Majestic dining at Moghul Express

Moghul Express
1670 Oak Tree Road #A
Edison, NJ 08820
(732) 549-6222
www.moghul.com/edison/index.html (this leads to the Moghul Restaurant website)
(other locations available)

My coworker, V, swears by this take-out place in Edison. Last weekend, DJKung and I decided to drop by en route to Atlantic City. We initially had a hard time finding it because the GPS for some reason was not recognizing the name. We were really glad that we persevered, because it was a worthy stop.

From its earlier online reviews, it appears that the current location has been long overdue. It is now housed in a sleek glass-fronted storefront, with very contemporary decor, and plenty of seating. It was around 3 pm when we arrived, so it was understandably empty.

The menu is divided into Chinese, Thai, northern Indian and Southern Indian fast food. They even had kulfi! They had a nice flat screen tv playing a satellite channel with old movies.

Masala dosa. This is a paper-thin crispy crepe made from rice and black lentils, stuffed with masala-flavored potato, and rolled up into this humongous thing. It was very light, so despite its size, it was easy to gobble up. DJKung's dad quite liked it.


These were the sauces that came with the dosa. Left, from top: coconut chutney, a mild sauce, and a more spicy red sauce. The large cup has some type of fiery veg curry. With the dosa, it like having these flavor explosions in your mouth with each bite--- there is just nothing like it!

Potato filling inside the masala dosa. This was cooked real Keralan style, but toned down. I could taste the mustard seeds and curry leaves in it!

DJKung ordered the lamb seekh kababs, which reminded him a lot about Bademiya. These kababs are spiced ground meat, molded to a metal skewer, and grilled. This came with a bit of onions, chili-onion salad and some green sauce. DJKung did not say much about the food, but at the end, had a very big smile on his face.

Some naan to go with the kababs.

DJKung and I really liked the food here. I'm not sure if it would exactly qualify as fast food, because most of the food was made fresh to order (I think the naan was reheated, but still tasted very fresh), and took more than a few minutes. We were quite ravenous, and the food was very flavorful and hit the spot. We're looking forward to trying more from their menu, and definitely will make this one of out pit stops whenever we go to South Jersey.

Way to have fun at Wawayanda State Park!!!

Wawayanda State Park
Hewitt, NJ

On one of the nicer weekends we've had this summer, the UFC was lucky to finally have a little picnic. We picked Wawayanda because it's relatively close, and we wanted to scope it out for canoeing later on.

Wawayanda (Lenape for "water on the mountain" or "winding water") sits in the northern part of Passaic County at the NY/NJ border. The terrain is mostly very hilly. The NY/NJ Trail Conference lists 29 miles of park trails, including a bit of the Appalachian Trail, in 17,500 acres. Besides hiking and canoeing, there is a beach area for swimming, some picnicking and camping facilities, and plenty of fishing spots (the lake is even stocked with landlocked salmon!).

Most of the picnic/grill areas were already taken by the time we got there (1 pm), so we had a short trek along the lake to reach a second, less crowded picnic spot.

Most of the picnickers here look like regulars, with tents, hammocks, camping chairs and coolers and coolers of stuff. Lots of kiddies on bikes, and a lot of furs too! Chibby and Babams were so excited!

Furs hanging out in Wawayanda.

Superfatty grillin' some kick-ass chickens.

"Is them chickens ready yet???"

This is what we had for lunch: cold ampalaya (bitter gourd) in black bean sauce, rice, some kick-ass bbq chicken, and some home-style bbq ribs. Everyone was really hungry!

After lunch, DJKung and his dad tried their luck fishing. They did not have any bait with them, but it was not so bad foraging for worms and bugs for bait. The furs went for a lilttle swim and fetched some sticks.

The furs relaxing by the water after a nice lunch.

Babams and DJKung fishing. It was too bad that the fishes here were just too wily--- they were fast and readily gobbled up the bait.

Wayayanda was a great experience. We have to try the hiking here with the furs next time... I remember from past hiking trips that the rocks here are pretty spectacular. I'm sure the furs would love it!

New items we tried at El Aguila

El Aguila


On a recent food run, we sampled a few more items at El Aguila. DJKung had the carnitas burrito that he split with his dad (pictures in previous post).

One of the specials that day was fried poblano peppers, which are battered and deep-fried. We were not sure how this was served (e.g., as a side or a main dish). When I pointed to it, the cashier asked me if I wanted a poblano taco, and I said yes.

