sawa sushi

sawa sushi in sunnyvale.

the sushi was amazing. but if you research online, sawa gets very mixed reviews for service. its lOve, or hate.

its better to know how sawa works, and read up on this place before you come.. or else suffer the wrath of the chefs attitude and rejection. in my opinion, he does not warm up to strangers easily. i feel that he appreciates those who pay attention and enjoy the fish, and is not afraid to berate picky diners , or those who have no idea what kind of establishment they have walked into.

located at a strip mall in sunnyvale, chef steve prepares fresh omakase sushi, and clearly caters to regulars. being a first timer, we were lucky that our fellow diners knew some regulars that also happened to be there.. i can say that when i first walked in, i got a weird look from steve and his wife..  a sort of ” do i know you?” i can see how some first timers negative reviews on “service” are not unfounded.. but, lucky for us, we got excellent service, with a bit of steves cold yet funny ‘tude.

i guess there are a few unspoken rules.

make reservations. then double confirm them.

don’t expect to order.

expect to pay about $125 and up for your meal.

no hot tea.

if you can deal with that, then the experience is excellent. i truly enjoyed it.. the pictures speak for themselves.

UNI atop toro, was tO die for. the fruity sauce on the side seemed to be based of asian pear, and was a bit spicy. at this point i gave my compliments to the chef- great fish takes long practiced skill to find.

scallop, fresh and sweet. simple light ponzu complements the natural flavor.

this- ok. so. i made the “mistake” of asking if there was ankimo- (i mean, the uni was so good, that i wondered how the ankimo would be here,) and got a weird look and a “eh!!huffpuff” sound from the chef.. eek. i was worried that i had offended. but, he came back a few minutes later, and in a conspiring tone, let me know that he indeed did have a bit, that he was preparing for tomorrows vip guest.. and he was willing to share since i asked!  it was amazing as well. creamy…

hamachi kama. baked to melty fatty perfection.

a complimentary treat for us, some side cuts of a super grade toro that another baller table had pre-requested.

salmon + ikura with a creamy sauce. one of my favorite dishes of the night.

if you love and appreciate sushi, go to sawa.. but try to go with someone thats dined here before and understands how it works. i will def be visiting again.

xx

http://sawasushi.net/

angelini osteria.

lunch at an old favorite.

an early bday celebration for b, at his favorite italian in LA.

the bread basket, and antipasto on the house. i love their thin, crispy flatbread, with tons of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. we devoured the basket within minutes.

b ordered proscuitto with cantaloupe. the melon smelled sOo good that i wanted to take a bite.. but i forced myself not to… if i had an allergic reaction then the rest of the meal would have been ruined… but seriously.. fragrant.

the tricolore salad. light and simple.

short rib ravioli, with sage and butter.

spaghetti chitarra alla norcina with fresh truffles and sausage. the fresh, chewy pasta was the highlight of the dish for me, and a great texture to go with the waxy truffle.

as always.. angelinis never fails. yuM.

xx

D&C Bistro

lunch at d&c bistro in dazhi.

this was my first visit to d&c bistro.. being a regular at Danny & Company, i thought their second location was worth a try.

i ordered the lunch set menu, with the entree of ribeye cap steak, and started my meal with a latte.

casear salad. the dressing was creamy with a bite, good amounts of garlic.

pumpkin soup with foam. nice presentation, but the flavor was too light for me, a bit on the bland side.

my friend ordered the rib roast: looks delicious!

heres my rare steak. yuMm, as usual.

for dessert, their version of bread pudding with guava sorbet atop.

 

overall good experience, but if you’re normally in taipei, i don’t think its necessary to come to dazhi to dine here. i’d stick with the da an teppan danny&company location.

 

xx

rooftop cat’s private kitchen: roy and pp’s

i recently had the pleasure of dining at roy and pon pon’s. the concept is simple. they serve a meal of 6-8 courses out of their home, and only take one party per meal. as you are guests in their wonderfully kitschy apartment, and sit among their 4 cats, the ambiance is quite warm and inviting. my friend made this booking 8 months ago, showing us that they are doing quite well.

the cuisine is a mix of eastern and western, and everything is well plated and thought out. you can tell them beforehand if there is anything you don’t eat.. otherwise they prepare the private dining menu, which can change seasonally or daily, depending on the availability of traditional market ingredients.

the warm table decor.

amuse bouche

amuse bouche with shrimp, cucumber salad and dried fish caviar.

salad with marinated pork and guava slices.

grilled salted pork with creamed red cabbage atop.

fresh iced juice blend, osthmanthus, pineapple, apple, honeydew, lemon, honey.

sesame oil chicken noodle. a gourmand’s take on a chinese classic comfort dish. i really enjoyed this.

prime beef rib

dried mushroom soup, served with a  scoop of chive egg custard. such an original dish- lOve!

poached pear with caramelized melon sugar. a great finish to the meal.

great experience, for the ambiance, company and food.

xx

屋頂上的貓私廚  http://rflower3f.blogspot.tw/

al barakat, four seasons landaa giraavaru. maldives.

this was my favorite restaurant at the landaa giraavaru resort.

its been a while since i’ve had arabic cuisine, so we ended up eating here 3 times during our stay.

everything was delicious. no complaints whatsoever.

sunset view from the outdoor seating area.

complimentary starter of veggies with yogurt dip.

royal tadigh.

octopus carpaccio.

beef  and egg ojja.

hot pita bread.

my plate loaded up with mezzahs.

chicken shish tawook

moroccan kofta meatballs with egg and tomato sauce.

arabic rice.

chocolate cake

strawberry, mango and banana layered with ice cream.

xx

four seasons resort, landaa giraavaru, maldives.

the four seasons resort at landaa giraavaru, in the baa atoll, maldives.

