Showing posts with label Junior's Cheesecake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Junior's Cheesecake. Show all posts

Birthday Trip, New York City, May 2015 (Day 6)

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Now that we've gone through Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4 and Day 5, time for us to move on to Day 6!

Finally!!! The day has come for us to naik helicopter and fly above Manhattan!!! If you read my entry pasal my pre-flight experience with the helicopter operator here, you'd know that they already cekik my darah by this point lololol.

But whatever, kita dah naik pun (on my birthday mengikut timing New York some more HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!) and this is one of my life experiences that I will never forget. Unless I get dementia and jadi nyanyuk in old age la. But even then pun takpe, I will just baca balek my own blog muahahaha. I mean, that is the main reason I blog, after all?!

11 May 2015 (Day 6)
[New York Pass activated]

- Grand Central Terminal
- Junior's Cheesecake
- Liberty Helicopters
- United Nations Headquarters

But before we went to naik helicopter, we went to Grand Central Terminal to feeling feeling New Yorker, y'all. I think kita dah lama kena fed the idea that Grand Central Terminal is the heart of NYC and always portrayed as very grand in movies and books but whether actual New Yorkers feel the same way, I don't know lah hah. Aku tak interview dorang.

All I know is that I can't believe I finally stepped foot into Grand freaking Central Terminal already!!!!! It is as magnificent as I imagined it to be... I think I spent a good 40 minutes gawking at its structure and intricate detailing and throngs of locals and tourists coming in and out of all the entrances/exits. All that while listening to their useful self-guided audio tour which we got for free under the New York pass! (Another 15 minutes was spent furiously taking pictures and trying to figure out which angle will look good on Instagram hahahahaha bye la bye la)


Also tried cheesecake from the Junior's Cheesecake! Ada satu outlet kat bawah Grand Central Terminal. As you can see from the swirls, I chose a chocolate cheesecake, but they have other flavours like raspberry cheesecake la apple crumble cheesecake la sugar-free low carb version pun ada.

Kepada siapa siapa yang nak try, please be warned that their sliced cheesecake is huge and very, very rich. I ada friends who didn't like it, friends who loved it, so it really depends on what your preferences are. Personally, Saliheen and I liked it, but dua dua cannot finish the slice even though we shared a slice because it is seriously rich nak mampos.

Anyway, it was after this baru we went to Downtown Manhattan heliport to naik helicopter!!! Dah pandai, nampak. Dah learn from mistake, nampak. Don't book helicopter appointment in the mornings because foggy gila! Bila dah noon baru all clear and bright, perfect for cosy helicopter rides.....

Our pilot was informative (tapi kesian kena pekik pekik over the whirring noises) and I freaking love the sensation of being so high up in the sky. Flying above Manhattan, no less!!!!! One of the most famous skylines in the world, okay. It was a first helicopter experience for me some more (30 before 30 list, checked!) Not the first for Saliheen but him abseiling from a helicopter over Tekong (or whichever area he is assigned to during reservist) is tak pakai k.

Lepas dah rasa exhilarated over our helicopter ride, time to make our way to the United Nations Headquarters pulak. Not the usual stop recommended in travel books or websites but personally we were interested to see their headquarters, which is why we booked their 1-hour guided tour.


So, so cool. We went through a hall where a meeting was in session but we weren't allowed to take pictures, we weren't even allowed to talk (nasib baik allowed to breathe) so I can only share pictures of empty meeting halls kwa kwa kwa.

Last picture is from one of their in-house exhibitions, I was so amazed when I saw the artifacts taken from the neighbourhoods that were destroyed in the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. So crazy. Everytime I see something from a historical event in front of my very eyes, my heart races and my mind freaking explodes k. Not literally, of course. And pun was not intended eh, tak kelakar tau make fun of such catastrophic events. Tau.

We were craaazy tired after that so we went back to the hotel to wash up then instead of jalan jalan around Times Square like the past few nights, we went out to the Empire State Building area instead. To, you know, tukar angin.

Also because I wanted to find a dessert shop located near the area la hahahahaha. 

The dessert shop turned out to be disappointment and their desserts, while instagram-worthy, were hard and tasted blahhhhh (I didn't post a picture in Instagram in the end, it was that bad hahaha). But as we all know, things always happen for a reason, and that old adage proved its point when we passed by a store called "Zumiez" on our way back.

Saliheen didn't want to masuk at first but I insisted because the store had street-wear (which he loves) and many black teeshirts (which he also loves) and we were strolling back to our hotel and had time to spare, anyway.

