Lemon Square'd

Pre-Thanksgiving!

2011-11-20T13:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for your loved ones: your family, and the ones that become your family.

And let's not forget the food! Shown: Mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread stuffing, turkey.

Good friends since middle school!

Sous-chef!

Sweet potato casserole with marshmallows.

Tons of wine.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Artichokes

2011-09-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

The first recipe that I cooked out of Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' was the simple, natural, boiled artichoke with a sinful buttery Hollandaise sauce.

And just like the illustration in the book, I hollowed out the choke part and filled the middle with the luscious sauce. Really simple to prepare, and really fun to share. The flowered presentation kind of reminds me of Chili's Bloomin' Onion, but, you know, of course boiled vegetables is healthier than anything deep fried.

Pâté cake, pâté cake

2011-02-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

Pâté: you either love it, or you hate it; and you always pray that you'll get a good experience. I remember clearly two distinct pâté tastings. First, a month or so ago at a ramen shop: a Japanese-French fusion offering that was chalky, wrapped in cold bacon, and disappointing in taste--that is to say, there wasn't really any. Fast forward to yesterday: Monsier Marcel, located at The Original Farmer's Market in Los Angeles. A rich, smooth mousse-truffle pâté that quite literally made my eyes roll back into my head; a duck terrine with fine shreds of meat which was just as delicious, but very different; lastly, a traditional, rustic and distinctly earthy country pâté with a chunkier texture than the rest, that also exhibited the strong presence of liver without overwhelming the palate.

Truffle Mouse pâté. I eyed the large loaf while it was sitting in the deli case at Monsier Marcel's. The kind deli guy gave me and my roommate a generous portion...that exquisite taste and texture contributed to my decision to fork over $5 for a quarter pound.

Next to Monsieur Marcel's Gourmet Market is their outdoor patio dining and wine bar area; Zagat rated for many years now, as you can see.

A sampler of fresh baguette, and savory crackers.

The Charcuterie Francaises: Salami, ham, a duck terrine and the country pâté, accompanied by pickles and olives.

A cheese sampler with a hard, hearty cheese. I'm not quite sure what variety it was, because it wasn't the cheese we ordered (we wanted the Delice de Bourgogne). Still, very good with the quince paste and assorted nuts and fruits.

I had a wonderful time enjoying a taste of the moderate yet luxurious French experience: a little really does go a long way. Between me and my roommate, we have yet to finish our leftovers. But it's just as well--with bread, wine, and conversation, the experience has yet to end.

One year ago...

2011-02-25T00:31:00.000-08:00

One year ago Excal and Lemony went on an impromptu road trip to visit Excal's friend, who recently suffered from a major concussion and a minor bout of amnesia. True story.

Before they headed home on that fateful day that Excal got his first speeding ticket (sorry!), they ate at this lovely little restaurant:

Crepeville's charming blackboard menu with lots of delicious goodies to choose from:

And as you can see, they do more than just crepes.

Excal, ogling the menu.

A Mediterranean crepe with side of breakfast potatoes. Delicious, hearty, and way too much food.

This poor guy didn't realize just how much food we ordered.

My order of Eggs Benedict...deliciously poached, but a mistake to order because I would end up taking all the potatoes to-go.

And finally, lemon creme blintzes, served atop applesauce. Now these were simply amazing!

Crepeville

330 3rd St
Davis, CA 95616

(530) 750-2400

'Scuse me...Sushi coming through

2011-02-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

Long overdue pictures from an AYCE sushi extravaganza--this was from over a year ago!
I don't usually like fusion rolls of the mayo-sauce-California Roll variety, but for a price of $14 I'm sure I'll suck it up and pack it down.

Some sort of sushi roll. Tastes exactly as it looks...interesting.

A plate full of salmon sashimi! And requisite green tea.

Sushi boat floating by...with an out of place order of fried sesame balls (zeen duy). Overall, not too shabby and I'm always seeing interesting people here.

Davis Sushi Buffet

707 2nd St
Davis, CA 95616

(530) 297-1999

Where your sandwich search ends.

2010-12-08T02:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you that are tired of sandwich chains loaded with the same boring taste, there is hope. Tucked away in the Skypark office complex near the John Wayne Airport, we find the sandwich haven known as Harry's Deli. This is the quintessential no-frills approach, and I do mean no-frills: no chip and drink combos here. What they do have are sandwiches that stand out on their own, and sides that perfectly complement the sandwiches.

Let's take a look at Exhibit A:

A beautiful 'Loaded Turkey' on toasted sourdough, with turkey, avocado, tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard...and the kicker: bacon. Perfect with a side of tomato-basil soup. Also, if you look at my profile picture: the perfect Reuben, #32 on OCWeekly's Top 100 Favorite Dishes. But check out the reviews on Yelp!--144 five-star reviews can't be wrong--and also, their website to get a glimpse of their other sandwich creations.

Happy Lunching!

Harry's Deli

17881 Sky Park CircleSte AIrvine, CA 92614

(949) 261-2116

Harrys-Deli.com

Top Chef | All Stars Episode 1

2010-12-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

This is going to be the most epic season of Top Chef yet because it's what I've been pretty much been waiting for...having previous season contestants duke it out to be the Top of the Top! You love them, you hate them, but most importantly, you don't need to learn new names. Watching the earlier contestants come back onto the show was pretty surreal, especially when they mentioned that it had been (at least) four years since their season was aired...meaning holy cow, I've been watching Top Chef throughout my entire college career, and then some (grad school still counts as college, guys).

What I'm not sure I understand is how they select the contestants. Some seasons have a lot more contestants selected from their set, but all seasons are represented with at least 2 contestants.

After a meet and greet and hug out at some swanky penthouse loft whatever thing in NYC, they don their snazzy black chef coats and I notice that a few of them gained a little bit of weight with the way their jackets are straining. But you know what they say. Don't trust a skinny chef. Off to the Top Chef kitchen (TCK) we go!

Quickfire: Tom and Padma greet the bunch, have them divide into teams according to their season and cook a dish representative of their season's location. Interesting, because you don't know if having more people on your team is going to be a boon or a detriment.

Recap on contestants!

Season 1 San Francisco: Cioppino gazpacho with sourdough

Tiffani Faison: The red head that won't let you forget it. I thought she was great on her.
Stephen Asprinio: Wine guy. A little pretentious.

Season 2 Los Angeles: Shrimp Tacos with Guacamole with Apple Wrapper

Elia Aboumrad: Feisty one that shaved her head, has a million cooking degrees under her belt.
Marcel Vigneron: Mousse man that didn't shave his head. Also a molecular gastronomist like Blaise.

Season 3 Miami: Pork tenderloin, avocado lime puree, tostones, habanero sauce.

Casey Thompson: That pretty one that didn't really occur to me that she really knew how to cook. She always seemed to win on accident.
Dale Levitski: Big gay Dale. Really gave Hung a run for his money.
Tre Wilcox: Seemed like he knew what he was doing...but I didn't think this season terribly memorable.

Season 4 Chicago: Pork and black pepper sausage, mustard ice cream

Richard Blaise: Professor Blaise. Memorable because there isn't a dish of his without a touch of liquid nitro in it.
Spike Mendelsohn: Wily fox after my own heart, you love to hate him but I just can't (hate him, that is). Plus, I want a hat from his hat collection.
Antonia Lofaso: Wholesome girl next door, and a mom.
Dale Talde: DT IN THE HIZZOUSE! Cue the crotch grab.

Season 5 New York: curried apple soup, pasta with caramelized apple, rib-eye with apple

Jamie Lauren: Tattoos. Attitude. Gave bald Stephen blue balls the entire season.
Carla Hall: Hootie! Hoo! Definitely who I want to go to yoga with.
Fabio Viviani: HEARTTROB ACCENT.

Season 6 Las Vegas: Bucatini with bacon lobster carbonara

Jennifer Carroll: an Eric Ripert favorite. Tiny, but she can cook.
Mike Isabella: No idea what this d-bag is doing here on this show.

Season 7 Washington D.C.: crab cake essence with rock fish, lemongrass, jalepeno, and Old Bay

Angelo Sosa: Don't cook Asian food if you're not Asian, man.
Tiffany Derry: I heart her. She's the ultimate home girl.

Tom didn't like:

SF because there was too much raw garlic (which is not a bad thing in my book)
LA because the shrimp had no seasoning, and the apple tortilla thing was too thin
D.C. because it was too salty
NY because he just didn't get it.

Tom liked:

Miami because it's pork, dammit.
Vegas because nothing says I love you than homemade pasta and lobster.
Chicago because it's funny and weird but it works.

Winnar: Chicago! Good job team.

