black sesame ice cream/bubble tea and egg custards? where!

[Strangette]

HI All,

From New Orleans, and loving NYC!!!!! even though it's freezing.

Anyways, I've been to Flushing and Chinatown but it's still hard for me to find black sesame bubble tea. I know, must be a weird flavor. I had one at Sago in Flushing, and all they did was put black sesame powder (I think) in the milk tea - not what I was expecting.

So if one of you out there loves black sesame as much as me, please fill me in on where I can get it in bubble tea form. Also any areas where they serve the sago pearls (the small clear tapioca pearls) instead of the regular bubbles? (largeer black tapioca pearls).

AND, if you have an opinion on the BEST EGG CUSTARD TARTS, please do tell. I want the kind that has a flaky crust. I have not run into any so far.

Oh, while I'm asking and u're still reading - where can I get really good tofu hua? You know the homemade tofu that is silken and comes with the sweet ginger syrup? Served hot?? It's a chinese dessert. Toufa.

Appreciate it guys. THANKS!

[cimui]

I just had the black sesame ice cream at Sundaes and Cones (per D...DF, Billyeats and ruavidiot's suggestions) and strongly echo the recommendation. The texture and temperature were perfect: a wee bit melty and just warm enough to really emphasize the flavors, but not too melty. Flavors were vivid and clean. Servings were generously sized. (The staff were also super nice about my friends and me trying a few flavors before we picked.)

Other interesting flavors there included wasabi (lovely texture, mild but clean wasabi flavor, which would've been lovely with something else, but didn't do it for me, alone), ginger, honeydew and lychee.

I'm surprised this place hasn't gotten more attention!

[D...DF]

Glad you enjoyed. They also do an awesomely juvenile "Sherbet Freeze." Choice of sherbet(s), blended with an ice and a few dashes of Sprite. Great.

[cimui]

Oh -- that sounds fantastic, especially with the grapefruit sorbet I tried!

I was pretty distracted in there (by four very excited friends tasting ice cream left and right), but it looked like they had smoothies, too. Definitely a place I want to come back to. I think Sundaes and Cones is to ice cream what Il Lab is to gelato.

[cimui]

Link:

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Sundaes and Cones
95 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003

[MustLoveFood]

Best Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream you'll ever have:
Laboratorio Del Gelato
www.laboratoriodelgelato.com

95 Orchard St
New York, NY 10002
[phone]

[sugartoof]

Kind of obvious, but Egg Custard King for the tarts, or Tai Pan around the corner on Canal. Usually one of the two is really good on any given day, especially if you catch them when they're still warm out of the oven. I find the Portuguese have the most flavor, and flakiest crust. (has to be the egg custard king location where you walk down the stairs)

Saint Alp's has the Black Sesame boba/bubble tea. There are a few locations around the city. Pretty sure the Chinatown location is still there.

[Pan]

Saint's Alp on Mott St. is now called Teariffic, but the menu is very similar to Saint's Alp on 3rd Av. between 9th and 10th.

[doug butler]

chinatown ice cream factory is our favorite for black sesame ice cream

[fried_chicken]

One Plus One Cafe has the small tapioca balls, but you have to ask for them specifically.

Fong Inn Too has the tofu, but I haven't actually tried it.

Taipan has a variety of egg custard tarts (both flaky and not and the Portuguese ones) that are quite popular.

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One Plus One
150 Centre St, New York, NY 10013

Tai Pan Bakery
194 Canal St, New York, NY 10013

Fong Inn Too
46 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

[billyeats]

I second the Sundaes & Cones rec. Their black sesame ice cream is outstanding, as is most anything else there including the pumpkin, corn, and banana flavors.

[ruavidiot]

Sundaes and Cones has really great black sesame and ube/taro ice cream.

[orthorunner]

black sesame ice cream, along with other interesting rotating flavors, at kyotofu. It's soft serve and really good. try a chocolate cupcake while there-you won't regret it

[Pan]

I'm not sure whether this is strictly relevant, but Soba Koh serves a delicious black sesame pudding with red bean sauce that packs a powerful but well-balanced flavor. 309 E. 5 St., just east of 2nd Av., closed Mondays.

Interestingly enough, menupages mentions a 12-3 brunch on weekends. Soba Koh is otherwise open only for dinner. Have any of you been there for brunch? What's their brunch menu like?

[drumwine]

had a great black sesame gelato at Il Lab.....

[D...DF]

I like the Black Sesame ice cream from Sundaes and Cones in the EV.

[oystersallday]

doesn't chinatown ice cream factory do black sesame ice cream?

[Pan]

Yeah, and it's pretty good.

[wew]

Black Sesame Soft ice cream at 41 st between 5 ave. and 6 ave.

[abud]

Wew! What's the name of the place on 41st?

