Habana Cuba

This entry is out of order, since a bunch of us went to Habana Cuba before Christmas and prior to my leaving for San Diego, but better late than never!

We started out the dinner with a pitcher with sangria which was really good. It wasn't very strong at all, but it was quite tasty. I still got my "asian glow" after maybe half a glass with my cheeks getting warm and pink. We had a big group, but Jeremy, Christina, and I were going to share a few things.

We started with an appetizer of bocaditos or cuban sandwiches which were delicious! The bread was toasted nicely and the slow roasted meat inside as well as the caramelized onions with cheese just melded perfectly! The sandwich seems so simple but they were so delicious! We then split the surtido (?) for 2 which includes 3 types of meat- the famous slow roasted pork, a beef with potatoes dish, and chicken with onions dish. The side dishes were really good with fried plantains being the highlight for me, as well as the white rice (I think loaded with butter) and black beans. The slow roasted pork which is the cuban specialty apparently was really good and recommended by me :)

One of my friends ended up getting some desserts- tres leches cake, flan and arroz con leche. The cake was DELICIOUS, with a great moistness and wasn't too sweet which is a turnoff for me if a cake is too sweet. The flan was a little firmer than what I'm used to, but still creamy and good. The arroz con leche was a bit soupy and on the sweeter side (from the bite I had), but everybody else seemed to enjoy it! Overall, a good first cuban dining experience for me!

Lolitas- San Diego

Another must stop when I'm in San Diego is Lolita's, usually in Bonita for some carne asada! It's not like we don't have good mexican food up here in the bay area, but there's something about Lolita's and the memories!  I usually get a Carne Asada burrito or a Carne Asada taco with an extra corn tortilla to make it 2 tacos :)

My friend is obsessed with the Carne Asada Fries or the California Burrito which is a Carne Asada burrito with french fries, sour cream, and cheese in it.  She also claims that the salsa is to die for, but I'm not a connoisseur so I just use a little of the hot sauce like any other hot sauce! I'm also not a huge fan of the fries and carne asada thing, so I stick with the traditional burrito or taco... oh so good... I usually get it with horchata to wash it down, but this time I just stuck with water since it can be pretty darn sweet sometimes.  We met up with my friends who had never met Jeremy before, so it was a good time of eating good mexican food and catching up on what's new in our lives. I had mentioned carne asada fries to Jeremy (since french fries are his favorite "vegetable") a few days prior to going to Lolita's but he had forgotten about them- for which he still gives me a hard time about! He greatly enjoyed his carne asada burrito but talksa bout trying this carne asada fries business next time we're down there!

Another place I would have loved to go to was Tacos El Gordo for some more of the small street style tacos, but I didn't get over there and decided I could survive without it.  Maybe next time! Man, I love the numerous and delicious mexican eateries in San Diego!

Sushi Ota- San Diego

If you asked me what my favorite Japanese restaurant is in San Diego, I would be VERY quick to say Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach!

Jeremy came with me to San Diego this year for Christmas, and we went to Sushi Ota one night so he could experience the glory. My parents took us and we got the chef's tasting menu of about 7 courses as usual. We started off with a crab wrapped in cucumber dish topped with daikon, dried pomegranate, and a ponzu type sauce on top. My favorite dish was the foil wrapped steamed dish with an excellent broth! It had cod, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, mizuna greens, napa cabbage, and as I said, AMAZING broth. It was so good that Jeremy, who normally does not drink the soup and only eats the solids in any soup, drank all the broth!

We also had really good sushi such as two different types of Aji (Spanish Mackerel my favorite), and a special toro (fatty tuna). We put Jeremy to the test by giving him uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) which even many Japanese people don't like. It took me a long time to actually eat it, but I still don't choose to eat it over other sushi items. He definitely tries everything once, which I think is a great characteristic! We also asked specifically for a salmon skin handroll for Jeremy & I since I love them! I don't think they're as good in a regular roll because you don't get as much of the crunch factor when the crunchy items are distributed throughout a long roll. It was warm, very crispy, and absolutely delicious, especially with the extra salmon pieces added into the roll. Jeremy really enjoyed it too. You can get that roll in other places, and I may be biased, but I love everything about Sushi Ota. The place is pretty casual, not the elegant, snooty feeling restaurant you have to dress up for, but I love the food and Mr. Ota is fantastic. I have and will continue to go every time I'm in San Diego!!

