It feels good to be back in the city! The first few days after coming back were tough with baby K having a horrible case of jet lag. Poor kid was still on Bangkok time, sleeping most of the day and then waking up at an ungodly hour at night. At 3 am, he'd be wide awake, wanting to play while all we wanted to do was sleep! Anyway, he has now adjusted to the time difference and we've been able to go out and enjoy the lovely summer that is emerging in NYC. This weekend, Shruti was visiting and we decided to trek over to Brooklyn for the famous Smorgasburg. Known as a food flea market, it literally comprises of a "smorgasboard" of different food stalls. You see all sorts of cuisines (Indian, Ethiopian, Burmese, Mexican, Filipino, Thai, American, etc) and fusion foods. My favorite stall was Masala Tacos. The paneer tikka masala tacos and channa masala tacos were just amazing! What a brilliant idea to blend Indian and Mexican foods together. Overall, we had a great time noshing on different types of foods against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline on an incredibly beautiful, sunny day.

Tip: Smorgasburg is held every weekend in the summers with two different locations on Saturday and Sunday. Highly recommend checking it out!

Pad thai

 A wise person once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food”. I couldn’t agree more. Being back in New York now after my whirlwind trip to Thailand, I’m suffering from all sorts of withdrawal symptoms. Food is one of them. 

When I visit home, I make sure to check my diet at the door and embrace all the culinary delights that my mother’s kitchen and Bangkok has to offer. At home, my mother spoils me with all my favorite home-made Indian dishes and desserts. And while out and about in the city, I’m a veritable “food butterfly”, hopping from one Thai food stall to the next! Undoubtedly, among the things I miss while living here in the States is the authentic Thai food made with the freshest of herbs and ingredients. What’s more, the boring apple and banana is soon forgotten for the more exciting varieties of tropical fruits bursting with flavor, such as pommelo, mangosteen, dragonfruit, lychees, longans, jackfruit, durian, rose apple, coconut, mangoes, and papaya. Even though my gastronomical experience in Bangkok often results in overindulgence, I always return from my trips feeling healthier and more refreshed. Somehow, it’s easy to let go of the all-too-common habit of reaching for soda, processed foods, carbs, and sweets that I typically have while living in the US. 

As I sit here missing all the foods I enjoyed just last week on the other side of the world, allow me to share my Bangkok food diaries with you. Try not to drool too much!

Fresh fruit juices of all kinds

Intricate fruit carvings from papaya, watermelon, and cantaloupe

Have you ever tried dragonfruit?

These are not actual fruits but Thai sweets made to appear like miniature fruits and vegetables

Who can resist cupcakes?

Pad khee mao (drunken noodles) and yam thua phu (tangy green bean salad)

Thai crepe-like snacks

 Tell us, what is your favorite Thai dish? And what type of food do you miss most when you're away from home? We wanna know! 

The original Kati Roll Company at McDougal and Bleecker in Greenwich Village

New York City is known for its world class restaurants serving up high-brow foods, culinary delights the names of which you can’t pronounce, and cuisines from countries you haven't even have heard of. While that’s all well and good, I contend that you cannot have experienced an honest to goodness meal in New York unless you’ve been to The Kati Roll Company. The Kati Roll Company is the anti-thesis of all that I just described. It’s a hole-in-the-wall which speaks of quiet assertitude, unassuming from the outside but bold in its offering of a disarmingly simple yet wholesome meal inside…the namesake kati roll.

Living in New York City is a gastronomical adventure in and of itself. You’re never short of places to eat. You’re also never short of ways to spend money eating. Case in point: Just this weekend, I met a friend for a lunch of spicy Korean BBQ at Korea Town (Shila). Later that night, I enjoyed a delicious, home-style Italian meal in the Upper East Side (Uva), followed by unique libations at one of those Prohibition-style speakeasies in the Lower East Side (Milk and Honey ). This was eventually followed by some late night kati rolls (The Kati Roll Company) in the West Village (a predictable ending to a late night for an Indian in New York, as you will soon find out). Yep, it was one of those ridiculous weekends where you’ve blown easily over $200 just eating and drinking before you know it.

Well, what also makes New York truly unique is the wide variety of street food it has to offer. I’m not just talking about the hot dog stands found at every corner of the city! No, no…I’m talking about those food trucks, also known as “cheap eats” -- the perfect alternative to expensive eating. Indeed, you could perfectly survive on New York street eats alone and have some of the finest meals in a casual setting!