Hungry Kat

Homemade Pho Ga (Chicken Pho)

2012-01-29T23:24:00.000-08:00

My favorite Vietnamese noodle joint, Nha Trang, recently pared down their menu and got rid of one of their best items on the menu, the Pho Ga (aka Chicken Pho). It was a sad, sad day. As I've said before, Nha Trang's Pho Ga is Vietnamese chicken noodle soup for the soul. It'll cure hungry stomachs, bad moods, colds, and flus. I swear!

Deprived of my delicious, all-powerful cure, I decided to take matters into my own hands today and utilize some of the skills I picked up in Vietnam this past December. By the way, if anyone is interested in cooking classes while visiting Ho Chi Minh, go check out the Vietnam Cookery Center.

The prep work was easy. Rich smells of chicken, cinnamon and sweet onions filled my house after 2.5 of cooking and we were ready to eat!

Homemade Pho Ga

I declare this first attempt a success even though I'm missing 3 spices.

My large vat of chicken soup. There were 4 chicken carcasses in that pot.

I used thin rice stick noodles (about the size of angel hair) because it was what I had on hand. Usually, you would use slightly wider flat rice noodles. This noodle brand (Lucky Co.) can be found in all Chinese supermarkets in San Gabriel and they make a variety of quality rice noodles.

Yes, I was surprised to learn there's fish sauce in Pho Ga. The Vietnam cooking school and two recipe books I bought in Vietnam both suggested using fish sauce. I was skeptical at first but I became a believer once I tasted the great umami flavor the fish sauce added to the soup.

This recipe is a combination of what I learned at the cooking school, what I gleaned from the two Vietnamese cookbooks I got in Ho Chi Minh and some of my own instincts. I ended up with enough food to serve three bowls of Pho Ga and enough soup to serve three more bowls tomorrow if I had more noodles and chicken.

So, how close was this to Nha Trang's Pho Ga? Well, it is not the same especially since I'm missing some spices to balance out the cinnamon but I think the leeks gave the soup a sweeter kick. Judging from the slurps and the empty bowls, my boyfriend and sister approved of my first attempt at Pho Ga. Heck, I thought it was delicious and pretty darn close to Nha Trang's. I can't wait to buy the rest of the spices I need and cook it again.

Ingredients (Serves 3 big eaters or 4 small eaters)

1 3 to 4-lb whole chicken (preferably freshly butchered and free range/organic)

150g ginger

1 brown onion

6 stalks of green onions

2 bulbs of shallots

3 sticks of cinnamon

10g star anise

10g cardamon

50g cloves

1.5lb chicken bones

16oz rice noodles

*You'll need sugar, salt and fish sauce which you'll add to taste

**I didn't have star anise, cardamon and cloves on hand so I substituted with 2 stalks of trimmed leeks and 5 cloves of garlic which worked pretty well. When using the spices, the ingredient list is just a guidance. Trust your taste buds and feel free to use less or omit if you don't like a certain spice. Some recipes also suggest adding blanched pork bones, dried shrimp, turnip and black pepper to the broth which I didn't like so I omitted it. Cooking is not rigid so let your taste buds guide you and have fun experimenting.

Garnish

1/2 bunch of cilantro

3 stalks of green onion

1/4 brown onion

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Use a pot that's large enough to submerge a whole 4-lb chicken.

2. While waiting for the water to boil:

Wash and smash half of the ginger. Peel and cut onion in half. Wash and cut the stems of 6 stalks of the green onions. Then, add smashed ginger, 1/2 onion and green onions to the pot before the water comes to a full boil.
Cut the head/neck, feet and wing tips off your whole chicken and reserve. No need to wash the chicken.

3. When the water boils, submerge the whole chicken into the pot. Make sure it's fully submerged and no meat is sticking out of the water. (If you're like me and like to eat the chicken liver and gizzards that comes with the whole chicken, you can toss those into the boiling water with the whole chicken.) Then turn off the heat and put the pot lid on. Allow the chicken to slow cook in the water's residual heat (it'll give you meat that's more tender and juicy) for 50 to 60 minutes. You can check for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the thigh and if clear juices flow out then the chicken is done. More time may be needed if the chicken is bigger than 4 pounds.

4. While the chicken is cooking, lightly grill on open flame (or broil if you don't have a grill like me) the other 1/2 onion, 1/2 ginger, shallots, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamon and cloves. If broiling, remember to turn it and broil on both sides until you get a very light char. If it gets too charred, just scrape/clean if off - no need to toss the ingredients. When done, the spices can be put in a mesh soup material bag if you have it but it's not a must. (I broiled the leeks and garlic since I didn't have the star anise, cardamon and cloves.)

5. When the chicken is ready, have a large bowl with ice water ready. Lift the chicken out of the pot with tongs and plunge the chicken into the cold water. This helps return a "crunchy" texture to the chicken skin and also helps quickly bring down the temperature so you can proceed with the next steps.

Note: Do NOT throw away the pot of of water that the chicken was cooking in. That will be the base of your soup.

6. Bring a medium pot or large wok of water to boil. If you're a multi-tasker in the kitchen like me, you can have that going about 10 minutes before the chicken is done. In this pot, you will blanch the chicken bones for a couple of minutes and then drain the and reserve the bones.

7. Add blanched chicken bones and the grilled/broiled ingredients to the pot of chicken water. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to medium-low to low and boil for about an hour.

8. Meanwhile, your chicken should be cool by now. Have a gallon-size ziplock bag handy. Lift the chicken out of the cold bath and lightly pat dry with paper towels. Put the chicken in the ziplock bag and salt generously with kosher salt. Don't forget to salt the cavity too. Seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator.

9. When soup is done simmering down (the pot's water level will go down by 1.5 to 2 inches), add 2 of teaspoons each of salt, sugar and fish sauce. Taste it and add more of whichever ingredient suits your taste. Let it continue simmering on low while you finish the rest of the prep work.

10. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and debone the chicken either with a sharp knife or shredding the meat off the chicken with your hands. If deboning, cut the chicken into manageable bite-sizes. Toss the deboned chicken carcass into the simmering pot. (No bones go wasted in my kitchen.)

11. In a separate medium pot or large wok, bring some water to boil (enough to blanch all 16oz of noodles at once).

12. While you're waiting for the water to boil, make the garnish by chopping up the cilantro and green onions and thinly slicing the onions.

13. Arrange three large soup bowls side-by-side. When the water boils, quickly blanch the noodles according to instructions. (Depending on the width you buy, it could be 10 seconds for the thin type or a minute for the flat type.) Drain and divide the noodles amongst the bowls.

14. Garnish the noodles with the cilantro, green onion and sliced onions. Top with pieces of chicken. Ladle hot soup into the bowls. Serve and enjoy right away.

A note on garnishes and condiments

You can also add slices of jalapeno, bean sprouts, mint, basil, shredded banana leaf blossoms to the garnish and serve a garlic chili fish sauce for dipping the chicken but I chose to forgo those. Instead, I added a Cantonese touch by making a simple ginger and green onion dip beforehand. Fine chop 3 stalks of green onions and fine grate a piece of fresh ginger about the size of two thumbs. Mix both in a small bowl with some salt (start off easy like 1/4 tsp to see how salty you like it). Heat 3 tablespoons of canola/vegetable oil and when hot, pour the oil into the onion/ginger mixture and stir. Taste and see if it's salty enough. We Cantonese folks like to dip our chicken into this mixture before eating.

A note on butcher shops

I have yet to find a grocery store or carniceria on the Westside that sells chicken bones and freshly butchered chickens for a reasonable price. I usually head to Chinatown or San Gabriel where fresh chickens are about $10 and bones cost $1 to $2 a pound at the Chinese butcher shops. The nice thing about these butcher shops is that the bones you get are the entire carcass of the chicken - not odds and ends. I guess these shops fillet a lot of white and dark meat for the supermarkets and then keep the carcasses for folks who need bones for stock. How awesome is that?

Lee Wing Fresh Poultry

3015 Central Ave.

El Monte, CA 91733

(626) 279-6633

Superior Poultry

750 N. Broadway

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 628-7645

Poultry shop (forgot English name)

It's hidden behind Monterey Palace BBQ

114 W. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel, CA 91776

Lindy & Grundy

801 N. Fairfax

Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 951-0804

*It'll be pricier but these are nice ladies doing awesome work and they are closer than Chinatown.

A Love Song for the Tomato at Mozza

2011-08-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tomato worship is in full force at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza Tomato-themed dinners right now and it's so good it has inspired me to finally write again! Many varieties of heirloom tomatoes are featured in this multi-course dinner and all the tomatoes are from the legendary Chino Farms, just north of San Diego. I went with three friends yesterday, one is a tomato monster who has practically adopted tomato as her middle name, and we all loved the dinner.

I'm not a tomato monster but I do love tomatoes at the peak of the season, fresh from the farm. Every mouthful bursts with layers of complex savory, sweet and acidic fruit flavors. If you only eat the supermarket varieties that look like a tomato, then you haven't had a great tomato. That can easily be rectified by visiting your local farmers market this month or next month (and maybe read this too and you'll never want to waste money on a supermarket tomato again). Better yet, call Mozza right now and get yourself into their Tomato dinners before the season is over and Mozza moves on to its next theme.

Mozza BLT

This is a salad a meatatarian can dream about. Different heirloom tomatoes are tossed with ripe avocado, watercress, a bit of aioli and topped with the most amazing bacon breadcrumbs. Every bite of this deconstructed BLT was rich and savory, almost like eating tomato "steak."

Di Stefano Burrata

I sent this picture to my boyfriend and his response was "I hate you with a fiery passion." Poor thing, he loves burrata and had to work late and I went to this dinner with friends. (I did make it up to him by buying some burrata to-go for him.) Di Stefano's burrata cheese is amazing and this local dairy makes this giant ball of burrata especially for Mozza. We couldn't finish the whole bowl even though eight of us shared one bowl and my friend and I took second helpings to eat throughout the rest of the meal.

This burrata course was especially fun to eat because it was interactive. Four of us shared a potted basil plant and we could snip off as much fresh basil as we wanted for our burrata. What a great idea! Can't wait to steal it for my next dinner party at home.

I layered a giant spoonful of burrata on a slice of perfectly toasted bread and two thick slices of Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato and then I sprinkled it with some sea salt, the fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. This open-faced sandwich was about the size of my face. The sweet creaminess of the tender burrata melted in my mouth instantly and swirled with the savory, meaty flavors of the Cherokee tomato. The subtle hints of salt, basil and oil enhanced every creamy, savory bite. I was in heaven!

Rustichella D'Abruzzo Spaghetti

Years ago, I ate the best spaghetti I've ever eaten and it was when Scott Conant was still cooking at L' Impero in Manhattan. I never forgot the taste of that spaghetti and he left L'Impero and now of course, owns the Scarpetta empire which still makes that wonderful spaghetti. However, this spaghetti at Mozza can give Scarpetta's famous spaghetti a run for its money. Frankly, this one is so good, I think it has finally taken Scarpetta's place in my heart. The chef slow-cooked tons of cherry tomatoes with garlic. Before the pasta is cooked, he takes it out and drops it into the sauce to cook together and the starch from the pasta gives the sauce a nice velvet thickness that coats every surface of the pasta. This spaghetti tastes really good combined with a bit of creamy burrata too.

Roasted Veal Rack

Having been to many Scuolo di Pizza dinners at Mozza now, I know that I can easily be stuffed by the fourth course. I thought I had wisely avoided eating too much of Nancy Silverton's amazing foccacia bread (only 1 slice this time) to save room but then I was greedy with the burrata and spaghetti so by the time we got to this wonderful veal dish, I had to get up and walk around. Boy, it was worth it though. Nothing makes steak better than tender baby cows.

Olive Oil Gelato with Tomato Plum Compote

This blew our minds. Olive oil on gelato? Tomato on top of my gelato? After tasting it, I threw my skepticism out the window and declared it awesome food genius! Mozza often serves gelato at these dinners and this one is easily the creamiest, richest gelato I've ever had. The most impressive thing about this dessert is the sweet tomato plum compote - great texture and perfect balance of plum sweetness with the fruity tomatoes.

Rosemary Olive Oil Cake

This is another favorite dessert often served at Mozza. This light cake went very well with the rich gelato and sweet tomato plum compote.

You can't go wrong with these themed family-style dinners at Mozza. It's the best $75 you will spend on amazing food in this town. I love the casual atmosphere too. Chef Chad Colby preps the food in an open kitchen right behind the communal table and he's always happy to chat with diners about his ideas, the ingredients and how he cooked each dish. The service is attentive without being too fussy or stuffy and if you're open to chatting with the diner next to you, the chance is high that you'll meet someone interesting and fun to talk to.

And congratulations to Chef Colby for winning Cochon 555, the heritage pig competition in LA back in May! So, while you're reserving your tomato dinner, reserve a spot for Chef Colby's whole-hog dinners too. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

Mozza Scuola di Pizza
6610 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-1133
Dinner Calendar

Nha Trang's Delicious Noodle Soups of Central Vietnam

2011-05-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

I have to seriously thank Jonathan Gold for reviewing Nha Trang last month. Having grown up in San Gabriel, I somehow never tasted the noodle soups of Central Vietnam until I ate at Ha VL in Portland last May. I immediately fell in love with the depth and varied flavors of the different rich soups, types of rice noodles and the thoughtfully prepared meat and seafood toppings. When I returned to LA, I was disappointed that the landscape was dotted with the standard Vietnamese Beef Pho and there was no place to feed my new addiction. But at last, Nha Trang has arrived to save me!

Nha Trang's noodle soups are made with fresh ingredients every day and the broth is cooked for hours with either chicken, seafood or beef and pork bones (no MSG!). They only make what they think they'll need for the day so if they run out of a particular soup you want then you're out of luck.

There are only 8 items on the menu. Six are noodle dishes and two are served with a baguette.

Move aside Intelligentsia. I want my Iced Vietnamese Coffee.

Bun Bo Hue

Slices of braised beef shank, a few cubes of pork blood pudding and a stewed pig knuckle sits atop of rice noodles in this rich beef broth. I've had Bun Bo Hue a couple of times in San Gabriel and Westminster in the past but they've always been disappointing. This one is gold.

Bun Rieu

This tomato broth is amazing and the shrimp and crab meatballs adds a perfect seafood flavor to the noodles. This also comes with a few slices of pork, pork blood pudding and a pig knuckle. Nha Trang loves pork blood pudding and pig knuckle and so do I!

Pho Ga

Chicken noodle soup for the soul! I swear, this rich chicken soup will cure any cold. Buttery chicken essence oozes with every sip of the soup. The chicken is cooked daily with fresh chicken from the poultry shop and because it's fresh, it actually tastes like chicken, unlike the bland frankenchicken sold frozen at the regular supermarkets.

Hainam Chicken Rice

This is like Pho Ga because it uses the same chicken but it's served with rice that's been cooked in rich chicken broth. Since it's rice and easier to order as take-out, Nha Trang often sells out of the Pho Ga and Hainan Chicken early (by Noon-ish). I've seen people come pick up 4 or 5 orders at a time of the Hainam Chicken.

Bun Bo Xao

Of the 6 noodle dishes on the menu, this is the only one without soup. The rice vermicelli is topped with beef stir-fried with lemongrass. Tasty but I prefer soup. This would be good for those who can't bear the steam of a hot bowl of noodle soup in the Summer.

Mi Quang Nha Trang

This one is really special. It's the only item on the menu that's served with egg noodles and slices of fish cake. The seafood soup is boiled for hours with lots of shrimp and shrimp shells to achieve that deep sea flavor. Tumeric gives this soup a yellow glow and the ginger undertones of tumeric balances the fishiness to give you a perfect bowl from the sea.

In the last month, I've been to Nha Trang multiple times and ate everything on the menu except the baguettes. The lady who runs the place is really nice and she recognizes me now and it's like going to a relative's house for lunch. I love all the noodle soups and it's almost painful to have to choose only one each time; they're each so different it's like they have their own personality. I would gladly exchange ten burger joints (Father's Office, Umami, The Counter and In-n-Outs combined) on the Westside for one Nha Trang to be within a 5-mile radius of Culver City. But alas, I can't so I'll have to continue to trek 25 minutes on the weekends and squeeze into one of Nha Trang's 16 seats to feed my addiction for delicious noodle soups.

Nha Trang

311 E. Valley Blvd., Ste 103

San Gabriel, CA 91776

(626) 572-7638

Hours: Tues to Sun from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Tip: Happy Hour from 4:00pm to 5:00pm - Whatever noodle soups are left are only $4.95.

*The shop is not visible from Valley Blvd. You have to enter the strip mall (Rich Plaza) it's in before you'll see it. Look out for two tall umbrellas in front of the shop.

