Best thing I ate yesterday:
Chocolate Cheesecake from Whole Earth Bakery.
If you’re the type of person who likes sickly-sweet desserts, this cake (with no refined sugars) wouldn’t be for you. But what I like about cheesecake is its creamy texture. And what I like about chocolate pie is its richness.
The Whole Earth Bakery chocolate cheesecake offers both. It was delicious! (I wouldn’t call it cheesecake, though. It was more like chocolate mousse pie).
Dinner was awesome-sauce as well. (Hmmm, when others use that phrase it’s cute, but when I say it, it just sounds weird!)
We ate at one of my favorite restaurants: Hangawi.
If there were a place that was the exact opposite of fast-paced NYC, this restaurant would be it.
(Side note: the two photos, above, are from a trip to Hangawi last summer. I never posted about that visit, so I figured I should post the photos now!)
Having spent the day walking around the hot city, Jessica and I ordered iced ginger tea (unsweetened). Emphasis on the ice. For her main meal, Jess ordered a salad and a strange todok dish:
She liked the salad, but neither of us were big on the todok!
I ordered the clay pot in ginger sauce, sans tofu, but with an addition of soba noodles. (My meal didn’t come with rice, and I knew I’d miss my carb-y friends!) I loved it all, including the fun kimchi, which always reminds me of my grandma. Once, at an Asian restaurant, she took a huge bite of spicy kimchi, thinking it was lasagna. Poor grandma! 😕
I hope y’all enjoyed my different style of posts this week.
And thanks for bearing with my ugly photos like the one above. I am so excited to get back to my dslr and publish photographs as opposed to just snapshots. The photography element of blogging is one of my favorite parts.
I’m too busy being in New York to do an in-depth recap of the rest of our time here. Also, next week will be super-busy on my blog, so I want to concentrate on those posts, which will include:
Next two weeks:
- PB&J Blondies
- An honest post about the future of this blog (and my future)
- Healthy Frappuccinos
- Flourless Chocolate-Chip Cookies
And a lot more recipes. I’ve gotten so many ideas while I’ve been away, and they’re piling up!
Prepare to be bombarded with Healthy Dessert Recipes!
Jenny says
Hey, don’t bash your photos! You do pretty well with a point-and-shoot (that’s what I’m assuming it is?) in place of your DSLR… and besides, I’m sure it makes adventuring around NYC that much easier, without a heavy camera to tote. None of us mind – good to see you’re having lots of fun, DLSR or not. 🙂
That – dare I call it such? – chocolate cheesecake looks amazingly delicious. I agree that it doesn’t really seem like cheesecake, though (thank goodness) but more like fudge. Can’t have a vacation without dessert! And speaking of such – so looking forward to your upcoming dessert posts that you mentioned! I can hear the flourless chocolate-chip cookies calling my name already… Also, can’t wait to read your post about your and your blog’s future!
Have a great Saturday~
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes, it’s a kodak… I LOVE this camera. Unfortunately, it’s 5 years old (i.e. not going to last much longer!) and they don’t make it anymore :(.
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
Your pictures looks so great, they don’t look like ‘snapshots’ at all! I know we are all enjoying them!!! Keep loving your time in NYC! ….Your poor grandma! :S OUCH!
Yay for the frapp next week! 😛 I’m ready!
Ragnhild says
That cake looks awesome!!
I certanly enjoy your real-life posts! And I cant wait for next weeks posts! Especially about your future!
Enjoy your weekend sweetie 🙂
Qi Ting @ Misadventures of Fat free Baking says
AAwwweesssoommee Chocolate cheesecake. See? I can’t even time propoerly now! This cake looks totally great. Imitation soon? 😀 😀 😀 These photos are great… don’t worry! 😀
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I hope so!
Lindsey @ Why Just Eat says
What these restaurants need to learn from you is how to make the plate look as amazing as it tastes! LOL 🙂 Glad you’ve had a great vacation!
Bethany @ Bananas for Smoothies says
Hey Katie! I’ve loved your NYC blog posts. It’s always fun to see what others experience in exciting new places. I’m looking forward to your PB&J blondies…and your healthy frappuccinos…and your flourless cookies…actually, I look forward to just about everything you blog about!
katie @KatieDid says
Your photos are still great in a different kind of way! I’d rather see cool shots of NYC scenes and quick snaps of the food than a set up scene with perfect lighting, because that means you would have been wasting precious vacation time worrying about pictures. Glad your having so much fun, and looking forward to some of those recipes you mentioned next week!
