Class 302

I feel so spoiled this week! In the past two days I have had foodie adventures back to back! I cannot complain about that.... Life is yummy!

Last night I met up with my dear Little Sis, Jax, from the good ol' college sorority, to catch up and eat some yummy food.  Our meeting point is always the Rowland Heights/Hacienda Heights area.  She is coming from Orange County and I from LA County.  Good thing we love Asian cuisine because this area is littered with all types of Asian restaurants.  Chinese,Thai, Korean, Taiwanese and Vietnamese foods at every corner and plaza. Jax had recommended, Class 302, a small Taiwanese cafe/tea house that has amazing Shave Snow (explanation of Shaved Snow listed below).  I was introduced to Shaved Snow not too long ago when my sister brought it to my parent's place for everyone to try (one of the perks of having five siblings is when one of us tries something new and likes it, that person will then spread the wealth with the other four siblings) It was pretty tasty, but what I had at Class 302 was even better!

There was no way I would go to a tea house without ordering any tea!  Inside this vessel:  Iced Milk Tea with egg pudding.  I am pretty particular about my Milk Tea, I like it mildly sweet, a bit bitter and creamy.  This Milk Tea didn't disappoint.  It was very very good!
Side Note- make sure to order this drink in the morning or afternoon.  I had dinner at 7 and I wasn't able to fall asleep until 2:30am.  This baby is PACKED with caffeine! 

We shared a combo meal consisting of fried shrimp wrapped in wontons, pieces of chicken leg meat with rice and  pickled mustard greens and scrambled egg with steamed cabbage and carrots.  Not to shabby for around $7.00. 

The star of the show- Strawberry and Mango Shave Snow with some condensed milk.  Shaved Snow is ice finely shaved down that it literally melts in your mouth.  The texture is so creamy, and literally felt like I was eating ice cream without all the guilt! The fresh strawberries and mango were a nice flavor contrast, tart vs. sweet.  It was so yummy, I ordered one to go for Tone to try at home (his was topped with red bean and chewy rice balls)

Lastly, shout out to my lil sis and one of my closest friends', Jax.  I believe people are brought into my life for a reason and she is no exception.  Remember to always be honest with yourself and that no matter what, you are an amazing person.  Here's to all the memories! 

 

Daikokuya Hacienda Heights

For a few years now I have heard rave reviews about this small ramen shop.  I remember reading through Tone's Maxim Magazine and it was voted the best ramen house in LA (wow what a huge statement!) Even a client of mine said I had to experience this scrumptious ramen house for myself.  So after years of waiting, I found myself having dinner here with my sorority family.  I didn't know what to expect, and I definitely didn't want the hype to ruin my experience, so I tried to kept an open mind.  Unfortunately, Daikokuya fell short for me.  I thought the ramen was mediocre, but  it wasn't fair that the side dishes stole the show.  I wouldn't mind going back again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.  

If you order a combo (half sized ramen and rice bowl) you get a small salad of shredded cabbage and a mayo based dressing 

House-made Gyoza topped with scallions and served with a light soy sauce.  I loved the crispy sides and pork filling inside. 

This Pork Fried Rice was by far one of the most flavorful and tastiest fried rice I have had in a very long time.  In all honestly, I liked this fried rice more than my ramen and I wasn't the only one that felt this way! 

Pork based ramen, Daikokuya's specialty, it was definitely tasty, but I have had better.  I did fall in love with the soft boiled egg, the yolk was half boiled and a bit runny.. the BEST part of the ramen in my opinion.  

Kimchi Beef Sandwich

This past Sunday, my family and I celebrated my grandmother's 88th birthday with a celebration at my parent's home.  We were grilling short ribs, flank steak, chicken wings and oysters, all staples at a Vong Family BBQ.  Needless to say, every one went home very full, happy, and with a doggy bag.  I think I may have left with the biggest doggy bag of raw meats to cook later on in the week.  The first 2 days were easy, I knew I would cook the short ribs and/or flank steak and serve it with vermicelli or rice with my mom's special fish sauce.  As the days went by, I realized quickly that I needed to start getting creative. I still had at least a pound of both meats left! Hm... what to do?? Then it hits me, why not make a sandwich?  It would be quick and easy.  As I go through the ice box, I quickly find a few more ingredients to include.  I found some kimchi, scallions, garlic, eggs and some rolls.  I was very happy with the end result and was even more excited because Tone was on his way home from work with a hunger the size of a bear.

Open Door Part Deux

I couldn't resist it.... I had to go back.... This time a few more friends joined me.  We sat down, ordered a carafe of Strawberry Soju, and began furiously looking through the Happy Hour Menu.  Here is what got our senses tingling.....

Sesame Chicken Wings- the meat was falling off the bone and the sauce was sweet teriyaki 

Tempura Zucchini- the zucchini still had some bite to it and the sauce was creamy and light.  

