Tag Archives: travel eats

Porfirio’s

Posted in Cancun by

When people suggest going to nice, fancy Mexican restaurants, I always balk because, to me, Mexican food should always be cheap, greasy, and come from a hole in the wall type of establishment. Of all the fancy Mexican places I’ve been to, I find they are too commercialized and don’t hold that authentic flavor you find from the cheaper places. Porfirio’s, a gourmet Mexican restaurant in Cancun, was recommended to me by the hotel concierge at the Westin Lagunamar. Since this recommendation was coming from a local, I went against my judgment and decided to give it a try. Boy, did it not disappoint!

The decor of this establishment was perfect for a romantic date. The indoor seating is lighted with candles and dim lighting to set the mood. Outdoors, they have seating on the patio next to the water fountains and dock.To start the night, I tried the Josefina de guayaba (guava) and mango. These drinks were made with mezcal, which is distilled from an agave plant. The liquor definitely showed through the mango but not the guava one. Continue reading →

Navigating the World of Japanese Snacks

Posted in Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo by

When I travel, my favorite souvenirs are food. Wherever I travel, I will no doubt come back with cases of snacks. I love to try snacks from different countries because what’s unusual in one country is the norm in a different country. Plus, it allows me to experience different flavor combinations I would never think to go together i.e. butter flavored chocolate.

I tried my best to taste all the snacks, amongst all the meals I ate, but it was a hard feat since there was such a large variety. Japan takes their snacks seriously. Chips, chocolates, and cookies in every flavor combination possible. And then there’s the matcha; it is not JUST matcha. There’s Uji matcha, sakura matcha, matcha with soybean powder, etc. It’s like snacks on steroids. The ones I didn’t have time to try, I brought home to savor. Below is a picture of all the snacks I bought.img_2590
Yes, I fit all the snacks above, 1.5 weeks of clothes, and a bottle of whiskey all in ONE carry on suitcase. I know I’m nuts, but I LOVE my snacks. Here is a breakdown of the snacks I think are worthy of trying:

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Gott’s Roadside

Posted in Napa Valley, Peninsula & South Bay, San Francisco by

Now that summer is in full swing, I love spending my weekends wine tasting in Napa. My first stop before drinking commences is fueling up at Gott’s Roadside. The original is located off of the 29 in Saint Helena on the way to the wineries. However, they also have one in the heart of Napa, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, and Palo Alto.IMG_2066
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The Pie Hole

Posted in Los Angeles by

the pie holeMany years ago, I went to the Pie Hole and didn’t think much of it. I must have ordered the wrong thing because the earl grey pie here is AMAZING! One bite in and I was in heaveeeennn. Let me introduce you to heaven: flaky crust layered with chocolate cream, earl grey custard, whipped cream and chopped pistachio. Our one slice, amongst five people, was gone in 10 seconds flat.earl grey pie
The pie is cut into six equal slices, and one slice was not enough. I wish I bought the whole pie instead. I highly recommend you do so if you are an earl grey fan because the earl grey custard is to die for. The flavor is strong but the custard and whipped cream makes this pie light and airy. When you try this pie, you can thank me for showing you the way to heaven.earl grey whole pie

Locations : 714 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013
6314 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
59 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105
177 N Glassell St, Orange, CA 92866

Garret Popcorn

Posted in Chicago by

Located off of Magnificent Mile, Garret Popcorn offers multiple varieties of popcorn made fresh daily flavored in caramel, cheese, and butter. I grabbed a few bags of these as gifts and they stayed fresh for a few days. Don’t forget to send some my way!

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Location: There are various locations but I went to this one
625 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Giordano’s

Posted in Chicago by

Chicago is famous for their deep dish pizza, which consists of a layer of bread, topped with cheese, topped with meat, topped with cheese, and another layer of meat. If you love cheese, then Giordano’s is for you. Sadly I am lactose intolerant so I found it to be mediocre. However, between Lou Malnatis and Giordano’s, I preferrred Giordano’s. I found the cheese to meat/ sauce ratio to be better at Giordano’s.

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Location: There are various locations but I went to this one.
1340 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles

Posted in Los Angeles by

Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles has been on my LA bucket list, but without a car in LA, it has forever stayed on the list until my recent visit. I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks at Coco Fresh Tea and Juice down the street when the hunger pains started to settle in. We decided to head over Tsujita LA for some noms.

