Sarku Japan Teriyaki & Sushi Express (Paramus, NJ)

I really expected more from this place, I really did. But I should have known better – it is located inside of Bergen Town Center. And while not necessarily in the food court (is there even one at BTC? I’ve never searched out for one), the food presented to me was at food court level. I should have held out and went somewhere else, but it was there and blah blah blah.

I ordered the vegetable & tofu teriyaki ($5.95) which described on the menu board as “served with mixed vegetables” and I could choose white rice, brown rice, or noodles to go with it. I went with noodles by default. I didn’t have to wait long before my number was called and I grabbed my tray. The picture on the board looked nothing like what was in the plastic container in front of me. The main vegetable was cabbage, and a whole lot of it. I understand cabbage is cheap and makes good filler, but come on! Why not chop it a little finer? Throw in some red cabbage? No no no… none of that when it’s food court style. Still had a crunch to it, and had an oily sheen.

As for the tofu, it looked as if it had internally combusted as it was fried and then savagely chopped up. It almost reminds me of the tofu in tokwa’t baboy, except the tofu insides never look that crazy. Doused in what may have been teriyaki sauce, and barely warm. In fact, there were pieces that were cold. What. The. Hell. 

But wait! Before you think their description of the food was misleading, other vegetables were found! Three tiny broccoli florets, and very thin slivers of carrot when put together would make one little thicker slice of carrot. Such a mixture! Such variety! That might even be below food court standards.

Somewhere under there are the noodles, and an average portion. Like the vegetables, it was greasy and tasteless. I barely finished half of it and took it home. Whoever at it, I really do apologize.

The “saving grace” from this visit was the crunchy spicy salmon roll ($4.99). It was listed as a special on the register, but a quick look at the sushi menu revealed that most of their rolls were that price… so not really a special at all. It wasn’t heavy on the mayo like other spicy rolls, which I prefer. They were also very generous with the tempura flakes, which made it very crunchy (another plus). Salmon was fine, although it was cut into small pieces. Gotta stretch what you can, I suppose. Not too bad. If I ever go back (or visit another location) I may just order this.

The teriyaki, sushi, and small drink ($1.89) came out to $13.24 after tax.

Sarku Japan Teriyaki and Sushi Express
Bergen Town Center
2701 Bergen Mall
Paramus, NJ 07562
(201) 880-6551
http://www.sarkujapan.com

Shocked

I got to work a few minutes earlier than usual, so I decided I would hit up McDo for a coffee and something fattening.

It used to be that any sized coffee was a buck. This was pretty much the reason I've gone there so much - decent enough coffee for cheap bastards like myself.

But that's over. My large coffee turned out to be $1.49.

When the hell did that happen?!?

Not that it's that big of a deal, but it is at least pushing me to start making coffee again at home. Or not... I heard they'll be opening up a Starbucks here at work.

Whatever the case may be, someone's getting my hard earned dough.

Sneaky, Sneaky

As I’ve briefly mentioned before, the Lenten season lasts for forty-six days, with only forty counting. I never really cared about the days before, because Lent was Lent and you waited until you could have what you gave up. But then a priest (of all people!) told me that Sundays don’t count. Gimme days, so to speak. Not that I’ve used them.
Until today.
I had finished my volunteer gig and I was on my way home. I wasn’t planning on it, but I went to the Asian Supermarket to take a quick look around to see if there might be something I might need to pick up for dinner. And then I saw they had the steamed pork buns. Chicken buns. And they looked really good. And of course I was starving, so I ordered a few. And as we all know, it’s a ten dollar minimum in order to use plastic, so I went with roast pork fried rice. And at $7.55 I was thinking it had better be good.
And it was. Pricey, but good. The steamed buns were amazing, as usual – but the pork ones were maybe slightly more fatty than normal. Fatty but delicious… and so very naughty.
I’ll admit I was feeling guilty about it. But it’s Sunday! It’s my gimme day! Rest assured, it was all gone before midnight.

Less Mess, More Work?

Holy cow... it's March already! And admittedly, I was hoping to write more on this, but that just isn't happening. Oh well. Try again I suppose.

The other day I stopped over at Wendy's while out on errands. Something light, but of course with french fries. They've switched over to the sea salt, but I don't really see a difference. What is new are the packets of ketchup. Normally I just don't get one... and once in a blue moon they'll ask if I want any. But this night was special. As I was blindly reaching in for the fry container, I felt a small container next to it. Thinking they had put a sauce in by mistake, I was surprised by this. Not like your usual packets, it has a solid container. But it was made for dipping. Which I would have done, were I not eating while driving.

Cute though.

Working Meal - Holiday Edition

Saving lives people... I'm saving lives here. Not time to make a meal from scratch. And then there was the thing about me trying to make it to ShopRite before they closed. But Merry Christmas!