Bouchon Saves the Week + Kitchen Tour

2011-04-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

These past couple of weeks at work has been like a freeway pileup...on the 405! The work keeps piling every day and I've spent many nights catching up and savoring the peace and quiet at home to finally get some projects started. But all work and no play makes Hungry Kat a very insane girl.

So, I'm very thankful that Coolia organized a group outing to Bouchon this past Tuesday. Coolia, Ron and I shared cocktails as we people-watched at the bar (Tom Cruise and Katie with kids in tow slipped behind us into the dining room). The dinner was a 3-hour extravaganza that made me forget about work. The cherry on the top was the kitchen tour that Ron hooked us up with via his friend who's a chef at Bouchon.

*Apologies about the dim photos. I was using my phone and I didn't want to use the flash to disturb other diners.

Bouchon started our meal off with warm cheesy bites of gougères, mushroom tarts and french baguette. I would have been happy with just those items for dinner. It was a beautiful start.

Salmon Tartare

Fresh, creamy fish to get our appetites going. Ha, as if we needed help.

Potted Foie Gras

Best $50 ever spent! This pot of creamy, buttery heaven was enough for the five of us and Bouchon paired it perfectly with thin, slices of chewy bread. I don't eat foie gras often but you just have to have it at a Thomas Keller restaurant where you know it will be prepared perfectly and taste out-of-this-world. With so much food, we couldn't finish it so lucky Coolia got to take it home and enjoy it for breakfast the next morning.

Asparagus Salad with Poached Hen Egg

Now, why can't I cook asparagus like this at home? Well, first I can't quite get the same quality of asparagus as Thomas Keller. This asparagus was tender with no stringiness at all. The anchovy vinaigrette paired very well with the sweetness of the asparagus and the rich yolk oozing from the poached egg.

Veal Tenderloin

I love veal. I pretty much order it whenever I see it at a nice restaurant. Needless to say, this veal was tender and each bite bursted with the meaty veal juices. The veal was sous vide and then seared before serving which explained the extreme tenderness. The rest of the table ordered off of the special prix-fixe from our Blackboard Eats deal and everyone got this amazing glazed pork belly with bean cassoulet. I stole a bite from Coolia...nom nom nom.

Dessert Time!

The house treated us to these lovely macaroons, shortbread cookies, jelly candies and chocolates. Just judging from the pastries we got at the start of dinner and these goodies, the Bouchon Bakery that'll be opening next to Bouchon soon will be a great contribution to LA.

Ile Flottante

I've never had a Floating Island before but I figured Bouchon would be the best place to finally try it. It was a bit too sweet for my taste but maybe it was because I already overindulged in the macaroons. Still, I admired the art in making the egg meringue and the nut topping was really good.

Kitchen tour with Ron and Coolia for size comparison to those giant stockpots. Bouchon's stockpots are going all the time with different stocks (beef, chicken, veal...).

The chef told me how many pounds of chicken they use in the chicken stock but I forgot. They also add vegetables to the stock and it gets boiled down until the stock is very concentrated - about one third of the size of the stockpot.

The chef said if you have no Sense of Urgency, you don't belong in Thomas Keller's kitchen or any respectable kitchen for that matter.

More baguette anyone?

Chickens drying in the meat refrigerator. Ron has tried Bouchon's roast chicken and he said it's the best roast chicken he's ever had. Chef said they brine the chicken first, then air-dry it in the meat refrigerator with a running fan before it's ready to be roasted. And they roast the breast separate from the thigh and drumstick because they have different cooking times and this simple method prevents overcooking and dry chicken. I did that a few weeks ago at home and I can attest that this is true.

By now, I'm sure all the vegetarians and vegans have stopped reading this blog but here's a picture of the produce refrigerator. All the vegetables and herbs are lovingly organized.

One amazing thing I noticed was that the kitchen was almost spic and span when we toured after dinner around 11:00pm. The kitchen staff was cleaning every pot, pan and cooking utensil and their cooking station was practically sparkling. Thomas Keller is very strict with the cleanliness and organization of his kitchens so the kitchen is cleaned every night after meal service is over.

I had serious kitchen-envy while walking through Bouchon's multi-million dollar kitchen. The All-Clad pans, giant stockpots, and rows and rows of organized spices, produce and ingredients in the various refrigerators and cooking stations were very inspiring. It was like peeking into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Bouchon

235 N. Canon Dr.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 271-9910

One Bite to Ensenada - Ricky's Fish Tacos

2011-04-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable that it took me so long to try Ricky's Fish Tacos! Ricky Pina's Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos have been legendary in Los Angeles for several years now but for some reason, I've never been able to haul myself to Silverlake to his taco cart. Don't get me wrong; I'm willing to travel long-distances for food alone. Day-trip to San Francisco for Golden Gate Bakery's egg tarts? Ha, no one can stop me on the 5 Freeway. Drive to Buellton for steak dinner at the Hitching Post? Hop in the car and let's go!

I guess I just needed a crazy fish taco craving to get me weaving traffic from Culver City to Silverlake on a Saturday morning.

Ricky's sort of like a jack-of-all-trades. He built his first taco cart out of a filing cabinet he had at home! Find out more about Ricky and how he started his taco business in his recent interview with LA Weekly (Part 1, Part 2).

Place your order and Ricky will get the frying going. If you're lucky, he'll have lobster sometimes. Then grab one of the three fold-up tables he has in front of his stand and wait for deliciousness. The line can get a little long and you might have to share a table but who cares? Everyone is there for good food.

Fish Taco Heaven

Served in each warm mid-size tortilla are meaty pieces of fish, fried to crispy perfection in a light batter and topped with crunchy cabbage and fresh pico de gallo. Drizzle some of Ricky's special mayo and salsa verde or rojo. Then close your eyes and one bite will transport you to Ensenada.

Shrimp Taco Heaven

This shrimp is serious. Good-size, plump and deveined. It's fried in the same light batter and comes with the same toppings. You've got to get a shrimp and fish taco.

Wash everything down with cups of Ricky's agua frescas and you've got a perfect start on your weekend.

Dan and I have been to Ricky's twice in the past three weeks. We order four shrimp and four fish tacos every time. Yes, that's a lot of food. I admit we indulge at Ricky's but how could we resist when faced with such deliciousness on a hungry Saturday morning?!

Ricky's Fish Tacos

1400 N. Virgil Ave.,

Los Angeles, CA 90027

*Follow Ricky on Twitter to find out when his cart is open. He's usually open around 11:30am or Noon and he'll sell out in four or five hours.

Via-Mar Seafood

5111 N Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90042

*If you're in the Highland Park area, I also recommend Via-Mar for Baja-style fish and shrimp tacos. One downside with Via-Mar though is their shrimp aren't deveined but they've got delicious fried and grilled fish tacos.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2011-03-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's cold and raining cats and dogs in LA today so I'm finally forced to tame my usual nature to be out and about. At last, I am enjoying some quiet time in my new home in Culver City (thank goodness!) and reading one of my favorite genres: cookbooks! As I'm perusing my new copy of Rose's Heavenly Cakes, I realized that I've badly neglected this blog between the holidays and moving houses.

I've got a huge backlog of delicious food to write about but I'm craving something hot and hearty, a comfort food that would warm me from head to toe with just one bite on this cold, rainy day. So, I present you chicken pot pie.

The boyfriend was craving chicken pot pie a few months ago when it was really cold. I didn't know where to go for pot pie and he loved Marie Callender's chicken pot pies. Normally, I just went to Marie's for dessert pies and I didn't have much confidence in Marie's other dining options but I kept an open mind. The verdict? If you're lazy and desperate, then Marie's pot pie will suffice; otherwise, I would not recommend it. After tasting that bland and chicken-less pot pie, I vowed to make a chicken pot pie that would wow Dan and forever wean him from Marie's pot pie.

After much Googling and scouring my cookbooks, I decided to make Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie because her recipe calls for a good ratio of chicken and vegetables. It's also worth making your own pie crust. Garten's shortening and butter crust was amazingly flaky and while there's some chopping and dicing work involved, the overall recipe was easy to understand and follow.

Making the filling. There's a lot of chicken and veggies in this recipe and the sauce is creamy and delicious.

I didn't have four small oven-proof bowls so I just used a one big bowl. It worked great.

It's very important to remember to cut slits on the dough to let steam out as the pie bakes.

Golden brown perfection. We ate like kings and Dan love it and swore he would never go elsewhere for pot pie again.

I love pie crust so I made one little variation to Garten's recipe and made a double pie crust. The bottom crust can be easily made by dividing the dough, rolling out one piece of the dough and lining the bottom and sides of the bowl, and then brushing the bottom with egg white wash to prevent a soggy crust. When the filling is ready, pour the filling into the pastry-lined bowl and then roll out the remaining dough to cover the top of the bowl. Pinch edges, cut slits and it's ready to go into the oven. Remember, if you want double pie crust, you'll either need to adjust your number of servings or make more dough.

Perfecting Breakfast On-the-Go

2011-01-11T16:08:00.001-08:00

The perfect breakfast to take on-the-go from Tell Tale Preserve Co.

I stared at this for a full 5 minutes. The whole time I'm thinking what a beautiful marriage of cake, sausage and a soft-cooked egg with that perfect runny yolk and how delicious it would be if I could only reach into my screen, retrieve the cake and take a big bite. Then I spent another 5 minutes wondering how on Earth this was made. Oh, I can't wait for the Tell Tale Preserve Co. to open in San Francisco. They're slated to open this Spring but I've been following the delicious-looking things they've been making and chronicling on their blog since last Fall. They're definitely a must-visit on my next trip up North.

Beef of Tuscany at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza

2010-11-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

My love affair with the themed dinners at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza continues.

This month is "Beef of Tuscany" on Friday nights and I am still savoring the memory of all the amazing beef courses I ate this past Friday with a fabulous group of my co-workers.

Manzo Toscano Menu

Nancy Silverton's famous foccacia bread is served at the beginning of every meal at Scuola di Pizza. They are delicious but be careful not to eat too many slices and get full before your real meal begins.

Pinzimonio

Our first course was a nice vegetable antipasto to fulfill our vegetable servings for the day before the carnivore feast begins. You can also say it assuage the guilt some of us felt for enjoying so much meat in one meal.

I don't usually like raw vegetables but this salty anchovy dressing made all the vegetables go down smooth like a spoonful of sugar.

As we ate our vegetable antipasto, a lot of use couldn't help stealing glances at the cured meat locker off to the side of the dining room, by the kitchen. It was like the salami and sausages were calling out to us.

Carne Cruda

This beef tartare paired with slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano and artichokes on top of a crispy bruschetta bread was a favorite of many at our table of 22. A tangy vinaigrette offset the richness of the cheese. I liked it but my favorites came later in the meal.

Breve Costoletta Alla Griglia

These thin-sliced short ribs (like the kalbi you'd find at Korean BBQ) had a very tangy marinade and they were best balanced with the salsa verde that came with it.

Coda Alla Vaccinara

These oxtails were amazing! For the first time, in a restaurant, I was served a whole oxtail that was braised perfectly; just the way I've always wanted it. Every savory bite of the fork-tender meat mixed with the stickiness of the bits of soft cartilage from the joints of the tail bones confirmed my conviction that a lot of Americans are missing out on this delicious and underutilized part of the cow.

The oxtails had a lot of meat and being able to tear chunks of it off the a whole tail was a satisfaction that's rarely fulfilled for me unless I cook it myself. I don't really care for dishes with deboned, shredded oxtail. It's too "clean" and the shredded meat is often dry. I miss the cartilage which I think enhances the flavor and keeps the meat moist.

The carnage of tail bones on my plate.

I think I ate more oxtail than anyone at the table. I was not shy about breaking the tail at the joints and giving each piece my individual attention. I really wish more restaurants would serve oxtail and do it justice. Please, no more dry shredded oxtail tapas or lame oxtail soup that only has a sliver of oxtail meat in it.

Bistecca Fiorentina

These three amazing hunks of Porterhouse greeted us as we arrived at the dinner. Each steak was about as thick as the width of three fingers. They were already cooked and just resting until it was time to be served. My anticipation was very high.

Steak Monuments? Steaks of Liberty?

Our final course deserves the utmost respect and admiration from all carnivores.

I think this might be the best steak I've ever eaten, beating my favorite ribeye at The Hitching Post in Buellton and definitely beating all the $50 steaks I've ever paid for from LA to NYC. Every component was perfect. It was a juicy medium-rare. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender with well-marbled fat. Most importantly, the meat was seasoned thoroughly with a coarse salt and porcini rub the previous day so the flavors from the high quality beef and the seasoning was just bursting in every bite. Our chef, Chad Colby, said salting the steak the previous day is actually okay and it won't dry the meat out. He said salt early and salt often for great flavor. I was always told that salting too early would dry out the steak but I'll give this a try at home soon.

Riso Gelato

Like the Heritage Pork dinner previously, everyone was bursting at the seams by the end of the last savory course but not surprisingly, everyone had a special dessert pocket. I love this creamy rice gelato. I'm seriously wishing they serve this regularly at the Mozza Restaurants and also package it for Mozza2Go. Better yet, they should have local grocery stores carry it so we can all enjoy this anytime.

Torta Di Polenta

This moist polenta cake was topped with roasted hazelnuts and slivers of almonds. When I read polenta, my mind immediately jumped to yellow corn and I was dubious to this dessert's delicious meter but I should not have doubted Mozza. Their pastry chef did a fantastic job with this cake and luckily, this one is sold at Mozza2Go.

This was another fantastic meal at the Mozza restaurants. I can't make it to Italy this year so having this little bit of Italy brought to me is the next best thing. I can't wait to go again next month when they're featuring the "Best of 2010."

By the way, this is actually my third themed dinner at Scuola di Pizza. I had the Heritage Pork dinner first, and then two weeks ago, another group of co-workers invited me to join their Veneto-themed dinner. (I have some lovely co-workers.) I stupidly forgot my camera at that dinner and the pictures from my phone were very dark. I loved the huge plates of prosciutto, giant prawn calamari, sea urchin risotto and the braised beef tongue at that Veneto dinner. The Veneto dinner also featured the Riso Gelato and Torta di Polenta so I was very happy to see it again at this Tuscany meal.

However, of the three themed dinners I've tried so far, the Heritage Pork is still my top favorite (every course of that dinner was a winner for me). This "Beef of Tuscany" was very close to being the top favorite on the strength of the oxtail and porterhouse steak but I didn't really love the kalbi short rib. If you're looking for an amazing meal, check out the Scuola di Pizza's calendar and book your seats before the dinners are sold out.

Scuola di Pizza

6610 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 297-1130

**Tip: A lot of people are confused by how many Mozza restaurants there are on the corner of Melrose Ave. and Highland Ave. Sitting on Highland Ave. is Pizzeria Mozza which is where the valet for all the Mozza restaurants are. Osteria Mozza is right on the corner of Melrose and Highland. Mozza2Go is next to Osteria Mozza, on Melrose Ave. Scuola di Pizza is a small, private space for cooking classes, tastings and themed dinners and the entrance is hidden inside of Mozza2Go. Cool?

Portland's Best Restaurants: Pok Pok, Ha VL, Screen Door and Laurelhurst Market

2010-10-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

If you love food, do yourself a favor and plan a food vacation to Portland. I've heard over the last few years that this rainy city of Oregon has become the hub for good food that can satisfy both your yearning for comfort food and creative cuisine. It's also a city for readers, artists, DIY-ers and musicians so what's not to like?

I spent a week on a food tour in May this year and here's my long overdue post (motivated by a friend who is heading to Portland in a few days). I ate at a lot of places while in Portland and some were so fantastic, I had to break my travel rule and go more than once; I did not regret it and I hope you will like the few places I'm highlighting here.

I want to give a special shout out to my friend Charlie who lives in Portland and was my partner-in-crime on this food tour and taught me how to take better food photographs. He's an awesome photographer (check out his shots for the LA Derby Dolls) and I was very lucky to have him take some of my photographs too on this trip.

My favorite restaurant in Portland is Pok Pok hands down. Pok Pok serves food popular in the restaurants, streets and homes of Southeast Asia though Thai and Vietnamese cuisine seems to be the main influence. Pok Pok was so good, I ate there three times and it made me want to travel to SE Asia even more. The restaurant also operates the Whisky Soda Lounge diagonally across the street; it's a wonderful place to enjoy Pok Pok appetizers and small plates with whiskey, a beer or one of their creative cocktails while you wait for your table at Pok Pok.

