pleasurepalate "Menuism Community Manager"

Having done my share of ethnic and street food dining over the years, I was definitely curious as to what the food was going to be like at Street Restaurant. Inspired and created by Susan Feniger of Two Hot Tamales fame and also part-owner of LA’s Ciudad and Border Grill, the focus of this new endeavor was geared towards a menu that was globally street-food and snack-food inspired.

While I was intrigued by the idea of Street restaurant, I’m sure it wasn’t meant to replace the true street food experience. When it comes to street food, there’s just something about being so close to the preparation of your food that you can practically lend a helping hand. Second, there’s a certain camaraderie with other people, as you wait on the sidewalk in anticipation of your food being served. Third, I just love the get your hands dirty aspect of eating from a paper plate or tray. Finally, I really enjoy how simply the food is prepared. These street chefs cook their food without any fuss or muss and of course, you can’t beat the price.

I think what Street restaurant does well is give its customers an introduction to ethnic street food and snacks, but in such a way where they can sit comfortably at table and chair with china and silverware in a funky and cool setting. Plus, they don’t need to globe trot the world or even all over Los Angeles to taste the world’s flavors. A good portion of it can be seen on the menu. So given all that, what did I think about the food? To start, I enjoyed the appetizer which were Millet Seed Puffs with Marshmallow, Fennel, Curry, Coriander,Cumin and Black Currant. I enjoyed the light crunchiness of this dish and it was a welcome change from the standard bread and butter.

For my beverage of choice, I went with the Cantaloupe and Beet Agua Fresca, which was beautifully presented. The intense red of the beet was layered over the intense orange of the cantaloupe juice. Pretty to look at, but also very refreshing.

Soon our dishes started arriving with the first to our table being the Paani Puri, which were small bites of spiced potato, chutneys and sprouted beans enclosed in crispy puffs of dough, topped with yogurt. For an added dimension, you pour cilantro water into the puff. I’ve had a similar dish called the Danipuri at a restaurant called Rasraj, so I knew the intent was to eat the Paani Puri in one bite. Was it a good bite? It was good enough. Having done my share of eating Indian food, I would have liked there to be more of a kick in flavor as well as a cilantro water that was less watered down, but overall, it was a promising start to our meal.

Along with the Paani Puri came the Spinach Varenyky, which were small Ukranian dumplings filled with spinach and a light layer of salted cheese, boiled than pan-fried sour cream, fried onions and lemon marmalade. Being a spinach lover, I was already pre-disposed to loving this dumpling with my first bite, but unfortunately, it didn’t do much for me. I did enjoy the spinach itself, but the other flavors seemed too muted for my taste.

The next dish that arrived was one of my favorites and what’s interesting is that it could easily be replicated at home. Simply, the Kaya Toast was sheer perfection and it’s comprised of toasted bread spread thick with coconut jam and served with a soft boiled egg drizzled in dark soy sauce and white pepper. Be sure to dip the bread into the broken yolk for both sweet and savory flavors.

Following the Kaya Toast, came the Japanese Shizo Shrimp, which were deep fried marinated shrimps that were rolled with shizo and nori seaweed and came with a dipping sauce of ponzu, grated radish and wasabi as well as the Moldavian Meatballs, ground beef and kasha meatballs simmered in a sweet and sour tomato sauce with dill sour cream. While neither were show stoppers, they were solid dishes with the shrimp being light and crispy and the meatballs cooked in a sauce that I wouldn’t mind pouring on top of noodles and enjoying in that manner.

My second favorite dish of the meal was the Malaysian Black Pepper Clams, which had clams simmered in oyster sauce with cracked black pepper, palm sugar, soy and lime. That broth was heavenly. Forget the clams. I was happy just dipping the bread into the bowl, soaking up the broth and biting into the bread. We even asked for more bread because we didn’t want the broth to go to waste. It was that good.

More Indian flavors came our way with the arrival of the Saag Paneer, Kokum Dal and Rice Plate, a South Indian spinach dish stewed with homemade paneer cheese, tomato and spices, served with dried plum dal and yogurt rice as well as the Indian Semolina Cakes, which were crispy pan fried cakes of utma semolina with toasted cashews, peas, tomato and spices, topped with tomato chutney. The Saag Paneer dish wasn’t that memorable, but I did enjoy the semolina cakes, although I would have liked them to be a bit more airy and not as heavy in texture.

Our last savory dish before dessert was the Massamum Chicken Curry, a Southern Thai curry dish with chicken, red yam and mushrooms simmered in coconut milk and spices. I just had a little taste of the curry, but having been spoiled by eating at Jitlada, a Southern Thai restaurant, I would have liked a little more complexity and a lot more heat in the curry sauce itself. To be fair though, I only had a couple of spoonfuls so if the heat was more of a slow burn, I wouldn’t have noticed from such a limited sampling.

