Satay Junction -- Indonisian street food in West Village

Another day strolling around in the quaint west village on a beautiful fall afternoon.
I am in the mood to try something new and different. 
Indonesian cuisine is not something you come across everyday. 
You can count them within one hand in Manhattan.

Satay Junction is a small eatery that serves Indonesian street food.
It is so small that we were literary standing across the street from the restaurant and almost missed it.



Es Teller -- Young coconut juice, seaweed Jelly, Jack Fruit, and Coconut Milk. 
It is a very common dessert drink in South East Asia, similar to rainbow ice in many Vietnamese restaurant.


Krupuk Udag/Putih -- Shrimp/Plain Topioca crackers
Trio -- Sweet Sambal, Spicy Sambal, Acar (relish)
The sweet Sambal is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce.  It is really rich, thick, and so flavorful!
When my Indonesian friend came to visit in the summer, I bought a bottle of the sweet sambal when we went to get some Indonesian grocery. 
It has been sitting in the shelf unopened.  Now I can not wait to use it!


Nasi Goreng -- Fried rice with beef
It was recommended by our server. 
It was a good fried rice, but I wish I could have picked something more interesting. 



One of the special of the day -- Shrimp cooked in spicy tomato and coconut sauce. 
The server warned us that it was a spicy dish. 
Thinking we could handle the heat, we did not hesitate to order it. 
The server was right! This indeed was a VERY SPICY FOOD!!!
Despite the heat, the sauce was really good.  Indonesian cuisine seems to have the tendency to combine sweet and spicy flavors in a dish.


Cassava -- Baked Cassava with Grated Coconut
It is a warm dense dessert.  H loves it. 
I personally hated grated coconut, and had only a few bites.


Satay Junction is a great small eatery with very reasonable price.
All the food only set us back $45.
Because of the limitation of the space, it is not the place to dine in if you go as a group for more than two people.
However if you want to try something new or if you like spicy food, it will be a good place to check out.
Don't forget that there is always take out or delivery options.

Limelight Marketplace

People who has lived in New York in the past 20 years have to know about the notorious "The Limelight".
A Gothic Revival Brownstone Church built in 1840's was converted to a night club in the 1990's.
The night club was synonymous with drugs, shut down by the police, changed owner, and closed again.
I never made it to the club, but I did check out the new Limelight Marketplace that just opened this summer.

The gourmet food shops definitely are the main attractions here.

Even though the interior was hip and trendy, you could still see it's religious past.

How dreamy was this?

House of Worship -- if shopping is your religion.

So, I guess this is an angel then?

Another reminder of its past.

When I visited a few months back, portions of the Marketplace was still under construction. 
Because of it's architectural design, it could feel like going through a maze.navigating the place.
But it definitely enhance the whole experience of shopping in a church. 

Meson Asturia -- Spanish restaurant in Jackson Heights

Our wedding anniversary was on a school night,
and the night before I just went to "One if by Land, Two if by sea" for dinner.
So, we decided to go local and check out Meson Asturia in our neighborhood.


For me, Spanish cuisine can do no wrong.
I especially love these old school Spanish restaurants.


Morcilla asturiana -- Blood Sausage
I tried blood sausage many times before and was never a fan of its flavor and texture. 
However, I actually liked this one! 
It did not have the chewy texture that I was scared of, 
and it was prepared with a lot seasoning that made the sausage quite flavorful. 
(code: the seasoning covered the gamy blood taste nicely)


Seafood & Lobster Paella 
One of my all-time favorite Spanish dish. 
H thought that the rice was one of the best he had ever tried. 


Pargo asado o frito -- Broiled red snapper
The fish was okay, perhaps the fried one would taste better. 
The pathetic vegetable side looked like it just came right out of a can, not very appetizing.


Flan -- Classic Spanish dessert
We were originally shocked when the waiter presented the dessert. 
The color just threw us off and of course, the child-like whip cream presentation totally did not help. 
However, we were pleasantly surprised! 
The flan had an interesting citrusy icing on top, 
and the rest of the flan was creamy and milky that tasted like creme brulee. 



Meson Asturia has its own charm.
The servers are attentive and the ambiance was unpretentious.
The restaurant also has live flamenco performance on Saturday night.
It is definitely a great neighborhood restaurant that I will be glad to return.