Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Calling all E6'ers & above to Mongolian BBQ!

If you are or know someone who's in the military that's an E6 or higher rank, I highly recommend Kaneohe Marine Base's Mongolian BBQ every Wednesday and Friday nights at the Officer's Club. This unique experience was seriously one of the best I've ever had. There are many different stations with all raw food. You put everything in a bowl, create your own marinade, give it to the chef's to cook, and voila! Let me explain through pictures...

First you start off at the noodle/veggie station. I didn't opt for a noodle dish, so just filled up on won bok, mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini. Keep in mind everything is raw, even the noodles. They had every kind of veggie you can think of from onions, cabbage, even baby corn!

Then you go to the protein station, where there's all kinds of meat including chicken, pork, beef, seafood, fish, even scallops & mussels!

Another view of the protein station....they even had ham & squid!

The next station was kind of random if you wanted to include stuff like pineapple and bamboo shoot in your dish.

At the next station there was cilantro, peppers, grated garlic, etc.

My bowl of raw goodness...

Then you get to the sauce & topping station, where there's tons & tons of different sauces, such as oyster, garlic, ginger, house-made,  brown sugar, sea-salt, hot-sauce, etc. You create your own marinade here.

The fun part - watching your creation get cooked!

After that, you can add last minute sauce touches...

The last station is all you can eat rice - regular or fried - put that on your plate, and voilaaaaa! Final presentation: fried rice, beef with won bok, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, topped with fried egg and oyster, garlic, brown sugar marinade :)

Notes: Eggs are free. You can tell them how you want it to be cooked. Price is measured upon weight. My bowl was less than $10. Next time I'd like to put my cooked food in a bowl with the rice on the bottom, meat in the middle, and runny egg on the top (Korean style'ish). 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Bogart's Cafe in Hawaii

Since my move back home, I've been looking for a go-to all day, anytime restaurant. Someplace that's good for breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, or just a snack...and I think I finally found it! I've been here twice now in just the past week and loved everything I've ordered so far.

delicious dungenous crab and avocado sandwich, served with baked kettle chips

ham eggs benedict with truffle flavor hollandaise sauce & home fries

bagel works - spinach bagel, sundried tomato cream cheese spread, alfalfa sprouts, capers, and tomatoes

my very first acai bowl ever! - acai berry smoothie, granola, strawberries, blueberries, bananas drizzled with honey

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Palm Springs EATS

Palm Springs, also known as "the desert," surprisingly has a few pretty good restaurants to eat at. Three fabulous ones that stood out to me were walking distance from the cute, modern hotel called Alcazar which I stayed at.

I was told that Tyler's has the best burgers ever! They also had the best chicken salad sandwich ever! It came with a berry jam that is to-die-for!

Tyler's cheese burger slider - only $3 - the beef is delivered fresh daily from an organic farm nearby

Birba, a cute, dim-light, fancy pizzeria was right downstairs of the hotel. The burrata plate was amazing & came with an eggplant tapenade spread.

cheesy breadcrumb goodness stuffed artichoke 

prosciutto pizza

berry tart with vanilla ice cream

Cheeky's, also right downstairs of the hotel had amazing morning drinks - bloody mary in a boot glass & different flavors of mimosas (mango & tangerine)

from L to R - truffle hash browns, bacon flight, cheese scramble, cheese biscuit, maple sausage, orange waffles

bacon flight consisted of 5 different flavors of bacon, such as apple, maple, & jalapeno

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

swan oyster depot

Swan Oyster Depot is known for their daily variety of fresh seafood from lobster, scallops, and even live uni! WHAT WHAT! The hole-in-the-wall is made up of one long countertop that can fit about 20-25 guests, showcasing in the window all of their seafood for the day. The line is always long and if you go on a Saturday, the wait is probably atleast an hour, but it is definitely worth it! You are allowed to have a drink (or bottle for that matter) while standing in line. The staff is all super friendly. Hurry - GO!


door to heaven

fresh clam chowder - you could literally taste the clam juices

sicilian sashimi - salmon, scallops, and hamachi with olive oil, capers, onions, & cracked pepper

combination seafood salad with dungenous crab, large & small shrimp - served with a louie dressing

3 different kinds of oysters (they have a lot more to choose from!)