There’s always room for dessert and my party went for the Turkish Doughnuts, small spiced pastries, fried and simmered in cardamom rose syrup served with sour cream and rose hip jam and a Toffee and Cookie Plate which included peanut and butter jelly cookies and bittersweet chocolate toffee. I liked the doughnuts, although from the look of them, they seem like they were over-fried? As for the Toffee and Cookie Plate, nothing really exciting, but it served its purpose of giving us something sweet to end the meal with.

Overall, although the food was hit and miss for me, I like the idea of Street, in that it could introduce new foods to customers who aren’t usually that adventurous and hopefully, it will encourage them to also seek out more authentic flavors elsewhere. As for me, Street isn’t in my near future, but at least my time there was a nice little jaunt around the world and all from one table.

With the restaurant boom happening in downtown Los Angeles, I wanted the dust to settle a bit before checking out all the various eateries. First on the list was Rivera, the brain child of Chef John Rivera Sedler with his take on Modern Latin Cuisine. I bet you can tell how he came up with the restaurant name. Anyway, 5 of us shared 16 different dishes from snacks all the way to desserts and even partook in a couple of cocktails. Mine was the Summer Splash made of Vodka, Lemon, Basil and Honey and it was quite refreshing.

Our meal started off with a trio of items from the snacks section of their menu. First to arrive was the Patatas Xips which were Kennebec potato chips that came with a chipotle-lime crema topped with caviar. Nothing spectacular, but at least the chips were light and crispy and I liked the tart and the little kick flavor of the crema.

Next came the Xnipek which was described on the menu as a Yucatan-style charred-habenero “Dog’s Snout” Salsa and Mini Chips. The “Dog’s Snout” refers to how the salsa is suposed to be so spicy that once you sample it, your nose will be equivalent to a dog’s runny nose. I actually didn’t think the salsa was as spicy as it proclaimed to be although it did have a kick, but it didn’t matter, I loved it. If I could, I would have gone in the kitchen, spooned some into a jar or two and taken it home.

The trio was rounded off with the Tortillas Florales, housemade Nixtimal tortillas and ‘Indian Butter". This is actually my second time experiencing these Tortillas with my first time being at Altamed’s Fourth Annual East LA Meets Napa Event which I attended last July. Second time around was just as delicious. I loved the presentation of the pressed edible flowers inside the tortilla plus the tortilla itself which was thick, crispy and hearty.

After the snacks, we went into the starters and what better way to start than with the Chile Pasilla Relleno which was a chilled pickled mile chile filled with burrata cheese. Of the 6 starter items we ordered, this was my favorite. I enjoyed the slight vinegary aspect of the chile plus with it being served cold, it was refreshing to the palate. By the way, on some of the dishes, there were different kinds of what I’m going to call “spice art”.

Soon after the Chile Pasilla Relleno, the other 5 dishes arrived in full force like the Cordero Vasco, which were Basque lamb chops, chorizo, piquillos, olives and capers. The lamb chops were cooked just right, but considering the ingredients that were used, I expected more pops of flavor, but was missing that.

The Piquillos Rellenos which were Spanish peppers stuffed with chorizo, golden raisins and gruyere cheese was actually one of the favorites of the table. I appreciated the tenderness of the pepper and how the sweetness of the golden raisins complemented the milder gruyere cheese. The chorizo wasn’t as present as it could have been, but I didn’t really miss it.

With a recommendation from our server, we also ordered the Bacalao Negro Fresco which was seared black cod and serrano ham crisp. I liked how the fish was delicate and moist, but had a crisped surface. The saltiness of the ham also went well with the mild flavor of the cod.

The next dish was my least favorite of the entire meal and it was the Cordorniz Cubana, a grilled quail with black beans. This is my fifth attempt at trying to like quail and it didn’t take this time either. Most of my other party enjoyed this dish, but it wasn’t for me. I’ve always find quail to be fatty. Maybe, if it was fried, I’d at least enjoy the crispy skin, but as of now, this is the last time I’m eating quail.

Last but not least of our starters was the Tamal which had braised pork short rib, seasonal mushrooms and guajillo sauce. The tamal itself was delicate and moist and maybe, I’m being just a bit greedy, but I would have loved more pork and mushrooms. I especially liked the mushrooms which added a nice earthiness to the overall dish.

