I came here on a rainy day with friends to try out local foods in china town, and was very happy we…read morecame to this spot! The restaurant is very nicely decorated and the food was served very fast. I opted to get the nasi lemak since it seemed to be their most popular food. Delicious! The blue rice was super unique and carried a subtle but noticeable coconut flavor and the crispy chicken paired nicely with it. I'm definitely going to come back and try out some of the other food items! 10/10

I'm a big fan of Kaya toast but honestly quite disappointed with the Kaya toast here…read more The Kaya toast comes with a thick slice of toasted bread except I don't think they make the Kaya toast to order. When I picked it up, it was already room temperature. It looks like it was prepared ahead of time instead of the other Kaya toasts I've had which were prepared fresh with the bread still warm. The thick slice of bread was also quite stale. Despite only consuming the Kaya toast about 1-2 hours after picking it up, the bread was not fresh at all. Appearance wise, it looks like a generous portion of Kaya jam but when you open up the sandwich, there's actually not that much Kaya. Most of the Kaya looked like they were pushed to the edge creating an appearance of a fuller sandwich. The butter was also not the usual thick slab of butter I was used to seeing. I do have to say that I do think their Kaya jam was quite delicious. It was not overly sweet and has a good coconut pandan flavor. I also tried some of their other sweets. The pulut tai tai which is a steamed sticky rice and comes with a side of kaya jam. It's just ok, the kaya jam is carrying most of the flavor. I was really excited for the kuih talam but it was quite surprising for me. I like the sweeter pandan base but the coconut milk layer was way too salty. I know that's how the dish is supposed to be served but it was quite confusing for my taste buds. I think the pandan base by itself is good but it's not sweet enough to balance out the saltiness of the coconut milk layer. The ambiance inside is quite casual. You order at the counter first and then pick up your food. You also clean up after yourself. I'm a big fan of these casual environments but the food was a big let down. Overall: the sweets and signature Kaya toast left me disappointed but their homemade Kaya jam itself is quite delicious.

BLUF: Legacy preserved…read more I don't recall ever visiting Ho Won Bake Shoppe 好運咖啡屋 when it was on Hester Street (for over 40 years, according to its owners). But we chanced upon successor Ho Won 好運餐廳 on a brutally cold winter day, ordered a bunch of small items, and have returned a few times since. Ho Won offers baked goods and several traditional desserts that aren't found in the more modern and expensive shops that have been taking over Chinatown. While other old school shops with similar offerings still exist, Ho Won has a least a few items that are comparable to the best from a nearly bygone era. The items we consider Five Star worthy: - Wife Cookie 老婆餅: $2. Freshly made, with a soft, thick, and chewy winter-melon based filing, consistently one of the best versions we've had. Get this. - Dry Shrimp and Pork Rice Noodle Roll 蝦米豬肉粉卷: $2. Item #D1. Freshly made, one of the tastiest versions we've had, even better than from the now defunct Hak Box. Get this. Everything else: - Zongzi 粽子: We ordered Item #C6, the one with Pork, Salted Egg, Chinese Sausage, Mung Bean, Dried Shrimp, Dried Mushroom and Chestnut (鹹蛋黃香腸蝦米香菇栗米豬肉粽). OK -- the sausage was too fatty, the dried mushroom was still too hard after steaming the zong, and the rice grains clumped together instead of being separate kernels. - Radish Cake 蘿蔔糕: This was a bit mushy; could be firmer. The radish cake was also on the salty side, so one doesn't need to add the traditional oyster sauce or hoisin sauce to taste. - Tapioca Pudding: a bit thick and starchy. Could be smoother. - Stuffed Haka Tofu 客家酿豆腐: $5.This item looks the part but I'm told it doesn't have the expected taste / ingredients. - Mung Bean Sweet Congee 綠豆西米糖水: $3. Very filling because of the mung beans. Ho Won's version seems less sweet than 46's, and seems to use less tapioca.

