PULPO, ESPUMA DE PATATA & MOJO PICON

It's not a secret that the pandemic has been tough on so many businesses in New York City. This is why throughout this time, I advocated and still have been advocating to eat out whenever possible. One of the most impressive traits of New Yorkers though is resilience and with that, I have seen many businesses and restaurants that opened during this difficult time. Haizea NYC in the SoHo neighbourhood is one of them and they have the best Spanish cuisine that I have gotten the privilege of eating in this city.

Headed by affable Chef Mikel de Luis, this restaurant serves specifically Basque and Catalan cuisine, mostly contemporary tapas but also offer some plates good enough for two. In one word, I'd describe the dishes as delectable--dish after dish has a distinct flavour synergy. Chef Mikel will arrange the order that the dishes will come out in a way that makes the dishes complement the subsequent plate.

HAIZEA NYC IS LOCATED IN SOHO

To start with, the restaurant gives everyone a complimentary to whet the appetite. It's simple and fresh and bite-sized. If given the chance, I can snack on many pieces of this and I'll be a happy woman. The menu changes, so the items written in this chalkboard might not be the same as what you see when you get there. At the time of the visit, they still didn't have a liquor license but the chef told us that by mid-March 2021, that should change. Of course that will be an even better experience for everyone who likes their food with paired with good wine.

Not in photo: Black squid ink croquettes. This tapa was so delicious that we finished it before getting the chance to take a photo. Growing up in a beach town, I was never a fan of any black squid ink dishes, but this particular recipe made me appreciate squid ink. It was velvety and complemented well with the crispy croquette batter.  

Next came the pulpo (octopus) as seen on the header image of this blog post. The octopus was charred to perfection and very tender. But what really made this dish a stand-out was the deep, savoury taste of the grilled octopus that played well with the bed of sweet and salty potato foam. This dish is absolutely heavenly and you should not make the mistake of not ordering it. I'm so excited about this dish, I'm willing to use double negatives. This dish is also first thing you will see on the Haizea website and Chef Mikel rightly should be proud of it.

TXULETILLAS DE CORDERO CON TXIMITXURRI DE ESPELETTE, GNOCCHIS DE RONCAL

After seafood, we moved on to lamb and chips for the main dish. This is also supposedly a tapa but I'm calling it a main because of how filling it was. I don't even know where to start in describing this beautiful dish. It's mouthwatering and cooked to perfection. All of the elements on this plate... just works. The peppers are not spicy at all and adds another a layer of depth. The chips are homemade and swimming in aromatic oil. The lamb is succulent and perfectly seasoned. When eaten with a little bit of everything, including the salt, this just burst into a party in my mouth. On my next visit to the restaurant, I will make sure to order this again.

PASTEL DE IDIAZABAL CON MIEL DE AVELLANA & TIERRA DE ALMENDRA

For dessert, we went for the creamy cheesecake with chestnut honey and marcona almond crumble. The fruits were a pleasant surprise as it's not mentioned in the menu. This was the perfect ending to this palatable journey that made me feel like I was back in Spain. And really, during a time when travel is so limited, this is a great opportunity to get a small taste of the culture while being stuck in the city. 

There are plenty of great restaurants in New York City, but you're looking for something special, give Haizea a visit. 

You can find Haizea at:

142 Sullivan Street
NY 10012
+1 6464762261
INFO@HAIZEANYC.COM
RESERVATIONS

Within just a two-hour drive from the City, the Hamptons is looking like a great weekend getaway destination to destress from city living. It has lots of valleys where you can rent a house far away from the main road, and the proximity to the beach is more than ideal. Being an island girl, I can tell you objectively that this public beach in particular has no hint of plastic and other trash that one would normally see in beachfronts--what a pleasant surprise!

I grew up watching American TV shows and movies and the Hamptons would always be name-dropped if the show is set in New York City. And now I can see why. 

Seared tuna with pineapple fried rice

Before going, I was also curious what can you actually do there when it's not summer. Unsurprisingly, the food scene was thriving, with most restaurants getting booked out, up to allowed capacity based on Covid-19 regulations.

To start off the trip, we stopped by at Cowfish at Hamptons Bay to grab lunch before driving 30 more minutes to the Airbnb. The seafood was well-seasoned and cooked and it was my first time to try wine made in the Hamptons/Long Island. 

