Land of Plenty

CHINA 🇨🇳 (Sichuan)

In the spectrum of things to be overrun with, Sichuan food is probably one of the least bad things in the world that could do the overrunning. Manhattan, Sunset Park and Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, and Flushing Queens all seem to debut a new Sichuan restaurant each week these days, with younger generations at the helm. While some of these places are not quite up to the level of being recommendable and do not get written up, it is still a good development to see these new waves of children of immigrants and younger Chinese from a range of provinces coming over and opening up restaurants and spread the diversity.

Sichuan food is of course known for its high heat levels, but Land of Plenty prides itself in bringing all seven important components of desired tastes: Hot, sour, pungent, sweet, bitter, aromatic, and salty.

Spicy dry cold noodle dishes always seem to excel in Sichuan cooking and the chilled noodles with spicy sesame peanuts dressing ($7.45, above) was no exception and my favorite dish of the meal. Designed as an appetizer to share, I felt no shame in devouring the dish by myself and enjoying the nice range of most of those seven flavors buried within the dressing.

The meal also had the cellophane noodle with pickled mustard greens ($8.45, below), somewhat by accident. I had misread an Instagram post and ordered the wrong dish, but of course this was pretty delicious as well with a focus on the sour. There is also a spicy and sour version of this that I will look to on the next visit.

One other recommendation? Come with friends. Sichuan food, like much of Chinese cuisine is better eaten with a group so that you can share an array of different foods and make sure to have some of each category. Land of Plenty has a vast menu and very fair prices for the location it lives.

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MIDTOWN EAST Midtown
204 East 58th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Nishida Sho-ten

JAPAN 🇯🇵

The transition from East 49th Street to post-war 1950's or 60's Japan is almost done seamlessly, if only it wasn't for the random tourist couples that keep walking in, attracted by this ramen shop's good internet reviews and economical pricing. The bare bones interior may not seem like much, but that is the point. It is there to facilitate the needs of hungry customers, and get people drunk at night with an array of sake cups.

Around since the second half of 2014, this tiny ramen bar specializes in kakuni ramen. Kakuni uses a tonkotsu, or pork bone, base for the soup with special square slices of thick pork belly that give it the name. You can get this in three versions, all color coded. The white is the standard soup base, while black uses ma-yu garlic oil, and red ($12, below) delivers a small heat bump.

All three versions use thin al dente noodles and start off with a high garlic quotient.

If you prefer your noodles thicker and wavy, opt for the tan tan ramen ($12, below), which has about the same level of low spice and is served with ground pork. The base of this soup is a spicy miso chicken broth. This bowl is full of flavor and is a rival of some of the more famous tan tan bowls around town, especially at this price point.

Since this visit was during lunch, we did not partake in round after round of sake, but during these hours you can add their nice gyoza (below) to your ramen bowl for only $3. These are cooked very well, with super thin skin that is all pan-fried together.

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MIDTOWN EAST Midtown
302 East 49th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

United Nations African Mothers Association Annual African Buffet Luncheon

PAN-AFRICA 🌍

With only one stomach at my disposal, and one short meal to eat, the only trouble at this year's United Nations African Mothers Association annual luncheon was that I constantly had to decide what not to each much of. Everything was so delicious, as always, and a few new countries were on the menu. I could not have asked for much more.

This year's event took place on the 21st floor of the Consulate of Nigeria near the UN. Sun was pouring in the windows and the atmosphere was generally festive especially once the music was on. I arrived on the early side and took a seat at an empty table waiting for some other folks I knew that might want to join me, but was quickly joined instead by two Egyptians, a lady from Cape Verde, a South African, and a Libyan. No need to reserve seats when new friends could be made!

A modest $40 donation to the association was all it took to be a part of the meal.

In the program it is said that the foods are prepared by the wives of diplomats. I counted thirteen nations amongst the available cuisines this year, with two more items going unidentified despite trying.

