Don’t fret. There’s plenty to do. In fact, you need days to fully explore this neighborhood brimming with eclectic, multi-cultural experiences. After all, it is home to Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Milk Bar, Ippudo, The Bao, Chikalicious Dessert Bar, Ducks Eatery, Root&Bone, Momofuku Ko, Brodo, Booker & Dax, PDT….. just to name a few. All these glorious experiences are packed in a handful of blocks. That’s New York for you! Simply incredible!!!

Last weekend, my honey and I went exploring and searching for new experiences in East Village.

For some reason,,,, all the cosmic signs were directing me to try Filipino cuisine lately. Two gentlemen who have driven me to the area airports recently are from the Philippines. We talked about the Philippines and their food non-stop during these car rides. Then my pal Ria (Bread & Butter Marketing) started talking about a group of us going to a Filipino restaurant in the city. I was a Filipino-food-virgin until now. But all this talk made me impatient…. so I decided to check it out with my honey.

First up, dinner at Maharlika.

As I enjoyed my meal at Maharlika, I realized that Filipino cuisine is quite a complex fusion of multiple cuisines and cultures. It is a result of the history of Philippines and the numerous invaders that came into the country over the years. The food is at once different yet familiar. Ingredients like soy sauce, vinegar, shrimp paste and coconut milk feature prominently. I found the flavor profiles lot milder than its other asian relatives like Thai, Malaysian, Chinese etc… Perhaps it is due to the fact that Maharlika is a modern interpretation of traditional Filipino cuisine. Or perhaps it’s because the food here is from a specific region of the Philippines which leans towards milder flavors.

I LOVED the young and friendly vibe at Maharlika. Our server came and sat down next to us and patiently chatted about the food as he helped us figure out what to order. Not many people in USA seem to be familiar with this cuisine yet - and Maharlika staff seemed truly eager to share the knowledge and love for this food. I look forward to returning to Maharlika or its sister restarts Jeepney with Ria - an expert on this cuisine.

Dessert HAD to be at the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop…..It’s been on my to-do list for months! The time had finally arrived to cross it off. This business started on a food truck back in 2009. It’s unique flavors and fun concept resulted in a huge success… so much so that the brick and mortar version opened up just a couple of years later.

There always seems to be a line at this Big Gay Ice Cream shop. But it moves quickly. The wait, dear friends, is totally worth it! I LOVED the Salty Pimp: vanilla ice cream - with dulce de leche and sea salt - dipped in chocolate! The super creamy ice cream is a result of a proprietary collaboration with Donnybrook Farm Dairy. This place is a must try!

As an added bonus, we happened upon a cool store called, Good Beer - a craft beer shop offering great selection of draft and bottled beers from independent, micro and nano breweries. The best part about this store was that they let you create a 6-pack with any combination of their bottled beers. You can even enjoy their beer selections in-store along with a small menu of sausages, hot dogs, nuts and pretzels etc. My honey and I are slowly and surely going to work our way through our loot!