May Adventures 2019 Recap

May was full of amazing new food adventures. 

One of them was a new food adventure for my parents who came out to visit me in Fullerton. We went to Aleppo's Kitchen for Mediterranean food. I have went here first with one of my good friends and decided to introduce the place to my parents since they both like Mediterranean food as well. They both liked it too! I got the chicken shawerma. The rice has its own unique taste. The chicken was great with the two sauces: humus and yogurt. The salad was a beautiful plus for we all need greens in our lives. 

Finally got the chance to hang out with a lovely, sweet girl, Rachel, from my business program. We decided on Red Robin's as I never been and I was a bit craving a burger. I got the Banzai, which had teriyaki-glazed patty, grilled pineapple, Cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. It was good. All the flavors were all there. It was very messy though. A lot of the stuffing fell out as I ate it and the sauce dripped everywhere. Not a very civilized burger I must say. I would recommend having the patty medium-rare. I had it well-done and it was a tad dry but still good with all the sauce and pineapple to mask it. The fries were great, always love fries wherever I go.

Summer started the minute finals were over. My friends and I celebrated at Broth Shabu Shabu. It was about $17 per person, all-you-can-eat shabby shabu. You can get as much food as you want and reload on appetizers. It was pure bliss. Loved. I love to eat so I could have stayed forever. It was like heaven. Meats, veggies, noodles, seafood. I really liked the kale noodles. It has this flavor and texture I really liked. The lamb was great, super tender and juicy. The chicken karaage appetizer was also amazing. We ordered a lot of it too. Definitely recommend this place for a cold day or to those who love shabu shabu as like me. After a very happy lunch, we went to Soma for boba. I got the lychee high mountain tea with basil seeds. I really liked it. I can definitely taste the lychee flavor and the basil seeds were really good. It added a little something extra to it. Then two of us went to watch Endgame, which was also amazing. Loved it. I cried three times. So great of a movie. I can't believe it is the last of the series. Can't wait to see the individual standalones for some of the superheroes in the future. What a great first day of summer thanks to Inna, Anna, and Tu.

Did some little errands on campus and chose to do a little sightseeing. Love the waterfall and our campus's newest Promenade was officially done before graduation. It is a nice touch but I did not find it necessary. A good plus for another location to take grad pictures at.

Spent a day with Melody after two years. Lots of catching up and talking about our summer plans. We headed to Downtown Disney and did some window shopping. After that, we ate lunch at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. I got the Cheesesteak Po-Boy. The parmesan-garlic fries were amazing. Loved. So good with ketchup. The cheesesteak was also really good. Super tender meat. The onions, arugula, tomatoes, and green goddess dressing were great. The sauce wasn't too heavy.  The cheese wasn't too much either. Just right. Then off to Anaheim Packing House after a little more window shopping. First time to both places and to Downtown Disney actually since they implemented the security check-in. The Packing House was very hipster. Lots of food spots to choose. Perfect for hangouts with friends and family. We stopped at Mini Monster and I got the Jasmine Milk Tea. Simple and good. Got to meet her dog, Milo, for the first time later as well. Super cute dog. A great meet up day.

Alas, home sweet home. We went to Ho Kee Cafe for breakfast and ordered multiple dishes. We had the beef stomach soup noodle, fresh fish porridge, shredded duck meat and preserved veg. porridge, sliced duck rice noodle, minced pork preservated veg. rice noodle, House Fried Rice Vermicelli, Spam Instant Noodle Soup, and a Hong Kong Style Butter Bun. They were all so so amazing. Delicious. I liked the HK Style Butter Bun a lot. The butter was melted into the bread. Perfection. The porridges and rice noodles were great. Comfort food at its finest. All pretty light and simple. Not heavy.

Practiced driving before my internship started to get used to the traffic and get familiar with the area. My mom and I stopped by G.E Chano's Restaurant. First time even though it has been there forever. We ordered the Enchiladas Combo Plate with chicken and a Chorizo Burrito (not pictured). Really good! The enchiladas were great. Not too heavy. The Spanish rice and beans were good. Pretty light. The burrito was amazing. Lots of stuffing inside. Mexican sausage, with scrambled eggs and beans. Light, really filling, and great. It was wrapped really nicely, firm and collected. Not dry at all. A great gem that's been there all these years. Happy to finally try it out. We also went to OneZo and got Black Sesame Milk Tea (one cold, one hot-not featured). Definitely tasted the black sesame flavor. Not too much, just right. I liked it. It is different and unique from other milk tea shops. The boba has different flavors. Ours were sesame boba. Something one will only find here, at least for now.

A nice get-a-away from MPK to Venice. My sister had a half day so she took our mom and me to Venice Canals. So so pretty. So peaceful and serene. Then we stopped at the Do What You Love street art by Ruben Rojas. Always chasing art. Kind of an art geek/lover since as long as I can remember. Such a beautiful piece of art. A great message for everyone to live by.

Always tea time any time of day. My sister and I got three drinks for Sip Matcha: Earl Grey Milk Tea, Lychee Oolong Tea, and Hibiscus Fruit Tea. All three drinks were quite lovely.

A little grocery shopping for the day with my parents. Got lots of good food and three little mochi from Tokyo Central. Fresh and really light. They all had red bean. Really good. The one with the oak leaf had an enhance flavor as the oak leaf added a little something special. The leaf is not edible.

April Food Adventures 2019 Recap

Two month ago, five little gems were rediscovered or discovered.

Headed out with two friends on a spontaneous trip to get tacos at Ensenada's Surf N Turf Grill (called Baja California before) It also happen to be a Tuesday. Taco Tuesday's! I ordered two shrimp tacos. So good with a little spicy kick to it. Really good. Fresh and all the ingredients were a perfect combo.

My sister came to visit me and we headed out to eat at Lit Cafe. We ordered the Philly Cheese Tori and Lit Brick Toast. I was a little drawn to the cheesesteak choice because of my cheese craving that sparked from the cheeseburger in Paris. It was really good! The steak was juicy and the sauce was not too much. The fries were so great too. Perfect with a little ketchup. The brick toast was also really good. The bacon wasn't too salty and the eggs, bacon, and cheese were just perfect together. Not too cheesy and very light. The bread was also very soft too. We got to meet the owner, David, as he stopped by each table to talk to the customers. Super nice and friendly.

When I was home for the weekend, we stopped by Big Softee, a little ice cream shop in Monterey Park that focuses on the Chinese cultural flavors with its menu options. What a great way to incorporate a little taste of the Chinese culture into the world of dessert! We got the Tofu Flower and Hojicha. I absolutely LOVED the tofu flower. It was spot on for me as I love tofu flower, a Chinese dessert/snack made with tofu and a sweet syrup with ginger flavor. This dessert is like comfort food for me. Something that always makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside. To be reminded of it in ice cream was perfect. Comfort food plus ice cream equals the best combination ever. The Hojicha was also really good. It was a roast green tea flavor, something I never tasted before. Very unique taste.

Ate at Kim Kee Noodle Cafe with family. A simple noodle place that is a go-to if we can't figure out where to eat. I got the Cuttle Fish ball and Seaweed with Pho Noodles. Amazing! The cuttle fish balls had great texture and taste. The noodles were great, chewy, and flavorful. 

Had an econ study session with one of my good friends at Heeretea. First time ever and ordered the Oreo Cheese Milk Tea. So good! Loved the cheese foam. Not too cheesy, just right. The oreo flavor was just icing on the cake.

The Best Way to End Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Hello my fellow readers! Happy first day of June! As you may know either from the news or from my previous post, May was the month of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Netflix came out with Always Be My Maybe, a love story between two childhood Asian American sweethearts who fell out of love and reconnect as adults fifteen years later (spoil ahead warning!) on May 31, the last day of May. I watched it with my big sister and I liked it a lot. Asian American representation in the entertainment industry is an important cause to me that I will always support.

To see Asian Americans in features more and more is one step closer to getting more representation and opportunity to showcase the talent Asian Americans embody. I liked how the film was about an issue that many can relate to. Yes it did feature the Asian American culture, whether in a little bit of the dialogue, action, or visual (props, set, location), but it was not the main focus of the film. The main focus revolved multiple facets including: the relationship of two people, chasing after one's dreams, taking risks, conquering fear, and how one's past reflects one's current stage.

The topics discussed in the film are matters that transcend over all ethnicities. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can relate to these concepts. This is what it is all about. It is not about discussing the Asian culture, even though that is a good thing too. Having Asian American representation is about adding more Asian faces to the screens, whether in theatre, television, or film (and many other mediums in the industry) while telling stories that any person can connect to. Adding a taste of the Asian culture into any of the entertainment mediums is a plus, but it isn't the real reason why so many Asian Americans are battling for Asian American representation. It is about allowing Asian Americans be included to tell stories about universal concepts. Content that many can understand and relate to. Very proud and happy to see Always Be My Maybe be the perfect way to end the month of May. A strong message and empowering opening to continue the Asian American representation.