New York City has earned its reputation as a global food capital, where cultures and cuisines around the world meet, mingle, and make themselves a new home. EEEEEATSCON celebrated that culinary diversity, returning to the city on October 3-4 for a weekend of food and festivities.
Presented by The Infatuation and Chase, the annual food festival was set against the Hudson River at Pier 76. The event featured some of NYC’s buzziest restaurants, exclusive collaborations, interactive booths, and speaker panels.
Join EnVi as we eat our way through EEEEEATSCON, sampling standout dishes, and exploring the creativity behind some of NYC’s best culinary offerings.
Laab Bar by KRU: Carbonara Khao Soi Noodles ($15)
Laab Bar, a Thai street food and bar pop-up by KRU, brought two inventive dishes to EEEEEATSCON: Laab Wings seasoned with a Thai spice of toasted rice, chili, lime, and fresh herbs, and Carbonara Khao Soi noodles, a creative spin on the Northern Thai noodle dish. The exclusive offerings showcased Laab Bar’s inventive approach to fusion food, reimagining Southeast flavors in playful ways.
EnVi started off our day of eating with the Carbonara Khai Soi. The dish reimagined khao soi’s creamy, curry broth with a carbonara-inspired combination of egg noodles and guanciale. It was then topped with slow-cooked pork belly and garnished with pecorino romano, green onion, and chili oil.
The curry brought a savory, gingery depth that paired well with the pecorino romano’s sharp and nutty profile. Tender egg noodles soaked up all the flavorful curry. But the pork belly was surprisingly the star of the dish — tender, spicy, and earthy. Pickled mustard greens cut through the richness, though sharper acidity would’ve provided an even brighter contrast. Crispy noodles, a signature khao soi topping, added a satisfying crunch, while a healthy drizzling of chili oil gave the dish more savory heat.
Golden Hof x Bánh Anh Em: Busan Lobster Bánh Mì ($30)
Two of NYC’s most talked-about Asian restaurants teamed up to serve up an exclusive collaboration. Bánh Anh Em serves up Vietnamese street food classics, from their bánh mì to regional specialities. Golden Hof, meanwhile, the sister-restaurant to Golden Diner, is known for its viral honey butter pancakes and inventive takes on old-school Korean pubs.
The two joined to create a sandwich menu blending Vietnamese and Korean flavors: the Busan Lobster Bánh Mì and Beef Kalbi Cheek Bánh Mì. Their booth quickly became one of the festival’s most popular stops. The line even had to close temporarily to manage the crowds. Still, since the lobster bánh mì carried the highest price tag for a menu item, EnVi was eager to see if it lived up to the hype.
The Busan Lobster Bánh Mì arrived on a freshly baked baguette, packed with cold poached lobster. It was dressed with ginger garlic mayo, a gochugaru-apple vinaigrette, melted garlic chives, and topped with pickled carrot and daikon, fried caramelized shallots, and shiso.
The bánh mì exceeded our already high expectations. The lobster was tender, while the ginger garlic mayo lent a creamy richness reminiscent of a New England lobster roll. Tangy, crunchy pickles added a bright contrast to the richness. The baguette delivered the hallmarks of a Vietnamese-style loaf — a crisp exterior with a light, fluffy center. The melted garlic chives brought a fragrant depth similar to mỡ hành (scallion oil), while the caramelized shallots added a touch of sweetness. Shiso tied it all together with its peppery, herbal notes, balancing the richer elements. Each component had a moment to shine, creating a bánh mì that was both familiar and unexpected.
Counter Service x Sunn’s: Gigante Hotteok ($10)
An ambitious collaboration between New York City sandwich shop Counter Service and Korean fusion restaurant Sunn’s emerged exclusively at EEEEEATSCON this year.
The first item on our list was their Gigante Hotteok, a savory take on a hotteok — a warm Korean pancake, traditionally stuffed with brown sugar and walnuts. This iteration, however, incorporated the fillings from Counter Service’s sandwich, the Gigante. It featured kale, braised swiss chard, white beans, gooey provolone and fontina, plus kimchi.
