It's not Bánh Mì, it's Num Pang

Num Pang 
21 E 12th Street 
New York, NY 10003 
www.numpangnyc.com

“Num pang” means “bread” or “sandwich” in Khmer, very similar to “bánh mì” which also means “bread” in Vietnamese. The difference between the two sandwiches? The spices used in the ingredients - but they are indeed very similar. Num Pang is an itsy-bitsy Cambodian sandwich shop in Greenwich Village. They have a variety of interesting and unique concoction of sandwiches made with coconut tiger shrimp, hoisin veal meatballs, peppercorn catfish, grilled skirt steak, roasted cauliflower, or their signature pulled duroc pork.

Five spiced glazed pork belly with pickled Asian pear

I opted for the five spice glazed pork belly with pickled Asian pear, served on a perfectly toasted and soft French mini-baguette with pickled carrots, fresh cilantro, sliced cucumbers, and creamy homemade chili-mayo. The sandwich was complete perfection, with juicy and tendered pork belly. The pickled Asian pear was an interesting twist that added depth to the tasty flavors. It was delicious, but I will need two of these bad boys to fill me up, cause the sandwiches are rather small and kind of pricey. I would still go back to try all the other sandwiches though. It's too yummy! Thanks Jason for the recommendation!

Mickey’s rating: 8.5/10 
Price range: $$
Cash only

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts

Dessert Club, ChikaLicious 
204 E 10th Street
New York, NY 10003 
www.dessertclubchikalicious.com

If you’re a sugarholic like me, your sweet tooth is going to totally appreciate this heavenly place called Chikalicious. I’ve been here several times, and I’m always amazed at how this tiny and cute dessert bar can have an endless amount of desserts to choose from… from cupcakes, to ice cream, cookies, pudding, and macarons. 

Vanilla bean cupcake

Triple chocolate cupcake

Delicious!

S'mores cupcake

Mini banana Boston creme cupcake

Warm chocolate chip cookie

"Lin" spectacular sundae (Jeremy Lin inspired sundae) - maple pecan over banana bread pudding

Apple crisp a la mode

Éclair ice cream cone

The delectable cupcakes here aren't overwhelmingly sweet, and the frosting is light and airy, which I love. Most of the sweets that I’ve tried are unique and yummy, but part of the magic comes from warming it up in the microwave for a few seconds. I certainly recommend this place for a quick casual and delicious after-dinner treat. Enjoy the sugar rush!

Mickey's rating: 8/10
Price range: $$

Ain't nothing but a chicken wing

Andy Ricker's deep-fried chicken wings dressed in fish sauce have been voted best wings in 2012 by NY Mag, and won the James Beard Award for his Thai cooking at his restaurant, Pok Pok. I finally had my first Pok Pok wings in Portland, Oregon a few months ago, and it was one of the tastiest chicken wings I’ve ever had. It was so good, that the following week I tried the newly opened Pok Pok location in LES, New York. The verdict? Portland location definitely tasted better.

But don’t flip, potato chip! It's ok that you don't have the time to fly to Portland and try these famous wings. Thanks to the internet and google, you could make your very own Pok Pok wings at home. These chicken wings are simple to make, and only requires a few ingredients that you might already have inside your kitchen. It's so good, you're going to want to make these tasty sweet & savory sticky wings for your next Super Bowl party. Enjoy!

Pok Pok Wings 

Recipe from Food & Wine 
Makes 5-6 servings 
PRINT RECIPE 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar 
4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 minced 
3 pounds whole chicken wings 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying 
1 cup cornstarch 
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 
1 diced shallot 

Directions:  
In a bowl, whisk the fish sauce, sugar and crushed garlic. Add the wings and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 3 hours, tossing the wings occasionally. 

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the minced garlic; cook over moderate heat until golden, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. 

In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels; reserve the marinade. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings and turn to coat. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a bowl. 

In a small saucepan, simmer the marinade over moderately high heat until syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain over the wings and toss. Top with the cilantro, shallots, fried garlic and serve.

Mitsuwa

Mitsuwa Marketplace 
595 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 07020 
www.mitsuwa.com/english

Plastic food displays gives me a good visual, since I can't decide what to eat.

Can I finish all this food? You betcha! 

Is this what Disneyland in Japan feels like? Because Mitsuwa feels like a wonderland, featuring tons of Japanese items and food. This market is your one stop shop for Japanese groceries, stationeries, appliances, cosmetics, and a food court filled with exquisite Japanese dishes. Everything is imported, so everything is a little pricier compared to a regular supermarket. I love taking my time browsing through anything and everything, while working up an appetite.