Muu Paa Kham Waan

I loved that Pok Pok had game meat on the menu. This boar collar appetizer was a little chewy and as I chewed, the strong marinade of garlic, coriander, pepper, soy and chili permeated my tongue and paired well with my beer. That's what I love about Pok Pok; they're not afraid of strong flavors and the food has an array of flavors and depth.

Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

Fried fresh, natural chicken wings with a caramelized garlicky fish sauce marinade. This is a home recipe from one of Pok Pok's cooks. I'll take these over buffalo wings any day!

Khao Soi Kai

You won't find a bland pad thai at Pok Pok. This Thai curry noodle soup hits your nose with the smell of curry heaven but it's not super spicy and the chicken just falls off the bone. Pok Pok and a lot of Portland restaurants uses fresh, natural chicken (aka no hormones, antibiotics). I ordered this twice in my three visits.

Cha Ca La Vong

This is a refreshing dish perfect for a warm Summer day. Pieces of lightly fried catfish with tumeric, scallions, mint and peanuts served over a bed of rice vermicelli noodles with mam nem, a Vietnamese anchovy sauce. But seriously, I don't need a Summer day to eat this. One Cha Ca La Vong please. Pok Pok was my last meal before I left Portland and I made sure that I ordered this again.

Kai Yaang

Most of us know this dish on Thai menus as Thai BBQ chicken but this game hen is anything but the dry, bland chicken you'll find in a lot of Thai restaurants on the Westside. The meat on this is moist and gives off hints of lemongrass and garlic. The chili sweet and sour dipping sauce and sticky rice that goes with the chicken is perfect.

Kuung Op Wun Sen

Mmmm. Giant wild-caught prawns cooked in a clay pot with pork belly, whiskey and thin rice "thread" noodles. The whisky and soy marinade seeps into all the ingredients in the pot as it's cooked over charcoal, almost like it has a caramelizing effect. Again, ate this twice.

Sii Khrong Muu Yaang

Baby back ribs from Carlton Farms. I would have liked the whisky honey sauce to be stronger but the ribs were meaty and yummy anyway.

This was the only dish I didn't write down the name of. It was a delicious beef clay pot stew with sauce that went perfectly with rice.

Mango Sticky Rice

Warm, moist sticky rice topped with ripe mangoes and a warm, sweet coconut syrup. This dessert was so good, I ate the whole thing. Charlie had to order his own. Hehe.

My favorite "hole-in-the-wall and you'll miss it if you blink" spot in Portland is Ha VL, a Vietnamese sandwich banh mi shop that only sells one featured noodle soup a day. Charlie had read that Pok Pok's owner/chef, Andy Ricker, loves eating breakfast at Ha VL every morning because it's one of the very few authentic noodle shops in Portland. Since we both love noodle soup and Pok Pok so much, we had to make the pilgrimage. Ha VL's noodle soups is like food art; they look, smell and taste delicious and all for $7.50 a bowl. You can really tell the owners put a lot of effort and good ingredients (i.e. using natural chicken) into the noodle soup and foodies of Portland appreciate it because Ha VL often sells out before closing. Like Pok Pok, this was the only place I ate at three times during my week in Portland and fueled my fire to travel to SE Asia. I'm super jealous that Charlie lives within five minutes of Ha VL. (Oh, and we ran into Ricker all three times. He was cool and I thanked him for running such a great restaurant.)

Pnompenh Noodle Soup (Hu Tieu Nam Vang)

A slow-simmered pork broth with shrimp, pork liver, sliced roast pork, fishballs and squid. Love - Love - Love. Unlike Japanese pork broths that often add extra pork fat for flavor, this soup was clear, not oily and still bursting with flavor and depth. And I loved all the different ingredients with the al dente rice noodles.

Shrimpcake Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)

Again, the delicious pork broth with ground pork meatballs, shrimpcake, sliced pork and tomatoes. My words are not doing justice to how good this noodle soup was.

Peppery Pork Meatball Noodle Soup (Bun Moc Hanoi)

Pepper-marinated pork meatballs and slices of pork in pork broth. The name says it all. Simple and satisfying.

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)

This was our lucky day. It was Saturday and it turns out that on weekends, Ha VL serves two different noodle soups. Charlie and I ordered different soups but no doubt, knowing that I was leaving Portland soon, I contemplated ordering both noodles just for myself. My stomach forced me to exercise self-restraint.

Favorite neighborhood restaurant in Portland goes to Screen Door, a restaurant that specializes in Southern comfort food and showcases a lot of local and organic food. It's low-key and has a great bar for people-watching. We scored a table that faced the open-kitchen so I got to see all the action and salivate over every dish that came out of the kitchen. By the way, everyone who worked in the kitchen looked like rock stars or hipsters. That seems to be a trend in Portland.

Pan-fried Scallops

This was the special appetizer of the day. Fresh scallops. I had to order it and I was not disappointed. Sweet and cooked to bouncy perfection with crispy edges.

Lowcountry Shrimp n' Grits.

I've only had grits once before and it was not a good experience. But this appetizer from Screen Door totally changed my mind. The grits were smooth and creamy with garlic butter and shaved parmesan and I was surprised that it went so well with the shrimp. I almost licked the plate.

Steak topped with Fried Oysters

Oh my god! This was their special of the night and I couldn't believe the steak was amazing for only $19.95. The steak comes from cows raised nearby and the juiciness and meaty sweetness of this steak is hard to find even at some of the top steakhouses in Los Angeles. And those two fried oysters was the cherry on the top of a perfect meal.

Crispy Fried Buttermilk Chicken

Charlie ordered this and I couldn't help stealing bites from him. The chicken just taste so darn good in Portland. I really appreciate their wide use local, naturally raised chickens; you can really taste the difference in the meat texture and the meat juices. The chicken alone was so good, I didn't think it needed the ham gravy and mash potatoes that came with it.

Los Angeles desperately needs more butcher shop and restaurant hybrids like Laurelhurst Market, which features all natural, hormone/antibiotic-free meats. This is the foodlover and cook's dream shop that I wish I had near me. (The newly opened Salt's Cure in WeHo might be the answer but it's too far from me and I've yet to have time to check it out). As you enter Laurelhurst, you're greeted by their butcher shop's meat glass counter chock full of goodies like head cheese, whole rabbits, duck fat, bacon, sausages and more. You can order different cuts of meat to take home and cook (I got some short ribs). To the left of the restaurant, is a casual dining room with just the right blend of decor to make you feel like you're in a nice bistro. The wait can get long at Laurelhurst but luckily, they have a cozy bar.

I love this chalkboard hanging in the Laurelhurst dining room. I really wanted to steal it and take it home with me.

Steak Tartare

I love steak tartare but I only order it when I trust the source/restaurant and Laurelhurst fit the bill.

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Bacon and eggs - two of my favorite foods. Enough said.

Wedge Salad

The lettuce in the salad tasted like it came straight from a garden. It had a wonderful blue cheese dressing and came topped with bacon, fried shallots and some herbs. Charlie ordered a salad because we were feeling guilty for not quite fulfilling our vegetable serving of the day but of course, it had to come topped with bacon. This is why I love eating with Charlie.

Grilled Creekstone Farms Ribeye

This didn't really need the blue cheese topping and onion rings. The steak was huge, tender and delicious. Best of all? Only $33. Again, hard to find that quality in LA.

Housemade Smores with a Whiskey Shot

Best Smores Ever! And paired with whisky? Brilliant.

Portland is a great city to eat, drink (breweries abound) and be merry in. Plus, the city has Powell's Books (I spent about almost a whole day in there, lost in cooking, literature, true crime and sci-fi), proximity to the beautiful Oregon coast and Seattle, another great food city, and tons of parks and trails to hike and bike. The city is liberal and friendly to folks like me who love to read, eat delicious food, drink good beer, cook with fresh ingredients and live in a community that enjoys its art, music and film.

I can't wait to go to Portland again and I foresee many future visits even if it's just for a long weekend. If it weren't for the rainy weather, I'd be planning my move up there.

Pok Pok

3226 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 232-1387

Whiskey Soda Lounge

3131 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97202
(503) 232-0102

Ha VL

Wing Ming Market Center

2738 SE 82nd Ave # 103
Portland, OR 97266-1577
(503) 772-0103

Screen Door

2337 East Burnside St.

Portland, OR 97214-1655

(503) 542-0880

Laurelhurst Market

3155 E. Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97214

Restaurant - (503) 206-3097

Butcher Shop - (503) 206 -3099

Heritage Pork Dinners & Pig Butchery at Mozza's Scuola di Pizza

2010-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

When I read Jonathan Gold's review of Nancy Silverton's new pop-up restaurant, Scuola di Pizza, I knew I had to try it. Why? Meat, Nancy Silverton, Mozza and family-style, Italian food. Need I say more?

Then, I read that Heritage Berkshire pigs are currently the theme of their Saturday Mangiare in Famiglia dinners and I nearly knocked over my phone reaching for it to make a reservation. August was all booked but luckily, September was still open and even better, there was a Pig Butchery Intro Class two days before my dinner and we'd be butchering the pig for that upcoming dinner.

Silly question. Of course I signed up for both.

I'll post a few pictures from the Pig Butchery but not most since it's probably a bit too graphic for some. I did post pictures of a whole uncooked pig last year but seeing a whole pig versus a pig being butchered is a different thing.

The Tools

There were six of us in the class and Chad Colby, the Mozza chef who led the class and oversees the pork dinners, made sure that we understood what we were in for before class began. It wasn't a hands-on class (sharp knives, legal-reasons, etc.) but since it was such a small class, we were seated right in front of Chad and the pig and got to see an up-close demo of how to butcher a pig from head to tail.

Future Bacon

It was amazing to see Chad use every part of our Red Wattle Pig. Red Wattles have very high-quality fat so every bit was saved for rendering or cooking. The only things that were thrown away were the glands. The internal organs came pre-packaged from the farm due to health reasons and sadly, because FDA forbids it, there was no pig blood so no blood sausage or the likes. The class was a little over 3 hours (they fed us plenty of Pizzeria Mozza throughout) and I learned a lot and took copious notes. I'm more confident now in cooking with a pork shoulder and one day, I might even tackle a whole hind leg.

Rib Chops

Red Wattle pigs are raised humanely without any genetic modifications. In other words, they roam free and forage for most of their food and they aren't given stimulants and hormones and that's why they are classified as Heritage pigs. As Chad butchered the pig, I could see the meat was marbled evenly with fat and the meat gave off a beautiful and succulent shine. Because the meat is of such high-quality, cooking it doesn't require much head-scratching. You can easily season it with coarse salt, fresh ground-pepper, some fennel seed and olive oil and a hot pan or grill will do the hard work for you. One of the best parts of the class was Chad cooking all the "butcher's scraps" (aka delicious parts that you don't serve or sell because they don't look pretty) this way and serving it to us.

Salumi e Pate Nostrano

Two days later, I got to enjoy the Red Wattle and I was in heaven. The dinners are served family-style (thus the name Mangiare in Famiglia) and a long table fits 22 people. First up was this charcuterie plate with a variety of coppa, liver pate, headcheese, prosciutto and ciccioli zucca made from the pig's head, shoulder, neck and liver and cooked with the pig's fat. The headcheese was my favorite; I couldn't get enough of it.

Salsiccia Fresca (aka Sausage) with Broccolini

Again, delicious and a perfect pairing. This was when a tiny bell started to ring in the very back of my head. A tiny bell that wanted to remind not to eat too much because there was a lot more good food coming. Tip: Don't eat too much of that famous Nancy Silverton focaccia bread; they're good but super filling. Haha.

Soffiata (Souffle?) with Pork Ragu and Parmigiano-Reggiano

Holy moly this was good. I've had Mario Batali's pork lasagna and I think the pork in that and the pork ragu in this are very similar. The top was full of cheesy pillowy goodness and the pork ragu was to die for.

Arrostito Spalla de Maiale

This roast pork shoulder was amazing. In class, Chad cut off almost two inches of fat and saved it for rendering. That left about an inch of fat that completely wrapped and protected the shoulder while it roasted in the oven for nine hours at 225 degrees. Chad says it's difficult to find a pork shoulder in the supermarket that has enough fat to keep the meat moist because so much fat is trimmed off. Plus, few regular markets will carry meat as good as this. But it's not impossible. Find a good butcher and do a special order or buy extra fat to wrap around your pork shoulder.

The entire pork shoulder was hand-shredded and tossed with a salad and a light vinaigrette. I could eat this salad every day. The pork was only seasoned with salt and pepper but the slow roasting made it fork-tender and finding pieces of meat with some fat on it was like finding nuggets of gold. At this point, that tiny bell was ringing on top of my head but there was meat; I happily forged on.

Rib Chops

Oh my god. These were the rib chops from class! Grilled to medium (light pink center) with salt, pepper, wild fennel seed and olive oil, every bite of this pork chop and the thin layer of fat on the edge was like eating pork gold. I was really full from the pork shoulder already but the rib chops were too good to pass up.

Piggy Coconut Almond Biscotti

A cute, crunchy prelude to our last course.

Trio of Gelato and Sorbet

A sweet way to end the night with chocolate gelato, raspberry sorbet and yogurt. The gelato was a chocolate lover's dream and the yogurt was surprisingly good and I couldn't get enough of it.

I had a great time in both the class and dinner. I highly recommend the class if you're interested in understanding where your meat comes from, how it's brought to you, understanding cuts of meat and how to cook it or just for fun and learning. I enjoyed meeting people at the family dinner too; it's fun to meet some like-minded people who are passionate about good food and meat. Coolia and I were lucky enough to sit next to two couples who were vinophiles and one of them works at the Wine Hotel in Los Angeles. He brought different red and white wines to pair with each course and they shared every wine with us and they were all amazing. Half of what he brought is very hard to find but I look forward to paying a visit to the Wine Hotel.

Currently, Scuola di Pizza serves dinners on Fridays and Saturdays (they served lunch on Sundays last month) but the schedule changes month-to-month and the themes change too. Other times, the space doubles as an intimate classroom for pizza, cheese and wine classes and of course, the pig butchery class. Check out the schedule on the Mozza2Go website.

Scuola di Pizza

6610 Melrose Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 297-1130

Tip: The Mangiare in Famiglia dinner is $75/pp and the pig butchery is $150/pp. If you attend both the pork dinner and the the pig butchery class, you get $50 off the pig butchery class.

Farmers Market Welcomes Me to My New Hood

2010-10-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

It's a bit of a culture shock to go from Palms/Culver City to Sherman Oaks but I'm making the adjustment, albeit a slow adjustment. Food is a must for me in acclimating to a neighborhood and so far, I'm really happy to find authentic Vietnamese pho at Pho So 1 (you don't have this on the Westside), delicious but cheap $9 lamb shawarma plates at Pita Kitchen and the rich pork Tonkatsu ramen at Jinya Ramen.

My happy find today is the Studio City Farmers Market. I missed having easy access to several weekend farmers markets in Mar Vista and Santa Monica and finding the Studio City market helped me feel a bit more at home today. It's a pretty good-size market with a variety of vendors selling fresh produce, eggs, honey, mushrooms, fresh pasta, seafood, breads, jewelry and clothing. It's also a great place to grab breakfast or lunch; I was really tempted to eat there but my hands were full of ingredients for the lunch and dinner that I was going to cook as soon as I got home.

My bounty from the Studio City Farmers Market! I had one of these peaches right away when I got home. Man, it was juicy, sweet and tasted like Summer and most importantly, it smelled like a ripe peach!

The Yang Farmstand had these beautiful baby bok choys, eggplants, carrots, garlic and green onions. The rest I got at from different vendors.

I'm super excited about this fresh bucatini pasta and can't wait to cook it with some tiger prawns and a homemade tomato sauce tonight.

This bakery has really good bread. All natural and no preservatives and the bread is fresh and soft like a pillow. I was there too late and missed out on the cinnamon raisin bread but I put this one to good use for lunch today. Must try their rosemary, garlic and potato varieties next time.

I present you a BET. Bacon - Egg - Tomato.

Truth is I forgot to buy lettuce but substituting with an overeasy egg with the yolk running over the fresh heirloom tomato and the whole wheat honey bread made this sandwich a winner. Dan and I eat like Kings.

Oh, don't forget to compliment your BET with a soda from Galco's. I love Cheerwine; it's like Cherry Dr. Pepper but way better.

So, I am starting to adjust to my new hood. It is an easy 20 minute zip to Highland Park to satisfy my taco cravings whereas it took me 40 minutes from Palms before and it is relatively easy to get to K-town (Korean BBQ!) and Downtown. If you ever find yourself in the area, give my finds a try. I also welcome recommendations. If it weren't for a friend's recommendation, I wouldn't have found Pita Kitchen. Now, if only Father's Office and Sasabune would open on this side of town...

