted kesong puti, keso de bola and tomato. When we ate it, all we tasted were taro chips. The queso de bola sauce was surprisingly bland since queso de bola is normally salty and piquant, and the kesong puti was sparse, with only around 5 small cubes of tomatoes. Fortunately, the main dishes were tastier than the appetizer.

Pinoy Nachos (75 PhP)

The fried tilapia came with three types of sauces: sweet chili garlic sauce, honey bagoong and pickled ampalaya & soy vinegar. We left the chili garlic sauce alone, as Martin preferred the honey bagoong, liking bagoong to begin with. I preferred the third sauce of pickled ampalaya and soy vinegar. As much as it sounds unappetizing, it was pretty tasty and reminded me of a soy-based dipping sauce that Chinese restaurants serve.

Flying Tilapia with 3 Sauces (290 PHP)

The honey-garlic pork spareribs was also delightful. Contrary to the Pinoy nachos, this dish tasted better than it looks. The boneless pork ribs were simply placed in a white bowl. What brought it to a different level was their secret honey garlic sauce, which gave a tangy sweetness to the meat. Thankfully, this also didn’t seem too high on fat since the transparent sauce around it came from sticky honey, and not from oil-based sauces like adobo.

Honey-Garlic Pork Spareribs (235 PhP)

All in all, this resto has clean, no-frills comfort food, with an ambience perfect for barkada gatherings or quiet, intimate dinners. Check out this place for a new dining facet in Tomas Morato. Oh, and props to foodie Noni Mercado for giving me first dibs on this resto lead several months ago!

Menu below. Click to magnify.









Romulo Cafe
Scout Tuason cor. Sct. Dr. Lazcano
Quezon City, Metro Manila
(02) 332-7275
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

ZENSHO

4 out of 5 stars

Zensho is a decade year old, opened in 1999 and owned by Alan Acosta who used to be a regular customer of Kimpura. Wanting to put up his own restaurant, he hired some of the regular cooks from that establishment to put up Zensho. I guess one of the things that have made Zensho so popular is their unique “Eat-all-you-can” promos where customers order their dishes a la carte, but still have unlimited Japanese food for only 595 PhP. It’s cheaper during lunch where it’s only 495 PhP. So far, this is the only restaurant I know within the whole of Metro Manila that does “eat-all-you-can a la carte style” rather than an "eat-all-you-can" buffet.

Their “Eat-all-you-can” menu is practically complete, divided into: Appetizers, Zensho’s house specialties, Soup, Robotayaki, Teppanyaki, Salad, Tempura, Menrui (Noodles), Nabemono (Shabu-Shabu), Sashimi, Sushi and Yakimeshi. Make sure you don’t eat more than you can chew, as any leftovers would be double the charge.

Interiors

We ordered all the dishes a Pinoy would usually get in a Japanese restaurant: sashimi, sushi, tempura, kakaige, oyster motoyake (baked oysters), cuttlefish teppanyaki, tofu steak teppanyaki. mixed fried rice, steak teppanyaki, lamb chops teppanyaki, yakiniku (Beef barbecue) and yakitori (Chicken barbecue). Whew! To think we were only two! ☺

Assorted Sushi and Sashimi

Steak Teppanyaki (front) and Lamb Chops Teppanyaki (back)

Mixed Fried Rice and Miso Shirin Soup

Oyster Motoyaki

Ebi Tempura and Kakiage

Yakiniku (Beef Robatayaki)

Yakitori (Chicken Robatayaki)

Tofu Steak Teppanyaki

We wolfed down everything, and were very satisfied with what we got: The steak, even if it was local, was succulent and tender; the lamb was also cut into cubes and tasted just as great; the yakitori barbecue literally melted into your mouth once you bite into the skewered meat slathered in sweet teriyaki sauce; and the baked oysters stood true to its house specialty category, as it was fresh and loaded with cream and butter, perfect for slurping the sauce off its shell. I even loved the four season shake where the fruits were fresh and not concentrate.

yummy Four Seasons from fresh fruits

The tempura and kakaige were pretty average. The tofu steak was a little too sweet for our taste, and the cuttlefish somewhat fishy. But this was just a minor glitch to the well-oiled machine that this restaurant is, as everything else were exceptional, especially the service and promptness of our orders. For instance, the staff were kind enough to charge my laptop in the most convenient outlet, and they were very enthusiastic with our inquiries. They were also considerate to keep the teppanyaki griddle heated so that the dishes that laid there remain heated while we were eating. Our entire order came within a span of ten minutes, and we never had to ask the waiter to refill our water glasses when it emptied out. Finally, this place is also a blessing for smokers who can do so inside, as they keep all of the exhaust of the griddles open so that it would not annoy non-smokers.

Allan cooking fried rice at the teppanyaki griddle...
great service!

This “eat-all-you-can a la carte style” has remained unchanged for over six years and has remained popular for the simple reason that it’s the best bang for your buck in terms of its category, a mile away from Saisaki or its other contemporaries. I’ve eaten here more than a handful of times, and each of my visits here never disappoint. The ingredients are fresh, including the sashimi, the service is beyond reproach and the place is clean and comfortable. Apart from the 4 teppanyaki tables, there are also 3 private teppanyaki rooms perfect for meetings or get-togethers. So if you’re looking for a safe bet to take your family, barkada or a hungry loved one (like in my case, haha!) to dine in, Zensho’s the place to be where as they say, “We’ll cook it fresh as you order.”