I took the Friday off so technically I was not supposed to be working but I brought my laptop with me to do some last-minute addition to my presentation for a client. Again unsurprisingly, no one in that restaurant was on work mode because it is, after all, the Hamptons, where people come and unwind. I slowly tucked away my laptop as soon as I finished sending my email and enjoyed this seared tuna with balsamic-base dressing.

For dinner, we went to get takeout from the Italian restaurant called Cappelletti for some nicely toasted pizza crust that is perfectly soft in the middle and one lamb dish I forgot the name of. Then we dropped by the wine shop nearby to try a bottle of Leo Family 2015 Red Wine, and the only reason I can remember the name is because the wine label was so cool, I wish I got more to take back home. This wine is also locally produced in Long Island, New York. 

Takeout from Cappelletti's

The next day, the itinerary was going up to the public beach and of course before getting there, we got lost in a dirt road of what is apparently Private Property. A rich old white man got out of his car and waited for us to turn around. On the way out of that dust road, the man flagged us and said "This is a private property, " we said we got lost looking for the beach, and then he said "Riiiight." 

So what is the point of this mini anecdote? Well, nothing really. But it speaks a lot about what the Hamptons is, which is an enclave of many rich people that have their own private areas, not just residences. There were many other roads that were blocked and had a marking that they were private property.

Seared scallops as a starter

For dinner that day, we went to another Italian restaurant called Nick & Toni's. The Google Maps caption says "Longtime eatery offering wood-oven Italian-Mediterranean fare in a fashionable farmhouse setting." and the place is really lovely but I probably won't describe it as fashionable farmhouse. We almost didn't go here because it means we'd have to drive back while it's pitch dark in the evening, but the cancellation fee for not going through a reservation is $75 per head, which is basically the average price of a meal per person.

I had no complaints with the food. The serving portions are unlike the usual American upsized portions, but that's more likely to do with the restaurant's fanciness level. The scallops above were phenomenal, and for main course I had pan-grilled swordfish. For dessert, we took back home a pint of their homemade gelato, which was priced well within reason.

On that Sunday, before heading back into the city, we stopped by at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard, one of the many vineyards there to eat some lunch, more like tapas, and tried a flight of their homegrown wines. I ended up getting a bottle of the Umbra Merlot 2010 to take back home.

It seems like an uneventful weekend despite being out and about at the same time. It's great to have to opportunity to walk around on the beach, drive under the trees during sunset while the sun's rays are piercing through the leaves, eat good food and drink great wine. It's definitely going to be a different experience come summer when most people have been vaccinated and can do what people do during summer in the Hamptons.

Supermarkets, taxis, and other indoor public places in NYC require a mask to enter as mandated by the City and State

Back in April, I ordered a 6-pack of washable masks by Martin Greenfield, a local men's bespoke suit tailor from Brooklyn, New York.

My decision to invest in proper cloth masks was due to almost running out of my disposable masks, which I had been alternately reusing until they were close to disgusting state. Another big pull was how the masks looked so sleek and fashionable, even on the female models of the masks. As I've briefly mentioned, this company only made clothing for men and I was thrilled to see their well-tailored masks that were unisex.

Most importantly, Greenfield Clothiers was one of the local businesses that stepped up to the plate at the time when there was a massive shortage of masks for both New York healthcare staff and essential workers. Since they had to stop production of the usual suits, the company pivoted into washable cloth masks that they sell in packs of six. And for every pack sold, they would also donate 6 masks to essential workers who needed them the most.

Instead of me adding up to the number of people ordering surgical and N95 masks, I quickly ordered this. Since I received the masks in the mail, I have not looked back. These masks are now my staple whenever I go out.

Aside from the comfort level and wearability, these masks do a great job at not suffocating me. I wear this even when I cycle for hours with ease. I wore them in the WE ARE: Peaceful Music Protest and didn't have any issues chanting while marching-dancing. I also got compliments because they are not the usual consumer cloth masks one can get directly from essential stores/street vendors and online.



These masks can be bought on their website at $108 for 6 masks. The price seems hefty but for a piece of a necessary clothing item--a ticket to go inside most places right now, if you will--it's an easily justifiable one.

At that price, one mask works out to be priced at $9 each. (Read: $108 paid for 12 masks, because 6 goes to the buyer and the other 6 gets donated to essential workers) Right now, mass-produced disposable masks are at an average price of $0.50 per piece.