Studio City Farmers Market

12052 Ventura Pl
Los Angeles, CA 91604

Sundays - 8am to 1pm

Free parking behind the Chase Bank or the nearby CBS Studios

Oysters for Breakfast!

2010-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

I would like to have a weekly date with Rob at Carlsbad Aquafarms. (Sorry, Dan.)

I've been suffering very bad neck pain for the past 10 days but my date with Rob (Rob's oysters to be specific) helped transport me to a painless and delicious world this morning. The oysters were fresh, buttery and plump and they're at a price that can't be beat! They're $2 each shucked so you can enjoy it onsite or $10 a dozen for you to take home and shuck it yourself.

These babies are so fresh you can eat it plain or with just a squirt of lemon. The buttery goodness of the sea is still lingering in my mouth. Mmmm.

Carlsbad Aquafarms is at the Santa Monica Wednesday Farmers Market (8am to 1:30pm) and also the Hollywood Sunday Farmers Market (8am to 1pm). You'd be hard-pressed to find such delicious oysters anywhere else in this town for such a great price. They carry a variety of oysters (Luna, Blondes, etc.), clams, mussels and even red ogo.

So, what are you waiting for? If you love oysters, treat yourself and head to Santa Monica now!

LA Street Food Fest - Still Needs Improvement

2010-07-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

Summer fun has been keeping me super busy but here I am finally with a quick post on today's LA Street Food Fest at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

Cool swag from the food fest.

My boyfriend and I arrived at 5:15pm and the long line to get in was already starting to snake around the huge parking lot. Doors opened at 5:30pm and we were through the gates by 5:45pm. Not bad. However, the organization of the event could really be improved.

After getting our tickets scanned for entrance, we had to go into another long, unorganized line for wristbands for the open beer/cocktail bar and tequila tasting. The ice cream vendors and cocktail bar were right by the entrance while the beer, tequila and rest of the 50+ food vendors were on the stadium field that had to be accessed by walking through a tunnel and down a long flight of stadium stairs. The separation of the two area ruined the event flow. The tequila tasting and food vendors like the super popular Grilled Cheese Truck were located on the top floor of the stadium making the access also inconvenient. Food vendors were lined around the perimeter of the stadium field and the lines were loooooong with average waits at 15 minutes per vendor. Some waits were much longer for popular vendors like Dogzilla or vendors who weren't as well organized with food prep, but to be fair, the event organizers had most of the food vendors to do their preparation and cooking outside of the stadium. They had to run up the stadium stairs to get out to their food and run back down the stairs to serve their food to folks on the field. Not very good planning and foresight on the event planning side; I felt sorry for the food vendors.

The event encouraged people to bring picnic blankets and many people laid them in the center of the field but because waits for food was so long, many people (including me and my boyfriend) were busy waiting in separate lines so many blankets were unused and taking up scarce field space. We were constantly jumping around blankets, bumping into people and avoiding the occasional stroller (yes, strollers were not allowed but some still found their way in).

There must have been more than 5,000 people there. Long lines everywhere.

As for the food and drink, in about three hours, we managed to try 4 drink vendors (Honest Tea, Izze, Singha and Bonadea) and 11 food vendors:

Dim Sum Truck - The shrimp har gow and pork siu mai were good but you can never beat eating them fresh off a dim sum cart. The vegan corn & tofu sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf was surprisingly good without the traditional pork filling. I know - vegan and Cantonese food sounds like heresy!
Fresh Fries - Nutella & peanut butter sweet potato fries were oh so yummy.
Gastrobus - Of all the food we tried, the most delicious and memorable bites were from Gastrobus. The Ecuadorean Shrimp Ceviche was refreshing and the tomato, citrus juice made the shrimp dance in my mouth. They also had a Dulce de Tres Leche dessert topped with fresh pineapple and toasted coconut. That was so good I contemplated stealing the whole tray or offering them money to buy the whole thing. I can't wait to eat there again.
Jaliscos Tacos - The beef and chicken tacos were pretty good but didn't beat my bar for tacos.
Kabob N' Roll - They served a surprisingly moist and juicy chicken kabob.
Komodo - This was our first stop and their beef satay did not disappoint.
Mandoline Grill - I went back twice to catch their pork banh mi with no luck. The tofu banh mi was okay.
Mariscos Jalisco - Delicious fried shrimp taco. The corn tortilla was lightly fried and topped with a slice of avocado and salsa. Mmmm.
McQ's Smoke House - The bbq pork rib was a bit dry.
Scoops - They are opening a location in Palms/Culver City soon. Yay!! Brown bread ice cream!!!
Starry Kitchen - I was really looking forward to trying SK but they only served a fried tofu ball. It was okay; nothing surprising or impressive though.

We're not big tequila drinkers, the Singha beer was served out of bottles instead of tap so the lines were super long and we missed out on the cocktail bar because it was separated from the food vendors (ugh). We gave up on waiting in the insanely long lines for Grilled Cheese, Dogzilla and Antojitos even though we really wanted to try them because we were tired and only had 30 minutes left to check out Unique LA. If we didn't split up half the time to get food, we would have tried less food and left the event hungry.

Overall, I guess this was an improvement over their February event. That one didn't limit ticket sales and it was located in Downtown LA. I headed somewhere else as soon as I read on Buzz that the lines were out of control. I can't say that I really got my $45 worth this time. The lines were too long, bites too small and the event wasn't mapped out well for convenience and flow so it made it very hard to relax and enjoy the picnic blanket we brought, which we didn't even bother to lay out.

Thankfully I was there with Dan; he made the event much more fun and he was a trooper for putting up with the long lines with me.

Vegas "Hangover" - Bradley Ogden, Rosemary's and The Peppermill

2010-05-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

How bout that ride in. I guess that's why they call it Sin City. Ha ha ha. You guys might not know this but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one man wolfpack. But when my sister brought Doug home I knew he was one of my own. And my wolfpack, it grew by one. So there were two of us in the wolfpack. I was alone first in the pack and then Doug joined in later. And 6 months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys I thought, wait a second, could it be. And now I know for sure that I just added two guys to my wolfpack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together in Las Vegas looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast. ~ Alan

I took my wolfpack of 120 co-workers on a Vegas trip this past weekend. It was awesome and one of the most fun Vegas excursions I've had.

We booked the "Rain Man" Suite for a party and danced the night away. This suite also inspired The Hangover and Caesar's is milking all the marketing for it. And yes, the suite was trashed. I had to leave a Benjamin for the maid the next day.

There was a tiger and a bunny (yours truly).

I played craps and blackjack for the first time and won $370 bucks. It wasn't all luck though because I did have a lucky charm who was teaching me and telling me when not to hit.

A friend of mine won the male dance (aka hot body) pool contest.

Someone ended up in the hospital (not too serious thankfully).

One guy rushed home to his wife who went into labor. He made it with just 3 hours to spare.

I consumed plenty of delicious foie gras, uni, steak, seafood & booze...and $4.99 steak & eggs at 5:00am and slept at sunrise 2 nights (er, mornings) in a row. Check out the food :)

Me and said Tiger

My first delicious meal was at Bradley Ogden's, located inside of Caesar's Palace. We started with oysters. I could have eaten all of that alone but alas, I shared.

Alaskan King Crab poached in butter with Uni (sea urchin). Needless to say the crab was sweet and delicious but the best part was the fresh uni. We were a party of 12 and 9 people didn't eat uni so I got all of their uni. I tried to convince them that uni is the butter of the sea but they wouldn't have it. Well, lucky me. I need to go to dinner with these folks more often.

Roasted Foie Gras. Butter of the land. Need I say more? Again, I got an extra serving because someone doesn't eat foie gras. Yay!

Twice-Baked Maytag Blue Cheese Souffle. This is a marriage of two of my favorite foods. It's a match made in heaven.

The menu at Bradley Ogden's changes seasonally and the bison wasn't on the menu but our head waiter said the chef always keeps some on hand. The bison was so tender and I love game meat but I didn't think this was overpowering for people who don't like gamey meat. I split the bison with someone and had half of her rack of lamb. Genius on our part so we could try more entrees and once again proves, sharing good food is fun.

We were stuffed from our medley of appetizers and then the entree so we didn't really order dessert but Ogden serves a shot of their butterscotch pudding to all patrons. The pudding was nice and creamy and not overly sweet. Glad I had it and it reminded me of Pizzeria Mozza's butterscotch budino. All in all, a winning meal at Bradley Ogden's. I'd love to go back and try their House Ground Steak Burger which is supposed to be amazing.

Goat Cheese Cheesecake; my favorite dessert and it's sad that it seems like I can only find it at Rosemary's. (Apologies for the poor picture; I didn't bother taking many pictures since it was dark and I didn't want to use flash.)

For the second night, I organized a "Foodie Dinner" with 24 people at Rosemary's 20 minutes off the Vegas strip. Dining well on the strip can get expensive and the prix-fixe's at the fancy strip restaurants often offer a very limited and boring "fish or chicken" menu. Rosemary's has been a favorite of mine for a few years; delicious American food with French and American South influences and always great service. The thing to highlight is that for groups under 15, you can order a la carte or do the special $55 three-course prix-fixe that allows you to order anything off the menu - any appetizer, any entree and any dessert (or pick 2 appetizers!). I split up our group and staggered the arrival time by 30 minutes and it worked perfectly and we all got to our different Vegas shows on time because the Rosemary's staff was totally on top of serving us and making sure we got out on time but we never felt rushed by them.

Here's a tip. Every Wednesday, ladies receive 50% off the food portion of their bill and half-priced bottled wine on Sundays. I was lucky enough to take advantage of that Wednesday deal once; it's a really sweet deal. I've referred friends to Rosemary's time and again and they've always returned thanking me.

Something about Vegas makes me ravenous. Maybe it's the combination of adrenaline, constant visual and audio stimulation and not going to sleep until 5:00am that makes me truly a HungryKat. On my last day in Vegas, I woke up starving and ready to eat a tiger. There was no tiger but there was The Peppermill, the home of giant breakfasts and cocktails in their fabulous neon Fireside Lounge, and it's Julie's tradition to finish a Vegas trip at The Peppermill.

Ladies and gentleman. I give you The Peppermill's giant NY Steak & Three Eggs with hash browns and a bagel! I can't believe I ordered and ate that. A friend egged me to go toe-to-toe with him and order this and never one to back down in the face of a food challenge, I of course ordered it and proceeded to eat the whole thing. Okay, okay, I ate the ate the steak and eggs but I took one bite of the bagel and I had to give up. It pained me to give up a nicely toasted bagel. By the way, all the breakfasts at The Peppermill came with three eggs; they really want to make sure you roll out of there instead of walk.

This was a winning Vegas trip in my book. It was weirdly (and kind of scary) similar to The Hangover experience with a trashed suite, a hospital visit and a tiger (well, sort of). Thankfully, no one got arrested, got married to a stripper or got kidnapped by an Asian crime boss...that I know of anyway. I'm expecting to get a call any day now...

My contact at Caesar's wisely gave me a member's Diamond Card that gives free access to the gym and it pretty much gets me into anything at the Harrah's properties quick and easy. The card is good for three more months; I see another Vegas trip this Summer in my future.

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour - Serendipity & Tributefest in Santa Clarita

2010-05-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very serendipitous and happy day!

I lost a pair of my favorite earrings earlier this week and yesterday, someone in my apartment building left one earring taped to the mailboxes with a note looking for its owner. Me! And minutes later when I pulled my keys to open the door to my apartment, I found the other earring hanging from my keyring. Now, how lucky is that? The earrings are cheap but they're of great sentimental value as I bought them on my Hawaii trip earlier this year. This is not related to food or drink but this is how my lucky day began.

In the afternoon, Julie and her boyfriend, Dave, and I went to Tributefest in Santa Clarita and we were lucky again when another friend hooked us up with free wristbands that got us unlimited pours to the 30 beers that were on tap and that saved us $40 each. There were also over a dozen food trucks and we padded our stomachs with deliciously greasy Philly Cheesesteaks ("wit" and cheese wiz of course) from the South Philly Experience truck and shrimp dumpling and sticky rice from the Dim Sum Truck. Aeromyth (tribute to Aerosmith) was the best band of the day and after I don't know how many beers, the lead singer really did start to look a lot like Steven Tyler. I think he was actually skinnier than the real Tyler!

My favorite beer yesterday - Speakeasy's Prohibtion Ale with a nice hoppy aroma. Too bad they weren't pouring the Big Daddy IPA though. I think Julie and I drank from like 3pm to a little after 8pm but we weren't badly drunk. Slow and steady takes the cake...plus, dancing and water helps a lot.

On the way home, our designated driver, Dave the Enabler, took a shortcut and in my tipsy state I made a serendipitous discovery. I spotted a sign for Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour! If you read my last post about the joy and nostalgia a banana split brings me, then you'll understand when I tell you that I yelped (aka screamed with joy) when I saw the Farrell's sign. Dave immediately did a u-ey and we ended up at one of the happiest places of my childhood.

I think I was in my super enthused HungryKat mode due to the beers and the excitement of seeing Farrell's. This gift and candy display was behind the register and not exactly open to foot traffic but I asked to go in and see the giant lollipops and goodies and I was in before the staff (nice people) could say no. And yes, for Tributefest, I was rockin' the Bierbitzch tank I got from LA Beerfest a few weeks ago.

"Creating Old Time Memories for a New Generation." I think Farrell's has been using this image since its beginning in the 1960s. I really love it. Notice how they're holding each others hands with a milkshake in between them; even as a little girl, I found this image very romantic and now I especially love the 1920s era it evokes. For some reason, now it also makes me think of Chicago or New York in the 1920s. It must be the influence from reading The Devil in the White City.

There were only three of us so we didn't order any of these giant ice creams. When you order any of the three, the staff bangs a drum and sings a song or does a shout out to let everyone in the restaurant know you're a little piggie.

Amazing! Because we stopped at Farrell's, Dave revealed that he used to work at a Farrell's in Staten Island when he was 15! He talked the manager into giving me one of their signature styrofoam hats (they've been using them forever) and he got me a lovely souvenir shirt for my fake birthday. Yes, I shamelessly pretended it was my birthday yesterday so they would bring the drums and sing a song for me and give me a free birthday sundae.

Well, it's almost my birthday anyway and hey, it wasn't all free. Dave told them they had to embarrass me more than usual. I had to get up and wear this silly straw hat.

Then I had to dance the entire time they sang my birthday song and Dave has all of this on video! I will also shamelessly admit I enjoyed all of this but I will blame it on all the beer I imbibed yesterday. Thank you Julie for taking pictures while I was embarrassing myself :)

Julie ordered the Banana Split. Still delicious but they still only put one cherry on the top.

The Fake Chicken Dinner. The chicken nuggets are butterfingers, the peas are mint candy and the ice cream is supposed to be vanilla with caramel sauce to make it look like mashed potatoes but Dave chose mint ice cream.

The drum. I think they brought out the drum like five times last night for birthdays including my fake birthday. All of them were kids except me. Well, I'm a kid at heart. It was so cute to see all the kids' excited and happy faces when the staff banged the drum and had the kid stand up before they sang a special song for them. The song wasn't your standard "Happy Birthday" song; Farrell's has a few birthday songs on rotation that are fun and playful.

I love this glass ice cream lampshade. They had many glass lampshades in the restaurant but only this one had an ice cream motif.

Love....

I started my day with beer and ended it with ice cream. How perfect and how lucky am I? I want to give a shout out to our server whose name is also Katt (two ts); she was so friendly and enthusiastic and totally humored and indulged all my tipsy and nostalgic antics and let me walk all around the restaurant like a kid at Disneyland.

I was especially happy to be able to share all of it with my friends. The last six months has been full of ups and (mostly) downs and yesterday was one of the happiest days I've had in a long time. May Day. Rebirth.

Farrell's
21516 Golden Triangle Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
(661) 253- 4386
*There used to be 130+ locations in the U.S. but when I was a kid, they started shuttering them and now there is only one other location in California located in Mission Viejo. Angelenos, don't be afraid to drive out of the LA vicinity.

The Joy of a Banana Split

2010-04-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite childhood memories is my mom taking me and my two younger sisters to Baskin Robbins after school. She would order one banana split and us four girls would share that one banana split. We never complained it was not enough or that we each wanted our own. Ha, I'd like to say at that age we knew that "sharing is caring" but I think it was more that we knew our mom was managing us on a tight budget so we didn't dare to be brats.

Yes, we would elbow over who got more chocolate ice cream or more banana, and of course, the ultimate prize was the cherry. Whose turn was it to eat that solitary cherry on the top this time? If my memory serves me correctly, my youngest sister often got the cherry because she was the youngest and cuter than a newborn puppy. She still is cuter than a newborn puppy.