Elimination challenge: You have to remake the dish that sent you home...just a better, non-home sending version of it, that's all. It's a great opportunity for redemption...and also a great opportunity for embarrassment. Personally, I love this challenge because the chefs really have to earn their place...that's right, check the ego at the door because you were all eliminated once upon a time.

Judges are the same per usual, with the fourth being my very favorite Anthony Bourdain who keeps it real. The cheftestants are divided in two; while one section cooks, the other will join the judges in tasting and critiquing the dishes. Which means the ubiquitous flat-screen TV will be set up in the kitchen so that the chefs can see what the judges and cohorts think of the food.

Top Three: Actually, Richard made it to the top but because he went over the time limit (I don't quite believe him when he says he didn't hear the timer ring), he couldn't qualify to win. Still, nice to be recognized...not nice to be shafted of $10,000. Follow the rules.
Which leaves:

Spike's Scallops
Jamie's Celery
Angelo's Ramen Watermelon Tea.

Just so you know, those aren't the actual dishes...just the components they improved upon.
Winner: Angelo! He looked like he was about to cry. You deserve this one buddy.

Loser's Circle:

Elia's fish
Stephen's Panda Express
Fabio's pasta

I actually didn't think Fabio's pasta looked that bad on TV, and I honestly think Italian food can only be so bad. So yes, Bourdain was being his usual self but Fabio probably needs to suck it up because that's not the last (or the worst) thing anyone will probably hear from Bourdain. But Elia. Says she's matured, but she's just bordering on plain conceited. "Don't eliminate me, I have more to offer"--but Top Chef never judges on potential.
Packed their knives and went: Elia.

A good, exciting episode. While I'm not particularly fond of the animosity and drama that seems to run rampant on most Bravo shows, I probably won't mind because I just happen to be thoroughly entertained by Dale Talde's attempts to compensate for his short stature (zing!). But for predicting the winner? It's hard to say, but I would really love for a female chef to win this season, and really put the guys into their place. Can't wait for the next episode...heard that a JoBro is going to make an appearance.

So Asian: My love for rice.

2010-10-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Because I am so Asian, I have rice almost every single day. When I cook, I plan my dishes around what would go well with rice. When I go out to eat, I would order a dish with lots of gravy or sauce that would go well with rice.

Observe the following dish:

This is a beef brisket stew with carrots, spinach and daikon that I ordered from Capital Seafood in Irvine. It was very delicious. The stew had a hint of 5-spice and traces of anise, which are classic to most Asian beef stews (Chinese or Vietnamese). I highly recommend this on a cold day, to share family-style with a LOT of steamed rice, of course.

And as proof that I haven't forgotten how to cook:

From the top: Cold tofu with green onions and ponzu sauce, soy-sauce braised chicken legs, braised eggplant stuffed with fish paste, simple sauteed spinach with garlic.

All of these dishes have a different tasting sauce, ranging from citrus-savory, spicy, and mild. Sometimes I'll mix it up and through in a dry dish (something fried), but even then, fried foods usually have enough salt in it that it tastes good with rice.

What do you eat with your rice?

Capital Seafood

2700 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606

(949) 252-8188

Surf Steak, Turf Steak

2010-06-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

While I do enjoy a regular surf and turf of lobster tail and steak, sometimes lobster tail just isn't that available. That's why I have Costco to thank for their big portions of meat, whatever meat it is that I crave. Some Excal creations:

Turf: land animal

Sliced Filet Mignon topped with baby bella mushrooms. Cooked with the cast-iron pan, of course.

Surf: sea animal.

Seared ahi tuna, with garlic chips and asparagus in olive oil. Ahi tuna is delicious, but desperately tricky to figure out. Do you sear it and present it raw in the middle? Or cook it all the way through? This Ahi steak was treated just like...well, a steak. It was cooked through, but the meat was still flaky.

What's your budget surf and turf?

Random Pictures of Food

2010-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Why hello! It's nearly the end of my undergraduate career, and there's a backlog of cooked food pics that I haven't posted. :[ Regular blogging is muy hard.

Here are some more samples of Excal's cooking:

These turd mounds are actually delicious Portabello mushrooms sauteed in butter. Vegetarians always say that the Portabello mushroom is a great substitute for a meat patty in a burger--and after eating this, I believe them.

Fresh filet of halibut with olive oil, salt and pepper, LEMON, and dill. Flaky, moist. Mm.

Poor Mr. Overcooked lobster.

2010-03-20T02:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings from afar! As one can tell, this is not Lemony posting, but her boyfriend Excal! Anyways, to the dish! Isn't that lovely good sirs and madams? My one and only love, Lemony, has created the ultimate mac and cheese dish *At least for me*. Who knew that such an American classic can be turned into something awesome. Yes, awesome is the best way to describe this. Baked to perfection, she used a mixture of different cheeses *mexican blend with extra cheddar* and added bread crumbs to the top for a nice crispy exterior. Yum! To go along with such a dish, Lemony also made these lovely bunches!

Aren't they lovely looking? A mixture of ground beef and oats, baked with Korean BBQ sauce= delicious morsels of awesome. Yes, this meal was indeed made of awesome.

Ohohoho! What is this? You think I'd let Lemony take all the fun and cook the meals as of late? Pish posh! I present to you my perfected steak! Yes, after many failed attempts and overcooked steaks, I have finally found the perfect mix of time in the skillet and time in the oven. Filet mignon steaks with a dry rub of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, roasted and broiled in the oven with rosemary topped on for a nice dash of flavor. The rice is an amalgamation of leftover tomato sauce and left overs from a past dinner *fried rice made with ground beef, ponzu sauce, green onions, garlic powder and egg* and turned out pretty ok considering it was an odd mix of Italian and Asian *cheese+tomato+basil vs ponzu sauce*

Here is a closeup of one of the steaks:
As Lemony would say, Mmmmm....bloody.

And with that, I bid you all adieu and hope to be back soon! Assuming Lemony won't ban me from posting again.

Who is Excal?

2010-02-24T22:47:00.000-08:00

Only this handsome man chowing down on a falafel wrap. Oh, and he cooks.

Yaki udon.

!#(!!@* manly rib-eye.

In the process of cooking one of my favorite, favorite dishes...

Crispy fried tofu with a soft custard-y center, served with spicy vinegar sauce.

Rule #6: Cast Iron Skillet

2010-02-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

Because Excal and I love Zombieland to death (or undeath, lolol), I present to you Rule #6. Cast iron skillets are retardedly heavy but infinitely useful. You can make this:

Deep dish pizza prior to baking--made with pre-made pizza dough, a sauce of crushed tomatoes and garlic, with toppings of mozzarella cheese, sausage, ham, pepperoni, bell peppers, red onions, more cheese, sauce, more cheese, green onions. This is why I'm fat.

Fresh out of the oven.

Up close and personal.

And with cast iron skillet #2, your own gargantuan pizookie. Step aside, BJ's.

Visitors from afar is an excuse to cook a LOT of food.

2010-02-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my dearest friend Candice from Piglet's Workshop flew down to SoCal for a graduate school visitation day--subsequently, she got to see and stay with me for the duration! Of course, I would look for any excuse to cook a big meal.

She very kindly did a post on the crab cakes I made for the occasion :D And all photography in the post provided by Candice.

Day 1 meal: crab cakes, angel hair pasta with bruschetta topping, salmon, ribs, kimchi pancake. Grillmaster Excal provided ribs and salmon (wrapped up in foil there)

Day 2. Got a little lazy with leftovers (see the ribs?) but added an Asian twist: miso soup, garlic stir-fried you-choy, and popcorn chicken breast bits. And more crab cakes.

That's all!

In other news....

2009-11-24T02:03:00.001-08:00

...I just turned 21!!!

Fox Barrel pear cider courtesy of Anthill Pub & Grille at UCI. They treat birthday people right--a big ass LITER of a beer of your choice if you're turning 21, a pint for subsequent birthdays. To help you all visualize, the gigantic liter mug is just about the same size as a pitcher.

This being my first time here (as opposed to the 'Quarter Club' members that go for a pint every.single.day.), I would say that both food and beverages do not disappoint. Granted, their grille menu could use more variety and a price cut ($4.50 for a hot dog, really?) but the salmon BLT was moist and pretty frickin tasty, and the sweet potato fries were an obvious hit.

Salmon BLT on ciabatta bread with a side of deli chips and pickle spear.

Other beers at the table:
Great White--super wheaty. Like.
Blue Fin--the stout to end all stouts. A Quarter Club member who keeps a running tab on all the beers he's sampled gave this one a 5 star.
Fox Barrel Pear Cider--according to some folks, it's pretty much a lightly pear-flavored soda. Except when the liter is all for one person. Then it's something else.

