Hacienda Heights: Four Seas

2020 S Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
626 330 3088

Price: Cheap
Rating: Good/Great
Directions: Get off at Hacienda Blvd on the 60
Reservations: Unnecessary
Must Get: Radish Cake with Egg, Egg pancake

I love Taiwanese breakfast. I miss going downstairs from my apartment in Taichung, sitting and wasting an hour in the morning by eating breakfast and studying Chinese. Or going to Yonghe (an area in Taipei) with my dad who orders a billion dishes because he hasn’t had them in ages. Ah well, Four Seas is a decent substitute.

Their radish cake with egg (luobogao jia dan 蘿蔔糕加蛋) is my favorite thing to order here, up next would be their egg pancake (danbing 蛋餅) but unfortunately their egg pancake comes plain and not with the variety of toppings they do in Taiwan. The soy milk here is pretty good, but early warning it comes without sugar so you have to add your own. I’ve seen people send it back thinking they got the wrong order only to get the salty soy milk which really is not what they ordered! Their fried dough (youtiao 油條) is not good though. It’s extremely oil, probably the oiliest fried dough I have ever had which is saying a lot. It’s not crispy or flaky which is what I love about youtiao. However, I haven’t found a place in LA that does a good job with it, so I guess if you are desperate, this will do. (There used to be a really good one when I was in junior high/high school. Sigh.)

They have an extensive menu, so if those dishes are not your typical Taiwanese breakfast, just give Four Seas a shot, I’m sure they probably have it. There’s no English menu here though, so make sure you go with someone who can speak/read Chinese, preferably Mandarin. The only things listed in English are the already prepared food sitting in the front of the restaurant.

NEW YORK: Schiller’s

schillersny.com
131 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002
212 260 4555

Price: Reasonable/Expensive
Rating: Great
Directions: JMZ to Essex, F to Delancey
Reservations: Unnecessary
Must Get: Huevos rancheros

Quite possibly the best huevos rancheros I’ve had. There’s something about their sauce which could probably make “duck white kidneys” taste delicious. (Google that if you dont watch top chef.) Only thing bad about this place is that is overrun with flies.

NEW YORK: Rue B

ruebnyc.com
188 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
212 358 1700

Price: Cheap/Reasonable
Rating: Eh
Directions: L to 1st Ave
Reservations: Unnecessary

This place has a great brunch deal ($12 for an entree, drink, and coffee/tea, including tax), but is nothing special. The atmosphere is great and laid back, but the food was bland. I got their eggs with truffle oil, but couldn’t even taste a hint of the oil. It was just a piece of toast over an egg. I was disappointed.

It made me appreciate Paprika more actually since it’s practically the same great deal (Paprika is $12 for the amount of food, minus the tax), but the food there is just so much more flavorful.

NEW YORK: Destination Bar

destinationbarnyc.com
211 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
212 388 9844

Price: Reasonable
Rating: Good
Directions: L to 1st Ave
Reservations: Unnecessary
Must Get: Jalapeño bacon benedict tacos

Destination Bar is not a place I would normally stop by for food, but this morning I was starving and the aroma of bacon was flowing into the street… How could I pass it up? Their cheeseburger eggs (pictured above) and jalapeño bacon benedict tacos were both really good. They weren’t that filling, but at $8 each I couldn’t have expected too much. It’s worth trying if you live in the neighborhood, but nothing to go out of your way for. Plus, the seats and tables are kind of awkward for a meal.

NEW YORK: Paprika

Another good brunch at paprika. This time I had their shredded potato, onion, and artichoke egg frittata. Pretty good.

And I’ll be back here tomorrow for a friends birthday…

NEW YORK: Sigiri

91 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Hours: 12:30PM-11PM Mon-Sat/ 12:30PM-3:30PM 5:30PM-11PM Sun
212 614 9333

PRICE: Cheap for Manhattan (approx $9-13/dish)
RATING: Love it.
DIRECTIONS: 6 to Astor, RW to 8th Street.  Then walk.
RESERVATIONS: You don’t need them, but this place is tiny.  Not good for big groups.
MUST GET: appas with eggs, watalappam

Sigiri is Manhattan’s only Sri Lankan restaurant. The curries you find here are different from your standard Indian flair of tikka masala, vindaloo, etc. But definitely worth a shot if you have never tried Sri Lankan cuisine. I’ve been to this restaurant four times now; I’ve never been disappointed and neither has Joe, my Sri Lankan, born and raised in Australia boyfriend. He says it tastes just likes his mom’s cooking.

My favorite dishes here have been their beef cutlets, dhal, appas (especially with the egg), deviled chicken, and watalappam (a hardened desert similar to flan). For first timers, I highly recommend you come on Sunday for their all you can eat brunch at just $15/person. It’s well worth it to try a variety of what the cuisine has to offer. This morning they had: pol sambol, dhal, beef curry, fish curry, deviled chicken, khokal (a green bean dish), curried carrots, red rice, pappadoms, salad, and watalappam.

Early warning though, this place is small so don’t bring ten friends. It’s a perfect place for a group of up to 4 people; beyond that, prepare to wait. The perk is it’s byob and there’s an Indian deli downstairs with a great selection of beers.

NEW YORK: Paprika

110 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10009
212 677 6563

PRICE: Cheap/Reasonable
RATING: Love it.
DIRECTIONS: 6 to Astor, RW to 8th Street
RESERVATIONS: They don’t take them, so go early!
MUST GET: potatoes!

Brunch is definitely my favorite meal. And in this city, there is no shortage of good brunch joints. But there is a shortage of well priced, filling brunch spots, so you’ll thank me for this one.

Paprika offers a $12 brunch which includes coffee/tea, your entree, AND your choice of a mimosa/bellini/orange juice.

I ordered the green eggs with salsa verde my first trip there. It was a bit too salty for me, but I’m not a huge salt eater. The next dish I had there was their potato rosti (pancake) which I would order again.

Other dishes that my friends have ordered and liked include their eggs benedict and mushroom/fontina omlette.

The service and atmosphere were great, so if you find yourself in that neighborhood on a weekend morning or afternoon, stop by!

NEW YORK: Northern Spy Co.

511 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009
212 228 5100

PRICE: Cheap/Reasonable
RATING: Love it.
DIRECTIONS: L to 1st Ave
RESERVATIONS: You don’t need them, but there are only a few seats available
MUST GET: Chicken & egg sandwich

Their chicken and egg sandwich was cooked to perfection and the chimichurri sauce was a perfect match. My only complaint is that at $13 for brunch, this tiny burger should have came with a side of fries or salad instead of the tiny portion of onions and a pickle.

Joe’s plate of soft scrambled eggs, however, looked quite filling with it’s side of bacon and apple crisp toast, but I don’t think it tasted nearly as good as my sandwich.