Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we take a day off, and mostly eat and steam ourselves. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.
Pineapple pork bun in line at SoJo Spa Club
660 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ 07020
I took a day off this week to clear my thoughts by steaming my body at a temperature so high it would cook an egg to the perfect soft-boiled state. Now, to be very clear, I did not purchase any food at my favorite Korean spa, SoJo Spa Club, although they do have a cafeteria thatās supposed to be pretty decent (I just fear the prices). What I am writing about here is the pineapple pork bun from Mei Lai Wah that I frantically ate in line while waiting to get inside the spa. You see, SoJo Spa Club does not fuck around when it comes to preserving their business model: They will confiscate your food, your water, and your weapons, and I respect them for that. However, I also travel with a large tote bag full of snacks and water and various pepper sprays on me at all times, and I evidently wasnāt the only one, because the line outside of the Spa Club had the same energy as the line going through customs. Everyone was frantically emptying out their purse and eating leftover plastic-wrapped croissants and granola bars. I am happy to report that the slightly-squash foil-wrapped pineapple pork bun I forgot about in the bottom of my bag was absolutely delicious, even though it had made the precarious journey from Chinatown to the back of my fridge for several days before being reheated and going across the Lincoln Tunnel. It turns out a little toast in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes really can do wonders for just about everything.
Snack aisle at Daiso Japan
595 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ 07020
Daiso is a Japanese dollar store chain ā well, $1.99 store, or 100 yen to be exact that I find very soothing. Itās like a less overstimulating TESO Life with fewer bright lights and cheaper stuff. Thereās pretty much every category of items, from kitchen to bathroom to my favorite, lots and lots of plastic organization boxes and drawers, a la the Container store. However, since this is a food newsletter, I would be remiss if I didnāt mention the snack aisle. While itās not as big and bright as the three to four rows of snacks at TESO, everything* is only $1.99 at Daiso which means you get the opportunity to try more funky potato chip flavors. Thereās also a few solid beverage cases, with a great selection of Teas Teas and Ito En and lots of great Japanese canned coffee drinks, but beware most of them are more than $1.99.
*Except the things that arenāt ā read the labels.
Food court at Mitsuwa Marketplace
595 River Rd, Edgewater, NJ 07020
The first time I went to Mitsuwa Marketplace I was in high school and I remember thinking that it was a truly magical place. More than a decade later, I still find Mitsuwa magical but it does feel a little less shiny than it appeared in my un-fully developed brain. That being said, because I had to take a bus and a subway to get back home, I didnāt get to fully explore the grocery section, which seemed like a lot of fun. Mitsuwa has a little food court inside with all sorts of delightful things like mochi donuts and soft serve that has a mont blanc topping and bento boxes and a fancy daifuku place that never seems to have a counter person working at it.
Banchan at So Gong Dong (SGD Tofu House)
118 Broad Ave 2nd FL, Palisades Park, NJ 07650
Itās no secret that the Korean food hits harder in New Jersey. You can always tell by the banchan. If you go to a Korean restaurant and they donāt have banchan, or they make you pay for it (gasp!), or itās a few limp pieces of napa cabbage kimchi on tiny measly plates, you might as well go home. The banchan at SGD Tofu House is plentiful, fresh, and delicious, and you can get free refills. My favorites were the cucumber kimchi and the fishcakes, but my friendās toddler liked the bean sprouts so much he ate two full platters for dinner, which is a pretty good endorsement.
Corn cheese at So Gong Dong Tofu (SGD Tofu House)
118 Broad Ave 2nd FL, Palisades Park, NJ 07650
Whyā¦ why is corn cheese a Korean dish? I always find it kind of funny that a sizzling plate of buttered corn kernels, mayonnaise and melted mozzarella cheese is on the menu next to soondubu and bibimbap. I mean, Iām also not complaining because, well, itās a sizzling plate of buttered corn kernels, mayonnaise, and melted mozzarella cheese, and it happens to pair super well with flavors like kimchi and barbecued meats.Ā So maybe Iāve answered my own question (but please, if you know more about the history of corn cheese, let me know!). I like corn cheese because sometimes I feel like the only time I eat melty cheese itās on top of something else, but corn cheese is so cheesy youāre basically just eating spoonfuls of cheese. The best is to take a spoonful of corn cheese and a piece of kimchi pancake and make a perfect bite.Ā Ā
Have a good weekend,
SophĀ
P.S. So, I started a little Instagram for my coffee drinking adventures, @catdrinkscoffee, where I nerd about things like coffee beans from different countries and how many grams of water I put in my Aeropress. Tbh I wasnāt sure how much I should write about coffee here as not everyone is a coffee drinker or enjoys scientific precision. So, feel free to follow if you are interested. And if you are interested about reading more about my craft coffee journey, let me know!