Get your Online Degree from Ashworth College!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm pretty sure that all of you would agree with me that being a mom is a wonderful thing. I am not yet a mom myself but looking at all the moms around me, I know that it is so true. However, being a mom can also a really stressful 'job'. Many times people tend to take moms for granted. Let me now talk to my readers who are SAHMs. Do you sometimes feel like your life only revolves around making school lunches and shuttling the kids to and from school? Have you ever thought about doing more, like say, go back to school? Well, you know what? It's not that far fetched of an idea. You can! There are many reasons why you should go back to school. One of the best reasons is that you can be a good example to your kids. Hey, if mom can do it, so can I! Also, it will be good to prepare yourself if you should ever want to return to the workforce or start your own home business when your kids grow a little older. If not for anything, do it for yourself. You deserve some 'me' time instead of just revolving your life around your kids and family

So, how to you go back to school? Get an Online degree at Ashworth College! Distance education is a family-friendly way to help you get the education you've always wanted. It's easy, affordable, and is as close as your home computer. The best thing about it is that it's flexible and self paced, so you can do it on your own time. This is just perfect for busy stay at home moms. Not only that, research shows that tuition (includes all books and course materials) in Ashworth College is 50% less than the average accredited online school. Also, Ashworth offers zero-interest financing plus a low monthly payment plan. Guess what? Monthly payments can run as low as a couple of large pizzas! Unlike other programs, you are guaranteed to graduate without student loan debt. How cool is that? There are also more than 100+ nationally accredited career diplomas, Associate Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree and Certificate programs to choose from. Among them are some of today's hottest and most popular careers, like Medical Billing, Web Design, Bridal Consulting, Interior Decorating, Human Resources, Marketing, Early Childhood Education and more. So what are you waiting for? Get your online degree from Ashworth College and take the first step in making your dreams come true!

Frankie Cee's Pizzeria - Little Italy, NYC

We were in Little Italy on the 4th of July weekend and were looking for a place to have dinner. Now, Mulberry Street is just lined with cafes and restaurants, so we didn't really know which one to pick. Most of them had all types of "promotions" going on, with waiters standing outside, trying to lure in customers. We decided to walk away from the popular and touristy part of Mulberry street, in search of something that will not put a huge dent in our wallets.

We found Frankie Cee's Pizzeria right at the edge of Little Italy. Unlike all the other places, there wasn't any smooth talking waiters, trying to lure us inside. All we saw was little checkered tables filled with people and the menu painted on the walls. It looked like a laid back place to have dinner, so we decided to give it a try.

There were all kinds of pasta, pizzas, sandwiches and Italian entrees available at very affordable prices. I later found out that this place used to be called Pizzeria Cee's and it used to be a market. Their pizza was so good and popular, that they decided to expand, put in tables and chairs and make it into a restaurant. The pizza seems to be a crowd favorite, with a steady stream of pizza pies coming out from the kitchen while we were there.

Check out all the condiments on the tables. You know you are in Little Italy when you can find so many herbs, cheeses and oil on your table :P Also, I just love the location our table. We could just sit back, relax and watch the world go by. Sitting there with our drinks, just people watching, makes me feel like we were in Europe and not in the heart of NYC! Must be due to the influx of sidewalk cafes/restaurants in that small area and the smell of fresh pizza, baking in the oven!

They had quite an extensive drinks menu, with all kinds of sodas, sparkling water, fruit juices, wine and beer. Kevin had a Sam Adams (which is part of his dinner set) and I had an Orangina ($2.50). Boy, it's been a while since I had an Orangina....so that was goooood! :D For those of you who have not tried Orangina before, you have to try it. It's sparkling orange juice with pulp! Yummmy yummy stuff!

Kevin ordered their pizza special. You get an extra large slice of pizza (either plain cheese or pepperoni) and a bottle of domestic beer/ glass of wine for $6. Not too bad of a deal actually. Kevin said that the pizza was really good, with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. The thin crust was also very yummy.