Sometimes, we would even go to Farrell's, an old-fashioned ice cream parlour in Rosemead (closed years ago and is now Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant), for a late-night banana split when my father came home from his job as a chef. Can you imagine? Three kids up at midnight eating ice cream and watching cartoons for 25 cents at Farrell's. Only Chinese parents would not be concerned about kids hyped up on sugar and bouncing off the walls way past their bedtime. Love it!

Anyway, I was telling this story to a friend recently and she had no idea what a banana split was. As the HungryKat, I had to remedy that situation right away. The next day, we hosted a Banana Split Hour at work and I showed her how to make a Banana Split and invited our co-workers to make their own. It was a lovely and delicious Friday.

Notice how my Banana Split now has three cherries :)

That weekend, I went to my aunt's house for dinner and she has three young boys (12 and 10 and 10). I showed them this picture and told them about my Banana Split party and they said they've never had a Banana Split either! Hungry(cousin)Kat to the rescue. You should know how that ends.

HungryKat Banana Splits

Ripe Banana
Chocolate Ice Cream
Strawberry Ice Cream
Vanilla Ice Cream
Fudge (melted and no Hershey's syrup please)
Pineapple Topping (these toppings can be bought in jars at the market)
Strawberry Topping
Whipped Cream
Toasted crushed peanuts or pecans
Maraschino Cherries

First, gather friends.

Split a ripe banana lengthwise and place in a mid-size bowl (there are actually Banana Split glassware you can buy). Place one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of strawberry and one scoop of vanilla ice cream in between the split banana. Top the chocolate with fudge, the vanilla with the pineapple topping and the strawberry with strawberry topping. Then squirt a generous amount of whip cream on top of each mound of ice cream. Finish with the nuts and top with three Maraschino cherries; one for each ice cream.

Last step - Smile and enjoy with friends or loved ones.

Easy Hainan Chicken Rice (海南雞飯) Recipe For Home Cooks

2010-04-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

Hainan Chicken Rice is a simple and very satisfying dish. Tender, juicy pieces of savory chicken paired with aromatic chicken stock-infused rice is a comfort food for many Asians, specifically the Singaporeans, Malaysians, Vietnamese and of course, the Chinese where this dish originated in Hainan Island. Done right, this dish will inspire content sighs of "Mmmm" and "Ahhhh" and many rubbings of a full belly at the dinner table.

It's easy to find this dish in Chinese cafes and Southeast Asian restaurants but it's very hard to find a place that will serve a tasty version. Savoy Kitchen and Dong Nguyen (both in Alhambra) are very popular and famous for their Hainan Chicken Rice. However, I'm probably in the minority in saying that their Hainan Chicken Rice is just okay. It may be carelessness that comes with success but I often find their Hainan Chicken to be bland and the white meat too dry for what is supposed to be fresh chicken. Their rice is good but that doesn't cut if for me.

Frustrated by the lack of quality Hainan Chicken Rice, I started making it at home and a friend recently asked me how I make this dish at home. Like most people, I juggle a busy schedule between work, a gym routine (I exercise to eat and drink!) and the many fun activities that the lovely city of Los Angeles offers so I'd like to share an easy recipe I modified for cooking Hainan Chicken for the busy home cook. My way does require overnight marinating so prep today and feast tomorrow!

First, do yourself a big favor and buy a fresh chicken from the Farmers Market or a poultry shop; the Fosters 3000-mile frozen (and then defrosted) chicken will be a waste of your time and an insult to your taste buds. Being on the Westside, I prefer the Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market or Superior Poultry in Chinatown. Try to cook the chicken the same day you buy it. You'll also need 2 bunches of green onions, a head of fresh ginger, a head of garlic and kosher or sea salt.

Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry. The chicken gizzards, liver and heart can be discarded or saved for cooking later. Chinese poultry shops tend to leave the chicken head on so you can either ask them to chop it off for you at the shop or you can just suck it up and chop it off yourself (I do it myself). Cut 4 to 5 stalks of green onions in half - do cut the onion ends off and discard. Peel 4 cloves of garlic and cut 3 to 4 thick slices of fresh ginger.

Prep a large stockpot with water (eyeball the water level but it has to be enough to cover the whole chicken entirely) and add the green onions, garlic and ginger. Bring the water to a boil.

When the water is boiling, carefully add the whole chicken into the pot. It's very important that you have enough water to cover the chicken entirely. If you saved the gizzards, etc., now is the time to put it into the water with the chicken. Put the pot lid on and TURN OFF the fire. Let the chicken slow-cook this way for about 40 to 50 minutes (the bigger your chicken, the longer the time) and resist the temptation to constantly lift the lid. Slow-cooking ensures your chicken will be extra tender and juicy and if you use a fresh chicken, you'll really be able to taste the real essence of the chicken meat. You can check for doneness by inserting a chopstick or knife into the thigh of the chicken to see if blood runs out.

When the chicken is done, the water should still be pretty hot so be careful in removing the chicken from the pot. Let the chicken cool and sprinkle kosher or sea salt in the cavity. Then put the chicken in a ziplock bag and liberally sprinkle salt into the bag (the gizzards, etc. go into the bag too if you cooked it). Don't be shy with the salt and don't be afraid to stick your hand into the bag to make sure the salt is spread evenly all over the chicken. Seal the bag and place it in your refrigerator to marinate overnight. Tip: Some prefer a "crunchy" chicken skin so they'll bath the chicken in an ice bath for a few minutes upon removing it from the hot water. I don't eat chicken skin often so I usually skip this step out of laziness.

Do not toss the water you used to boil the chicken; that is valuable stock! Remove the green onions, ginger and garlic and save the stock, including that nice film of chicken oil on the top, and save it to cook rice the next day. Invest in a rice cooker; I cannot live without mine.

The finale!

The next day, instead of using regular water to cook your jasmine rice, use the chicken stock, add a little more salt to taste and then just press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, prep the chicken and the condiments. Remove the chicken from the ziplock bag and wipe off the excess salt. Depending on your preference, you can serve the chicken cold or bring it back to room temperature before serving. I prefer my chicken slightly warm so I split the chicken in half and I boil water in a double-boiler and quick steam it for a few minutes before I chop it into smaller serving pieces. Note that lovely liver and gizzard in my picture - rich and delicious!

For the condiment, fine chop some green onions and fine-grate some fresh ginger (see my picture above) and mix in a bowl with a little kosher salt. In a small pan, heat a few tablespoons of canola oil and when hot, carefully pour the hot oil over the ginger-onion mixture. Alternatively, you can prep a garlic chili sauce by mincing some fresh garlic and chili and adding lime juice to it. Slices of cucumber and tomatoes are often served on the side as well.

There you have it. The HungryKat's easy overnight version of Hainan Chicken. With just a little planning, you can have moist, tender dark and white meat chicken with tasty, tasty chicken rice for dinner. The beauty of this dish is the simple preparation and the use of only a few flavoring ingredients to allow the essence and sweetness of the chicken meat to shine through.

There has been some debate amongst my friends and colleagues recently that Frog Claypot Rice is disgusting. I completely disagree. Next project: Cook Frog Claypot Rice the way my dad taught me when I was a child (using fresh frog of course) so look out for that post...coming soon.

It's a free country so if you don't want to cook and would rather drive, go ahead and check out Savoy and Dong Nguyen.

Savoy Kitchen

138 E. Valley Blvd.

Alhambra, 91801

(626) 308-9535

Dong Nguyen

1433 E. Valley Blvd.

Alhambra, 91801

(626) 300-8618

Satisfying Your Taste Buds in Westminster

2010-03-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

I ventured behind the "Orange Curtain" on Sunday and stopped at Westminster for lunch and dinner in between a day of successful shopping. Vietnamese food is perfect on a very warm 82 degree day in Southern California; it's light, refreshing and satisfies all your taste buds.

Lunch Stop: Pho Kimmy

Pho Dac Biet - strong, full-flavored broth with tender rare beef, well-cooked beef and tripe. The tendons could have been softer but otherwise this fully satisfies all my Pho cravings.

Snack Stop: Bahn Mi & Che Cali Bakery

Ahhh. I will take a banh mi over a hamburger any day. This ham, meatloaf and head cheese sandwich went along perfectly with the creamy pate and crisp, light baguette. A lot of people eat this with cilantro, cucumbers and jalapenos but I always leave those out on my banh mi. The Vietnamese really took the best from the French and made it even better!

Dinner Stop: Brodard

If Charlie, one of my best friends who migrated to Portland recently, had been with me on this eating "tour," he probably would cry from happiness. He's the one who introduced me to Brodard.

These pork (nem nuong) and shrimp (chao tom) spring rolls are legendary at Brodard and for good reason. The pork meatloaf and shrimp paste are wrapped in a delicate rice paper with herbs, cucumber and a crunchy piece of eggroll skin. Dip the roll in the house special fish sauce and you'll be in heaven. Everyone who goes to Brodard orders these rolls. Don't miss out.

Banh Xeo

This is a pan-fried rice flour "crepe" appetizer. It is chock-full of bean sprouts and onions with a sprinkling of shrimp and shredded pork. It's also flavored with coconut milk and the crepe is served with lettuce which you use to wrap pieces of the crepe and then dip in the accompanying lime chili fish sauce. Like most Vietnamese food, this tastes flavorful and "light" even though its pan-fried with oil.

Bun Dac Biet Brodard

This main entree is under the Vermicelli section. Cooked vermicelli is served with grilled chicken, grilled pork, grilled & fried shrimp paste and a crispy egg roll. Plenty of greens, peanuts and the lime chili fish sauce make this a delicious and refreshing entree. This is what I crave on a warm SoCal day.

Bun Cha Gio, Tom, Thit Noung

This entree is also under the Vermicelli section. It's a more pared down version of the Dac Biet (that means "special" in Vietnamese) entree above. It has only grilled shrimp and BBQ pork over vermicelli, fresh, crunchy greens, peanuts, roasted shallots and of course, lime chili fish sauce.

3-Color Dessert

This dessert drink contains all my favorites in Vietnamese desserts - a mixture of red beans, mung bean paste, crunchy green jelly, sweet coconut milk and springy tapioca balls. You swirl everything together with the giant straw as the shaved ice melts and helps all the ingredients mix. You drink, you chew, you drink, you chew...

All three places I went to were hopping with customers but the wait at Pho Kimmy and Brodard was only a few minutes. Bahn Mi was a little more chaotic. The bakery was overrun with people trying to order sandwiches and various sweet and savory Vietnamese goodies to-go. There's no line or number system so you just have to be a little more aggressive in getting one of the servers' attention.

All in all it was a wonderful day in the OC. I satisfied my cravings for all my favorite Vietnamese foods and enjoyed ocean views while I was shopping. Energy burned at the gym in the early morning and during shopping balanced all the delicious food I ate too.

Thanks for indulging me, Shirly. :)

Pho Kimmy

14932 Bushard St.

Westminster, CA 92684

(714) 775-1699

Banh Mi & Che Cali Bakery

8948 Bolsa Ave.

Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 897-3927

Brodard Restaurant

9892 Westminster Ave.

Garden Grove, CA 92844

(714) 530-1744

**There's a fancier location called Brodard Chateau. I've never been but I've been advised by friends that the food at this fancier location is not as good.

Sublime Food Lounge Is Absolutely Divine!

2010-03-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

What a revelation! The dinner I had tonight at Sublime Food Lounge was so delicious, I have to tell you about it right away even though it's late in the night and I'm a little high from the wonderful company, the good food, the wine and a delicious bourbon Sidecar. Eat, drink and be merry with friends, right?

Sublime Food Lounge just opened three weeks ago and the food is absolutely delicious. Randall, the chef/owner, is a visual effects artist and cooking has always been his passion so after studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles and the French Culinary Institute in New York, we are now very lucky to have him in Culver City. His passion and drive is so inspiring and his food is divine; his food is so good, it defies a label - it's just good food! By the way, I don't think Randall sleeps. In addition to cooking and running his new restaurant with his partners, he's also keeping his production hours. Amazing.

My friends and I were excited and hungry so we dug into the food right away before I took any pictures (I also didn't have a proper camera with me and I do hate to keep people from food while I click away). Plus, my pictures won't do the food justice anyway so I'll try my best to be a wordsmith here.

We were sharing family-style so we started off with a few small plates:

House-Roasted Nuts - Aside from the wine, this was a perfect starter to our meal.
Crispy Confit Veal Riblettes - This was tender, moist, perfectly seasoned and had just the right amount of fat to give it a rich, buttery taste. Dipping it in a little Five-Spice Salt gave it a nice salty finish. I wish I could cook this at home.
Foie Gras French Toast - Heavenly. Foie Gras is so good I just can't wax poetic on it much more. We were very smart to get two orders of this.
Roasted Bone Marrow - A bit on the oily side but marrow lovers will like this especially with the roasted garlic on the side.
Tuna Tartare - Another delicious dish and it was accompanied with a light fragrant lemon truffle oil.

Then we moved on to the large plates:

36 Hour Prime Short Rib - I think I was on Cloud 9 between bites of this medium-rare short rib and the yummy demi-glazed potato cake it came with. More! More! I want more!
Braised Oxtail - I love oxtail in all forms - soup, stewed or braised. This was braised until tender and the meat soaked up all the rich, deep flavors. Those who are afraid to handle bones in public will be glad to know that this is served boneless. The meat is shredded and served on a bed of crispy polenta with chanterelles and a cauliflower puree.
Seared Scallop - A perfect 10! This puts the scallops I attempt to cook at home to shame. You just can't beat huge fresh scallops seared to a degree where it is just cooked and springy to the touch instead of stiff and rubbery. This dish reminded me of the sparkling ocean on a brilliant Summer day. Again, I want more!

We were really full but there is always room for dessert:

Caramel Popcorn Bread Pudding - Never turn down a bread pudding, especially this one.
Chocolate Hazelnut Ravioli - The chocolate came wrapped inside a crispy skin, thus the "ravioli." Topped with bananas, this was a hit at the table.
Framboise Martini Float - I loooove this one. White Chocolate Gelato floating on top of Belgian beer served in a martini glass. I'm already a fan of stout beer ice cream floats and this is another delicious discovery for me.

See this firepit? As we were leaving the restaurant, we stopped in the back to check out its covered patio. One look at the raised firepit and I was in love and we ended up staying for another two rounds of drinks. The owners built the firepit themselves and they plan to install a sound system to play music and project classic movies in the patio. Did I mention that they already have masters like Fellini and Kurosawa playing off a projector in the main dining room? Now you understand why I'm in love with this place like a giddy schoolgirl.

I don't remember the last time I went to a new restaurant where everything is a home run with the service, drinks, space, atmosphere and most importantly, the food. You can easily spend hours here enjoying drinks at the bar (in addition to cocktails and wine, they also have bottled beers and two beers on tap, a Belgian and local craft brew), food in the dining area and then migrating to the patio for more drinks. I spent 5 hours here tonight and I didn't even realize it!

I've found a new "home." I'm definitely going to be a regular at Sublime Food Lounge.

Sublime Food Lounge

8631 Washington Street

Culver City, CA 90232

(310) 287-2093

Open daily for dinner (dark on Mondays) and lunch service just began this week

When Life Gives You Lemons

2010-03-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Life has been giving me quite a few lemons lately - figuratively and literally. But when life gives me lemons, I put that energy into baking lemon treats and sharing those treats. Spring is here and it's giving me Meyer Lemons; they are my favorite because they are wonderfully fragrant and there's a sweet kick to its intense citrus flavor.

I tried three recipes from three different cookbooks. Recipes are included below; don't be afraid to try your hand at baking with lemons. Plus, it will fill your home with the refreshing smell of lemon yumminess. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Tart with Chocolate
Suzanne Goin's recipe for this tart crust is great; it'll give you a flaky, rich crust. The lemon curd is easy to make as long as you keep it on low heat and stir continuously to avoid burning. Extra lemon curd can be enjoyed on toast, English muffin...whatever pleases you.

Fresh-grated Meyer lemon zest. Funny how the zest looks orange. That's probably because Meyer lemons are a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin/sweet orange.

Lemon Loaf Cake
This loaf cake is in the vein of a pound cake. I used a lot of Meyer lemon zest for this but I was surprised that the lemon flavor wasn't more intense. I kind of predicted that so I finished off the cake with a simple lemon glaze before serving. Next time, I'll add more zest and maybe a splash of lemon juice and also watch the baking time more carefully because this loaf was slightly over-baked by about 5 minutes.

French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon
According to Molly Wizenberg, this is a classic old-fashioned cake in France. Wizenberg has an amazing story about this recipe too; she blogged about it in 2004 and that's how she met her current husband who was looking for this recipe! I made the simple version of this cake and there's a delicious lemon glaze that goes on top too but I forgot to take a picture before I took it to my dinner party.