Guess what lah guys, he ended up being the person who couldn't tear himself away from the store wtf and dia BORONG MAHA BORONG KE APE!!!!!!! I tak tau lah street-wear brands for lelaki ni semua but apparently, they sold pretty good brands at cheap prices. But I think the 'stinger' for Saliheen was when this happened:

Saliheen: Hi, do you have this design in size XL?
Staff: Oh yes, we have it in XL.
Saliheen: Okay, do you have this design in size XL as well?
Staff: Actually we have all of the designs in XL, you just have to choose which designs you like.

Member terus mata terbeliak besar, sampai astronaut kat bulan pun boleh nampak, aku agak. So different from Singapore streetwear stores, where he always, always has to ask the staff to show him which designs are available in XL, and they will always show him 1 or 2 berlapuk pieces yang tak cantik sangat as the rest of the other designs. Dia selalu hampa seh kat Singapore. No such thing as hampa in Zumiez New York, more like habis ah dia punya duit kwa kwa.

And to think he didn't want to even step in to masuk and tengok at first. Had to insist and drag him him in baru dia ikut. See lah, SEE LAH. Always dismissing my recommendations!!! Then he will be one who loves and obsesses over my recommendations!!! Selalu gini tau!!!!! 

Now, whenever he dismisses my recommendations, I always ungkit threaten kacau him - "That time I cakap nak pergi tengok Lion King, you cakap ape? Merepek kan? End up bagus gila kan? That time I cakap nak gi makan Halal Guys, you cakap ala special sangat ke? End up you obsessed with them bila dah rasa kan? That time I cakap nak masuk Zumiez, you tak nak kan? Until I insist kan? Lepas tu you yang borong, sampai sekarang masih termimpi mimpi kan??? NAK DISMISS I LAGI LA????????"

Hahahaha! Menyampah tak aku punya cara ambik kesempatan. But the good thing is laki aku sekarang dah tak wet blanket sangat. Now he doesn't say a big firm 'NO' when I cocok him pasal nak pergi skydiving, I just see him silently considering it in his head hahaha habis ah naik shiok ah aku pakai itu line. 

NYC Planning (Part 3)

Thursday, March 12, 2015

8 more weeks to New York City, you guys!!!!!

Draft itinerary is more or less complete, now we're just waiting for slots to open so we can confirm our bookings for some of our intended activities. We still have a few flexible evenings, which we will probably fill with different types of shows and/or random jalan jalan around Times Square.

I've also compiled a list of dessert places for us to visit, maaaybe a little too many sampai Saliheen started grumbling HAHAHA. He even asked me whether the only reason why I am excited to go NYC is because  I want to pig out on desserts! Eh eh orang tua ni..... ABURTHEN?! sampai hati accuse I macam tu tau.

Actually tak banyak sangat seh yang on my list, I had to eliminate a lottttt of candidates (fuh, macam nak choose jodoh lah) because there's just too many things to do in NYC. Anyway, here's my final shortlist!

Baked by Melissa

Had to include Baked by Melissa in my list because LOOK AT THEIR CUTE MINI CUPCAKES DON'T YOU JUST WANT SQUISH THEM WTF. These babies come with filing inside and each is about the size of a quarter!!! Have to admit their mini cupcakes look greasy and unappetizing on Trip Advisor and Yelp reviews though hahaha but one of their stores is 3 minutes walk away from my hotel so #YOLO

Crumbs 


We now go from mini cupcakes to colossal cupcakes! I know one of the signature offerings at Crumbs is their colossal cupcakes, and if you cannot understand how massive they truly are, then I should probably tell you each piece costs USD35 and you will need two hands to hold it proper, like this. I have no idea why people call this a cupcake though, isn't a huge cupcake essentially just a..... cake? Dun dun dun~

Cake Boss Cafe

I've heard of the TV show Cake Boss but haven't watched a single episode before so this trip to their store will be more of a curious touristy moment than it having actual significance for me haha. Who knows, if their cupcakes sedap nak mampos, I might just start watching their episodes? (Kalau sedap baru nak tengok ah)

Dominique Ansel Bakery

How can I visit NYC and not try cronuts from the original creator of cronuts kan!!!!! To be honest, I wasn't very impressed when I had a cronut at Brunetti in Singapore but it might just be because I don't enjoy eating flaky desserts anyway? Told myself if I don't even like the ones from the original creator himself then memang cronuts are just not for me. 