After we finished off the last bit of the tamal, our 3 main entrees arrived along with a side of calabacitas. By the way, the calabacitas were prettily presented in a corn husk and I loved the color and the crunch of the squash, the bell peppers and the corn that made up that mixture.

Of our three main dishes, the one that I thought was just okay was the Maya Puerco Pibil Sous Vide which was banana leaf braised pork shoulder and Peruvian potatoes. Honestly, I don’t understand what the big deal is in regards to meats that are cooked using the sous-vide method. Perhaps, my expectation isn’t correct in that I always assume that the meat cooked in this manner should be extra tender, extra juicy. It’s not as if the pork in this dish was tough by any means, but it didn’t meet my perhaps too lofty expectations? However, this dish’s presentation was quite eye catching.

The Kurobuta Pork Chop with a Mole Sauce and Sweet Potatoes on the side was tasty. It’s not the best mole sauce I’ve ever had, but it did have wonderful flavor plus the pork chop was thick and juicy.

Everyone went gaga over the our last entree which was the Duck Enfrijolada with goat cheese, stacked blue-corn tortillas, black bean puree and chile rioja sauce. It wasn’t the prettiest dish of the night, but all the flavors melded well together, from the pungency of the cheese to the earthiness of the black beans and so on.

13 dishes down and yes, we still had room for dessert and we ordered three of them. The first one to arrive was the Torta Xocolata, a chocolate torte and drunken pineapple. I forgot to ask what the pineapple was drunk from, but the tartness of the pineapple paired well with that dark chocolate torte.

The Crema Catalana with almonds and xerex creme had a wonderful crispy caramelization on the surface, but was a bit soupy, which was unexpected. I liked the fact that this dessert wasn’t overly sweet, but I wish that consistency was thicker because I would have enjoyed it much more.

Our last dessert was Quesos Españoles which consisted of three Spanish cheeses with sangria jus and crusty bread. We let our server choose our cheeses. Unfortunately, I only remember that one of them was a Manchego and the other was a blue cheese. Regardless, it’s hard to go wrong with cheese and it was the perfect finale to our meal.

Overall, except for one or two minor things, this was a wonderful meal and if all the new downtown Los Angeles restaurants are on par with Rivera, than I have a lot to look forward to as I explore more of what downtown has to offer.

For a few years now, I’ve been hearing about a wonderful restaurant in Eagle Rock called Café Beaujolais. I’ve even driven by the restaurant more than times than I can count, so when I actually had a free night to just spend time with friends, I suggested Café Beaujolais for dinner and off we went.

From the outside, it looks pretty plain with its brown paneling and green awning, but once you enter, you’re in for quite a surprise. The interior of the restaurant is actually very pretty and welcoming. Warm orange-brown walls hung with a variety of French wine-inspired art posters will greet you once you step through the door. The waiters are French, charming and very attentive. While you can hear conversation throughout the restaurant, it’s not deafening which allows you the chance to talk to your friends at your meal without having to yell at them.

As for the food, when I opened the menu, I was really surprised with how reasonable the prices were. Appetizers weren’t more than $10. All the entrees were under $20 and desserts were only $6.95. Maybe, I’ve been eating out at too many expensive restaurants lately because it was nice to see that it wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg this time for dinner.

Now on to the meal itself. We started off with large chunks of French bread. I didn’t think that the bread itself was that great. It seemed a little hard to me, but hey, I wasn’t there for the bread, so it wasn’t a big deal. A nice little touch in regards to our water is that our waiter brought us a wine glass filled with water that he would use to periodically fill up our glasses when the water was getting low.

For my starter, I ordered the soup of the day, which was a celery soup. Our waiter made a point of telling us that the soup was not made with any cream or butter. The soup I have to say was amazing. It was thick, hearty and you could definitely taste the celery. This is the kind of soup that I would love to have again with just some French bread for cooler weather.

My entrée was a New York strip steak topped with a large pat of garlic butter and that came with potatoes, beans and small baked tomato. It was cooked just right: medium with the meat retaining its pinkness once I cut into the steak and as I cut into the steak, you could see the juices coming out. I was a very happy camper. I also liked the fact that the beans and potatoes also retained a bit of firmness and weren’t over cooked. Mushy veggies to me are just a waste of eating energy. I also took a bite of the Beef Borgionne, that someone else in my party ordered, and that was pretty tasty, too. The meat was quite tender.

Finally, it’s dessert time. I ordered their chocolate mousse. This chocolate mousse was rich and not overly sweet. This definitely leaned more towards dark chocolate vs. milk chocolate. Given that I’m a dark chocolate fan, I was more than satisfied with my dessert choice. What I found interesting is that this chocolate mousse version was denser than I’ve had in the past. It was less creamy, but like I said, I still enjoyed every bite of it.