So, here you go. I baked away all nine of my Meyer lemons. By extension, I hope I've exorcised some of the "lemons" life has given me lately too.

And yes, I know. I need to take better pictures of my food but it's really difficult to handle a camera when my hands are full of flour and butter and I'm trying to keep delicate lemon curd from burning.

Meyer Lemon Tart with Chocolate
(from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

For the pâte sucrée (this recipe is enough for two crusts)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter

1. Whisk the cream and egg yolks together in a small bowl.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and butter on medium speed until you have a coarse meal. Gradually add the cream and yolks and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the dough.

3. Transfer the dough to a large work surface and bring it together with your hands to incorporate completely. Divide the dough in half, shape into 1-inch-thick discs, and wrap one of them to freeze to use later (wrap well to protect from freezer burn).

4. If remaining half of the dough is too soft and sticky, put in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up a little. If the dough is manageable, place it on a lightly floured work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough, and roll it out into a 1-inch-thick circle, flouring as necessary. Starting at one side, roll and wrap the dough around the rolling pin to pick it up. Unroll the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Gently fit the dough loosely into the pan, lifting the edges and pressing the dough into the corners with your fingers. To remove the excess dough, roll the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tart pan for a nice clean edge, or work your way around the edge pinching off any excess dough with your fingers. Chill for 1 hour.

For the Meyer lemon tart

1 recipe pâte sucrée
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use semi-sweet too)
4 extra-large eggs
3 extra-large egg yolks
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup Meyer lemon juice
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch of kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prick the bottom of the pâte sucrée with a fork and line it with a few opened and fanned-out coffee filters or a piece of parchment paper. Fill the lined tart shell with beans, nuts or pie weights and bake 15 minutes, until set. Take the tart out of the oven and carefully lift out the paper and beans. Return the tart to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is an even golden brown. Set aside on a rack to cool completely.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Spread the chocolate evenly on the crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, until the chocolate has solidified completely.

3. While the crust is chilling, make the curd. Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, alternating between a whisk and rubber spatula, until the lemon curd has thickened to the consistency of pastry cream and coats the back of the spatula. (The lemon curd burns easily to be diligent about the heat and stirring.)

4. Remove the lemon curd from the heat. Add the butter a little at a time, stirring to incorporate completely. Season with the salt. Let the curd cool about 8 minutes, and then strain it into the prepared tart shell. Chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

5. Just before serving, whip the cream in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or by hand) until it holds soft peaks and serve with the tart. (I omitted this step with my tart.)

Lemon Loaf Cake
(from Dorie Greenspan's Baking with Julia)

4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/3 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of 3 large lemons
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1. Center a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 9x5 loaf pan and dust with flour, shake off excess flour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and salt for a minute until foamy and blended - it should not be thick. Whisk in grated zest.

3. Spoon flour and baking powder into a sifter and sift 1/3 of it over the egg mixture and whisk lightly (no need to beat). Repeat in two additions with the rest of the flour until everything is incorporated.

4. Whisk the heavy cream into the mixture. Then switch to a rubber spatula and gently & quickly fold in the melted butter.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center; it's done if it comes out clean. After removing the cake from the oven, let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding and cooling to room temperature.

6. If you want to add a lemon glaze to this, see the recipe below - you won't need that much icing so you can cut the icing in half by halving the recipe.

French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon
(from Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life)

Cake

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup well-stirred plain whole-milk yogurt (not low-fat or non-fat)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola

Syrup
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Icing

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment paper, and grease it too.

2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the lemon zest, and whisk to mix thoroughly.

3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just to combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

4. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cake on a wire rack for about 15 minutes; then turn cake shiny side-up out of the pan to continue cooling.

6. Whisk syrup ingredients together and spoon atop the warm cake and let the cake soak in the syrup. Syrup will run down the cake but that's okay. Best to place a large pan or parchment paper under the rack so clean-up is easier for you.

6. When the cake is thoroughly cooled, make the icing and spoon gently over the cake. The icing will be thin and you can firm it up by chilling it in the refrigerator for an hour before putting it on the cake.

7. This cake is best if served immediately on the day it is made. And you can vary the recipe by using Meyer lemons, oranges or tangerines.

**Wizenberg said feel free to use just syrup or icing if you're short on time. I only used icing because I was afraid it would be too sweet with syrup too.

Loveless Breakfast in Bed

2010-03-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

I've been getting over a bad cold the last few days and feeling a lot better this morning, I badly wanted to rejoin the world and check out the LA Marathon festivities in Santa Monica. But a quick check on Google Maps showed red and red & black on most side streets and the 10 freeway leading to Santa Monica so I scrapped that idea. Instead, I decided to finally break open the pound of Country Smoked Bacon, Country Ham and Strawberry preserves I got by mail order from Loveless Cafe in Tennessee.

Well, it wasn't exactly breakfast in bed since I had to cook it but I hardly ever cook breakfast at home on the weekends so this was as special as breakfast in bed. Plus, who really wants to eat in bed and not brush their teeth and wash their face first? Frying the crispy bacon filled my apartment with wonderful hickory smoke and that ham was all salt-cured deliciousness. I also slow-scrambled some eggs on very low heat so they were smooth and tender (high heat gives you rough and rubbery eggs).

You can order bacon, ham, biscuit mix, preserves and all kinds of other goodies from Loveless Cafe. Their bacon is sugar-cured and hickory-smoked with no water packed in. The ham is aged for 9 months and also hickory-smoked. The jar of strawberry preserves is really good too - just strawberries and sugar and no other additives. I still have a pack of unopened biscuit mix from Loveless...waiting for a special occasion or a big party to bake some.

My Irish Kinfolk

2010-03-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Saw this bar in Old Town San Diego recently. Must be my Irish Kinfolk.
O'Hungry's is supposedly known for serving a yard of beer but I didn't stop for a drink. I was in the mood for margaritas instead and I can tell you that no amount of tequila will kill a cold!

A Sick Woman's Craving

2010-02-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

I was home sick yesterday with a sore throat, achy body and a head so congested I thought it was going to explode. All I wanted was a bowl of hot, steaming Pho Ga (aka Chicken Pho) from Hoan Kiem, which I tried for the first time three weeks ago. It's days like these that I wish my superpower is the ability to make any food appear in front of me! Being sick and not having energy to get up and cook is no fun.

By the way, do not boast that you haven't gotten sick all Winter season because it's inevitable that you'll jinx yourself and get sick!

Hoan Kiem's Pho Ga has a very nice, savory chicken broth with a generous serving of rice noodles, slices of fresh dark and white meat chicken and if you want, they can add chicken gizzards and livers to your bowl. The soup is so delicious you'll want to drink all of it.

Hoan Kiem also has Banh Cuon. It's a sheet of rice noodle which is rolled with minced pork and "wood ear" mushrooms and you dip the roll in their special garlicky fish sauce. They make that fresh when you order it so the rice noodle is still slightly warm when its served. I love that.

Hoan Kiem's specialty is their Pho Ga and Banh Cuon. These two things are pretty much the only things on the menu unless you count the Vietnamese Iced Coffee or you can get the chicken with rice but why would you do that?!

Hoan Kiem
727 N. Broadway, Suite 130
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(Chinatown)
Tues-Fri: 10am to 6pm
Sat-Sun: 9:30am to 6pm

One Chinese New Year Resolution

2010-02-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

I set quite a few resolutions for 2010 back on December 31st and some are coming along and some not so much...

French class is progressing painfully - I have no talent for this language but I don't feel too bad because at least I speak and read Chinese so that's a BIG population I'm able to communicate with. I'll just bring a good phrase book with me if I get to Paris this year.
I didn't get my reservation to El Bulli for this year - what a surprise, right?
Core Performance continues to kick my butt (in a good way!). My goal will be reached.
Dance class and dragon-boating are on the horizon...this month or next month I hope.

My one resolution for the year of the Tiger is simple - Be happy. Here are just a few things that make me happy.

Eating rambutans and wearing heart-shaped sunglasses in Hawaii.

Puppies falling asleep in my arms. Sadly, this is not my puppy.

Learning new recipes involving bacon. Bacon Apple Pie. Bacon Ice Cream. Really, I can go on and on.

Roasting whole a pig! I think my friends are planning a whole lamb roast for the Spring. I can't wait.

Playing this card game called "500" with my cousins, Andrew and Stephanie...and winning! Oh, and getting packages from Stephanie that includes fun, plastic rings that say "Miso Hot" and "My Name is You Can't Afford Me." Hahaha.

Buzz Saved Me from LA Street Food Fest

2010-02-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

I was halfway to the LA Street Food Fest around 11:30am yesterday and the 10 Fwy slowed to a crawl as I got near downtown. Sensing something was not right, I checked Google Maps on my phone and saw several Google Buzzes from people who were already at the Fest and they were complaining about lines snaking around the block and the estimated time to get in the venue was hours!

My friends and I immediately changed plans and went to Wurstkuche instead where we met a lot of fellow refugees from the Street Food Fest. Wurstkuche is in the historic Arts District near Little Tokyo and it has a delicious (and exotic) selection of sausage sandwiches, Belgian fries with an array of finger-licking sauces and a variety of mostly German and Belgian beers (draft and bottled).

I got a Bockwurst (veal, pork & spices) and a Hot Italian (pork & spices - nice spicy kick!) sandwich and topped it with a of cold Belgian beer called La Chouffe. The sandwiches were awesome but I didn't like the beer so much; it had a weird "stale" aftertaste. (Sorry, no food pictures as we were starving; plus, it was too dark inside to take pictures and I hate using flash.)

Anyway, I'm so glad I didn't have to stand in line for hours yesterday. My friend said it best - Google Maps and Buzz totally revolutionized our Saturday.

Came upon this truck while strolling the Arts District after our delicious lunch.

We couldn't stop laughing.

Victory Kalbi

2010-02-10T22:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not very good at trivia but pride and a small competitive streak in me compelled me to place a side bet with a friend on an opposing team that I would win Hollywood movie trivia at work last Friday. I seriously thought I would lose but thanks to my team's expertise on Star Wars and general Oscar and movie quote knowledge and my ability to name Meryl Streep's Oscar-nominated movies (Can you name all 16 and tell which one she actually won for and what role she played?), we won Second Place. Heh, Second Place was good enough to win my opponent....and the prize? All-I-Can-Eat Kalbi at Park's BBQ! Oh, victory is sweet.

Kalbi is delicous but "Victory Kalbi" is heavenly. The meat at Park's superb. Check out that well-marbled fat!

I love that Park's primes their grills with a cube of beef fat.

Okay, so my plan to eat plates and plates of kalbi didn't really happen but it was fun to trash-talk and make my friend nervous. I bet he hit the ATM hard before he came to dinner. He still insists that no man should have to be able to name 16 Meryl Streep movies, Oscar or no Oscar, but I counter that no woman should have to name 16 Bruce Willis movies either. And I can't believe he'd equate Bruce with Meryl!

Oahu Eats - Part Two

2010-01-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

After our Chinatown excursion and hitting the rambutan jackpot, we took our rental car and headed to Lanikai Beach, our slice of heaven. Lanikai is next to Kailua Beach and is about 30 minutes away from Waikiki via the Pali Highway. It's a paradise where the sand is super fine and the clear waters sparkle green and blue. Last year, we went on a weekday and pretty much had the entire beach to ourselves and we ran into sea turtles in the water. It was a little more crowded this year since we went on a Sunday but still, it was our paradise. But no sea turtles this year.

Kalapawai Market in Kailua has a great deli to pick up a picnic of hot and cold sandwiches, sides and drinks before you reach Lanikai. This kalua pig burrito was sooooo good. I got the same thing last year :)

Rambutans at Lanikai.

We finally attack the rambutans.

We also picked up some ripe papayas in Chinatown. They were so sweet and fragrant and only $0.49 cents a pound! I love tropical fruits.

Yeah, we couldn't stay in Lanikai forever. Steph and I did a little damage to our credit cards at the Ala Moana Center the next day and came upon Goma Tei Ramen inside the mall. The place was really busy but the wait was quick. I got the Chashu Tan Tan Men. Oh my god, that was delicious. Three thick slices of tender fatty pork, steaming spicy tan tan soup and al dente egg noodles = ramen heaven!

Steph got the regular Chashu Ramen which was just as good but without the spicy kick. I knew we could trust an island with a history of Japanese immigrants to have plenty of good ramen shops. I would also recommend the oxtail ramen at Ramen Nakamura which I tried last year but didn't get to revisit this time.

Roy's Restaurant is touristy but heck, the food is really good there. We went for a late dinner and they ran out of their signature Ahi Tuna entree and they only had enough for a poke appetizer (apparently, there was an ahi tuna shortage recently). I was very happy I got it. The tuna was fresh and the soy marinade was a perfect compliment to the fish; it just danced in my mouth.

I didn't know Hawaii had breweries until my last night in Oahu. Luckily, I was able to try the Longboard Lager from the Kona Brewing Co. It was crisp with a very, very slight hint of hoppiness. I liked it.

Giant Prawns and Seafood Medley with potato gnocchi. This dark, poorly taken picture (my bad) doesn't convey how good this dish was. Everyone in our party (of five) was very happy with our dinner.

Chocolate Souffle. I've never seen Steph respond to a waiter so quick. She was going "yes, yes, yes" before the waiter could even finish saying "souffle." Smart woman she is. How can you go wrong with Chocolate Souffle?

Okay, I was a little loco to order the Loco Moco but it's a unique Hawaiian dish and it was my last day in Oahu. This had 3 scoops of white rice topped with a thick hamburger patty, onion gravy and 3 sunny-side up eggs. The dish was overwhelmingly gigantic. I ate about one third of it and gave one third to Steph. My stomach begged me to give up on the rest. The loco moco wasn't out-of-this-world delicious but I'd recommend it if you have a hangover or you're like me and just crave a little rice with your breakfast.

My Hawaii vacation was over in the blink of an eye because I was so relaxed and I was having so much fun hanging out with Steph and Andrew (even though Andrew is a card shark and an evil prankster preying on little ol' innocent me!). I really hope there'll be a reunion soon, either in LA, Hawaii or in Sydney. Ideally, it would be in Tahiti. Steph, you hear me?

Kalapawai Market

306 South Kalaheo Avenue
Kailua, HI 96734
(808) 262-4359

Goma Tei Ramen

1200 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

(808) 591-9188

Roy's Restaurant

6600 Kalanianaole Hwy
Ste 209
Honolulu, HI 96825

(808) 396-7697

Oahu Eats - Part One

2010-01-25T23:25:00.000-08:00

Oh gosh, Blue Mondays are terrible. I must remember that one of my 2010 resolutions is to "Be happy. Have fun. Laugh. Bring others laughter." I haven't been laughing on the inside very much lately so I must do better.

So, I'm going to think about good things and I'm going to write about my trip to Oahu last weekend. I had so much fun meeting up with my cousin and her husband. Stephanie and Andrew are from Sydney so Oahu was the perfect meeting point in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

While Andrew worked all day at a conference, Stephanie and I got to play all day :) It was such a relaxing vacation even though it lasted only 4.5 days for me. We didn't schedule anything and we just woke up each day and did what our hearts desired. Of course for us girls that really meant eating, shopping, bikini-hunting, sunbathing and swimming at the beach, crashing cocktail parties at the conference and more eating.

Oahu is a paradise for everything. If you don't like Waikiki, rent a car and escape to Kailua, Lanikai or other beautiful beaches on the island. If you like shopping, you can find bargains at theAloha Stadium Swap Meet or hit the Ala Moana Center for more upscale (window) shopping. Oahu has a pretty diverse population so finding good food from around the world is not hard at all. I didn't do a crazy "foodie" list this time since it was my second time visiting Oahu and I wanted to be completely relaxed. This time, I chose to just go with the flow and checked Google or Yelp on my phone whenever I happened to be for local eats.

The Wailana Coffee House was right next to my hotel. It's awesome. It's open 24 hours a day and serves honest, cheap diner food. I was amazed by the variety of condiments at our breakfast table. Only in Hawaii do you get soy sauce, ketchup, tabasco, 3 kinds of jam, coconut syrup and maple syrup at breakfast; it just goes to show you how diverse the people and food culture is in Hawaii.

$5.95 Breakfast that came with 2 eggs and Portuguese sausages. There's an IHOP next to Wailana but IHOP is almost always empty while the Wailana has lines snaking out the door for breakfast every day and it's got a good size crowd for lunch and dinner too.

