My friend and I stopped by the Kati Shop the other day for lunch and we were quite impressed with everything. I love the fact that they focus on authentic Thai curries and it was actually their family who was in kitchen making all the various curries.  Personally, I see a lot of Pad Thai and other Thai noodle dishes that having a place that focused on the curries was appealing to me.

So the way how this place works is that you pick a base which can be jasmine rice, riceberry or cabbage.  Then you a pick a protein (salmon, tofu, etc.), a curry sauce (4 choices) and then two sides.

For me, I got the riceberry which I find very comparable to the Korean purple rice.  I thought that having this option was a great choice on their part.  I also picked the salmon as my protein since I haven't had it in a while and was craving it.  She also allowed us to mix two curries together so I opted for the Panang and the Massaman curries.  Both were fantastic!  Those were the two that I am more familiar with which is why I ended up picking those two.  The Green curry would have also been a decent choice but their Kati signature curry was extremely spicy!  Even for me, who absolutely loves all things spicy, did not feel comfortable choosing that.

The two sides that I got was the larb mushroom and the healthy green beans.  Personally, I liked the green beans more than the larb mushrooms.  There was a hint of sourness in the mushrooms that I didn't particularly enjoyed.  I'm just not a fan of sour things so if you are then definitely try the mushrooms!

My friend got the chicken and riceberry with the same two curries that I had picked.  For his sides, he got the mushrooms and the somtum slaw.  Unlike me, he really enjoyed the mushrooms and didn't care much for the slaw.  Lesson of the day: everyone has different tastes so while I didn't like the mushrooms at all, my friend basically inhaled that side down.

We also opted for an additional side because we both wanted to check out the cucumber salad.  This side was actually both of our favorites!  The cucumbers were so refreshing once we paired it with our individual curry plates.  And because it was so refreshing, it also allowed us to eat more of our main dishes.  

I also loved the fact that they serve genuine coconut water in a coconut there.  It was so fresh and absolutely delicious.  If you're there, definitely grab one of these to try!

Overall Verdict on Kati Shop: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I N F O R M A T I O N   O N   R E S T A U R A N T   M E N T I O N E D
Kati Shop

162 E 55th St
New York, NY 10022
b/t Lexington Ave & 3rd Ave
(646) 869-1362

Website | Yelp

WHAT ABOUT YOU? WOULD YOU BE ADDING THIS PLACE ON YOUR TO-GO FOR LUNCH? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!   - Stephanie

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Kahlo | NYC

My friend and I stopped by Kahlo on a rainy evening and we were glad to get some drinks to start things off.  Honestly, I forgot the names of the drinks since we actually got quite a number of them but they were all delicious!

The restaurant was also incredibly dark so please excuse the super dim and/or very flashy photos because it was probably the darkest restaurant I have been to recently and taking perfect photos here was very difficult.

To start, we obviously got the guacamole, specifically the Kahlo & Rivera ($16) which came highly recommended by the staff there.  I wasn't sure about the mango relish aspect of it since I tend to prefer my food to be all savory or all sweet and not a mix of both.  However, this one worked really well!  If you're looking for an unique twist on your regular guacamole, give this one a try.

We also decided to opt for a crudo dish and the Maine lobster ($18) was also recommended by the staff there.  To be honest, I think this was my least favorite out of all the dishes that we got.  I really enjoyed the large pieces of lobsters that were found in it but I wasn't particularly interested in the pineapple and mango relish.  And because that relish accounted for a large part of the dish, I ended up not enjoying it that much.  However, if you do like that relish then I think this dish would be great for you.

This was my second favorite dish!  We got a trio of molotes ($16) and for this one, we decided to get one of each.  Because my friend wasn't a fan of chorizo to start off with, he got the chicken and we split the huitlacoche (mushrooms) while I got the chorizo.  The chorizo one was S O  G O O D.  Good thing my friend didn't like chorizo because I would not have wanted to share this one at all!  It was flavorful and seasoned perfectly.  It wasn't too fatty tasting which can sometimes happen with chorizos.  The mushroom one was meh.  Maybe because I had the chorizo one first but in terms of taste and flavor, the mushroom tasted very bland in comparison.

We also decided to order two "botanitas", which I believe are appetizers.  The first one we ordered was the Tostados ($18).  I actually really liked the hard tortilla underneath but I thought that this tasted too fishy for me.  I think it was because of the caviar crema as well as the salmon eggs on top that really added that extra fishy-ness for me.  My friend really liked it though so I think it depends on how much you like fish!

The second "botanita" that we ordered was the prawns ($18).  It only came with 3 but they were huge!  It was also extremely flavorful and I really enjoyed the seasoning on them.

Of course, we couldn't not order some tacos so we decided to go for the Al Pastor tacos ($16) which came with 3 and I really enjoyed the tacos!  The shrimps that it came with were quite large which is always a good thing.  I also loved the savory-ness of the shrimps mingled with the sweet/tangy flavor of the pineapple salsa.  It worked really well together.

The final dish that we got was the Ancho Chile Arrachera ($34) which was by far, my favorite dish of the night.  I absolutely loved the presentation of the dish and how they rolled the skirt steak to resemble a rose.  The meat was so tender and seasoned so well.  We barely had to use a butter knife to slice the meat - it was that tender.  They didn't even give us a steak knife because they know that it was completely unnecessary.