 

al barakat restaurant, at the main dock entrance of the resort.

open air reception and lounge area.

path to the water villas.

the “sunrise water villa” living room area.

bed with mosquito canopy.

bathroom with ginormous bathtub.

additional outdoor shower.

our deck, with a loft above.

champagne and fruit upon arrival

 

side view of water villa. deck with loft, to lower wet deck, to ocean.

the spa- over water massage treatment rooms.

picturesque white sand beaches and clear green blue waters.

blue and peaceful.

xx

Arya.

Arya Global cuisine in Cupertino.

i lOve tadigh. ever since my gf introduced it to me 10 years ago, ive looked for it on menus wherever i gO. it consists of

crispy deep fried saffron rice, with different sauce/curries atop.

entree of chicken and beef koobideh. serve atop saffron rice pilaf, with a roasted tomato.

i also ordered cucumber yogurt (not pictured) to go with my meal.. i like to dip the meats in it, and mix it in with the rice.

 

dessert of a passionfruit ice cream encased in a white chocolate shell.

 

 

xx

 

19930 Stevens Creek Boulevard  Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-9606

A CUT

a recent birthday dinner to A Cut.

i started with a seared foie gras. served with a fruit compote, and crispy flatbread. good portion sizing ( smaller size, suitable for foie gras) and served with a reduced balsamic glaze. delish.

mushroom cappuccino soup. this soup was chewier than i remembered. i think i’ll order the tomato soup next time.

assortment of salts to accompany our steaks. my favorites are the white sea salt and the pink himalayan.

the “A Cut Steak,” ordered rare. i have to say i was not impressed with this cut recommended by our waiter.. it was a bit stringy, and in my opinion, was not the best eaten rare. next time i would stick with something i know, like the wagyu ribeye or top sirloin. the roasted garlic bulb on the side- delicious as always.

side of corn. yum. i skipped greens on this meal altogether.. i usually would order a baked potato, but since i started with a foie gras instead of a salad this time, i thought it would be too heavy.

my faVe- souffle. their flavor of the day was vanilla bean. sO good. served with a scoop of frozen raspberry yogurt.

complimentary chocolate birthday cake topped with fruits.

 

Ambassador Hotel, B1,63 Chun Shan North Road, Sec.2, Taipei, Taiwan

xx

da wan bbQ.

another favorite.

da wan bbQ. its a small restaurant, with mostly bar seating.

there are tons of bbQ restaraunts all over da an district in taipei, but to me, what makes da wasn special, is their cooks/waiters. they’re trained to cook the meat in a certain way, and it makes all the differance. usually there will be a cook/waiter grilling your meat for you- and that’s when it turns out the best. they wait for high tempatures, for a nice sear, and a medium rare inide. the seasoning used is light and minimal, and enhances the meat flavor, instead of covering it like many bbq places that use lower quality meat.

to order, we ask them to arrange some meats for us and give them an amount.. 1500 has been good for me so far! as for meat, i ask for mostly beef, with some chicken and veggies.

i’ve been there several times already, since i found that im discovering this gem a bit late .. but every time i go i’m so excited to eat, that i forget to snap photos… so here’s a compilation of pics from my last 3 visits.

beef with minced onions. seared medium rare, rolled up and served. dip in freshly squeezed lime juice. one of my faves.

below: steak in its process! here you see it marbled and rare, ready to grill.

grilling. smells so good..

sliced and ready to eat.

another wagyu steak ready for the grill.

this is another favorite, they serve it with a bit of wasabi- which makes the meat taste sweeter and adds a refreshing kick.

sigh…

lastly, chicken cartilage. crunchy, with bits of meat still on.. yuM yum.

i’m salivating just posting this..

xx

 

No. 22, Lane 177, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Rd, Daan District

STAY

dinner @ STAY.

on this dinner visit i decided to stick with the wagyu rib eye as my main course, but tried a duck consomme soup, and a different dessert.

the crusty, warm bread from lalo, as always, was amazing.. i ate 3 pieces. and killed half the butter.

amuse bouches.

starter of foie gras. this time marinated in red wine, and served with a wild mushroom bruschetta.

duck consomme soup.

wagyu ribeye steak, seared rare. no sauce.

fresh green salad on the side. light lemon + olive oil dressing.

b had carrots as his side.. they were a bit salty.

as we looked over the dessert menus, marshmallows and chocolate pops (not pictured) were brought for us to enjoy.

i decided on a lemon tart. yes, those are slices of lemon on the side. sO sour! it surprised me at first when i bit into a section- i had assumed it would be yuzu or grapefruit.. but when taken with a bite of the tart, the lemon was a good balance against the sweetness of the lemon curd filling.

b’s dessert of yuzu sorbet atop a meringue. the yuzu sorbet was sO good. really light and fresh.

on a side note, i’m currently obsessed with instagram..

.. sO, heres an instapix of what i ate, and what i wore.

sweater by something else + leggings by silvrdwn collection + boots by jimmy choo + bag by chloe.

xx