I ordered the Ham Calzone ($5). This calzone was sooooooo good. I cannot believe the amount of cheese they had in there. I have always said that there is no such thing as "too much cheese" but really, there was just too much cheese in there! In a good way, of course! :P The moment I cut the calzone into half, the cheese just started to ooze out! I bet they just stuffed the whole block of cheese in there..lol! The dough was super yummy and baked just right. Very very nice. Also, I just love the marinara sauce that came with the calzone. Really flavorful with big chunks of tomatoes...definitely not the watery stuff that we usually get from the other pizza places. The calzone was so huge, I couldn't even finish it. Next time, we will just order one to share!

So, what was the total bill for all this food? Only $14.70 (and that's including tax)!!! What a good deal! This is even less than what we would pay if we were to get dinner from McDonalds! The only downside is that they do not accept credit/debit cards. Everything is cash only. They do however have an ATM inside the shop if you didn't bring along enough cash.
Overall, we had a great dinner. Awesome food, really friendly staff, affordable prices and a perfect view of Mulberry Street. What more could a person ask for? I would definitely recommend Frankie Cee's Pizzeria if you are looking for a no frills restaurant in Little Italy that serves awesome and authentic Italian food at really affordable prices.

Frankie Cee's Pizzeria - Little Italy, NYC,
186 Grand St.
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 9252954
Fax: (212) 2269046

A Wonderful Evening in Little Italy

From the South Street Seaport, we hopped into a cab and headed over to Little Italy. It wasn't too far away actually but with day being super hot and humid ( I believe it was a little over 100F!), we decided to just spend a few extra bucks and take a cab. We have never really explored Little Italy before, well, except for those times we walked thru it to get to Chinatown and when we went for last year's Feast of San Gennaro Festival (all we saw was the back of other people's heads, cos there were just too many people :P). So, we were really excited to head over there and check out the neighborhood!

Our cab dropped us off at the edge of Little Italy and we decided to walk down Mulberry Street. Bustling with all kinds of action and activities, Mulberry Street is definitely the heart of Little Italy. Restaurants, outdoor cafes and souvenir shops line both sides of Mulberry Street. Also, the entire street is closed to traffic, so it was really fun to just slowly stroll down the street, with a drink or gelato in hand, while taking in all the sights and sounds of Little Italy.

You know you are in Little Italy when you begin to see signs like those all over the place! I bet looking for a parking spot along Mulberry Street is the least of the worries for the Gambino family :P Nahh, those are actually souvenirs from the many gift shops along Mulberry Street. You can get all kinds of Italian American souvenirs like "Proud to be Italian" t shirts, Italian flags to Italian food cookbooks and ITALIA soccer jerseys. There are also quite a few shops that sell fresh olive oil in barrels, home made fresh pasta, fresh smoked meats and all types of cheeses. I must make a mental note to return and buy some fresh pasta one of these days.

Since it was close to dinner time, we started looking out for possible dinner locations. There were just so many restaurants/cafes to choose from! Everybody had their menu out and the waiters were all standing outside, actively promoting their specials and trying to get as many customers as possible. Some of them even offered a free glass of wine with an entree or free appetizers. Sure, it sounds good initially but you gotta be really careful. A simple plate of pasta in some of these places can go for about $30-$35 bucks! Just regular pasta, nothing special. So yeah, if you were to pay $30 bucks for some pasta, suddenly a free glass of cheap wine doesn't sound all that tempting anymore :P

We continued walking (away from the crowded and popular section of Mulberry St) towards the edge of Little Italy, and thats when we saw this restaurant. It doesn't look as upmarket as the other restaurants, in fact, it was rather laid back and casual. The menu looked good and the prices were really reasonable, so we decided to have dinner there. Will blog more about that in the next post!

