Introducing Brooklyn Galley!

Whole Wheat S’more Cookies!

A few months ago I started Brooklyn Galley as a journal of cooking and eating around Brooklyn. The name is sort of a tribute to the small galley kitchens I’ve made the most out of in New York.

The link has been on the sidebar for a while, but I’d like to take this opportunity to formally invite you over for a visit. Think of it as the sister site to Appetite for China, or the place to visit when you’re in the mood for a cocktail or dessert. Or as a spot to read up on what’s new around Brooklyn. And don’t worry, I’m continuing to blog and post more recipes here as well!

Here are some recent favorite posts from Brooklyn Galley. I hope you’ll swing by, take a peek, and maybe find a new regular spot to visit!

Blueberry Mint Iced Tea

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

The Bee’s Knees Cocktail

French Yogurt and Olive Oil Cake

Tagged as: News

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Chinese Cooking Classes in Brooklyn

Since many of you have been emailing for info on upcoming Chinese cooking classes, I’m excited to share with you two in Brooklyn that are coming up in December. (Check out the new Classes and Events page for all classes.) I’m teaching a Wontons and Dumplings! class at the Brooklyn Brainery on Monday Dec 12, but it sold out quickly, though you can still sign up for the waiting list.

The other class, Chinese Take-Out at Home, is on Thursday Dec. 9 at the lovely Ted and Amy Supper Club. We have a fun evening planned, and the class is also connected with the cookbook I’ve been working on that will be out next year. You’ll learn the secrets to making quick ‘n easy scallion pancakes with accompanying dip, cold sesame noodles, and authentic kung pao chicken, that are all less greasy and even more delicious than at your favorite restaurants.

I first cooked at Ted and Amy Supper Club over the summer and it is seriously one of my favorite places in Brooklyn. I’ve done events there like the Tiki Feast and there’s always a fantastic group of people. So come join us and sign up here! Oh, and did I mention wine comes with the class and dinner?

Tagged as: Classes, Events, Supper Clubs

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Chinese-Jamaican Food in Brooklyn: De Bamboo Express

Every once in a while I get an craving for greasy Chinese food that's different from what you can find at your everyday takeout stand.

Some of you may remember my Caribbean-Chinese party from two years ago. The theme had been inspired by the wee bit of my childhood that was spent in Puerto Rico and the hybrid dishes I remember eating at Chinese restaurants there, like chicharrones de pollo and pineapple shrimp. I had also added some Jamaican influences as well, including jerk chicken wings and a cocktail made with hibiscus tea. It was a fun event, but needless to say, Caribbean-Chinese food never became a steady part of my diet.

Flash forward to 2010. Today I found myself in Crown Heights at De Bamboo Express, one of the two or three Jamaican-Chinese restaurants I know of in the city. Objective: a cheap but filling lunch.

The place is pretty spartan, with a couple of wall-lined counters, a few tables, and enormous menus highlighting their $5 lunch specials. (The one cook in the kitchen appeared to be fully Chinese, not happa. You have to wonder whether he grew up cooking Chinese-Jamaican dishes, or switched over from more straightforward Chinese food.) I picked up a jerk chicken lo mein to go and a lime rickey soda. 

The dish was as good as it looks in the photo. The chicken was juicy from being cooked bone-in, and seasoning was just hot enough. I would guess there were some Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers in the marinade, as well as soy sauce and five spice powder. (Eating large pieces of bone-in chicken with a plastic fork tests your dexterity, especially when your roommate's hungry cat perches itself on the adjacent chair, ready to pounce at any sign of weakness.)

Compared to the intensity of the spices on the skin, the white meat seemed a little bland; some duck sauce took care of that. And I absolutely loved the lo mein noodles, springy and chewy and far from the soggy mess that some establishments dole out.

Maybe I need to go back with a few friends (friends who are willing to be dragged to Crown Heights) and make a dinner out of it. Jerk lamb, curry red snapper, hot and sour soup with fried fish. Oh, the possiblities.

De Bamboo Express

772 Flatbush Ave.(btwn Clarkson Ave. and Lenox Rd.)
Brooklyn, NY
718-469-0117

Closest subway: B, Q to Parkside Ave.

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More eating out in New York:

Xi'an Famous Foods

Yun Nan Flavour Snack

Grand Sichuan International - Chelsea

3 Chinese Dishes Worth the Trip into Flushing

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