Dec 31, 2010

JS Burgers Cafe

This is my last post of 2010! Wow, I can't believe this year is coming to an end.
I randomly walked by J.S. Burgers Cafe in Shinjuku on my lunch break.
Saw this sign while I was walking around. Sold.
I ordered the Avocado Burger. It comes with a side of seasoned fries, salad bar and a drink for 980 yen. I ordered an iced coffee, an Organic iced coffee might I add. I skipped on the salad bar but the burger definitely fulfilled my occasional craving.

To all my friends who read my blog, Happy New Year! Wishing all of you a fabulous, healthy and prosperous 2011!!
良いお年を!来年もどうぞよろしくね!

Dec 29, 2010

Comedor El Camino

Finally catching up on my food updates!
Last month, we went for a date night at Comedor El Camino in Kagurazaka that my boyfriend had found through tabelog. I am so appreciative that he always makes an effort to find new places to try. Thanks D, 来年も探してね!
Interior.
It was a super tiny restaurant but really cozy and intimate. They have a dinner course that comes with an appetizer, main, Arroz Meloso (Spanish seafood Risotto) and dessert with coffee/tea.
They start you off with a little platter of appetizers of Croquettes and Olives. I loved the olives here!
We had this nice bottle of Red that the server recommended. I must add that the server was insanely knowledgeable about both Spanish food and wine.
His appetizer: Ensalada de Escabeche
White fish with vegetable tomato sauce with olives.
My appetizer: Ropa Vieja
Garbanzo beans, homemade blood sausages stewed in tomato sauce.
His main: Cochinillo Asado
Wood oven Roasted Pork with Mashed Potatoes.
My main: Quail with White Kidney Beans.
(This was beyond amazing, loved this!)
The restaurant's specialty, Arroz Meloso.
They cook it and serve it in that pot. Although we were about to burst from all the hearty food, this went down so smoothly. It also comes with dessert (I ordered a plate of fruit) and coffee.
I loved this place. The server was telling us that they aim to serve authentic, home-style Spanish cooking. Every plate was so savory and satisfying. My absolute favorite was the Quail, but everything we had did not disappoint. Oh, and did I mention this course is 4,500 yen? Amazing.

Dec 28, 2010

L'occitane Cafe

L'Occitane Cafe is located right next to the "Scramble" intersection in Shibuya. I've always walked by it and had wanted to try. My friend and I went there for dessert after dinner.
Interior.
My friend ordered the Blanc-Manger. I didn't try any but it looked pretty.
I was quite full from dinner so I ordered a dessert drink: Lemon Tea with Framboise Sorbet. This was really refreshing and the perfect dessert. Except it came with a 1,000 yen price tag... It was definitely worth a try though!

Dec 27, 2010

La Farine

When my mom was visiting last month, after we had lunch, we were walking down the nearby Platina Doori (Street) in Shirogane. Through our jogs, I had always passed by La Farine, often tempted by the smell of freshly baked madelines. We took a peek inside the tiny shop.
Exterior of La Farine, meaning 'flour' in French.
It's literally a box.
My mom tried their Choux Creme which tasted really homemade. It wasn't too sweet so I really enjoyed it.

Dec 26, 2010

Fonda de la Madrugada

For our Christmas dinner, we went to have Mexican food at Fonda de la Madrugada in Harajuku. Like I mentioned in my previous post, all of the restaurants have a "Christmas course".
Interior. There was a Mariachi band that was singing Christmas songs in Spanish and serenading the couples. (Sorry for the dark picture)
Christmas course menu.
Shrimp Quesadilla Appetizer and Fonda Christmas Salad (which had beets, apples, walnuts and raisins). The Quesadilla was more like an Empanada.
His main: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Tequila White Sauce and Mexican Mashed Potatoes. The sauce was really tasty and reminded me of my favorite Mexican restaurant back home.
My main: Baked Stuffed Chicken Leg with Mole Manchamanteles served with Spicy Green Rice. Apparently, the sauce had chocolate in it. The Chicken leg was really tender.
Mango Flan with Coffee.
I think this place was one of the best Mexican restaurants (so far) that I've had in Tokyo. Except I think that paying 7,000 yen for Mexican food is a little overrated... I want to come back again to try their regular menu.

Dec 24, 2010

Christmas Eve

For some odd reason, they celebrate Christmas "Eve" instead of the actual Christmas day in Japan. It's also an "event" night for couples. When you go out to eat on Christmas Eve, restaurants are filled with couples and most everywhere has their own course dinners.
So we decided to eat at home because we wouldn't normally celebrate Christmas Eve anyways. Like last year, I cooked Lasagna.
Turned out really well!
Added a lot of Spinach and 2 types of cheeses, Mozarella and Grueyre. So hearty and delicious!
Tonight, for Christmas dinner, we will celebrate the "Japanese" way by going out to eat at a restaurant with a Christmas course. We haven't forgotten our Californian roots though... it's going to be a Mexican course dinner!
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Dec 7, 2010

Yakiniku Kunimoto (焼肉 くにもと)

A couple of weekends ago, we had dinner at Yakiniku Kunimoto in Hamamatsucho. Since my boyfriend had eaten there a couple of months ago, he could not stop talking about it so I was very excited to try this place which serves Awaji Beef from Hyogo Prefecture. On the website they go into all the deatils of Awaji Beef (link).
There are two Kunimoto's a block away from each other. We went to the newer store which is owned by the younger brother (the other one is owned by the older brother).
They only have omakase courses and it started off with this, Yukke (raw beef)-like dish, which was delicious. I loved the flavor of the marinade.
This was the course platter. I love how each of them are labeled so you know exactly what you're eating. My favorite had to be Misuji (みすじ) on the bottom right which is the red meat of the shoulder area.
 The meat quality was amazing!