Sonny's BBQ- Eating in Florida

My first time in Florida is this Thanksgiving to spend this holiday with my fiance's family.

Jeremy, Jeremy's mom, and I went to eat at Sonny's BBQ, which is a large chain of BBQ places around Florida.  Jeremy had wanted BBQ so we went for lun-ner on Tuesday.  Jeremy was excited for the sweet tea and all you can eat pulled pork.  I also had a sweet tea, which they served in ginormous cups.  Jeremy downed his first glass, but I'm not sure if I even finished the first big glass because they kept filling my cup.  I had to also get a glass of water because I'm not used to drinking so much of a sugary drink, but I must admit the sweet tea was very tasty, though even sweet tooth Jeremy thought it was a bit sweet.

For our meals, I got a half rack of baby back ribs with cornbread.  For my 2 sides I chose baked beans and green beans, since I'm usually lacking vegetables when I go out to eat.  The ribs were good but nothing special to call home about.  The meat was nice and soft, and the sauce was good- not overpowering in sweetness or smokiness.  I highly enjoyed the cornbread without butter, especially with the rest of the food that was very flavorful.  The baked beans were really good with ham or bacon pieces baked in.  It was on the sweeter side, but I still highly enjoyed it.  The green beans were good too.  They were very soft since they were stewed in a pork base, but very flavorful.

Jeremy got the all you can eat pulled pork with garlic bread and his 2 sides were fries and baked beans.  Apparently it's all you can eat on every part of your meal- great news for Jeremy! The first batch of fries for both him and his mom were cold but the second batch were oh so fresh and hot.  I had one of those, and yet again as usual, burned my tongue because of my lack of patience.  They were the normal crinkle fries- I'm not enough of an expert to say for sure that it was the frozen kind, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were. I didn't try any of his garlic bread but he says "It was AWESOME." He also got second helpings of it, so it must have been good. Now onto the main part which was the pulled pork.  That was actually quite delicious and I actually felt like I should've ordered that too.  It was easier to eat and scrumptious, especiall since you are able to doctor it up if you want to with the 4 available sauce bottles at the table.  I believe we used the "Sizzlin' Sweet" sauce on Jeremy's mom's recommendation which was a good one!

We were definitely too full for dessert, but the menu looked good.  Besides, there was superb homemade apple pie and Publix Cookies & Cream ice cream waiting for us at home when we were ready for it!  I would definitely go back to Sonny's again to try either something new or go for that pulled pork, cornbread, baked beans, and... I'll decide on that last vegetable side dish later :)

Thanks for Lun-ner Jeremy!

Royal Tofu House

A colleague and I went to Royal Tofu House recently for lunch, because it's really close by and I felt like something warm but healthy in the cooling weather.  I had been to other korean restaurants such as in Cupertino Village but had not tried this one, so we finally went.

Overall, it was good, but there weren't as many side dishes that came with our food as some other restaurants I have been to.  However, each of the side items were good.  A broccoli with tofu dish, little fish dish, bean sprouts, seaweed, and of course kimchi.  I'm not a kimchi expert, but I thought it was actually quite good.  I dipped it into my soup to spice it up a bit more, as well as eat it with my rice.  I can be pretty weak sauce when it comes to spiciness but this was just right for me!  So all you really spicy kimchi lovers may not enjoy it as much.  

I ordered the vegetable tofu pot, mild spice, and thought it hit the spot.  Of course I burned my tongue as usual since I'm so impatient when it comes to food, especially when I'm very hungry! Their rice was good too.  I would definitely go back again, especially with the proximity, but I can't say it was the best ever!

First Ethiopian Food Experience

To celebrate my roommate Christina's birthday and experience Ethiopian food for the first time in both of our lives, we went to Zeni Restaurant in San Jose, which got great reviews on Yelp.  I was expecting long lines since we didn't get there until close to 8pm, and Yelp had warned that lines are long between 7-9pm on weekends.  There were 6 of us that went, so we ended up waiting 40 minutes or so, but we went next door to a discount shop to roam around and hang out so it wasn't too bad. Besides, if there are a lot of people always waiting to eat at this place, that must be a good sign!

We finally got in and the place was cute.  A bit cozy in between the groups so if one person had to get up to wash their hands, it was a tiny ordeal but we managed.  The seats were actually quite cushier than I thought, and quite comfortable although most of them had no backs. Okay on to the food...