For the sake of date relativity: Today is June 22, 2020. This is important to establish the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of both cloth masks vs disposable masks.

Supporting local businesses by patronising their goods: Pack of 6 masks from Greenfield Clothiers

My Citizen app tells me that most of New York City were out on the streets yesterday. This music protest was one of the many protests that were simultaneously held in all five boroughs.

I will not lie--physical distancing was very tricky. I tried to stay on the sidewalk away from the main crowd as much as I could. Even though most were wearing masks as instructed by the organisers, there were still people who went without one or had their masks by their chin/neck. I was fully aware that this would be the biggest risk of attending a protest, but with any protest, there's always going to be risks involved.

In the year 2020, you know that the society has yet fully evolved when there are still so many cases of racism. As a minority in the US, this fact scares me. Yet having been in the minority race for the past 5 years as an overseas Filipino worker in Singapore, I cannot even begin to fully understand the pains brought about by people who cannot see past colour here in the US.

I joined the protest because I want an additional voice to be heard. I marched with a crowd to show solidarity. I chanted the battlecries to help add urgency to the cause. Most importantly, I joined the protest because I wanted to understand the issue more.


On the 6th Avenue leg of the protest, I saw a black man speak to his son intently while the marching protest was stopped for a music break. I did not hear what he told him but at the end of it he kissed his son's forehead. It made me recall Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit, and his blog post where he announced his decision to resign from Reddit's board. The reason was so he can make the world a better place, and so he can answer his black son one day when his son inevitably asks the question "What did you do?"

From that moment on, my literal perspective changed. Suddenly I was noticing a lot more of the protesters of all colours who were young parents. Some even brought their toddlers in prams. This is a protest filled with hopeful parents who want a better world for their kids. Probably a world where the kids won't even need to ask questions about racial inequality.

Soccer mom standing on top of her SUV while her husband and kid give away supplies to protesters

While stopped along 34th Street, the rain poured hard but the energy of the protest went even higher. An unseen organiser covered by the towering people in front of me took time to make a speech. His message on what the takeaway of the protest should be was clear--go out and vote. And while I cannot vote, the most I can do is start the conversation with my friends who can.

There's always a question of "What are these protests trying to achieve?" Aside from encouraging everyone to get out and vote, there is a Twitter compilation of all the positive change that's been happening due to the pressure from the people. Click on the Twitter link below to read the thread. Notably for NYC, the 2021 Candidates here are now calling for the defunding of the police department. As of yesterday, 49 candidates have signed their names. [Source]

A thread of positive change that is happening because of the protests:

— emma (@_nectarine808_) June 4, 2020

Back home in the Philippines, it's not too different. Different kind of oppression but oppression still the same. Like here in New York, the youth are spearheading the protests. I'm going to end this post with a popular Jose Rizal quote:

"Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan"

The youth is the hope of the nation.

When I think about this, I think about all of my friends who are constantly fighting for a better country, whether directly or indirectly. I think about my friends who are always keeping our group chats active whenever there are new Bills getting enacted into laws and who are open to discussing what the ramifications will be, and what we can do.

I also think about the generations that came before us were once the youth. Maybe I'm just projecting my issues here. I get thoroughly disappointed whenever I find out that the people I love do not care one bit because it's none of their business, they say. I keep repeating to myself--what happened?

I have a love-hate relationship with Google.

Love--because they have massively changed travel for the better. Everything is now made more efficient when you know which transport to take on what time, which direction to go to, which places are rated better. I never travel without my Google Maps and Google Trips. Hate--because Google has the habit of acquiring smaller but great apps, putting them into their umbrella of apps, and then letting their bigger, same niche function app cannibalise on the smaller apps. I am still very salty about what they did to Inbox.

One of the nifty features of Google Maps--depending on how you see it, because some don't like the privacy implications--is the ability to let Google remember where you went to. And from that data, they will give give you a Year In Review a la Spotify's, but with places instead of songs played.

Not sure if they were just being funny, but today they sent me a "recap" of my favourite places in New York City so far. Are you ready?

No. 1 - Fifth Avenue 


I frequently go to Fifth Avenue because of Madison Square Park. I get to sit on a bench and just stare at the trees. Right now, the dog park inside MSP is closed, but back in pre-pandemic days, I would often play conversations in my head where I try and ask a dog parent to let me take their dog inside the dog park so "they can rest." I never got to do it, but I'm hopeful it will happen someday.