Monday, December 5, 2011

Caribbean Crown Princess cruise food!

Here are some of my favs & unique foods from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean Crown Princess cruise:

This is in Miami, Florida @ Puerto Sagua - oxtail stew, black beans, plantains, & rice

empanadas in Miami

Cuban sandwich

on Miss Crown Princess - bangers & mash, an English lunch

I had a cheese plate everyday on board!

and we had this pretty much everyday for breakfast too - lox, cream cheese bagel

conch in Roatan, Honduras - texture super chewy, made with garlic/butter sauce

most unique/weird thing eaten - WILD IGUANA - made pulled/shredded style & didn't have much taste since iguanas are vegetarians

Thanksgiving lobster dinner on board

veal with mushrooms, gravy, & truffle mash at Sabastini's on board

more cheese!

mixed plate - locals eat stewed chicken in Belize, really good!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

House 530

House 530 is my friend, Por Phol Meeriyagerd's newest upscale Thai fusion restaurant in the Mission district of San Francisco. It is the sister of Thai House Express, owned by his parents. Turned from laundromat to a very classy, sexy, modern vibe restaurant, House 530 is where it's happenin' - from the interesting decor and unique glassware to of course, the delicious food. "Kin mak!"

This is one of the specialty drinks in a crooked glass. My fav drink is the sangria with lychee & passion fruit flavors (not pictured).

Infamous salmon wrapped with banana leaves, served with a to-die-for garlicy cilantro sauce.

Dungenous crab pad thai.

Spicy eggplant.

Linguini prawns served with parmesan cheese & scallops

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

My own 7x7 List!

7x7 is the "insider's guide to the best of San Francisco." Every year, they come up with a list of 100 best things to eat at specific restaurants within the 7 mile radius of the city. As my journey in San Francisco comes to an end, I have decided to create my own list of my top 100 things to eat here (in no particular order)...