By the time I got there, they had closed. It was 6:30.

The sign on their door said they were open until 7.

I may have yelled in frustration has the staff yelled to me through the doors they were closed. And I may have angrily told me walking toward the store to not even bother... they decided to close early.

Let it slide, girl. Let it slide.

(deep cleansing breath)

Anyways, that drive to Albany ate up what little break I had between cases so I made a pit stop at the golden arches just so I wouldn't pass out. Cheeseburgers, fries, chocolate chip cookies, and a coffee. Not the most nutritious, but it was quick and easy to eat while driving back to work.

Did I regret it? Absolutely. I'm still burping up that onion smell, and just thinking about what I wolfed down this evening makes me feel sick to my stomach.

But you do what you gotta do. And try your best to remember to bring some healthy foodstuffs with you the next time you're on call.

There ya go... got a resolution for the new year. BOOM.

Popeyes: An Impulse Purchase

I get all sorts of crazy thoughts in this noggin of mine. Today it was fried chicken. I don't know why... maybe I was out somewhere and I could smell it... and I didn't really eat so it made the want for chicken through the roof. 

Could I have made some myself? Of course... I got hands, I've got a fryer. It's doable. But that means cooking it, which means time and getting my hands dirty. Flying Chicken was also an option, but out of the way a bit and I'd have to wait. And I really don't like waiting. Drive-thru is horrible, and slightly expensive, but quick. So I went to Popeyes. Three piece dinner with cajun fries and a side of rice and beans for another 99 cents.

I was able to finish 2/3ds of this meal before I was full. Pretty greasy, but that's to be expected from fried chicken. I will say the chicken wasn't dry, which is a plus. I ordered it spicy and there was no spiciness at all. Fries were on the limp side and slightly cold by the time I started eating them. Biscuit was decent for fast food biscuits. KFC's tend to be pretty tough.

I'm pretty sure I won't be going back there again. Or if I do, it'll be a long time from now. I don't know... I just felt really guilty buying from there. It's as if I'm being a traitor to my hood's Kennedy Fried Chicken.

Steamed Buns

A Consequence of Global Warming?

Isn’t it too early for the Shamrock shake? Not that I’m complaining… but still. I love me liquid thin mints. Love. Love. Love.

Breakfast

Love coupons for smoothies and dollar menus

Repeat

I ended up eating Chipotle two days in a row. Not that I haven’t done that before, but it just seems wrong. There are so many other places I want to try out.

But then again… it’s fast. And tasty.

Is it just me, or are their portions smaller?

Having It My Way

Sweet, salty, fried... what I need after a long night.

The McRib is Back!

Oh yeah, my old friend is back. Only it was never my friend. This sandwich is indeed a temptation, only I was never really tempted to have it before. Blame it on the McRib aura.

An Unresolved Issue

So I wrote before about my visit to the Wilton Chipotle and their brown guacamole. Well, M and I went back on our way up to Queensbury and it happened again. There was a huge tub of guacamole, and most of the top layer was brown. I’m not saying it didn’t taste good (because it did) but that it's not something I want to see when I’m on the line ordering food.

Perhaps they should think about making a smaller batch. The place was empty when we stopped in… completely different than the scene in Latham. And I don’t remember having a guacamole issue there.

I changed things up a bit and ordered the tacos with barbacoa. Apparently I told M I would just have one.

This is what ended up happening. In the amount of time M ate a handful of chips and guacamole, I inhaled three tacos. They were so delicious… I think I shall order this again. I can’t guarantee I won’t scarf them down immediately, though.

Dirty Little Secret

I got the pulled pork slider from White Castle. I loved it.

In Search of Food in Chinatown

This is going to be a long post, so be prepared.

A weekend or two ago I found myself in the city early in the morning (what is it with meetings starting at 9am on a Saturday??) and was done before noon. I had some time to kill before my hair appointment, so my friend Mike and I decided to wander around Chinatown and grab a bite to eat. I left the car at the garage and we headed over to Tasty Dumpling. If you're wondering, that was the place I went to before that I couldn't remember the name. I took a picture this time to remember.

They were still in the process of opening, which may explain why it took forever to get my food. How long does it take to cook up pre-made stuff? I picked the pork and scallion dumpling and the pork and cabbage pancake. I seriously contemplated buying some of their frozen dumplings... but next time.

The dumplings were their usually yum, but I did not appreciate what looked like thinned out soy sauce. Not trusting it, I went with the hot chili oil. The pancake as you can see, was full of liquid. I wasn't sure how to eat it, but once the liquid got out, it ended up getting soggy and okay. Maybe bordering on meh.

