Monday Food Adventure

Mondays don't always have to get you down!

After my first 8 am class, I met up with a few friends to go have brunch at Plum's Cafe in Costa Mesa. But sadly, brunch ended when we got there! We were debating whether or not we wanted to stay to try their lunch menu or go to my favorite brunch place Break of Dawn. But we decided to stay, since we were already there.

Verdict: I like their breakfast menu better.

Roasted Chicken

With...

Pomme Frites

For dinner, Matt took me out to Javiars at the Irvine Spectrum. I was really good! But boy was it filling! (Sorry the pictures are so dark.)

Their Chips and salsa were amazing.

Extremely crunchy chips that shatter when you bite them, and the perfectly spicy tomato based salsa with lots of cilantro.

Cucumber Margarita

My to-die-for crab and shrimp chimichanga.

The skin was perfectly fried to a crisp and there was tons of shrimp and crab inside. The only compliant I have is that there was a little too much cheese, which made it extremely filling.

O, and the refried beans were delicious! They tasted of lardo, and you really can't go wrong with pig fat, can you?

LA Adventures

New favorites that I've discovered in LA--Susina Bakery & Cafe and LuLu's Cafe.

A few friends and I went up to LA this past weekend to visit our dear friend who is now working at the Norton Simon she took us to a little bakery for coffee before we went out to the Grove's Farmer's Market for lunch.

Susina was amazing! They had a dozen varieties of little confections and cookies to go with a delicious cup of coffee. Silly me though, I bought a hot cup of House Hazelnut when it was 90+ degrees out. But it went great with the cute little cookies that I bought. They also had a wide selection of other sweets, salads, and sandwiches as well.

I also bought these little green tea candies which are full of tea flavor. It's a great alternative to after meal breath mint. O, and they're imported from Italy. How could I say no?

I forgot to take a picture while I was there, but I borrowed this one from (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wgwFg_lt1tdMEopW2ED8tQ?select=oRQSmSErTPDG2F7tdzbtxQ)

Giant turkey croissant and a pacific passion smoothie at the Farmer's Market. This may be one of my favorite places to eat in LA.

The next morning, we went to eat at LuLu's cafe which was great...except for the two cockroaches we saw. One of which crawled on our bench as we were eating. Definitely not pleasant. However, the food came in huge portions, and was very good.

I had the bagel and lox platter. Who knew that apple cinnamon jelly, cream cheese, and lox would go so well together on a toasted bagel?

Le Chateau Garden Bistro

Hmm, what do I think about hotel restaurants? Don't hold high expectations unless it's owned by a celebrity chef or unless it's Michelin Star Rated restaurant in a hotel because you might be let down.

I chose Le Chateau Garden Bistro mostly for it's ambiance--it's has that faux European courtyard charm. The food was good but definitely not as delicious as the price dictated, and they didn't have a very good selection of wines. So, as much as I would love to go back and enjoy a glass of wine near the picturesque water fountain, I don't think Matt and I will be returning anytime soon.

Olive spread

(Everyone raved about the olive spread on Yelp.com, but guess what it was? Chopped up pimento olives...)

Ahi Tuna salad

(Looks good, but it was swimming in balsamic vinaigrette)

Steak Sammie

Pasta

I hadn't had pasta in a very long time, and I must say, I missed it dearly.

I love loading my pasta with lots of stuff, so here it is:

screw driver pasta

piccolo wheels

canned tomatoes

mushrooms

chicken sausages

yellow pepper

zucchini

sugar plum tomatoes

basil

red wine (Merlot)

red chili flakes

salt and pepper

It turned out a little more watery than I had expected, so I'm going to have to try this again.

Waffle Craving

(Photo taken from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi3KRMryVqmVPKwyJNk8m79yf3TqNHxuDHUVHDIWN4Czcy3ok2UXWyf4raa0Bz07J-oOENrE569ohHYybyg5Ohv7YyhOMV3ecjPBNB33o0xy-e8GgJGlTZbbVesfyf264LZpQONEroA/s200/Euro-Snacki.jpg)

I think the best waffle I've ever had was at Northstar Ski Resort. I'm pretty sure that the reason I love it so much is because it's really good, and not solely because I can eat it as I snowboard.