After dinner, we continued walking around Little Italy for a bit. We were looking for some sort of dessert when we spotted a little roadside stall selling homemade gelato and Italian ices. There were quite a lot of people in line, getting their gelatos, so I figured that the gelatos must be pretty good. You could get it in either a cup or cone and it comes in three sizes - small ($4), medium ($5) and large ($6). Apart from Chocolate and Vanilla, some of the more popular gelato flavors are Hazelnut, Cuppuccino, Pistachio and Cookies n Cream. They also have Peach, Melon, Mango, Raspberry and Lemon Italian ices as well as sugar free ices in Tangerine and Cherry flavor.

If you are not a fan of gelatos and Italian ices, they also have some yummy looking Italian desserts. You can pick up a Cannoli for $4 or a mini Cannoli for $2. You could also have a Cannoli with strawberries for $5. Apart from Cannolis, the Italian Cheesecake ($5) and Tiramisu ($6) looks good too!

Both Kevin and I decided to get a gelato each. He had a medium Cookies n Cream and I went for the medium Hazelnut. When we first looked at the cup, the small looks kinda tiny. That's why we went for the medium (yes, greedy us!). Should have gone for the small cos the medium was just wayyyy too much! Two huge scoops is more than enough for TWO people :P I guess we didn't really mind though, cos the gelato was soooooooo yummmy! Super creamy and good, seriously, it was just amazing! No wonder they pride themselves as "Little Italy's #1 Home Made Italian Ice and Ice Cream". After getting our gelatos, we happily strolled thru a few other neighborhoods before going to the WTC PATH station to catch our train home. What a wonderful way to end a fun day out in the city =)

Puma City NY @ The Seaport

After walking around the Great 4th of July Festival on Water St for what seemed like forever, we decided that enough is enough. It was wayyyy too hot to be walking around under the blazing sun. It was so humid and hot, I actually felt physically sick. Kevin suggested that we should head over to the South Street Seaport area to hangout. With it being on the waterfront, the breeze might help us feel a little cooler. If all else fails, we could walk around the Pier 17 mall and enjoy the air con for a bit. Also, he remembered that Puma is having some sort of World Cup event all month long at the Seaport and said that we could check that out too. Air con at the mall? World Cup stuff? Sounds good to me..let's go!From the moment we walked into the South Street Seaport area, we saw red colored themed tents everywhere. I went up to the site map and found out that it was a pretty big event and that there were quite a number of things going. The whole event is sponsored by Puma and it's on daily from June 11 to July 11, in conjunction with the World Cup. Apart from being able to watch live World Cup matches on big screens, there are also other things that you could do.

I guess the one thing that really stood out was the Puma Football Pitch. They have tournaments and football clinics going on daily through out the whole month. In between those 'official' events, everybody is invited to just go in and kick the ball around. They have short matches where you can just team up with strangers, form teams and play a game. I think that is an absolutely brilliant idea, since football is a game that brings people from all over the world together.

There wasn't any tournament or clinics going on while we were there. However, there were kids in the Puma Football Pitch, playing a game. It was really fun to watch how this game just brings everybody together. Those kids didn't know each other before they stepped into the pitch but once they started playing, they all became friends. I could gage from their accents that they were probably tourist, hailing from different parts of the world, but because of this event, they had the chance to play football with total strangers, right in the heart of NYC. How cool is that? Good job Puma for coming up with this idea!

There were also small stalls all over that sold supporter jerseys/t shirts for the various World Cup teams and other World Cup souvenirs too. I tried looking for a vuvuzela but I couldn't find any. Hmmm, maybe you can only get it in Africa :P

If you are not looking for a particular team jersey, you could also go to one of the two Puma Retail Containers to pick up some Puma merchandise. I didn't go in to check the retail outlets out (I'm not really a big Puma fan, sorry...) but I saw many people coming out of those containers with bags and bags of merchandise. I guess they must have some sort of good deals in there.