Have you ever heard of Hong Kong cakes? I never did, but there are everywhere in Chinatown now. According to Mike, the legend is that this old lady used to sell them. She sold them from a shed thing that was adjacent to Hop Kee. She sold them for years until she decided to retire not too long ago. She sold off her Hong Kong cakes and now she's a millionaire. Her retirement meant a vendor on every block it seems. Mike bought some, and as you can see, they are these little pancake balls filled with cream. They are constantly being made, so you're pretty much guaranteed some when you see a vendor. I tried one... I guess they're alright. It's not even a pancake- the batter is too thin, it's more of a wafer.

We walked along Division St. and looked in on a few of the kitchen supply stores there. So many things I want to buy, but I would need a house for that. There were baking pans similar to the ones my parents bought in the Philippines, and just as inexpensive. It looks like you can buy by the piece or like a hundred. How cool is that?

I have to stop in on one of these shops soon. It looks like one of those buffet kind of places, but it isn't. You pick two meats and choose a rice or noodle for really cheap. The foods looked fantastic and very fresh (I suggest you hit up Chinatown before noon).

My Chinese food vendor wasn't over by the Hong Kong Supermarket. Where was he? Did he kick the bucket? Did he sell out quick that day? It was upsetting, but he could not possibly be the only guy selling fish balls, rice noodles and curry cuttlefish! Mike and I wandered around some more and eventually found another vendor selling my food over on grand and something. I think it was grand... Mike would know.

This food is popular and super cheap. Right after I paid for my food, a long line formed, very similar to what happened with the Dessert Truck. I cannot get enough of this stuff. This one container, which is half fish balls and half rice noodles (pressed with dried shirmp and scallion) is only three dollars.

It was at this point where my friend Mike and I parted ways and I headed to the salon to get my hair done. If you're curious, it's short and has red streaks. Very cute. By the time I left the salon I was exhausted and ready to head home. Before I made it back to the garage I went back to Mott St. and bought some Taho and puto to bring back home. Taho is cooked silken tofu that they scoop out into the take out containers and serve with a simple syrup. Great for breakfast. Puto is steamed rice cake. You can buy either the white of brown and both are slightly sweet. I don't do it, but it goes well with dinuguan (chocolate meat... eek!)

Nathan's (Yonkers, NY)

Normally I see Nathan's in the mall. But a stand alone? In Westchester no less?

A and I went estate sale shopping over in Scarsdale and on the way back she wanted to hit up Nathan's for lunch.

The store is ginormous. It is big enough to have a children's play area and arcade. And not only is Nathan's sold there, but also Arthur Treacher's and generic pizza (which was closed). A ordered the hot dog combo, and I stuck to the meatless Friday rule and ordered a Fish sandwich. Not too bad.

Pasalubong: Gifts From The Motherland

Some of the things my parents brought back from their trip to the Philippines.

This suitcase is an example of pasalubong. Like its cousin, the balikbayan box, the return pasalubong consists of magazines, clothes, food, and beauty/health products. The return pasalubong is doled out to the various family members back home to let them know you didn't forget about them.

This suitcase of goodies unfortunately was only for two people- my aunt and uncle. In the picture it takes up a whole suitcase (and there was more not in the picture), but in reality it was dispersed in all four of the checked baggage. It took up so much space that my parents ended up leaving a lot of their clothes in the Philippines, and they hardly shopped for themselves (or anyone else), because there was no more space. I'm sorry, but that is messed up.

Plenty of dried shrimp, fish and squid from the dried fish market in Cebu. My mom visited the same place that was featured in the No Reservations: Philippines episode. The seal on those bags looks questionable, and I wonder if the dogs at the airport got curious.

Another treat from Cebu, Otap. It's a biscuit with sugar on top. I don't really care for it, but it's one of those things you get when you're there. Shamrock is the brand I'm most familiar with, but I'm sure there are plenty of smaller brands.

White King baking mixes and baking tins for Bibingka. White King is sold here in the States, but I guess my Mom figured she was there, it was cheap, why not. Sames goes with the tins... I saw something similar when I was in Chinatown, but I like the ones from the Philippines better.

Malagkit, or sweet black rice. What is it used for? Biko, for starters. And for Puto Bongbong, the Christmas/Simbang Gabi staple.

Sago, or tapioca pearls. Sago is readily found in most Asian markets, but my family really likes this brand. Imagine bubble tea with tiny tapioca pearls? Cute!

I'm not sure why my mom bought the artificial banana flavoring, but meh... it's from the Philippines! The bamboo on the right is for the Puto bongbong steamer. Apparently you just butter up the inside and stuff it with the malagkit and X minutes later, yum!

The Foolish Things We Do

One Saturday I found myself hungry and nothing sounded appetizing. Except for White Castle.

So I bought a crave case. And a large order of onion rings to boot.

I ate that sucker in thirds - Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday morning.

And the sick part is? I could totally go for WC right now.

Chipotle Strikes Again

Chipotle strikes again!