Morimoto Napa@Napa Day 1 ★★

Napa Road Trip during Pandemic. Went during July 4th weekend, when all wineries and bars in LA shut down again. Had our struggles, but ended up going. (Now indoor restaurants are closed again after our trip Was asked about the trip, so I decided to blog about the experience and share the itinerary. We left LA at 6am and arrived Napa at 12pm. Were able to sit at sushi bar without reservation. First time eating out since pandemic in March. Felt uneasy. Nervous to sit at sushi bar facing the sushi chefs. Luckily, we brought face shields to eat with them on. We also brought hand sanitizer. Pretty fresh sushi. Temperature checked upon check-in.

Sushi Lunch Set $47

Negitoro Roll $16, Soft Shell Crab Roll S15

Eating with Face Shield on

Morimoto Napa
10 Main St
Napa, CA 94559
(702) 252-1600
morimotonapa.com

Taiwanese Sliced Noodles Recipe ★★

Taiwanese Comfort Food. The thick Taiwanese Sliced Noodles are available in the Chinese supermarkets. I modified my recipe a bit after learning how to cook Hong Kong Style Soy Sauce Noodles. Recipe below.

Taiwanese Sliced Noodles

Japanese Chili Oil with Garlic
secret seasoning that tastes good on almost anything
tip: get it on sale from the Japanese market

Ingredients:
Pork, Chicken, or Beef (Pork has the best flavor for this)
1/4 - 1/2 Onion
Vegetables – I used Eggplant, Napa Cabbage, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Lettuce
1 Tablespoon Oil
1.5 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
Cilantro (optional)
Sliced Spring Onions for Garnish (optional)
Sesame Seeds for Garnish (optional)
Japanese Chili Oil with Garlic on the side

Directions:
1. Wash and slice all vegetables.
2. Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Turn off heat and drain.
3. Heat oil on pan. Add Onions and Eggplant until slightly browned. Add rest of vegetables and a little bit of water. Add meat.
4. When meat is cooked, add noodles. Add Sesame Oil, Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, and Oyster Sauce on noodles and mix well. Add Cilantro and turn off heat.
5. Serve and garnish with Spring Onions and Sesame Seeds. Serve with Japanese Chili Oil with Garlic on the side.

Dukkah-Spiced Chicken@Blue Apron ★★

Dukkah-Spiced Chicken with Pistachio Orange Salsa, Brussels Sprouts, and Brown Rice. Amazed by how easy it is to make grilled meat – season both sides and cook 6-7 minutes in pan for each side. Mix raw spinach with cooked rice, and the spinach will cook itself. Paired it with a bottle of Sangria (+diced fresh fruits) just because I saw the word “salsa”, which was fruity and perfect.

Taiwanese Sliced Noodles with Sausage Recipe ★★

Taiwanese Comfort Food. The thick Taiwanese Sliced Noodles are available in the Chinese supermarkets. I added sautéed onions, sliced sausage, napa cabbage and spring onions to it (also goes well with cilantro, bean sprouts and spinach). For the sauce, I did Asian sesame sauce and Japanese chili oil with garlic (oyster sauce and soy sauce can be another option). I made Hong Kong style Masago Salad on the side. Recipe to follow in the next post.

Japanese Chili Oil with Garlic
secret seasoning that tastes good on almost anything
tip: get it on sale from the Japanese market

Uni Ramen ★★

Instant Ramen Enhanced. Bought this Uni Ramen when I was in Hokkaido. Added Real Uni, Mushroom, and Dried Shiso Leaf to it. Adding Spinach would be good too. The broth did not have a strong uni flavor, but it's still nice and fun to try. Need to get more of this next time I go to Hokkaido.

Vino Volo@New Jersey ★★

Newark Airport in New Jersey. Nice place for a few snacks when you drop by the Newark. The snacks come in half portions. The Brie and Prosciutto Sandwich is great. Smoked Salmon Rolls is ok. They put crabmeat in between the salmon and the toast, but you can't really taste the crabmeat. It may be better with just cream cheese. Braised Port Taco is like normal taco you can get anywhere.


Brie and Prosciutto Sandwich $6 (half portion)

 

Smoked Salmon Rolls $8 (half portion)



Briased Pork Taco $5 (half portion)


Vino Volo
Newark Intl Airport (EWR)
Continental's Terminal C at Newark Liberty - Concourse C1
Newark, NJ 07114
(973) 565-9250
http://www.vinovolo.com/

Cha for Tea@Alhambra ★★

Nice food for value. Basil Chicken with Rice is sweet and tasty. Chicken with Soup has a thinner soup and it's great with glass noodles.



Basil Chicken with Rice $6.74



Basil Chicken with Rice $6.74

Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles $7.28

Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles $7.28 and Hot Rose Bud Tea $3.89

First Time I Saw Sriracha Sauce in This Kind of Packaging

Cha for Tea
2 E Main St, Ste 2
Alhambra, CA 91804
(626) 576-1209
http://www.chafortea.com/