We ordered the vegetarian combo which came with I believe a spicy lentil dish, a cabbage dish, a greens dish, perhaps a potato-ish dish, and a cold type of bread salad using their spongy unleavened bread.  They were all different flavors, but tasty and flavorful.  The only one I didn't have much of was the spicy lentil one, because it was very spicy and I'm a bit weak sauce when it comes to pure heat. We also ordered a chicken dish that looked like it had a tomato flavored sauce, including chicken, onions, and carrots. It tasted quite good alone as well as with the spongy bread they give you.  The third thing we shared was the beef dish which was a green curry type sauce but not spicy.  It had some potatoes and a few other vegetables I believe, but that was really good too.  It kind of reminded me of a pulled pork type look for the meat, but again very tasty when the sauce absorbed into the spongy bread.  

I'm glad we also got the appetizer salad to have some raw, cold greens to balance the warmth and different flavors of the other dishes.  The bread alone wasn't my favorite thing due to the sourness that it had.  I really liked the pieces on the plate underneath the various sauces, because the flavor had soaked in and made the bread very flavorful and not so sour.

We also got a bottle of the Ethiopian honey wine because we had heard that it was pretty tasty and went well with the meal.  I like plum wine so I thought I might like it, but I wouldn't get it on my own again.  It was a bit too sweet and had an odd alcohol or wheat-y aftertaste to it.  I'm not sure it really complements the food that great either, but again I'm not a wine expert!

Overall, the food was good, but not at the top of my cuisines list.  I am willing to try more Ethiopian restaurants if there are specific really good ones people recommend, but I'm more likely to go eat a different cuisine.  I'm biased but Japanese and other asian foods still rank at the top of my list! Aside from that, the point was to spend time with beloved friends and celebrate a birthday so it was a success and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINA!

Sushi Tatsumi

I went here for lunch the other day since it is close to where I work.
When I looked at the menu, it was a bit pricier than the usual lunch sets, but I said what the heck and went for the sushi and broiled mackerel. I was very pleased with what I received, because it was not just the typical lunch set but so much more.

I knew I couldn't describe everything and give an idea of how good it looked, so here are some pictures. The first is of my lunch set which included rice, salad, tofu, fried spring roll, potato salad and miso soup along with my 2 choices for the lunch set. The salad was different from the usual lettuce with creamy dressing. Instead it had mixed greens with other veggies and a light vinaigarette which I liked a lot. The tofy was in a dashi sauce that was great. The mackerel was quite tasty with a squeeze of lemon and lots of daikon oroshi! The spring roll was nice, hot and crispy. I also would like to mention that I highly enjoyed their rice which glistened more and you could tell it was a higher quality rice.

The second picture is the 4 pieces of nigiri sushi I got. The fish was very fresh and tasty. I wish I had salmon instead of ebi, but maybe I'll ask if I can trade next time. The ebi was actually better than I expected though! Overall, I must say I was very pleased and would go back again! Of course it can't be every time since it's a bit pricy- probably $20 with tax and tip for this lunch, but worth it!

My Bday: SushiMaru

For my 24th birthday I wanted sushi, so guess where Jeremy took me... SUSHI!  I had heard that Sushi Maru, which used to be in Sunnyvale but is now in Milpitas, is pretty good.  I had to try it out myself, so that was where we went!  I read that they have sushi boats, which I'm typically skeptical of since they float around for who knows how long waiting to be taken by someone.  To their benefit though, the items actually looked rather fresh, except for the fried items which I would never get off the boat.  I didn't end up getting anything off the boats, but I saw them add a number of items as well, so I would've chosen those- maybe next time :)

What I DID have, was the sushi dinner.  I got some of my favorite nigiris like aji, hamachi, salmon, and tuna among others.  I was actually quite impressed with their California roll, as was Jeremy, because it wasn't too mayonaise-y which I hate.  I believe they also use actual crab instead of imitation crab which makes it taste better.  I enjoyed all the pieces of sushi in my meal... gosh I love sushi.  I also made Jeremy try some of my raw fish.  He had eaten them before but just wanted to share some sushi love with him :)  I also liked their miso soup that came with the dinner.  I can't pinpoint exactly what I liked about it, but it had enough miso flavor balanced with some seaweed and tofu pieces.  There were a few pieces of salad that looked kinda sketchy to me, as in a bit brown, but nothing detrimental to my health at all.  

