UMI SYAM

Last week a dear friend of mine treated us to a Korean dinner as a warm hospitality to welcome all of us (so kind, I know!). We went to this Korean Gastropub near Union Square named Barn Joo, which apparently is also pretty popular on Yelp. According to their website, "Barn Joo", the word itself in English means musical accompaniment or drinks accompanied by your meals. It works along well with their tagline "Eat - Drink - Play" which sounds fun and I already knew that we were gonna have a great time that night!

As promised, here's my first entry to the Cheap Eats Near School category!

Meet my current favorite, Glaze Teriyaki. Located at 139 4th Ave, just 6 mins walk from my building and 3 mins walk from Union Square, this is my go-to place whenever I'm craving for a quick, satisfying Asian meal which consist mostly with rice, protein and vegetables. In fact, I went here more than 3 times already, but often without proper gear (a.k.a cameras) so I only have few photos right now. Will update again soon.

Hey, as I have told you guys previously, I am currently enrolling as MFA-DT (Master of Fine Arts, Design & Technology) student at Parsons The New School for Design, NY. I have just been through one hell of a Bootcamp, which is a super intensive summer course where we learn the basics of Web, Design, and Code for 3 weeks. It has been quite a long time since I work with code back in my Comp. Sci undergrad, but apparently it feels more like a nostalgic thing now. Thus, here I am announcing that I will be starting another blog to cover the geeky side of mine, and I promise I won't mix them up with food reviews! (Except if the result is something that has anything to do with food :)

If you googled "Best Hot Dogs in NYC", rest assured that Nathan's Famous will make it to almost any list created by various source on the internet. But how come it's THAT famous? Is it THAT good? I went on a sudden impulsive trip to Coney Island on a fine Monday night to find out.

Selected by The New York Times as one of the most memorable events of 2011 and 2012, The Jazz Age Lawn Party offers a magical opportunity to travel back in time. Two weekends a year, guests are invited to discover and experience one of the most colorful and formative epochs in American history.

People often say that when moving in to a new country, the first two weeks are always the hardest. True. I started my first week in NYC using AirBnb, until I realized I had to move somewhere else for another 2 weeks before my new apartment lease starts. Long story short, I got introduced to a new circle of Indonesian friends living in Elmhurst, Queens, who turned out to be total foodies! People who love to eat are always the best people, they say. Again, it's true. :)

I remember it's only been 4 days since I moved to New York a month ago, I got introduced to some Indonesian friends living in Elmhurst, Queens. They had a car so we took a ride around Williamsburg and parked a couple of blocks near the venue. I had no idea what were we getting into, but what I know back then was the fact that it's super crowded and damned hot (almost 34°C!). Now ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to: