Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant - Alhambra

It took me a while to finally try Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant in Alhambra. I had been meaning to after my post about Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant in Rosemead. NNNH vs. NNKH showdown! Hehe. And then Dylan of Eat, Drink, & Be Merry recently blogged about Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa and wanted to know what I thought of their bun bo Hue so I figured I should go...


For those who aren't familiar and are wondering about the similar-sounding names of the restaurants, nem nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork patties) originated in the town of Ninh Hoa, in Khanh Hoa province, on the South-Central coast of Vietnam. My hometown is an hour north, so since I make my own nem nuong, there's really little need for me to go out and buy it. Gee, see what I do for my readers?

Anyway, since I don't want to repeat myself, you can read my recipe for nem nuong with instructions on how to make it and wrap it in rice paper. And for comparisons to Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa. If you're in Orange County, my nem nuong restaurant of choice is Brodard Restaurant in Garden Grove.

OK, now back to Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa. Or well, a slight detour first. Nem nuong to me is a summertime dish. Growing up in Oregon, the plate full of herbs to wrap up with rice paper usually wasn't in season until then. So during this particularly hot summer, Henry Chan of Henry Chan's Food Videos wanted a salad. Well, a plateful of herbs counts in my book as a salad. So after vetoing various restaurant suggestions, he finally agreed to try it out. Hehe, that was my intention all along, but I had to offer worse sounding suggestions first ie. Souplantation. I'm tricky that way. ;)

Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa is located on Valley Boulevard on the west side of Atlantic Boulevard in a tiny strip mall. I'm used to going east on Valley when hunting for good eats so this was quite a departure for me. Apparently they've been there for two years now.


The restaurant is pretty tiny. Around the corner to the left there's maybe four more tables. And if you look closely on the mirrored back wall, you'll see two specials listed - bun nuoc leo Soc Trang (Vietnamese clear broth noodle soup from Soc Trang) and bun bo Hue (Vietnamese beef noodle soup from Hue). When I mentioned the noodle soups to Henry, I joked that it's not just Chinese restaurants that have a secret hidden menu. Actually, the soups were listed, but I rarely ever see bun nuoc leo Soc Trang listed on any menu. So of course, he wanted to order it.


Since my youngest aunt's husband hails from Soc Trang, in the Mekong Delta near the Cambodia border, I can get this soup at home. It's similar to bun mam, the very pungent noodle soup made of fermented pickled fish, except in bun nuoc leo the fermented fish is strained out and the resulting broth is more clear. There were slices of fish, pork, and shrimp with rice vermicelli noodles.


Served with a side of mint, water spinach stalks, red cabbage, and limes. I actually thought the fish sauce flavor was a little weak. Must be the Vietnamese in me. Henry thought it very good because it wasn't fishy tasty and just light enough for a hot day.


We also ordered their namesake nem nuong cuon (Vietnamese pork patty rice paper rolls). An order of 3 rolls with cha ram tom (Vietnamese shrimp egg rolls) is only $3.50. I think it's an extra $1 or $1.25 if you want an order of 4 rolls. If you're comparing, this is slightly cheaper than Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa which charges $4.99 for 4 rolls. And much cheaper than Brodard, which charges $6 for 4 rolls. I know, I sound so cheap right? But hey, I know you're comparing too.


I actually wanted to roll my own, but Henry said we should get them pre-made to see what the restaurant's version would look like. I told him it would just have lettuce, no herbs since they don't know what people would eat. And sure enough, there's just the nem nuong, cha ram, lettuce, cucumber, and chives.


We also ordered rau ma (Vietnamese pennywort drink) for $1.75. If the plateful of herbs for the soup, or the lettuce in the nem nuong cuon didn't satisfy his salad requirement for the day, I think the pennywort drink certainly did.


While I enjoyed my meal, I never did get around to eating the bun bo Hue that Eat, Drink, & Be Merry wanted me to try. So the following week (Or was it just a few days later?), one of my childhood friends called me up because she had a bun bo Hue craving. And since her mother is from Khanh Hoa province, I suggested we try out the restaurant to get her opinion.

Bun bo Hue, the other popular Vietnamese beef noodle soup, should have a lemongrass flavor with a red spicy chili base. It has rice vermicelli noodles with pig's feet and blood cubes.

Mini-rant here. No it is NOT pho. Calling bun bo Hue a variation of pho is like saying fettucine alfredo is a version of spaghetti. Sure it's easy to reference a more popular dish when trying to describe it, but in both cases: different noodles + different flavors = different dishes entirely. OK?

Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa's rendition was good, but the broth was not as spicy or strong in lemongrass flavor as my friend and I would prefer. My best bun bo Hue is still Bun Bo Hue An Nam in San Jose. My friend prefers the version at Pho Pasteur in Rosemead. Still, the noodles, pig's feet, and blood cubes tasted fresh, and though we split the bowl, we both slurped everything down. This $5.25 bowl comes with an herb plate of mint, cilantro, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), red cabbage, bean sprouts, and limes.


We also ordered a Central Vietnamese favorite of banh beo chen tom chay (Vietnamese steamed rice discs topped with dried shrimp). A platter of 9 banh beo is $4.25. Again with the comparisons, Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa serves a platter of 12 for $4.99. But I thought the banh beo here were slightly better - smoother, softer.


Just look at how very tender the freshly steamed banh beo looks up close. I also liked that the dried shrimp weren't as dried out as Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa's version. Mmm. We scarfed these down. I could easily make a meal of several platters of banh beo. Hehe. Actually, I have. When I get it homecooked for free. :P


OK, now back to their signature nem nuong. You can also opt to roll your own rice paper rolls, which I heartily suggest you do because you'll get more herbs such as tia to (purple perilla), mint, shredded carrots. Plus, that's really the way Vietnamese would eat it anyway. A two-person special of $12.95 includes 2 nem nuong, 4 nem cap la chuoi (Vietnamese grilled pork patties wrapped in banana leaves), 4 nem chua nuong (Vietnamese grilled pickled pork patties), 6 cha ram tom, a plate of herbs, a stack of rice paper, and dipping sauce. Again with the comparisons, a similar order at Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa costs $13.99. A whole $1 more! *Gasp* :P

Since my friend and I were already eating bun bo Hue and banh beo, we asked if they could split the order for just one person, and they did. So what you see below is half of the two-person special for $6.50. It was still quite a generous portion for the two of us.


Close-ups of the herb platter with shredded carrots, cucumber slices, lettuce, mint, rau ram, tia to, cilantro, and bean sprouts.


The meat platter with the aforementioned nem cap la chuoi, cha ram tom, nem nuong, and nem chua nuong. Incidentally, like Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa, they also specialize in to-go orders of their nem chua nuong. My youngest uncle prefers to get it here and I must say the pickled pork patty here is much better - slightly more sour, with small slivers of garlic and jalapenos for a spicy kick.

The nem nuong itself though is a slightly smaller portion than that served at Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa. But my friend says she much prefers my version, or rather our hometown version, because the meat is more tender, the mini-hamburger patty shape makes it easier to cook and eat, without any artificial coloring to give it that pink look. Hehe, we debated whether we just prefered food from our hometown, or if our hometown food really is better overall. ;)


Stack of rice paper for you to dip into water yourself.


And nuoc mam cham (Vietnamese fish sauce dipping sauce). While it doesn't compare to Brodard, I liked this version better than Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa's, which is a little too heavy on the garlic and sweetness for my taste.


Now that you've seen all those components, you can watch me put it all together here. The funny thing is, while I show you my video, I was too embarrassed to have my friend film it in case I might show up in the video. I know, I'm kooky that way. Besides, don't you like it when I do things one-handed anyway? ;) She also gave me a hard time about rolling from the top down, since she says rolling from the bottom up makes it tighter. Hey! My rice paper roll would have been tighter, with the ends folded in, if I hadn't done it one-handed! Hmph!

My friend also ordered the Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese Milk Coffee Iced for $1.50.


And I finished off with che ba mau (Vietnamese dessert soup with three colors - mung bean, red bean, and green jello in coconut milk) for $1.75.


So my final assessment? Because Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa is slightly cheaper, I slightly prefer it over Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa. Yeah, I know, I'm cheap like that. The restaurant also serves a handful of rice dishes and pho. But really, as I always say, if a restaurant names itself after a particular dish, order that dish!

Who else ate at Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa?
Eat, Drink, & Be Merry visited and asked for my opinion.

Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant
1700 W. Valley Blvd., #C
Alhambra, CA 91803
626-943-7645
Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays

Beard Papa's - San Gabriel

After the J. Paul Getty Center and Museum, we dropped my cousin off back at his aunt's house. We wanted to take him out for dinner, but he insisted he was still full from lunch at her house and Light Town House Korean BBQ. Actually, we weren't terribly hungry, but we were feeling peckish. So dumplings seemed just the thing for a light dinner.

I suggested Mei Long Village and we ordered a tray of crab and pork and just pork xiao long bao (Shanghai soup dumplings).

Yes, that's either brother or lil' sis sticking their chopsticks in the picture so they can see themselves on the blog. Thin skins and just the right amount of broth. Just as good as ever.