All in all, I really enjoyed Café Beaujolais and now I’m just kicking myself that I hadn’t made my way to there earlier. But better late than never and now that I’ve discovered it, I’m definitely am going to be a repeat patron.

Earlier in the year, I tried Korean pizza at Mr. Pizza Factory and last year, I did a one day smackdown between two popular Korean fried chicken joints, Bon Chon and Kyochon. Mr. Pizza Factory’s pizzas were hit and miss while Kyochon won hands down over Bon Chon. Given those two experiences, I was really curious to see what the food was going to be like at Pizza and Chicken Love Letter, a restaurant that featured both Korean pizza and chicken and how they would compare.

One night, a group of us mosied there for dinner and we shared 3 pizzas and orders of Spicy Garlic Chicken and Sweet Garlic Chicken. Appetizers arrived in the shape of a big plate of coleslaw topped with Thousand Island Dressing, a chili sauce and corn kernels followed by a bowl of cubed vinegared radish. Both the coleslaw and radish were also accompaniments to our chicken at Bon Chon and Kyochon. Does anyone know why these two items are usually served with Korean fried chicken? Inquiring minds want to know.

The first of our three pizzas to arrive was the Sweet Potato Pizza with onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, sausage, corn, pineapple, ham and cheese. I took a bite and the first word that came to mind was “bland.” It needed more flavor, which could have easily come from sausage that’s well seasoned, but in this case, it wasn’t. You’d think that the pineapple would add a little tartness, but it didn’t. The sweet potato could have added sweetness, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of it on the pizza.

It was by no means a bad pizza. It was just okay. The crust was also not what I would have expected. It had a pastry like texture as opposed to being more bread-like, if that makes sense. I’m still on the fence as to whether I liked it or just tolerated it.

We also ordered the Sweet Potato Gold Pizza, which essentially had the same ingredients as the Sweet Potato Pizza, but it had a sweet potato mouse inside the crust. They were a bit spare with that sweet potato mousse, but it did add something a little extra in a good way to this pizza. A similar, but much better version of this Sweet Potato Gold Pizza can be had at Mr. Pizza Factory.

Our last pizza was the Bulgogi Pizza. I actually liked it better than either of the Sweet Potato Pizzas, which actually isn’t saying much. The bulgogi didn’t seem like bulgogi to me. It was more like sausage or ground beef, but at least, the meat had some good flavor to it which is more than I could say about the Bulgogi Pizza we also had at Mr. Pizza Factory.

When it came to their chicken offerings, I was for the most part happy with them. The Spicy Garlic Chicken definitely had a kick to them. The radishes actually were pretty helpful at times to cool the palate. As for the Sweet Garlic Chicken, it hit just the right balance of being sweet without being overly sweet. They don’t quite compare to Kyochon, but overall, they were pretty good.

My one issue was that the glaze for both the spicy and sweet chicken was at times so overwhelmingly thick that you’d be left with little globs all over your finger tips after eating one. I don’t have a problem licking my fingers, but not to the point that I’d be in danger of running out of saliva to clean all that glaze off. Lots and lots of napkins gave up their life during the eating of this chicken.

Overall, I wouldn’t consider Pizza and Chicken Love Letter a destination restaurant for me, but the prices were quite reasonable and in fact, they had various combo pizza and chicken combination to choose from that also included soft drinks. The restaurant had a nice casual ambiance and was quiet enough so that conversation could actually happen and while the food may not have been spectacular, it was still satisfying and fed your hunger. If I happen to be in the neighborhood, I’d consider stopping for the chicken, just as long there were plenty of napkins on hand.

I first read about Priyani Ceylon Cafe, a Sri Lankan restaurant, on FoodGPS’s blog who in turn found out about this hidden gem from an LA Times article. Reading about the dishes in both those articles really intrigued me and although it took a while, I was happy to finally pay a visit there along with some adventurous friends. First, I have to say that I’m glad that I read up on Priyani before dining there. Their menu wasn’t very detailed, but the photos and descriptions of the dishes that I got from FoodGPS and the LA Times article really helped a lot when it came time to figuring out our menu. We also got additional help from husband and wife owners, Nahil and Priyani.

Our meal started with a complimentary trio of deep fried goodness, which included pattis, chicken rolls and fish cutlets. The pattis were shaped like empanadas with a light flaky crust and filled with curried beef and potatoes. An interesting thing about the chicken roll is that the chicken filling was first rolled into an egg roll wrapper and than the wrapper was in turn breaded and fried. My favorite of the three was the fish cutlet, which had a nice kick to it because of the diced red peppers that were mixed into the filling. What took these fried appetizers over the top was the addition of a peppery tomato-based sauce that was just out of this world.

