Tag Archives: Good Eats

IMG_0602
EATS

A Global Food Lover’s Fantasy – The Rocking World of Red Hot World Buffet

Leave a comment

By Lakshmi:

Have you ever had disagreements in your family in terms of where to go out to eat?  Ever get each person saying they want to eat a particular type of cuisine or want to go somewhere specific which no one else is in a mood for?  It certainly happens to us.  So, on a recent trip to Cardiff, when friends recommended we MUST (it was pretty emphatic) eat at Red Hot World Buffet, we made a point of seeking it out.

Located smack in the city center, the restaurant’s claim to fame is that for one price (9.99 pounds per person on a Saturday for lunch), you can eat a buffet filled to your heart’s content.  Now a lot of restaurants advertise that, but what is promised here is a buffet encompassing Indian, Thai, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Mediterranean food.

As soon as we entered, we noticed the restaurant was packed and bustling with activity.  We got seated within a few minutes and then came a journey that I have to say has not been commonplace.  Walking slowly towards the appetizers area, I knew their claim of serving an assortment of cuisine was absolutely spot on.  This was not some token, obligatory check the box with one dish dedicated to each cuisine but dishes upon dishes and stations dedicated to each specialty.

For a foodie, this was a fantasy come true….but it was also tremendously stress inducing.  ”Oh I wish I had not eaten breakfast” , “Wait, how can I try everything here?” “I’ve always wanted to try this…” my mind was a smorgasbord of questions.

Each dish we ate tasted fresh and authentic.  From the freshly piped hummus served in dainty cups with an olive slice at the top to the fiery hot Thai green curry, from the potatoes with mustard to the pizza with jalapenos, from the mango souffle to the chocolate cake, the list of dishes was totally satiating.  We ate our way through multiple rounds and left incredibly content and happy.  Our only complaint on a cold day was that there was no place close by that we could retire for a nap!

If you think we are exaggerating about the choices, simply take a look at their menu in Cardiff that we partook.

http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/restaurants/cardiff/buffet-menu/

We have subsequently discovered that the restaurant has multiple locations throughout the UK.  To get more information on their locations, click here:

http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/

If you’ve had a similar dining experience, we’d absolutely love to hear from you.

IMG_2481

IMG_4715

IMG_0232

molto bene
EATS

A “Molto Bene” Off The Beaten Track Italian Meal

Leave a comment

By Lakshmi:

Last night, a dear friend made reservations for us to dine at Molto Bene, a small jewel box like Italian restaurant located in the heart of historic Cranbury in New Jersey.  Named for the Italian term “very good”, this tiny restaurant packs in a bar, a mercato (market) and a dining area in its compact space, which is always brimming with diners.

As we noticed the diners around us, it was clear that this place was different from many an Italian restaurant.  The plates coming on to the tables were diminutive with beautifully presented assortments of food.

Our native Italian friend decided that trying a series of small platters was the way to experience the full array of tastes available at our disposal.  The first bite of the Palline di Palermo (Chickpea Fritters) served with a lemon alioli yogurt sauce had our taste buds singing.  Reminiscent of the falafel (for its ingredients) and an Indian cutlet (for its texture), these crisp on the outside, smooth on the inside concoctions were awesome.  The Polenta Fritta (Polenta Fries) that followed were a simple rendition of polenta that paired beautifully with the mozzarella cream rouille.  Our vegetarian version of the Ricotta al Forno (Baked Ricotta) with homemade fig marmalade and flatbread blended the salty and sweet into a perfect mix of flavors.

From an impressive start of appetizers, none of which we had savored before, we moved on to their CICCHETTI chi-KE-tee (Small plates) dishes.  We started with a tomato bruschetta and followed it with a Ricotta Gnocchi Fatta in Casa (perfect pieces of gnocci in a very simple tomato sauce).

For those wondering if we were satiated at this point, the answer is…life is too short to not indulge in dessert.  So, out came the traditional Tiramisu, a warm banana bread pudding, crisp friend Zeppoles (Italian mini donuts) with chocolate sauce and some homemade cookies to compensate for our missing macaroni entrée.

A final shot of espresso capped a “molto bene” evening spent with friends discovering a new world of Italian cuisine.

If you’d like to learn more about Molto Bene or explore their off the beaten track menu for inspiration, click here:

http://www.moltobeneonline.com/

aubreve
EATS

Au Breve Espresso- A Morning Pick Me Up

Leave a comment

By Siddhi:

Though the high school population will shoo me away grudgingly when I say that college eight AMs are killer, they really just are the worst. Especially when your dorm and class are on opposite sides of the Village and every part of your body rattles under those cruel mid-October chills. But when you get your hands on the right cup of coffee on those unfortunate mornings (trying to be as dramatic as possible here…), everything becomes infinitely more bearable.

This morning, I discovered Au Breve Espresso tucked away in the early morning sunshine of Cooper Square in the East Village. Located adjacent to an arts preschool in the new Cooper Union building, the small but wonderfully slick designed coffee joint is a proud adopter of an initiative called the “Progressive Coffee Program”, which strives to sample the top  brews across the globe and deliver the best flavors on a seasonal basis. Which means that unlike most mainstream coffee companies that simply change the syrups of the same brews to market “new” beverages with season shifts, Au Breve actually changes what they brew throughout the course of the year. The bean origins are standout:

Colombia Cerro Del Reyez
El Salvador Andalucia COE #34
El Salvador Finca Buenos Aires Tablon #11
Ethiopia Ardi
Guatemala Chajulense
Honduras El Pinal Lote COE #8

Though my staple cappuccino order was smaller than I expected, coming in a lot tinier than what I thought their standard six ounce serving size would look like, it was simply divine.  The last time I had coffee that felt this great and satisfied my morning caffeine fix so thoroughly was at a cafe in Rome several years ago. That sentiment was fitting, considering Au Breve’s international bean outreach. In addition to its unique brews including Woodneck, Aeropress, V60, and Kalita, the coffee shop boasts a selection of breakfast pastries and post-meal desserts like macaroons and their signature rainbow marshmallows.

The real surprise on the menu? A masala chai latte! I haven’t tried it yet, but I know that I’ll absolutely be back to see if they do justice to the spices. I have faith.

Au Breve is a bit pricy considering the amount of coffee you actually get, but what you spend is nonetheless worth it. This is coffee that you can safely say was the highlight of your day, which is a big deal when you’re in Greenwich Village!

Au Breve Espresso is located between between 6th and 7th street at 51 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003. The cafe is oddly closed on Saturdays and open on Sundays, so the best time to grab a cup off your favorite coffee is an early weekday morning when the crowds are minimal despite Cooper Union and NYU students being out and about.

To learn more about Au Breve and explore more of their offerings, click here:

http://www.aubreve.com/