Wander Sauce

Khao Kha Moo; stewed pork leg over rice with mustard greens and a seasoned egg. Different options of meat, fat, and skin are offered. I got a combination since the fatty skin is my favorite part. The seasoned egg was incredible. Hard boiled but still creamy and delicious. — So many places offer up this dish but this place goes by “Khao Kha Moo Sai Tua” and can be found on Charoen Krung Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown. — Thanks to @amyegraff for the recommendation. (at Chinatown Yaowarach ไชน่าทาวน์ เยาวราช) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz2xK4Nld_0/?igshid=1if7ypsd5pfue

Curry at Jek Pui in Bangkok Chinatown. Simple and delicious spot serving up multiple kinds of curry roadside. Ample seating is gated off on either side of the street along the curb. (at Jek Pui Curry) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0kecclpVX/?igshid=ts53t21c1qpv

Shoyu ramen at Toybox. A few minutes from Minowa station sits Ramen Toybox. Named after the small box shape of the shop and the owner viewing the components of ramen as the adult version of his “toybox”, this shop has climbed ranks in Tokyo. Primarily for making the soup stock from purely chicken and water (not an easy task) which is then mixed with their shoyu tare. Right before serving a ladle of chicken fat is added to the bowl. — Thank you @ramenoyakata for queuing up with me for this one. It’s become a Tokyo tradition to share a bowl with you. This time I only had a brief layover so one bowl had to suffice but I’m glad we got to be the first two customers in the shop. Until the next bowl 🙏🏼 (at ラーメン屋トイ・ボックス) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzwt9ZFlbfs/?igshid=1w8byq62lucmx

The combo from Pelicana, a Korean fried chicken chain spreading across NYC. Swipe to check out their fried chicken sandwich which is also available at the Food Gallery 32 location in Koreatown. (at Pelicana Chicken Koreatown) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzskU1xFoPp/?igshid=i144kcobevkx

A grandma slice reminiscent of Ellio’s pizza from my childhood. That is if Ellio’s owned and operated a real pizzeria and didn’t just stock the frozen aisle. This tasted like the “real life” version of that slice. It even sort of looks like it. Not my favorite grandma slice but an interesting and definitely unique one at that. Pizza is wild. — Thanks @general_lee for capturing a shot of us pizza boys at the end of this set. Such a good day hanging with you all 🙏🏼 (at J & V Pizzeria) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzavTsAlfuq/?igshid=1vtddzahczrjn

Tonkotsu tsukemen at TabeTomo. This shop is the first to specialize in tsukemen style ramen in New York City. The chef trained at the famous Tsujita Annex, an expanded shop across the street from Tsujita in Los Angeles that are both known for tsukemen. — Tsukemen typically comes with thicker noodles served cold or room temperature with hot broth served separately that is meant for dipping. This gives the noodles good chew in every dip. The noodles are often made to match the soup so well that each dip really sticks to the noodles. It is very common in Japan and one of my favorite styles. I am hopeful it begins to catch on in the US. — The noodles come custom made from Sun Noodle here. The soup is surprisingly light and a bit sweet with garlic and vinegar flavor. It’s more like a murky shoyu to me than the richness many would think of when they read tonkotsu. — Swipe to check out a spoonful and see the broth once some of the cloudiness is removed from the top. The broth also wasn’t piping hot and cools down pretty quick as you dip the cold noodles repeatedly so start eating right away. Luckily they offer hot rocks to drop into the soup and reheat at no extra charge. At first I thought this was a gimmick and maybe it is but it was necessary if your broth is served and cools at this rate. Swipe to the end for a video. (at TabeTomo) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVkQ_iFE-7/?igshid=1v9gbtbi2cd6e

Soondubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) at Hanok Restaurant. Located inside the food court on 32nd street appropriately named Food Gallery 32 in Manhattan’s Koreatown, this stall cranks out lots of different and piping hot stews from a small kitchen. Impressively all the vendors in this food court serve something delicious for around $10 a dish. Tough to beat in midtown Manhattan. (at Hanok Restaurant) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzRS9bGlXgW/?igshid=upjh1oh6k4jl

The infamous Prince St slice. The slightly spicy sauce and crisped pepperoni cups are still fantastic while the “floor” on the bottom wasn’t as crispy as I remember. A little flimsy and tough to hold even. Though I do remember eating my first slice here over a garbage can like an animal so maybe it was the same. Maybe that’s part of the appeal. (at Prince St. Pizza) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJNeL2loKu/?igshid=176j8xrw2mt9r

