Franchia Vegan Cafe

The first time I went to Franchia, an Asian fusion vegan restaurant, I had no idea they served vegan until AFTER I ate my meal. It's fairly convincing. I've been there a total of four times and each time, I end up getting the same thing – the Royal Tea Tray ($26.95). First, you're served a tea of your choosing and I went with the Korean Wild Green Tea 1st Picked (The Royal Green Tea), which tastes really pure, clean and full of flavor; you can really taste the essence of the green tea. Instead of a teapot, they bring out a small carafe of hot water with your teacup.

Next, the tea tray arrives which is basically a tray of assorted appetizers. The tray arrives with kimchi, as this is a Korean place. Overall, it's good and I like having a variety of things to eat. Desserts come with another choice of tea. I went with an iced chai, which was excellent and refreshing. The dessert plate had two pieces of mochi and a scoop of soy ice cream. I skipped the ice cream since I didn't like the texture nor the flavor, but enjoyed the mochi with sips of iced chai.

LOCATION: Franchia | 12 Park Ave. between 34th and 35th Street | New York, NY 10016 | 212.213.1001

Hello Weekend!

I'm sorry, did you say you wanted to see more BACON?

DONE AND DONE!

Photo Credit: Ismael Perez

Kitchensurfing

Through Kathy, I found out about Kitchensurfing, a personal chef service where a chef of your choosing will come over your house and cook for you. I thought this would be brilliant for an upcoming brunch since with seven adults and three energetic kids, it would be much easier than trying to eat out at a restaurant. Thankfully, my friend lives in a building with a common area (kitchen, dining room and lounge) that can be reserved for private parties so that's where the Saturday brunch took place. 

About a month before the brunch, I went to the site and looked up the chefs in New York. At first, I was a little confused as to how the whole process worked, but after a couple of helpful emails with the people at Kitchensurfing, I contacted three chefs. I had a budget of $200 and after emailing with all three, I chose Clare since I liked her menu options and it worked perfectly with my budget. The $200 includes everything: the chef's labor/hourly cost, the cost of food, and the cleanup. No additional fees or charges. You don't need to tip at the end either (LOVE THAT!) AND Clare did all the shopping beforehand so I didn't have to do a single thing. 

On Saturday morning, Clare, armed with her tools and groceries, started cooking away.

In the emails with Clare, we worked out a menu with her suggesting a few options and me replying back with adjustments on her suggestions. After the menu was set, I booked the date and time, worked out all the details and paid online. 

Our brunch menu, served family style:
Challah french toast with blackberry compote and mascarpone
Sweet potato hash topped with eggs
Maple-roasted bacon

We had our own croissants, pastries, coffee and orange juice so that didn't go into the $200 budget. 

Clare had arrived at 10:30AM, and my friend and I set the table and around 12:30PM, we sat down to eat. French toast and bacon were served family style and Clare went around serving the hash directly from the skillet. We ate.

And ate some more....

And more...

We were completely stuffed. Everything was very good, but the biggest hit was the maple-roasted bacon. It was FREAKING DELICIOUS. 

While we were eating, Clare was in the kitchen and later came out to clear the table. She did all the dishes and the cleaning and was done by 2:00PM. The whole experience was so good that we were all talking about planning a dinner next with Kitchensurfing. It was so relaxing and Clare made the whole experience so easy. Bottom line? LOVED it.

Note: We had some pantry staples and equipment needed to prepare the meal, but whatever we didn't have, Clare was able to bring with her. Also, if you're looking for someone to come over and cook a week's worth of meals for you in your kitchen, Clare does that too. 

INFO: Kitchensurfing | help@kitchensurfing.com 

Afternoon Tea Look: Warm

A little while back while walking down Mott Street, I discovered Warm, a specialty shop I instantly fell in love with. It's one of those shops where you walk in and it's exactly how you want your apartment to look like. A gorgeous space filled with hard to find brands, the collection at Warm is curated by husband-and-wife team Winnie Beattie and Rob Magnotta. The look is urban hippie and I asked the lovely folks at Warm to put together a look they would recommend for afternoon tea. Special thanks to Felicia for her help!

These items are not sold online so you'll have to stop by Warm to purchase any of these finds.

Leather woven bag by Giada Forte (on sale for $216 from $432)
Dainty semi-precious stone bracelets by Tibetan line Heart & Soul ($95 each)
Hacienda Montecristo ivory wrap ($143)
Jutta Neumann sandals are all handmade in the East Village (on sale for $178 from $297)
Yvonne Sporre maxi dress ($516)

LOCATION: Warm | 181 Mott Street between Kenmare & Broome | New York, NY 10012 | 212.925.1200

Review: Lobby Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental New York

I've been to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel a handful of times for afternoon tea and for spa services. I'm always impressed by their superior customer service; the staff is exceptional. If you get a chance, book a treatment at the spa; in my book, it's the best spa in NY. 

SETTING:
Go to the Mandarin Oriental hotel entrance on the north side (on 60th Street) of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. Take the elevator to the 35th floor. Walk straight to the wall of windows overlooking Central Park and that's where you'll find the Lobby Lounge, where afternoon tea is served daily. The lounge is spacious and open but tables are far enough apart that it feels private. The lounge during tea service, is also used to serve coffee, cocktails and a light menu. I tend to favor settings that are used exclusively for tea service, but an impressive view overlooking Central Park makes up for it. When reserving your table, ask for a table right next to the window.

SERVICE:
AMAZING. Really, amazing. Any request made is taken care of immediately and with ultimate care. They make your problem, their problem and you really sense that they care, perhaps even more than you do.

TEA & TEA SELECTION:
Tea is from Tealeaves and they have a small selection of each type of tea. I wished there was a bit more of a selection with about 3-4 choices per type. Loose leaf teas are served in tea filters in a pretty white teapot.

SAVORIES:
SCONES:
SWEETS:
They were still making scones when they brought out the three-tiered tray, so the top tier had a fluffy cake for us to enjoy while we waited for the scones. Below that were two trays of savories. Delicate and tasty, I enjoyed it all.

I had two of the cakes, which reminded me of madeleine cookies, which I love, so they were a hit with me. A little after, the scones were served with housemade marmalade and whipped cream (instead of clotted or Devonshire cream). Scones were a good, manageable size and they were great, since they came straight from the oven. I did miss the cream though.

A variety of sweets arrived on a plate and replaced the empty plate of eaten savories. It was nice to have a big selection, but I would have liked it a bit more if they had given two of each piece so it would be easier to share. I would have been fine with a smaller selection in this case. 

OVERALL:
Very good with the high-level service and the panoramic view drawing me back for repeat visits.

LOCATION: Mandarin Oriental New York | 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street | New York, NY 10023 | 212.805.8800
AFTERNOON TEA HOURS: Daily from 2:30PM - 4:30PM
COST: $38