Jeremy got the katsu curry and enjoyed it.  He really liked the pickled daikon that was served along with it too.  Of course I sampled a little bit of the tonkatsu as well as the curry and must say I enjoyed the bite as well.  Jeremy is a big fan of curry, and a big eater, but he didn't quite finish all of it.  He finishes mine though as he pointed out, so mine must be better :P

Overall a pleasant experience and I would definitely recommend it to friends as well as go back again for some more sushi!  Thanks Jeremy for my bday dinner.

Another thanks to my roomie Christina for getting me a delicious Cookies N Cream Ice Cream Cake- what a way to finish the night!  I had Carvell ice cream cake at work because my lovely coworkers had gotten me a cake as well, but hey if you can't splurge on dessert on your birthday, when can you??  I love birthdays- until next year!

Brenda's Bday

Happy Birthday Brenda!  For those that don't know, Brenda is my best friend from high school that lives up in SF.  I decided that I don't see her or Erika hardly often enough even though I always try to get up there more often... so since all of us are september babies, I decided I have no excuse this time to not go at least for dinner!  We met up at Cha Cha Cha's, which is a Cuban tapas restaurant, in the Haight because it was right by the bar they were going to celebrate further with a group later tonight. 

The sangria we got to drink to kick off the night/dinner was quite delicious.  It didn't have too much alcohol and I didn't drink too much since I was driving, but I enjoyed what I had- the fruit in there was good too soaked in the wine and juice!  

As for food dishes, we got 4 dishes: a creamy shrimp dish that had a hint of spiciness to it, fried plantains with black beans, BBQ chicken quesadilla with guacamole and salsa, and a mixed greens salad.  All the dishes were quite delicious!  The shrimp was good, especially as you dipped the bread in the creamy sauce and munched away.  I'm really glad we had salad to even things out, especially since I've been feeling vegetable deficient from eating out so much lately.  I must say my favorite though was the fried plantains.  There were crispy parts that I love, and a perfect ripeness and sweetness to the plantains. It's a small side dish but yet can be a dessert too!

Brenda, happy birthday and I'm really glad I got to see you on your birthday!  Thanks for all the laughs & good times over the years and may 25 be a great year!!  I love you and love that you're a part of my life. I can't be thankful enough for friends like you and Erika who I may not talk to for long periods of time but feel comfortable like nothing has changed when we get together... I'm saying it again but we need to get together more often!!

Gombei San Jose

Fine dining club strikes again! My two wonderful, food-loving roommates Angela & Christina and I went on another adventure to try a restaurant that none of us had ever been to called Gombei in San Jose. They apparently have 3 stores now, in Menlo Park and Santa Clara, but San Jose Japantown was the first one. It is definitely a good sign when the people you talk to on the phone and that greet you are actually Japanese!

We went into the place knowing that it is technically not a FINE dining restaurant because the food there is more of a set dinner and more of a home cooked feel than like a 4-course, high class meal. I do like the fine dining experiences every now and then, of course, but the home cooked, good bang for your buck places are more my style! We ended up getting 3 "set" meals and split them all. Each set came with veggie sides (kiriboshi daikon and stewed greens), really well cooked white rice and miso soup. I highly recommend looking at the white board of specials because they all looked quite good. We got three sets off the specials board:

1) Sashimi set which came with tuna sashimi and hiyayakko (cold tofu)

2) Broiled yellow tail with yuzu and salmon creamy croquette set also came with salad

3) Salted and broiled hamachi-kama served with Agedashi Tofu.

They were all very satisfying, but we all particularly liked the veggie side dishes that came with each set- thankfully we each got one! I especially liked the kiriboshi daikon, which is not surprising since I love when my Mom makes it! I also liked the hamachi-kama and yellow tail with yuzu, even though I didn't really taste the yuzu too much, both piled with daikon oroshi. I LOVE daikon oroshi. Nothing tastes as good as oily and lightly salted broiled fish with a squirt of citrus and refreshing grated daikon... YUM. I wasn't particularly impressed with the creamy croquette or the agedashi tofu. Not that I drank the tofu broth, but it was quite strong in saltiness. The tuna was good but apparently women aren't supposed to eat too much tuna as we discussed in the car ride over... that is very sad news and I might be in trouble if that really causes issues since I grew up on fish and love maguro/tuna!

