Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth, NJ

I've been meaning to blog about this place for quite some time but I never got around to it. Kevin and I were in Jersey Garden Mall (yes, AGAIN!) last month and as usual, we were shopping until dinnertime. We didn't want to eat in the mall so we decided to drive around Elizabeth to see what there is to eat. Kevin remembered going to this diner with his colleagues for lunch once and it pretty good. So, he suggested that we go have dinner there.
When we walked in, Kevin said it looked somewhat different. I later found out that it was recently renovated and under a new management. The decor was pretty errrmmm different, compared to all the other diners that we have been to. There we fake palm trees and tropical themed murals throughout the whole restaurant. I guess that's why it's called Tropicana? :P
After sitting us down and taking our orders, our server brought out two tiny slices of cheese pizza. Instead of serving us rolls, I guess they want to be different? I don't know. I find it a tad bit weird. The pizza was rather greasy and not really that great tasting. Maybe they made too many cheese pizzas during lunch and they were trying to get rid of it? Who knowsss...
Our meals came with a choice of either salad or soup. We both went with the Cream of Turkey soup. It was pretty good actually. Really creamy and good. There were also big chunks of turkey in it. I enjoyed it and I think Kevin did too.
For Kevin's main, he ordered the Virginia Ham Steak ($12.95). He chosen mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli as his side. The ham steak was really huge and it also came with three slices of grilled pineapple. Kevin said that it tasted alright, not too bad at all.
I got the Chopped Sirloin Steak ($11.95) with grilled sweet potato and steamed broccoli. When my meal arrived, it didn't have any sort of gravy on it. I remembered that it's supposed to come with mushroom sauce. Nevertheless, I took a small bite of the chopped steak and it tasted horrible! The meat was totally tasteless! I have never tasted anything so bland before. So, asked the server for some sauce (which should have been served in the first place). Instead of bringing me the mushroom sauce, he just brought me a bottle of A1 steak sauce!! For real??? I couldn't eat another bite, cos it was just too horrible. So, I just packed it up and planned to make my own gravy when I got home.
Since my main totally sucked, we decided to share a slice of cake for dessert. They have quite a large selection of desserts and we went with the Carrot Cake ($4.65). Now, this is really good. A slice of really moist carrot cake, with some caramel drizzled over it. Very very good.
The owner/manager was at the register when we were paying our bill. I mentioned to him that there wasn't any sauce with my chopped steak when it was served. He looked at me like he didn't know what I was talking about. I had to actually open up my take away box to SHOW him. He then went on to say, oh we don't usually put sauce on our chopped steak. By then, I was already a little bit upset with him. I said if you don't usually put sauce on it, why mention it in the menu? It clearly states that the chopped steak is served with mushroom sauce. Instead of admitting that they made a mistake, he went on to say "oh you will be surprised how many people don't like that with their chopped steak". It seems they only put it on if you ask them to. I said well, I did ask the server for some sauce but all I got was A1 steak sauce! He then just shaked his head and said no no, we don't usually serve sauce with chopped steak unless you ask. Man, are you dumb? I just said that I asked for sauce but wasn't given any. He then proceed to 'explain' to me that many people don't even know what chopped steak is and blablabla. I told him I know what chopped steak is and I know that it's supposed to come with sauce. I then mumbled under my breathe to Kevin that I will definitely blog about this on my blog and guess what? Mr No-We-Don't-Serve-That suddenly became Mr Nice Guy. He suddenly smiled, apologized and even offered to get me some mushroom sauce, so that I can take it home to eat with my chopped steak. I guess he only cares when the reputation of his diner is at stake. Too bad, damage has been done. There are many other good diners out here in Jersey, so I don't think we will return to Tropicana anytime soon (not even for their carrot cake, which by the way was very very good!).