Next up was the Lampreis, which was also referred to as Lump Rice. It’s a mound of rice topped with eggplant curry, onion sambola, shrimp sambola, green banana curry, chicken curry and fish cutlet and then steamed in a banana leaf. This a meal in itself with a variety of wonderful flavors. The onions were wonderfully caramelized and I enjoyed the tartness of the green banana curry. A lovely hit of pungency also came from the shrimp sambola, which was made from shrimp paste. Overall, if you don’t order anything else, this is a must try dish.

Another tasty dish was their Biryani which was mildly spiced; yet, still flavorful fried rice that was cooked with cashew curry and included a side of eggplant curry. There were also yogurt-marinated chicken thighs hidden under the pile of rice and smack in the middle was a roasted egg. That cashew curry added an unexpected, but welcomed sweetness to the rice and because of its marination, the chicken was was delectably moist and juicy.

Following the Biryani, the Kotthu Roti hit our table. This dish is made of housemade roti bread chopped up and stir-fried with eggs, peppers, onions, curry leaves, carrots and lamb. I really enjoyed the light chewy texture of the roti and this was the first time I ever had curry leaves in a dish. I’m not quite sure how to describe how it tasted, but it did add a flavor component that was a little different.

By now you’ve heard of Korean-Mexican tacos, Chinese-Mexican tacos, why not Sri Lankan tacos? I’m talking specifically about the String Hoppers, which are disc-shaped and made up of interlocking rice noodles. The components that came up with these noodle wonders included a Pork Curry, Coconut Sambol (dried coconut with chili) and Dal Curry. Nahil also suggested a little bowl of what he referred to as a gravy to give some moisture to the noodles.

Usually, the various food components are placed on your plate and you tear the string hoppers in pieces and use it to grab hold of your food, similar to injera bread in Ethiopian cuisine. My group actually went a different route, where we laid the String Hopper flat, added our ingredients, folded in half and ate it like a taco. It bucked tradition so to speak, but was still as delicious whether eaten the Sri Lankan way or not.

Believe it or not, we actually had room for dessert and my group of 4 shared 3. The first one was simply a tart plain yogurt with Sri Lankan honey poured on top. Nothing fancy to this dessert, but very refreshing. We also ordered a Cream Caramel, which reminded me of flan, but unlike flan, it had a light texture and wasn’t overly sweet. Last, but certainly not least was the Watalappam. The best description of this dessert came from fellow food blogger and frequent dining partner, Foodblogz. In her words, the Watalappam is “a bread pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk, brown palm sugar, cashew nuts, rice flour, treacle (Sri Lankan syrup), eggs and various spices including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.”

Overall, my dining experience at Priyani Ceylon Cafe was stellar. In fact, it’s been a long time coming, but this was one of the most flawless meals I’ve ever had. Flawless in the sense that there wasn’t anything that I didn’t enjoy about the food there, from start to finish. If you haven’t already, I really encourage you to make the trek to Northridge and experience the food for yourself. You definitely will not be disappointed.

Traditional Japanese breakfast definitely strays from the Western tradition of bacon and eggs, pancakes and waffles and in fact, is more like a meal you’d have for lunch or even dinner. In doing research to find out what restaurant serves a Japanese breakfast in the LA area, one place came up over and over and that was Fukagawa in the city of Gardena. So one early morning, a few members from my dining group made the trek out with me to this South Bay restaurant.

Fukagawa is in a large shopping plaza and was a little difficult to find because it couldn’t be viewed from the parking lot. It was literally tucked away in the corner at the end of the walkway, which started at the super market. Once you walk in and are seated, the entire breakfast menu can be seen in a small plastic holder.

Basically, you have A through D choices. If you choose A, you get a bowl of rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, a seaweed sheet and a raw egg. What wasn’t mentioned was a small bowl of cold tofu as well as tamagoyaki, a sweetened rolled omelet that was also included. Choice B was everything you got with choice A, but with Natto. Choice C was A + broiled fish or beef steak. Choice D was A + B + C. I opted for Choice D with the grilled fish, which turned out to be a salmon.

One thing that I wish I did beforehand was to get some more information about how to enjoy some of the various components that were on my tray like which I found here and here. First, let me mention something about Japanese etiquette. Apparently, it’s custom to have the bowl of miso your right and the rice to your left. I don’ t know why, so if any of you know the reason, please leave a comment. When it came to the dried seaweed, I knew that it was to be eaten with the rice. What I didn’t know was that if you swirled the seaweed in your miso soup or dip it in soy sauce, it’ll soften; hence, it’ll be easier to wrap around the rice and eat it that way. That makes perfect sense now.