Menu of the "Eat-all-you-can a la carte" below. Click to magnify.













Zensho
168 Tomas Morato Ave., South Triangle
Quezon City, Metro Manila

(02) 929-1069
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 2:30 pm
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Momofuku Noodle Bar

5 out of 5

** Didn't have time to write a complete article on this, so I just consolidated some articles (NY Times, NY Metro Dining, etc) that wrote good articles on it already, which also reflect how I felt when eating here.

The biggest star to emerge from the casual-dining scene is David Chang, named 2007 chef of the year by GQ and Bon Appetit for running Manhattan's Momofuku empire, consisting of three tiny restaurants right near one another that often play Led Zeppelin loud and have posters of John McEnroe on the wall. "So much in the late '90s and this decade was about service and serving mediocre food. I would rather be in an uncomfortable environment serving delicious food," says Chang. "I remember working at a restaurant, and they told us these statistics that the thing diners care about most was service and second was décor and third was food. And that made me mad. I said, 'Screw it.' That was the motto. Screw everything else — just worry about the food."

Chang compares the trend toward smaller, casual-dining restaurants to what happened to retail clothing 10 years ago, when department stores got destroyed by boutiques. "You're going to find funkier little restaurants that aren't for everyone, just like clothing stores aren't for everyone," he says. "Look at the jeans stores. There are 25 different stores that just sell jeans." His menu reflects his background as a Korean-American chef who came up through the seasonally obsessed kitchen at Craft doing his take on Japanese noodles plus, it seems, whatever else he feels like cooking. Thus, the “Momo" ($16) or Momofuku ramen was born—a large bowl of ramen noodles laden with impossibly tender Berkshire pork belly and shredded pork shoulder, showered with market vegetables, topped with a lightly poached egg. Its broth was very rich and dark, as it was simmered with roasted pork bones, shiitake mushrooms and bacon. By a mile, this is the specialty of the house. Cecile, my NY banker friend, was quick to order this for us, telling me how much she loved this restaurant that she would order this when she needed some comfort food.

“Momo" ($16)

But before we gobbled the ramen, we started it with Hanger Steak ($22), which has nugget potatoes, kimchi and butter. It was perfectly cooked, very moist and pink on the inside, the marinade of kimchi giving it a unique flavor. Unfortunately, the serving was also small for sharing alone, so we also grabbed another appetizer before our ramens.

Hanger Steak ($22)

Since Cecile chose, it had to be the equally famous pork buns ($9): A sock-puppet of steamed bread filled with thick-sliced pork belly dressed with hoisin sauce, cucumber, and scallion. Hot sauce optional. It is phenomenal.

Pork Buns ($9)

Anything that gives more people easier access to David Chang’s steamed pork buns is a humanitarian advance. So if that were all that had been accomplished by Momofuku Noodle Bar’s recent move into a larger space — there are 65 seats, up from 27 — it would be enough. But that isn’t all. With squat stools at communal tables in addition to tall stools at counters, the new Noodle offers a little more comfort. It’s set up like its more lauded sister, Momofuku Ssam Bar, though it has a paler hue and a perkier spirit, playing the blonde to Ssam’s brunette.

The menu has expanded, especially in a section titled “Cold,” where you find dishes including hamachi with blood orange ($16) and smoked duck with cinnamon ($14). Kitchen equipment has also been upgraded.

And there’s now soft-serve ice cream ($4), from a machine at center stage. It stands as an emblem of the polymorphous, mischievous Momofuku spirit, whereby East, West, high and low matter less than what strikes Mr. Chang’s fancy, like a cold braid of pistachio and cannoli flavors in a cone.

If the florid praise that has flowed Mr. Chang’s way is starting to grate on you, here’s your palliative: there are numerous miscues at the expanded Noodle, which competes with Ssam and now Momofuku Ko for Mr. Chang’s attention. Kevin Pemoulie, a partner in Noodle, runs the kitchen day to day.

The grilled octopus ($13) was rubbery. Duck confit rested on eggs that were billed as “soft scrambled” ($24) but that registered as an unappealing porridge. Although the noodles in the ramen dishes ($9 to $15) had a terrific mouth feel, the broth on occasion lacked spirit. And none of this struck me as any bargain in the context of a first-come-first-served operation that remains cramped.

But service was expert, and so, in the end, was most of the kitchen’s output: hefty, succulent prawns ($18) on buttery grits enriched by a poached egg and pork stock; a new dish of deep-fried chicken ($21 for a half, $40 for a whole) that’s not encased in batter, so it has an un-oily crunch; those famously plump smoked chicken wings with garlic and pickled chili ($11).
Steamed chicken buns ($9 for two) were better than ever, the pulled dark meat crisped on a new high-heat griddle. Will they challenge the hegemony of the pork buns? I think not. But that’s only because there’s nary a sandwich in this city that could.

menu. click to magnify.













171 First Avenue
in between 10th and 11th street
New York, NYC

noodle bar hours of operation

sun - thurs:
12pm - 11pm

fri - sat:
12pm - 12am