I think the only disappointment for us was that Gombei doesn't offer dessert. We sat and drank tea for a bit since it wasn't too crowded on a Thursday night, but I do wish they had dessert. To satisfy Christina's and my craving for something sweet, we went to... McDonald's for soft serve ice cream cones- what an interesting twist of events for our "Fine" Dining Club dinner. That's why I love my roomies- spontaneity and appreciation for good food regardless of cost! Gombei was definitely fiiiiiiiine food- we'd all go back again any time :D

Jeremy's First Gochi

I really enjoy going to Gochi, as does my roommate Angela, but my fiance Jeremy has never gone and has wanted to go since everyone talks about it. Four of us finally went: my Mom, my maid of honor Jessica, Jeremy, and I. He met up with us after a busy day of dress shopping for me-fairly successful I believe. I didn't actually get the dress yet, but basically narrowed it down to two, leaning towards one, and trying to be okay with the price.

Anyway, back to dinner at Gochi. We got a few things that I have gotten before like the daikon salad which is good (not fabulous) and HUGE. I had forgotten how big that thing was! We also got the fried chicken and eggplant with a ponzu type dish that I love. We also got a kimchi pork clay pot where the girls all wanted the nice crispy rice parts- it's the best part! We also got a few new items: "kabocha mochi" which is mashed japanese pumpkin with cheese inside and I believe grilled with a soy saucy flavor on the outside to really make it have the texture of mochi. It is then wrapped in seaweed just like you would eat a plain mochi! I really enjoyed it so I hope it is there next time I go. We also got grilled squid which was new and just okay, not huge flavor, nothing special. I can't remember if we got anything else, but we sure did get dessert.

My mom saw a dessert come out at a different table and wanted it. It ended up being delicious green tea tiramisu with red bean on top. It is definitely not like the usual tiramisu, but I'd say it was very tasty! The other dessert we shared was black sesame ice cream which I had before and enjoyed. I didn't know how Jeremy would like either of them but he liked both, especially the tiramisu! No wonder I love the guy! He likes what I eat, and everybody KNOWS how important food is to me!! :) Yay Gochi!

Sushi Sam's

I went to Sushi Sam's with my Mom and her friend when she was visiting me so we could go dress shopping. A good friend of hers had recommended this sushi restaurant in San Mateo, so we made reservations and went.

To be frank, the food was good but I wasn't blown away. The "chef's special" only included sushi unlike what we're used to with other culinary dishes besides sushi incorporated in for the whole meal experience. The sushi chef ordered some appetizer dishes for us, and they were all delicious. I will say though that the star was the sushi. The fish was fresh, well presented, and we ate some unique/rare items. My only complaint is that most of them had ponzu sauce on it which kept it the same flavor as well as hiding the natural flavor of the fresh fish a little. There was also a scallop with salt and lemon but it had toughened up a bit with the lemon on it for too long.

The other thing that hung me up about the place was the service. The sushi chef conversed with us, especially when it came to golf, but he would shout out orders often. We also were not told when our sushi specials were done and were waiting there for a while before we asked if that was it. We thought they were going to ask if we wanted any additional sushi or ask us about dessert, but we had to initiate both conversations. We had heard good things about their handmade desserts, so we tried 2 different kinds and my mom's friend was correct to say the desserts are delicious! The sushi chef's niece who is a waitress there makes the desserts that change from time to time. I got the kinako panna cotta with red bean sorbet, mochi balls, and fruit. Not too sweet, beautifully presented, and enough to share around.

I enjoyed the meal, but I left not completely satisfied for the price we paid. But again, maybe I'm too spoiled from Sushi Ota in San Diego that I absolutely adore :)

Dacia-cakes

I have to give a shout out to my coworker and cube neighbor Dacia.  She makes the best cupcakes in the world and she made me engagement cupcakes today :)  She played around with fondant and kneaded like no other to make a beautiful and DELICIOUS white cupcake with milk and white chocolate chips as well as a hint of raspberry! It was so moist and yummy I can't even explain.  I am not a big frosting person so I opted for the naked cupcake.  A good cupcake really doesn't need any frosting!

Dacia, you're amazing and if you open up your own shop I will be a frequent customer!  I brought one home for Jeremy too and he devoured it very quickly~ I've already hinted that if we don't get a wedding package and she's up for doing a lot of cupcakes (since whole cakes overwhelm her), there may be some talking... :) They are THAT good!!

It makes me want to specialize and perfect something I make so that I can be a specialty person that can own her own place some day too!