  1. Breakfast Sandwich @ Lou’s Café
  2. Dungenous Crab Eggs Benedict @ Zazie’s
  3. Longanisa @ Mercury Lounge
  4. Crawfish Beignets @ Brenda’s French Soul Food
  5. Truffle Lobster Mac & Cheese @ Circa
  6. Porchetta Sandwich @ Roli Roti Stand Ferry Building Farmer’s Market
  7. Egg Salad Sandwich Crepe @ Sophie’s Crepes
  8. Homemade Udon @ Sanuki Udon
  9. Chicken Sandwich @ Saigon Sandwich
  10. Shanghai Dumplings @ Shanghai Dumpling King
  11. Pho Ga @ Turtle Tower
  12. Prime Rib @ House of Prime Rib
  13. Sashimi Platter @ Tekka
  14. Bakudan Roll @ Ebisu
  15. Cheese & Salumi Platter @ Amelie
  16. Soondubu @ My Tofu House
  17. Chan Pad Poo @ Marnee Thai
  18. Tonkotsu Ramen @ Izakaya Sozai
  19. Garlic noodles & roasted crab @ Thanh Long
  20. Grass-fed Burger @ Nopa
  21. Dungenous Crab Risotto @ Ducca
  22. 7 Courses of Beef @ Anh Hong
  23. Garlic Basa @ Marnee Thai
  24. Rotisserie Chicken @ Limon Rotisserie
  25. Home-made Tofu @ Eiji
  26. Shio Ramen @ Santouka
  27. Orenchi Ramen @ Orenchi
  28. Kobe Beef Shabu Shabu @ Shabuway
  29. Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato Bisque @ Sauce
  30. Flatbread Pizza @ Nopa
  31. Raw Oysters @ Elite Café
  32. Burrata @ Pizzeria Delfina
  33. Spicy Chive & Pork Dumplings @ Shanghai Dumpling King
  34. Cheese Grits @ Brenda’s French Soul Food
  35. Mushroom Truffle Eggs Benedict @ Mission Beach Café
  36. Short Ribs @ Hukilau
  37. Short Ribs Hash @ Mission Beach Café
  38. Pho Bo Kho @ Golden King Vietnamese Restaurant
  39. Caesar Salad @ Butterfly
  40. Short Ribs @ Butterfly
  41. Roasted Bone Marrow @ Chez Papa Bistrot
  42. Mac & Cheese @ Mission Cheese
  43. Smoke Bomb @ Ace Wasabi
  44. Aged Gouda @ Cowgirl Creamery
  45. Biscuits @ Elite Café
  46. Pot Roast @ Park Chow
  47. Lemon Cookie Ice Cream @ Three Twins
  48. Grasshopper Ice Cream @ Mitchell’s
  49. Korean Tacos @ Hukilau
  50. Crab Sandwich @ Crazy Crab’z Stand Giant’s Stadium
  51. Clam Chowder @ Beach Chalet
  52. Menage A Trois Sandwich @ Ike’s
  53. BBQ Ribs @ Gorilla BBQ
  54. Brisket @ Tommy’s
  55. Salmon @ Thai House Express
  56. Artichoke Bisque @ Caprice
  57. Mussels @ Catch
  58. Tri-Tip Sandwich @ Buckhorn Grill
  59. Clam Chowder Bread Bowl @ Boudin
  60. Burger @ Namu
  61. Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict @ The Butler & The Chef Bistro
  62. Natural Viagra @ Yamasho
  63. Spoonful of Happiness @ Koo
  64. Beef Tongue @ Halu
  65. Chicken Eggs Benedict @ Ella’s
  66. Prosciutto Pie Pizza @ Pizzeria Delfina
  67. White Wave Walu @ Rocketfish
  68. Meatballs @ Vin Club
  69. Dave’s Legacy Roll @ Sushi Bistro
  70. Deviled Eggs @ Elite Café
  71. Crab Cream Croquettes @ Izakaya Sozai
  72. Potato Leek Soup @ Bushi-Tei
  73. Filo Dough Specialty @ La Mediterranee  
  74. Lobster Roll @ Woodhouse Fish Company
  75. Mac & Cheese @ Delessio Market & Bakery
  76. Vegetarian Sandwich @ Caffe Trieste
  77. Uni Rissoto @ Ozumo
  78. Brazillian BBQ @ Espetus Churrascaria
  79. Hamachi Mango Roll @ Ariake Japanese Restaurant
  80. Sisig Nachos @ Mercury
  81. Murghi Korma Shahi @ Shalimar
  82. Naked Lobster Roll @ Old Port Lobster Shack
  83. Pho Bo Kho @ Pho Huynh Hiep 2
  84. Chicken Katsu Curry with Cheese @ Volcano
  85. Greek Plate @ Café Francisco
  86. Miso Ramen @ Sapporo-Ya
  87. Carne Asada Pie @ Chile Pies & Ice Cream
  88. Galbi @ Muguboka Restaurant
  89. Coconut Pudding @ Purple Kow
  90. Cauliflower Truffle Crème Brule @ Twenty Five Lusk
  91. Spicy Beef Pho @ Darren’s Café
  92. Mussels @ Cha Cha Cha’s
  93. Duck Fried Rice @ King of Thai
  94. House Noodles @ Craw Station
  95. The Stage Coach @ Fondue Cowboy
  96. Shrimp With Garlic Butter @ Craw Station
  97. Shrimp @ Cha Cha Cha’s
  98. Dry Fried Chicken Wings @ San Tung
  99. Tatter Tots @ Butter
  100. Live Scallop @ Ebisu