I remember the first time I discovered it. I was lured in by the aromas of vanilla and a sweet sugary scent. But there was something strange about this waffle, it was a dough and not a batter. How peculiar.

I was definitely intrigued.

"One waffle please."

It was warm and toasty to my cold hands. It was crispy and caramelized on the outside because of the sugar bits in the dough and it was fluffy as could be on the inside. It's a flavor and texture that I'll never forget.

I would love to try and duplicate the recipe, but I am sadly without a waffle iron. This is because I try to avoid single purpose appliance (this is also the reason why I haven't gotten around to buying an ice cream maker either).

But I think I must give in!!!

Here are a few recipes that I really want to try:

http://www.europeancuisines.com/Belgium-Belgian-Waffle-Recipes-Liege-Waffles-Brussels-Waffles

Now all I have to do, is find the perfect waffle iron.

Sichuan Hot Pot At Home

Round 2 of our DIY spicy hot pot was a success! Lots of tongue numbing spiciness and nose blowing went on tonight and boy was it great!

For dessert, Matt and I also tried our hand at making Teh Tarik or Malaysian pulled tea--that we still need some practice with and some recipe tweaking (let's just say, that our trial today wound up tasting solely of condensed milk). Update you on how that goes later this week!

Sliced lamb

Enoki mushrooms and lots of Napa cabbage

Tempura fish balls and fried tofu cubes

Pork slices

Our pulled tea...well more like just milk tea!

But we're working on it!

Japanese Bakery

Who knew that a little gem like this could exist in Old Town Tustin?

If there were one thing that I know I would really miss about Orange County when I move back to San Francisco is this place, Cream Pan.

They make some of the best pastries I have ever tasted. Their croissants are extremely crispy and flaky on the outside with layers of buttery, chewy, dough in the between. And they have numerous fillings like strawberry with custard, pear and almond, ham and cheese, strawberry cheese danish, and many others.

Gosh, I love this bakery.

Pear and Almond

Sweet potato

(this one is great, because in addition to the sweet potato round you see on the top, there is smooth mashed sweet potato with black sesame in between the layers of croissant too, and it's extremely delicious, and not too sweet.)

Mil Jugos in Santa Ana

Seriously, there is nothing about this place that I don't like...well, I guess there is ONE thing...IT'S TOO FAR AWAY!!

This time my Matt and I had the asada arepa, the chicken salad arepa (who knew that cold chicken and potato salad in a hot corn cake would be so delicious?), and a queso blanco charapa (pardon any spelling errors), banana juice (must try!!), and guava juice.

If I could only order ONE thing from mil jugos, i would order the queso blanco charapa. It's fresh cheese and white sauce wrapped in a sweet corn "pancake" and it's hot and slightly crispy on the outside from the caramelization of the corn on the outside and cool and creamy from the cheese in the center. that paired with a mixture of the two sauces make for the perfect meal. i'm seriously salivating just thinking about it!!

Mil Jugos never fails to impress me, or fill my belly! Go, Go, GO!!

Malaysian Dinner

I haven't had Malaysian food in a VERY long time. When I was younger, my parents and I would go to Banana Island in Daly City every so often for dinner or lunch when we were shopping in the area.

I fell in love with their roti; it was one of the best Asian dishes I had ever tasted.

I remember when we first walked into the restaurant, in the center of the dining room, the chef, and older gentleman wearing all white with a chefs hat and silver rimmed rectangular glasses, would stand there all night rolling out large pieces of roti by hand. He stretched the dough until it was almost transparent.

I HAD to try it.

When the Roti finally arrived, I tackled that thing as if I hadn't eaten in days. I may have even begged my parents to order more!

It was crispy on the outside and had chewy layers of buttery dough in the center. The roti was always served with a side of delicious yellow curry for dipping. I would never forget the first time I tasted it.

But soon, as their turn-over rate increased, the quality of the food declined. And sadly, the roti that I had fallen in love with was no longer as memorable or delicious.

To my surprise, there's a Malaysian restaurant near me in Orange County. Formerly known as Tropika, it is now known as Belacan Grill.