Santa Ramen

After a disappointing first wedding venue viewing, Jeremy & I decided to dinner in San Mateo since we had driven all the way to Burlingame. We decided on Santa Ramen, and we discovered that it had moved to a larger location! The good thing is that they can let more people in, even though there is still a continual line out the door meaning you can't linger with your food. I ALSO found out, that they no longer have the stewed pork ramen option. You have to choose either shoyu, tonkotsu, or miso ramen for $7.95, and add 2 pieces of stewed pork for $4.95!

They get a better place to serve more people and hike up the prices... I was not so happy... the stewed pork was good and I will say that they are clearly larger than what was included before, but it wasn't worth $5 for Jeremy or I. I will say that as usual the broth impressed me, and I was drinking it up. I kept doing tastings between my tonkotsu and Jeremy's shoyu... can't pick a favorite because they are both quite tasty and it just depends on the mood! Jeremy had to remind me to take pictures before diving in to my food haha what a great fiance (accent on the e) I have!

Last Week Good Eats Pt 2- Last Whole Day

The Last Whole Day in Singapore and my last day of work...

Old Airport Hawker Center for dinner

My main point of going was the famous rojak stall that I was told about.  I have been having a craving for rojak before I leave, so Viv told me about this famous stall in the east.  The durian stall we could go to was close by, so I decided this would be a great opportunity to go eat the famous rojak... sad thing is that it was CLOSED!!!!  It just wasn't meant to be... Instead we had a different rojak which was still pretty nice, along with the wanton mee that was recommended.  It is out of order, but there is also a picture of our table finished afterwards.  I needed to leave room or part 2 and highlight of the night- DURIAN~~

A few colleagues of mine agreed to take me for a REAL durian experience since I was told this week that the packaged durian is usually the not so good quality durian, even though I liked it! They also winced when I said I had the durian pancakes, so we agreed to go for the real experience on my last night here.  Key things for a real experience: pick your durian, have it cut open for you, take the pods out of the fruit to eat with friends, and stink for a while!! They said don't regret it tomorrow when you burp and smell it, smell it on your fingers, and people scoot away from you... but it was WORTH it :)

Here is the durian that Marianne and I picked, as well as a picture of me with the one I sampled.  It was a D24 I believe which is supposed to be high quality, sweet durian.  It was definitely tasty and worth it!  Very creamy, sweet, and no wonder it is the king of fruits!

One final picture of me with durian in one hand, husk in front of me with the pods in it, and a coconut drink to balance it out!  I didn't get to drink water out of the husk which is supposed to somehow help reduce the stinkiness, because we had to run to our car so we didn't get a ticket hehe.  Hopefully the people in the plane tomorrow don't mind!!

Last Week Good Eats Pt 1

The last week in Singapore only means one thing for me...

Squeeze in as much good food as I can!  This whole week was filled with good eats so here is my attempt to capture my culinary adventures throughout the week...

Tuesday- Peranakan Food at Ivan's with Alvin & Christina followed by Island Creamery Ice Cream

Alvin ordered a number of dishes at Ivan's for us and they were all really good. He sure knows the yummies! My favorite (not pictured because it came later than the rest) was what I believe is called itek tim, or the stewed duck in a tamarind gra

vy.  It was a bit sweet but still had a bit of a different, unique kick to it and

 absolutely delicious with coconut rice or alone as I drank a couple spoonfuls at the end because I liked it so much.  My other favorite is the deep fried rolls above with a sort of sweet meat in the middle, eaten with a sweet sauce and a bit of chili.  Yummyyyyyy is all I can say.  We also got some "must try-s" that I think are called ayum buah keluak (chicken with a hard nut stewed in a spicy sour sauce), babi pongteh (pork stewed in soy sauce with spices), vegetables, and of course all with coconut rice.  I had Pernakan food one time previous to this but this time was so much more memorable!

For dessert we headed over to Island Creamery which is a local ice cream shop that makes their own ice creams, with some unique flavors.  Some of those unique flavors included chendol, teh tarik, pulut hitam, and Tiger beer.  I ended up getting the Teh Tarik 

which was delicious- a nice milk tea that apparently tastes like the real drink!  We also tried to print a picture for their wall, but their printer adapter was broken so we couldn't print our picture.  We won't be on their wall, but I'll have the picture we wanted to print!