Dec 5, 2010

Red Bull BC One Tokyo 2010

Last weekend, we went to go watch the Red Bull BC One Championships that was held in Tokyo.
Yoyogi Park.
The line to get in was crazy!
(I didn't realize this event was so huge until I actually got there...)
Entrance.
16 break dancers battling their way to the top.
Neguin (from Brazil) was crowned the champion.
Through the website (linked above), you can check out all the battle videos.
I was never that interested in breakdancing, but watching it live (especially SO close!) was awesome. The championships are held in a different country each year and Tokyo was the first city in Asia that hosted.

Nov 11, 2010

Back in Tokyo

It's been about 3 weeks since I've been back in Tokyo and I've totally slacked on updates. I was busy taking my sister (who was visiting from CA) around on an eating spree.
Most nights ended by wandering into a コンビニ (convenient store) and browsing the...
alcohol section to continue the booze fest at home.
Often giving into the temptations of Japanese street food like Gindaco Takoyaki.
Legit updates to follow...!

Oct 16, 2010

Amandine Cafe

Amandine Cafe is a charming cafe on Wilshire that has various homemade tarts and pastries.
Exterior/Patio. I love that the whole wall is covered in greens.
Cute sign with fruits.
Tart & Cake display. This reminds me of the cake displays in Japan.
I ordered this Pear Tart, which was nothing extraordinary but not bad either. (Kinda picky about tarts) My sister ordered a raisin pastry, which I didn't touch, but she said it was bad. It's a cute cafe to grab a cup of coffee and chat. Their quiches looked good though.

Oct 9, 2010

The Foundry on Melrose

Last Sunday, we celebrated a friend's birthday and dineLA Restaurant Week at The Founry on Melrose.
It was a prefix dinner course for $44 per person (the menu is on their website).
Appetizer: Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Black Pepper Bacon & Three Cheese Hazelnut Crepe
This was more of a main dish rather than an appetizer. The soup was good, but only for the first three scoops because it was super creamy and heavy. The size could have been easily cut in half (or even less). Not to mention the rich crepes that the soup is poured on to.
Mid Course: Celery Risotto with Orange & Gruyere Cheese
This was also good and the Risotto had great texutre, but this was also very rich and the portion was large.
Entree: Miso Honey Glazed Duck with Pears, Eggplants & Red Peppers
This was really tasty and the portion was perfect. The duck was very tender with a hint of sweetness from the honey.
Dessert: Apple Raisin Cobbler with Mascarpone/Honey Ice Cream
I really liked this dessert, the apples were tart which went really well with the ice cream. The crumbles were crunchy too!

We were seated on the nicely heated patio which was dimly lit and the atmosphere was amazing (sorry for the lack of pictures). The food.. a little heavy but good, but the quantity was way too much. I must mention though, their service was superb. Never once had to ask for more water, coffee, wine pours... super friendly waiters. Oh! and most importantly, they have free corkage (& free cutting fee for cake) which is amazing, especially in LA. They also brought out a cake for the birthday girl which was nice of them. Overall a great dining experience.

Sep 29, 2010

Drago Ristorante

Groupon is such a brilliant idea. For the people who are not familiar with groupon, it has great daily deals for all kinds of things in major cities.
Anyways, my sister had bought a Groupon worth $60 for Drago Ristorante in Santa Monica so we went for lunch.
Exterior.
They start you off with this appetizer. It was like a rice croquette. It was okay, but the thought was nice.
We each ordered a glass of wine and a main dish.
My sister's order: Risotto con Asparagi (Asparagus, Pancetta & Parmesan)
You can't go wrong with these three ingredients but the risotto was way over cooked, it was almost a porridge. Boo.
My order: Pappardelle al Sugo di Fagiano e Morelle
(Pappardelle with Roasted Pheasant and Morells Mushroom)
This was good. The portion was quite large and I got tired of the flavor towards the end.

Why the thumbs down? 
When the bill came, I thought that we were charged more than what I had expected. Because I blog about restaurants, I always take a picture of the menu. When I checked the menu and the price marked on the bill, he jacked up the prices for both of our dishes. Maybe it was because we had a Groupon, but after asking him about it, he goes and changes the price but it was still off (and only about $1... cheap!) and gave us a HUGE attitude.
Thank you Groupon, we were able to try a new place for half the price. No thank you Drago, won't be returning.

Sep 28, 2010

Heat Wave

It has been INSANELY hot the last couple of days here in Southern California. Yesterday was 110 degrees... totally melted.

Sep 20, 2010

Seattle Flowers

One of the things we noticed walking around Seattle was the beautiful flowers on display all over the city.
Lavender at Pike Place Market
They smelled so good, I couldn't resist buying some home. I love Lavender!
Dhalias in Seattle were gorgeous!
This was my favorite.
They are locally grown and come in a variety of colors. I noticed so much Dahlias that I came home and googled it to find out they are the official city flower of Seattle.
Flower Pots like this are all over the city and beautifully maintained.
I did some research to find out that in 1942, Seattle was established as the City of Flowers. The resolution requested and urged citizens to plant and cultivate a wide variety of flowers to further beautify the city. Awesome.