I am a happy camper. I will be back for sweet potato fries, and maybe some of the other recommended sandwiches--but I don't think I have the funds or the tolerance to become a Quarter Club member.And a nice little salmon BLT with lemon-caper aioli with a side of deli chips and pickle spear to round it out.

A sweet and sour life~

2009-11-12T19:03:00.001-08:00

Cooking a meal for someone is one of the more discernible gestures of affection. You can taste the love (or spite...spit...haha) put into the preparation. Nothing's quite like hospitality and the sharing of food, in my opinion.

When you go out to eat, you pay a certain amount for a return on investment; there is no extra incentive to go above and beyond the call of the dollar. When you're cooking for someone, the incentive to try comes from wanting to show off mad skillz and/or wanting to show that you care. Anyway, I'm something like day 8 into sampling delicious goodness courtesy of the creative culinary force that is my boyfriend. Armed with the ubiquitous cast-iron pan, bamboo spatula, Global paring knife, dishtowel over his left shoulder, ponzu sauce and NO recipes--he has fried his rice to crispiness, baked some very tasty stuffed porkchops, roasted buttery potatoes with (somewhat overdone) steak, poured me my favorite drink without ever neglecting that orange slice.

Cue the stuffed porkchops.

Requisite carbs and veggies to balance.

I'm happy and I'm scared.

I'm happy because this is the first time since I left home for college that someone was willing to cook for me so often, almost on a daily basis. Happy that I'm not doing the brunt of the cooking work even when I am cooking--I have someone competent with knife work and fire to help me out, to help me season properly to create something truly delicious. I don't even mind doing the dishes and cleaning up afterward!

But I'm scared because my weight is most definitely going up from all this food. Scared that I'll forget how to cook--but of course I've been pitching in here and there with vegetable dishes, random chocolate desserts, my fried shrimp and bloody bloody steaks. But maybe I'm scared that I'll get used to all of this, and take him for granted. That said, after GREs and grad applications I am retaking over my kitchen!

2009-11-03T23:37:00.001-08:00

This is Excal, Lemony's boyfriend. In response to her post, yes, it was a bad choice of meat cut. but hey, thats how people become better cooks. and it was only a matter of time till i made a bad choice. oh wells.

Lemony: "by wasting money?"

Excal: "it was only 5 bucks for 4 chunks miss"

Lemony: "don't forget the manpower you put into it by beating the crap out of it with a wine bottle"

Excal: "whatever. it was fun. =3"

Lemony: "Should've saved your strength for something else instead......."

Excal: "Like sex? you nympho."

Lemony: "....like washing my dishes, get your mind out of the gutter."

Excal: "whatever you say miss."

Heel meat.

2009-11-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

Dear blog:

Today, my boyfriend ended his streak of stellar cooking by utterly failing me in his experimentation with heel meat. What is heel meat you ask? It's a super tough cut of beef that even my sharp fox-like canines had trouble ripping through. But that's okay, because I'm off to relax in a nice bubble bath he's drawn for me.

Signing off~

Non-food post! Gasp!

2009-10-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

Previously known as the 'Pomegranate Girl' food blog because I was told I had as many secrets as a pomegranate has seeds, I have since gutted and edited away for a new look. I now formally present the 'Lemon Square'd' food blog because lemons are just more awesome in general--you can cook with them, you can clean with them, and you can bleach hair with them. And another thing: I am now entering my last undergraduate year at UCI, and I would like to give props to the UCI Dining for churning out and fostering my love for lemon square bars with the powdered sugar dusted on top.

To echo the words of my esteemed sister's pilot post over at Fuel Me Up!, life inevitably gives you lemons but it's what you make out of it that will determine the strength of your character. Me? I'd like to squirt it back into life's eye, take that! I'll still have my pomegranates when they're in season, and take my sweet time picking out the seeds. But I'm also trying to live my life with less complications, and less tragedy (cue the epic Greek myth of Persephone being sentenced to 6 months of Hades per year).

But more than blogging about the obscene amounts of food I eat, I started this food blog so I can remember and cherish good times of youth. It's a little silly that most holidays revolve around food and pretty much perpetuates the culture of obesity in America...but then again, it makes so much sense. Everyone has to eat. If they have to eat, they might as well enjoy it (although I obviously enjoy this much more than others). Consider it my delightful form of self-preservation.

Remember-always have your 5 a day. And drink lots and lots of water.

With love,

Lemony.

P.S. For regular postings on my ins and outs about town, please visit my Yelp! page at http://nightfaux.yelp.com

Quintessential greasy Chinese Food

2009-08-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

This is the classic case of not judging a book by its cover. I couldn't begin to describe how much I love the food from Union Chinese Restaurant in Campbell, which from the exterior practically looks like a hut. The service is also exceptional.

This is the beef noodle soup. While the stock isn't spicy, it's still got plenty of flavor. The meat is very tender, and the noodles are a perfectly chewy.

Another one of my favorites, the JiaJian Mian/Black Bean Noodles. The black bean sauce is thick with chopped up meats and assorted veggies, which you toss with the noodle. The resulting dish is a salty taste explosion that makes you crave more.

And then there are the requisite ABC-friendly dishes, such as the beef fried rice.

And tasty fried chicken in a sweet and sour garlic sauce.

Eggrolls.

And finally, Chow Mein.

Union Chinese Restaurant
2615 Union Ave
San Jose, CA 95124

Erik's Delicafe

2009-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

I was turned onto Erik's by my esteemed sister, who tempted me with descriptions of the illustrious sandwich known as the 'Natural High'. The Natural High tastes nothing short of amazing, but isn't as healthy as I would like to imagine given its full-fat spread and melty provolone cheese on top. The rest of the ingredients (mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, avocado--all wrapped in a loving whole-wheat pita case) should please the vegetarian palate. The soup accompanying the sandwich is a simple vegetable minestrone-full of flavor.

My friend J ordered a Southwestern Cobb salad, which came with an enormous chunk of bread. I felt that the components were rather bland by themselves, and the bread had much to be desired. Although Erik's is a little pricey, I would come back here for a quick soup and sandwich lunch.

Erik's Delicafe
19652 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014

Falafels.

2009-08-12T09:44:00.001-07:00

This dish conjures up some nice memories of high school. It was back in my senior year that I first had a real quality falafel, courtesy of House of Falafel in Cupertino. The fried ball of fava bean was a revelation to me: just the right density, not greasy, perfectly spiced. My favorite order at House of Falafel is the House wrap, which consists of falafels, tomato, lettuce, hummus and marinated eggplant wrapped up in lavash. It's delicious with the addition of the tahini (sesame) sauce and the hot sauce:

House of Falafel also roasts some tasty shawerma meat, which I also like to order in a wrap. It might be a little exotic for first-time goers, but Mediterranean cuisine is flavorful and healthy and really grows on you.

House of Falafel
19590 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014

Boiled Dumplings

2009-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Many different dumpling styles perpetuate the Chinese culture, including the potstickers, wontons, and the thin-skinned dumplings--but my absolute favorite kind of them all is the thick-skinned boiled dumplings with a San Xian (Three fresh ingredients: shrimp, leek, sea cucumber or other) filling. I get my dumpling fix at one of my favorite restaurants in Cupertino, Tong Dumpling Pot.

It's a quaint and very small restaurant that speaks predominantly Mandarin. The dumplings are made fresh and on-site, which you can observe from behind a plexiglass pane. Tong Dumpling Pot also offers a variety of tasty seasoned cold dishes as well.

Boiled Peanuts: strangely addicting. But a hilarious myth about peanuts: they make you hairy. Not kidding.

Seasoned seaweed with garlic: I absolutely love seaweed in the kelp-form, not so much a fan of the dried or fa-chai kinds (the one that looks like strands of worms/hair). I just wish there was more per serving!

And finally, the motherlode. A plate of these usually makes me pretty full, since the skin is pretty thick. The filling is juicy and so flavorful. It's time I make another visit!

Tong Dumpling Pot
6184 Bollinger Road
San Jose, CA 95129

The penultimate Top Chef Masters

2009-08-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

Haven't been able to keep my goal for blogging Top Chef Masters as I'm always a little behind in catching the latest Top Chef Masters due to my lack of a television set; plus, I didn't have strong reactions to the other episodes anyway. But it's time I break my silence because I was thoroughly entertained by Episode 8 of Top Chef Masters (and I managed to procure a copy of it just ONE night after it's first airing!)