Wednesday- Crystal Jade farewell lunch with colleagues & Lau Pa Sat dinner with Vivien

My colleagues took me out to a dim sum lunch at Crystal Jade.  It was a good choice since I had gone to Din Tai Fung before for dim sum, but Crystal Jade is an originally singaporean establishment.  We had TONS of food and all of it was really good.  Pictures aren't too flattering so I'll keep them to myself, but I'll share the highlights of what I ate.  I really liked the hor fun I think it was- dark stir fried noodles, roasted meats like pork and duck, and sweet water chestnut rice cake. I don't exactly remember all I ate since there was so much, but those are the ones that stood out to me.

Lau Pa Sat was actually kind of a disappointment.  First of all, not too many queues that I can use as a cue of good food.  I wandered around trying to figure out what to eat and finally decided on ban mian because I like homemade noodles.  I tried a few bites of Viv's Kway Chap which was actually quite good with an herbally taste.  Many people may be turned off that its pig's organs though... I also tried a bit of her bok chor mee, aka minced pork noodle.  Then for dessert I sampled a bit of her sweet potato longan dessert which was quite delightful I must say!  I've heard that the satay street isn't that great so we didn't even try.  For having tons of stores, I had no idea which places were good, and it seems like not too many are famous for their items!

Bangkok, Thailand Part 2

Now for Bangkok part 2- the sweet stuff!

My first sweet came in the form of mango sticky rice at the floating market.  Ok so the first picture is from the thai iced tea lady, but the sticky rice lady was right behind her.  As you can tell in the second photo, I was a tad sweaty from

the heat, humidity, and all the people.  I could try to touch up the photo and get the hair out of my forehead, but clearly I didn't care enough! The sticky rice wasn't as sweet as what I have had in the US, which doesn't surprise me, and I really enjoyed it!

My second sweet was at the Chatuchak Market where there were a lot of stores with actually some good stuff.  It wasn't the road of junk like we saw walking to Wat Pho from the Grand Palace.  I know one person's junk can be another person's treasure but... that stuff was REALLY hard to imagine as someone's treasure... 

The second picture is the dessert that I got.  I'm actually not quite sure what it is, but you pick what you want in your dessert with coconut milk.  The pink balls were gelatinous with a sort of water chestnut-ty crunch center.  The white balls I got that looked like banana cut up was the same crunchy thing that was in the center of the pink thing I believe... Then long white pieces were just coconut inside bits I believe.  It wasn't the best dessert I've had, but it wasn't bad by any means, and I tried something new that I wouldn't eat otherwise!  For the equivalent of $1, this is the place to experiment with new foods right?

Third stop was my last Bangkok eats and was yummyyyyyy.  It was a banana roti or pancake 

with chocolate.  I know Jeremy would have loved it- banana and chocolate!  It was basically like a crepe, and when I used to go to summer festivals in Japan, I would always get the banana nutella crepes. So here at the Khao San Road roti cart, I got the delightful pancake that I needed Riga's help eating since I had been snacking all afternoon.  The sweetness with the crispy outside-yummmmm what a way to cap off the trip!!

Bangkok, Thailand Part 1

Bangkok in a weekend... quite a lot to do but I think Riga & I covered good ground.

Besides all the sightseeing, you know what's important to me- food!  Lots of pictures and stuff to talk about so as far as actual meals, a buffet breakfast was included with the hotel we stayed at- Viengtai hotel by Khao San Road.  I liked staying by (but not on) Khao San Road because it stayed lively even at night so it was pretty safe with a night scene.  

Our lun-ner on saturday was at Mango Tree.  We had some yummy food: I got the Mussaman Curry, and sampled Riga's goodies that included chicken satay, tom yam koom soup, and chili catfish.  The rice they served also had some other grains in it and it was really good.  They even

 gave me a tad extra rice when I wanted some more for the curry sauce that was deliiiiicious.  The catfish chili was really spicy but it was very flavorful.  The satay wasn't as sweet as the satay I've been eating in Singapore which was different and quite tasty. Of course I got a thai iced tea to

wash it all down as well!  It wasn't as sweet as the usual ones I'm used to, which was a refreshing change. Pretty with an orchid in the glass :)

We then went to get massages which I was a bit worried about on such a full stomach but I was fine- enjoyed it very much.  Of course there was pain every now and then when they knead out all your muscles but felt really good!

