Week #1 Hidden gems in East Village and Lower East Side
Mono+Mono
Jazzy vibe Korean fusion.
A pretty cozy vibe restaurant in East Village. At first, I thought they were a florist since there were so many plants and flowers on the outside. But once I came inside, boom the space was incredible. It got the chill vibe from the jazzy music and the vintage-looking interior with the 30,000 vinyl records on the wall.
The food and drink were top-notch. The Truffle Japchae was the star, with a kick from the truffle paste and truffle oil. My second favorite was the Grilled Shishito Peppers. It was light but the umami flavor was just on point. The Kimchi Fried Rice was also very good. They put yogurt on the side which was surprisingly adding sweetness to the kimchi taste. Good balance! The last one, I think the Baechu Jeon (napa cabbage pancake) was my least favorite. The pancake itself didn’t have that kick taste, but the sauce was pretty good.
Don’t forget to try out the drinks! I got the Coco Cane Mojito. So refreshing! Who has thought of mixing coconut, sugarcane, lime, mint, and soju would be a good summer drink!
Mono+Mono’s location:
116 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003
Ramen Ishida
Classic vegan ramen.
A great place if you’re craving a classic bowl of ramen. Don’t come in a big group though, the place was pretty small, a typical Japanese ramen store.
The chef, Yohei Ishida, was Japanese and he worked at Ippudo for 9 years. His specialty is vegetable-based soup. I tried the Vegan Shoyu Ramen. It was light, simple, clean, and has a strong umami flavor which was amazing for vegan ramen!
The chef told me if you’re a fan of spicy ramen, go get the Spicy Mushroom Tofu. And if you’re a meat-eater, definitely get the Tokyo Style Shio Ramen.
Ramen Ishida’s location:
122 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002
See ya next week! Reach out if you have any food recommendations! 👋👋👋