Tropicana Diner - Elizabeth,NJ
537-545 Morris Ave,
Elizabeth, NJ 07208
Tel: (908)351 7775
Web: www.tropicanadiner.com

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ

We were in Jersey Garden Mall a couple of weeks ago and as usual, we would lose track of time whenever we are there :P Before we knew it, it was already close to dinner time (looks like we totally skipped lunch!). Since there isn't many food outlets (and their food court is ALWAYS packed) in the mall, we decided to drive out to see what is available around the area.
There used to be a diner just opposite the mall but we vowed never to go back there. It was a horrible diner, with bad service and equally bad food. When we passed the diner (or what USED to be the diner), we were pleasantly surprised that the diner was no longer there. An brand new looking IHOP was in it's place. Woohoo!! Looks like that horrid diner went out of business or something. Who knows. Anyways, we totally love IHOP, so we decided to go check this new outlet out.
After we settled down, we saw that they were having a special, just for the month of October. When you order one of their combos (prices start from $4.99), you get unlimited buttermilk pancakes to go with it! Yup, all you can eat pancakes! We decided to give that a pass though, cos seriously, how many pancakes can you eat? I know that the max I can eat is probably two :P Also, they are giving away a 'SCARY FACE' pancake to all kids under 12 on Oct 29th. So, if you have kids below 12, remember to head out to any IHOP on Oct 29th for your free pancake!
The servers were really friendly and attentive. They all look so happy and stuff...lol! I guess it's a new outlet, so everybody is excited. Our server took our order and came out with our drinks also immediately. Really fast. Kevin had a soda ($2.19) and I had my usual unsweetened iced tea ($2.19). Our server was really good in making sure that our glasses were always filled too. Two thumbs up for the awesome service.
Kevin ordered the Ham & Egg Melt ($6.99). Ham, scrambled eggs, American and Swiss cheese, stuffed between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. It comes with your choice of either seasoned fries, onion rings, fresh fruit, soup or salad and a dill pickle. Kevin went with the seasoned fries. He said that the melt was really good. I believe him, cos he polished off everything on his plate!
I had the Pot Roast Melt ($7.99). Slow cooked pot roast, caramelized onions, melted Swiss and American cheese topped with rich beef and mushroom gravy, in between two slices of grilled sourdough bread. Mmmm mmmm mmmmm, it was really really good.
I chose the soup of the day as my side. I had a choice between cream of broccoli and potato soup or minestrone soup. I went with minestrone. Good choice I must say. It was really thick and hearty, very very yummy. Just add in some crackers and I can have that as my meal!
Since we were in IHOP, we HAD to order dessert :P It was a toss up between pancakes, stuffed french toast, waffles or crepe and we went with crepe in the end. I'm glad we did cos it was delicious! We shared the Nutella Crepe ($6.99) and really, it was awesome! Three egg batter crepes filled with Nutella and fresh slices bananas, topped with strawberries, powdered sugar and some whipped cream on the side. We can feel ourselves getting fatter and fatter as we dig in but hey, everybody is allowed to indulge, once in a while :P Overall, we had a great dinner in IHOP, with some really yummy food, affordable prices and excellent service. I'm glad that we found this new outlet and you can bet on us returning in the very near future!

IHOP Restaurant - Elizabeth, NJ
650-672 Kapowski Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Tel: (908)353 7600
Web: http://www.ihop.com/