The breakfast also came with all-you-can-eat buttermilk pancakes. The pancakes were amazingly buttery and rich (without me having to put any butter on it). I couldn't really take advantage of the AYCE pancakes though because I got full after one pancake.

Steph and I were starving after hitting the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. The pho at Pho Minh Thu was pretty good. I was just happy that the joint was near my hotel (Aqua Palms). The rare beef was perfect and the soup was good though not as strong and rich as the ones I'm used to in El Monte or SGV. My only gripe was that they don't use thin rice noodles; their rice noodles are slightly wider in width so it wasn't as springy/chewy.

We tried to go to Ono Hawaiian Foods for dinner because we had such a memorable meal there last year but they close at 8:00pm! Fortunately, we walked up the street and found Pyramids - a Mediterranean restaurant - and we had a delicious meal there. This rice-stuffed grape leaves appetizer was a hit with us.

I had this lamb chop entree and I pretty much ate EVERYTHING on the plate. I was true to my Hungry Kat name. Andrew and Steph also cleaned their plates. :)

Andrew introduced me to this crazy wonderful fruit called Rambutan in Oahu last year so we went hunting for it in Chinatown this time. Of course, a trip to Chinatown must include a meal. We ended up having dim sum at Happy Garden - a small, simple, almost hole-in-the-wall place. We were surprised that the dim sum was actually pretty good. The fresh Har Gau (shrimp dumpling) and Beef Meatballs were highlights.

Yes! Rambutan jackpot! This tropical fruit bursts with citrusy sweet juices and the meat is similar to the longan fruit. I'd say if you crossed a longan with a lychee, a rambutan is what you'll get except the rambutan is about 2-3 times bigger than a longan or lychee. And I just can't get over that eye-popping red color; it just makes you want to crack that hairy peel and devour that juicy fruit inside right away. By the way, rambutans are grown in Hawaii which makes it even more delicious because I find the ones that are shipped to Los Angeles a little lackluster. Fruits are always best fresh-picked. And at $4.99/lb, it's a bargain especially considering that Stephanie says they sell for almost $20/lb in Sydney.

Part Two forthcoming...

Wailana Coffee House

1860 Ala Moana Blvd Lbby
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 955-1764

Pho Minh Thu

478 Ena Rd
Honolulu, HI 96805

(808) 946-2299

Happy Garden

1113 Maunakea St
Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 538-1088

Pyramids

758 Kapahulu Ave

Honolulu, HI 96816

(808) 737-2900

Blue Mondays and Roast Duck

2010-01-11T21:43:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, I roasted a whole duck and today (another Monday!), I read that there's something known as Blue Mondays. Apparently, Blue Monday is the most depressing day of the year. Heh, I'm not saying it's scientific but it's interesting nevertheless that it has been calculated that Blue Mondays always happen in January due to the combination of cold weather, bygone holidays and failing New Year resolutions.

So, speaking of Blue Mondays and failing New Year resolutions, I want to do a quick epilogue to my last post of 2009. In that post, I shared that I started my plan to lose 50 pounds in Oct. 2008. I reached my goal at the end of last year. It wasn't easy.

It wasn't always easy to stick to my diet of 1200-1400 calories per day. But I knew it wasn't really a diet; it was a lifestyle modification and balancing foods I love so I still ate my favorite foods like white rice (I'm Chinese! What do you expect?), red meat and sweets but in small portions and I kept myself full by eating smaller meals often and eating snacks like almonds, fruit, egg whites and yogurt. And I drank lots of water and kept sugary drinks and juices to a minimum. I have to admit limiting alcohol isn't as easy :P

It was hard to keep up my gym schedule which was 4 to 5 times a week. There were many times when I just sat on the exercise mat at YMCA and just wanted to cry (or did cry) because I was bored by my routine or frustrated by my lack of progress in terms of weight-loss or muscle/tone gain. It's so easy to give up when you hit a weight-loss plateau. I'm lucky to work at a company that introduced me to Core Performance last year; they got me off my plateau and breathed new life into my exercise routine. I'm still working out 4 to 5 times a week but I look forward to it now because I love the trainers and the variety in my programs there. In addition to helping me meet my goals, I'm also more energetic, healthy and fit to tackle other outdoor activities I've always wanted to try. There are still days when it's hard because work or life is driving me crazy but the trainers at Core are great and very supportive and they always guide me through my workout. And I've learned a little mental trick. If I find myself making a million excuses to not go workout, I remind myself that it clears my mind, gives me more energy and also, I don't have to go for the full hour - 30 minutes is better than nothing.

It's difficult fighting the mental battle everyday too. However, you have to remember why you're doing it and not lose sight of your goal, your determination and what you have to do to reach your goal. But don't drive yourself crazy and remember to take it one day at a time. For a period, I weighed myself every day which was great encouragement when I was losing the first twenty pounds rapidly but then when I plateaued, it was pure agony. So, switch your routine and try new tricks if something is driving you crazy. And sure, have one bite of that chocolate cake.

So beware of those Blue Mondays this month and don't give up on your New Year resolutions this year. It's hard to change eating habits and keep up an exercise routine but remember that this is for yourself. So be good to yourself!

I have 10 more pounds to go and I'd like to achieve more toning and muscle. I don't expect it to be easy. I know I'll have my share of Blue Mondays which I'm sure aren't restricted to Mondays or January but I have determination, Core Performance and my results so far to keep me going. And I'm good to myself so I work out...and then I reward myself with Oven-Roast Duck :)

I roasted this last Monday and shared it with a friend and my sister. It definitely wasn't a Blue Monday! I think this is pretty easy to make; my uncle taught me this simple roast duck recipe a few years ago and I love it.

Oven-Roasted Duck

Prep Work

Buy fresh, whole duck (I got mine from Superior Poultry in Chinatown)
Cut and discard the duck's head and feet (not the drumsticks!)
Cut the long neck as close to the body as possible and set aside
Clean cavity thoroughly (make sure to take out the lungs and any other bits that may not have been cleaned well by the poultry shop) and wash duck inside and out with water
Make sure you pat the inside and outside of the duck very dry with paper towels.
Line 2 large trays with foil and put a roasting rack on one of them. (It's fine if you only have one tray. It'll just be a little more work for you.)

MARINATE

After prepping the duck, sprinkle kosher salt and ground white pepper liberally in the cavity of the duck
Sprinkle lots of garlic salt, kosher salt and some white pepper outside of the duck. Don't forget to marinate the neck too.
Wrap in a ziplock bag or on a tray and put it in the fridge to marinate at least for 2 hours (3 to 4 hours is best if you can afford the time).

COOK

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit
Truss the duck - This video should help if you don't know how to truss.
Place duck - breast side up on the rack. The neck can go on the side of the tray.
Cook for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Then take the duck out of the oven. Take the neck out to avoid overcooking - cool and enjoy - preferably with a beer.
Flip the duck so it's breast-side down now. Transfer the duck to the second foil-lined tray and return to the oven. If you're only using one tray, then discard excess duck fat as best you can with a spoon before returning to the oven. There will be lots of fat! (Tip: I like to save my duck fat to fry potatoes and cook.)
Cook for another 35 minutes depending on color. It's done if it looks crisp and brown.
Then take the duck out again, discard excess duck fat if necessary.
Set oven to 450 degrees and flip duck one last time so it's breast-side up and return to the oven for about 15-20 min to crisp the breast. Or, use broiler if you have it but watch it carefully to the duck doesn't burn.
When done, take the duck out and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
If you trussed the duck well, the cavity will hold a lot of juices from the duck so try to carefully pour that into a bowl and you can use that to make a nice gravy sauce to go with the duck. Just mix in a little salt and cornstarch and pour into a saucepan to reduce on low heat.

Superior Poultry
750 N Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-7645
*Open Mon-Sat 9am to 6pm and Sun 9am to 5pm. There's a giant chicken on the top of the store so it's hard to miss. They sell a variety of fresh chickens and duck, quail and I think rabbit too.

Iberico de Bellota Ham Back at Surfas!

2010-01-03T22:48:00.000-08:00

Surfas was out of cured Iberico de Bellota Ham a few months ago and I was really excited yesterday to see it's finally back. The ham is a thing of beauty to be admired in person. Surfas gets the whole leg (bone-in of course) and sets it at their deli/cheese counter to be carved to order. Surfas said they should be stocking this until March.

Look at that lovely fat; trust me, you want to savor every bit of that. Black Iberico pigs are exclusive to Spain and feeds (free-range) almost exclusively on acorns and fresh herbs. Therefore, both the meat and fat have a rich salty and nutty flavor that tastes like gold...well, that's what I imagine what gold would taste like if gold was edible. I ate my first slice today and I did slice off of some of that fat and used it to roast a chicken for dinner. (I slit the chicken skin and stuck the Iberico fat between the chicken breast and skin. The breast came out moist and extra tasty.)

Surfas is selling the Iberico for $135.25/lb. I got four slices which set me back $33. What can I say? A New Year's treat was in order.

Oh, check out my first post if you want to read about cooking raw Iberico de Bellota. It was fun cooking it and even more amazing when it came to chow time.

Surfas

8777 W. Washington Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90230

(310) 559-4770

Starting 2010 Right with Park's BBQ

2010-01-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Pretty much every respectable restaurant was closed on New Year's day on the Westside but I knew I could count on Chinatown and Koreatown to satisfy my taste buds.

My cousin and I had a wonderful girls' day out and started the day with two steaming, flavorful bowls of pho at Pho Hoa in Chinatown and after a long day of shopping and a movie (Up the the Air is great! Go watch it!), we decided to hit Park's BBQ. We were sooooo glad we did.

The place was hopping on New Year's day but we only had to wait about 20 minutes before we were seated. The restaurant was clean, tables/booths were well-spaced and the ventilation must have been strong because we never felt the smoke was in our face. The service was surprisingly good at Park's; our waitress put all our meat on the grill and came back frequently to check on it, cut up the meat and refill our banchans and drinks.

Park's was attentive about changing grills. Ours was changed three times and the waitress changed the grill each time before she put on new meat to cook.

The banchan was great in terms of variety (8 kinds) and quality; I loved the cold vermicelli noodles, the chive tofu, kimchi, octopus, cold broccoli with sesame oil and the sweet potato salad.

Besides lettuce, Park's also includes the rice paper wraps (duk bo ssam) to wrap your meat.

Marinated "Tokyo X" Pork Belly

I was really happy to see this pork belly had a lot of meat. Some pork belly at AYCE joints have too much fat. The marinade was a mixture of sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Marinated Kalbi Short Ribs

Ahhhh, this was so good. The meat was tender with a good amount of marbled fat in the thick chunks of USDA Prime meat. Park's is not AYCE but the quality and quantity of this Kalbi sure shows that you get what you pay for.

Vegetable Stone Pot Bibimbap

Hehe, this is where you can fill your veggie quota. The portion is perfect for two people to share if you just want one bowl of rice.

The two of us were stuffed and the damage was only $40/pp which is normal for a non-AYCE Korean BBQ joint and the quality of the meat/food and service was totally worth it. I can't wait to gather a big group of friends and go back to try the other cuts of meat and their famous Beef Short Rib Soup.

Park's BBQ

955 S. Vermont Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90005

(213) 380-1717

No reservations; street parking or $2 valet

www.parksbbq.com

Pho Hoa

818 N. Spring St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 485-0074

2010 Resolutions, Food and 50 Pounds

2009-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

I don't have 2010 resolutions but I'd just like to share a long journey I started back in mid-October of 2008.

I lost twenty pounds pretty quickly in 2008 and I began this year with the resolution to lose thirty more pounds. When I began my blog this August, I had reached twenty of that thirty and I decided to increase my goal and lose another twenty instead of just ten more.

I love to eat, cook and bake and I'm happy to report that my goal and love has gotten along very well. Heh, I would venture to say they are best friends because how could one live happily and have the will to pursue goals without satisfying one's passion?

Just counting back from August, I've enjoyed Iberico Pork, Bacon Apple Pie, BBQ Ribs, Oxtail Stew, Dodger Dogs, Roast Pig, Turducken, countless Korean BBQ nights & ramen/pho runs, guilt-free eating in Hong Kong & Tokyo and of course, lobster! I don't feel like I'm on a diet at all. I exercise four to five times a week at Core Performance to build strength, muscle and metabolism and I love going there. Heck, I look forward to going there and I'm the girl who used to look for 1000 excuses to get out of gym class. I eat pretty sensibly and frequently and in small portions without even having to think about it anymore. I guess that's what all those nutritionists / diet experts mean when they say it has to become your lifestyle.

It hasn't been easy, but as of today, I've reached my original goal of losing thirty pounds this year and I've also learned that losing fat isn't the only thing that's important. Gaining muscle and losing actual inches are just as important, if not more, in gauging your progress. Since joining Core Performance, I've gained muscle, lost inches on my waist, thigh, and back and toned my body overall. I just took five dresses to be taken in yesterday and these dresses were all bought only six to eight months ago!

I guess what I'm trying to say is if you love food and cooking as much as I do and you're trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, my two cents is that it can be done without sacrificing your taste buds. A healthy attitude, realistic goals, determination and portioning your food into frequent meals are keys to success. Don't stress out too much and just take it one day at a time. The first ten to twenty will be the easiest and the last stretch will be the hardest but don't give up. And it's really important to find an exercise routine or sport that makes you look forward to doing it. If you're dreading it and always thinking of excuses to not do it then you need to look for a different physical activity. Of course, I'm not a doctor or nutritionist but I'm just speaking from experience.

So, resolutions for 2010? In no particular order...

1) Continue toning and gaining some muscle and losing ten more pounds.

2) Eat good food! Cook good food! Share good food!

3) Learn new things. Perhaps a culinary course is in my near future but I'm also being pulled by my interest in learning French. I want to go to Paris this year and I'd like to be able to at least order a proper meal in French.

4) Be happy. Have fun. Laugh. Bring others laughter.

5) More kayaking, hiking, dancing and hopefully, dragon-boating.

5) Get a reservation at El Bulli. Yes, not easy but I'll try anyway. I won't give up trying. I think my odds in getting a reservation is waaaaay better than winning the lottery.

6) Oh, and blog more often :)

Happy New Year everyone!!

Consider the Lobster

2009-12-30T23:36:00.000-08:00

"We should have gotten steaks because they don't have legs, they don't run around."

Annie Hall. That wonderful movie with Diane Keaton and Woody Allen is one of my all-time favorites and one of my favorite comedic and romantic scenes from that movie is when they cook lobster together for the first time. If you haven't seen the movie, you should...now!! It's one of Woody's best films and it's full of gems. Or, at least check out the lobster scene so you know what I'm talking about.

It's California spiny lobster season and a lobster monger has been selling live lobsters he caught at Santa Cruz Island for the last few months. Sadly for me, today was his last day at the farmers market; he'll be concentrating on fishing and selling direct to restaurants for the next quarter. So I decided to begin my New Year celebration one day early with a California spiny lobster. It's a challenge for me because I've never cooked lobster without my dad's help; he usually does the hard part like the actual killing...

I bought this 2-pounder early in the morning and I still had to return to the office for work. How to keep it alive until dinnertime? Luckily, I had a big bucket at the office so I kept the lobster in there with a little water. The lobster monger also gave me three snails for free to try. I forgot to ask him the exact name of the species.

Notice California spiny lobsters don't have giant claws like Maine lobsters.

Per the lobster monger's advice, I placed the lobster in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking. I also lopped off the two long "antennas" with a cleaver. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous handling the live lobster with it's skinny legs still moving and all. I've chopped off chicken heads, duck heads and fish heads before but they were dead already.

I prefer steaming over boiling; steaming brings out more of the natural sweetness in the fresh lobster meat. I have a double boiler so it's perfect for the job. I brought the water to a boil then separately, I placed the lobster (thank god it didn't really put up a fight) onto the top half of the double boiler. I put the lid on and with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, I fitted the top half of the pot onto the bottom with the boiling water.

No, the lobster did not scream. And no, it did not kick off the lid and jump out of the pot. I did place a towel over my glass lid so I didn't have to watch its legs twitch as it was steaming.

Done! Steamed for 11 minutes. So easy!

I lifted the top part of the double boiler out of the steaming water and just let the lobster cool for about 5 minutes. Wrapped in a clean dish towel, I grabbed onto the head and used a sharp knife to separate the tail with my other hand. Then I used a pair of sturdy kitchen scissors to cut apart the softer bottom shell of the tail and I used a cleaver to hack off the legs.

The delicious results. The lobster meat was cooked just right - not overdone which would have made the meat very chewy - and it had a crisp, refreshing sweetness in every bite. A quick dip into salted drawn butter made it even more heavenly.

The tail had most of the meat but I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a bit of meat under the head. Though it took a little bit of work (and cracking), there were good small bites of sweet meat in the skinny legs too.