Tonkatsu

Top left to bottom right: fresh tuna sushi, ramen, oyakodon, gyudon

Stuffed croquettes

Fried shrimp omelette

Katsudon

Unadon

Feel like beautifully marbled Berkshire pork katsu? A bowl of warm yummy ramen? Fresh sushi? A bowl of sweet and savory donburi? You can have all of that here at Mitsuwa. The food court in this market has lots of great options for everyone. Including my favorite tonkatsu spot (Katsuhana), ramen (Santouka), donburi (Kayaba), taiyaki (Oishinbo), and my favorite dessert place that serves great soft serve ice cream. Keep in mind that most of these vendors accept cash only.

Creamyaki - zodiac shaped hot cake filled with custard 

Taiyaki - a Japanese fish shaped hot cake filled with red bean filling

Green tea soft serve ice cream

Parking here is a pain in the butt during the weekend, so avoid weekend peak hours. Better yet, take the free and convenient shuttle from the Port Authority bus terminal that goes back and forth the market daily. It’s only about a 30 minute ride. I also strongly advise against eating during peak hours because finding a table is a challenge, and the wait to order food can be quite long. 

Mitsuwa has fun events and food festivals from time to time, so make sure to check out their calendar on their website. This place is da bomb diggity, offering a tiny glimpse of Japan tucked in New Jersey. So make sure to come here with a big appetite, so you could try everything!

Mickey's rating: 9/10
Price range: $$

All you need is a little sprinkle

Sprinkles Cupcakes 
780 Lexington Ave 
New York, NY 10065
www.sprinkles.com

Mama said there’d be days like this…. when you just need a cupcake and forget about work. These delightful cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and orgasmic. They definitely make me smiley after a hard day at work. Thank you Beverly Hills for sharing this little piece of heaven with NYC. Some of us New Yawkers need that little bit of west coast sunshine. 

Sprinkles Cupcakes: vanilla & chocolate sprinkles, red velvet, and pumpkin

Mickey's rating: 9/10
Price range: $$

Food for the soul

Amy Ruth’s 
113 West 116th Street 
Harlem, NY 10026 
www.amyruthsharlem.com

A beautiful mural in Harlem

So this past weekend, I was training for my Yosemite Half Dome hike by walking 280 blocks from downtown Chinatown all the way to uptown Harlem and New Jersey. It's inevitable that I would get tired, hungry, and super cranky. Thus, my boyfriend knew exactly what I needed to make things better… some soul food for his unsoulful girlfriend. So we stopped by Amy Ruth’s for some comforting, delicious and artery clogging worthy food to reward ourselves. 

Corn bread on the house

Before we even placed our orders, we received a basket of complimentary corn bread, which was absolutely heaven at the moment since we were completely famished. It was warm, perfectly sweet with the right amount of cornmeal and we slathered it with butter and some maple syrup. Yum!

As I slowly regained my energy back, I studied the restaurant menu carefully, featuring every permutation of comfort food with famous African-American themed dishes. Amy Ruth’s is well known for their famous chicken and waffles... but we just didn’t feel like having any waffles for dinner.

The President Barack Obama fried chicken with collard greens and mac & cheese

So instead, we ordered the President Barack Obama entree. You have the option of choosing your chicken fried, smothered, baked, or BBQ, with two delicious sides of your choice. I stuck with the classic fried chicken since it's essential and vital to Southern cooking. The chicken was juicy, well seasoned, with just the right amount of crisp without being too greasy, and mmmm-mmm finger-lickin’ good. I merrily gobbled the tasty chicken, and washed it down with some good ol’ Kool-aid.

The Reggie Harris Southern honey-dipped fried chicken with fried okra and potato salad

Our side dishes were really good as well. The potato salad was good, with a nice touch of dill. The fried okra did not have that gooey slimy texture, and it tasted awesome in a deep fried batter. The leafy collard greens were excellent with just enough salt and flavor. Macaroni and cheese? Nummy in my tummy! I can't wait to try all the other sides next time.

Neal shoemaker's peach cobbler

We barely had room for dessert, but we managed to squeeze in a warm peach cobbler at the end. The atmosphere here was comfortable, with good hip hop music playing in the background. Despite the service being a little bit slow, the staff was friendly and accommodating.  

Amy Ruth's was one of the most satisfying and hearty meals I ever had. Although my thighs felt guilty for enjoying soul food this good, it definitely satiated my hunger and my belly could not be happier. Going to Amy Ruth's is an experience. One that I recommend to all, for good quality southern comfort food where you eat with your soul, by keepin' it simple and real. Yes, I'd walk another 280 blocks for Amy Ruth's in a hearbeat.

Mickey’s rating: 9/10 
Price range: $$