Must have the Hakka rice noodles here! I love it so much. Only one of two bakeries I know of in NYC…read moreChinatown that do it. Such bouncy smooth rice noodle texture and conveniently packaged into a roll so you can enjoy it like a soft burrito. Love. Don't sleep on the pineapple roast pork buns or Hakka stuffed tofu either! I'll be back to pick up some sugarcane juice and turnip cake to fry at home.

You can tell this place is the owners dream and I absolutely love places like that. The owner let…read moreus try some cheesecake and explained which one was his wife and sons favorite as well - it felt like a personal experience. The interior was meticulous from the orange chair in the back to the owners chef jacket. The bags and cases for the cheesecake are so cute too! I got the kabocha pumpkin and got to try the taro and sesame - I love that they have both taro and ube because they're indeed different flavor profiles! I almost felt bad for getting such beautiful packaging only to eat it and throw out the box - I should have kept it as a gift. The owner might save a little by asking for eating in vs out so fewer boxes are used. Regardless the space is phenomenally curated and the vibes are immaculate. I would come back here in a heartbeat! There is care in having a water dispenser, and utensils in a beautifully presented format. I really hope more people find out about this place and feel how genuine it is (and how delicious!!!!)

I've been wanting to come try out Lamoone for awhile and so glad I'm finally able to stop by on a…read moreSaturday afternoon. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I was excited to that they offer their Cloud Series, which are coconut water based drinks. I ordered the Hojicha, Yuzu, and Lavender Coconut Cloud. I really liked that they use coconut water, which makes the drinks feel light and refreshing rather than overly heavy or creamy. The hojicha tea flavor was aromatic and it was a pleasant surprise in combination with coconut water. The yuzu was the most refreshing one that's perfect for the summer. The flavors were well balanced and enjoyable. I could not comment on the lavender as it was my 9 year old lavender loving son's request and he did not want to share. For their cheesecakes, we got the Matcha, Ube, Pandan, Vanilla, Mango, and Guava, with the Mango and Guava being seasonal flavors. The cheesecakes were super creamy and smooth, and you can really taste the quality of the ingredients. The flavors actually come through instead of being overwhelmed by sweetness. None of them were too sweet and each one had its own distinct flavor profile. My personal favorites were the Pandan and Guava. The Pandan had that distinct fragrant, slightly nutty and floral flavor that I love, while the Guava had a fruity and slightly tangy note that made it feel especially refreshing. Both flavors were unique without being overpowering The only downside was the wait time. There weren't many people when we visited, and I was initially told my drinks would take about 10 minutes, but I ended up waiting around 30 minutes. That said, the service was excellent. The staff was very apologetic about the delay and even gave me a complimentary vanilla cheesecake to make up for the wait, which I really appreciated. Overall, I enjoyed both the drinks and cheesecakes and would definitely come back to try more seasonal flavors! My only tip is if you don't have time to wait, skip the drinks for next time as that was the reason for the wait. Another plus is they actually let you try the cheesecakes before you decide which is rare as we normally get to try ice creams or gelato but never cakes. This is definitely a place I would return.

Chang Jiang used to be Bowery Fleet Bakery. I came here to get an egg tart. It's a self-serve…read morebakery with the trays, plastic bags, and tongs. I grabbed one egg tart ($2 cash) and paid for it at the counter. The egg tart was great! The crust was flaky and the filling was smooth and eggy. It was a satisfying treat that definitely hit the egg tart spot.

One of the neighborhood bakeries that isn't a large chain in Chinatown. They weren't goodbefore…read moretheir renovations- I often found things were tasteless or stale. Now since the renovation- they must have changed bakers because everything is tastier and fresh. My favorite thing to get from this bakery is the raisin bread. Sounds kinda simple right? But their raisin bread is slightly eggy like a halla and packed with raisins. This is also one of the only bakeries that still sells ham and egg buns and makes them throughout the day. Their ham sui gok (fried pork rice dumpling) is not hallow and the meat is spiced right and crunchy without being overly greasy. I would still say they need to improve their tea. Everything is really cheap and it's a good spot to potentially get a seat to eat your snack.