Again, per the lobster monger's advice, I boiled those three snails for about 10 minutes and then using a sharp knife, I hooked the meat out of the shell. The fishiness of the snail meat was too overpowering though so I ended up not serving it. My sister and I love all kinds of seafood and can deal with a lot of fishiness but this was just way beyond us.

To compliment the lobster, I also whipped up a simple pasta with some fine-chopped garlic, diced onions, fresh tomatoes and some burrata cheese.

So, I'm happy that I'm ending 2009 having successfully faced another cooking challenge. Time to think of resolutions for 2010...

Turducken At Last!

2009-12-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

I love my friends.

My friend Becky invited me and a bunch of friends to her house for Turducken and a good ol' Southern feast of country ham biscuits, squash casserole and mashed potatoes.

Hot butter rum warmed us up as soon as we arrived. Wow, I didn't know you could combine butter with rum. Really, how could I (we) live without butter? Unthinkable! And how could I ever live without wonderful friends who know I'm hungry and would indulge my taste buds?Impossible!

I'd like to use this post to give thanks to my family and friends and everyone who made 2009 fun and tasty for me and I'm looking forward to more good times in 2010. I'm sure 2010 will be even more fantastic! Happy New Year!

Le Turducken

If you seriously don't know what a turducken is, please Google it :)

Becky cooked this for about 4 hours. It's stuffed with delicious Jambalaya Rice.

Country Ham Biscuits

Becky served these babies as appetizers; they were soooooooooooo good. The biscuits were warm and fluffy. The ham was a perfect balance of salt and a bit of fattiness and it was real meat - not the over-processed "franken-ham" you normally find at the supermarket. Becky ordered the ham from Loveless Cafe in Tennessee. I just placed my order...yeah, I don't waste time.

Carving time. Becky also scooped out all the Jambalaya Rice which we devoured completely.

The layers of chicken, duck and turkey looks like stratas of ancient sedimentary rock. Beautiful isn't it? And it was tasty too! All the layers of meat were well-seasoned and the chicken and duck was good but the nicest surprise was the turkey. I usually don't like roast turkey because it's bland and dry but this turkey was moist and super flavorful. The most awesome and fun part was eating the giant turkey wing too...hehe.

Squash Casserole

Becky made this with squash obviously and generous amounts of butter, cheese and bread topping. I get the feeling that a good ol' Southern meal cannot be without butter, cheese and meat. Nice.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes.

We forgot to put gravy on the mashed potatoes and we didn't even miss the gravy because the potatoes were so good with milk and butter mixed in.

Another friend, Coolia, made Apple Cake with her mother's recipe. This light, fluffy cake was a perfect ending to our sumptuous meal. It wasn't too sweet and there were nice bits of apple in it.

This was my first turducken experience and it was fun and delicious. It was fun because it's not something you can do often and it was so nice to share the experience with friends. And of course it was delicious. You have three layers of different meat. What could possibly go wrong? Hmmm, I love quail and pigeon. I wonder if there's a way to stuff a couple of de-boned quails or pigeons into the chicken. Turduckenail? Turduckenigeon? The sky's the limit :)

Tokyo Eats...and Tsukiji Fish Market

2009-12-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

I skipped from Hong Kong to Tokyo to spend 6 days. I was pretty exhausted when I left Hong Kong and I caught a bit of a head cold upon arrival since it was freezing and rainy in Tokyo. Yeah, I'm a SoCal girl so 40ish degrees Fahrenheit gets me shivering. Anyway, I forged on because there was delicious Japanese food to be eaten!

While I was in Hong Kong, I picked up this super useful Tokyo guidebook: Tokyo Eat Play Shop Ultimate Heaven Book. That's my best attempt at translating the Chinese title; the term "Heaven Book" in Chinese is just a way to say it's the ultimate source book. I'm so thankful I can read Chinese because this guidebook was really, really helpful in pointing me to all the good eats, sites to visit and interesting shopping destinations. I found it much more focused and detailed and more attuned to my tastes than English guidebooks. Most of my good eats recommendations came from this book.

If you're in Hong Kong and can read traditional Chinese, I recommend you visit a 7-Eleven and check out all the titles they have, or heck, have a Hong Kong friend mail you a copy. There are many editions on cities in China and throughout Asia.

First stop off the plane - Santouka Ramen in Shinjuku

Santouka is famous for its delicious ramen bathed in its rich pork bone broth. I got the salt special pork ramen which came with extra fatty and tender pork on the side, "wood-ear" mushrooms and a perfect hardboiled egg with a runny yolk. All bowls of ramen at Santouka are topped with a spoonful of oil to seal in the heat of the soup.

There are several Santouka locations in Los Angeles and I after trying this Tokyo location, I think the LA ones are just as good and preferable because it's cheaper. My bowl in Tokyo cost me $16 USD!

All that salt from the ramen made me crave sugar so I immediately stopped when I spotted a random dessert shop in Shinjuku. I got a 3-course prix fixe. The best was the red bean cake with fresh sweet whipped cream. The mochi swimming in the red bean soup was okay. I didn't care for the mochi wrapped in seaweed that was in the middle; savory mochi isn't my thing.

Chicken Curry from Nakamuraya in Shinjuku. The curry was perfect with the chewy short-grain jasmine rice.

In addition to its curry, Nakamuraya is also know for its creme bread (top rack) in its bakery section. It has a daily schedule and people queue up at the designated times for a hot piping creme bread. It was soooo good.

Asakusa is a district in Tokyo (about 20 min train ride from city center) most famous for the Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in Tokyo. Just outside of the Sensoji Temple is a long avenue of snack vendors. I pretty much hit all the highlights. This is a fried "mantou" bread - it's sort of like a donut I guess. The orange one has sweet pumpkin filling and the green one was green tea. The pumpkin was really good.

"Human Shaped Burns" - that's my straight translation of this fabulous snack. It's really animal and architecture shaped breads with a smooth, sweet red bean filling inside. Fresh hot ones are constantly being made so get a hot one and cooled ones can also be bought as gifts but they don't last beyond a day or two.

The highlight here are those light green rectangular cakes which are a kind of Japanese yam that' pureed and then formed into these blocks. (Sorry, can't find an English name for the yams.) I really enjoyed the delicate texture and light sweetness of this dessert snack. The flavor was subtle and not as bold as red bean.

Hot sweet sake was so comforting on that cold, cold night in Asakusa.

Broiled eel bento rice box at a restaurant (sorry, no English name) that specializes in broiled eel in Asakusa.

The broiled eel went along perfectly with this eel liver soup. The soup was refreshing and had a hint of the crisp sweetness of the sea.

A nice fluffy cake filled with sweet red beans in a shop that has been specializing in these cakes since 1924 in Asakusa. Red Bean Cake is one of my favorite Japanese snacks.

Order ramen / food from a machine? This took me by surprise when I first saw it. You place your order at this machine and it gives you a ticket. You take the ticket and give it to someone in the restaurant, find a seat if seating is offered and then wait for your food to arrive (and hope that you really ordered what you thought you saw displayed on the picture).

This was an awesome bowl of ramen - not ordered from a machine :). Located in Shinjuku, this ramen shop specializes in pork bone soup that's boiled for a full day. Oil is carefully removed from the soup to leave a milky rich broth that's sweet with meat flavors and not greasy. The ramen was the thinner variety, cooked al dente, and I loved the generous amounts of green onions, "wood-ear" mushrooms and thick cuts of tender pork char siu.

The tonkatsu at Mai Sen in Harajuku is known for serving the best tonkatsu in Japan. The fried pork was bursting with juiciness and it was "melt in your mouth" tender. I never miss an opportunity to top something savory with an egg so I ordered a katsudon which is basically tonkatsu with an egg and a light sauce on top. The katsudon was so perfect. It's hard to find a good katsudon in LA; in my experience, the egg is often overcooked and combined with too much sauce, the pork becomes soggy and chewy.

My friend and I actually managed to wake up at 4am to catch the 5:02am Oedo line to Tsukiji Fish Market to witness the amazing tuna auction. It was definitely worth the trip and it was quite an experience dodging trucks and boxes and barrels of fish in the humongous market.

Note the size of the tuna and the men who are standing. I bet that large tuna in the front was bigger than me!

The tuna auction finished around 6:15am so we quickly scrambled to find the two best sushi bars at Tsukiji: Sushi Dai and Sushi Daiwa. Both are located in the six mini side streets just next to the market. The lines were super long at both places and we decided on Sushi Dai because it has an 11-piece "Trust the Chef" sushi set for around $40 USD.

Sushi Dai consists of only a bar and it only has 13 seats. We waited for almost 90 minutes.

Fatty Tuna

The 90 minute wait was totally worth it. That's all I'm going to say :)

Sea Bass

Sushi at for breakfast at 7:30am is actually pretty great!

Red Snapper

I normally don't like Red Snapper in LA because I find the taste dull. However, this one was really sweet; I would order Red Snapper in LA if it all tasted like that.

Uni (aka Sea Urchin...aka my love)

The 11th piece on our set menu was up to our own choosing. The uni was so fresh and sweet that I chose a second order of uni over fatty tuna. Note that beautiful gold color and no black veins! I never order uni that has black veins running through the middle or if it's a very dull yellow.

Clam

Sweet and crunchy.

Horse Mackerel

I've never had this before and was really surprised by how good it was.

Baby Shrimp

Again, I usually don't order raw shrimp in LA because it rarely tastes like anything but this one was really, really sweet. Yes to raw baby shrimp if they're all prepared and sweet like this.

Salmon Roe.

Mmmm, lots and lots of potential salmon...but so delicious as roe.

A very simple tuna and cucumber roll mix. The chef used really good tuna for the roll and we could taste the difference.

Anago (aka salt-water eel)

Interesting. In LA, I prefer Unagi (freshwater eel) over Anago because it's fattier but this Anago was very good - light in taste and it didn't fall apart when I picked it up even though the meat was very tender. This cooked piece was a great way to finish off a heavenly sushi experience.

Everything is expensive in Tokyo and I have my priorities so most of my budget went to food over shopping. But six days was not enough to hit all the ramen shops on my "to eat" list and my Tokyo Eat Play Shop Ultimate Heaven Book gave me so many good ideas for restaurants in general that I'll just have to make a second trip back to Tokyo (and the rest of Japan) soon. I don't speak Japanese so there were many frustrating moments on this trip but knowing Chinese definitely helped when it came to reading Kanji since the Japanese writing system does borrow from Chinese characters. And it was a bummer that I had to leave when I finally got a handle on the Tokyo rail system (not easy!).

Tokyo will overload every one of your senses.

Be prepared and be open-minded. :)

Two Fabulous Meals at Tai Woo (TST, Hong Kong)

2009-12-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

My dinners at Tai Woo Restaurant (太湖海鮮城) was so memorably good that it deserves it own post. At least I can refer to this post until the next time I return to Hong Kong and you bet I'll be visiting Tai Woo again.

I had been to Tai Woo two years ago with a local friend and Tai Woo really impressed me with their simple dishes so this time I made sure I returned to try some of their famous / award-winning dishes. The dinner was so amazing that I immediately returned the second night for my "farewell to Hong Kong" dinner.

NIGHT ONE

"Tai Bak" Drunken Pigeon (金獎太白醉乳鴿)

This is one of their most popular dishes and it's often sold out. It was sold out the first time I went two years ago so I made sure I ordered one right away this time. Boy, I was not disappointed. I've had fried pigeon (squab) before and it was good but that pales in comparison to the Drunken Pigeon. It was marinated in Tai Bak Wine which is a very smooth and fragrant wine. I forgot to ask how long the pigeon was marinated but I bet it was at least 24 hours ; the meat was tender and oozed delicious game and wine flavors and the skin had a beautiful wine-soaked layer of fat on it and for once, I ate the skin. (No worries, you walk everywhere in Hong Kong so calories will be burned!)

The Drunken Pigeon was so good I even ate the head - sucked out all the brainy bits and discarded the beak. Yeah, a friend recently warned me that I should stop admitting that I eat brains, etc. because that'll scare people away...

Lettuce Stir-Fried with Shrimp Paste (蝦醬炒生菜)

This is a simple dish but it was so good. I'm not a huge fan of Western raw salad but I eat it because I should. Chinese people don't really like their vegetables raw. We love to stir-fry and we love to use wonderful stuff like shrimp paste, black bean sauce or "fu yu" (soy bean paste - 腐乳).

Shrimp Eggs & Pomelo Skin Clay Pot (蝦子柚皮)

The deliciousness and creativity of this dish blew me away. Who would of thought that the thick, pudgy white rind of the pomelo could be stewed in soup overnight and then sprinkled with tiny dried shrimp eggs and turned into a fabulous dish? The pomelo rind is similar to the rind of a grapefruit which I thought was inedible but the soup completely transformed the rind into a spongy soup bomb in my mouth and the dried shrimp eggs were a wonderful fragrant touch. After one bite, I immediately ordered a bowl of rice to soak up that extra rich soup/sauce and shrimp eggs.

Fried Anchovy Taro Pork Patties (馬友咸魚鮮肉藕)

Another very creative and delicious entree. I love Chinese anchovy and the saltiness was a perfect compliment to the taro and fresh pork patty. Plus, it was fried. How perfect is that? I think I'll try to make this at home.

Chinese Mitten Crab (大閘蟹)

This was my first time trying Mitten Crab. I can only say that I wish I could have it more often but I don't think it'd be good for my LDLs. Why? Because Mitten Crabs are small, hand-sized crabs known for its rich crab roe which I believe is not good for bad cholesterol levels.

Plus, Mitten Crabs are considered an invasive species in the States so I don't see it often in LA restaurants. But really, to control an invasive species, they should just give it all to Chinese restaurants and we'll take care of the problem.

The golden yellow crab roe is best mixed with hot, steamed rice. The Mitten Crab's roe is distinct; it's a lot richer than say the roe from dungeness crabs. Note that the Mitten Crab doesn't have a lot of actual crab meat since it's so small.

NIGHT TWO

Wine-Marinated Duck Gizzards with Salted Bok Choy Roots.

This was a small complimentary appetizer. It was so good, I could have eaten a whole big plate of it. I love duck gizzards.

Baked Sesame Salted Chicken (芝麻鹽焗雞)

This award-winning chicken should be reserved in advance when making reservations. It's another dish that's often sold-out. The toasted sesame gave the chicken a nice aroma and made the fatty skin crunchy. And like I always say, chicken just tastes better in Asia.

Crispy Juicy Stewed Beef (三弄回味牛肉)

This was good but the least memorable of all the dishes I tried at Tai Woo. The beef was tender and well marinated in soy but I didn't really like the slices of cucumber wedged between the beef. The crispy part of the dish came from the fried pastry sheets so that was kind of cheating.

Scrambled Egg Whites with Crab Meat, Fried Prawns and Salted Duck Egg Yolk (西施伴霸王)

This was really, really good. My descriptive translation of the name says it all. The salted duck egg yolk gave all that seafood a nice savory touch.

Fried Rice with Fresh Fish & Ginger (薑米鮮魚炒飯)

I love ginger fried rice and this fried rice was perfect on every level. The rice had a delicious aroma. The egg was scrambled just right (no rubbery eggs here) with fresh fine-grated ginger and the de-boned meat of a fresh fish. All seafood restaurants in Hong Kong (and often in Los Angeles) have tanks of live fish to show customers they're really getting a fresh fish. The meat of fresh versus frozen fish is a world of difference; fresh fish is sweet, not fishy at all, and the texture of the meat is "alive" in your mouth.

Haha, I love that the dish came with the fried head and tail of the fish too. I think I had 3 bowls of fried rice that night. A record! That's the most I ate during my entire trip in Hong Kong.

This was my third time visiting Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not a huge place and after using my first visit to check out all the famous sites, I've pretty much concentrated my second and third trip on exploring the produce markets and random side streets and shopping. My fluency in Cantonese really comes in handy in Hong Kong. And of course, each time I have my "hit list" of restaurants to revisit or try. Hong Kong, after all, is known as a the heaven of dining and shopping.

And you know what the best part is? You walk everywhere in Hong Kong (don't cheat too much with taxis) and it really helps burn off everything you eat. I actually lost weight coming back from my trip!

Next Stop: Tokyo! Yes, from one crowded city to an even more crowded city. I swear my next vacation will be mountains and rivers.

Tai Woo Restaurant (太湖海鮮城)

3 locations in Hong Kong and Kowloon (I went to the Tsim Sha Tsui location

every time)

14-16 Hillwood Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Tel: 2368-5420

27 Percival St., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Tel: 2893-0822

192-198 Shau Kei Wan Road, Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong, Tel: 2569-5144