Favorite Face masks!

This post may be boring to some of you but since summer has just begun and the weather is getting pretty hot, I wanted to share a few of my favorite face masks which I think work great for anyone.
Face mask can be a perfect treat for your skin and it's a quick and easy way to give it some hydrating boost, especially after a long, stressful week. 


Here are the boxes of the two face masks that I think are pretty amazing.

The first one is a Japanese product called Vitamin C Pore Control Mask by Elizabeth Poretol and it has a really cute packaging of a baby's face. This product is targeted to control your pores but the mask essence is full of Vitamin C and collagen so it's something your skin will appreciate in general. There is actually more than enough essence to saturate the mask in one bag so I like to dab the rest onto my neck and any dry areas of the skin. 

The only thing about this product is that it's really hard to find in the U.S. (I got mine when I was visiting Korea over the Summer.) I'll have to check more Asian cosmetic stores in the city and get back to this post. 


 The second item is SK-II's Derm Revival Mask. It's a conditioning essence mask infused with ingredients that even out skin tone and hydrate your skin to give it more radiance.
This is more of a high-end product and a lavish spend for me so I save it for the times when I need it the most (like after a long flight) but it's definitely a quality product that will really give your skin the nutrients it needs and it really makes your face glow the next morning! I saw this product in Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth so it's definitely purchasable in the U.S.

My last favorite is a 100% all-natural facial treatment... Cucumber!!
It's a great D.I.Y. face mask which you can make right in your kitchen and all you need are a fresh cucumber and a nice kitchen knife. The trick is to cut the slices as thinly as you can (this takes practice) so that each piece is slightly transparent. If the slices are too thick, it won't stick to your face as nicely as it should. 

Cucumber works as a great treatment for troubled skin caused by sun exposure and acne and it's also full of minerals like silica that have anti-aging benefits. So try these at home unless you are allergic to cucumber! 

Again, thanks for reading my post! Hope it was helpful to some of you :)

The Smith - East Village

If I had to choose my all-time favorite breakfast/brunch spot in the city, it would definitely be The Smith, an American brasserie located on 3rd avenue & between 10th and 11th st. They also have another location in Midtown on 51st and 2nd avenue.

The ambiance is very casual and upbeat and I highly recommend getting a seat on the outdoor patio if the weather is nice. But this place is pretty popular, especially for their weekend brunch, so you may not have the choice to pick where you get seated. If you want to avoid the crowd, be an early bird and go here before 11 am for their breakfast.

 I've been coming to the Smith since I was a freshman in college and I have brought friends, families, and out of town guests. Every one of them loved this place and their amazing food! I also appreciate their complimentary sparkling water - not anything big or necessary but little things do make a difference.

Here is my recommendation on what to try at this restaurant.

Vanilla Bean French Toast
If you like eating sweets for breakfast, try this delicious french toast with maple butter and caramelized bananas.
The portion is actually pretty huge although the picture makes it look tiny.

Smoked Salmon Benedict
My ultimate favorite brunch menu served with home fries
If you don't like fish, try the Classic Eggs Benedict! (picture below)

 The top left is Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and the right is the Classic. As you can see, they are the same exact dish except for the slice of salmon under the poached egg.

Pulled Pork Kimchi Sandwich
This Korean fusion dish was absolutely delicious - just enough saltiness with a hint of spice.

As I mentioned before, I love coming here with friends and guests. This is my friend who was researching at Harvard so I brought this smarty pants here for some breakfast treats!

Lastly, the service here is great with friendly waiters and waitresses, which is always a plus!

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-smith-new-york

Click here for their full menu.

Novice's guide to Chinatown

This may sound crazy but after having lived in the city for 3 years, I've never visited the eateries in Chinatown ... this is what I used to say until this month when I finally checked that off my to-do list (more like a must-do list!)

Let me just tell you that I've been missing out on some yummy food at super cheap prices. But one big reason why I had been reluctant to come down here was that I just didn't know where to go- Chinatown is pretty big and everything is in Chinese (surprise). But a friend of mine recommended some great restaurants (thanks Julia!) and I thought it would be fun and helpful to some of you out there if I blog about the places I visited. 

The first restaurant I want to introduce is Shanghai Cafe on Mott st & between Hester and Canal st. 

The most popular menu is the soup dumpling and I got to try the pork and vege kinds. They are served on steamed cabbage and each order comes with 8 dumplings. Only $4.95 for each plate of dumplings! There are other menu items like noodles, rice dishes, and desserts but I have yet to try these.

The next place I want to talk about is full of sweet treats - Fay Da Bakery! It's also on Mott, just below Canal street so it's only a block down from Shanghai Cafe. They have regular desserts like fruit tarts and cheesecakes, but they also have a large variety of Asian baked goods and drinks (bubble tea!)

 

Their egg tart was still hot when I got them (left picture) and I loved its fluffy texture. Their pork bun (picture on the right) was pretty good but not as tasty as the ones from Jing Fong, which is coming up next. Both the egg tart and pork bun are a dollar each. 

Jing Fong Restaurant is probably one of the more popular restaurants in Chinatown and despite its huge size, it can get pretty packed during lunch time, especially on weekends. A cool thing about this place is that the workers stroll around with carts full of different dishes and you can simply pick and choose the ones you want. 

(Top left -pork buns , top right - shrimp dumplings, bottom left - Siu Mai, bottom right - chicken buns)
Each dish was delicious and all of these were just under $20. That's a good deal.

I just had to add this picture because Jocelyn (my BFF from college) kept saying that this shrimp dumpling reminded her of Finding Nemo. That was the most random and weird comment ever but that just shows how silly this girl is.

 So the next stop is just a small bubble tea shop called Bubbly Tea on Bayard st. There is nothing too special about this place but they do have an amazing 99 cent milk tea happy hour deal on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 A.M.-7 P.M. 

I would like to share one last food experience from Chinatown. On Canal street, there are several fruit carts that sell coconuts and the vendor will crack open the top for you so that you can drink the coconut water out of the fruit. Maybe this isn't that interesting but I was really excited to find this since coconut is not that ubiquitous in the city and even if you find one, successfully cracking the shell is a whole different story. So try one of these if you are feeling tropical!

Yelp Ratings

Shanghai Cafe - http://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-caf%C3%A9-new-york-2

Fay Da Bakery - http://www.yelp.com/biz/fay-da-bakery-new-york

Jing Fong - http://www.yelp.com/biz/jing-fong-restaurant-new-york

Bubbly Tea - http://www.yelp.com/biz/bubbly-tea-new-york

Rice to Riches - Nolita

Nolita is a cute little neighborhood just east of SoHo and it's filled with some interesting shops and restaurants that are pretty unique. If you get a chance to visit this neighborhood, and you love rice pudding, then you must visit Rice to Riches, an ultimate rice pudding heaven. This place might look familiar if you've seen the movie Hitch starring Will Smith because there's a scene where Eva Mendes comes here for a bowl of delicious rice pudding.

The interior is very hip and the store is filled with funny little graphics and phrases.

But more importantly, you'll see the most unique variety of rice pudding flavors and you get to try as many of them  as you want. These puddings are definitely not good for your waistline but the creamy texture and rich flavor will BLOW your mind away.

The containers they use are not environmentally friendly and it probably contributes to the slightly overpriced pudding, but they definitely add to the aesthetics of this place. Also, you can totally take them home and use them as food storage containers, if you are a proponent of reusing materials.

 So here is a picture of the different sizes. The one on the left with lots of topping (buttery graham crumbles to be exact) is the Epic and the slightly smaller container with no topping is the Solo. The tiny container on the right is a pre-packaged pudding. I've never tried the Sumo and the Moby sizes but they are basically massive tubs for rice pudding maniacs!

Close-up of the Solo. The flavor you see is the "Man-Made Marscapone" which is one of my favorites. Another favorite of mine is the "Perfectly Legal Pecan Pie" which is as delicious as it sounds! 

As you can see, it can get pretty crowded inside and the store is quite small so you are more likely to not find a place to sit. Nonetheless, I think this is just a really fun place to visit for a sweet treat and it's definitely a great spot to entertain guests from out of town!

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/rice-to-riches-new-york

East River Park - New favorite jogging route!

One of the favorite things I like to do in the city is running so I've been scavenging for new places to run for awhile. And a few days ago, I hit the jackpot!

East River Park is not your ordinary park with grass and trees. It's more like a long promenade along the East River and the view is just Amazing. I went for a run this morning and there were a lot of joggers, bikers, dog walkers and even people who kayak in the river.

The view running downtown. The bridge in the background is the Williamsburg Bridge and if you go further down, you will see the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge.

 The park also has a lot of recreational facilities including a basketball court (picture above), baseball field, and a soccer field with a 400 meter track. 

So you can run even more if you'd like! 

There are a lot of benches and seating areas where you can take a rest. I saw a lot of people just chilling and sun tanning in the park.

 This is the view running back uptown. You can see the Empire State Building poking up next to the tree! I start my run on 23rd street, go down to the Williamsburg Bridge, and return back up the same path. I like to jog here in the morning because it can get pretty hot after about 11A.M.  

Thanks for reading!

