salt & straw

SUMMER + ICE CREAM.

i’ve been going to the salt & straw location in larchmont (yes standing in line) obsessively, since i found out that their july/summer flavors are exactly. what. i like.

my top two flavors:

birthday cake + blackberries

meyer lemon custard + blueberries

all my FAVE things rolled into custardy/creamy balls of ice cream. i’ve already purchased 4 scoops, and then 2 pints. i wish they’d put these on their permanent menu!

this pic above is THE cake+blackberries, and roasted strawberry+white choc custard. (jgood, but not a fave.)

xx

terrine.

terrine in weho.

cali-french cuisine. on a nice day, the courtyard alfresco dining option is a must. the indoor dining area is a bit of an odd brasserie layout, with an oversized bar. i dined here twice recently, so i’ll compile photos into one post of the dishes i enjoyed.

the assiette de charcuterie. it’s quite large, and only comes in one size, so if you dine as a couple this may replace an entree..

the foie gras terrine. sO GOOD. smooth and creamy, served with toasted bread, crunchy and warm.

beet salad. also very good, creamy yoghurt dressing and tangy blood orange. seasoned toasted rice atop. great mix of flavors and textures.

agnolotti, with truffled rice and mushrooms. the only entree order i would post so far.

pear and apple galette, with rosemary ice cream. the tart was delicious. the rosemary ice cream was a bit too sweet, i would have preferred a vanilla bean.

for me, the charcuterie and starters stand out more than the entrees so far, but i’ll definitely be back to try brunch on the weekends.

xx

kagaya.

shabu shabu at its best in little tokyo.

so i finally dined at kagaya. i don’t know what took me sO long to get here, i’ve been missing out. a shabu dinner at kagaya consists of 3 courses of appetizers/small plates/soup, shabu veggie plate, meat of choice, congee or noodles, then dessert. i feel that their pricing is fair for the excellent quality served.

the appetizers/starters are pics complied from 2 separate visits.

some sort of whitefish sashimi with ponzu.

duck meat soup.

lightly fried fish with ponzu.

baked oyster with miso.

i just realized that i don’t have a picture of the veggie plate.. my attention was ALL on the gorgee wagyu. perfection. but i can’t finish an order by myself, its a bit too much for me. for me i think a wagyu shared with 3 diners is the perfect amount. others can finish an entire plate but i like to have some prime beef as well.

the prime beef.

seafood shabu.

for dessert, i was impressed that we had a selection to choose from, and were served “proper” desserts.. not just a scoop of ice cream or mochi ice cream.

this is the green tea mousse cake, overall all their dishes are very well plated.

the banana pie with vanilla ice cream. flaky pastry, delicious.

the apple pie with ice cream. the caramel sauce is sO good, this may be a favorite.

b also ordered the creme brûlée, on a different visit, which was very good as well.

overall the quality of kagaya was excellent. a new fave, better late than never!

 

xx

honolulu eats.

some faves from a recent visit.

my favorite shave ice, is from waiola. fluffy and melts right away. i go as many times as possible each trip!

i always get lilikoi and guava syrups, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream underneath.

another favorite eat, is local food, no frills, hearty and delicious. this time we went to Haili’s Hawaiian Foods.

short rib plate, with a side of poke.

 

the lau lau pork. the wrap taro leaves are tender.

(:

xx

 

xx

republique.

early  dinner at republique.

this rustic space, used to be charlie chaplin’s production studio.

started with the “chips and dip.” was pleasantly surprised by this appetizer, it was a smoked salmon + yoghurt “dip”, served with deep fried pork rind “chips.” sO delicious. and fun.

another pic of the “dip”

b ordered a soup, which was poured at the table. i forget what it was, but it was from the seasonal/specials menu.

roasted cauliflower. simple, but done up with curried lentils and dates. great mix of flavors, sweet to tart to smoky. one of my favorite dishes of the night.

braised beef short rib with polenta. red wine sauce.

meyer lemon tart. my favorite, i love sour desserts.

overall, we ordered classics, but republique’s take on these dishes were refreshing and quite unexpected. we definitely enjoyed our dinner. the pastry counter had some delicious looking scones and croissants.. will def be back for brunch/coffee.

yuM.

xx

 

http://republiquela.com/

 

 

Bestia.

dinner at Bestia in dtla.

i’ve been wanting to try this place for a while, as i have always enjoyed dining at angelini osteria, and it did not disappoint.

beef carpaccio. fresh, cold and seasoned lightly with sea salt, pepper and peppers.

beet and arugula salad. did not think the creamy dressing best complemented this salad, but the ingredients were fresh.

