nykeiko shops: Kit and Ace holiday promo!

Around this time of the year (well, more the time right before Christmas), there are good holiday shopping promotions floating around where the usual suspects offer mild discounts to get people to buy. That is the time most people shop for others but if you want to shop for yourself, you would want to wait until after Christmas to get the best deals.

This year Kit and Ace shared something pretty good that you didn't want to pass on. Over the holdiays, Kit and Ace offered a special $40 promotion via their newsletter and Instagram Stories to spend in stores only. All you needed to say was the secret word "Mistletoe" to get the offer.

nykeiko buys: Post Christmas shopping at Anthropologie

I took advantage of Anthropologie's post Christmas Tag sale (happening right now!) where you can take an additional 40% off sale items. I think the sales section is the only place I ever shop at Anthropologie and always when there are additional markdowns too.

nykeiko eats: Curry Ya in Harlem

Harlem has been sprouting new Japanese restaurants since we last moved here a couple of years ago and we love it. I used to make Japanese curry at home all the time. I stock up on a variety of curry flavors (from milk to spicy) when I visit H Mart or Mitsuwa. It's really simple to make. Just mix it in in water with pieces of chicken, potatoes, onions and carrots to make a quick delicious comfort meal.

We visited Curry Ya in Harlem (there's one in the East village) this past Summer and I finally found time to put up a couple of pictures of our meal. Curry Ya is right beside Rai Rai Ken which opened earlier and the original outpost is also in the East Village.

The restaurant is small and charming and we went on a quiet afternoon. Actually, it was quite empty and we were the only ones there. We admired all the little decor details and the ability to see the whole kitchen through a large glass pane.

I found the curry to be quite good and it really hit the spot for something hardy.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

This year, I felt like I needed some intense Christmas spirits to make up for last year's lack of. I thought the best way to achieve that was to get a Christmas tree. I don't normally care for this stuff but now that there is a child involved, I needed to find more excuses to take more pictures. Baby and tree = cuteness!

nykeiko eats: Lots of udon options at TsuruTonTan Udon

Dave has taken a particular liking to udon lately. Sometimes, it is all he seeks to eat. A few weeks ago, when we were walking around Union Square and walked by TsuruTonTan, He read about this place opening a few months ago and was eager to try their their daily made in-house udon. Dave got all excited when he saw there was no line to eat. We got a table right away and marveled at the large selection of udon dishes. You can get your udon with or without soup. You can get curry udon or topped with fancy toppings like caviar or uni. They also offer appetizers and donburi if you're not here for their homemade udons. On the menu, it says you can supersize your udon serving to large at no charge. The waiter warned that we cannot bring leftovers home but wouldn't get charged for not finishing the noodles. We skipped the appetizers and got the large. We were pretty confident we would finish it all. I got a sizzling sukiyaki udon because I read that was pretty decent. Dave got the tempura one. The udon was very good but we don't know if it is worth the price. It was good to try and definitely hit the spot for udon craving.  I admit it was a struggle to finish the large bowl but had help from a third little mouth to feed but next time, maybe we won't both get large. We don't like to waste food!

nykeiko shops: Gift guide for HER *Winter 2016 edition*

Here's my gift guide but more like my own personal shopping list. Some things I have bought and some I will leave for others to enjoy.

Baby it's cold outside.

I tried these Kit and Ace mittens in the store and my hands were instantly warmed and even got sweaty. They are a bit big but they would be perfect in this subfreezing temperature and excellent for pushing strollers. It's unisex. I am waiting for it to go on sale.

nykeiko shops: The Row sample sale 2016 NYC

This is a late post about last week's The Row sample sale so it is more of a journal entry for future reference (with pictures of course!). This is probably the fourth sample sale I have attended this year. I know, shocking right? This is compared to my going on an average of 4-5 samples per month last year. I just don't have the time like I used to. Oh well. Maybe my new shopping game plan is to go on the last day of a sale which is usually on the weekend and additional markdowns are taking place. That's the reason I went to The Row sample sale. I went on the last day of the sale, just five hours before closing when they had just marked everything down. 

nykeiko travels and plays: Citizen M Tower of London flagship hotel grand opening

It’s a bit strange for me to write about our trip to London when I haven’t even finished writing about our trips to Iceland and Hong Kong from two years ago. I also failed to write a detailed post about my trip to Japan with my parents last spring and me and Dave’s Euro trip last fall. I guess since this is the most recent trip on my mind, it’s easier for me to sit down and rehash the tales.

nykeiko travels: Box Park-A one stop spot for shopping and eating in Shoreditch, London

Last month, Dave and I went to London for 7 days! I'm writing a whole post about it but first, I wanted to share some snippets...

