Ever since I moved to San Francisco I’ve been missing New York City. Especially NYC’s variety of food and this NYC trip might just give me the cure and that level of comfort.

Given that I only had a few days, I absolutely need a much more calculated plan for this.

Let’s start with getting some bagels at La Bagel Delight in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I had been going there for years (starting back in 2003!) when it was just a small bagel store. It doesn’t matter how many year it’s been, I’m always impressed by how friendly the team is and that it was never a long wait. I know that once you are in NYC, there’s plenty of bagel places, but this one just happens to be my favorite.

Next stop, Let’s take a train to Elmhurst, Queens. There are plenty of Thai restaurants in this neighborhood, but KhaoKang stands out.

It’s a real casual lunch place where you can get a couple or few things over a plate of hot jasmine rice for less than 10 dollars! They offer a few drinks like Thai Iced Coffee, Thai Iced Tea, Iced Roselle Juice (nám grà jíap) and Iced Chrysanthemum tea which I ordered it together with a few spicy dishes.

Right behind KhaoKang is its sister shop called Khao Nom.

After having some deliciously spicy food, I walked over to Khao Nom for some sweets and I was not disappointed at all. I was still full from Khao Kang so I only ordered coconut custards and iced Butterfly Pea Juice to share.

This place absolutely reminds me of home where you can get authentic and delicious Thai desserts and drinks. This place is absolutely worth checking out.

Next stop, we head back to Manhattan. It’s been quite a long time since I had a really good Japanese curry and Curry Ya in the East Village has always been my go-to for a great curry. Located on 11th between 1st and 2nd Street, this is a small and intimate spot. Make sure you get there right at opening to beat the crowd and get yourself a seat. Per usual, I ordered Dry Curry: Ground Beef Curry with Chopped Onions, Carrots, Celery, Raisins & Hard-Boiled Egg. You could choose your level of spiciness (I went with medium.) Plus crispy fried shrimp makes it all perfect!

My husband ordered Berkshire Pork Katsu Curry which I was so torn of getting that, but Dry Curry won me over.

The salad was served while the meals were being prepped. Everything tasted as great as before and it was a right decision.

We wouldn’t complete our NY food trip if we missed this popular ice cream place. Since we are right in the same neighborhood, Big Gay Ice cream is definitely where we had to make a quick stop right after.

There are many more places I’d like to check out, but for now, I’m very happy with these places I got to visit again while in town and I can’t wait for my next trip to NYC!