[citysweettooth]

I think this may be referring to Cafe Zaiya where I've seen black sesame ice cream advertised, but never tried it...

[Miss Needle]

I'm pretty sure it's Cafe Zaiya (which is on 41st Street between Madison and 5th). 41st Street between 5th and 6th is Bryant Park.

[D...DF]

They also have an East Village on Cooper Square between 7th and St. Marks.

[Miss Needle]

Yes, there's a location there. There's also another location in a Japanese bookstore on 6th Ave and 40th Street.

[wew]

Thank you for the cafe name and correction. I hope I caused little difficulty.

[bigjeff]

I just had a black sesame cream puff from the beard papa in cafe zaiya in midtown. yum.

[Pan]

If you post(ed) on the Outer Boroughs board, I'll give you some advice for Flushing.

[HLing]

If you can find it:

嘉華麵包屋 (might be "Ga Hua", or "Ka Wha" in English)
BAKERY TOWN CO.
9 Eldridge St.
New York, NY 10002

It's a tiny mom & pop bakery (you take a couple of steps down to go into the shop)that's been open since 1988. I've only had their mini-egg custard tarts with flaky crusts and just sweet enough custard once and have been trying to go back and get more to no avail. Usually i'm just too late getting there before they close, though one time they were sold out. This place reminds me of the delicious egg tarts i've had in Hong Kong. I also loved their slightly over-baked walnut cookies. Another must have for me are the flat round soft earlobe-like white (made of sticky rice flour) ground peanut-filled dumpling-like things - the ground peanuts are always just slightly over-baked, too (in a good way, as you can probably gather) and mixed with some coconuts; the sticky rice dough is perfect because it's about 1/4 inch thick, and doesn't stick to the teeth.. and somehow if not finished on the same day, doesn't turn hard the next day.

For Black sesame stuff you might want to try Ren Ren who supposedly makes their own. Most of the other bubble tea places use pre-made powder. Again, this place is not a chain, so you might have better luck. To get the little clear tapioca pearls ask for Xi1 Mi3 Lu4.

In Flushing for tofu Hua ...last time I was in Flushing was a while ago, but Soybean Chen on Roosevelt between Main and Prince should still be good. It's a flower shop with a little stand for take out only. Nice ginger syrup. I like to pay a little extra for the soft boiled peanuts to add to the dou Hua.

[Strangette]

thanks Hling, and to everyone else~ i'm definitely gonna try the mentioned here. the ice cream factory is on my list. hehe

[Lau]

agree on soy bean chan...here is my write up on it:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/486772

[albh]

I love how Strangette's requests are almost exactly what I'm looking for too (flaky crust egg tarts and xi mi lu), posted mere days before I came looking.

Just to confirm, Ren Ren has xi mi lu?

Thanks!

[Lau]

ohhh xi mi lu...i havent had that in a really long time, if its any good please let me know

[HLing]

albh, I meant in my reply to ask for the smaller pearly "xi mi lu" instead of the big frog-eye ball looking "bobba" wherever one gets bubble teas or chinese desserts. I didn't mean that Ren Ren has it only.

Often in Chinese restaurants they will serve a small bowl of slightly warmed red bean coconut xi mi lu after the meal. This is usually if you order a set menu for a group of people, where fresh fruit and desserts are included - and xi mi lu would be the sweet soup, the dessert.

[albh]

thanks HLing! while I was in CA, I found a lot of boba shops didn't have small pearl tapioca / xi mi lu, so i had assumed that many out here don't either. Any other suggestions where I might find it?

i'm familiar with what xi mi lu actually is, if i could order little bowls of that alone i'd like that too, but i don't think anybody actually does that? haha

also, i can't seem to find a ren ren... where is it? or is it a ten ren? (ten rens in CA also don't serve xi mi lu).

Thanks!

[HLing]

albh, sorry about my lapse in reply..also about my blind spot about "Yuen Yuen" (not ren ren) restaurant - my "internal memory chip" is forever messed up about this place's name. http://www.chow.com/places/16779

Also, the poster "fried chicken" mentioned "One Plus One" at 150 Centre street having the small tapioca pearls. I think that was the place that used to be the HK Hui Lau shan copy called "Healthy Dessert" that served the most delicious Chinese fresh fruit/ tapioca desserts. Then it became called "Whatever", which still had most of the refreshing desserts, and now "One Plus One" which I've not yet been. If they didn't change people, they would have xi mi lu for sure. Please report back if you go. Thanks!

[albh]

No worries HLing, I only now checked back, so we're roughly equally lapsing haha.

I actually came across a place that served xi mi lu to go! it's the cafe to the right of vivi, i don't recall the name at the moment.

i will be in chinatown tomorrow, and will definitely check out yuen yuen and/or one plus one, and probably this taipan for their egg custard tarts.

btw, bakery town had, by far, the best egg tarts in NYC i've experienced. still not quite as good as the best in LA or the Bay Area, but excellent nonetheless.

