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!
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!
Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFIles 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!
Eleanor@eatinglikeahorse 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!
Emily@RunningPerspective 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! 🙂