The contenders:
Art 'Oprah's personal chef' Smith for Common Threads
Michael 'that conniving fox' Chiarello for Clinic Ole
Rick 'The Professor' Bayless for Frontera Farmer Foundation
Anita 'Choked' Lo for SHARE
Hubert 'demigod' Keller for Make-A-Wish Foundation

Quickfire. First of all, that mountainous display of burgers and fries was totally unnecessary, given that the chefs weren't even going to incorporate said mountain into their Burger+side challenge. I do hope that the food was given to the crew, or shipped to the starving children in Africa.

Introducing the QF judges--oh I loved this trio even though I didn't exactly know who the Asian guy in the middle was at first. Spike with the awesome hat was a total character of subterfuge and charm during Season 4, that sly fox. Now Mr. Sang Yoon of Father's Office I've read about in some LA-based food blogs, so at least I had a context to place him in...but I had no idea that he was such a big shot in the burger business. And of course, MORGAN SPURLOCK, that testament to willpower and the destructive forces of quarter-pounders. I'm very glad that he's looking fit and trim. Such a likeable guy, sacrificing himself for such a worthy cause. I have a good feeling about these judges.

Patty-forming and burger flipping begins. Chiarello's voice is starting to get very cloying, and Bayless' meat-grinder gets jammed. Is there anyone else here that finds it very odd that Smith is calling a grown man 'honey'? But I do very much like the notion of a hoecake burger, because I've never had a hoecake and it sounds delicious. Chiarello's ginormous patty pie looks really gross, and Lo is totally not playing it safe and following that all important Top Chef RULE: FOLLOW THE CRITERIA TO MEET THE CHALLENGE. Hamburger bits in soup do not make a hamburger sandwich, ever. On the other hand, Bayless' gooey melty cheeseburger looks very promising. And of course, Keller will be Keller.

Judging. Oms and noms. Surprisingly, Spike is very civil and offers polite and construtive criticisms. But what's up with Bayless getting all snooty about his 3 very different kinds of guacamole? First of all, guacamole is a freaking dip, not a dish. I would NOT want to eat just guacamole, much less 3 different kinds. And yum, the hoecakes look soo good. I'm surprised that the huge burger got good marks, but maybe it helps because cooking such a large burger ensures tenderness and moist meat in the middle? Not that I would know, as I've never cooked a burger in my life. Boy oh boy, I totally called it on Anita Lo's cheesy boiled meat dish. Sadly, Hubert Keller didn't do so hot with his too-strong Roquefort cheese.

And then we find that Mr. Italy and Mr. Mexico are neck to neck, and I couldn't have chosen two more arrogant and pretentious berks. Sadly, Anita Lo choked a LOT which I once again remind you how important following the Challenge parameters are.

Elimination Challenge! A vegan and no-soy no-gluten meal. I think I'd die from the sheer banality of it all if I didn't have more protein options. But if I could look as beautiful as Zooey Decshanel, I'd go vegan in a heartbeat.

Chefs are grasping at straws in terms of coming up with good ingredients for their dishes. I think they all have very good ideas and they even sound tasty!-so it was all a matter of execution. I pity the poor fools that kept dropping Hubert Keller's soup glasses, they should probably invent a suction-cup glass just for that purpose. Sweet. The other dishes look fine, except for Anita Lo's who once again chokes a little with the brown color palette. I'm going to segway onto Zooey's friends and family, because they're an eclectic bunch (or at least a few of them are). Zooey's mom is vapid and deadpan with comments, and looks genuinely displeased to be on national television eating food created by master chefs sitting across her fabulous daughter. Oh wait, I think I pinpointed the source of her apprehension! She doesn't like that her daughter is more famous than her! Attention whore.

"It's like coming home!"

"It's like coming home!"

"...that's what I just said, mom."

Case in point.

It was clear to me at this point that Anita needed to return to the kitchen and pack her knives--BUT in an unseen twist of fate, jolly bear Santa Smith is sent home for his dessert that supposedly tanked. I don't know about you, but I'd rather eat a bad dessert than a grease-soaked slice of eggplant. Coming up: the FINALS!

Hiatus

2009-08-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

Need new batteries for that poor point-n-shoot of mine that's been oh-so battered. But in a valiant effort to redeem itself, I present this:

A picture of the ever scandalous but oh so delicious shark fin dumpling soup. In other news, I'm craving to try Boeuf Bourguignonne, the dish made popular in the new movie Julie and Julia. The movie was so heartwarming and sweet, and I definitely recommend it to any foodie. Probably not the most masculine movie, but hey, who knows?

More MEAT!

2009-06-12T16:42:00.001-07:00

My best friend of over 11 years graduated and will be leaving me for the middle of nowhere, aka Davis. We partook in a meat fest at Lucille's BBQ at The District in Tustin as a farewell and pre-finals celebration.

The complimentary fresh baked biscuits served with apple butter were warm and flaky, but a little on the heavy side after I packed in three of them since I was on the verge of starving.

Combination 'porch platter' plate with smoked ham, mac n cheese, collard greens, and St. Louis style ribs. The ribs weren't quite fall-off-the-bone tender, but delicious nonetheless with savory and spicy notes. It was more of a dry rub rather than a full-on sauce. The ham steaks were a little tough and rough, but had plenty of salty flavor. The mac 'n' cheese were the consistency of glue, nothing to write home about. The requisite collard greens for nutrition had some bitter notes and I think only I enjoyed them.

Another plate with 1/2 BBQ chicken, brisket, RIBS, mashed potatoes, and corn. The ribs were the same, St. Louis style. The chicken was slightly dry but reheated well for my dinner later (as you can see, we ordered too much food between the three of us!). The sides, again, weren't spectacular; but the brisket was pretty notable, even though it wasn't fork tender.

It's a decent place to get some meats, but I wager that other places are more legit than Lucille's.

Lucille's Smokehouse BBQ

2550 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782

(714) 259-1227

Girls' Night Out...eating less than girly food.

2009-06-12T16:36:00.001-07:00

Because sometimes we girls crave real meat.

Outback Steakhouse's signature honey-wheat bread with some sweet butter. The bread was amazing and addictive, and we had several loaves.

Sirloin with a very generous serving of garlic mashes potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The seasonal vegetables were steamed, a very simple preparation that lent nutritional value to the rest of the protein/carbo loaded meal.

My order: PRIME RIB, with same garlic mashers and green beans. The prime rib was lacking in a little flavor so I had to 'kick it up a notch' with some S&P, au jus and lots of creamy horseradish. The green beans were sauteed in olive oil and some sort of dark, savory sauce that I can't quite place. All in all, not bad.

Go to your local Outback today!

Top Chef Masters, Episode 1

2009-06-12T02:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the totally awesome premiere of the long awaited Top Chef Masters. So the first thing I noticed about these masters--they check their ego at the door.

Good, good. Very good. Tim Love for March of Dimes, Hubert Keller for Make-a-Wish, Christopher Lee for Autism Speaks, and Michael Schlow for Cam Neely Foundation. Now I don't really know who these people are except for Hubert Keller because he is so bad-ass. His stint as guest judge on the first ever Top Chef episode burned a hole in my foodie heart.

What, no Padma? That's cool I guess. Kelly Choi, leggy Korean model turned TV host is markedly more bubbly and seems less snooty overall. And as a bonus: none of that seductive bullshit going on, you can tell she has genuine respect for these chefs and not trying to get into their pants.

I'm just going to call this guy Mr. Intense because I sure as hell don't know his real name. (fine I looked it up, he's Jay Rayner.) Just look at him, he's like this awesome Byronic hero (fitting, as he's a Londoner).

Episode Recap. Prizes: the ultimate prize of $100,000 for charity of choice, and the potential to win little personal prizes here and there for each achievement.

First Quickfire: the dreaded Dessert. Oh noes. Okay so I love how the second Kelly plugs Richard Blaise's Banana Scallops, Chris Love decides to do the same friggin' thing--carmelize banana slices. Sooo original. Then again, Blaise decided to use that same dessert three times in that season, which brings up the question: is copying your own work still plagiarizing? Still, come up with something new...how about carmelized durian. That sounds delish.

Oh that's right I forgot the mention the twist. Girl Scout judges, who ostensibly know their desserts because they sell bombass cookies (I especially love the chocolate peanut butter thing. On an unrelated note, my junior year Lit. Honors teacher has her teenaged self immortalized on a cookie box. She's the Asian chick holding the basketball on the red box. Just sayin') So what does Chris Love do? Put his french toast crouton thing with banana scallop on a stick.

Now I want to segway into the other chefs' dishes. I immediately love Tim Love's idea for the strawberry trio because we all know girls <3 strawberries. We all know Hubert Keller's dish was going to be awesome from the get go, and although I did think that making a 'swan' was a little ambitious, I nixed that thought out of my mind because, well, it's freaking Hubert Keller.

