Blog Posts

Kyoto House @ Whitby, Ontario, CA

7/24/2020

We were on a road trip through Canada and in Ontario this day. It was lunch time and we were looking for a place to eat. All of a sudden, I saw a sushi restaurant with the sign 'All you can eat lunch $13.99'. That caught my attention, and we turned the car around to check it out. Turns out it was a great decision!
Kyoto House is a cute mom and pop store. The 'all you can eat' prices are fair, and the dishes you can choose from are plenty. Not only do they have many different sushi rolls and hand rolls, but also mini dishes like chicken teriyaki, tempura, and ice cream! All this for $13.99 was an amazing deal. All the food we ordered was good, nothing outstanding but pretty yummy considering the price. We left very full and satisfied. If you're ever in the mood to try lots of different types of sushi, Kyoto House is the place to be.

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Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken!

7/21/2020

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I've grown up eating amazing Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Popcorn chicken is the perfect pick-me-up afternoon snack and can also serve as part of a meal. You can find it at pretty much any in night markets in Taiwan and in boba shops all across America. But if you want to try making popcorn chicken yourself, I've got just the recipe for you - it's easy and scrumptious!

Ingredients:
Marinade:

1 1/2 lbs of boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp five spice powder
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1/8 tsp black pepper powder (can sub in regular black pepper)

Dredge:

1/3 cup potato starch flour + 3 tbsp cornstarch (can sub for just cornstarch)
1 egg + 1 tbsp water

Extras:

Thai basil, do not wash it/get it wet!
oil for frying
5 spice powder

Directions:

Create the marinade for the chicken inside a ziploc bag/sealable container. Place the raw chicken in with the marinade. Place in fridge and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes. I like to marinade it overnight for extra flavor!
Take the chicken out of the fridge when ready to start prepping. Set it aside.
Fill a medium sized pot halfway with oil and heat it with medium heat.
Mix two bowls of dredge, one with the dry flours and one with the egg and water.
Dip each piece of chicken into the wet bowl first and then coat it with flour. Repeat for all pieces of chicken.
Check to see if the oil is hot enough by placing a little piece of chicken or clump of flour into the oil. If it bubbles, then the oil is hot enough.
Fry chicken for 2-3 minutes or until coating is lightly golden. Fry only a couple pieces at a time, do not crowd the pot. Scoop out chicken when done and set on cooling rack.
Pat the Thai basil to make sure it is very dry. Put the basil into the oil to fry for 1/2 to 1 minute until it is crunchy. **Be very careful when frying basil - it will spray hot oil when you put the basil into the oil**
Sprinkle some extra 5 spice powder over the finished chicken and basil.
Enjoy!!

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Extraordinary Desserts @ San Diego, CA

7/14/2020

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Wow... just wow. I was truly amazed by Extraordinary Desserts. When I entered the store, there were so many delectable treats to choose from. It was hard to choose just one... so we chose three hehe. We ordered the black velvet cake, chocolate dulce de leche cake, and the lemon meringue pound cake. I would have to name the black velvet cake as my favorite, though I am a biased fan of cream cheese frosting. The combination of moist cake, sweet'n' tangy cream cheese frosting, and rich chocolate is the best thing to have ever existed. Also, if you dine in, the staff will provide a beautiful swirl of sauces on the plate, adding to the dessert's photogenic and delicious nature.

As for the chocolate dulce de leche cake, it was also amazing. It was recommended by the staff, so it had to be good! It had decadent layers of cake, chocolate mousse, dulce de leche, and a nice crunchy surprise of macadamia nuts. For our third cake slice, I was glad we ordered something fruity because it was a nice break from the rich chocolate desserts. The lemon meringue pound cake was the perfect marriage of tart and sweet. The fruit purees swirled onto the plate were a great addition because I enjoyed soaking the pound cake in those sauces. We ate everything happily and made a mental note to come back here the next time we were in San Diego. You have got to visit and get a slice (or three) because well, the name Extraordinary Desserts says it all!