Fifth Avenue is also where I pickup my Citibike. I have been frequently using this service now, which deserves its own post. It's such a great way to see the city.

When I go to Home Depot and my clinic, I also walk along Fifth Avenue.


No. 2 - Whole Foods Market


Now this is what I meant by Google being funny. Yes, my social life is very restricted right now and Whole Foods is as happening as it gets. I shop once or twice in two weeks, and most of the volunteer work I do request me to shop at Whole Foods.

To readers who don't follow me on my Instagram: I volunteer with the non-profit organisation called Invisible Hands, which aims to help the elderly and immunocompromised with their grocery shopping needs in this difficult time.

When I moved here, I didn't really shop at Whole Foods because there is a nearer supermarket to my apartment. But since my volunteer work, I realised how the 80-yr old women I have shopped for all look so amazing and seemingly strong. My hypothesis was it must be their diet and because they mostly eat organic. This prompted me to quickly change my ways. The biggest factor was that it wasn't that much more expensive than my non-Whole Foods grocery list.


No. 3 - Fairway Market Chelsea


And this brings me to number three and last on this list--the supermarket that's closer to my apartment, the Fairway Market in Chelsea. I live so close, it's not fun. To those who are looking for an apartment in the city, please, please do yourself a favour and don't live next to a supermarket. One thing I didn't think through while apartment-hunting was looking at the nearby establishments. You will not believe the amount of delivery trucks that come by and deliver all throughout the day. It gets hard to sleep but I have learned to cope, often with my noise-cancelling headphones.

All the noise annoyance aside, Fairway is conveniently located to me and they do have amazing selection. I now limit my groceries here, especially fresh produce because I learned the vegetables I get here would go off rather quickly than the ones I get at Whole Foods. But because it's so close, I still get my quick staples here like milk, juice, fruits, olives, pantry items, and other kitchen must-haves like aluminium foil etc.




There you go, the three most visited places from my Google Timeline in May 2020. If you're wondering why both markets are boarded up in my photos, and if that is usual: It's not usual. Most establishments in New York City have now been boarded up due to the rioting that's been happening. Lots of smaller businesses have been ransacked and some bigger shops that were not boarded up soon enough, like Macy's on 34th St, got emptied out. It's really an interesting time to be in this city right now. Had the pandemic not happen, this probably won't be my Top 3 Places. Or not.

I just want to post a quick update on my Covid Antibody testing. The short story is that it came back Negative.

The long story is that it's Negative due to either of the three things:

1. I have never been infected (as in never!)
2. I am in the earliest stages of infection
3. I was infected and I'm in the very small percentage of the population who got the coronavirus and my body never developed antibodies. 

It's unlikely that it's No. 2 because I have been mostly quarantining even before the lockdown started. And if I didn't get the virus (No. 1) from all of my travels--Singapore-Tokyo-Sapporo-Tokyo-Singapore-Tokyo-NYC-Florida-NYC--and NYC subway adventures prior to the State-wide lockdown, it's near impossible for me to be currently infected right now.

For No. 3--One telltale sign is if I lost sense of taste and/or smell in the recent months. I never did. Also I have been taking my temperature pretty regularly (in Celsius!) and I was never in feverish territory.

Anyway, the doctor and MA from my clinic told me that it's most likely No. 1.

What this means is that I cannot be lax in following social distancing. Not that I planned on it, I'm possibly not going to have any social life until 2021. And also I need to keep up my rigid hand-washing, face mask wearing, and disinfecting of surfaces. Those seemed to work despite being in one of the most densely populated cities in the world and while living with flatmates.

On a sad note, this Negative result also means I cannot donate blood/plasma, which is why I was keen to get tested in the first place.

And because I want to end this post in a pleasant tone, a good thing that came out of this test is the feeling of relief knowing that I wasn't traveling and spreading the virus on my way to the other side of the world.


For New Yorkers, there are several ways to get tested for antibodies:

1. New York City has partnered with BioReference Laboratories to provide Antibody testing to the public. Click here for more details.
2. Most General Practice clinics have partnered up with verified laboratories that has FDA authorized test kits. The testing is free when using health insurance (HMO, PPO, etc) To see how I signed up to get tested, visit my recent post about TIA Clinic.