On our way to CitizenM Shoreditch, a tar black, two-floor building structure stood out on the corner of Bethnal Green Road and Shoreditch High Street. Box Park (link http://www.boxpark.co.uk/) is only a couple of minutes walk from CitizenM and I was very excited to meet it. Shopping and eating in one place- I love it!

nykeiko travels: Ever-changing art of Leake street graffiti tunnel in London

Last month, Dave and I went to London for 7 days! I'm writing a whole post about it but first, I wanted to share some snippets...

Our plan to go see the London Eye deviated a little when Dave mentioned something he wanted to see nearby. “It’s a hidden tunnel full of graffitis inspired by Banksy.” At the sound of that, I was definitely no longer interested in the London Eye and wanted to check out this art tunnel I knew nothing about. I took a picture of the famous giant wheel contraption from afar and we continued walking.

nykeiko travels: Good ol' Quebec city

Back in July, Dave and I drove up to Montreal to visit friends and family. There, we introduced S to everyone and took millions of pictures. I was afraid visiting so many people would take a toll on us but we managed fine day by day and S was such a trooper. In the middle of it all, we planned a little getaway to Québec city with my sister. Only a 3 hour drive from Montreal and spending three days there seem more than enough to enjoy the city. We would eat and play as we pleased. I haven't been back to Québec city since my collegiate days so it's really nice to go back to revisit it as an "adult". We did everything minus all the tourist spots. Well, we meant to be tourists but other things got in the way like rain and hunger. We did spend a day in Île d'Orléans (a short drive from Québec city) which I have never visited before. We also visited the "hip" areas of Québec city that only Dave could find.

nykeiko shops: TOMS and S'WELL bottle joint sample sale 2016 (Pictures!)

I didn't think I would be checking out this sample sale. First off,Toms shoes definitely make my feet smell and so I vowed never to buy the classic flats again. Second, Dave and I already own S'well bottles although he doesn't know where his went. He got a bottle as a Christmas secret santa gift one year. That's how we found out about the brand and then I bought mine at one of S'well's first ever sample sale a couple of years ago, when the selection was only limited to one small table! You can see my bottle here. Keep reading for sample sale pics...

nykeiko eats: South Indian dosas at Saravanaa Bhavan NY

Big ass dosa for our big ass appetite. 

We dropped in Saravanaa Bhavan really by fluke a couple of weekends ago. What happened was we were driving around after running some errands and hunger struck. Dave asked for food suggestions and I thought hmm, we haven't had indian cuisine in a while so we decided to drive to Murray Hill aka Curry Hill aka Indian restaurant row. Dave was driving so asked me to pinpoint a restaurant destination and I went on Foursquare and picked out this place called "Pippali" It had good reviews, high rating and two $$. But we didn't end up going..

nykeiko plays: Cooper Hewitt museum NYC -August 2016

A hot Saturday with a chance of rain brought us to the Cooper Hewitt museum on the Upper East Side. Ok, more like Dave found out Bank of America card holders can get free access and so we decided to go. 

This is my first time at Cooper Hewitt and I quite enjoyed it. I kind of liked the smallness of the museum since larger museums (like the Met) become overwhelming and gets tiring after a bit. This museum is set in an old ha-uge mansion so it's big but not quite big.The day we visited, they were offering all visitors this digital pen with which you can digitally collect and record all the art you see during your visit. Every art piece has a label where you can align with you pen to save the piece. You are given a code which is linked with your pen so that after the visit, you can click here, type in your code and see all the objects/art you saved. I think it's kind of great to be able to save your visit this way. Sometimes I don't have the patience to read the art description on the spot or remember what I am reading anyway but with this, I can go home and take another look at all the stuff I saw that day. Like, oh, what was the name of that piece I liked again? Bam! I can find out right away (well, only if I remembered to save it).  You can also see some stats from that day if you like that type of stuff are. For example, the number of people who saved the same piece, your visit duration, what time you saw that piece, etc. You were also able to use the pen to play with these oversized interactive touchscreens where you can see what you collected on your pen or use it to design your own chair, hat, vase etc. People seemed to be into it. 

Anyhoo, here are some memorable pieces I liked: 

nykeiko eats: Yummy Harbs carbs and Royal milk tea

Look at this nice tall handsome glass of milk tea. It is not just any type of milk tea, it's ROYAL milk tea. It's creamy, flavorful and goes down nice and smooth. It's also iced but not just any ice, it's iced milk so it maintains that rich creamy flavor of your ROYAL milk tea. Oh and it's a $8 glass of milk tea.

(I had to Google what is the difference between milk tea and Royal milk tea. It's all in the tea making process! You have the ordinary way of making tea (boil water, pour over leaves, add milk) and then the royal way is boiling the tea directly in milk to serve! That's why it's extra creamy!)

