It’s time for a long-delayed installment of my Good Eats series, where I share some some of the great foods I’ve enjoyed but were previously undocumented. I used to regularly write these recaps – little quick reviews – but I didn’t realize that it’s been six months since the last one! No worries, I haven’t decreased my food consumption at all. And these last few weeks have been extra delicious.

Let’s start with something I have been meaning to try for months, maybe even years: Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Cafe in Chinatown. Local foodies have been flocking to this little hole in the wall restaurant for authentic hand-pulled noodles. The noodle bowl is filled with perfectly chewy noodles, aggressively topped with fresh garlic and lots of spices and herbs. You’ll have zero chances of making out with someone after just one bite, but trust me that it’s well worth it (slurp).

The combination of soft noodles, strong garlic, and spice is addicting. Other items like the tea-smoked egg and lamb skewers are equally good, and pair well with the noodles. My friend Mich and I also tried the namesake flatbread, filled with pork, but I wasn’t too impressed. If you’re in Boston and looking for a memorable (and cheap) dish, I definitely recommend trying the hand-pulled noodles here.

I also highly recommend the brunch at Barcelona Wine Bar (I love dinner there, too). I usually go to the Brookline location, but they recently opened a new location in the South End, pretty close to my office so I envision a lot more happy hours and dinners there. But back to brunch – this Lobster Benedict is divine. Sweet lobster, creamy poached eggs, hollandaise. Indulgent and filling, and especially nice with a side of live jazz music, which is a Sunday regular at Barcelona Brookline.

Brunch or breakfast at home isn’t too shabby either. I don’t always eat cake for breakfast, and when I do crave for something on the savory side, one of my favorites is just plain avocado toast. Half of an avocado, mashed and seasoned with salt and pepper, spread on top of crunchy multi-grain toast, liberally sprinkled with red chili pepper flakes. I love the creamy texture on top of crunchy, and I like eating this with a side of chilled fruit. This time of year my favorite is grapefruit.

I received this bottles of reduction in the mail and have been drizzling the balsamic reduction on top of EVERYTHING. I talked to the founder and owner of Reduction Ready and we talked about how great this is on top of goat cheese crostini. Or salads. And steaks. I like that these wine and balsamic reductions are essentially a short-cut for me to add deep flavor to dishes I make at home. Sometimes I like slaving over a hot stove, but sometimes I really just don’t have the time.

I do like making time for some rum. I also received these bottles of silver and gold Tanduay Asian Rum and I was so delighted to see a Filipino brand of rum! When I was in college, one of the first alcoholic drinks I quickly took a liking to was rum and cokes and more often than not, it was made with Tanduay rum. It’s a smooth, premium spirit that is enjoyed neat or in cocktails. Tanduay has been crafted in the Philippines for over 160 years, and is now distributed in several states across the US. You guys know that I love rum in baked goods and I’ve been using the dark rum with some sweet treats. Next week I have a recipe coming up for rum cake!

Last week I had a little birthday celebration at Post 390 and I ordered a bunch of appetizers and finger food: meatballs, tenderloin toast, different kinds of flatbread, mini fish and chips, and my favorite: these truffled arancini. Little balls of truffle flavored arancini stuffed with mozzarella. They were so good and poppable, and I can’t stop thinking about them.

Last but not least, these DONUTS. Doughnuts. Gahhh. These are from Blackbird Doughnuts in Boston’s South End, owned by the same team as The Gallows (one word: poutine). I think they employ magicians at Blackbird because their doughnuts were crazy good. My co-workers and I tried the salted toffee (!!), honey lemon pistachio, blackberry lavender, chocolate old fashioned, and classic vanilla glazed. Why, yes, I tried a little bite of each. My favorite – no contest – was the salted toffee. I ate multiple bites of that. Okay, one entire doughnut. It was so sweet, so salty, so perfect. I kinda wish I could insert a doughnut emoji right here.

What was your latest Good Eat??