When it came to the natto, I was actually dreading it. I’ve tried it 3 different times at 3 other restaurants, but just can’t seem to get over the “slimy” texture, but I thought I’d give it one more try. One spoonful and it still turned me off; however, one of my dining partners tried eating it with rice and she said it was better that way. I gave it a go and while it was a bit better, I can still say without a doubt that natto is just not for me. However, my dining buddy was on the right track. I later read that one way to enjoy the natto is to season it with soy sauce and karashi mustard and yes, place some on your steamed rice and eat them both together.

One thing I did know about ahead of the time was what to do with the raw egg and I actually read that as part of a Yelp review. Someone else in our group decided to go the raw egg route and here’s how it works. Simply, break the egg in a bowl, add soy sauce, mix and then pour over your rice. Be sure your rice is really hot because it’s that heat that help to cook that egg so that it’s not completely raw and then enjoy.

If you happen to order the fish, it can be eaten on its own or it can be cut in pieces and added to your rice bowl or even mixed in the rice before you wrap it with the seaweed wrapper. Last, the tamagoyaki can be eaten with or without soy sauce or grated daikon. Of course, these are all just suggestions, but if you’re going to eat a meal traditional to a certain country, you might as well go all out.

The breakfast at Fukagawa was a definite departure from what I normally have in the AM, but other than the natto, I could see myself enjoying this type of meal on a more regular basis. Although there are a lot of components, the food seems lighter and not as heavy as standard eggs and bacon fare nor is it as mundane as cereal and milk. Given that Fukagawa is way across town from me, it’s doubtful that I’ll be having a traditional Japanese breakfast as much as I would like. However, armed with the knowledge I have now, I think the meal will be even better, if I ever make a trip back.

When one thinks of a typical Chinese breakfast, Dim Sum usually comes to mind. What some people don’t know is that Dim Sum is a Cantonese-based breakfast and like most Chinese cooking, it’s not the only game in town. So if you’re looking for something a little bit different, why not check out the Taiwanese breakfast and that’s exactly what I did for a couple of outings to Yung Ho in San Gabriel.

While the Taiwanese breakfast does include dishes found at Dim Sum restaurants like dumplings and congee (rice porridge), the main influence seems to come from Northern China, which is known for their noodles, steamed breads, and pancakes. I’m by no means a Chinese food expert, so if I’m incorrect, please let me know, but based on the meals I had at Yung Ho, I could see the connection.

Between two different visits with my dining group, I was able to sample 14 dishes. 3 of them included vegetarian buns, pork and mushroom buns and pan-fried dumplings, which are standard fare at Dim Sum. Although they were fine, I’m going to skip over them and concentrate more on those foods that may not be as familiar.

First and foremost, there’s the Twisted Cruller also known as You Tiao. It’s basically dough that is long, twisted and fried and usually eaten as an accompaniment for congee or soy milk, both of which are served in a bowl. We had ordered a sweet soy milk to go with the cruller, but with or without the soy milk, I found the cruller to be a bit oily and lacking in crispiness.

The other soy milk option was the Salty Bean Flower with tofu, green onions and cruller. I was actually quite surprised at how much I liked this dish. Salt and milk didn’t seem like a good combination, but in an odd way, this salty soy milk reminded me of oatmeal and I just happen to like oatmeal.

One of two favorites from both visits was the Hubei Doupi , a three-layer extravaganza of sticky rice topped with minced pork and green onion and then topped with some kind of egg-flour pancake. The browned pancake had a light crispy texture and I liked the sweet and savory combo of the rice and pork. My other favorite and a must order was the Beef Pancake, which is actually beef that’s rolled into sesame bread. The bread was wonderfully crusty and went well with the thinly sliced marinated beef.

Soup is something I usually don’t associate with breakfast, but at many a table, customers were consuming various different bowls, so we followed suit and ordered a Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. I will never be a naysayer again. Forget oatmeal. Give me a hot bowl of soup any day, especially when it has tender cuts of beef and a delicious spicy broth.

As a Filipina, I’m used to the idea of having rice as part of breakfast and apparently so are the Taiwanese. First, there was the Hubei Doupi that I mentioned earlier, but we also had two different kinds of stuffed rice rolls. One was a Sweet Rice Roll with a sugar filling and the other was a Salty Rice Roll with a pork filling. Both were okay, if not really that memorable.