Here is another cool thing you could do at Puma City NY. If you were to buy a jersey or t shirt at the event, you could bring it over to this booth and they will personalized it for you there and then! You could also add in Puma graphics to make it a one of a kind souvenirs. For those of you who doesn't really want to spend a lot of money for a souvenir, Puma has a free Photo Booth, where you can enter and get a souvenir photo for FREE! We were too lazy to line up just to get our photos taken, so we decided to pass up on that.

From Puma City, we headed over to the Mall at Pier 17 to hang out. It felt so good to escape the heat for a bit and we enjoyed ourselves just walking around in the nice air con mall. We knew that we could get a great view of the East River, Brooklyn Heights and the bridges from the top floor of the mall, so we headed outside to check it out. Look at all the comfortable deck chairs! Too bad they were all taken. If not, it would have been pretty relaxing to just sit there in the breeze and shade, just enjoying the view of the waterfront.

Check out the awesome view! No, not of my sun burnt face! :P I was referring to the view of the East River as well as the three bridges that connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. The one closest to me is the famous Brooklyn Bridge, followed by the Manhattan Bridge and the furthest one of all is the Williamsburg Bridge. You can also see the ever so popular Water Taxi Beach in the foreground. We initially wanted to head down there for a drink and maybe some snacks but it was just way too hot. The best time to go hangout at the Water Taxi Beach is after sunset. That's right...when the sun goes down, things begin to heat up at the Water Taxi Beach! From what I hear, it's an awesome place to party - with reasonably priced drinks and pub food.
Here is another photo of the 'BMW' bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg) and the East River. You can also see the Circle Line River Cruise ferry just under the Brooklyn Bridge. Jumping on the Circle Line Cruise is one of the best ways to see Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. You can buy the tickets and board the ferry right here on Pier 17. After all the walking and stuff, it was already time for dinner. We decided to hail a cab and head over to Little Italy to search for a yummy 'road side' restaurant. More about that in my next post!!

Bright Beginnings has a NEW look!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

To all our mommy and daddy readers, I have some news for you. In case you didn't know, Bright Beginnings Infant Formula has a new look. That's right. Parent's Choice came up with a new can design that is way more eye catching and colorful compared the old design. I just love the new design, with it's new bright colors and clutter free layout. It definitely makes it stand out from all the other infant milk formulas.

Do you know what else makes Bright Beginnings stand out from the rest? Well, to begin with, Bright Beginnings is the first sensibly priced DHA/ARA enriched national brand of infant formula and is the fastest-growing infant formula in the United States. It is also certified organic in accordance with USDA regulations. This means that it is produced without potentially harmful pesticides, growth hormones or antibiotics. Not only that, it provides nutrients in levels recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is the largest organization of pediatricians dedicated to the health and well-being of infants and children. Also, just like breast milk, it provides nucleotides to bolster immunity, contains a vegetarian blend of fats to aid in absorption of important minerals and has more of the easily-digested whey protein. Bright Beginnings is available in several varieties, based on your needs.

Where can you purchase the all new Bright Beginnings? Well, Bright Beginnings available at diapers.com. That's right, you can purchase the Bright Beginnings formula directly from diapers.com. Right now, you can get FREE shipping when your order above $49! Just order now and you will receive your order within 1-2 business days. Also, new customers can get $5 OFF when you use the promo code "NEW5". So what are you waiting for? Go check out Bright Beginnings at diapers.com and order yours today!

The Great 4th of July Festival 2010

Remember when we blogged about going to Coney Island to watch the Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog eating competition last year? Well, it's the 4th of July weekend again (boy, the year just flew by, didn't it?) but we decided against going to Coney Island this year. It was just way too hot to be standing among thousands of people in the heat, just waiting to watch some hot dog eating competition. So, we decided to head out to the city instead.