Normally, there is a long wait at this place (so long that they opened a second location, called the Annex, right across the street), but since it was late at night, we only had to wait 10 minutes.

I got their infamous tsukemen ramen with seasoned soft boiled egg. The noodles are served separately from the broth. The tsukemen style of eating is unique in that you dip the noodles in the fatty and rich broth instead of immersing the noodles in the broth. Halfway through, dump the broth on the noodles and notice the difference in flavors. Add the lime when you want more flavor.

The noodles were fat and perfectly chewy, just the way I like them. The rich broth was porky and fatty. At various times, I would add a squeeze of lime to my noodles, and it transformed the flavor, in a good way.

Location: 2057 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (Original) and 2050 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025 (Annex)

Modern Pastry

Posted in Boston by

 While walking around the North End, I kept seeing people hold boxes  with Modern Pastry or Mike’s Pastry on it. I was dying to walk into one of these bakeries but noticed the lines are long. After dinner at Cannolina, I headed over to Modern Pastry across the street and prepared to digest my dinner during the wait. However, I weaseled my way towards the edge of the undistinguishable lines (there really are no lines but a mass of people waiting) and waited 10 mins. During this time, I did my best to narrow down the cannolis I wanted from the menu of picture cannolis flavors on the back wall. I settled on an almond and pistachio cannoli. Stuffed with sweet ricotta, these large cannolis were a meal in itself. It was so tasty that I couldn’t stop myself from finishing it despite how full I was. Next time, I’m headed back to try the Boston cream pie.

Location: 257 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113

Legal Sea Foods

Posted in Boston by

I landed in Boston in the evening, and after a five hour flight, I was starving. Luckily, around the corner from my hotel was Legal Sea Foods. This place first opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts as a low-key restaurant next to the Berkowitz family’s Legal Cash Market and fish market. Word quickly spread about its fresh and quality seafood. Now there have locations throughout the east coast and airports. Despite many locations, the place was packed. It was a 45 minute wait for a table. I walked around the block for a few minutes before heading to the bar to warm up with a glass of wine instead. Shortly afterwards, our table was ready.

The menu was filled with many seafood options cooked in different methods.  I wanted to try all of it from steamers to lobster to the fried mussels. It was hard to choose. Eventually, I decided on the the New England clam chowder, crab cake, baked oysters, and the ciopinno.

The New England clam chowder was perfect. It was creamy, full of clam flavor and whole clam pieces. I was surprised by this since it’s rare to have whole clam pieces. I enjoyed this chowder so much that I wiped the cup clean with bread.

As a crab cake lover, Legal’s signature crab cake was a disappointment. It had bits of apple in it giving the crab cake a hint of sweetness. The crab cake was fried so it had a consistency of a fried dough ball instead of the crunch from a pan seared crab cake. The one good thing was its huge lumps of crab.

As a recommendation from the waitress, we ordered the baked oysters. The oysters were topped with spinach, tomato, cheese, and breadcrumbs. They were cheesy delicious but since the oysters were huge, one baked oyster was filling. I was getting full at this point.

Somehow I managed to save enough room for the cippinno. The cippinno came with a small lobster tail, scallops, shrimp, calamari, littleneck clams, mussels and whitefish all cooked in a white tomato sauce. It was a decent cippinno but nothing decadent.

 If you’re drooling to try Legal seafood, they deliver throughout the continental U.S.

John Mueller Meat Co.

Posted in Austin by

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The one thing on my Texas bucket list was BBQ. I was starving and drooling while reading reviews of the best BBQ in Austin. They all said to be prepared to wait in line for hours. Not one or two but FIVE. Luckily, but not really, most BBQ joints were closed on Mondays. The only one with good reviews and open on Monday was John Mueller Meat Co. I soon came to learn John Mueller is the heir of BBQ.

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When I arrived, the wait was only 20 mins. For those who have never ordered BBQ in Texas, the cooked meat is sold by the half pound. This can be a pro or con depending on if you order ribs. I followed suit of those in front of me and grabbed an empty tray when I got up to the window. The guy threw down a piece of butcher paper on the tray. He plopped my order of beef rib, brisket, and siracha coleslaw on my tray, and I headed to the next window to pay.

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