The one dish that confused me the most was the Steamed Taro Bread. It was large and lumpy and there didn’t seem to be much to it. I did take a bite of it but found it dry. I later found out that it’s usually eaten like a sandwich. Break it in half, stick egg in the middle and you’re good to do, which is kind of strange because I don’t remember seeing eggs a la carte on the menu, so if I’m incorrect about the right way to eat it, please let me know.

When it came to egg, the next two dishes weren’t lacking in that respect at all. First, there was the Green Onion Pancake with Egg, which was basically an omelet put between two green onion pancakes and than cut into pizza slices. What a perfect use of these two ingredients. The egg by itself is nothing exciting, but I loved the crispiness of the pancake when both were eaten together. Second, there was the Turnip Cake with egg wrapped around it. Turnip cakes are always one of my favorite Dim Sum dishes to order, but having egg wrapped around it took it an entirely different direction and I loved it.

With all these savory items, we did manage to sample one sweet item which were the Sweet Boiled Sesame Dumplings. The texture was a little too glue-y to my taste, so it’s not something I’d order again.

Between the noodles, the various breads, the pancakes, rice and the cruller, eating breakfast Taiwanese style could certainly put you into carb overload, but for a once in a while morning option, why not? You can always walk around the block a few times afterwards, right?

One of my favorite places to eat in Pasadena was a Jamaican restaurant called Kingston Cafe. A few years ago, it shut its door and I was definitely sad to see it go, but now it’s back and I was definitely ready to re-visit an old haunt with a couple of friends in tow. When making the trip to Kingston Cafe, there are a couple of things you should know. First, the building Kingston Cafe is in looks like a small house. The restaurant shares the space with a medical group and in fact, the space Kingston Cafe occupies used to be medical offices as well. As for parking, although the attached parking lot is a paid lot, it’s free if you’re having dinner. Just be sure to mention to your serving person that you’re parked at that lot. I think it’s $3 parking at lunch time.

When you enter the restaurant, you’ll see about 3 smaller dining rooms to your left. There’s a larger dining room towards the back where there’s a live band playing Caribbean music. I think that band only plays during the weekend, so if you want a more intimate dining setting, you should ask to be seated in one of the smaller dining rooms. As soon as my friends and I sat down, the ginger beer was the first thing we ordered. I have to say that my palate party really started with this beer. There was quite a kick to it.

We decided to order an appetizer and opted for the Jamaican chicken patty. It arrived topped with a thick curry sauce. The chicken patty had more of a soft bread texture as opposed to a flaky pastry consistency and the filling was ground chicken. I took a little forkful of the chicken on its own and it had heat. When you eat the chicken patty with the sauce, there was a flame or two, but when you drink the Ginger beer immediately afterwards, be prepared for a little bonfire.

As for the entrees, they come with a salad and plantains, which were served in courses. First, our salad arrived in a martini glass. The salad consisted of mixed greens and a mango salsa with a house vinaigrette that tasted a bit citrusy. It was a pretty presentation, but not the easiest to eat out of the martini glass.

Next, we were served a plate of plantains and johnny cakes with crushed pineapple and a walnut dusted with brown sugar. For those of you who don’t know, johnny cakes are basically a cake or biscuit made out of corn meal. It was an interesting plate of textures and flavors. The plantains were a bit sweet, but the tartness of the pineapple tempered that sweetness. I liked that the johnny cakes had a firm texture to go along with the softness of the plantains. Then you also had the sweet nutty crunch of the walnut added to the mix.

Soon our entrees arrived. For my meal, I ordered the Escovitched Fish which is fish simmered in fresh herbs, spices, scotch bonnet peppers and vinegar topped with onions and tomatoes. Served with rice and beans, you had a choice of red snapper or salmon. I decided on the snapper. The fish was moist and delicate and I loved the vinegary heat coming from each bite. For more of a tropical flavor and to also cut the heat, add some of the mango salsa which came in a tasting spoon on your plate.

I also got to sample the Jerked Chicken. My friend asked for it to be medium, but medium was still pretty hot. I can’t even imagine how spicy would spicy be. The chicken was moist, tender and marinated with a house made jerk sauce.

The other entree to hit our table was the Curried Goat which was stewed with onion and fresh thyme and came on a mound of rice and beans. From the small bite of it that I had, the goat had a slight chew to it and it was definitely well seasoned with some kick to it. As my friend started eating into it more, she mentioned that it was a bit salty, but she still enjoyed it nonetheless.

We ended our meal with Kingston Cafe’s housemade Rum Cake, which was dense and moist. After a couple of bites, I felt like I was tasting raisins, but when I asked our server about it, he said that there weren’t any raisins in the recipe. My friend, who’s from Trinidad, said that the rum cake we were enjoying was actually a Jamaican Black Cake. The ingredients of the black cake could include any combination of raisins, currants, dates and prunes that are soaked in a dark rum. In the end, the cake actually served as a great palate cleanser and soaked up all the lingering sparks left on our tastebuds from our meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed dining at Kingston Cafe. After a brief conversation with a couple of our servers and the manager, I found out that Kingston Cafe still has the original owners from its first incarnation. The main difference is that the family who owns this business decided to be more hands-on than in the past. They’ve only been open for a month and initially started with just 3 entrees and have just recently increased the number of their entrees to 7. The menu will be seeing expansion in the upcoming months as their new chef works on new dishes and recipes. They are currently open for lunch and I for one, really want to check out their Jerk Burger.

Welcome back, Kingston Cafe! I’m so happy to see you back in the Pasadena Dining Scene.

When it comes to classic American BBQ food that includes ribs, brisket, smoked sausages and such, I have to confess that most of my experiences have been at chain restaurants, except for one memorable quickie dinner at Hungry Al’s BBQ in West Covina. It’s not that I don’t enjoy indulging the carnivorous side of me, but with my love of ethnic cuisine, that’s generally where I end up spending my dining dollars towards.

Then Robert, who’s an Assistant Organizer for my dining group, set up a Sunday BBQ at Bludso’s BBQ in Compton and after experiencing their food, all I could say was “Thank goodness I’m a carnivore.” When we arrived, one of the first things I saw was a deep fried turkey being pulled out of a fryer. Crispy skin and juicy turkey meat! What a great precursor to what would turn out to be quite a BBQ feast.

In fact, my carnivorous self was also able to taste quite a variety of Bludso’s meaty offerings, starting with their beef and chicken hot links. Unfortunately, these were just okay. It lacked something. A firmer texture? More flavor?

The pulled pork was tender with a nice smoky flavor to it. When it came to the tri-tip, in truth, it wasn’t very memorable, but in a way that’s good, right? I always remember when I don’t like something.

I enjoyed the crispy skin of the chicken, but it was dry and needed just a little more seasoning, but dip it into Bludso’s spicy bbq sauce and you’re good to go.

But what really did it for me was their ribs. Pork or beef, it didn’t matter, because both were juicy, meaty, smoky and had a wonderful seasoned crust that was tasty to bite into.

When it came to the sides, I was blown away. My absolute favorite was the collard greens. Generally, you hear about collard greens being cooked with pork, but these were cooked with turkey and the flavor was amazing. I could have eaten a whole bowl of those greens and called it a night.

I also enjoyed the corn bread, which had a nice texture, as well as the beans which had a smoky sweetness that was appealing. The mac and cheese was a little dry on the surface, but got creamier as you spooned your way towards the middle.

As for dessert, they have a few to choose from, but my recommendation is to order either their housemade Red Velvet Cake or their Banana Pudding. The Red Velvet Cake had a lovely moistness to it and for me, that Banana Pudding was simply unforgettable.

Overall, this one meal really had me seeing American BBQ in a different light and I look forward to going on more culinary journeys exploring this cuisine.

I always seem to tell this same story, but when it’s true I just have to go with it. It starts with me saying “I’ve been driving by this place for years and finally decided to check it.” Sometimes that statement changes to “I’ve known about this place for a while and finally decided to eat there.” For this posting, the place in question is Hungry Al’s BBQ in West Covina.

It’s a small place and not much in the way of ambiance, and yes, I’ve driven by it many a time, but always always wondered about the food. The clincher for me was when I was at a local concert and heard the people seated in front of me talking about how Hungry Al’s has a smoker in the back of the restaurant. A BBQ restaurant that has its own smoker is definitely worth checking out plus I heard nothing but praise from all my eavesdropping.

After finishing up with errands one evening, I decided that it was finally time to stop driving by, pull into the parking lot and find out what Hungry Al’s BBQ is all about. I walked in and ordered the Beef Rib Dinner and you get a choice of either a regular or spicy bbq sauce. Spicy was definitely my choice. With the dinner, you also get to choose 2 from 3 side dish options. I went for the bbq beans and potato salad.

Taking that first bite out of that beef rib had me almost kicking myself. What in the heck took me so long? The meat was tender with a smoky-sweet-heat. It was just really delicious.

When it came to the bbq beans and the potato salad, I thought that both were tasty, if not spectacular. I also ordered a side of collard greens that was cooked well, but needed just a bit more seasoning.

Overall, Hungry Al’s BBQ may be small, but so far, their BBQ Beef Ribs are mighty in flavor. I’m definitely looking forward to tasting more of their meaty menu.