We wanted to go check out a street fair and found out that there were quite a few going on all over the city. At last, we decided to check out the Great 4th of July Festival since it was located pretty close to the WTC PATH station (that's our usual PATH train station). They blocked off part of Water St, the blocks between Fulton and Broad St. By the time we arrived, the street festival was already winding down. That was a good thing actually, cos there wasn't as many people and we didn't have to push thru crowds just to walk around.

Just like any good street fair, you could find almost anything for sale there. It was a shoppers paradise for us ladies. There were stall after stall of really cheap summer dresses, hats, sunglasses, various types of bags....even pashmina scarfs! 5 pashmina scarfs for only $20! That's really cheap! All the clothes and accessories stalls reminds me somewhat of the markets in Bali or Phuket :P

You could also find all kinds of music on sale. Carribean music, hip hop, oldies...it was just an eclectic mix of everything! Pretty cool though. Apart from music, there were also all types of artwork and handicraft for sale. We saw this really big and cool oil painting of the NYC skyline for sale in one of the stalls. We thought that it would look really cool hanging behind our sofa back at our apartment. When we asked the guy how much it cost and he said $270! Wow! I guess those stuff don't come cheap. Even if it includes framing, it's still a little bit too expensive for us :P

The highlight of all the street fairs that we go to is of course....the FOOD! All the carnival/street fair food stalls were out in full force. Cheese steaks, Italian sausages, funnel cakes, deep fried oreos, corn dogs...the list just goes on and on. They even had some cheap ethnic food on sale..like $1 Pad Thais and $3 for a big pack of banana fritters. We could smell those yummy roasted sweet corn a block away! They were that good! You could get all kinds of toppings for it, from regular butter, honey butter, salt, Parmesan cheese to pepper flakes and lemon juice!

After walking under the scorching sun for nearly an hour, we stopped by this Smoothie stall to cool ourselves down. There are all kinds of fruit smoothies to choose from. They had the regular strawberry, kiwi, watermelon, banana smoothies to exotic flavors like mango, passion fruit and lychee! Oh, they even have bubble tea! We shared a jumbo size mango smoothie ($6) and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! No additional sugar was added, just pure mango! I think that guy used close to 2 large mangoes for our drink! It was really thick and good =) From the Great 4th of July Festival on Water St, we walked further down to the South Street Seaport area to check out the Puma City NY World Cup event. Will blog more about it in the next post!

The Branson Convention Center - An Ideal Event Venue!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Branson Convention Center. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever been to an event, convention or trade show before? Never mind those big events, what about a family reunion or wedding? Do you know how much time and effort the planners put into organizing those events? A lot! To all event planners, I hear you. I have planned quite a few events myself and I know it's no easy task. One of the most important thing (and most difficult too) is to choose the correct location for your event. Let me share with you a secret. I know of an ideal event venue that is perfect for every event.

The Branson Convention Center is a world-class meetings and events facility in one of our country’s most dynamic and entertaining destinations. Resting at the heart of the $420 million Branson Landing development in Branson, Missouri is a meeting planner’s dream. The Convention Center is a high-tech architectural gem with exceptional meeting space and the flexibility to customize an endless array of possibilities for your next conference, banquet or special event. 220,000 square feet of dynamic meeting space with wall-to-wall modern meeting technology and endless audio-visual combinations and effects, the Branson Convention Center is THE place for your next event. Run by Hilton, you can expect professional amenities, stunning technology and the well known Hilton hospitality, with well trained staff on hand to create a customized backdrop for your high-impact meeting or event.

The Bransons Convention Center is immersed in style, luxury and is located central, convenient location. Your guests will take delight in the upscale shopping, sumptuous dining, and world-class live performances that make Branson the entertainment capital of the Midwest. Oh,and with the newly-opened Branson Airport, accessing the comfort and value of the Branson Convention Center is easier than ever!

