rice cake confessional

Thought I was done with my HK posts? Me too! We were wrong. I had a Stan’s donut today for dinner. Probably a bad idea. In honor of that donut and donuts all over the world, I present the long awaited (but only by me) HK Pastry Parade. For those of you who wonder about my health, I still have a sore throat. You are so thoughtful for asking!

One of my favorite things about Hong Kong (2nd only to my love of the MTR) is that there’s a bakery on every corner. Tons of them everywhere. Near the mall, across the street, next to 7-11, in the MTR station. Check out the cute mouse mousse mini cake they had at Maxim’s in Central across the street from H&M.

I’m skipping ahead though. The first pastry I had in HK was from Queen’s Bakery in Causeway Bay.

This was the infamous pork curry bun (or was it beef) that ruined my appetite for dinner. It had a few kernals of corn on top for decoration. It was about HKD7 (USD1). While at Queen’s I also picked this up. I figured it would be handy in case I needed a midnight snack.

I picked diet in a lame attempt to watch my caloric intake. I have no idea if there is anything diet about it. In any case, it was soft and airy but kinda dry. Not bad but I didn’t finish it in one sitting.

I was chomping on this one while I took that picture of the mouse cake. Sweet bread with cream cheese on th einside dusted with sugar and sliced almonds. This would have tasted yummier had it still been warm. It was still a good fill up between our Central shopping marathon.

Lastly, I leave you with Teddy Bear Buns from Queens Bakery. So cute. How can you eat a face like that?

Still sick at home for the third day in a row. Too lazy to rummage through the picture archives to dig out something totally new. I do, however, have a few posts teed up and ready to go. This one is another from LA/Disney weekend about 2-3 weeks ago.  Off to peruse those new templates again, stay well!

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Whenever I hear the words ‘California Chicken Cafe’ I recall a particularly funny Jane story where she repeatedly demands California Chicken Cafe until she drives her brother insane. Hah. Imagine my delight to finally get a taste of the famous chicken.

We went to the CCC in the Valley after Thai massages at Pho Siam (no, not a pho place). I recommend both the chicken and the thai massages. Can you tell I had a good day?

I’m a white meat person and my piece was moist and tender inside with a nicely roasted and seasoned outside. Warm tortillas, mashed potatoes, and chopped Chinese cabbage salad rounded out the meal. They have lots of different dips and sauces you can choose from – everything from sweet and sour sauce to tapatio, and pico de gallo. I can’t remember the exact price but it was reasonable given the quality of the quickie meal.

Tasty shot of the salad as a parting gift.

Yet another chain that has yet to make its way to the Bay. 4****

California Chicken Cafe: 18445 Nordhoff Street Northridge, California 91325

What a terrible weekend. Work + rain + sore throat = bad, gloomy days. Definitely not one of those textbook sunny California weekends. Instead of partying it up at Boss with the rest of the gang for Cindy and Klee’s February Birthday Spectacular (ok, they don’t really call it that), I’m stuck at home in my jammies watching the Disney Channel with my blankie like a 12 year old. Except 12 year olds probably don’t have blankies.

I’ve been contemplating a possible change to my blog template. None of the ones that WordPress has posted really catch my eye. Plus the one I have up is no longer listed which means once I pick a new one… I can’t go back! Fear of commitment. What if the grass isn’t greener on the other side?

Anyhow what do I have to do on this wet and wild Saturday night but to blog? No choice really. Good thing I have loads of pictures that have yet to be posted. For this series, we’re going way back into the picture archives to October and my Philippines adventures.

First of all, those are not my hands. I do not have man hands. I have dainty girl hands. Those are my Pop’s hands. The alien brain looking biznaz is the awesome fruit known as mangosteen. On this side of the globe, they are often juiced and made the object of infomercials toting weight loss and super vitamin status. Fresh mangosteen is sweet, sour, and delicious. The juice version just doesn’t compare. I’m not gonna hate though since my Dad says that it helps him control his blood sugar.

Unopened, mangosteen is smaller than a baseball with a deep red almost purple skin. Inside are white pulpy sections with big ass seeds. Pop one of the sections in your mouth and enjoy the juices. Careful when chewing because you don’t want to bite into the seed. When there’s nothing left but seed and white pulpy mass, spit it out.

Not a good time to wear a white shirt, the red skin will turn your fingers the same color. Trader Joe’s sells dehydrated mangosteen. It’s just alright.

My all time favorite fruit from the Philippines is atis aka custard apple. Atis is a cousin of the cherimoya and the guyabano, the former of which you can find in some Asian markets.

Green and black with bumpy rinds. They aren’t exactly pretty from the outside (or the inside). When I pick out atis from the market I inspect the bumps to make sure that there are no major cracks. You see, people like atis. Worms also like atis. Big cracks = more likelihood for janky worms. Ew. Apparently, they’re ok to eat and they’ll make you sing better. Uh. I’ll keep my mediocre voice.

When the atis is ripe you can squeeze it lightly and pull it apart to expose the cream-colored flesh.

Apparently, the seeds are poisonous and are sometimes used for pesticide. Thanks, Wikipedia. Pull off one of the soft sections with your teeth and enjoy. If there’s a seed, spit it out. Continue until you are bursting at the seams with custard apple goodness. Tastes nothing like custard or apple. Good atis are sweet and bad ones are bland. There’s a slight hint of sourness but the overall taste is hard to describe.

I’ve graduated (since I started writing this post) from the Disney Channel to VH1’s Rock of Love 2. Quality TV for all. Hope your weekend is going funner and drier than mine.

PS. I’ve started using Google Reader since the number of blogs I frequent is growing and figured I’d make it easier for folks to add my blog to their Reader if they want. The link is in the upper right hand corner – in pink, of course.

Ever since my Hong Kong adventures I’ve been hankering for some thick, tasty, buttery toast. Not surprisingly, I found the following ingredients gathered on my kitchen counter one chilly evening.

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I’m at home sick today, hence the midday update.

I’ve eyed this place and its ‘frozen yogurt’ sign for a while. A Yelp investigation confirmed tart frozen yogurt and I headed over for a post-work Friday night treat last week. The place is really cute inside and the owners were very nice. Lots of good variety on the menu – sandwiches, cakes, salads, and most importantly, yogurt. You can pick from blueberry or original and they have a decent selection of toppings to choose from.

I opted for a medium sized original with cherries and mochi. The prices are reasonable here and are much better than Cafe Aroma. The medium sized original with two toppings was $5 even. I’m guessing cherries aren’t really in season so they tasted a bit bland. The mochi was good, appropriately soft and a little chewy. The yogurt was tart but icier than I generally like.

I went back again yesterday afternoon after my 2nd visit to the dentist in one day (good thing I like my dentist). I’m nice so I ordered not 1 but 4 small yogurts with mango and mochi. Unlike the cherries, the mango was nicely sweet and she majorly hooked us up with the toppings. Not shiesty at all! Jlin, Julia, and Kevin, the recipients of my frozen yogurt generosity, enjoyed the surprise afternoon treat.

Gelayo Gusto: 856 W. El Camino Real (between Castro and Shoreline), Mountain View, California 94040

Just in case it wasn’t clear, I had an awesome time in Hong Kong. Definitely a city that I’ll be coming back to. In honor of my new fan-hood for HK, here’s my top 5 eats starting with numero cinco.

5. Black Sesame Ice Cream from Wasabisabi

Best black sesame ice cream ever. Pricey at HKD44 but worth every tasty bite. Plus you gotta love the fancy presentation.

4. Thick Ass Toast + Milk Tea

You have to drink milk tea in Hong Kong. Something strong with tea flavor and creamy with evaporated milk. You have to drink it with thick, giant, mutant, buttery slices of toast. Include a bustling Chinese breakfast place at rush hour and you have a winner.

3. Peking Duck

Warm, crepe-style pancakes wrapped around slices of fatty Peking duck, cucumber, and leeks. Add hoisin sauce and watch your cholesterol rise. Soooooo goood.

2. High Tea

We did high tea not once but twice. First at the Peninsula and next at the Four Seasons. Each time just feels special. Little teapots of unique teas (lychee green tea anyone?), dainty finger sandwiches, fancy desserts, clotted cream, yummy scones. Relax in the comfy seats (esp at the Four Seasons), rest your feet from all the walking, and chat about the advice of fortune tellers. Okay maybe not that last part.

1. Mango Sago

This stuff is gooder than good. Addictive in the extreme with dozens of varieties you will find something that suits your taste buds for sure. They have spots all over Hong Kong. Just think of it, turn the corner, and the stuff will magically appear. Each serving is about HKD25-38 depending on which one you pick. My pick: mango + mango puree + glutinous rice balls + coconut milk.

Sigh, finally all fresh and clean after a long day at work. I teed up a bunch of new posts for the next few days. Lots of frozen yogurt, HK reminiscing, and LA adventures to come…

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Yah dude I know the title is a bit weird. The English name for this place is Nutrition House. The Chinese written on the marquee is apparently ‘Five Loaves & Two Fish’. Psh that totally makes sense.

I ended up at this place after an odd run to Gamba Karaoke this past Sunday. Side note: I don’t know why people karaoke anywhere else. Gamba seriously rules. Anyway, back to the food. I had never been before even though it’s in my friendly neighborhood Ranch 99 shopping complex. This place is open until 2am which is perfect for late night munchies. Even though it was midnight on a Sunday there were plenty of folks around (and not the rowdy kind that hangs out at Quickly).

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Finally! A new addition to the eating rotation.

99 Chicken meets all the requirements to be added to the weekly ‘eating out after work’ restaurant mix. Close by. Affordable. GOOD. Let it be known that I’m not a believer of greaseless, healthy fried chicken. I am, however, a believer that fried chicken is damn good.

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Confession time again. I hate driving in the city (thats San Francisco for the non-Bay Area folks). In fact, I never do. Ever. Unless I’m DD and have to drive everyone back at night. Imagine my dismay at having to drive to the city during the regular bustle of a sunny holiday weekend. Sigh.

Took awhile and a giant detour around Embarcadero traffic to finally get to No. 9 Fisherman’s Grotto at Pier 39 where I met up with old college friends. Yvs and I shared a bowl of cioppino. I’ve had cioppino once before at the pier. That time around it was heavily flavored with anise seed and soupier.

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Sunday pre-Disney I hung out with my old friend Paty. We go way back to our UP Diliman days when we spent many an afternoon chilling at street vendors eating banana-q and fish balls. Those were the days…

Not in Quezon City but still eating we found ourselves in Little Tokyo poking through cutesy Japanese toys and picking from a bunch of different cafes. We decided on Mitsuru Cafe purely on the fact that there was a lady in the window flipping little pancakes like a rockstar. The fried and saucy things on a stick also helped.

The outside is pancake-y but slightly sticky like it’s maybe made with some glutinious rice flour. Inside is sweet red bean paste. I usually love red beans but these were way too sweet for me. I had a hard time finishing one even though they weren’t very big at all. They were a $1 a piece and are called imagawayakis.

No clue what this is. It was heavy ball of glutinous rice flour smothered in a kinda fishy, very soy-y, super sticky brown sauce. We each ate 1 ball and left the rest.

This place is pretty hyped on Yelp but it didn’t really click with me tastewise. 2**

Mitsuru Cafe: 117 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, California 90012