Lindy's - Midtown West, NYC

Remember when our friend Wendy came to visit NYC a while back? We took her on a whirlwind two day tour of all the popular NYC landmarks (we really tried our best to cover as much as possible). After checking out the Financial District and other parts of lower Manhattan, we jumped on the infamous NYC subway and headed up to Midtown. After all that walking, our legs were about to give way, if we didn't stop for a break soon. So, after getting off at Penn Station (and after a quick walkabout inside Madison Square Garden), we decided that we should go get some coffee and cakes.
Now, apart from taking her to popular NYC landmarks, we also told her that we came up with a list of 'must eat' NYC foods and that we will try our best to sample everything on that list. We have already taken her to try the ever famous NYC bagels earlier that day, so what else is on the list? Cakes...hmmm. When you think about cakes in NYC, what comes to mind? Oh look, what's across the street from Madison Square Garden? That's right, LINDY'S!! Now, what is Lindy's famous for?
Cheesecakes of course! When you think of NY Cheesecakes, you think of Lindy's! Lindy's has been serving their ever popular cheesecakes since 1921. However, this is not the original Lindy's branch. The original Lindy's was located in 1626 Broadway, between 49th and 50th St. A second branch then opened at 1655 Broadway in 1929. Sadly, both the locations are now closed. There are currently two Lindy's in NYC, this one, which is opposite Madison Square Garden and another, also on 7th Ave but uptown in the Theater District.
The decor of Lindy's is nothing to shout about really. Just your typical diner with booths and a long wooden bar. Apart from their awesome cakes and desserts, they also serve regular diner food. It was pretty empty when we walked in (just a few groups of tourist). I guess we must be in between the lunch and tea time crowd.
Since we were still rather full from the huge bagels, we decided to share two slices of cakes among the three of us. Good choice, since both the cakes were really rich, filling and the slices were relatively huge too. The first slice that we ordered was the Carrot Cake ($8.29). Boy, it was good. Really moist and rich, very very nice. The cream cheese frosting was also not overly sweet, just perfect. It's so rich, I cannot imagine finishing a slice of that by myself. The three of us even had some problems finishing it.
Ahhh here it is. The all famous Lindy's NY Cheesecake ($7.79). Many people say that it's over rated. You know what? No it's not. It's really THAT good. Seriously. I am not a cheesecake fan but I truly enjoyed that slice of cheesecake. Really light and flavorful, it's just so good. I can't even start to describe how good it is, you have to try it yourself! You can order the original or you could order it with various toppings, like strawberry or blueberry sauce. In my opinion, it doesn't need any toppings, it's perfect, just like that.
OK, are we ready for the bill? Our total came up to a whopping $31.52! Yup, $31.52 just for two slices of cake, one unsweetened iced tea, one Mountain Dew and a regular cup of coffee. That's pretty steep. Ahhh well, a few mouthfuls of that awesome cheesecake made up for it. I would say that this is not somewhere Kevin and I would go to, just to have a meal. There are many other places to go eat lunch or dinner in Manhattan. After all, the food served here is just regular diner food. However, if we have guest visiting us from out of town, we would definitely take them to Lindy's for dessert or for an afternoon snack. You cannot say that you have visited NYC unless you have tried a slice of Lindy's NY Cheesecake!

Lindy's - Midtown West, NYC
401 7th Ave
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 630 0325

Johnny Rockets - Jersey Garden Mall, NJ

We were out shopping in Jersey Garden Mall on Monday evening and before we knew it, it was already close to 8pm. We decided that we should get some dinner before heading back home. When it comes to food outlets, there isn't really much to choose from in Jersey Garden Mall. There is the food court, Chili's Too, Sbarros, Jeepers, Johnny Rockets and the brand new IHOP, located across the street. Since there wasn't a line in Johnny Rockets (there is ALWAYS a long line in Johnny Rockets), we figured we should just eat there.

Johnny Rockets is an international chain that oozes that feel good Americana charm. Stepping into a Johnny Rockets makes you feel like you are stepping into an all American diner back in the 50's, with checkered floors and table top jukeboxes. Even the uniform of the servers brings you back to the time when milkshakes cost only 5 cents!

Since it wasn't full that day, we had a choice to either sit up front by the counter or in one of the booths. We chose the booths (yes, we are anti social people :P). The servers were really friendly and even offered to take our photo for us! Check out the cool looking table top jukebox and classic diner style straw dispenser.

The menu is exactly what you would expect from a place like this. All kinds of juicy burgers, classic sandwiches and melts to hand dipped milkshakes, malts and floats. Mmm mmm mmmmmm, this is American food at it's best. Our server took our drinks order while we were looking at the menu. I ordered the Root Beer Float ($2.99) and Kevin got the Original Strawberry Milkshake ($4.29). When our drinks arrived, we knew that it was the start of a very good meal. Both the drinks were just super yummy! I can't really explain it, but my Root Beer was made just right. With the correct amount of froth and stuff. Sooo good! Kevin's milkshake was really thick and gyummy too. You see the silver shaker thing by the side of the milkshake? It was half filled with the leftover strawberry milkshake, which you could top up after you are done with the one in your glass. I think there is enough milkshake for two people! Really worth the money.