With that said, I feel that The Branson Convention Center offers the value and accessibility as the perfect venue of your next meeting or event. Whether it’s a trade show or convention, small or large meeting, wedding or family reunion, the Branson Convention Center, and its Hilton managed staff, will work to make your event truly one of a kind! For more information, just head over to their website and submit an RFP (Request For Proposal). Go ahead, check out The Bransons Convention Center and book your next event with them today!

Yong Chow Fried Rice

If you were to ask me what is my all time favorite food to make, I would have to say "Fried Rice". Not only is it versatile, it is also really simple to make. Some leftover rice, bits of meat and a handful vegetables in the fridge? No problem. Just throw it all together and we have fried rice for dinner! You cannot go wrong with fried rice :P Today, I'm going to show you how easy it is to make an all time favorite, Yong Chow Fried Rice. Also known as Chinese Fried Rice, it's the basic type of fried rice that you can get at Chinese restaurants all over the world. Here's how you make it.

Start off by heating up some oil in a large wok or pan. Then, throw in some chopped garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes.

Next, add in some Chinese sausages that has been cut into cubes. Traditionally, roast pork (char siu) is being used but many restaurants are now using Chinese sausages because it gives out a sweeter and fuller flavor. If you do not like pork, you can replace the pork with slices of chicken breast (pre marinated in some soy sauce, cornflour and pepper) too.

Once you have stir fried the Chinese sausage for a bit, add in some peas and carrots. Certain restaurants would use long beans instead of peas and carrots, it's entirely up to you. Remember to keep the wok on high flame. That's really important when it comes to making authentic tasting fried rice. It just doesn't taste right if fried rice is cooked on low flame.

Once all the ingredients are almost cooked, throw in some large white shrimp that has been peeled and cleaned. You could also use some crab sticks (surimi) if you like. If you really want to kick your fried rice up a notch, just throw in some lump crab meat. That's always good too. If you are not a seafood lover, you can skip the seafood altogether. Like I said earlier, it's really flexible when it comes to making fried rice. Just throw in whatever you have left over in your fridge.

Now it's time to throw in some cooked rice. It's important not to use freshly cooked rice. It's too starchy and tends to stick together. The best type of rice to use is chilled day old rice.

Add in a few splashes of soy sauce, freshly ground white pepper and stir everything together. At this point, the Yong Chow Fried Rice is ready to be served.

However, if you like eggs with your fried rice, now is the time to add them in. Make a hole in the middle of the fried rice and crack two eggs in. Add a little bit of soy sauce to the eggs and scramble them. Once they are cooked, mix them up with the rest of the fried rice.

There you go. A nice big wok of Yong Chow Fried Rice. It's so easy make, even a child can do it. Actually, come to think about it, that's the first dish you learn to make during living skills classes back in Malaysia. So yeah, all 13 year olds in Malaysia can make this dish! ;P

Win a FREE Weekend Stay @ any Hampton Hotel!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

You know how we would always give you guys a heads up when we know of a good promo or some new and exciting sweepstakes? Well, boy, do we have a good one for you guys today. Summer is here and all we want to do is kick back, relax and go away for a vacation somewhere. It doesn't have to be somewhere far or a super long vacation. In fact, a weekend away is good enough for me.

Guess what? Hampton Hotels is currently running an awesome sweepstakes called the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. They will be giving out daily giveaways of a free weekend stay at any Hampton Hotel for the winner and three of his/her friends! Not only that, they will also be giving away one grand prize which is the entire hotel for weekend with all your friends! That's right, all 100 rooms will be yours for two whole nights! How awesome is that??? How do you join? It's really easy actually. Just head over to their website, click on the "ENTER" button and fill in your information. It's THAT easy. You can also enter by booking a room online and entering the promo code "FRIEND".

If I were to win the free weekend stay, I would take a road trip to Boston with Kevin. I have been to Boston before but Kevin hasn't. We have always talked about making a trip there, so this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Now, if I were to win the grand prize...wow! I would round up all our friends and head down to Atlantic City for a weekend of partying by the shore! Just imagine, it would be the party of a lifetime! What would you do and which Hampton Hotel will you stay in if you won? You know what? You cannot win unless you join the sweepstakes! So, don't waste any more time. Just head over to the Hampton Hotels website and join the sweepstakes today!