The poblano taco is prepared very simply. It is a whole fried poblano pepper, sprinkled with some chopped onions and cilantro, all enclosed in two corn tortillas. This went really great with their salsa and has a nice burn.

A few people ordered the cheese enchilada, which we also tried. It's a corn tortilla with white cheese, deep fried to super-crunchiness, then covered with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Great with their salsa. Of course it is a bit heavy, but it was dang good.

We also got a few breads from their bakery section. DJKung's dad liked the cream cheese-filled rolls (not pictured). This is one of their crispy flaky pastries.

UFC (Unidentified Flying Chickens)

UFC (Unidentified Flying Chickens)
Tenafly, NJ



Unidentified Flying Chickens is one of the Korean fried chicken chains that have broken into the New Jersey market. The Korean-style of fried chicken is way different than American-style fried chicken. It is made fresh to order, so there is quite a wait (fifteen to thirty minutes), but the results are worth it. There is usually no batter or outside layer, apart from a thin slick of sauce that is painted at the end of the cooking process. Some places advertise that the chicken that they use is fresh and never frozen. In general, DJKung finds the Korean fried chicken genre as lighter, tastier, and very very addictive.

DJKung was keen to see where Unidentified Fried Chicken stacked up on his fried chicken list. His pops also came with us to share his opinion.








The store is located in a quiet downtown section in Tenafly, and was actually one of the few stores on the strip that had customers. As we waited for our chicken, there was constant flow of people ordering take-out.

Unlike Boom Boom and Bon Chon Chicken, Unidentified Fried Chickens' menu goes beyond fried chicken. It offers hamburgers, hot dogs and a few sides, including macaroni salad and green salad. Today, we were here to try the chicken, though.

French fries.



DJKung ordered the sweet and spicy (left) and the garlic soy sauce (right) chicken. Since it is freshly fried, he and his dad had to be really careful not the burn their tongues!

The verdict? DJKung felt that the chicken and the sauce was not quite as flavorful as the competition's. The chicken was nice and crispy, but was a tad oily. He gave it a five on his fried chicken scale.

Hearty breakfast at Los Primos (San Diego, California)

Los Primos
San Diego, California
(several locations available)


We've unearthed a couple more San Diego pictures from DJKung's mobile. We had stopped by Los Primos for a quick breakfast. This location was in a strip mall in a residential area north of downstown SD. By all accounts, it looked like your average fast food joint.

Salsa bar, with hot salsa, green salsa and a tomato salsa.

Bistek ranchero, the day's special. This includes two eggs, steak strips. some home fries and refried beans. DJKung remarked that everything was surprisingly good for fast food, at a very reasonable price.

The joint was empty (it was around 10 am), although there was a steady stream of people ordering take-out.

Get your burger fix at 5 Guys

Five Guys
Lowe's Shopping Center
54 Route 17 North
East Rutherford, NJ 07073
(210) 507-5550
(a lot of other locations available)
http://www.fiveguys.com/





Five Guys has had a lot of hype even before it reached the NJ/NY area. A trusted friend let us in on a new location that opened up practically in our backyard, and whaddaya know, DJKung is one hundred percent hooked. His dad tried it, and he too, is just as hooked.

It is a bit discombobulating the first time you enter Five Guys, with all the shiny white and red tiles. You basically place your order, pay for it, and wait till they call your order out. The menu is very pared down, and basically involves burgers done three ways (regular, cheeseburger, and bacon cheeseburger), hot dogs and fries. And soda. The burgers are made to order, and the main attraction here is that you can customize your toppings.


You can help yourself to some roasted nuts while you wait. This is the only veg option besides the fries.

DJKung just could not stop saying how awesome it was, and that this was THE BEST BURGER he'd ever had. The fact that the meat patties are never frozen is probably a big factor in how great this burger was.

Another shot of the cheeseburger, this one with onions and lettuce.

DJKung's friend did not get his bacon slices, and they provided it no problemo.

I really should elicit more descriptives on why DJKung really hearts this place. He's been here a few times but never goes beyond saying that this was the best burger joint he'd ever been to. Although technically we need at least two votes to get on SUPERROTATION (the furs always vote yes, since they seem to always like what we like), we've decided to put it on the list at DJKung's request.

Jacques Torres

Jacques Torres
inside Harrah's Casino


DJKung noticed a new chocolate bar inside Harrah's. I guess it is trying to woo a more urban crowd wid dem fancy-pants chocolates. Or maybe it's more like exchanging one vice for another?

Judging from the picture, it looks like the same collection is being offered here. I wonder if they make them on the premises, or they get them from the city?

Chocolate and hot chocolate.

Seafood Smorgasboard at The Crab Trap

The Crab Trap
2 Broadway
Somers Point, NJ 08224
(629) 927-7377
www.thecrabtrap.com

DJKung and his poppa could not stop raving about this place during a recent pit stop on the way to Atlantic City. All the food was just superlative, and I cannot wait to try this place. DJKung recalled coming here a long time ago with one of his buddies, and remembered that it was here where he'd had the absolutest freshest oysters.

According to their website, the restaurant sits on one of the oldest settlements in NJ (circa 1700s). The restaurant started off as a simple bar with dirt floors in the 1960s, and has grown to a massive restaurant that can seat 400 people.

There was not much of a wait around 4 pm, when DJKung and his poppa arrived, fresh from their two-hour car ride from North Jersey. However, by the time they left, there was a line out the door!

The Crab Trap is a local fave, as you can see from all the plaudits hanging on the wall.

PEI (Prince Edward Island) oysters. DJKung was impressed with the size of these, and stated that they were as awesome as he'd remembered them.

Jersey tomatoes with lump crab meat, cheddar and lettuce. This was one of the day's specials.
This was a really good salad.

Crab bisque soup. You can tell from the picture that it is really creamy.

This looks like a fairly typical house salad.

Heaping bread basket. DJKung's dad remarked that they tasted a lot like pandesal, a Filipino roll.

For his main, DJKung's dad got the fried seafood sampler. This came with pieces of deep fried and battered shrimp, flounder, scallops and clams. He said that it was "good,"--- which meant that it was great.

In the foreground appears to be various sides: baked potato, maybe corn, and a big-ass crab cake. The main dish on the foreground is day scallop and crab meat over pasta, in lemon butter. DJKung said that this was delicious!

There were plenty of leftovers for the rest of the UFC, unfortunately, we did not get to sample them because they were all promptly consumed after the drive back. No worries, though, we are planning a little excursion soon (sans furs) and will definitely hit this place!

Chowin' down again at Chow King (National City, California)

Chowking


Of course, no visit to San Diego is complete without a visit to Chowking for some fast food, Filipino style! After Sunday mass with my folks, we trekked to National City for some breakfast.

It seems that fried chicken is the big thing now with Filipino fast food; both Jolibee and Chowking have their own variation. The furs were quite upset with us for not bringing home any.

Half bangus (milkfish) and rice. My dad and I got this one. Milkfish is a mild-flavored saltwater fish. Here, it is marinated and deboned, and is served broiled. Underneath the fish is a little bit of atchara (pickled green papaya). The atchara was bland and way too mild.

My mom got the bihon guisado, made with bihon (rice noodles) and chicken.

Tocino (cured pork), bangus and rice combination.

We got three taho (soft tofu with syrup) and got one free. Unfortunately, it was bland and did not taste too fresh.

My mom picked up a few bags of siopao for us to bring home. The furs liked the egg and chinese sausage flavor and DJKung agreed that it tasted better than the asado flavor.

I think just for the nostalgia factor alone, Chow King easily makes it to our SUPERROTATION. I am waiting for the day a franchise opens up here in the NY/NJ area!

Thornton Winery (Temecula, California)

Thornton Winery
32575 Rancho California Road
Temecula, CA 92589
(951) 699-0099





Temecula lies about an hour northeast of San Diego. We tagged along with my folks for their weekend mahjong session and decided to do a little sightseeing. First, we stopped by the local casino, Pechanga, and promptly lost forty bucks. We decided to try our luck elsewhere. Using our GPS, we went in search of a winery.





Temecula has quite a few wineries, although nothing on the scale of Napa or Sonoma's. The winery area here is in very hilly terrain, where crops used to grow and cattle used to graze. It seems to have undergone quite a development boom, with a lot of new houses sprouting up.



Thornton Winery looks like a pretty hooked up winery that accomodates guests by the busload. Their restaurant was jam packed with weekend revelers (looked like a birthday party). They also have a standing-only area by a terrace, where they have their popular wines available. We did not have enough time to stay for their winery tour, unfortunately.



Thornton specializes in the champagne method of sparkling wine. We were initially thinking of trying one tasting flight each. We were advised that they provide a healthy pour for tastings, and a flight of five wines would amount to at least a glass and a half. Since it was brutally hot that day, we reasoned that all that alcohol would certainly go straight to our heads and quite dull our tastebuds. DJKung and I settled for a glass each.

DJKung ordered their 2003 champagne, which was pretty good. It was light and a bit on the dry side. I got their 2007 Voignier, which was lush and fruity, went well with the apps we got.



Tasting menu.

This was the tapas plate we got. Ain't it purty? Clockwise from top left: European charcuterie (looks like air-dried ham), fire-roasted peppers, marinated artichokes, garlic shrimp. Center is marinated goat cheese with cracker. Everything was yummy and good for pickin's.

We picked up a few bottles to bring home, a house red wine, a gewurztraminer, a moscato and a late harvest zinfandel. They were having a sale on these, and we basically got them for half-price. The whites were on the light and fruity side, and we were very surprised. DJKung's dad liked them.

Box of wine to bring home. In foreground is a little veggie garden where they grow herbs and tomatoes that they use.

Always a party at Taco Fiesta (San Diego, California)

Taco Fiesta
2601 Mission Gorge Road
San Diego, CA 92120
(619) 283-5285



Back home in Jersey, Mexican food, with a few exceptions, is a cliche. Either it becomes bastardized into Tex-Mex food and gets smothered under too much cheese, or morphs into any number of bland fast food reinterpretations. What is especially irksome is that they nickel-and-dime you for every single thing--- guacamole, sour cream, etc.

In San Diego, which reputedly has the best fish tacos outside of Mexico, there seemed to be more taco and burrito joints than there are Chinese take out places.



On a prior visit, I was doing my early morning walk around seven-ish and noticed a couple of SD cops stop by to pick up breakfast. Mexican never struck me as the breakfast-of-champions-type food. If anything, it is too heavy. Later in the day, I picked up a fish taco and reveled in the perfect awesomeness that is the San Diego fish taco. Of course, UFC had to take this place under consideration.

Taco Fiesta is in a tired-looking and dated building that only has takeout and outdoor seating. No bathrooms. You go up to their tiny window, place your order and pay for it, and then wait under one of their outdoor umbrellas for them to call out your order.

The first night DJKung tried it, he had the carne asada burrito, which he really liked.

Poster for Ole aguas frescas, which they carry. The horchata flavor (milk and sugar drink) was delish, and had a taste of vanilla. It had a very light flavor and went well with the food.

Nachos carnita. I know, it looks suspiciously blanketed with dairy products. But no, underneath is a nice layer of tasty refried beans. Fatty and yummy carnita, and enough sour cream and guacamole.




This carnita platter was ordered on another visit. Clockwise from top left: refried beans, yellow rice, carnita, salad. Also came with warm corn tortillas.



As demonstrated, the portions here were huge. We always sat on this table, which gives you a good view of the street traffic, the drive thru and the counter.

The bestest fish burritos I've had. The fish was light and flavorful, perfectly fried, with just enough soure cream. The flour tortilla was thin and light. Only thing that could be better were the veggies, which were very bland.

We've come here at lunch and dinner. The lunch crowd was very local. Dinner is when all the kiddies come out. Taco Fiesta is open 24 hours, and does a brisk drive-thru business compared to the Mexican joint across the street. Everyone always asked for the green sauce (tomatillo), which we never got to try. We liked the red sauce, which they automatically include with your order. This salsa was smoky, balanced and flavorful.

The California burrito is a popular item, and DJKung just had to try it. Basically, it is beef strips, with beans and tomatoes AND french fries!!!

I guess this is like a naked California burrito: french fries with strips of beef, beans, and other yummy toppings.

DJKung remarked that the menu here is similar to the food he'd had when he went to Cabo. Everything on the menu looked like foods meant to be eaten on the run. This is in stark contrast to the other Mexican fare we've had back home, which I think is more from the central part of Mexico.

So, on a five-day visit to San Diego, we've come to Taco Fiesta three times. Which is a lot. On the first visit, DJKung agreed to place it on SUPERROTATION. And the rest of UFC agrees.