Their bakery also sells crazy cute cookie milk shots but they are only available from 3.00pm onwards daily. Meh. I think we'll be in their area earlier than 3.00pm seh so might have to give those a miss :(

Dough Doughnuts



Looking forward to having these glorious gedik babies because I am obsessed with Essie Button and this was one of the things she had when she visited New York! I watched her vlog at a time when I never even dreamed I'd ever step foot in NYC so I didn't give it much thought, but the minute my NYC plans firmed up I immediately knew I had to go to Dough for their doughnuts,  I kid you not!!!!!

Junior's Cheesecake

A little ridiculous if I go to New York and not try one of their famous New York cheesecakes, amirite or amirite?

Magnolia Bakery


Now this one, my friends, is an ABSOLUTE MUST-GO!!! I know anyone who has been to NYC will tell you, "oh you must try Magnolia Bakery, it's just one of those things you must do when you are in NYC". When I first started planning, it was exactly the same thing for me! Go to Magnolia Bakery because their cupcakes and pudding sedap and it's just what people do when they go NYC, you know?

But earlier this month, I started reading The Tastemakers: Why We're Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue by David Sax and HOLYYY SHIIIIIIITTTEEE, I couldn't have picked up the book at a better time - there is a whole section in there on the history of Magnolia Bakery and why it has become such an important cultural icon today! You can read the first few chapters here, which will (hopefully) make you understand why stepping foot into Magnolia Bakery will be a pretty significant moment for me.

(I hope to write a separate entry on the book once I've finished reading it! So far the other chapters are just as educational and captivating and my mind boggles at how food trends start and evolve, how powerful PR and marketing can be, and how it can influence what and how we consume food in different parts of the world)

MarieBelle

I'm not sure if we'll have the time to pop by MarieBelle but if we do, it'll be sweet! (Literally) Bookmarking this only 'cos Oprah included their hot chocolate powder as one of her favourite things in the world LOL

Momofuku Milk Bar


Sometimes when someone mentions NYC, another person will sambut with an enthusiastic "Momofuku!!!!!" (True story, this happened when I told my girlfriend I'm heading to NYC lolz) I've read a little about the Momofuku chain from The Tastemakers book and subsequently on the internet, and while I'm skipping their noodles bar because yang popular adalah their pork buns and their soup base probably ada babi, I am definitely not going to miss out on their milk bar, which serves sedap sounding shit like cereal milk soft serve, compost cookies and crack piesss.

Spot Dessert Bar

So many items on their menu yang I nak try!!! Their #1 seller chocolate green tea lava cake??? Their frozen Japanese citrus cream bar??? Their Thai tea creme brulee??? Their smoked coconut cheesecake??? Their glorious golden toast with condensed milk??? Which one am I going to gain calories for??? WHICH ONE?!?!?! T.T I don't even know which picture to share so I will leave you with the link to their Instagram account biar kau geram sendiri: www.instagram.com/spotdessertbar

Sprinkles Cupcake ATM Machine


This is another place that I will make time for!!! 24 hours cupcake ATM machine, genius or extremely genius??? I remember seeing this while watching a news channel sometime ago and thinking: Wtf I hope I get to try that one day. Lo and behold, there's one near Lexington (one of the areas I'll be at in NYC) so APE LAGI. Wait for mama, baby!!!!! Video clips on the cupcake ATM craze and how it works here and here.

Some of the other dessert places we're going to will be in Chelsea Market itself (we're heading there on one of the days): Bar Suzette for crepes, Doughnuttery for mini doughnuts wtf so cute for what, Fat Witch Bakery for brownies and blondies, People's Pop for ice pops and Sarabeth for ALL THEIR YUMMY LOOKING SHIT.

I've also marked a few coffee shops we can check out in NYC, thanks to our only (masih ah nak) hipster friend Ahmad, and the list includes La Colombe, Happy Bones, Cafe Grumpy, Blue Bottle Coffee and Culture Espresso. Not a big fan of coffee personally so this will be more of a kalau ada time / kalau kita lalu then baru kita akan masuk kind of thing. Saliheen drinks coffee lah but dude is neither a hipster nor a coffee snob so he won't die die want to try the different long blacks and lattes there lah.

Another makan-related place that I want to visit are food halls! I love food halls and think they are amazing in concept because you get to try and buy popular yummy food all in one place... talk about convenience! The ones I'm eyeing is The Plaza Food Hall for their cheesecakes, crepes and tarts as well as the City Kitchen Food Hall for their shaved snow, pretzels and lobster freaking rolls.

Now please excuse me while I lap my air liur off my keyboard.....