Class 302 - Rowland Heights, CA

What? Class? Nope, a Taiwanese snack and shaved snow shop where the servers dress like school guys/girls.

By far the best popcorn chicken I've had. Nice lightly-battered crispy chicken.

Photo courtesy of Weenie


And the mango shaved snow with condensed milk, mochi, and fresh mango chunks. Too sweet for me, however, we were informed that we need to request "milk-flavored" snow instead of the mango snow which would make a difference.


Had I not been so tired and hungover from eating, I probably would have enjoyed this snack. ha ha ha. Oh, what a weekend. Eating is a sport and I am thoroughly exhausted.

Class 302
1015 S. Nogales St., #125
Rowland Heights, CA
Tel: (626) 965-5809

Members only - somewhere in El Lay

Greetings from a "members only" bar in El Lay.

Andrew, "Diki", "Weenie", me, Amir, Anthony

Animal Restaurant - Los Angeles, CA

Miki brought us to dine at Animal Restaurant for dinner. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Unfortunately I do not have a professional camera - the lighting was quite terrible for your typical point and shoot camera so I had to borrow some photos that I found on the web. Here is what we ordered:

Chicken liver toast - I am not a big fan of chicken liver, but when done well, it can be delicious. This, for me, was not very good. The liver taste was STRONG which could be due to overcooking the liver before making it into a paste.

Photo credit to Kevin Eats


Rabbit loin, benton’s bacon, pickled apple, cipollini, butternut squash - I am pretty sure the cooks accidentally set the rabbit loin on fire when they were searing it in the pan. It tasted of gas, and had a very strange flavor, although I have to give them props for the wonderful texture and juicy cuisson of the rabbit loin. But yah, I'd skip it.

Photo credit to Anthony Ngo


Pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg - loved loved loved this!

Photo credit to Kevin Eats


Barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw - this was really fantastic, but a bit too sweet due to the brioche and sauce.

Photo credit to Kevin Eats


Baby broccoli, pancetta, parmesan, soft egg, bread crumbs - GREAT dish. Well-balanced and great use of vegetables.

Photo credit to These Things I eat


Poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar - a Quebecois diner staple. I quite enjoyed this dish. Very tasty. Loved the meat on top.

Photo credit to Kevin Eats


Foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger - one of Animal's most popular dishes. I loved it. It was so Hawaiian. Great use of sweet teriyaki sauce and sriracha. LOVED the use of baby basmati rice. Now only if they served this everywhere in Hawaii...

Photo credit to Kevin Eats


Overall, I'd say Animal is a great place to dine. Lively, casual, and fun atmosphere. We all had a great time tonight despite the fact that someone got shot next door to us. (Welcome to El Lay).

Animal Restaurant
435 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: (323) 782-9225

Kingburg Kitchen - San Gabriel, CA

I'm in El Lay !

First stop, niu rou mien at Kingburg Kitchen.

We managed to eat here on a day where the broth was a bit off (a bit too medicinal/herbal tasting) but the noodles were quite nice as well as the spice level.

Photo courtesty of Carolini Weenie


Not a bad start.

Kingburg Kitchen
715 West Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776-1114
Tel: (626) 282-2386

Vik's Chaat Corner - Berkeley, CA

Today my sister took me to this wonderful, authentic, and FRESH Chaat place in Berkeley. Here's just a brief description of what we had.

Cholle Bhature


Dosa - savory crepes with masala (potato) filling with sambar and chutney.


Samosa Cholle
Dahi Batata Puri - filled with yogurt and tamarind chutney.
Chicken Kathi Kebab


Best chaat house I have been to in the Bay Area so far. The freshest and very clean (I have gotten sick from other places before). It was great seeing them make everything by hand and a la minute.

I <3 this place. Go try it.

Vik's Chaat Corner
2390 4th St
Berkeley, CA
Tel: (510) 644-4412

恭喜发财 & Happy 8th Birthday to Ginger!

Braised lamb and tofu


Crab


Roasted duck


Brocoli


Steamed rock cod


And, of course, a peanut butter cake for Ginger. Look how happy she is!


Miam miam.


Happy Lunar New Year of the Tiger!

Tartiflette

Had my last brunch today before heading back to the states. Nina made this seriously amazing Tartiflette (Reblochon cheese which comes from the Savoie region, potatoes, white wine, a LOT of lardons and onions.)

Tartiflette is from the Savoie region in the French Alps. It's traditionally served in the winter which makes sense because it is a very heavy, hearty, and soul-warming dish.



A brunch wouldn't be a brunch without the best pain au chocolat ever (made by an Arab couple in the 10eme. I love saying that.)


My belly is very warm and happy.

Comfort food in Petite Bretagne, Paris

Back at Crêperie Josselin. It's been awhile.



Doesn't get better than this.


Crêperie Josselin
67, rue du Montparnasse
75014 Paris
Tél: 01 43 20 93 50

Paris, Je t'aime

Turned out to be a gorgeous day today - around 18 C ! I decided to walk instead of take the metro after my wonderful lunch with Sophie.

My favorite church.






Ah Paris, you never disappoint.

Thoumieux Restaurant - Paris, France

When I was working at Les Ambassadeurs, I never had the opportunity to eat there (it was a bit out of my budget at the moment as well). Jean-François Piège left Hôtel de Crillon in August 2009 to take over the kitchen at Restaurant Thoumieux - a very old restaurant in the 7eme. I still keep in touch with some of the cooks from Crillon - a couple whom are now sous-chefs at Thoumieux. Some of the servers followed as well.

Now this place is perhaps the complete opposite of Les Ambassadeurs. The interior is rather drab, and somewhat unattractive with random teal items placed around the front of the house. I went to dine with Sophie, whom informed me that the place was actually remodeled! Interesting... She also mentioned that the clientele consisted of some television actors/personalities.

All photo credit to Sophie




Strange interior aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the food. There was no extra fluff or beyond perfect garnishes on the plate. I would call the food very refined *almost* comfort food.

We started with an excellent sardine pate, house-churned butter, and house-made bread. These were all very very good.



For the first course, by recommendation, I opted for the langoustines with fennel and apples. This dish, served cold, was perfection in every bite.


Sophie opted for "Grandma's paté" made with chicken liver which was probably one of the best paté's I have tasted thus far.



Next up was the slow cooked Oteiza pork belly with onion crackling, cabbage sautéed with curry, and pomme purée. Though the pork belly could have been cooked a wee bit longer, it was very tasty. I LOVED the onion crackling and the cabbage. The flavor combinations as well as the textures went hand in hand. A fabulous dish.


Sophie's perfectly cooked quasi de veau + écrasée de vitelottes


Sophie and I both ordered the home-made vanilla bean ice-cream with caramelised noisettes. A bit pricey (@ 8 euro) but very well done.


Bravo, Thoumieux. A very satisfying meal. By the way, it doesn't hurt to mention that they hired all good looking servers and model-like hostesses. Eye-candy during your meal.

Restaurant Thoumieux‎
79, Rue Saint-Dominique
75007 Paris
Tel: 01 47 05 49 75‎

Une vielle maison

I love the architecture found throughout the city. I was in the 16eme today and saw this random beauty.

Merci

Merci
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais
75003 Paris
Tel: 01 42 77 78 92‎

Diesel

Was strolling through the 2eme today...