The Girls of Sunset Park

Or more specifically, Susan and Sloane McKeever-Duys. Cafe Drake spent a day with the delightful pair, whose bubbly company outshone even the blistering sun on this sweltering afternoon as we three braved 95-degree temps to shop in Sunset Park's sprawling Chinatown. Stops included the Bubble Green Tea shop, Hong Kong Supermarket and the justifiably revered dumpling shack Kai Feng Fu (4801 8th Avenue, Sunset Park, Brooklyn). KFF sits under the radar of all but the most nomadic and diligent of foodies, yet their tiny menu of housemade dumplings, soups and snacks is beloved by Chinese food aficionados and now we understand why. Excellent small bites included: pan-fried pork and leek dumplings, vegetable dumplings, sesame cakes (one with salted beef layered inside) and crispy scallion pancakes. Each of the four tables is adorned with a trio of sauces for dipping and sprinkling; our favorite was a homemade chili oil, with browned bits of red pepper adding a toasty note to a too often pedestrian condiment. Afterwards we sought shade and the spray of giant sprinklers in airy and leafy Sunset Park, the neighborhood's titular patch of green and scenic views.