Cha-An - East Village

When you go one block up from the noisy streets of St.Mark's Place, you'll find a cozy little Japanese tea house called Cha-An. It's really easy to miss because the entrance is just a tiny door and the only sign you'll see is this small thing above your head :

It took me over a year to find out about this hidden gem and I would've never known it ever existed if my friend hadn't told me. So hopefully I'll get to share this place with more people out there by writing this post!

The tea is served in cute little pots and they are very nice about refilling the pot. 

On my first visit, the waitress suggested I try the Genmaicha Green Tea so if you can't choose from their long list of teas, try the Genmaicha!

Top two - Pot of Genmaicha Green tea, Bottom Left - Matcha Latte (sweet), Bottom Right - Chrysanthemum Blossom Tea

They also have a variety of Japanese fusion desserts that are pretty delicious.

I recommend the Black Sesame Creame Brulee (no picture for this one, sorry!) The mix of caramelized sugar and black sesame custard will live up to its hype, I promise. The sweets are not on the cheap side ($8~9 for a tiny dessert) but the teas are reasonably priced with most of them at $5~7 per tea pot.

The tea house itself isn't very big and the seats are pretty close to each other. But I think that's what gives this place a homey feel. Also, the service here is great, all the workers seemed friendly and happy. 

Great place to catch up with a friend while sipping on some hot tea!

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/cha-an-new-york

Spot Dessert Bar - East Village

I wanted to do a dessert blog and the first place that popped up in my mind was Spot Dessert Bar. It's not my number one favorite place to go for dessert, but it's conveniently located on St.Mark's Place (5-10 minute walk from NYU main campus) and they offer a variety of desserts including cupcakes, cookies, macarons, ice cream, bubble tea, and much more. But what Spot is known for is their creative dessert tapas. My favorites are Chocolate Green Tea Lava and Soft Cheesecake. 

(Click here for a full tapas menu!) 

The atmosphere here is quite cozy and the interior is minimalistic with dim lighting. So if you are a man, take your woman out for a nice treat and impress her with your choice of dessert ;)

Tahitian Coconut Cupcake & Macaron

 Chocolate Green Tea Lava! 

The best part is when the hot, thick chocolate flows out and mixes with the cold green tea ice cream. 

They have a variety of ice cream flavors with a lot of topping choices but I wouldn't come here just for the ice cream. The taste is mediocre and they only give you one scoop which is not enough to satisfy a sweet tooth like me. Same goes for the macarons. If you are a macaron fanatic, try Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle. (I'll have to blog about this place soon!)

But one thing I have to warn you about this place is how crowded it can get at night. The line gets long, especially right around dinner time, and the service isn't as friendly since the servers are busy catering to multiple customers. But I would recommend checking this place out if you are in the city and want to try some unique sweet treats!

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/spot-dessert-bar-new-york-2

Junior's - Theater District

If you are around Times Square and craving some traditional American food, Junior's is a good choice to satisfy your appetite. A lot of people come here before or after a broadway show since it's conveniently located right next to the theater. They are famous for their cheesecake but the dinner here is also pretty delicious, especially the steak burger. Also, their serving size is HUMMUNGO so come here hungry because you will definitely get stuffed. The pictures below are tiny so you can't really see how big the portion is but those are some gigantic plates.

Left top - Asian Chicken Salad, Left bottom- Steak Burger with fries and onion rings, Right- Grilled Chicken Breast Salad
(Sorry the steak burger picture is out of focus!)

And of course, the famous desserts at Junior's! I didn't try their cheesecake but if you are a fan of cheesecake, you must try a slice of Junior's because that's what this restaurant is know for! The desserts are huge as well, especially the strawberry short cake. 

Top - Strawberry short cake, Left Bottom - Carrot cake, Right Bottom - Red Velvet cake (my fav!)

Thanks for reading!

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/juniors-new-york-2

Brooklyn Bridge at night

The first time I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge was actually over two years after I was already living in Manhattan. So I decided to blog about it so those of you out there  in the city who have been couch potatoes  like me can see what  they are missing out! But no worries, it's never too late. Summer is probably a perfect time to go to the bridge since it was prettyfreezing in the winter.

This is the view crossing the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The sunset makes the view even more amazing.

Since I'm already blogging about Brooklyn, here's a restaurant suggestion if you want to grab some food once you cross over to the Brooklyn side. Grimaldi's is a pretty famous pizzeria in Brooklyn and their brick oven pizza was indeed as delicious and cheesy as people have been telling me. But beware of the wait as I heard that the line can get so long that people line up out the door. Fortunately, I visited pretty late (after 9pm) and there was no line! So I suggest going either before or after the dinner rush. Oh and Cash Only!

You can mix and match your toppings!
We did half plain cheese pizza, half sausage  with some sort of vege.

Yelp Rating - http://www.yelp.com/biz/grimaldis-brooklyn