I didn't really care for the ambiance, nor was the service particularly favorable, but their food is great!

And...the roti is spectacular.

Roti with curry

Beef Rendang

Mi Goreng

After Work-Out Treat

The perfect after work-out meal. Brown rice, med-rare pork chop with an apricot glaze, sautéed brussel sprouts, and a bottle of Riesling. What could be better?

Open Your Golden Gate

What's there not to love about going home? Great food, great company, and much needed relaxation.

I went home to San Francisco for 4th of July this year because my cousin was paying our family a visit from NY, and boy was this a weekend jam packed with activities and food!

On Friday we had Shanghainese food and then went to North Beach for coffee, on Saturday we had dim sum (my cousin and I tried 5 different dishes of desserts!), on Sunday my cousin and I went to a 4th of July BBQ at my best friend's brother's house (there were a ton of skewers, snacks and more desserts!), and on Monday morning we went shopping on Haight and then went home for hot pot.

San Francisco never fails to disappoint!

I'm definitely home sick.

Egg cream at Cafe Triste

(we also shared a Tiramisu)

Kumamoto oysters at Hog Island at the Ferry Building

CORN!

Well folks!

Guess what!? Corn season is BACK!

I had a ton of corn over the 4th of July weekend, which was wonderfully spent at home in the chilly San Francisco.

But when I got back to Irvine, Matt surprised me with a grilled steak and veggie dinner and MORE corn!

YES!

I sure do love grilled corn.

My favorite way to eat it? Hot corn with butter, old bay (of course), and a squeeze of lime. What could be better than sitting by the grill, munching on a perfectly seasoned ear of corn?

Zero Calorie Noodles? Get Out Of Town!

Matt and I are trying to eat healthy again after a 2 month fatty food splurge. I mean, it's summer and we live near a ton of beach towns where your beach bod matters! So it's time to shape up and look for new low cal, high protein, and delicious ideas. Sounds impossible after so many days of burgers, creamy soups, and whatever the hell we want!

What's even more impossible is finding a healthy bowl of noodle soup.

How could we ever survive with out it? (This is really what the diet breaker is: noodle soup)

Well, we've found it!

Yam noodles.

They have the texture that's a cross between rice noodles, vermicelli, and jelly fish.

It says on the package: "0 calories"

How is it possible?...I have no clue. But I'm taking it and running with it!

So to night, we had yam noodles in a kimchi stew with beef. Healthy, delicious, and gilt free!

I haven't felt this way in a while! (I lied! I was totally guilt free after eating all those fatty foods until I got on a scale. In fact I had a grin from ear to ear after that elk burger with duck egg, wild boar bacon, and lamb belly...damn scales!)

Who Would've Thunk

Poke and corn chips at Bear Flag Fish Co., in Newport Beach. YUM!

Home Fry

My version of home fries.

Let's just say that Old Bay is my hero.

2 Red skin potatoes (1/2 inch cubes)

Hand full of Haricot verts (cut in half cross-wise)

10-12 Mushrooms (sliced)

1 table spoon chopped garlic

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Old bay to taste

Heat a cast iron pan.

Add olive oil, when it glistens, add potatoes

When potatoes get crusty and golden on one side, flip them and season with salt and pepper

When the other side gets golden, add 3-4 tablespoons of water to create steam and cover

Cover for 5-8 mins (or until potatoes are tender)

Add the haricot verts, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and old bay

Flip after 2-3 mins

Cook until potatoes get a bit crisp again and the mushrooms and haricot verts are al dente.

(Makes 2 servings or 3 side servings)

Ah, Memories...

I recently got a blast from the past when I found out that I could order my childhood favorite candy online.

Gosh, I love the internet!

A family friend of ours used to visit Australia yearly, or bi-yearly, and every time she would return with a ziptop bag FULL of Minites for us. I would savor these candies like they were gold! But now with this amazing thing called the internet, these Minites are just a click and a credit card number away. YUM!

Each mint is wrapped with a funny comic!

I used to collect the wrappers when I was younger.

(OK, OK, I'm still doing it now)