Amiya Contemporary Indian Cuisine - Jersey City, NJ

After having two consecutive meals at Malaysian restaurants, I was pretty glad (secretly happy too, since I lovveee Northern Indian food :P) that Kheng suggested Indian for lunch the next day. We decided that we should check out one of those weekend buffet lunch places but the question is...which one? Kevin and I love the buffet in Rasoi so we figured we should just go there. After thinking about it for a bit, we decided against that idea because of it's location. It's located right in the heart of Newark Ave aka Indian Square and it's pure madness to even try to get a parking spot there during the weekend. It's just so busy, with people shopping for groceries, eating at the many Indian restaurants along that strip and going about doing their weekend errands.

I searched the Internet for another Indian restaurant and found Amiya. Unlike all the other popular Indian restaurants, it is not located along the Newark Avenue strip. Located smack at the center of the Harborside Financial Center in Jersey City, it's worlds away from the busyness and commotion of the ever popular Newark Avenue strip. It's really convenient to get to as well. If you drive, they offer free parking at a neighboring parking lot (there are also plenty of off road parking as well). It is also located near the light rail train stop as well as the PATH trains (get off at the Exchange Place station).

During the summer months, they also offer al fresco dining. Surrounded by greenery and blooming flowers, it can be quite a pleasant setting for a quiet and leisurely weekend brunch. Also, it is just one block away from the waterfront as well as the view of the lower Manhattan skyline. Since it was an extra hot day, we decided to sit inside. The interior was also tastefully decorated, with chic contemporary decor.

All three of us had the buffet lunch. Priced at $13.95 per person, I felt that it was quite a good deal (considering the location. quality of food and it being a weekend). I think the weekday buffet lunch is only $10.95 per person. I didn't bring my camera along to take pictures at the buffet line because of two reasons. Number one. It's relatively an upscale restaurant, so I don't think they would appreciate me going around with my camera, taking pictures of their buffet line up. Also, there were quite a lot of people in line and I didn't want to slow the people down. Anyways, here is a selection of some of the things I took from the buffet. One dish that really stands out is the tandoori chicken. Usually, the tandoori chicken that you get from buffets are pretty hard, dry and cold. This is because tandoori chicken is best served piping hot and doesn't do that well when it sits in a buffet. However, the tandoori chicken here was awesome! Nice and juicy...mmm mmm mmm! Oh, the nan was super yummy too! I feel that the food quality is generally pretty good, across the board. My only complain is that there wasn't much of a selection, compared to say, Rasoi.

Another thing I like about this buffet is that their thosai is made to order. There is a little booth at the end of the buffet line and the chef whips up batch upon batch of fresh thosai. You can either ask him to make just regular thosai or thosai masala. Also, he makes them in really tiny portions, so it doesn't fill you up. Just the correct amount. I ordered one piece of thosai masala and I must admit, it's really really good. Crispy on the outside, filled with yummy potato masala on the inside. I would have ordered more if I wasn't so stuffed from all the other delicious food from the buffet.

Overall, I would say that the weekend buffet in Amiya is pretty reasonable and value for money. I am not Indian, so I cannot really say if the food is authentic or not. However, I can say that it tasted pretty awesome to me! If it helps, I would like to add that the entire restaurant was full when we were there and we were the only non Indians there. I guess it must be pretty good and authentic then? Anyways, for a little over $15 a pop, I must say that it's a good place for a relaxing weekend brunch with family and friends. Will definitely return.

Amiya Contemporary Indian Cuisine
Harborside Financial Center, Plaza V
160 Greene Street
Jersey City, NJ 07311
Tel: (201) 433 8000
Fax: (201) 433 8866
Web: http://www.amiyarestaurant.com/