VeggieGirl says
Those PBJ Blondies have my name written allll over them – I’m most excited for that recipe 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I hope I do you proud. After all, YOU are the blondie queen!
Melanie says
Photography is all about the technique and talent of the photographer, not the equipment used.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Very true! I’m definitely a novice photographer… oftentimes even my dslr photos are blurry or dark. I’m having fun learning, though :).
Lisa says
that looks SO FUDGY! Im not really a fan of cheesecake because I find it VERY heavy, and quite frankly the non-vegan versions are really not all that healthy, but that looks pretty tasty! Although I do have a sweet tooth 😀
cant wait for your upcoming posts 🙂
Diane says
The photos look great! Seems like your having an amazing time in NYC. I’ve been following your blog for a while (this is only my second comment ever! lol) and I am super excited that you are in New York. I go to school here and am always on the lookout for yummy places to check out. After seeing your chocolate cheesecake, a trip down to Whole Earth Bakery seems mandatory now haha. And I absolutely LOVE Korean food. You should check out Tofu House in Koreatown or Mill’s Restaurant in Morningside Heights 🙂
Looking forward to your upcoming recipes!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
You are so lucky to live in NYC!
Natalie S. says
Yummm, that all looks DELICIOUS! Funny story about your grandma — sounds exactly like something my grandma would do. Once my uncle took a huge bite of wasabi thinking it was avocado!
Lilly says
I loved all of these NYC updates and posts, they were super fun! Glad you had such an awesome trip, can’t wait for even more yumm recipes, they ALL sound so good!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
See my chia winners post. Hint hint!
Jennifer says
I’m learning about so many places that I want to visit in NY! I am definitely enjoying these posts!
I am, though, looking forward to next week’s recipes. They look like good ones!
Jeska says
I’ve really enjoyed the NYC photos 😀
And wooo new blondies! I always had an intention to replace the vanilla with cinnamon and the chocolate chips with raisins and see what happened… I may do that soon. Hehe.
I love how versatile your recipies are 🙂
Looking forward to more posts- although I’ll miss the two a day thing! 😉 xx
Jen says
Todok looks kind of like chicken wings, haha! I have no idea what it is. Time to Google. By the way, is there a reason you got your dish sans tofu? I’m asking because I love tofu, but I hardly ever order it at restaurants, because I rarely like how they prepare it. Most places don’t know how to treat it well, unless it’s a vegan restaurant that knows its stuff. Anyway, I’ve been liking your NYC posts! I would have spent WAY too much money in that dish store you talked about in your last post.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I love tofu in things (like the pie or cheesecake or my ranch), but like you, I don’t always like it the way it’s prepared at restaurants. Also, I’d already had a lot of tofu with the cheesecake that day.
There’s one dish at the WF hot bar in TX, though, that is really awesome. I wish I knew how they cooked their tofu!
Sylvia (My Attempt at Balanced Living) says
So glad you’re having a great time! Your photos are great so don’t worry about them 😀 I’m anxiously awaiting all of those dessert recipes and reading about your blog’s future (???). Aw man lady! What a teaser! Sheesh 🙂
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
i look forward to being bombarded with dessert recipes! can’t wait 🙂
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Hey, no ugly photos when it comes to food! Cause we all know the “ugliest” meals are usually the tastiest!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Like green smoothies!
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says
Girl your photos are great, no being down on them! That chocolate cheesecake looks amazing, like I want a piece right now!
Sarah @ Food and Love Diaries says
So much fun!!! Glad your trip worked out so well… love finding little restaurants that are AMAZING!
Alyssa says
Future of the blog, eh? Intriguing! (I hope you know we’ll support whatever decision you make!)
Glad you had a good trip!
[email protected] says
Can’t wait for those recipes! And the ginger iced tea sounds so yummy. My boyfriend and I found ginger kombucha last weekend…yum! Enjoy the end of your trip!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I love ginger kombucha! But I don’t often buy it because I sometimes have bad luck with getting a bottle that is flat. Then I’ve paid $4 for flat soda and have to go through the trouble to return it :(.
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
I’ve really enjoyed these posts Katie! You’ve had some good eats 🙂
Really looking forward to the recipes, especially the flourless cookies!