Kevin ordered the Smoke House Double Burger ($8.99). Two juicy patties with cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, onion rings and Johnny Rockets Smoke House BBQ Ranch sauce. Doesn't it look good? Kevin said that it was really juicy and yummy. It's pretty big too (so big til he couldn't even finish the burger). Good choice Kevin!

I got the Route 66 Burger ($7.49). This is what I would order everytime I go to a Johnny Rockets. It's really good! Two patties with melted Swiss cheese, grilled mushrooms, onions and mayo...all packed into a yummy bun. Mmmm mmmm good!

Both of our burgers come with fries, However, when our server first brought out our burger, he told us that our fries should be coming out shortly. Half way through our burger, he came over again and apologized, saying that he had already reminded the the kitchen and it should be out soon. We weren't actually complaining, since the burgers were so good, we were too busy eating to even worry about our fries. We could see our server getting more and more flustered as he kept on reminding the kitchen about our fries...hahaha! Anyways, to cut the long story short, he came back and said that he felt really bad to keep us waiting and he told his manager about this. His manager agreed to give us a 20% discount on our meal, cos we had to wait for our fries! Wow! We were not even bothered that our fries did not come out together with our burger, but I guess it bothered our server enough to go ask for a discount, on behalf of us. So yeah, we got a 20% discount off our meal! :D Overall, I would say that Johnny Rockets totally rocked! Cool decor, yummy food and awesome staff!! Two thumbs up!

Johnny Rockets - Jersey Garden Mall
651 Kapkowski Road
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Tel: (908)994 0110
Web: http://www.johnnyrockets.com

The New City View Diner

Kevin and I were in Whitehall, PA two weekends ago to get our car inspected. Why all the way to PA? Well, our car is still registered under the PA license, so yeah, we have to bring the car back to PA every year to get it inspected. We knew that since it was a Saturday, the lines would be really long, so we wanted to get there early. We left our apartment at around 6:30am and got there slightly after 8am. The guy said it would take a few hours to get it inspected and we can only get our car back at around noon. So, we decided to go get something to eat and then maybe go hangout at the Lehigh Valley Mall after that (which was just next to Pep Boys).

We didn't really know what was open at this hour, so we just walked down Macarthur Road and hope to find something (worst case scenario, there is always Dunkin Donut and McDonalds :P). We then saw a sign for The New City View Diner and it said "Open 24 Hours". Perfect!

The exterior looked like any regular diner but little did we know (at that time) that we stumbled upon a gem. We were also quite surprised to find the parking lot almost full! Mind you, it was only about 8:15am, on a Saturday morning. Boy, those people in Whitehall are sure early risers :P

We were immediately greeted and seated the moment we walked in the door. When we first walked in, the diner was already about 75% full. People continued to come in and by the time we left, it was so packed that people had to wait for a table! Not too shabby for a Saturday morning. Check out the Christmas decorations, isn't it nice?

We had some OJ and tea to kick off our hearty small town breakfast. Talking about small towns, we also realized that the people of Whitehall are really friendly. As in really really friendly. Not only am I referring to the waitresses, but also the diners. Everybody seems to know everybody and if they don't, they would still stop and say 'Hi'! It sure was a nice change from the NY Metro area, where everybody minds their own business and goes about doing their own thing. After living out there for almost 2 years now, I guess we pretty much got used to that. So, it was a pleasant change and pretty nice feeling generally to see so many smiling and friendly faces.

Both Kevin and I ordered the City Feast ($6.15). Kevin has his eggs sunny side up, with bacon, home fries and two big slices of french toast. He also ordered a side of white toast ($0.95) to dip into his eggs. Having lived in Northern Jersey for almost two years now, I must say that we are blessed with having great diners all around us. Therefore, we expect a lot from diners (taste wise). I must say that The New City View Diner delivered! Boy, the food IS goooood!

