boon keng chicken.

for those that are fans of savoy in LA/San Gabriel.. heres a great place for singaporean cuisine + hainan chicken rice in taipei.

the place is a little cubby of a restaurant, taiwan’s more local setup of no frills cuisine. stool seating.

an order of hainan chicken comes with a choice of either light or dark meat, and is served with a bowl of rice- cooked in chicken stock + fat. full of flavor and a little bit of grease. the chicken is served with green onion and preserved sour veggies, and sits in a place of a soy based broth. no ginger here.

soy sauce paste to drizzle and mix with rice. hot pepper sauce ( not very spicy, more sour) to dip the chicken in.

above, an order of the dark meat. below an order of the white meat. i like the dark.

thai iced milk tea. extra ice for me. yum.

love that its about a 10 minute stroll from my office right on zhongxiao. new place for lunch!

xx

GOTT’s, Napa.

Gott’s Roadside Burgers in downtown Napa.

on a family trip to napa, we stopped in at gott’s for burgers.

lots of outdoor seating. i love the sunny weather.

and this was just part of our order.. :)

their fries. garlic fries (with a bit of green.. like a pesto) sOo good.. and their sweet potato thin cut fries with a creamy dipping sauce. also excellent!!!

fish tacos. i was pretty dissapointed. i asked if the fish was deep fried, and was told yes.. but it wasn’t. the flavor of the fish..was too fishy for my liking, it needed a ton of hot sauce..  i won’t be ordering this again.

b’s blue cheese burger. now THIS was good. this is what the crowds come for. the bun was light and not filling, so you really taste the juicy beef patty and the creamy blue cheese. the burger wasn’t too big or heavy, making it the perfect size for adding fries and a shake.

i also had a root beer float. :)

xx

bruxie.

bruxie, near Old Town Orange County.

all waffles! waffle sandwiches, sweet and savory. the waffles are crispy and fluffy, still moist on the inside but very light.

you order at the counter, and grab a seat at the picnic tables outside. perfect for a snack or lunch.

classic waffles.

pulled pork waffle sandwich.

fried chicken waffle sandwich w/ slaw. pretty amazing.

sweet sandwich. lemon curd with berries. my fave.

very impressed. i love coming back to the oc, there are always great new foodie spots.

xx

beef noodle soup.

there’s certain places that locals like to frequent for their beef noodle soups.

given that there are wide range of flavors for the broth, noodle and meat types, there are many places to choose from. everyone has different “bests and favorites.”

i visited this one last week. it’s a rundown tin roof shack, that you stand outside in line to wait to be seated. surprisingly there usually IS a line.. to get into this literal.. shack. it better be good, right? here’s a shot from inside after we were seated on sticky stools.

the food. side dish of thinly sliced tofu skin with scallions.. the tofu skin was surprisingly fluffy and light. in general i usually don’t enjoy this dish, but i found myself eating it here!

one of my favorite taiwanese side dishes.. cured thousand year egg with soft tofu + soy paste sauce.

now, their signature dish. the reason for the lines, the shack, the crowd. the beef noodle soup we came for. considered “clear” soup, not the kind braised with soy.

verdict: the noodle texture was very chewy, and the soup was full of flavor yet light.

yes, i liked it.

 

 

bottega louie cafe

quick bite at bottega louie in dtla last week.

this is my fave order: the simple sandwich of salami with butter on a mini baguette, served with a bit of mustard seed potato salad. this is only available from the cafe counter, not the restauraunt.

and of course a berry tart, and a latte. (not pictured)

xx

spicy dumplings.

dumpling counter @ the bella vita food court.

this place’s specialty  is their hot sauce. on the menu, there are steamed dumplings made with their hot sauce mixed in with the meat filling.

and thats the name of the place… i cant read it.

the mild spicy “xiao long bao.” juicy with a thin wrapping. their dumplings are comparable to din tai fung in quality.

not bad, right?

another dish i really like here is the bitter melon with salted duck egg.. they make it with lots of salted duck egg, and keep the melon fresh + not overcooked.

 

see, i’ve been eating more asian food.

 

1885 Burger.

1885 BurGer.

these burgers are really on point!

the beef patty was juicy, and not skimpy on size.. i ordered the BBQ’d pineapple burger, no cheese.

look at the fixings: tomato, red onion, lettuce + pickles. seasoned fries come with all their burgers.

we ordered onion rings that came with a creamy jalapeno dipping sauce- so indulgent.

i’m going to try a milkshake next time. i wanted to, today, but since i’ve been away from these foods for too long, i was worried that my body would go into shock if i introduced them all back at the same time!

 

24-1 PuCheng St, Da-An Dist. (off Luo Sifu Rd. Sec 3, near ShiDa college)

 

xx

smith & hsu.

happy rabbit year!

over the chinese new year holiday we went to smith & hsu for a light lunch. this is one place in tianmu we frequent for afternoon tea. their simple minimal decor and “male-friendly” portions make it easier for me to go with b.

their scones are notable; buttery and flaky with a nice crust and soft inside. they also have a good selection of teas, eastern, western, fruit, non-caffeinated and so on.

i usually have the countess earl grey blend, with honey and lemon.. for some reason i don’t take milk at smith & hsu as i usually do with my earl greys.

the smoked salmon “sandwich.” i like that they have capers.

their cream tea set comes with a pot of tea and 2 scones. plain and cranberry.

note: they charge 40NT for an extra jam/honey.. you get to pick 2 from: butter, jams, honey… but i usually want all 3.

 

cheers.

xx

MIJITA.

Mijita Cocina Mexicana at the Ferry Building, sF.

when i get back to the states, i make a beeline for authentic mexican food. i miss the quality + variety of authentic mexican that’s available in Cali.

that said.

a good, thick, fresh guac, chips + salsa. and i’m set.

nvmnd. i lied. i still need my carne asada tacos.

just look at how fresh this one is.

MMM.

xx

Ristorante Paoli.

lunch at ristorante paoli, florence.

i love that in italy you get a preview of dessert, at the sweets cart, on the way in to most restaurants.

the interior of the restaurant is beautiful, with arched ceilings.

their version of the complimentary “bread and butter.” wow.

my favorite dish in italy. raw artichoke salad with truffles and fresh parmesan. dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic. heaven.

penne arrabiatta.

b’s wild boar stew. very gamey, strong flavor. he liked it.

i ate too much during this entire trip. most of the time i was too full from eating breakfast, pastries, gelatos, trying something at whatever charcuterie or cheese shops i wander into..

but i still insisted on trying dessert everywhere i went. even if it was something light like this stewed (gimormous) pear. the food experience in florence was def worth all the calories.