While we could appreciate the spirit of the collaboration, this dish unfortunately did not live up to our expectations. We found that the hotteok itself was doughy, and the filling, though light, left us wanting more. The beans and chard contributed mainly to mouthfeel more than flavor, and the kimchi was unfortunately not detectable. We would have loved to have seen more of the signature spicy tang of kimchi incorporated into this dish to brighten and compliment the creaminess of the beans and chard.
Counter Service x Sunn’s: Brown Butter Tahini Mochi Cake ($7)
The second item on our list was the brown butter tahini mochi cake, a rendition of Hawaiian butter mochi inspired by Counter Service’s popular brown butter tahini chocolate chip cookies. The original cookies feature a nutty brown butter and tahini base with chunks of dark chocolate. There are delightfully crispy edges and a gooey center, topped with flaky sea salt. The EEEEEATSCON collaboration sought to honor the flavors of that cookie and combine them with the chewy, buttery texture of butter mochi.
The mochi itself was soft and supple, with a smooth mouthfeel that reminded us of a firm custard. The flavor was sweet and very sesame dominant, leaving us searching for the brown butter. Much like the gigante hotteok we tried, we found that, unfortunately, this dessert felt one-dimensional. We would have loved to have seen the tahini and brown butter be paired with something lighter and brighter, or perhaps reintroduce a chocolate element, that would have done more to balance the flavor.
Mishie’s Sunnyside: Key Lime Pie ($13)
What started as a baking project on Michelin Star chef Michelle Kogan’s Instagram soon ballooned into a brick-and-mortar artisan pie storefront in Sunnyside, NY. Rotating between seasonal flavors, Mishie’s Sunnyside is known for their inventive combinations and fresh takes on nostalgic summer treats.
While they offered a selection of tropical and fruity pies at their booth, we chose an unbeatable classic to try — key lime pie. To say our minds were blown would be an understatement. Each decadent bite was layered with firm, buttery graham cracker crumbs; tangy, smooth custard bursting with lime flavor; and airy whipped cream topped with a generous coating of lime zest. While definitely a decadent dessert, we appreciated that this pie kept from being cloyingly sweet. Instead the sugar acted as an anchor, grounding the brightness of the lime.
Caffé Panna: Laab Bar Mango Sticky Rice Sundae ($12)
Caffé Panna, an Italian gelateria and one of NYC’s go-to dessert destinations, drew long lines over the summer for its viral Mango Sticky Rice Sundae. EnVi got to try out the famous sundae with a considerably shorter wait.
Created in collaboration with Laab Bar, featured earlier on this list, the sundae reimagines classic Thai mango sticky rice in the form of a cool, creamy treat. It featured mango ice cream with a coconut sticky rice arancini, layered with mango coulis, coconut caramel, panna, and toasted coconut.
The mango ice cream was rich and creamy, with the coulis enhancing its bright, fruity notes. The standout ingredient, however, was the toasted coconut, giving great texture to the dish and a fragrant burst of nutty sweetness.
We wished the sticky rice arancini had been incorporated throughout the sundae, allowing its chewy texture to come through more. A touch more tartness would have also helped balance the dessert’s overall sweetness and creaminess. Ultimately, the Mango Sticky Rice Sundae was a sweet finish to our day at EEEEEATSCON, bringing a taste of Thailand to the Hudson River.
As we left EEEEEATSCON full and satisfied, we could only look back on the star of that day’s show — the Busan Lobster Báhn Mi from Báhn Ahn Em and Golden Hof. It was the dish we were most excited for (and most skeptical of) but also the dish that blew us away. We can’t wait to see what EEEEEATSCON has in store for us next year!
You can see the rest of EEEEEATSCON’s lineup on their Instagram, and check out more of what Infatuation has to offer!
Want to see what else EnVi has been munching on? Read our dive into the Secret Spice Supper Club!