Since I moved to New York, I have observed a massive update in the localised apps on my iPhone. I'm sure this is the case whenever one relocates to a completely different continent. But it is crazy how many new applications I have installed on my phone, and how many I needed to purge because I no longer have a use for them.

It's a back and forth on whether I actually like this or not. My sentiments easily shift from "Another app??? Who tf needs another app??"--into--"Did I really just schedule my clinic appointment without talking to a human??" and these swings can happen within a span of minutes. Most times, any annoyance is easily curbed by an efficiency-increasing piece of software. And it is in times like this that makes me reflect at how amazing it is to be living at the cusp of it all.

Note: The following is in no way a sponsored post. I'm a happy customer and would like them to have more word-of-mouth reviews.

Allow me to highlight one of these local apps that I like: the NYC-headquartered Tia, a one-stop shop for women's healthcare needs.

Tia's clinic waiting room at E 23rd St

Tia is a membership-based Healthcare service. It's being operated by a network of doctors and nurse practitioners, who also have their own practices. They specialise in women's wellness, so their offerings are mostly in the area of gynecology, primary care, preventive care. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also branched out into mental wellness and COVID-19 antibody testing.

[ Inserting promotional blurb--If you are signing up, consider entering my referral code for 10% off the annual membership fee: jennever-3744 ]

I came along this company while I was trying to book routine STI tests and had a difficult time finding a clinic that has a slot on the dates/times I was available. Every clinic receptionist I spoke to didn't have any immediate openings for the consultation and check-up and I was getting frustrated. Booking shouldn't be so difficult. It didn't help that at the time, the coronavirus cases were starting to stack up. I wanted to get my tests done before a lockdown happened. (Note: As you well know by now, NYC did eventually lock down) Then I saw this company on my Google search results and based on the map, it was only a 5-min walk from my apartment. Sweet!

Tia's homepage, with the bot options on the right-hand side of the screen

Initially, I was deterred by the fact that I couldn't speak to a human. In normal customer service circumstances, I usually don't enjoy dealing with a bot as it hardly ever addresses my needs.

At Tia, to get the ball rolling, one would need to chat with a bot for guidance throughout the registration and appointment booking process. As it turns out, dealing with a bot is a lot easier than talking to humans in this specific situation. The bot finds the open timeslots and allows the Member to pick which one suits best. It also lets the Member add insurance details and a credit/debit card on file right there and then.

To make things a lot transparent, the bot will also send a full list of services, alongside the insurance coverage and how much it will cost if paying out-of-pocket. After booking a service, a Tia rep will again check-in to confirm the total cost and if it's going to be covered by the insurance card on file. This is something that's truly applaudable because, especially, when dealing with health, the worst possible thing to happen is finding out there are hidden fees. Tia's level of transparency assures Members that there will be no price shock.



COVID-19 Antibody Testing
I already had plans to write a review about Tia but just have been putting it off. As of writing today (Monday, May 4, 2020), I have met with their nurse practitioner earlier for my virtual screening interview for COVID-19 antibody testing.

Screenshot of the email I received from Tia

For a rough series of events:

• I received an email on Thursday that Tia now offers antibody tests
• I booked a interview screening timeslot for Monday
• I did my interview on Monday (today, May 4)
• I will receive details on the blood testing date over email 

Update:

• Okay so I ended up not seeing the email until a week later (oops!) I got to virtually queue for an appointment date much later than I could have been accommodated for
• I got an appointment date for the blood test on May 21
• I got the results on May 22--it came back Negative. More here.

The blood test will be processed by Quest Diagnostics, and has 99% accuracy rate. However, it can only tell if one is positive, negative, or if the test is inconclusive. If the test comes back positive for antibodies, there will be no indication of just how much antibodies one has and how long it will last in protecting the body.

There are several reasons to want to know if our bodies have developed immunity to this coronavirus. Personally, I'd want to know if I have them so there's better assurance that I'm not spreading virus to the limited people I encounter in grocery runs or even just by walking on the street. Making testing easily available makes it a little bit safer for everyone, and I appreciate Tia for providing this to their members.

With insurance, this service is free. If paying out-of-pocket, it costs $65 for the test and lab fees. For more in-depth information, check out Tia's Medium article.

I have already mentioned it above but I want to doubly make it clear that this is my personal review of my experiences as a Tia member and is in no way sponsored. If you are on the fence about trying out this membership service, I can tell you that with the level of customer service and efficiency you will get, the monthly/annual membership fee is worth it.