Lazy Update Part II

Soon after coming back to Tokyo, I went back to CA again for one week. Went to Vegas for half of it so it was a whirlwind trip back home. Here are some shots from my phone:

Southern California = Palm trees.

Pizza time! Pizzeria Mozza Newport

Beer al fresco. Basically commuted to Bruery Provisions every night.

Vietnamese food fix: Brodard Cafe

Cheeseburgers: In-n-Out Burgers

Absolute favorite beach back home, Laguna Beach.

A whole new appreciation for the close access to the amazing beaches after being away from OC for a bit.

Santa Fe Eggs Benedict (substituted Potatoes with Spinach): Plum's Cafe

Enjoyed hanging out with friends and of course, this handsome boy.

Miss him so much!

Counting down the days until I'm back...!

San Francisco

Back from San Francisco!

I was blessed with amazing weather, food and company.

Ferry Building.

Bay Bridge in the distance.

Clear blue skies, not a single cloud.

Pho Ga at Turtle Tower.

My first meal and very first stop, straight from SFO. My favorite Pho Ga.

Homemade Granola, Yogurt & Fresh Fruit Bowl at La Boulange Bakery.

Best yogurt bowl ever.

Snap Pea Ravioli at Magnolia Pub & Brewery.

This Ravioli was so delicious. It had goat cheese and snap pea inside and the crunchy texture of the snap pea remained. Never had anything like it. Went on Tuesday, which is $3/pint day. Had their Pale Ale (didn't like) & Hef.

East Borough

Late lunch at East Borough inside The Camp mall. It's a casual Vietnamese/French restaurant (or stand).

The 'interior'. It's all an outdoor space, perfect for the weather in SoCal.

East Borough sign.

Chicken Salad Baguette.

 Shredded Chicken breast, pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, cucumber, jalapenos, peanuts and raisins.

The baguette was fresh and it was good, but next time I want to try the Pork sandwiches.

Lemongrass Tofu Vermicelli.

Vermicelli noodles, fresh greens, crispy shallots, peanuts and an eggroll.

East Borough is a great place for a quick and light lunch under the sun.

Phnom Penh

While browsing through lists of restaurants in Vancouver, Phnom Penh was literally #1 in every Southeast Asian, affordable and casual restaurant ranking. I thought it would be more Vietnamese , but it's actually more Cambodian style dishes. 

We went here on a rainy day. It's located on a street with nothing so it was a bit hard to find. Once we found it and stepped inside, there were already tons of people waiting.

Lots of awards on the wall. I was excited when I saw that Anthony Bourdain had eaten here.

Super casual interior.

"Butter Beef"

There is no butter used and the reason why they call it this is because the beef melts in your mouth like butter. It was basically beef carpaccio, and it wasn't as heavy as it looks and the acidic sauce was quite refreshing. Everyone wrote about this in reviews, so we gave it a try.

I also read about this "Cambodian Style Chicken Wings" (we got the 1/2 order) in a lot of reviews and seriously, about 95% of the tables order them. The wings are already flavored but tastes even better when you dip it in the lemony, peppery sweet sauce.

We also shared this bowl of Cambodian style rice noodles, which was super yum. This was my favorite.

Nha Viet Nam

One thing that is missing in Tokyo is good, authentic Vietnamese Food. I found Nha Viet Nam on a food magazine and went to try for lunch. 

Exterior.

Huge restaurant located 5 minutes away from Ebisu station.

I ordered the Pho lunch set that includes a pho, spring roll and a small dessert.

Chicken Pho.

The noodle and soup was good, but it was missing all the herbs! Especially the Cilantro!! Japanese people are not used to eating Cilantro and a lot of people hate it. I asked for extra and when it came, I was shocked because they chopped it up SO tiny you could barely taste it. FAIL.

Spring Roll.

With no Cilantro. None. FAIL.

Will I ever find a decent Vietnamese place in Tokyo? Desperate.