Here are some photos of the buffet feast. I think this is everything except the ndole from 🇨🇲 Cameroon, the seswaa from 🇧🇼 Botswana, and the koshary from 🇪🇬 Egypt. Things got a little frantic as the attendees got hungry and started attacking the buffet line:

🇳🇬 NIGERIA - Puff puffs and meat pies

🇧🇫 BURKINA FASO - Bean Cake

🇧🇫 BURKINA FASO - Chicken

🇨🇮 CÔTE D'IVOIRE - Chicken (on right)

🇨🇻 CABO VERDE - Grilled Salmon

🇷🇼 RWANDA - Boiled orange sweet potatoes

🇹🇿 TANZANIA - Pilau

🇱🇾 LIBYA - Couscous with lamb

Unidentified chicken

🇧🇯 BENIN - Bitter green stew with fufu

🇰🇪 KENYA - Baked potatoes and boneless chicken

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Dates

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Baklawa

🇨🇻 CABO VERDE - Sweet rice

🇩🇿 ALGERIA - Griouech

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UNAMA Luncheon

The Consulate of Nigeria

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Tonkatsu Matsunoya

JAPAN 🇯🇵

A food group with over 1,000 restaurants mostly in Japan has opened their famous tonkatsu shop in East Midtown. During lunch hours, the seating inside is always at a premium and the takeout window has a constant line. For good reason, the breaded cutlets here are some of the best you'll find in the city, along with their sister Katsuhama restaurants. This pork loin cutlet platter (below) is available at lunch for $12 and along with the katsu includes miso soup, rice, and salads.

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MIDTOWN Manhattan

131 East 45th Street

Map of Eat the World NYC:

Kailash Parbat

INDIA 🇮🇳

Kailash Parbat expanded its empire to New York City about four years ago, bringing its famous chaats and Sindhi cuisine. These are the two things that immediately jump out from what might appear like another vegetarian Indian restaurant on Lexington Avenue in Kips Bay. Their chaat bar is heavily promoted from outside, and what catches your eye first when entering, but the small portion of the menu dedicated to Sindhi foods is as much or more interesting. More on that later.

The empire that slowly expanded throughout India from Mumbai has made leaps as far as Singapore and London, and eventually New York City and now has a location on Oak Tree Road in Iselin, New Jersey. That first location in Mumbai, still a landmark in its own right, started in 1952, shortly after its founders were forced from Sindh in present day Pakistan after partition.

As with many chains that make the jump internationally, things inside the restaurant are spruced up. Neon lights sparkle off bottles of alcohol and colorful photos adorn the walls.

Take the hint and order some of their chaat options, starting with the KP chaat platter ($15.99, above), which combines three types and gives the maximum flavor and texture on one plate.

Lassis are good here like the salty lassi ($5.99) below. The mango lassis ($6.99, not shown) use real Indian mangoes, making the price well worth it.

After a bite or two of the Punjabi samosas ($11.99, below), you start to feel like most of the food here is of high quality. The vegetable and potato interior is full of spice, while the accompanying chickpea curry offers a sharp tang.

Don't be shy to order more from the chaat bar if you come here with a decent group. The sev batata puri ($7.99, below) is also full of numerous enjoyable tastes and textures.

Usually something you eat from a cart on the street, the paani puri ($7.99, below) is excellent. They prepare the crunchy bowls and serve the tamarind spiced water on the side to pour as you are ready. This almost makes it just as fun as getting these one by one by a good vendor.

Leave room on your plates and in your stomachs to enjoy the Sindhi cuisine that is found on the menu, like the special Sindhi chapati ($3/each, below top left), which complements the other dishes so well in addition to rice.

Sindhi curry ($14.99, below) is described on the menu as "a must for every Sindhi household." The vegetables float in a gravy of gram flour that also takes on the tanginess of tamarind. Of all the dishes, this is the one that distinguished itself most from dishes you might try in other northern regions of India.

This is a special meal eaten mostly on Sundays when families get together, but available any day here. It is cooked in a unique large round aluminum vessel that is perfect for slow cooking.

Seyal paneer ($15.50, below) uses a special cottage cheese preparation from the "heartland of Sindh."

Judging by the reactions of the table, sai bhaji ($14.99, below) was probably the most popular dish. Spinach and lentils form the base.

Bhugal bhee aloo ($14.99, below) is a tomato-based masala with potatoes and lotus.

There are also many Punjabi-style dishes on the menu, a cuisine that is not a complete opposite of Sindhi. Most of these are very good as well, some of which can be seen below:

After three large meals here, it is safe to say that Kailash Parbat is one of Lexington Avenue's best. Ingredients and cooking techniques are important and it shows.

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KIPS BAY Manhattan

99 Lexington Avenue