Whitefish at dinner 🐟

Plus, Maman’s redemption.

Hello and welcome back to Five Things I Ate! This week, we drink boba and eat whitefish. Check out past posts here, and please follow my Instagram @fivethingsiate.  

 White chocolate raspberry rose cookies at Maman

429 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

In true Gemini fashion, nothing pleases me more than a restaurant with mixed reviews. Especially when those reviews come from myself. A while back, I thumbed my nose down at Maman, a trendy French brunch spot. But it turns out that the real gem of this bakery lies in its cookies, each more delicious than the last. The special edition raspberry rose cookie is a pretty shade of pink and tastes so intensely fruity I really want to know how it was made. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like the recipe is in Maman’s cookbook, which is how they now have a repeat customer in me.

Combo #2 (milk tea and two rice balls) at I’Milky 沐白

992 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018

Tea shop I’Milky 沐白 (which I have no idea how to pronounce— is it supposed to be I’m milky?!) provides the perfect solution to my lifelong dilemma around boba tea: every time I drink the sugary beverage, I always wish I had a salty snack to balance it out. This shop sells both milk tea and fresh onigiri, which are delightfully packaged to let the nori stay crispy. Also, each rice ball comes with a selection of one of its homemade sauces! I went for shrimp tempura with tartar sauce and it was a wonderful balance to the sweet, cooling jasmine green tea I ordered.

Stir-fried romaine lettuce at home

Recipe from the Woks of Life

Following up on last week’s introduction to loofah, I share with you my other favorite improbable Chinese vegetable: cooked lettuce. I know the thought of a wilted salad might sound less than appealing, but when you cook lettuce, the sweetness and bitterness shine through in a way that’s much softer than spinach or kale. A little bit of oyster sauce goes a long way in balancing the astringent flavors.

Whitefish salad and smoked salmon plate at Milk & Roses

35 Box St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Whitefish? For dinner? I’d never considered it in any other form except for breakfast on a toasted bagel before, but when I saw it on the menu the cozy library themed restaurant Milk & Roses I was intrigued. It turns out to be exactly what I thought it’d be, that is, basically a breakfast plate of lox and whitefish and pickled onions for dinner. And it turns out to be delicious with cocktails and leaves me thinking it’s a shame we usually limit it to brunch time.

Vodka slice at Made in New York Pizza

421 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

 My go-to pizza order is a grandma slice— but since there weren’t any left late night, I ended up with what appeared to be plain cheese— but was actually vodka sauce pizza. And, reader, it was glorious— a leveled up version of plain slice made creamier by the dairy in the tomato sauce. I don’t eat a triangular slice very often but when I do, the molten cheese is an experience I treasure.

Soph

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