Chicken curry with roti from @burmesebites and kaya toast from the crew over at @themalaysianproject. — As Burmese food is a rarity in NYC, Burmese Bites always has a long line in result of the high demand. Be sure to get on this line early. — This was my first time finally trying the kaya toast. Such an awesome mix of savory and sweet with a custard-like pandan and brown butter filling. — You can catch these vendors among many others serving food from all over the world at the Queens International Night Market on Saturdays. — cc: @queensnightmarket (at Queens International Night Market) https://www.instagram.com/p/By-b_zylJuS/?igshid=1s4z90ockws2

Curry Mee; noodles in a lemongrass coconut curry broth with vegetables and tofu stuffed with fish cake. — Hokkien Mee; thick noodles cooked in heavy soy sauce with shrimp, pork, fish cake, and vegetables. — Roti Canai; Indian style flakey and buttery bread with curry chicken dipping sauce. — Char Keuh Teow; stir fried rice noodles with shrimp, squid, pork, bean sprouts, and egg coated in a soy sauce chili paste and charred by the intensity of a very hot wok. The “wok hei” or “breath of the wok” is part of the beauty of this dish and others like it. — Nasi Goreng; fried rice with sambal / shrimp paste. (at Little House Cafe Elmhurst) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByqcdEVljXN/?igshid=1wmq8frkohien

Margherita and grandma slices Roman style at My Pie Pizzeria Romana. Light, airy yet crispy dough with a nice crunch in each bite. What’s pictured is 1 slice cut in half so if you feel like it, you can easily share these. (at My Pie Pizzeria Romana) https://www.instagram.com/p/BylQNfrlkYn/?igshid=1bwzbao32sfhh

Pierogis, stuffed cabbage, and borscht at Streecha. This local spot serving food from the Ukraine is a must visit for those who love finding good food in unexpected places. Order at the counter in the back and seat yourself. Swipe to get a closer look inside the pierogis, cabbage, and basement. (at Streecha) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByVjQdSF7nj/?igshid=1ug6zv1h89vpf

Spicy miso at Menkoi Sato. This shop is from Sapporo, Japan located on the island of Hokkaido. The weather gets much colder there and the ramen changes as a result. The soup is a rich tori paitan (chicken stock) made with red miso paste. The bright red color doesn’t come from the miso paste but from a spice blend added to this version. Chewy wavy noodles are imported from Japan. I recommend their signature bowl of miso on a first visit but this is a nice alternative for the spice heads out there. (at Menkoi Sato NYC) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByGXemql2ax/?igshid=tinl8cy7n487

Patsy’s since 1933. (at Patsy's Pizza) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByAQWfSF_7t/?igshid=erd423k3gnp2

Gyokai Tonkotsu at Yume Ramen. Pork bone and fish broth. Thicker semi-flattened noodles. Katsuobushi, pickled onions, and thin sliced pork chashu work nicely on top. — This shop located inside Hudson Market on 57th St was apparently started by former staff from Tonchin. The taste of the soup, texture of the pork chashu, and focus on tonkotsu here makes sense with that theory. (at Yume Ramen) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx7hBTKFHv5/?igshid=158lplcrb11cr

Jjajamyeon and Jjamppong at Food Gallery 32 in Koreatown. — Jjajamyeon; noodles in a thick sauce made from black bean paste (chunjang). This one had some pork and onions in the sauce. — Jjamppong; spicy seafood noodle soup. Shrimp, squid, mussels, and onions cover the noodles. — Swipe to mix and get to the bottom of this two part bowl. From the stall in the back right-hand side of the food court simply titled “Seoul”. (at Food Gallery 32) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx44gUtFqNH/?igshid=u93st8tkucax

Kluai Thot; deep fried banana in a light sweet batter at the Songkran festival in Elmhurst. In this case there was also fried taro. Swipe for more street snacks. — Luk Chin Ping; barbecued meatballs, these ones made from pork served with a spicy and tangy sauce. — Khanom Chip; steamed dumplings where the green are usually filled with a mix of minced pork and crab meat and the others having just pork in the mix. — Khanom Babin; young shredded coconut, rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, and egg fried into a chewy pancake. — Khanom Buang; crispy pancakes with coconut cream and various salty and sweet toppings like shredded coconut or fried eggs / egg yolks. (at Elmhurst, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxxYw49FA91/?igshid=emamz3mvk0f4