Fusilli al Ragu di Angello, pistachio pasta with lamb ragout. great pasta texture.

squid ink risotto with seafood. this pasta was good, a bit lighter in flavors than i expected.

we also had the Cavatelli alla Norcina, with  pork sausage + black truffles, which i really enjoyed, but i didn’t get a pic of it.

onto dessert. “coffee and donuts.” coffee gelato, cinnamon sugar dusted donuts.

valrhona chocolate and sea salt caramel budino tart. sOo good. my fave dish of the night.

overall quite good, but for me, the savory dishes lacked depth in flavor and a “wow” factor.

will def return to try the pizza and revisit that chocolate budino tart. yUm.

xx

http://www.bestiala.com

Manhattan Beach Post

dinner at manhattan beach post.

after all the recommendations to try this place we finally made it. the biscuits brought me in, and the desserts will keep me coming back.  the menu changes constantly, and there are always special savories and desserts to try.

decor + theme. simple + well thought out.

the cheddar bacOn biscuits with maple butter. perfection. sOo good. flaky, buttery, served hot. a must order.

pork belly + kimchi. it was well cooked, a little on the sweet in flavoring. as a general rule, i don’t love asian “fusion” flavors for savory dishes, so i’ll prob stay away from these kinds of dishes in the future. but when we see pork belly.. we usually will order.

green beans, also with an asian fusion twist. a bit on the salty side.

mac n’cheese. now THATS what i’m talkin’ bout. crumbs atop, creamy inside.

dessert. a chai sundae of sorts.. i forget exactly what, but it was the special of the day. it was a soft serve, and melted quite fast.

thai tea panna cotta. delicious.

i’ve since returned, and enjoyed their grilled squid, brussel sprouts and fish of the day.

http://eatmbpost.com/

xx

sprinkles ice cream

my first visit to sprinkles ice cream.

i have so many eats to catch up on, after being away from cali for so long.

friends took me to sprinkles ice cream on the newport coast- i didn’t even know about this! i’ve been missing out.

heres a pic of all our orders.. yes, theres a sundae with a frosted cupcake top in there.

i ordered the red velvet ice cream sprinkles sandwich- with a double chocolate and a red velvet cupcake top.

 

super indulgent. a bit too much for me..

next time, i just need the red velvet ice cream. its amazing on its own.

xx

Pappadeaux. houston, tx.

Pappadeaux seafood kitchen in Houston.

huge portions, great flavors. getting a taste of the french quarter for lunch. the menu was extensive, and there were sO many things i wanted to try.. it took me forever to choose my order.

we started with gulf coast oysters. these were a bit briny and salty for my taste, but fresh nonetheless.

i had the Louisiana gumbo + po boy combo, (so i could try more things!) i got the 1/2 a fried catfish po’boy + crawfish bisque. i couldn’t finish the po boy.. it was huGe. i enjoyed the catfish, which was fried with cornmeal batter; it gave the sandwich a nice crunchy texture, and held the tartar sauce well.

below is the crawfish combo, with crawfish etouffee & fried crawfish. loved the fried crawfish!

was stuffed, but, must.always. have. dessert. sO, we went with the highly recommended bread pudding, and it was worth it. the crispy and crunchy baked “crust” eaten with a bite of vanilla ice cream was delicious.. the pudding was soft and juicy, not dry at all, and generously dotted with rummy raisins. easily best bread pudding i’ve ever had.

pappadeaux is definitely food coma inducing food… lots of spices, carby, fried and rich. LOVE.

http://pappadeaux.com/home/

xx

Sparkle Patisserie

sparkle patisserie in taichung.

i finally made it to taichung to dine at sparkle.

twG tea. french earl grey. the breadsticks are addictive. flaky pastry, parmesan and pepper.

mushroom truffle soup. fragrant truffle and small chunks of mushroom. not too much cream, keeping this soup light.

cheesy croque madame. sO good! not greasy, something thats rare for this dish.

the tiered afternoon tea set, compliments of our friends at sparkle.

the sweet tier.  light and fluffy, nothing was overpowering or heavy. note the handmade artisan chocolate in the middle. yuM!

my favorite was the scones! one sweet, and one savory. great texture. the savory rosemary cheese scone was especially delicious. flaky, buttery and warm.

savories. quiche, croque, mini burger, salmon, egg canape, chicken salad.

picked up some sweets to take home. mont blanc, red velvet cupcake, and my FAVE- carrot cake!

thanks sO much to our friends of sparkle! chef lucy, and front room manager vicky. we had a wonderful time.

xx

http://www.patisseriesparkle.com/