Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Cheng Can Cook: Tomato w/ Fish Sauce ★★★

Easy Home "Cooking" Recipe Rediscovered. No cooking required at all actually. Just mix. Recipe below. Nice to eat with rice. I learned it from my Filipino maid in Hong Kong almost 20 years ago. My first time making it.


Viet Huong Three Crabs Brand Fish Sauce
the fish sauce I use, product of Hong Kong

Tomato w/ Fish Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients:
Tomatoes
Fish Sauce - 2 teaspoons, to taste
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon, to taste

1. Dice tomatoes coarsely.
2. Mix with fish sauce & salt to taste in a bowl.
3. Enjoy with rice!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Paiche@Marina del Rey ★★★

Impressive Peruvian Fusion with a Blend of Japanese. Same owner as Picca and Mo-Chia. Unusual foods that tasted fantastic. Tapas style. 3-4 dishes per person recommended, one from each category. Uni dishes were excellent. Uni Shrimp Toast & Uni Risotto (with crispy surprise) are must-try. Definitely try their signature Amazonian fish Paiche, which looked and tasted like Short Rib. Aioli looked like Baked Cheese. Reminded me of Molecular Gastronomy. Lobster Fried Rice was a bit salty. Great friendly service.

Wagyu Beef $12
seared wagru, parmesan sauce, aji amarillo, vinaigrette, black truffle

Uni Shrimp Toast $14
sea urchin, shrimp paste, rocoto honey

Scallop Ceviche $12
"sashimi style"

Paiche Lettuce Wrap $12
grilled amazonian fish, anticucho miso marinated, crispy sweet potato

Pacu Ribs $12
amazonian fish ribs, anticucho lime miso, zapallo puree

Chaufa de Langosta $12
lobster, mixed seafood, fried rice

Arroz con Conchas Negras y Erizo $18
blood clams, sea urchin, risotto

Cheese Sample Complimentary from our Server

Chicha Raspadilla $9

Palma Fizz $13
quinoa vodka, lime, ginger, pomegranate reduction, rosewater, soda

Open Kitchen

Paiche
13488 Maxella Ave
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 893-6100
paichela.com

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Lady M Boutique@Los Angeles ★★★

Famous Lady M from New York. A slice is $8. Pricey but great cakes. Very popular among Chinese for some reason. All customers in the store were Mandarin-speaking. Will go back again to try other flavors. One whole cake is $75-$80 and need to order 2-3 days in advance Great service. Metered parking.

Green Tea Mille Crepes $8
twenty crepe layers enveloping pastry cream w/ green tea flavors

High-End Presentation

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

Checkers

Green Tea Mille Crepes
twenty crepe layers enveloping pastry cream w/ green tea flavors

Berry Tart & Mont Blanc

All Mandarin-Speaking Customers

Lady M Cake Boutique
8718 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(424) 279-9495
ladym.com

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Cheng Can Cook: Ramen Burger ★★★

Ramen Buger is the new trend. Why wait in line for 2 hours when you can make your own Ramen Burger at home?


The Ramen Patty is the most challenging part of the recipe. I put in the freezer to make it hold faster. This is my 2nd attempt. It holds so much better. Put green onions and teriyaki sauce on top of the beef patty.

Recipe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL7ZtdALBZE

P.S. I skipped the fried egg.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Rishi Tea Tasting 101@Green Zone★★★

Tea Tasting 101 Class@Green Zone. Amazing free event hosted by Rishi Tea. A relaxing afternoon. Rishi Tea are organic and are imported from China and Japan.

Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea Leaves (before brewing)

Mooncake & Pasty to Accompany Tea

Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea (brewing)

Mooncake & Pasty to Accompany Tea

Mooncake & Pasty to Accompany Tea

Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea

Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea

Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea Leaves (after brewing)

Rishi Tea Sold at Green Zone

White Peony Organic White Tea (brewing)

White Peony Organic White Tea

White Peony Organic White Tea Leaves (before brewing)

White Peony Organic White Tea (after brewing)

Temperature is Measured Precisely during Brewing for Perfection

Earl Grey Supreme Organic Fair Trade Black Tea (brewing)

Earl Grey Supreme Organic Fair Trade Black Tea

Earl Grey Supreme Organic Fair Trade Black Tea Leaves (before brewing)

Earl Grey Supreme Organic Fair Trade Black Tea Leaves (after brewing)

Organic Produce Sold at Green Zone


Green Zone
534 E Valley Blvd
Ste 4-5
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 288-9300
www.greenzonerestaurant.com
www.rishi-tea.com

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Ramen Burger@Torrance Mitsuwa

Ramen Burger Line-Up Madness! Today, 1,000+ people lined up at Mitsuwa Torrance for the ever-sacred Ramen Burger from Go! Ramen. (No, it's not free!) They are only here for one day, and they are only selling 500 of these. Have to line up at least 2 hours early to get these crazy burgers. By the time I arrived, they already maxed out. My friend told me she arrived at 10am and got the burger at 2pm, a total of 4 hours wait! ABC Eyewitness News was here to document this legendary crazy moment too.

The Ever-Precious Ramen Burger
a gracious customer was nice enough to let me take a snap of her victorious trophy

Sacred Picture of the Open Kitchen
I was able to take a few snaps before the merciless people kicked me out...

Sacred Picture of the Open Kitchen
I was able to take a few snaps before the merciless people kicked me out...

Happy victorious people finally get to see their Ramen Burgers after waiting for hours

Lining up outside of Mitsuwa
1,000+ people lining up around the streets under the hot weather

This is definitely an intriguing concept, but the reviews and feedbacks are not that great. The burger patty doesn't look that appetizing Maybe it's not worth it after all. Why not just utilize the 2 hours at home and make your own nice Ramen Burger?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL7ZtdALBZE

Go Ramen!
www.goramen.com

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Hinoki & The Bird@Century City ★★★

Fantastic New American Restaurant. By celeb Chef David Myers from Comme Ça & Chef Kuniko Yagi from Top Chef. Flavorful Asian fusion blend w/ herbs like thai basil lemon grass. Great food & quality. The dishes came out really fast. Definitely try their revolutionary signature black Lobster Roll. Pumpkin Toast with its texture and the goat cheese accent is just simply delicious. Refreshing cocktail mixes and surprising Rice Cream to end. Such a delightful experience.

Lobster Roll $18 (monthly price)
green curry, thai basil

Pumpkin Toast $12
miso jam, goat cheese

Beef Tartare $15
picked jalapeno, parmigiano

Japanese Tomato Salad $15 (today's specials)

1/2 dozen oysters $18
pear mignonette

Salt & Pepper Fried Calamari $13
ajwain-tomato jam

Coconut-Curried Mussels $19
sausage, cauliflower

Chili Crab Toast $16
spicy cucmber, coriander

Apple Marinated Shortrib $24

Scottish Salmon $24

Seasonal Fix $14
gin, rum, vodka or tequila, served w/ fresh lemon over
Hinoki Swizzle $14
amontillado sherry, st germaine, fresh green apple, & champagne

Seasonal Fix $14
gin, rum, vodka or tequila, served w/ fresh lemon over

Miso Mochi Rice Cream $4
butterscotch, togarashi

Mirin Mochi Rice Cream $4
white soy caramel, puffed rice

Picture with Nick, the super nice Assistant General Manager

Lit-up Signage

Hinoki & The Bird
10 Century Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 552-1200
www.HinokiandTheBird.com