It’s Friday night here in NYC and one work week is OVER. Awesomeness. It’s been a bit of a brain straining week and I’d been looking forward to taking it easy, wandering around this great little city on my own. Of course by “taking it easy”, I totally meant “go shopping”.
I cast my shopping net wide tonight – all the way from Union Square at 14th St (where 7’s lives. Because I LOVE 7’s) up to Bloomingdale’s at 59th – and the sucker that I am, Bloomingdale’s has this deal where if you spend over $200 you get a “free gift”. So what did I do? I spent over $200 of course and gleefully traipsed my way to the Visitor Centre to claim my prize. Hey, I am Chinese afterall.
Anyway, after queuing for eons, the mofos gave me a keyring. A LOUSY KEYRING. Seriously. I took the keyring regardless because if nothing else, I’d earned the thing, and I took it and hurled its glib little brownbagness across the crowded room. Or maybe I just took it and shoved it into my bag, but you know the feeling.
With the keyring lodged hopefully somewhere between my snotty tissue and the hard rock that I obviously carry around in my handbag, I decided to pursue something a little more rewarding. Food. I’d been pointed in the direction of Kyotofu earlier in the week, mainly as a recommendation for dessert, but hey who’s to say I couldn’t have it for dinner too? Nobody, that’s who. Well, turns out they do savouries anyway so my soul is saved once again.
I wandered across through Hell’s Kitchen where the locals would have you believe that it is hot in hell. Some whacko was walking around with no shirt on, I shit you not, and it’s like just a little bit cold outside. But anyway, focus. Let’s get tofu-00d.
Chicken & tofu burger with sweet potato chips
I wanted to have soba noodles, but felt a bizarre obligation to order something tofu, considering I was sitting in a joint called KyoTOFU. The chicken & tofu burger seemed like a good option and tasted… well, it basically just tasted like a whole lot more than I expected. The patty itself is made with chicken mince and tofu, served with cabbage, salad and sauce on a brioche bun. Not Bad At All.
Signature sweet tofu with kuromitsu syrup & black sesame tuile
For dessert, I was once again obligated to back my tofu brother and was tossing up between the black sesame sweet tofu and the signature sweet tofu with kuromitsu syrup & black sesame tuile. The waitress likes the latter best so I gave that a shot. The tofu itself isn’t too sweet, but comes with a shot of kuromitsu (brown sugar) syrup and when all mish-mashed together, it was basically a glorified tofu-fa, which I’m not complaining about 
Oh and I ordered something matcha. Because.
Iced matcha latte
Kyotofu
705 9th Avenue (between 48th and 49th Streets)
Hell’s Kitchen, NY, 10019
212 974 6012
website
Somewhere in between the shopping and the eating, I managed to check out the lights that make New York New York. The city is stunning at the worst of times and at Christmas? It truly comes to life… check it out…
Times Square
Rockerfeller Center Christmas tree
Rockerfeller Center
Bryant Park
Macy’s
And of course there’s the famous light snow at Saks 5th Avenue. This year’s theme was “The Snowflake and the Bubble”. I know, sounds lame but hey, it was cool. I even took a video!