We went to HARBS on the upper east side. We met up with Dave's cousin this past weekend and has no specific plans in mind. When we were thinking of things to do, I just blurted out that I wanted cake. Well, someone mentioned cake and I stuck with it. The cousin mentioned there was a new cafe on the UES. He's like "I know this Japanese cafe that serves Japanese cakes and Japanese drinks and ..." He need not say more. SOLD! Japanese sweets! Let's go! I am all in! We even walked 15 blocks and 2 aves with a 15 lbs baby in tow to go taste it.

nykeiko eats: ROKC my tummy (Ramen, Oysters, Kitchen, Cocktails, oh my!)

Sapporo ramen from ROKC

There is a new ramen joint I want to talk about. You must be thinking, “Not another ramen restaurant in New York!” Well this one is a little different. I mean they all are, with their own specialties. The name of the restaurant pretty much sums up their menu-ROKC stands for ramen, oysters, kitchen and cocktails. Yup, a ramen place with a raw bar and cocktails!  Here, you can have a glass of Sazerac with your ramen. Now that I have been to ROKC four times now since June, it would be a good idea for me to write about why I love this place!

I miss my mommy...

This is me and my mommy. Dave took a picture of a picture because he thought I looked so cute in it. But the person I can't stop looking at is my mom.

nykeiko plays: Garden NYC - Getting a haircut in Tokyo…well, almost.

A bathroom selfie with new haircut

There are over hundreds of hair salons in New York City and picking a place to try is usually based on a friend’s recommendation or looking at Yelp reviews. I’ll be your friend and help you out. I recently visited Garden NYC and I think you should try it too!

Now, what makes this hair salon a little different from others out there is that most of the hair stylists are part-timers. They travel back and forth between Tokyo to New York every couple of month. They have multiple salons in Tokyo and Garden NYC is their first salon outside Japan. So in some ways, you’re basically getting a haircut in Japan..without having to go to Japan! 

nykeiko plays: Salon de Tokyo for no-frill massages

When I mentioned I was in desperate need of a massage, the husband totally delivered. Of course it would be great if he could give me a massage himself but he knew better then to lend his own hands to do the job. Instead, he found me my new favorite no-frill massage place in the heart of the city. It’s called Salon de Tokyo. Just the name excites me. Anything related to Japan makes me happy. When I walked in and was greeted by a Japanese staff, I knew I was in for some quality service. The place is clean and quiet. You’re quickly ushered into a coed changing room (I didn't know it was coed at the time. I thought it was funny when an old grandpa saw me walk down the narrow hallway in my towel and then I saw him with his after my session! I was glad it was just me in the changing room though!). You can take a quick shower or enjoy the saunas before you enter your private room for your massage.  Since I arrived a bit late, I was plopped on a table right away with barely any instructions.

The salon is known for their traditional shiatsu massage with FEET (non-stinky is the bonus), which gives you deeper pressure to relieve all your aches and pains. My therapist asked me how I found out about the place. I told her it was a Mother's day treat from the hubby and that he had been here years ago to use up a gift certificate. She mentioned the place has been opened since 1971. I was impressed! Something that last this long is definitely good! 

Maybe I was in desperate need of a massage but it just felt so, so good. As soon as my therapist began decompressing my back, tears came out of my eye socket and soaked my face towel. Yes, I cried a little. Whatever heaven felt like, this was it. I loved the pain she caused me. This is the only time I will let someone's foot touch me for this long and me wanting MORE of it. I absolutely loved my 90-minute session (which I thought ended way too fast! I’m so greedy!) and would definitely go back. *HINT HINT DAVID!* But now that I know this place exists, I can take myself there. He just needs to babysit for a bit :) The price isn't too shabby neither. A one-hour massage cost $70/hour. They also do home or hotel visits for $85/hour and you just have to pay for the therapist’s cab fare.

I also enjoyed leaving the floor.  I was stuck for a little bit trying to find the elevator buttons. Finally spotted them between two exit doors a few steps away! Like, so not obvious at all.

Oh, this is still my fave cheapo place for a foot massage in Chinatown.

nykeiko eats: Bibble and Sip!

Bibble and Sip-Earl grey and Matcha puff

I follow many food-fantastic Instagram accounts operated by local and traveling foodies. I love to drool over pictures of delicious food and torture myself when I scroll down my feed all day long. Anyway, from time to time, something catches my eye.

I spotted these pretty pastries on someone’s Insta. What are these tasty looking buns (yes, yes, I know how it sounds like)? I see someone else post about these puffs a few days later and then a video. I am intrigued and look for more pictures. The puffs looked so good with its goo-y center and I wanted to try them ASAP. I thought Bibble and Sip was a brand new coffee place but turns out they have been open for a while now but I just caught wind a bit later.