[email protected] says
Look forward to hearing about your future! Sounds like it’s exciting from what you’ve said before 🙂
Mellie says
Oh my that cheesecake looks amazing! And I’m super curious about the future of your blog!
[email protected] says
looks so good!!!!! glad you are having a blasttt!!
Mona says
I live in NYC!!! 😀
I really hope you enjoyed all of your stay here, even tough it’s been the hottest it could ever be in NY right now.
As a huge fan of you and your blog, I secretly wished to bump into you on the streets. . . . . Except, I wouldn’t know what to do if I DID see you. . . :X
There’s always so much to do in NY. Hope you had fun!!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aww I would’ve loved to have run into you!
joan says
Todok is a root that doesn’t look like much out of the ground, but in the right hands, it can be a phenomenal experience. I hate to say this, but Hangawi’s Korean food is middling at best. In Korea proper, there were some truly good vegan restaurants that blew me away, esp considering I hate Korean food because I grew up with it.
I had this one todok dish that was amazing. The todok was pounded, then broiled, then brushed with some teriyaki-ish sauce, and then broiled and some sesame seeds thrown on. It was smokey, chewy, yet yielding to the bite, crackly at the edges, and sweet yet salty, with a sesame finish. It was amazing. Unfortunately, this was in Korea.
I was at Hangawi a few years back and was very underwhelmed by the Korean food, but pleasantly surprised by the “cheesecake”. I would not have ever thought to order the cheesecake at such an establishment, but the high school girl next to me kept telling me to do it. Note to self: always listen to high school girls on the topic of vegan desserts!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes, their cheesecake!!! BEST cheesecake of NYC, hands down. I am really sad I didn’t get a chance to order any this time, because we were in a rush. But a few years ago, I got two slices… and even ate one for breakfast! 🙂
And now I really want to go to Korea!
Lexi @ A Spoonful of Sunshine says
That cheesecake or chocolate mousse–whatever it may be–looks yummy! Excited to hear about ‘the future of your blog’ 🙂
Leashieloo says
Being Korean-ish, you would think I would be able to help you with this todok business…but alas, it doesn’t ring a bell. I am jealous of the other food though, especially the soba noodles!
Anna says
I have loved seeing and hearing about your adventures in NYC 🙂 I have gradually warmed up to kimchi but I bet that was a shock to your grandma!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
“I am so excited to get back to my dslr and publish photographs as opposed to just snapshots. The photography element of blogging is one of my favorite parts.”
I totally agree with you….photography IS one of my fave parts of blogging.
Even the snapshots Ive begun taking with my iphone camera, I still run those thru some Ligthroom and a few gentle edits b/c otherwise they are sometimes too dark or grainy or the cropping is way off. It’s amazing what I used to publish 2+ yrs ago vs. now. Life…and photography…always evolving.
I think your pics have been GREAT this week. I have loved loved loved this style of blogging from you. Not sure if it was more work, or more frantic, but the realness of it all, the real time stuff…have LOVED!
Publish snapshots any day. And we’ll always stand by the photographs. Both are beautiful 🙂
Quix says
That cheesecake looks DELISH! Not sure about that todok either, heh. 🙂
Errign says
Pretty much extremely excited for all of the upcoming posts you mentioned! I hope your travels back home are safe & uneventful 🙂
Megan says
I am anxious to hear about your future! Maybe a publisher wants to publish a cookbook by you?! Glad you are enjoying NYC!
Katherine says
It all looks yummy!
Kelsey Hibberd says
I hope you had the most wonderful trip!
I just thought I’d let you know that after bringing surprisingly healthy baked goods to work, my coworkers demanded that I told them my source! they loved your blog as well! I just tried some of my coworker’s snickerdoodle dip on my afternoon fruit and it was delectable!
(I also attempted your blueberry pancakes on my dutch pancake oven over the weekend – though they were small, they were delicious!)
thank you for the awesome, healthy, vegan recipes 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw Kelsey, that put a HUGE smile on my face!!!
Chocolate hugs! 🙂 🙂
Justeen @ Blissful Baking says
I’m not positive, but I think todok is a type of root vegetable, and in the Korean language, it’s pronounced more like duh-duk. It’s actually quite expensive, and my mom frequently receives it from friends who bring it back from Korea. She stir fries it in a spicy sauce and it’s delish!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m definitely thinking the gross-ness of the dish was due to how they prepared it. I certainly won’t write todok off if I see it in the future! 🙂