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Wilma & Frieda's Cafe @ Palm Springs, CA

7/10/2020

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Wilma & Frieda's Cafe is super popular for breakfast and brunch. You will need to plan ahead and either get there early or call ahead because it gets crowded fast. This cafe has a great reputation for brunch- it was even featured on Food Network!

After my meal there, I now understand why there are so many mentions of the blackberry custard french toast in reviews. It is definitely some of the best french toast I have ever had. The french toast is rich and dense like bread pudding, and the sweet and acidic blackberries complimented the dish so well. I highly recommend the blackberry custard french toast.

The other dishes we ordered were delicious as well. The short rib scramble had tender pieces of short rib with eggs and gooey mozzarella. I would recommend subbing in a biscuit instead of an English muffin because their biscuits are so flaky and buttery. If you want more of a traditional breakfast, you can order the 'eeny', 'meany', 'miney', or 'moe'. We ordered the 'eeny' with potatoes, eggs, and a biscuit. The 'eeny' is supposed to be the smallest combo but it was still really filling! The cafe also had a daily special of chicken fried steak when we visited so we had to try that as well. The chicken fried steak is everything you want it to be. Crunchy on the outside, tender inside, and all topped with amazing gravy.

From blackberry french toast to chicken fried steak, this cafe has an excellent assortment of delicious brunch dishes. You will definitely want to come hungry!

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Brophy Bros @ Santa Barbara, CA

7/6/2020

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It was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara and we knew we wanted to eat somewhere with delicious seafood and a great view. Brophy Bros had just what we wanted. Their seafood is pretty popular and their restaurant is near the harbor. From most tables, you can get an amazing view of the water. We ordered a bunch of their specials. The blackened cod was very flavorful. Adding the drawn butter that they provided with the cod made the flavors stand out even more. The swordfish was very tender with some light grill marks to provide that delicious smokiness. It came with guacamole and salsa, which added a refreshing element to the dish.

If you want to try a little of everything, the hot combo is a great way to do so. This seafood combo has steamed shrimp, mussels, and clams, as well as baked clams with breadcrumbs and ooey gooey oysters Rockefeller. The seafood pasta also has a good variation of seafood with scallops and shrimp. These paired with a light white wine and lemon sauce over pasta is excellent.

There is nothing better than eating magnificent seafood with a breathtaking view. It seems Brophy Bros has mastered a wide variety of seafood dishes. You won't be disappointed with any seafood dish you order!

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Santa Barbara Shellfish Company @ Santa Barbara, CA

6/27/2020

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When down by the amazing beaches in Santa Barbara, the seafood restaurants call my name. I just had to try out the famous seafood in Santa Barbara. We went to the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, and we had to wait a bit for a seat. We were pretty excited because we saw tons of people enjoying various seafood dishes. They sure do have a lot of dishes to choose from. We decided to order the lobster roll, clam chowder, and two types of pasta dishes. I loved the lobster roll. It had such big, succulent pieces of lobster. The toasted roll and the light coating of mayo accompanied the lobster perfectly. And the onion rings that came with the dish were a definite, delicious bonus! The lobster roll was the highlight of the meal.
The chowder and pastas were alright. The chowder itself was yummy, however, I was not a fan of the bread bowl. I'm from San Francisco where sourdough reigns supreme so this bread did not meet my expectations. As for the pastas, we ordered the shrimp and scallop pasta and the lobster pasta. They both had a similar white wine reduction sauce that I did not really care for. I had a lot of hope for this restaurant, but perhaps I just ordered the wrong things. If I visit again, I will try ordering something else that hopefully will turn out great like the lobster roll.

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Lucha Libre Taco Shop @ San Diego, CA

6/19/2020

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Since we were in San Diego, we just had to try a shop with famous tacos and burritos. Lucha Libre definitely delivered that amazing socal mexican food. We tried the surf and turf burrito and undefeated seafood tacos. The surf and turf burrito had steak and shrimp with yummy chipotle sauce and great rice. I also added this cilantro aioli sauce from the salsa bar to the burrito and it made it even more yummy. For the seafood tacos, you can choose shrimp or blackened mahi mahi. I tried the blackened mahi taco and it was delicious. The taco was an amazing combination of seafood, salsa, slaw, and a touch of lime.

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Pecan Lodge @ Dallas, TX

6/2/2020

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The Trough combo plate w/ an extra side of mac n cheese

When I was in Dallas, I just had to try the famous Texas Barbeque and there was no better place to try it than Pecan Lodge. I could tell by the bountiful reviews and the long lines outside that this place was legit.

*Life hack* go to the EXPRESS LANE inside the building. It's only allowed if you are buying 5+ pounds of meat or the huge combo called "The Trough". You definitely should use the express lane because it is so much faster. Bring a big group to feast on the 5+ pounds of meat. You get to eat a lot and also wait in a much shorter line. That's a win-win in my book.

We ordered The Trough from the Express Lane, and we did not have to wait in that long line. The Trough is essentially a huge sampler plate with brisket, a beef rib, pork ribs, pulled pork, and sausages. You can get free bread with it too. I recommend this for a huge group- you get to try some of everything.

Going into this meal, I already had high expectations for the brisket and yet the brisket still managed to exceed my expectations. The brisket was so unctuous, tender, and fatty. It was addicting. The beef rib was very similar in deliciousness to the brisket. Now for the pork portion, the pork ribs and pulled pork were great as well. We also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese which was good. But in the end, it was the brisket that stole the show. If you end up visiting (which you should), bring a big hungry group, use the express line, and try the brisket!

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Pork Tonkatsu

5/28/2020

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This delicious pork tonkatsu recipe is courtesy of my mother. She has been making this dish for a long time, and I've been enjoying it for a long time as well. The ingredients and execution are fairly simple, and the crispy tonkatsu result is definitely worth it. Here's how to make it...

Ingredients:

4 slices of boneless pork loin, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick
- this pork can be marinated overnight with soy sauce and garlic if you want extra flavor
oil for frying
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup of flour
2 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Heat up a pot with about half of it filled with oil.
pound out the pork chops to around 1/4 inch thick. Make sure the thickness is uniform, so the meat will cook evenly throughout.
set up a breading station: a plate with flour, a plate with the 2 cracked and mixed eggs, and a plate with panko.
dredge the pork chops in the flour, then egg, then panko. Make sure to coat both sides evenly.
check to see if the oil is hot enough by placing some panko in the pot. If the panko bubbles, then the oil is hot enough.
Once the oil is hot enough, gently and carefully place a pork chop into the pot. Do not overcrowd the pot. Just one or two pork chops frying at a time should be enough.
fry the pork chop for 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the pork chop and fry for another 2-3 minutes. The pork chop should be done when the exterior is golden brown.
take out the pork chop and let it cool on a cooling rack.
Repeat for the rest of the pork chops.
Once the pork chops have cooled down a little, serve and enjoy!
- best served with tonkastu sauce if you have it and heaping amounts of rice

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Fuji Sushi Buffet @ Vacaville, CA

5/17/2020

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While sheltering in place, we like taking a break every once in a while and ordering out. And when we heard of Fuji's deals, we had to check it out. Fuji is having 40% off takeout combos. It's genius, really. A win-win situation, they get their customers and we get delicious sushi. We drove a 2 hour round trip to get this deal and was the trip worth it? Yes!
We ordered a combo A and B, and there was our lunch and dinner. Combo A had both raw and cooked components. I really liked the Davis Roll topped with salmon, tuna, and avocado. Combo B was all cooked, and I loved everything, especially the sushi with unagi. The Dragon Roll was like a tricked out California roll with crab meat and avocado, but also unagi and tempura. You gotta try it. In addition, the combos came with gyoza, fried bananas, edamame, and a daily bonus of salmon skin rolls.
All of the sushi and accompaniments were so amazing and filled us up. It was just like eating a sushi buffet. If you want to take some food out, definitely check out Fuji Sushi for a shelter in place sushi buffet.