Around the World, Chinese Dum Sum, Polish Yumskis, and Trini Doubles and Roti

And you thought that's all I had for international tasties? HA! We've only just begun! The truth is, I really enjoy trying different things, although I wasn't raised to be quite as open at The Fisherman. For one, my mom HATES fish, so she never made it. That and my brother would get an asthma attack from the smell of it cooking (we learned this the hard way). So, aside from canned tuna, and even that was rare, I lived in a pretty fish-free zone.

Now, I'm learning to embrace the sea critters as a culinary friend for my tummy, among other things. I've got a long way to go, but I am trying. Some days I'm more brave than others, but eventually I will try it. As I tell The Fisherman, "I'll try it, but I can't promise I'll like it." And hey, maybe I will, maybe I won't. I learned I LOVE hummus, feta cheese, kimchi, curries, goat's not bad, kefta/kofta, and so on. I learned I really don't enjoy savory chewy things, like tendons, ears, and cartilidge (although spicy tendon has a really nice flavor, that may be my gateway food). Brain is jut too much for me, and The Fisherman too, it seems.

So, enough about that, and onto the food: a wonderful dim sum place in Flushing called Sunway Cafe Restaurant, scoping out Polish food in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at Relax Restaurant, and then getting our doubles and roti on at Singhs Roti Shop in South Richmond Hill, Queens.

First up, made to order dim sum: I agree, dim sum made to order is the best dim sum.

Shrimp noodle. I don't know why, but I love the texture of rice noodles in this dish.

Shrimp dumpling. I love the folding techniques of dumpling making. Perhaps one day, with The Fisherman's mom (and a larger and cooler, temperature-wise kitchen), I'd like to try my hand at dumpling making...

The spread...

Beef and shrimp noodles

Beef balls. One of those, don't look at it but eat it kind of things. So beefy, so bouncy. Like a beef handball.

OMG custard bun. Like I need another dessert to love...

Pork and ginger dumplings

 One of my favs, pork buns. I still love them, even after I looked at the calories and nearly fainted. Oh well, not something to have everyday.

Although, I've realized after a number of dim sum trips with The Fisherman and his family, that in some places who are heavy handed with the MSG, I get sick from the food. It triggers my migraines and I feel like hell afterwards. I'm hoping it's just one place I can't eat it and my dim sum love won't be unrequited, by my brain.

Next, a trip to my old stomping grounds in Greenpoint in search of the best kielbasi. After our searching, we stopped at this restaurant we heard about via Yelp.com, and now we know why it's so highly regarded. Sadly, while I am half Polish, my knowledge of that side of the family is very, very limited. Luckily my mom included kielbasi and pierogi into my life as a youngster, but that's really about it. Not bad considering she's Italian. So when we went to Relax, I was really out of my element. I think we did alright though.

 Pierogi ruskie with fresh cheese and potato(kind of like a cottage cheese), with a nice topping of fried onions. If you can get pierogi fried, do it. Boiled is nice but these were so crunchy and delicious. Do fried if you can get em!

I'm enjoying this pierogi and zurek.

Pierogi and amazing sauerkraut with carrots. A nice complement to the heavy fried pierogi.

 Polish beer. Now, like other parts of the Slavic world, my understanding is that wódka reigns supreme. This was pretty good. In fact, The Fisherman is quite partial to it. 

Żurek, or sour rye soup. Another example of the Slavic predilection for sour elements in their cuisine. I loved it. Even looked up how to make it.

 The Fisherman LOVING his golonka (pork hock and mashed potatoes), a little too much for me, very, very rich.

 Me showing off my wares, and the reason to make the trip to Greenpoint, kiebasi krajana. Sadly, I know there are lots of different types of kielbasi (which just means sausage), but I don't know the differences. It seems the krajana is the one I remember eating as a kid, and they BEST place to get it, according to my mom, is Steve's Meat Market. This is where you go.

Finally, while I don't have many pictures myself (we can't stop to take pictures before we eat them all), all you need to do is go! Singh's is almost ALWAYS busy, which is a good sign, even for someone as impatient as me. The doubles are AMAZING, as is their roti. We realized we like the sada roti or plain roti, the bread is just flour based, as opposed to the dhal puri, which has ground lentils between the layers of roti.

 Oh man, now I am SO hungry! Good thing lunchtime is soon for me. I'll have to dig up some more delicious foods and great places for next time. Perhaps some local dumplings, TWO Korean hotpots, and TWO ramen places. You'd think these posts tend to be leaning towards Asian cuisine, but trust me, there's a method to my madness...