I really do love this place, which has been such a pleasant surprise. I do think the prices are…read morehigh, but it's on par with other places. Always clean, a few tables, and the service is consistently so fast and nice! I love the taro coco so much!!! A great balance of not too sweet

Honestly, the dessert bowl with the cute pandas was what convinced me to check out this place. It's…read moretoo cute! The interior is small, narrow like most locations around Chinatown. You just order your food, wait, and then either find a table to sit down or just eat outside. I was fortunate to be able to sit down to enjoy this dessert. The Pandas on Pandan dessert can be best described as a aesthetically pleasing bowl filled with many things such as fruit, pudding, sago, and jelly! You get a packet of Coconut Milk to add and it gives flexibility on how much you want to add in. I personally added half just so it's milky enough to give it a spa like look.. yes... the Pandas are at the spa. Everything is edible, including the pandas which is just mochi. I really enjoyed the dessert even though it was a bit pricy. For $13 I understand it is a lot but I think maybe it's best to share it with someone else. It can be a bit too much for one person. I would come back for more!

As a sweet corn lover, I saw the cheesecake online and knew I had to come by and check it out. I…read morewas prepared to be a little disappointed, given how social media hype tends to go - I was so wrong! The corn cheesecake was amazing, as was everything else we had - a pandan cake, two drinks - just look how beautiful they are! There's a small seating area inside, but it can tend to get busy / filled on the weekends so would make sure to plan for that. I will definitely be back! So delicious - I've been dreaming of that corn cake.

I love Asian cafes, so when I heard of Chim Chim, I simply had to visit. I didn't have the capacity…read moreto eat so many sweets that day, so I opted for the pandan cake, although their other offerings looked tempting as well. Thirteen dollars for a slice was a bit much, so my expectations were high. The flavors were spot on: I could very clearly taste the pandan, and the coconut cream was light and fluffy. Folded within were coconut chunks. My one complaint was the sponge being a bit dry. I know they're going for light and airy rather than dense and moist, and I'm sure achieving that is no easy feat, but it just came off as dry to me. Overall, I wasn't impressed, and it didn't feel worth $13 to me. It's not a slice I'd come back for. The taro salted egg cheesecake looked good. Maybe I should try that next time - if there is a next time.

Really liked our experience here. In typical Chinatown fashion, they are all business. Also keep in…read moremind this is a cash only business! We tried a variety of pastries since I didn't want to have any spare change. The red bean sesame ball was perfectly covered in sesame and fried with a slightly sweeter than I'd like filling, but still delicious. The plain hotdog pastry was a good mix of a slightly sweet and soft bun with a salty hotdog in the middle (almost like a meat kolache). We had mixed feelings about the pork floss bun- the pork floss is great, but there's some spread in the middle of the bun. A really oily mayonnaise? That's slightly sweet, slightly salty, and very fatty that we didn't rave. Overall, definitely come here if you're looking for classic pastries in a no frills, straight to the point establishment.

Came for the mango mochi. I think it was creamier than I expected. Wish it had mango chunks in it…read more The pineapple roast pork bun was good though.

Extremely nice owners, cute decor, and good food. Not much more you can ask for in a cafe!…read more I'm a big eel fan so I usually go for the Unagi with a Japanese omelet and I really like it!

Happy to see that they were able to upgrade to a larger space from their space at Mott St Food…read moreCourt. The interior of the new spot is very yellow and bright with lots of sunflowers all around. Even the seats have sunflower cushions. By the register there was also a retro video camera and TV set up which made for a cute photo op. We ordered the strawberry matcha latte, jasmine matcha latte and mochi brookie. Oatmilk substitution was 50 cents extra, hot version or no ice was $1 extra and requesting less ice was 25 cents extra (which I belatedly found out once I checked the receipt). There was plenty of seating and customers were able to hang around for as long as they wanted to. The front table by the window was reserved when we went. The jasmine syrup in the jasmine matcha latte was quite nice. Once mixed, matcha became the most prominent flavor. The mochi brookie was a layer of mochi sandwiches between a peanut butter chocolate cookie and a fudgy brownie on the bottom. As we ate it, it kind of broke apart but it was enough of a portion for 2 to share.