Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Komegashi

Under food:

Komegashi
Jersey City

DJKung's cousin was visiting last Valentine's. We went to check out one of his former haunts in Jersey City. Komegashi is a Japanese joint that is very close to Exchange Place.



Eel hand roll. It hit all the right spots.

Sashimi appetizer. This serving was pretty generous. The salmon and tuna were pretty fresh, but I was disappointed with the white tuna, which was pretty bland.



Hamachi kama. Yellowtail collar. DJKung said that this was good---big piece, very meaty. I had fun gnawing on the bones.


With the hot sake, the apps got us nice and mellow. DJKung got the tempura soba, and I got the ten don.


Tempura soba. DJKung liked the portions. The tempura was light and crrunchy.





DJKung's buddy got the sushi deluxe.






I got the ten don (shrimp tempura over rice). It was hearty and filling.

In general, Komegashi gets point from us for being in a very central location, with a nice local vibe. The fish was ok, but was not super-fresh.






Everybody's still rushin' to Flushing!

Under fun:

Flushing Chinatown
Main Street, Flushing


We wanted to take out DJKung's poppa for some dimsum. He's been curious about our first sojourn to Flushing and we just had to go back there. We parked our car at the municipal lot (free on Sundays!) and walked towards Ocean Jewels Seafood (across from Flushing Mall).


DJKung's pops was really impressed at how crowded Main Street was. We passed by my fave cream puff joint, Happy Lemon (38-40 Main St) so I took a pix from across the street.



There were a lot of cars whizzing by, so it was hard to get a clean picture. If you look closely, Happy Lemon is the yellow stand to the left. Besides cream puffs, they also sell bubble tea and other pastries.


Unfortunately, Ocean Jewels was mobbed (one hour wait at 1pm on Sunday), so we walked back to Main Street. We passed by Corner 28, a slick buffet joint with mouthwatering posters. So we went in.

Corner 28. The crowd outside is just the sidewalk traffic.

The layout inside Corner 28 was a bit confusing. On the left side, they have dumplings and soups, and a cashier machine. The right side is where the buffet is; you fall in line and when it is your turn, you indicate which dishes you want. You then get a printed receipt which you go to the cashier to pay, and then give the stamped receipt back to the buffet side.

The prices were very reasonable. It was a bit harrowing making a snap decision when there were a lot to pick from, and a lot of the dishes looked pretty good (i.e., Chinatown-quality fare and not your typical por quilo joint in the city). My advice is to not fall on line and stand a bit apart, and do a thorough canvas of the ~40 dishes they have, before you fall in line and place your order.

We all opted for the four dishes with rice for $4.99. This also comes with your choice of soda or water, and a small bowl of seaweed soup.



DJKung's picks. Peking pork chops, sauteed bok choy, fried squid legs (buried). I have to ask him what his fourth dish was.




Superfatty's picks. Sauteed greens, stewed tofu, curry squid and sweet and sour fried fish (it is buried). DJKUng's pops was starving, and I was not able to get a shot of his dish.


So what we thought of the place? Not bad for $4.99, and the quantities they gave were massive. The food was pretty good by buffet standards; it was fresh and they had a big selection, from fish/shellfish, to meats, and veggies. We watched the other customers, and it seemed that the dumplings on the left side were part of the selection too. On the other hand, it was not too appetizing having your carefully selected dishes all lumped on each other in a styrofoam tray. The favors and sauces all got mixed up, so it felt like you were eating slop after a while.

Next, we went to Fay Da, the old Chinese bakery standby, for coffee and dessert. We were done after that.



Sweet bun and cheese roll from Fay Da.

Of course I had to swing by Happy Lemon to get my cream puffs. I got 6 for $5 (it is $1.25 each, but you get one free if you buy five). At home, Chibs and Babams split one, and you can tell by the way their eyes got reaalllly big that they liked the cream puffs as much as I do! Gotta get a dozen next time!