We also ended up grabbing some desserts because who doesn't love dessert, right?  We opted for the Tres Leches and the Chocolate Mousse ($12 each).  I wasn't a big fan of Tres Leches to start off with so my friend was the one who gobbled that down.  He enjoyed it.  For the chocolate mousse, I thought it was very good.  The presentation for both (especially that chocolate mousse) was stunning.  I loved the flowers that they placed on each.

Overall, I enjoyed the place.  There were definitely a few dishes that I didn't love but there were definitely a number that I thoroughly enjoyed!  The standouts for me were definitely the skirt steak, the chorizo empanada and the guacamole.  The drinks that they have here were also fantastic so definitely give those a try as well! Also, the service was impeccable which is always a plus.

Overall Verdict on Kahlo: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I N F O R M A T I O N   O N   R E S T A U R A N T   M E N T I O N E D
Kahlo

525 West 29th Street
Between 10th & 11th Ave
New York, NY 10001
(212) 256-0083

Website | Yelp

WHAT ABOUT YOU? WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN CHECKING OUT THIS NEW MEXICAN SPOT?  AND IF YOU'VE TRIED IT ALREADY, WHAT DID YOU THINK? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!   - Stephanie

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Tatsu Ramen | NYC

My friend and I stopped by Sunday morning a few weeks ago and it was surprisingly very chilly so the ramen at Tatsu Ramen definitely hit the spot.

I decided to opt for the Bold Ramen ($13.50) because I wanted that egg.  I can't have my ramen without that delicious marinated soft-boiled egg and the ramen that I really wanted, Red Ramen, didn't come with it.  I would then have to order it on the side which was unfortunate.  

The Bold Ramen was incredibly flavorful and full of juicy pork fat especially with those thick cuts of pork.  Because it was so flavorful and fatty though, I couldn't finish the soup.  It was just too heavy for my stomach especially for a relatively early Sunday lunch.  The noodles were cooked al dente which is just how I like them.  I definitely recommend if you're looking for an incredibly flavored and bold ramen (pun intended)!

My friend opted for the Cheeky Ramen ($14.50) because he preferred his soup to be chicken-based as opposed to pork.  From what I recall, he isn't the biggest fan of pork so it was nice that Tatsu Ramen had options for those who prefer other types of broths.  

I didn't have a taste of that ramen but from what I could tell, he absolutely enjoyed it.  He gobbled that entire bowl down when I wasn't even halfway through with my own.  I think that clearly testaments how much he enjoyed that bowl of pure yummy-ness!

So originally, we wanted to grab a ramen burger as well since my friend never had one before and I wanted to get it for the gram LOL.  Unfortunately their grill was down and so we opted for the pork bun ($4.50) instead.  It was good but as you can clearly tell in the photo that the veggie to pork ratio is very much skewed.  And so, I didn't taste that much pork in the bun as opposed to the veggie and the sauce that it had.  

Overall, I would come back for the ramen.  I would be interested in checking out their ramen burger next time I visit and hopefully, the grill will be working!

Overall Verdict on Tatsu Ramen: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I N F O R M A T I O N   O N   R E S T A U R A N T   M E N T I O N E D
Tatsu Ramen

167 1st Ave
New York, NY 10003
b/t 11th St & 10th St
(929) 284-7088

Website | Yelp

WHAT ABOUT YOU? HAVE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THIS RAMEN PLACE? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!   - Stephanie

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Tipsy Scoop | NYC

My friend and I stopped by Tipsy Scoop a few weeks ago to finally try the alcohol-infused ice cream that we have seen all over social media.  We were lucky that they were still offering their Malibu Pina Colada Summer Swirl so we managed to snap one.

I loved how their Summer Swirl had a fruity sorbet base so Tipsy Scoop was experimenting with all sorts of ice cream!  I'm not the biggest fan of sorbet so this wasn't really for me but even still, I still really liked it!  My friend is a much bigger sorbet fan and he thoroughly enjoyed this one.  If I recall correctly, this was actually his favorite out of the two that we got!  I also liked how they put a ton of toppings on there to really give it a myriad of textures and consistencies.  

For me, their Dirty Chai Sundae was much more my jam.  I loved the creaminess of the ice cream and how the alcohol wasn't too overpowering.  I was a little worried initially that the alcohol would be too strong as opposed to the sweetness of the ice cream.  I'm glad to say that this wasn't the case!  The sundae also comes in this waffle-like bowl which I thought was a nice touch.

Overall, this is a very nice little ice cream parlour and I was also excited to find out that they actually do monthly specials so they are always providing something different.  I definitely want to stop by again sometime later this month because I was told that it's going to be a Halloween-themed special!

Overall Verdict on Tipsy Scoop: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I N F O R M A T I O N   O N   R E S T A U R A N T   M E N T I O N E D
Tipsy Scoop

217 East 26th St
New York, NY 10010
at 3rd and 2nd ave
(917) 388-2862

Website | Yelp

WHAT ABOUT YOU? HAVE YOU HAVE BEEN HERE? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOU T THEIR ALCOHOLIC ICE CREAM?  LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!   - Stephanie

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