[HLing]

albh, I'm glad you liked Bakery Town's egg tarts, too! It's always nice to have confirmation for something like this, so that I know I wasn't just imagining things. One point for the mom & pop shops.

I'm curious what you consider the best in LA and/or the Bay Area are. Just so i'll have some places to go if I ever get over to the west coast.

[Lau]

great call on Bakery Town, I walked in today and got two of the small sized dan tat...very good, probably some of the best (if not that best) that i've had in manhattan chinatown. Great flaky crust that isn't too dry or too buttery and the filling was the right eggy mixture that isnt too sweet. also got some yuen yang cha (coffee / tea mix), which was excellent as well

kind of a weird place for a cantonese bakery in the middle of the all the fujian restaurants / stores, but sounds like it was there well before they were there

looking forward to trying their other pastries

[albh]

so i went to one plus one last weekend. the tapioca was good but i found the taro smoothie i got to be gross. pretty sure it was powder and not fresh taro.

i saw yuen yuen / ren ren on my way back to the subway station. i plan on going there on my next trip to chinatown.

[HLing]

Thanks for the California recs and the report on one plus one, albh! It sounds like one plus one isn't at all the same people as the previous "Healthy Dessert" and " Whatever" because one thing they never had was taro smoothie. They only had on the menu during the winter a hot coconut milk dessert w/some taro and chestnuts but that was often unavailable when ordered.

[Lau]

btw I've been going to Bakery Town pretty much every weekend and I agree by a long shot I think thse are the best dan tat I've had in mahattan...I particularly like the small ones

The crust is perfect, crispy and flaky, but not dry and the filling is great, not too sweet nto too mushy. They also burn the tops a little like the portuguese style ones you get in HK or Macau...very good

[HLing]

Lau, I'm glad we feel the same way about the egg tarts. And really, it's very good of you to take on the duty of the egg tart tasting every weekend :)

If you're there early enough, would you mind trying their Cha Shao Bao, too? Just wondering how they'd do theirs.

[Lau]

its a tough job! haha

i tried to last time, but they ran out (it was pretty early too like 11am)...its definitely my list

[Lau]

i keep trying to get their cha shao bao, but they never have it so i sort of gave up

i tried their gai mei bao (ji wei bao / cocktail bun), its alright, but MLW's is better

[HLing]

Lau, your dedication deserves an all around applause. Maybe it's just as well to leave it to the imagination? I did see the man taking out a huge chunk of pork one day so at least my guess it that it's made in house....someday someone will get to try it.

Bigjeff, "rustic" goes with mom & pop for sure. I can't go to that street without getting my favorite fujian fish balls soup from one of the neighboring places.

[Lau]

haha thanks

btw do you find any of the fish balls to be superior at any of the fujian restaurants?

[HLing]

hmm, i consider myself a semi-retired chowhound these days so i can't say i eat out all that much any more. If i'm in chinatown i usually get my $1 jumbo hot dog that has been good again recently, and then the fish balls if i make it over there. To me the fish balls and dumplings and noodles are best if they are the only thing, as opposed to from a full blown restaurant, just because it's just that kind of food, you know? I've been getting my fish balls from this downstairs place on Eldridge on the same block of the bakery we've been talking about. I know, there are 2 or 3 such places, and I think the one i like is the smallest place (probably furthest left when facing the row) that's a long narrow space, dimly lit, seating only on either side of the wall. I like the quality of their fish balls as well as the slightly tart broth that it comes in. It does something for me..the simply and clear way.

[Lau]

ahh you have been gone from the boards..its too bad!

but yeah ive been meaning to try some of those places, but i always get sidetracked for niu rou mian usually

[bigjeff]

so Lau, where do you get sidetracked to for niu rou mian? I've seen your comments about a lack of good broth; you are in the Food Sing 88 camp I think?

[Lau]

well you do have to settle to a certain degree, none of the places on an absolute basis are great (sometimes I forget that and then go to a proper taiwanese noodle house in LA and it jogs my memory very quickly...although nowhere compares to taiwan obviously for NRM)

usually i go to super taste (strictly b/c they have a spicy broth) or 144 ebway, who i like the best of the bunch

i've only been to food sing 88 a while ago and i wasnt that big a fan, but to be fair i should go back and decide what i think

what about you?

[bigjeff]

went last week and caught the last 3 around 6pm; they were good, very . . . shall we say, rustic? eggy, not as thick as I was expecting, the crust was good, definitely smaller but more bite-sized; enjoyed popping them in my mouth. at 60 cents, delish with good flavor. not sure it beats all but, tasty nonetheless and a nice spot to go after sampling various fujian noodles and dumplings.