My cousins asked me to come to Market Line on Essex St and meet her and her family. So her brother and I went to Market Line to meet her and have lunch. Both my cousins are foodies, and I suppose it is a family thing even though we live so far apart. Our Grandparents have taught us well. Plus, Chinese people know where to eat.

I did try two places here first. The first place was Don Ceviche, which is a Peruvian food stall. I had a quarter of their roast chicken with rice and salad. I had not had a salad for ages and was pleased I got it. The salad was fresh and had quite a bit to it. The yellow rice was good and was cooked in chicken stock or something that made it tasty. The chicken was good but a lot better with this green sauce that came with it, which had a bit of heat. Overall, good.

My cousin and her husband suggested I try Essex Pearl and their Lobster Roll. They had three different types; Essex Pearl (Original), Vietnamese and Thailand. My cousins told me to order Vietnamese, so I did. It took a while to arrive. However, once it did, I was surprised at the amount of Lobster in the roll. Also sprinkled on top were lots of fried shallots. Firstly, the french fries were good with some seaweed seasoning which was an excellent compliment to the roll. The roll, on the other hand, was a thick cut of brioche bread grilled with butter on the inside and outside. The lobsters were amply present in every bite of the roll, with thick chunks of lobster meat. The fried shallots were an excellent addition and brought a nice addition to the lobster.

I could have eaten at least three of the Lobster rolls in one sitting, and if I had enough $, I would. They are $25 a pop but well worth a try. Apparently Essex Pearl supplies a lot of Chinatown with their lobster, so when it comes to them, they don’t have to pay a middle man so they can be a bit more generous with their servings. Well worth a visit and a try, even though it is on the more expensive side.

Address: 88 Essex Street (Cellar Level, New York, NY 10002

Website: Essex Pearl

Website: Market Line