Now, this Michael Schlow. Pity the poor master that can't work his magic on a mixer. In the end, he produced some sad pieces of scat, flavored with salty sweat.

Judging was pretty darn interesting, as blind-taste tests can only be. I totally agree with the chefs that the red-headed Girl Scout was a total ball-buster. Once the scores were all nice and tallied up, we see that Hubert Keller takes the lead.

This star-points system is going to get really interesting, with the 0.5 stars here and there.

The Elimination challenge: cook a three-course meal with the hot-stove, microwave and toaster oven. I am laughing so hard I can't begin to tell you. Next, a shopping montage where the chefs are bewildered by the gargantuan Whole Foods.

Here they are, chillaxing. By the way, never trust a skinny chef.

After Tim Love totally forgets to double-check which cooling box he put his foods in (he froze everything), I started feeling a little bad but it was still funny as hell and at least it wasn't a meltdown disaster like season 5's broken fridge fiasco. Segway into the challenge site--lucky Pomona College. Boohoo, why couldn't it have been UCI. And the balls of the producers to use actual dorm rooms, I can see an electrical fire happening in 3, 2,...

What's this? A drainage issue. Drain the pasta in the sink, fine. But rinsing off and warming up in the shower?

Shower pastaaaa, sketchy

...or, delicious?

Yah, I always love my mac and cheese with a side of meningitis

As it turns out, all the dishes look at least 10000x more edible than standard dorm fare, but they had better because, after all, these are MASTERS. I like how it just so happened that the first courses were all some sort of raw seafood--but it's all good I suppose.

Man. Times like these makes me wish I had that Willy Wonka-esque taste-o-vision.

I'll cut to the chase. Critics were pretty thoughtful in their discourses, but really skimpy in their handout of stars. Oh and another thing. When on earth did the stew room get a classy round table with plushy chairs and WINE?

Kelly Choi does the honors of eliminating the chefs one by one, but in a much nicer manner than the original "Please pack your knives and go". At first I thought Ms. Choi got the catchphrase wrong but after she said it three times I caught on. It's been reformatted to:

Please return to the kitchen and pack your knives.

Overall, a super pleasing episode to satisfy my Top Chef Fix, and congrats to Hubert Keller for winning round 1.

Din Tai Fung (aka haven't been able to get my blog on!)

2009-06-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Din Tai Fung, known by all SoCal natives as the legit Taiwanese Xiao Long Bao (XLB or soup pork dumplings).

Amazing.

I think we had 5 steamers of these. The XLB was fantastically soupy and the skin was just pliable enough to contain all the goodness inside.

These were the fish dumplings. Meh. Not that great.

Nian Gao: the rice cakes stir-fried with meats and vegetables

MORE XLB oh YES.

And to finish, some fabulou sticky rice shumai. These were very filling.

Din Tai Fung

1088 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

(626) 446-8588

Bombdiggity Yakitori at Honda-Ya

2009-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Another epic establishment that is a dear favorite of OC-ers when they want to unwind and get their grub on. Honda-ya is the restaurant of urban myth, with mouthwatering charcoal smells and hour-long waits.

The entrance to wonderland, with a horrifically long waiting list.

A lovely hot sake and some lightly spiced pickles make a nice start.

Chicken breast with negi, mushrooms and beef tongue. While the chicken is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, the beef tongue is considered to be the best.

Meatballs and chicken hearts--I highly recommend both.

Crab Shumai at nearly $1 a piece, and delicately grilled quail egg.

Chicken thigh meat with negi, moist and flavorful.

A sukiyaki-like stew with thinly sliced pork, vegetables, and potato.

A mean spread of combination-set dinners, including salmon and beef steak.

Fell in love instantly. Portion-wise, you're definitely going to need to order a lot because these selections on a stick are way too addictive. In terms of return on investment, I would have to say that Honda Ya's flavor profiles and quality make up for their small portions. It's a loud and raucous hang-out spot with an ultra long waiting list during the weekends, so come get your sake+grilled meat fix on Hump Day (that's Wednesday :]] )

Honda Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 832-0081

Holiday on a Cruise...

2009-04-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

I regret to say that my camera lacked substantial pixel quality for really nice pictures. Or I can blame my horrifying photography skills again. I'm going to take this time to introduce my sister's food blog, Fuel Me Up! I'm going to nag her to post the million food pictures she captured while on the cruise in my stead.

But here are some pictures I did snag of our first dinner on board the Norwegian Star:

Just your run-of-the-mill wheat bread. Nothing to sing about.

A skimpy salad with interesting cheese. Still sort of lackluster.

Roast leg of lamb that was sort of tough, with white bean stew. They also offered an odd-mint jelly to go with the lamb--tasted a bit like toothpaste, according to Jazz.

Possibly the best part of the meal--bread pudding. I had bread pudding about 4 more times while aboard the cruise.

Fortunately, Norwegian Star's dining room food improved greatly over the course of the trip.

More light box fun and bakery goods!

2009-04-04T01:12:00.001-07:00

Happy (extremely belated) holidays! Schoolwork in winter quarter has been ultra busy, and I really keep forgetting to take pictures of food :[ . I have since gotten out the easy way and posted restaurant reviews at Yelp!

My profile link is: http://nightfaux.yelp.com

Please check it out!

Santa elephant says hi.

Isn't he a cutie?

MACRO!

MACRO AGAIN!

And as this is a food blog, I didn't forget pictures of food! From right to left: Cheese hot dog bun, Custard swirl milk bun, and berry-tale (with cream-cheese filling), courtesy of 85C Cafe in Diamond Jamboree in Irvine. Sweet-potato pastry in the front courtesy of Tous Le Jours inside H-mart.

The creme de la creme, folks. The bakery goods met an untimely death after their 5 seconds of spotlight.

85C
2700 Alton Pkwy
Ste 123
Irvine, CA 92606

Tous Le Jours
2600 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606

Light Box Construction

2008-12-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

I tried to construct a light-box with poster board, but it was way too flimsy. Then I upturned a small side table I had and it worked out much better. All I need now are better light sources :]

Yeah, the background is grey and not stark white.

I'm light years away from amazing stock photography:

(Picture obviously not taken by me, haha)

Favorite TV show

2008-12-01T02:23:00.000-08:00

...in case no one guessed already:

I love this show. I wait until the wee hours of Wednesday night/Thursday morning to get my hands on the BitTorrent since I don't have a TV.

A special SHOUT-OUT to my BFF Sunny for getting me the most awesome birthday gift:

eeEEeEEEEee!!!

^_________^

Ilan's 'Padma-wants-more' recipe for Fideos and Clams with Saffron!!

My favorite cheftestant so far:

Season 3's Sara Mair and her Jamaican flair. She seems sweet, down-to-earth and she has mad knife skillz (refer to mise-en-place relay race in where she dices--sorry, ANNIHILATES the onions while Casey slowly massages her own.) Also, she did NOT serve raw chicken to the FCI judges. I bet you anything Hung sabotaged her.

And who can forget Season 2's Sam the Stud.

(sorry ladies, he is OFF the market)

Looking forward to Season 5!

Color Accent fun

2008-11-30T16:15:00.000-08:00

Color Accenting is a simple technique with big effects when done right.

My sister, who actually took photography class and has good taste, captured this marvelous breakfast scene:

1, 2, 3 glasses of fresh squeezed juice. Taken on our vacation in Banff, Canada.

And then there's a craptacular version of color accenting, taken by yours untruly.

Cosmopolitan and the pink-toned wood that just HAD to show up. Oh well.

(Taken during the same vacation, when I needed a nightcap)

And more recently...

Ahh, pomegranates. My name sake. The cloth pattern is a tad bit busy, but I made do with what I had.

Up close and personal.

40 Cloves of Garlic Chicken--and I did count them all....

2008-11-27T23:28:00.000-08:00

A new Korean market opened up not too long ago, and there was this ginormous bag of garlic on sale for $2...
..but what do you do with 5 lbs of garlic??

Mince and chop it and put it in all the savory dishes. Side effects: smelly hands and breath. Plus: you are virtually vampire proof.

40 Cloves of garlic with chicken legs, braised in a white-wine reduction. Accompanied by roasted assorted potatoes and asparagus.

Roasting Cornish Hens

2008-09-19T00:07:00.001-07:00

There's something so hearty and comforting about oven-baked dishes. I came across an exceptional article in Glamour magazine regarding a list of recipes every woman should keep handy, and roast chicken and vegetables was one of these recipes.

I was fortunate enough to find Cornish hens from Albertson's on sale, $7 for a pair! And summer time means lots of wonderful vegetables.

Cute little hens. Vegetables included zucchini, carrots, potato medley, and onions. I tossed the vegetables in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary. For the hens, I used the same seasonings+paprika, with a giant pat of butter for extra moistness.

This is NOT low-fat. I really wish it was, because then I would eat it everyday.

An hour later in 400 degree oven (or until game hens reach safe internal temperature of 170 degrees when stabbed in the thigh)...shazzam! golden hens! thanks to the big pat of butter on top.

...anyone ever been to those Medieval Times-jousting-feasting type deals? I went to the one at Excalibur in Vegas--their Cornish hen is mighty tasty.

Bento lunch

2008-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've had an obsession for bento boxes and anything related to it for about 2 years. While I would love to own a super cute lunch set, those are hard to find and often expensive (plus I don't buy things online because I'm deathly afraid of fraud and someone stealing my identity etc etc)

Where was I?

The idea of bringing my own lunch to school rather than spending $$ or going to the cafeteria has crossed my mind many, many times but I can never bring myself to get up early enough to assemble it...until now, that is. I've been desperately trying to cut back on eating out (lol!), so I have started to make lunches when I can.

Here is my n00b attempt:
Sandwich wrap with turkey, cucumber and ranch sauce; grape-tomatoes, broccoli and carrots; grilled corn. Healthy stuff.

Wild Salmon

2008-07-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Long time no post! I've been very busy this quarter and I've forgotten/been too lazy to take pictures :[

Back to food.

Now, my mother is probably one of the best cooks that I know. She enjoys making ridiculously complicated dishes from scratch.
For example, if she were to make braised chicken with chestnuts, she'd soak and peel the chestnuts herself.
-or-for stuffed fried eggplant, she'd pick out the bones from the fish and beat it and mash it to make her own fish paste.

This usually exasperates my dad, considering the time and effort it takes to make a dish that will be consumed far too quickly.
But my dad needn't worry. My mother's pride and joy boils down to a very simple dish--simple ingredients, simple technique.

Broiled wild salmon with paprika.
There's nothing quite like wild salmon...or so my mom always says. Far too often, we find farm-raised and artificially colored salmon on the ice-trays. My mom treks each Saturday to the Farmer's Market to score some of her fishy treasure.

My mom kindly froze and packed some salmon fillets for me to take back down to Irvine.

The salmon fillets are cleaned, then pat dry with paper towels. I set mine under the broiler of the conventional oven for no more than 15 minutes (otherwise the salmon will dry out...and you definitely want all the oily goodness). During the last 3 minutes of cooking, sprinkle generously with paprika so that it will form a nice crust.
Accompanying the salmon is simple stir-fried bok choy and a bowl of rice.

Sometimes my mom likes to buy flowers from the Farmer's Market as well. These are from Trader Joe's.

I miss you, mom!

Meat and Potatoes.

2008-04-25T01:12:00.001-07:00

Meat and potatoes in bulk is a little unheard of in Asian families. Away from my parents' clutches, I cook what I please.

Garlicky spinach because it's good for me.

Juices leaking out of my sirloin, cooked medium.

Twice-baked potatoes, onions cooked with beef drippings, spinach, and sirloin.

Oh, yes. A real (wo)manly meal.

Hold the salt.

2008-04-25T00:55:00.000-07:00

Gotta lay off the sodium.

Pork roast sliced on top of bak choy.

Childhood favorite of mine..."baby food"...

Made up of chopped carrots cooked past the al dente stage and chicken thigh meat in a light oyster sauce suited for spooning over rice.
Something my dad made whe he was in charge of dinner...sometimes he'd even throw in cashews for crunch.
Per my request, he never puts in celery like he used to. I love my dad.

Missing dim sum...

2008-04-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

I miss dimsum/yum tcha. I miss drinking cup after cup of 1/2 chrysanthemum and 1/2 sau mei tea.
I miss my grandmother, who is my favorite company and instilled the love of dimsum into me.

Now, I've been to China Garden on several occasions for late night cheap eats. For the most part, the dishes are very favorable (but don't order the seafood tofu pot. It has an odd fishy smell and taste.)

I thought I'd given China Garden in Irvine a chance for dimsum, after reading several favorable reviews. Call me a snob, but China Garden in Irvine is a cheap imitation. Thinking about it makes me cringe a little, actually...but it's not as bad as Sam Woo.

I roll by China Garden at 1:30 pm and the lady manning the stations pretty much said, "Not much left."

Me: What!?

Fu-pei guen: tofu skin wrapped around meat paste and steamed. It was decent but could've been piping hot.

Hahm Sui Gok: Fried pastry with meat and mushrooms inside it. Skin was too thick and not piping hot crispy. One of the few fried items left.

Mm, Ha Cheurng Fun: shrimp in steamed rice rolls. Well thank God China Garden gets SOMETHING right. Hot and plump shrimps with the sweetened soy sauce. I would go back for this only.
The porridge with preserved eggs and lean salted pork (pei dan sau yook jook): porridge was barely lukewarm.

The pot of rice was for a spicy eggplant dish that I forgot to take a picture of...that tasted alright, just very greasy.
Cha siu bao, the BBQ pork steamed buns...something smelled funky in the meat mixture. The dough wasnt sweet or pillowy enough.
The Loh mai gai/lotus wrapped rice is pretty hard to screw up.

A return trip to China Garden few weeks afterward for a Sunday brunch with my hungover buddies wasn't noteworthy either, even though we arrived at an earlier time and the food was supposed to be more plentiful and fresh...
...but those two factors didn't make the dishes any more tasty.

I will skip dimsum in Irvine once and for all, and wait patiently to go home and yum tcha with my grandmother instead.

Irvine China Garden
(949) 653-9988
14825 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92618

Maki Maki Yaktime almost made ME yak...

2008-04-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

First week of the quarter, jam-packed with classes and really need to unwind. I swear my blog makes it seem like I eat out all the time, but I don't...I've just gotten really lazy on posting my own cooking for a while, but I really do cook regularly. Really.

Monday Night extended Happy Hours again, this time with ultra long line at 9pm-ish. Got seated at the sushi bar again, but no complaints...yet.

Shrimp tempura rolls and California rolls

Couldn't really taste the shrimp, again. California rolls are the same old, same old.

Trio of Nigiri

Some really melty white tuna. Very fatty and rich. Then there's the red maguro, and orange salmon.

Salmon rice bowl

It met my standards last time, but this time was a wreck. The fish smelled funky and the vegetables were nothing to compliment; lashings of teriyaki sauce couldnt save this dish. ICK.

Hamachi and Eel+Avocado roll

Why is there sauce next to my hamachi?? Well the hamachi was alright, but it's not the best quality you would get elsewhere...

Tempura

Passable. The seasoned salt is not necessary. It's for the people with super heavy taste.

Spicy poke bowl

A bowl of barf. The spicy sauce masks the taste of the leftover lower quality cubes of fish. We're onto you, Maki Maki.

Well, this was nice...the sushi chef attending gifted us with some tuna tataki (seared tuna). Interesting charred flavor, and the ponzu sauce was light and tasty.

Well, I think I've had enough of this place. Half-prices wouldn't draw me back.

Deep Dish appreciation

2008-04-24T23:52:00.001-07:00

After watching the pilot episode for Top Chef Season 4, I got a major craving for deep dish pizza.

No one does deep dish quite like BJ's. After all my time in Irvine, I couldn't believe I hadn't eaten at BJ's! I was crying from happiness and disappointment when I looked up a location and found one that was only 5 miles away. Here's a compilation of the consecutive visits I made to BJ's:

Easily forgettable appetizer of sliders and shoestring fries. Would not have ordered these if we weren't starving...would've made room for the...

PIZZA. BJ's specialty--a deep dish combo. So friggin delicious with sausages, pepperoni, olives, peppers, olives, onions...all in a greasy deep crust straight from heaven.

PIZOOKIE. Oh baby. White chocolate and macadamia nut, my favorite.

BJ's 2nd visit: Blackened chicken pizza.

Also very delicious albeit a little dry. Spiced blackened chicken, peppers, sweet corn. Finger lickin' good.

I think I ate too much Japanese food during spring break.

2008-04-02T22:42:00.001-07:00

I was looking forward to some ramen at Cupertino's Ramen Rama with my super tight friends whom I have not seen since the winter break. When I show up at Ramen Rama, I find that our old haunt is under renovation. What?

Plan B.

Sushi Tatsumi: a fairly new restaurant that popped up in the same plaza sometime during the winter quarter.

Hm. I've already eaten with Hidden Nori the other day at Sushi Kuni. But as I like to say, anytime is a good time for Japanese food.

Sushi Tatsumi's interior of dark polished wood is very gorgeous. I notice these things, sorry. better than sticky chairs, right? So in no particular order:

Seafood Tempura Dish. I think the lazy susan was still spinning, or else I'm a bad photographer.

Ten-don: Crispy assorted tempura over rice made less dry with a drizzled sweet teriyaki-like sauce. A gripe: the shrimp was way too salty.

Una-don in the cute lacquered box. I would've ordered this myself if I hadn't been jonesing for something soupier.

Ten-zaru soba.

Fresh but sparse slices of sashimi.

Oyako-don. Looks yummy and runny with eggy goodness. I make my version of this when I'm feeling lazy.

Yay, finally. My nabeyaki udon with lots of napa cabbage beneath, and a hard-poached egg somewhere in there too. I picked out the tempura first to keep it from getting too soggy. I found that my shrimp tempura was very salty as well.

The rest of Sunny's combo finally arrived: a fresh salad, potato salad with strawberry garnish, tofu on sauce, tempura, and spring rolls. Very pretty presentation, but I think Sunny left the potato salad alone.

Overall, Sushi Tatsumi was an experience memorable for its atmosphere; the food itself was alright, albeit on the pricey side. Would I go again? Hm...only if my friends insist.

And of course, a pumpkin creme puff from the Beard Papa's next door could do no wrong.

Sushi Tatsumi
19754 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014
408-973-9488
Lunch: 11-2pm, Dinner: 5-10pm
(Closed Mondays)

Hong Kong style owns.

2008-03-31T00:55:00.000-07:00

Top Cafe: fluorescent lighting, sticky floors and chairs, the unset tables and loud checkerboard walls. What makes this Hong Kong-style cafe memorable is its extensive menu of cheap but decent eats of Western and Chinese selections.

And of course, the hot milk tea that is a must in cafes of this sort.

It seems that the only milk tea my lactose intolerance tolerates is the hot milk tea made by brewing black tea
mixed with sweet and sinful condensed milk.
Any other boba place with its powder
mixes just don't cut it (and sends me running for the, uh, facilities).

But let's talk about food.

My sister's recently favorite dish to order: tilapia over fried rice baked in a white cream sauce.

Sister's friend G ordered Baked pork chops over fried rice in tomato sauce.
Top Cafe uses the "baked (insert meat here) with tomato sauce over fried rice" formula for a lot of their meat dishes; a favorite of mine
in particular is ox-tongue.

My regrettable order of Ox-tail stew in wine sauce.
The stew was not as rich as I had imagined it to be
(it was more like a watery broth) and the pieces of oxtail were few and far apart.
Worst of all, my most hated food in the world was in the mix.

Celery.

Thank God my good buddy ol' pal Jazz took care of the celery for me.
A Chinese selection of shrimp and ham ketchup fried rice. Tasted A-Ok!

Top Cafe
1075 S De Anza Blvd
San Jose, 95129
408-996-7797

Tiny Sushi House Packs Big Flavor

2008-03-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

Being back home is great! I got a chance to catch up with my 'brother' Hidden Nori of 5 years over dinner at what must be the smallest Japanese restaurant ever.

Sushi Kuni from the exterior is practically a hut. But the interior is very relaxed, and has a nice warm ambience. And despite its small size, Sushi Kuni even boasts a sushi bar.

Table for two, please!

We both ordered the Special Combo which cost something like $20. Includes a salad with a sesame-dressing and the usual miso soup. Hidden Nori can't eat the salad for fear of peanut products (he's deathly allergic!). Yay, more salad for me!

A sashimi and sushi assortment platter, with Sushi Kuni's specialty, tempura.

Sashimi cuts of maguro (tuna), salmon, a tataki of some sort and hamachi (yellow tail); maguro maki, tamago sushi, surf-clam sushi, ebi sushi and...I'm pretty sure that's more hamachi.
Can't stand the rubbery surf clam so I traded with H for tamago (he's allergic to eggs too.)

I discovered something. Being such a Chinese n00b that I am, I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to mash the wasabi into my soy sauce plate and make a paste out of it. Hidden Nori, ever the traditional Japanese, schooled me:

1. Dab desired amount of wasabi onto the sushi.
2. Then you may dip it in a little soy sauce. Or you can be like H and forgo the soy sauce all together.

Sushi Kuni's wasabi is STRONG.

Close up of assorted tempura! Green beans, shrimp, kabocha, Yam and my favorite, broccoli.

Sushi Kuni
10211 South De Anza Blvd, Cupertino, 95014
408.257.5864

My Dearest Grandmother

2008-03-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

My paternal grandmother is particularly dear to me, because she was the one that brought me up from childhood. All of my other relatives and cousins regard her with the same fondness, of course. Because of this remarkable woman's grace, humility, kindness and sense of humor, her birthday celebration ranks up there with any other family get-together holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.

But there's one distinct difference.

My cousin Amy's husband Al puts it best:
"That time when I was first introduced to the family on grandma's birthday was the biggest meal I have ever eaten."

Welcome to the family.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Joy Luck Place
10911 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA, 95014
(408) 255-6988

Leisurely (yet rushed) Brunch

2008-03-30T17:21:00.001-07:00

The last time I visited Irvine's Mimi's Cafe was a horrific experience indeed, with its sub-par dishes and disdainful service. The second time around was much more pleasant.

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a scrumptious coffee-cake muffin.

Mediterranean-influenced omelet with a tomato, spinach, shrimp, and feta cheese; browned potatoes.
This seasonal entree was very delicious.

My order of cheese and broccoli quiche with browned potatoes and pineapple and honey dew. The quiche was a little overcooked as the crust was hard.

Well, at least the decor is easy on the eyes.

MIMIS CAFE IRVINE
4030 BARRANCA PKWY.
IRVINE CA 92604
(949) 559-8840

Ay-Chung Noodle Redux

2008-03-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Ay-chung Noodle House is now closed.

But for a while, it was the place I would default to for some cheap and fast Taiwanese food.

Chilled foods: Pig's ear and spiced bean cake. The pig's ear was quite good, but the tofu was a little...blah.

Fried fish filets. Not. Good. The batter is the same used for their popcorn chicken and was much too salty, greasy, and heavy. The ketchup sauce thing is the same they use for other dishes.

Stewed pork rice, which comes with lettuce, salted greens, soy-marinaded egg and tofu. The stewed pork was meltingly tender with the marinated goodness it was simmering in for hours.

The weather was finally warm enough for the shaved ice mountain: a monstrosity of ice, condensed milk, flanked with red and green beans with some konjac jelly.

Ay-Chung Noodle
(949)651-1180
5406 Walnut Ave., #C
Irvine, CA 92604

What I eat during finals.

2008-03-21T01:41:00.001-07:00

If you don't know where the term "freshman 15" comes from, I'm about to tell you.

Pringles. Cheesy Cheddar on the bottom right for the boyfriend, and 'Smart flavors original' for me. Actually, 'Smart flavor'=no flavor.
Oh and a token glass of Orange Juice to wash it all down. YES.

Liang mian: cold noodles. Noodles with sliced persian cucumbers and doused with a nutty concoction.
I make my nutty concoction with the help of my favorite and only 'modern' kitchen appliance: the food-processor.
Into the little plastic container goes some sesame paste (ma jiang), which can be substituted with peanut-butter sauce; few cloves of garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar...and blend it all up.
Since I seldom use measurements when I cook, each time I make cold noodles the sauce comes out a little different.

So I'm not completely unhealthy. This is something I would like to refer to as 'chicken-crack' because of its purportedly wonderful properties. My mom told me to buy this drink because it will "energize you for your studying".

Bottoms up!

It has a very distinct chicken-broth flavor, if this is the first thing you're drinking in the day, that is. Otherwise, the flavor may be described as:

"BLECH! What is this stuff?!" *reaches for a cookie to get the taste out of his mouth* --T

"It's like drinking liquid cement." --my sister.

Actually, on hindsight, I do not recommend this for "energizing" purposes. It does nothing for your mind or body to keep you awake.

Other than their waffle-maker, there are very few things I appreciate about UCI Dining. One of these few things is the fact that Pippin graciously doles out FREE late-night goodies for their toiling, hungry students:

Sunday Night: Pancakes and Sausages. (I missed that one!! It's my favorite too. Oh well, there's next quarter.)

Monday Night: Hot dogs, Chili dogs, chili fries and what have you. That's a yummy lemon tart on the right.

Tuesday Night: Ice Cream Sundae Buffet, didn't bring the camera.

Wednesday Night: Nacho Night. Again, didn't bring the camera.

Thursday Night: WINGS! and fillers of potato salad and fries.

Mini-mountain of dessicated wings. Sorry in advance if I grossed anyone out.

Well, I guess I know what I'll be doing during my Spring Break...working my fat ass off!

More Taiwanese Food Appreciation

2008-03-21T01:12:00.000-07:00

I love Irvine because it's like a doppelganger of my hometown in NorCal in that it's very Asian. (whoa, run-on alert.)

Ay-Chung Noodle (Ah zhong mian xian) is another cheap Taiwanese eat located at Jeffrey and Walnut, the hubbub of Asianness. It's across the street from A&J and serves different fare--while A&J has more of a home-style taste, Ay-Chung is their hip daughter. Sort of.

A quick bite to eat after shopping for fruits at Ranch 99 (because I need to get some nutrition in the midst of all the junk food I consume during finals study sessions).

Minced Pork Rice at $4.96. A hefty bowl of white rice topped with fragrant minced pork, salted greens (mui-choy) and half of a soy-marinaded egg. This is an ideal entree to order if you're in a rush, because it's delivered within 4 minutes of ordering. Seriously.

Oyster Pancake $4.95: small oysters folded into an egg/tapioca batter and pan-fried into an omelet before it is draped over a lot stir-fried greens (yay vegetables!). I can't really tell what the sauce is made up of, but it tastes somewhat like Worchestshire sauce with ketchup and it's good.

Flat Screen TV on the wall showing a myriad of Taiwanese/Chinese music videos. Cash only.

Extra take-out order:
Pork chop rice $5.95 with salted greens, cabbage, soy egg and a very moist and delicious piece of tofu (eaten by me before I remembered to take the picture).

Ay-chung Noodle is a restaurant that I frequent because of its budget friendly menu and overall quality. An extra bonus for the summer: they serve shaved-ice mountains. I'll have to do a redux later on in the future!

Cash only.

Ay-Chung Noodle (Closed)
(949)651-1180
5406 Walnut Ave., #C
Irvine, CA 92604

Homecooked Love

2008-03-21T00:58:00.000-07:00

Blah, Blogger annoys me with its picture-posting nuisances.

Anyway.

Haven't had much time to cook lately, but I did manage to make something much more nutritious and delicious than the "food" the dining hall serves:

What is that you ask? It's a very unflattering picture of a Cantonese-style steamed chicken dish. Ingredients include chicken thigh, Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms (dong gou), wood ear (wun yee). It's something I consider a specialty of mine because it takes a long time to prep. Also, this dish has a special place in my heart because it's something I would eat back home...

Eggs scrambled with diced long beans. The crunchy texture is the right foil for the softness of the previous dish.

Everytime I eat meals at Pippin, I tell myself that I will NOT go there again. But I do, because it's convenient. And I like their waffle maker. Dammit.

Yaktime at Maki Maki

2008-03-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I've seen the large banner advertising Maki Maki's "Happy Hour 50% off select sushi items" everytime I pass by the Japanese-California Cuisine restuarant at the Irvine Spectrum. I make a mental note of trying it out one day...and after what must have been 10 Spectrum shopping trips from the time I moved to Irvine, I finally make the jump before finals hell begins.

Monday night is prime for a visit to Maki Maki because of their extended Happy Hour (which they dub 'Yaktime'). Silly, huh?
The interior of the restaurant was toned in blacks and reds, which screams "Oriental Vibe!" but isn't quite as obnoxious as P.F. Chang's...but you definitely get the feeling that this is a trendier venue catered for more American tastes.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you.

Beautiful Set up

Yellowtail, fresh cut, very nice. At half-price, I would order this again.

Chicken Yakitori: don't let the size deceive you! These charbroiled teriyaki niblets may as well have been on a toothpick.
At $1 a stick, I'm not ordering this again.

Maki rolls at half-price, all drizzled in eel sauce (from left to the right):
House Maki roll: spicy tuna deep fried in tempura batter. It's an interesting sensation of hot and cold but the taste of the spicy tuna mix was a little off, in my opinion.
Avocado and Eel roll: Nicely cooked, each ingredient was discernable. The cucumber helped cut the richness of the eel and avocado
Shrimp tempura roll: Sort of forgettable. Couldn't really taste the shrimp.

Calamari with aioli and sweet-n-sour sauce. Nicely crispy with little excess grease, would order again at Yaktime price.

I snapped a picture of the huge batch of fried rolls...

...and the cuts of fish displayed at the sushi bar.

"Whitefish", or halibut nigiri. The fish was firm, not stringy and was fresh so that was good...but I kind of like to know what I'm eating...

$5 Salmon teriyaki: filler food. The salmon filet was grilled to perfection, but I think the restaurant could do without the soggy out-of-a-salad-bag stir fried greens.

Complementary oranges! Lovely presentation.

It was a nice evening out and I would come again for the Happy Hour deals and explore new items on the menu.
The bill came out to be $20/person, including tax and tip...not too bad. I was stuffed from all the food we shared.

Maki Maki
71 Fortune Drive, Suite 954
Irvine, CA 92618

I've got some amazing friends.

2008-03-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been on a food rut lately (read: busy with school, resort to eating at the dining halls. Hail Pippin and Brandywine!). Before I get down to finals, I thought I'd share a bit about the amazing culinary talents my friends have:

Gorgeous Fruit Puff pastries by Candy:

Vegetarian noodle dish with napa cabbage, vermicelli and fried dough by me

Beautiful spread of food that I was not present for T__T!! I see crabcakes and fried rice.

Bread and butter, with corn chowder?

Sunny plates her pesto salmon.

Napoleans by Candy, our pastry fiend. I got to eat these.

Beautiful multi-layer cake by Candy. As delicious as it looks.

I'm very lucky.

Taiwanese Comfort Food

2008-02-28T21:08:00.000-08:00

Ah, A&J. There's one in Cupertino Village in Northern California that serves their fare with plastic utensils and...what's the god-awful smell?
Stinky tofu.
Thankfully, their sister branch in Irvine does not serve that pungent bit of disaster. During my first year in college I got a bit homesick and when a friend took me out to A&J, I jumped at the chance, completely forgetting about the looming presence of stinky tofu. Which there wasn't any of, thank goodness. I gained a lot of respect and appreciation for Taiwanese food through the Irvine branch.

Chilled tofu threads in chili oil with cilantro and peanuts. $1.95...would not order this again.
I got tricked because I'm super bad at reading Chinese. I wanted the version with the sliced carrots and celery but I got this instead :[

Jiang zhou zi: Chilled marinated sliced pork thigh with sauce. At $3.95, it's a bit pricey for the amount they give you.

Hong shao niu rou mian: Red-cooked (spicy) beef noodle soup. Thin noodles, because the thick ones are too doughy for my taste. Pretty good bowl, I usually order this. $5.75

Here's my crack at P.F. Chang's. Look! I made my own potsticker sauce with soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil, mixed and balanced to how I like it. Sarcasm aside, it went well with the oily, delicious potstickers (guo tie, $5.75)

And last but not least, greasy cong you bing: green onion pancake. $3.75? Great to share. Do not attempt to eat by yourself at the risk of breakouts/heartburn.

Considerably cheap fare and a favorite of mine.
They serve hot soy milk(sweet or savoury)
with you tiao (long fried donuts) in the mornings.
Cash Only!

A & J Restaurant
14805 Jeffrey Rd Ste D
Irvine, CA 92618

First Post: Celebration Meals

2008-02-24T02:42:00.000-08:00

Here's my stab at a food blog! I've been an avid reader of many food blogs for awhile and I admire the conviction of those bloggers that dutifully remember
to take pictures of food. It's hard when you wait until you're way hungry.

Thanksgiving 2007

Tiny round table. First attempt at a Thanksgiving meal. A roasted turkey that was marinaded with an evil-smelling concoction of onions, poultry herbs, and stock, Trader Joe's gravy (because I didn't know how to make my own), a Chinese 'vegetarian' dish with carrots, napa cabbage, wood ear and dictopher. On the left is Yukon-gold mashed pototoes and on the top-right are my ubiquitous salt-n-pepper shrimp.

Question: What's wrong with this picture? **answer below**

T, Chess and Brent getting started early. Just kidding, it's just apple cider.

Sunny's Birthday

Brent and Sunny get first crack at the appetizer courses.

Clam chowder with odd cucumber garnish.

Ciabatta bread with garlic-butter and quattro formaggio cheese topping.

Before: Salt and Pepper Shrimp

After: Persian cucumber and grape tomato garnish.

Main Course: Lamb shank in mint and rosemary sauce, sauteed crimini mushrooms and steamed asparagus.

Spinach and Cheese stuffed Ravioli with Pesto.

T, Sunny and B with the flan-cheesecake and inferno candles. Burn candles burn!

Me feeding Sunny the lucky first bite.

**the turkey is upside-down! oops.**