Tag Archives: taste bud explosion

Elote Man 

The Elote Man, Timoteo Flor de Nopal, has been turning healthy corn into a heart attack snack for 27 years in Lincoln Heights. For $1.50 you can get corn on a cob or a bowl of corn topped with a heaping spread of mayonnaise, generous drizzle of butter, even coating of Parmesan cheese, and a dust of chili powder. When you to try to eat the corn, it’s a game of balancing the newly gained weight of the corn, about half a pound, so it doesn’t lose to gravity. Don’t worry! This doesn’t scare people away. On warm summer nights, the lines can get long so go early before he runs out. He’s open from 9:30 pm until 1 am or until he runs out. It’s worth it for this heart attack concoction that will change the way you eat corn. You won’t be able to eat it any other way.

(2338 Workman St., Los Angeles, CA 90031– by the 99 cent store)

Fresh Catch

Posted in Oahu by

Hawaii was the first place I tried poke. I haven’t been able to find a place in the states that makes it just as good. So when I came back to Hawaii, I was excited for more poke. Fresh Catch just blew the poke game out of the water. If you’re on the hunt for the best poke, look no further. The fish is fresh, and the marinades will delight your taste buds. None of them are too salty or sweet. Sold by weight, buy as much as your heart desires.

The tuna was the perfect savory balance to the salmon’s sweet marinade.

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Mmm…mmm…good! I want more!

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(3109 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816)

bills Sydney

While researching for a brunch place, the name bills Sydney, a famous Australian brunch place that has made its way to Tokyo, kept popping up. We decided to give it a try. Our first attempt was unsuccessful. We arrived at 10 am and they told us to come back at 1 pm. The wait was THAT long.

The next day, we tried to go again and only had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Not knowing what the to expect, we were in for a surprise. The food was AMAZING!

Sweet corn fritters, roast tomato, spinach, bacon and avocado salsa– The corn was naturally sweet and perfectly seasoned. I had to stop myself from gobbling it all up at once.

Ricotta hotcakes, banana and honeycomb butter– The fluffiest pancakes ever! Heavenly and not overly sweet. I can’t wait to try to recreate these. Or travel to have these again.

Tip: You can make reservations in advance. It’s located on the top floor of Tokyu Plaza.

(Tokyu Plaza, Omotesando Harajuku 7F, 4-30-3 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001)

If you can’t go to Japan to try these amazing hotcakes but happen to be in Hawaii, check out their Oahu location. (280 Beach Walk, Honolulu, HI 96815)

Maisen Tonkatsu

Maisen Tonkatsu, owned by the Suntory group, is an upscale dining version of tonkatsu. Is it worth it? Yes! Never had I had pork so tender and juicy that it reminded of filet mignon. The pigs they use comes from different regions of Japan and are raised with special conditions i.e. being fed a special diet of green tea or yams or raised for seven years. The menu goes into detail about each pig. Be sure to ask for an English menu to truly know what you are selecting.

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Above on the left is the Chamiton fillet with curry. It was the only curry option they had. They probably frown upon dousing the rich meat in curry but I was really craving curry that day. The Chamiton pig is raised with a diet of green tea. I wanted to try their specialty Kurobuta black pig so I ordered a small fillet on the side. It is juicer and meatier than the Chamiton. They also offer a special apple flavored sauce for the Kurobuta. If you want their Kurobuta meal set, go early as they only sell five sets a day. The Chamiton was about 1950 yen while the Kurobuta was about 3950 yen.

Like all good things in Japan, Maisen is a chain and can be found all around Tokyo even in the food halls in the basements of department stores.

The location I went to was Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 4-8-5.

Ippudo

Served at Ippudo is the Akamaru Modern (pictured above). It has a tonkotsu pork broth with handmade thin noodles with a splash black garlic oil. It’s topped with three slices of pork, scallions, fungi, and bean sprouts.

The broth was intensely rich in flavor. The noodles were firm and the chasu was delicious!!!

They serve a strong barley tea to compliment the ramen. On the table are pickled bean sprouts, veggies, and ginger to snack on while waiting. They also have garlic and a garlic mincer at the table if you want your soup to be more garlicky.

Ippudo is a chain restaurant and can be found all over Japan. However, the stores are discreetly hidden and hard to recognize. Be on the lookout! You don’t want to miss out on their decadent broth.

Below is a map of Ippudos in Japan and New York.