(M)ost (V)isited (P)lace: Corner 28, Flushing, Part II

As you can see I did a bit of redecorating. I wanted the look of the blog to highlight what I write about. While I LOVED the jelly beans (and I’m a HUGE fan of Jelly Belly jelly beans), but I’m not writing a candy or sweets blog.  Then I thought that since The Fisherman and I take tons of pictures of food, why not incorporate that? I like it, I think it speaks to the adventures we’ve had so far, but is certainly not all of them. Let me know what you think :)

Now, onto the second part of what I’ve tried at Corner 28. First is one of the more commonly known Chinese dishes, banjo duck. (I was corrected by The Fisherman because I thought it was Peking duck, but it seems Peking Duck is used with buns, scallions and hoisin sauce. It's not as intensely flavored as banjo duck. I don't care if it's xylophone duck, it was good.)

I can see why it’s so renowned. Gorgeous lacquered skin, crispy and red-brown (again with me and the crispy poultry skin!). I wish my hair were that color, Burnished Banjo Duck. That would be awesome. 

Now, as it is rumored, yes, duck can be very rich, some might even call it greasy. I found this to be wonderful, rich, not greasy and just right. If it’s too rich for you, have some, enjoy, but just have less of it. At least it’s not dry like chicken or turkey can be!

E-fu, or yi mien noodles, are next. I thought this was lo mein, but it seems yi mien is different in that these are made with carbonated water, which gives the noodles a chewy, spongy texture. These particular noodles are also known as longevity noodles and are served for things like birthdays to ensure you have a long life. 

Not knowing the difference, sadly I did not know to look for that texture. All I know is that it was delicious and it satisfied my craving for noodles. The sauce and preparation were fantastic, nice and savory and a bit softer than lo mein noodles, now that I think about it. The shape is also a bit different from lo mein. Oh well, it’s great to learn something new every day!

Finally, for savory items we had pan fried striped bass (again, I don't know fish all that well, I thought it was tilapia. According to The Fisherman, technically it's a striped bass and white bass hybrid but they market it as striped bass. This isn't the first time I've heard of fish being mislabled intentionally. All the more reason to learn about fish!)

Now here’s an interesting caveat: I really enjoy raw fish like sushi and sashimi, but cooked fish appeals to me less. I grew up in a very fish and seafood free household, so my sea consumption is limited. I am trying more and more seafood and trying to like it more. 

That said, I didn’t love the tilapia. According to The Fisherman and his momma, this was made very well. The plating was great, I thought, and the server removed the bones in a really cool way. I found the flesh to taste muddy, but it’s supposed to taste that way, I’ve been told. And the head usually is pointed towards the most important diner, so it’s pointed towards The Fisherman’s momma. It’s a respect thing. Not my favorite, but oh well, there’s always next time. 

And, my favorite topic: dessert. While Asian cuisine is not known for its desserts and pastries (with the exception of Asian bakeries), their take on all things sweet is definitely worth checking out. 

First is something simple, but I think works beautifully: fresh fruit. In this case, a sliced orange. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good chocolate cake, a luscious cheesecake, a slice of pie. These are wonderful things, but do we really need cake, cookies and pie all the time?? What happened to the days when these things were made from scratch and were a very occasional treat? What happened to fruit being a delicious way to get your sweet fix? 

Oh yeah, when someone thought it was a good idea to have the convenience of instant-readymade-or-pickup-from-the-supermarket baked goods (not even ones baked there!!), and food should be made from a chemistry set (GMO’s anyone?), or shipped from who knows where (why are there pineapples here NOW??). 

I digress, but the TL; DR version is this: fruit (can be) good for you, and delicious. If you grow it, even better. If you can get it from a farmer’s market, also great. If you can’t, like me, try to enjoy fruit (and vegetables), and if you do it enough, all those other sweets and what not will be too sweet, too salty, too much! Keep in mind, in most traditional Italian households, dessert isn't tiramisu or cookies, what is it? I'll give you three guesses...

Preaching over, I promise. As for the orange, I found it to be a light, sweet, and zippy way to end a meal. Plus I like when the orange is cut up for me, means less juice squirting in my eye. Try a piece of fruit after a meal. If you’re still hungry, THEN you can have that snacky cake :)

Now, the piece de reistance: a sweet dessert soup. I know it sounds different, but trust me on this one, it’s really good. Coconutty, sweet, silky, little golden gems of papaya, tapioca pearls (again, I like this texture, I don’t know why!). Known as Sai mai lo or Sago, it can involve dairy milk or cream, or coconut cream (if you have lactose issues). I actually prefer the coconut, but I also lurv coconut. 

And that’s the epic that is Corner 28. I hope I inspired you to check this place out if you live in NYC, and if you don’t, that’s okay. I’m sure there’s a Corner 28 doppleganger out there and now you have some tips on what to get.

Until then, mangia!