I had my eggs scrambled, with two slices of pork rolls, home fries and two slices of french toast. The eggs doesn't look that great but I must say, it tasted soo yummy! It had this buttery/milky taste to it, sooo goood. The french toast was also amazing! Only one regret though, I shouldn't have ordered the pork roll. Since I am so used to the Jersey Pork Roll (nothing beats the pork roll from Jersey), this pork roll was just alright. In fact, I didn't even finish it. Oh well, I guess it's partly my fault, I should have known better not to order that :(

Overall, it was a great breakfast! Good food, great people. I later found out while researching about The New City View Diner online that it is THE place to go to in Whitehall for breakfast on a Saturday morning. No wonder there were so many people. It seems that it would be so packed, you won't even get a table if you arrive late (after 10am). Wow, looks like we hit the jackpot without knowing it. We got to try the food from one of Whitehall's best and what did we think of it? It's greeeaattt! So, what's the damage? The total bill was $14.05. Not too bad at all, for such a big and hearty breakfast coupled with some really friendly staff (and locals alike) from Whitehall's most famous diner :D

The New City View Diner
1831 MacArthur Rd
Whitehall, PA 18052
Tel: (610) 434-4366

Lyndhurst Diner - Lyndhurst, NJ

As some of you may know, New Jersey is well known for it's diners. There are so many diners around, it's hard to drive by a neighbourhood without seeing at least a few. We would drive by Lyndhurst Diner every time we go down Riverside Ave and always commented that we should try it one day.

We were looking for a place to go to for dinner last weekend and decided to try out Lyndhurst Diner. It looks like any other typical diner in NJ, with its shiny and retro looking exterior. There is also ample free parking space in front and behind the diner.

The diner is split into three sections - a counter with bar stools, a section with booths and a more formal dining area. We were led to the more formal dining area (I don't know why, doesn't really bother us...any section is good). When we arrived, the whole dining area was packed. I took this photo later on when most of the crowd had cleared out.

The menu selection was huge and very reasonably priced. We ordered from the specials section and our main meal comes with bread, soup, salad bar and two side dishes. Kevin's selection even had a free dessert thrown in. After ordering, they brought out the bread basket. There were loads of stuff in it, different kinds of bread, pretzel rods and a few different types of crackers.

We could also help ourselves to the salad bar. It's not too big a salad bar, but there were some yummy stuff in it. You can also see the counter as well as the booth section behind the salad bar.

Here's what I took from the salad bar. Some German potato salad, a side salad with feta cheese and vinaigrette and stuffed grape leaves. I've always been a huge fan of stuffed grape leaves and I really enjoyed finding some in the salad bar!

For our soup, we had a choice between Chicken Noodle Soup or Manhattan Clam Chowder. Kevin chose the Manhattan Clam Chowder (on the right) and he said that it was alright. Not that many clams but the soup was nice tasting. I ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup (on the left). I love it! Instead of using regular egg noodles, they used Orzo instead. It's a nice change and the soup was hearty, with lots of vegetable and chicken. Very nice.

For our sides, we both ordered potato pancakes (sorry for the blur pic, the lighting was pretty bad :P). We got two pieces each, with apple sauce and sour cream. We both really like potato pancakes and their potato pancakes didn't disappoint. In fact, I would say that it tasted better than average.

For his other side, Kevin ordered red cabbage. It was a hugeeee portion. I took a small bite, just to see what it tasted like and it somewhat reminded me of sauerkraut. Now, I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut, so I thought that the red cabbage was just alrite. Kevin on the other hand thinks that it's pretty good.

I ordered spinach and rice as my other side. Now, this I like :P It was a huge portion too, big enough for me to eat it as a main meal and maybe have some left over...lol!

Kevin ordered the Yankee Pot Roast as his main ($11.95). Again, it was a huge portion. 8 large slices of meat, it looked more like a family platter instead of a main meal for one person! Nice and juicy, Kevin liked it a lot.

I had the Long Island Duck ($12.90). Just when I thought that Kevin's meal was huge, it was somewhat overshadowed when mine arrived. I expected maybe a duck breast or a thigh and a drumstick. Guess what? They gave me half a duck! Mind you, it wasn't a small duck either! Look at how tiny the big steak knife looked, next to the duck. Not only was the portion huge, but it tasted yummy! The skin was nice and crispy and the meat was moist. They served a really good fruit sauce with the duck. There were big chunks of pears, cherries, mandarin oranges and pineapples in a bowl with some cinnamon smelling sauce. Really good, my whole meal smelled like Christmas :P Mmm mmmm good!