On day 2, I got sticky rice with mango at the floating market, but that's for part 2- desserts!  At Chatuchak Market I got 4 spring rolls for 20 baht which is about 

80 cents or so- gotta love cheap food!  There was a wide selection of spring rolls but they were out of the ones that I wanted to try. They also weren't freshly fried so not as crispy and yummy but I was hungry so it did the job.

We went back to Khao San Road where I was determined to try some pad thai here in Bangkok!  25 baht for a pad thai with egg- yummmmm... however it wasn't as satisfying because it was a bit different from the sweet pad thai I'm used to.  They stir fry it for you but apparently you do a lot of the flavoring yourself.  They have some sauces and sugar on the side of the cart for you to add in as 

desired.  I didn't know it wasn't sweet at all, so I just added a tad of sauce.  It was good, but it didn't really taste like Pad Thai.  If I had another one, I'd flavor it accordingly to suit my taste buds.  I guess I like the pre-flavored kind better!

Stay tuned for part 2- desserts!!

Chili Crab Xiao Long Bao

Limited time edition Chili Crab Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung?  I'm there! Even though the reviews had said they are neither chili crab nor xiao long bao, I had to try it for myself.  Before the main item though, I tried the chili vinegar veggie appetizer which was quite good.  It wasn't too spicy and it was a nice salad type appetizer, since I don't think I get as many vegetables as I normally do back home.  Plus it comes out fast when you're hungry!

On to the main focus of my food adventure that I dragged Riga to. 

Besides the fact that on my last bite I squirted red juice on myself... just when you think you're safe and clear of mess, you get bright red on the white part of your shirt!  It was actually quite delightful- not too spicy but very juicy with the chili crab juice locked into the dumpling.  The reviews were right that it doesn't take the place of either dish, but it is something worthy of trying if you're here when they offer the summer special!  

Can't you tell by my face that I enjoyed my meal?

I also learned from Riga that the flower mode on my camera, also called "macro" mode lets you take pictures of things really up close without bluring!  As in the really close bao pic above :)  

Funny Realization

Just a random realization that was quite funny to me...

The people that sell fried puffs on the side of the road in the morning and some afternoons aren't saying "calipa, calipa, calipa" which I thought was a different language meaning something like "come buy". They are actually saying "curry puff" over and over- REALLY fast.  

Malacca, Malaysia yummies

A weekend trip to Malacca, Malaysia.  Despite people trying to scare me about the dangers of Malaysia, Malacca was fine and lots of fun!

  First thing on the list, chicken rice balls!  We went to one of the two famous stores that serve chicken rice balls for lunch right before the masses came in!  The rice balls were quite good as well as the chicken and cucumbers, but I like regular chicken rice better because the rice balls are a bit mushy because they are packed together tightly.

  Next on the list was chendol, so I had a Mango 

chendol and Audrey had a durian chendol.  The ice stayed solid much longer than the desserts we have here in Singapore because apparently Malaysians pack the ice tighter.  The molasses like brown sugar sauce was delicious too! They even give you more in a green bottle if you want it sweeter! (Jeremy, you can have 

the whole bottle to yourself.) Not too coconutty, but there was enough coconut taste with the ice and mango. 

At night after we rested for a bit, we went out to the Jonker night market, which I must say was my favorite part of the trip. There were all sorts of things on sale, including lots of good food 

to choose from  and my eyes were much bigger than my stomach. First thing we had at dinner time was a sampling of dim sum items from the auntie and young man selling the loads of yummy looking delights at a stall.  Lots of colors of small deliciousness that I picked and chose from.  As usual, they squirted in a bit of chili sauce for me.  We savored them as we walked to our next destination where we had Asam Laksa.  

It was really spicy which made me sweat a lot more from eating it rather than just being in the hot weather, but it was quite nice.  It wasn't heavy in a creamy way like the usual laksa but the sourness was a nice fresh combination with the spiciness.

We also had nonya kueh that was absolutely fantastic!  I had the sweet potato kind while Audrey tried

 the pandan kind.  They were soft and the right amount of chewiness.  I think I really enjoyed it because it wasn't overly sweet as a lot of sweets tend to be. We both really enjoyed our kuehs and when we went back to see if we wanted to buy more possibly for breakfast, they had run out. Our decision had been made for us... that was of course returning after a 1 hour plus martial arts street show of a kung fu laoshi and his powerful index finger.

Last but not least, this is for Jeremy because it was a funny sign I showed him from our hotel bathroom: