Chinese food since 1938: Wohop,

Since 1938 Wohop has serviced many New Yorkers for their Chinese craving; the type of Chinese food you think of with sesame chicken dripping in thick sauces, fast service, and hand made dumplings made during a busy lunch hour. It is the type of Chinese food you order during a stay-in-movie night, takeout cravings of thick noodles in cornstarch, molding to the shape of the take-out carton visible during a second round of microwave heatups. Regardless, if your a fan of oily and thick Chinese food, the place was crowded at 3PM with a line climbing the flight of stairs from its basement dwelling to the street. What really shocked me, and rather disturbed me, was that all of the eaters were not from the neighborhood; tourists from Ohio, suited men from City Hall, etc. and that immediately told me what type of food to expect.

We started with Roast Pork, a simple appetizer, large thinly sliced pieces drenched in oil and its own drippings. Juicy, slightly overcooked, not too salty and lots of it.

Our first entree was Chicken Chow Mein glistening in the harsh fluorescent lights. A mish mosh of chinese crispy noodles, bean sprouts and chicken. There was not a lot of flavor except for the bitter taste of bean sprouts.

My egg omelette with mushrooms and chicken does not look particularly appetizing in this picture, but I was satisfied. Unfold a layer of egg and steam willl rise from its core revealing large pieces of (dry) chicken, and fans of mushrooms. The gelatinous sauce will cling to each morsel dredged from the bottom, but don't be disheartened because the taste made it the best dish of the lunch.

Ready for dessert, my mother and I wandered into Little Italy to visit a favorite bakery of mine, in search of their Amaretto cookies.

Introduced to me by thefattyreader, I have fallen in love with the puffed centers, crispy edges and subtle sugar of these cookies. Munching on multiple pillows of almond, we happened to pass by the store titled "The Best Chocolate Cake in the World." Well, with a title like that my mom was intrigued and so was I. We sat down in the small air conditioned room (thank god) and ordered ourselves iced coffee and a slice of their 70% dark chocolate cake.

What people might find unusual or different of this chocolate cake, is the meringue layer coarsing through the middle of spongy cake and soft ganache. The meringue makes the cake a lot sweeter than expected. I was not a fan, but the cake was not bad. The top was a creamy-melt-in-your-mouth layer of dark chocolate, which I peeled from the top immediately and deviantly ate before my mother. Not the best, but not the worst chocolate cake I've ever had.

Wohop

17 Mott St.

New york, NY 10002

Caffe Roma Pastry

385 Broome St

New York

The Best Chocolate Cake In The World

55A Spring st., nr Mulberry St.

New York, NY