Kevin had 5 different types of pudding to choose from as his dessert. He ordered the chocolate pudding. By then, he was way too stuffed to finish his dessert by himself, so we shared. Overall, I would say that it was a great dinner. Really friendly waitresses, good food and affordable prices - all the makings of a perfect Sunday dinner. Oh, by the way, we had enough leftovers for my lunch the next day and dinner for the both of us!! =)

Lyndhurst Diner
540 Riverside Avenue,
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
Tel: (201)933-7660

Tom's Restaurant - Manhattan, NYC

My friend Wilson, his wife Ing and their friend Fiona from Toronto was in town visiting two weeks ago, so we decided to meet up for dinner. Wilson and Ing now lives in Sdyney and it's been 8 years (back during our college days in Subang Jaya) since I last saw Wilson. I've never met Ing and Wilson also never had the opportunity to meet Kevin, so it was good that we had a chance to meet up.

Initially, we wanted to take them to one of the 'nice and chic' restaurants in either the Hells Kitchen or Greenwhich Village area but decided to have dinner here instead. We figured that there are nice restaurants in Sydney too, so we opted to take them somewhere a lil more touristy, to give them the full NYC experience :P Can you recognise this restaurant?

Here is a close up. Looks familiar? Well, it's Tom's Restaurant, or better known as Monk's Cafe in the ever popular TV sitcom Seinfeld! This is where Jerry and his friends would go to eat, in the show. It's located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, nearby to Columbia University. Early Seinfeld episodes showed the entire neon sign but later on, to avoid paying royalties, the Tom's part of the neon was cropped out, showing only the "RESTAURANT" wraparound.

Ahhhh, the group with our food. Just like the 'Cheers' pub in Boston, the interior looked very little like what we see on the show, as indoor scenes were filmed on a set in California. However, the walls of the restaurant were adorned with Seinfeld memorabilia, taken from the original set. So, how was the food, the service and was it expensive? Well, all five of us ordered from their daily specials. We got to choose a main from 11 different dishes that changes everyday and it comes with a cup of soup and a green salad. I initially ordered Roast Leg of Lamb with Mint Jelly ($10.00) but the waiter came back to tell me that they were out of that. So, I changed my order to Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Sauce ($10.00). I believed Wilson and Fiona also ordered that. After 1 min, the waiter returned, apologised profusely and said that they only have one more serving of Pork left. Also, they were out of Roast Turkey with Cranberry and Stuffing ($10.95), Kevin's order. Sooooo, we all had to look at the menu once again and this is what we had.

Everybody got Cream of Turkey Soup and a Green Salad (part of the daily specials). Kevin took the last order of Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Sauce ($10.00) and chose mixed vegetables and mash potatoes as his side. It looked dry to me but he said it wasn't that bad.

Ing had the Shish Kebab ($14.00) that was served on a bed of rice, with some mixed vegetables. That looked pretty good actually, I believed she liked it.

Wilson and Fiona both had fish, the Broiled Fillet of Sole ($14.00) with potatoes and vegetables for Wilson and the Stuffed Fillet of Sole ($15.00) for Fiona. Her sole was stuffed with crabmeat and baked. I guess both was alright, not the greatest but not bad either.

I ended up having the Stuffed Mushroom Dinner ($12.00) - royal mushroom caps stuffed with crabmeat. Again, it was just alright. Nothing stood out, it was just alright.

Overall, the food wasn't the best but the waiters were really friendly and the price was pretty affordable. I guess it's just the thrill of visiting the 'Seinfeld cafe'. I would recommend the place if you are a big Seinfeld fan. There are many cool memorabilia on the walls and if anything, just to get your photo in front of the restaurant. If you don't really care for Seinfeld, then there are many other diners with better food around town. We had a great time catching up with Wilson and meeting Ing as well as Fiona for the first time. Let's hope it will not be another 8 years before we can go out to dinner again! :D

Tom's Restaurant (Monk's Cafe from Seinfeld)
2880 Broadway (corner of Broadway & 112th Street)
New York, NY 10025
Tel: (212) 864-6137