Takoyaki- little spheres of happiness is the best way I can describe this...  must get more

Chicken with garlic aioli 

One of my new favorites- Spicy Albacore with Crispy Rice...yummmmmy

Bouchon Las Vegas

This past weekend I was in Las Vegas for my cousin, Evelyn's Bachelorette  Party.  This trip was filled with family memories, wild fun, and lots of drunk people.  My siblings and I had been waiting for this trip for months (the last time we were all in Vegas together was over 15 years ago.  This trip was overdue.)  Of course, I told my family I would bring them to Hash House A Go Go, but when we got there, it was overcrowded and had an hour wait.  So my family turned to me to find another place for us to have lunch.... I automatically thought of Bouchon, but warned my family that it can get a bit pricey.  My brother looked at me and said, "Fuck it, we are in Vegas together.  Go Big or Go Home." So we did! Bouchon was better than the first time.  Every dish was worth every penny, the service was impeccable, and they definitely won me over to become a lifetime diner.

On a side note- Shout out to my Brother for paying for this amazing lunch.  I am so grateful for my family, especially my Brother.  He is one of the most caring and generous people I know and someone I hope my children will aspire to be like.  Or as Tone would put it, "If I had sisters, I would want to be the type of brother that Dave is." Well said Tone.... I am extremely lucky to have not only a supportive Brother, but supportive Sisters as well.  They are everything to me, the Rocks of my life.  Love you Fams.

The Grand Plateau- A well deserving name. This plate was filled with fresh crustaceans that were alive moments before being served to us.  1 lobster, 16 oysters, 8 shrimp, 8 clams, 9 mussels and seasonal crab totaling $110.00.  This alone won us all over, and we didn't even receive our other orders yet!  Side sauces served with our crustaceans were malt vinegar, horseradish, cocktail sauce, lemons and Tabasco.  I am literally drooling as I describe this.  If you are willing to splurge on seafood, I HIGHLY recommend this Grand Plateau.  IT WAS WORTH IT.  

Rock Shrimp with wild mushrooms and potatoes topped with buttery eggs, with brioche toast. Everyone at the table fell in lust with this dish.  The eggs were incredibility buttery, the shrimp was cooked to perfection, and wild mushrooms and potatoes were so tender and yummy!!!

Bouchon's version of Chicken and Waffles.... O....M....G.... wow, amazing, terrific, scrumptious, there are endless descriptions on how yummy this was.  Oh Bouchon... I love your twist on the southern classic of fried chicken and waffles.  Not only was this chicken roasted to perfection but the waffles had bits of bacon and chive in them.  To top off the experience, it with was served with warm maple syrup and gravy....So good.... Of course I was inspired to make my own version... which will be done this weekend! I am extremely excited about this.... Wish me luck!!!!

Since this trip was for a Bachelorette party, I couldn't stop myself from buying some very adult cupcakes.  I found this little bakery in Las Vegas called The Cupcakery, located about 25 minutes off the strip.  I thought the cupcakes were just o.k, but my cousin;s reaction to the cupcakes were priceless and well worth the money.  This cupcake pictured above was my favorite with the little crab.  I hope you all enjoy!!!  

Random photo of some Hydrangea's 

Playing around with Photoshop Express

Open Door

My friend has been raving about this little joint called Open Door in Monterey Park for months.  She kept telling me, "The next time you are off before 5pm, we have to go to Happy Hour at Open Door. Trust me, it'd good!" And man... was she right.... I am all about finding little hole-in-the-wall joints, I believe these small restaurants can concoct the best foods out there and I am all about supporting small up and coming restaurants.  We went for Happy Hour (5:30-7:00pm) and even for Happy Hour it was a little bit pricey, but well worth it.  So if you are ever in San Gabriel Valley around 5:30pm, stop by Open Table.

Strawberry Soju

Ready to eat and drink!

Albacore Sashimi was amazing, the Salmon Sahimi was just o.k. for me

Truffle Tator Tots with sour cream and ketchup 

Truffle Butter Edamame was worth every penny and was so earthy

Braised Beef with potatoes and sweet teriyaki sauce 

Garlic rice... yumm!

Almond pudding with Lychee 

Menchi Katsu Curry

This week was the first week of Wednesday Freedom! Which pretty much means I don't work on Wednesdays anymore.  I wanted to make sure I spent my first Wednesday as productive as possible.  I woke up around 11:30am, did a little bit of paperwork, watched Who Framed Roger Rabbit (a classic from my childhood) and ran some errands with Tone.  After running some errands, Tone and I decided to grab some Japanese curry from Curry House in Little Tokyo.  I ordered the Menchi Katsu, the hamburger style katsu, and while eating, I thought to myself, I can totally make this!  So I did.  It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but overall, I think I was able to pull it off. Here is my version.  Yumm! 

Menchi Katsu with Vermont Curry, hot dog and hard boiled egg.