The Art of Loitering around

Another Chinatown Snack Crawl.

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, let’s hang out in Chinatown and eat snacks. Is there anything better? Read past posts here, and please follow my Instagram, @fivethingsiate.

Forbidden snacks at Mott Street Eatery

98 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Life’s getting a little too much lately, which means one thing: It’s time to loiter around. I feel like there’s two tiers of self-care in the world. First, there’s the socially approved list, like deep breathing and doing yoga and going to the gym. Then, there’s the true replenishment of batteries deep down in my core, which can be achieved through things like Hanging Out in Places Where My Enemies Will Never Find Me, and also, the Lost Art of Loitering. The cool thing about Mott Street Eatery is that you can achieve both. First, my enemies will never find me here, because it has a C Grade health inspection score, and I saw a large rat scamper behind the banquet area. This actually doesn’t bother me at all because it’s vibes, but seeing how this sentence probably turned you off, I can assure you my enemies have already run away. Secondly, it’s a fantastic place to loiter for hours. It’s open till 9:30 PM on weekdays, which is later than most cafes in the area, and has many tables with uncles playing cards or mahjong. A pro tip is to get some baked goods nearby from a non-ratto space (see below), or a bunch of high chews, and ignore the many “no outdoor food” signs and eat it there.

Sweet Topping Taro Bun 芋头包 at New Cameron bakery

242 Canal St, New York, NY 10013

There are many bakeries in Chinatown – but far fewer that are open past 7pm. New Cameron bakery is open till 8:30 on weeknights, and it’s also quickly becoming my favorite pineapple bun slinger in town. The milk bread base they use for their baked goods is very moist and soft, full of tangzhong. I picked up a taro bun by accident – I thought it was a regular pineapple bun – and loved it. If you find regular pineapple buns too bready without anything inside, this one’s for you. The filling is, of course, Not Too Sweet.

Star apple at Chinatown Fruit Stand

Canal street fruit at Mulberry and Canal

The Chinatown fruit stands are absolutely hopping right now. When I went earlier this week I saw lychees, longan, Taiwanese guava, kumquats, various “regular” berries for cheap, and a bunch of things I’ve never tried before, including cherimoya, wax apples and star apples. As we know, exotic fruits are my catnip, and because I’d had a particularly long day, I treated myself to a $5 pound of lychees and two star apples, which turned out to be extremely pricey at $4 each, but ya know, treat yourself. Star apples are also known as caimito or cainito, and I found it to be a very pretty (dark purple exterior, white and purple interior) soft fruit with a plum-like texture and mild sweet taste. Apparently the skin is toxic though, so resist the urge to bite into it like a regular apple.

Premium Jasmine Milk Tea at Molly Tea

63 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Molly Tea is the latest “It” Boba shop in town. Which means the lines are massively long – except if you swing by on a rainy weekday. Molly Tea’s signature item is Jasmine milk tea – and after two sips, I understand the hype. The Jasmine flavor is so strong and sweet and clear it’s like you’re prancing through a field of Jasmine bushes. This is unfortunate news for me, because now I’ll have to drop another $7.99 everytime I side quest.

Wonton, Dumpling, & Dace Fish Noodle Ball Soup at Maxi’s Noodle 3

68 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

I regret to inform you that yet another Hype Thing is worth the hype! Maxi’s Noodle finally opened in Manhattan and the wontons are as big and juicy as I’ve been told. The two times I went, which was again on a rainy weekday, there was no wait, although every table was filled and you have 30 minutes to eat only. That wasn’t a problem for me, because although the soup bowl is massive, the broth is clear and delicious and goes down easily, as do the wontons and (choose egg) noodles and fish balls and dumplings. I like to order a side of green veggies with oyster sauce, although you could just add it as an additional topping. Perfect for the chilly Spring days – I’m craving it right now.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Soph

P.S. Have a favorite boba order? Let me know.