I immediately ask a friend who lives close to Bibble and Sip to go with me. Of course, she tells me that it is already her go-to coffee joint but to my surprise, she has never tried the puffs before! We decide to go on a weekday and at off-hours, to beat the crowd. I knew that was a smart decision on our part when I passed by on a Saturday afternoon a week later and the line was out the door!

We try the matcha puff and the earl grey puff and I buy extra ones to bring home for the husband (I'm a good wife!). There were other treats that piqued our interest but they were already sold out. We paired our treats with some delicious smooth lattes. I try the jasmine matcha latte but since I asked to keep it as unsweetened as possible, they layed off too much of the jasmine syrup (since that's where all the sugar was) and it was basically a matcha latte in the end. The place was a bit crowded and full so we decided to take our treats on the go and finally took a bite back at my friend’s apartment. 

Between the green tea and Earl grey puff, we preferred the Earl Grey more but I liked the crispy tops on both of them. What I also liked about them was they weren’t super sweet and you feel like it’s okay to have more than one. I'm not sure if I'd wait in line to give the puffs another try but I feel like they are good treats to buy and share with friends. You just can't find them anywhere else in the city. 

Hot warmer days a' coming! Protect your skin!

I don't leave the house without putting sunscreen on. To make things easier, my daily moisturizer contains sunscreen so it doesn't take any effort for me. Now that Summer is finally making an appearance (the weather is so effed up!), we can finally go out and play more often.

I wanted you guys to take advantage of an offer by Tatcha for a very limited time only. From April 24 to the 28th, with any purchase of $100 or more on Tatcha.com, you can receive a deluxe travel size tube of Tatcha's Pore Perfecting Sunscreen SPF 35. Simply use the code SPFMINI at checkout.

Last year, I received a tube of the sunscreen to try out and loved it. Even though I was only able to use it a couple of times before I lost it along with my stolen bag in Europe last September :( I liked the featherweight formula and it wasn't too greasy for me which is always my concern with sunscreens. And yes, it is great under makeup. It actually made it easier to slather my foundation over flawlessly! Give it a try! Most importantly, protect your skin!

nykeiko shops: My recent sample sale buys! [Sweet William and Story]

Story Sample sale 2016 . $5 Christmas stuff

I've wind down on sample sale reporting lately. Last month I covered Cosabella (report here) which is always a fun one but I never get anything because for the sake of comfort, I rather wear my granny panties then sexy lacy pieces . (Sorry husband!) I did however receive a free pair of thong so I still end up with something sexy which I SHOULD wear to feel human again. Lately nursing has made me feel like a milking cow. A feeling mutually shared amongst all breastfeeding mothers out there. Anyway, I do manage to escape for a couple of hours so I can do my own thing and sample sale shopping is still very much one of my job/hobbies. Here are two sales I hit up in March.

NYFW: Marchesa Fall 2016 [New York Fashion Week Fall 2016]

Ummmmm yea, this happened two weeks ago but just had time to upload my pictures and post now.
The Marchesa show was the third and last show I attended during New York Fashion Week. I also attended Herve Leger the week before but couldn't get one single good picture from where I sat.

I loooved the Marchesa show. The venue was smaller and got to be closer to the runway which was nice since the dresses are definitely very detail-oriented. The dresses were so yummy and dreamy. I was reminded about writing this post when I saw pictures of Heidi Klum wearing one of the dresses to the Oscars last night, probably straight from the runway! See more pics after the jump...

NYFW: BCBG MAXAZRIA fashion show [New York Fashion Week Fall 2016]

New York Fashion Week is back! I didn't think I would be able to make any shows this season but after being a milking cow (more about that later) for a month, I NEEDED to get out. It has been exactly a year since I attended a show (see Jenny Packham and Badgley Mishka posts) so I asked a friend if she's got any invites I could use. I'll be attending three shows. My first show this season is BCBG by Max Azria. The show was kind of a dud for me. The colors and textures were just not to my taste. I think I liked one jacket but that is all. Oh well! I ain't a fashion buyer so it doesn't matter what I think right? I regretted leaving the comfort of our cozy apartment but what was exciting for me was going to Whole Foods after the show to get some sushi haha!

This was my first time attending a show at NYFW's new location since they moved last year. 'Skylight at Moynihan Station' is inside the historic James A. Farley post office on 33rd street. The BCBG show was in one of the larger of the three venues inside Skylight, 'The Arc' which is fairly big and airy. They definitely can fit a lot more people here. However, unlike back in the tents at Lincoln Center, there were no freebies (drinks, greeting cards, complimentary makeup or blow outs etc.). No fun for hanging out.

For the show, I was sitting in the 4th row so I was not close enough to the runway to take decent pictures. This was the best I can do with my iphone and SLR...See more pics after the jump!