Eat. Travel. Eat!

While at the Ferry Building Marketplace, one store stood out in terms of a long queue and lots of people enjoying its products-- Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, established in 2008. After enjoying lunch at The Slanted Door , we decided to check it out. The storefront was quite simple, with a blue, white, and metal theme. The funnest part of Humphry Slocombe are the flavors-- lots of intriguing, unconventional flavor mixes and blends. Samples were graciously offered (through metal tasting spoons), letting you sample a variety of flavors before choosing the ones you want to order.

During the summer, in the touristy shopping area of Wangfujing, one will quickly notice two things: 1. Lots of people are enjoying ice cream cones. At least half, or greater, have green tea flavored soft-serve ice cream in them. 2. There is one place that sustains a long line at its storefront throughout the day: Wuyutai Tea. But what is this line for? And more importantly, why are people waiting for about 5 minutes to reach the storefront for? Ice cream! More specifically, soft-serve jasmine tea and matcha ice cream for 6 RMB/CNY/yuan, or approximately 1 USD, with a per person limit of only two cones. That may sound cheap, but you need to compare to its local competitors. McDonald's green tea ice cream (offered as is or with a swirl with vanilla ice cream) cone costs 4 RMB each, and if you get two, the second is currently 50 percent off, making each cone worth only 3 RMB. Or in other words, you could get two McDonald's ice cream cones for the same price as one...

We wanted to visit Shaab Japanese Cuisine in Pasadena, CA again recently, but at the entrance stood a different restaurant: Osawa. Quite confusing, considering Shaab has existed for so many years in Pasadena! (consequently, photos taken with my phone, a Nokia Lumia 920) Though we were about to change course, we had to first do some analysis of the lunch specials and  winter specials--which vary upon the day--as well as the regular lunch menu . All of the menus expressed quality ingredients, and with that thought, we walked in.

Another visit around Trader Joe's led to another cookie discovery: Lemon Heart Cookies. The packing is interesting--clean and fancy--but the ingredients were also interesting. Almond meal? The enriched wheat flour could be swapped for a better ingredient, but considering the nature and pricing of the product, it's decent. Trader Joe's Lemon Heart Cookies were pleasant, and the description ("Delicately textured cookies with a hint of almond flavor and lemon icing") fit completely. The cookies could have been slightly moister (these were pretty dry), but were pleasantly sweet and lemony. By that, I mean that the cookies were not artificially lemony, but rather had a natural lemon flavor. The almond meal added additional texture, which I liked. I'd buy these again!

Sometimes I have a positive and negative visit to restaurants, and Lunasia certainly fulfilled in that case in that specific order. It is annoying, but since I already posted half of this post's pictures before that negative visit, I might as well document all of it. The first time we went for a dim sum brunch, the restaurant was full, and we had to wait for quite a while until we were able to sit down-- at a table right next to the main walkway! The atmosphere was eventful, reminding me (along with the interior) of Zen Chinese Cuisine in Hong Kong . The second time (during dinner hours), however, the restaurant was empty with an exception of some family diners and banquet customers, and the mood was quite different. Rarely do I see cast iron tea pots used in restaurants, so I took the opportunity to take a picture. Tea, by the way, has a 1.25 USD charge during lunch hours, but during dinner service the tea is complimentary. We began our lunch with some excellen...

"What is that in your water?" has probably been the most common statement I've heard about my usual water beverage (water + chia seeds) in the past two years. These seeds have been called a variety of names, including "tadpoles," "frog eyes," and "sesame boba." When they learn that the seeds are actually chia seeds, they say, "oh, so like the chia pet?" or "ch-ch-ch chia!" Yes, these are those seeds that form a chia pet.  Chia seeds mixed with water and organic honey Besides being cute or unusual, chia seeds are quite nutritious and are a good source of Omega 3's. They are also a convenient and cheap (a pound of organic chia seeds go for around 10 USD) option for energy in beverages; now, you can even see chia seed beverages in markets! Chia seeds also keep the body hydrated, with each seed able to absorb 9-12 times its weight in water. The taste? In water, hydrated chia seeds provides a slightly sweet ta...

Having reached the trough in terms of Chinese restaurant suggestions in San Francisco, we went out scouting for opinions when we were in Chinatown. The lady at Eastern Bakery came up with Far East Cafe for three reasons: cost, cleanliness, and taste. Although the entrance did not reveal much, we took the suggestion and walked in.

About a year ago, Golden Deli opened up in Temple City, replacing Alpha Science, an education center that has since relocated to Monrovia nearby Shanghai Bamboo House . We have been coming to this location ever since it opened, after having a good first experience and satisfactory return experiences. (Condiments and Utensils) The restaurant actually runs quite similarly to that of a fast-casual restaurant (or "express style"); the customer gets to pick the table, holds the table number so that the employees can send over the food to the table, and gets to pick up drinks like tea, water, and soft drinks by themselves. Likewise, the interior is modern, like those of fast-casual restaurants. However, I find the food quality similar, if not the same, to that of the Golden Deli in San Gabriel ; management seems to agree, having stripped the "express" part from the restaurant name. This fast-casual aspect makes Golden Deli a great place for newcomers to try Vietna...