We also wanted to try a non-XLB dumpling, and chose pan-fried dumplings for $5.95. These dumplings are reminiscent of Vietnamese banh bao with thicker doughy skin. The pan-fried bottoms were crunchy, but the bread-like dough just made them too heavy for us to really enjoy them.

The inside was juicy, not soupy. Still, for the same price, I'd rather order another tray of XLB.

And because we were already in the same strip mall, we wandered over to Beard Papa's for dessert.

What kind of dessert? Japanese cream puffs. You'd think I'd try their new ice cream cream puffs, but actually I wanted to see if they had pumpkin. Cousin Q said he's tried pumpkin before. Oh, I was sooo hoping. But no. :(

There's the container of cream puffs waiting to be filled. The metal machine with the nozzle squirts in the filling. I took a video except that all you can see is the guy holding the cream puff up to the nozzle. Seriously, folks. I'll upload the video if you insist, but there was no squirting action for you to see. :P

We ended up with strawberry and green tea cream puffs for $1.75 each. I've only tried vanilla and coffee flavors.

The cream puff was roughly about 3-inches in diameter. Nicely crispy and light. The filling was full of matcha green tea flavor. The consistency is like very lightly whipped cream, slightly chilled. It's quite different from the vanilla custard cream puffs I'm used to at Vietnamese bakeries.

The strawberry flavor though was like artificial strawberry milk. Not quite what we were expecting.

So there you go, Beard Papa's cream puffs. They're popping up all over the place so it's worth a try if you happen to come upon one. I don't go out of my way for them though. The frugal eater in me keeps thinking that I can buy 5 small cream puffs from Vietnamese bakeries for $1.

Beard Papa's (various locations)
301 W. Valley Blvd., #105
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-282-3089

J. Paul Getty Center and Museum (Summer) - Los Angeles

So after our lunch at Light Town House Korean BBQ in Garden Grove, I decided to take my cousin to the J. Paul Getty Center & Museum. Read J. Paul Getty Center and Museum (Winter) if you missed my quickie overview of the Getty with pictures of the garden in winter and some of my favorite art pieces.

I love the Getty best during the summer, you'll see why in a bit.

Part of my love for the Getty is because my move to SoCal, more or less, coincided with its opening. I can't recall the name of the author or the book, but he? she? wrote an article about a recent book tour which included a stop in California. But instead of opting for San Francisco as his/her agent thought, the author chose Los Angeles. I don't remember anything else that was on the list of why SoCal trumps NorCal, except for the Getty.

And oh what a beauty the Getty is during the summer. Evidently, lots of other people thought so too.

It was so hot that day that they had umbrellas out for people to use as parasols. I was amused by this little boy's attempt to carry four umbrellas back to the stand. He did eventually figure out that folding them up would make it a whole lot easier.

Here we come to my favorite water feature. It was turned off during the winter so I didn't take any photos. It starts with a long narrow trickle of water way at the top of this picture and goes to this shallow pool that barely drips into the center of the opened criss cross. Next you'll have to walk down the stairs to see the bottom of the open hole.

And you stare up at this. It's just slowly dripping like the underside of an urn nor cavern.








































Pretty cool huh?

Now we get to the reason why I love the Getty. Just a glimpse of the fuchsia bougainvillea trailing over steel sculptures. Gotta slowly make your way down to it.

Passing through some lovely rock and water features along the way.




Really, if it wasn't so hot, I would have been content to sit underneath the bougainvillea all day.









The azalea maze garden.

And inside the main entrance area is this weird musical art piece. Some of the balloons or whatever you'd call them are the size of buses. I can't remember what else about the exhibit.


And afterward, we stopped by Santa Monica, but after seeing the crowds at the beach and pier, my cousin really wasn't interested in exploring.
The Getty in other seasons:
J. Paul Getty Center and Museum (Winter) - Los Angeles - California

The J. Paul Getty Center and Museum

1200 Getty Center Drive

Los Angeles, CA 90049

Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Closed Monday

Free admission, $8 parking

Light Town House Korean BBQ - Garden Grove (Korean Business District)

One of my older cousins on my mom's side was in town, so my siblings and I headed down to Orange County to take him out for the day. What to do with a 50something-year-old cousin? Not much. :P

Since we were in the area, we decided to go to our favorite Korean barbecue restaurant - Seol Ak San - for the kimchee fried rice cooked on a rock slab. Unfortunately, it was closed on a Sunday afternoon. :( So we went to my second favorite choice for Korean barbecue in Orange County - Light Town House Korean BBQ in Garden Grove.

The restaurant is located on Garden Grove Boulevard in the heart of the Korean Business District of Garden Grove. While the area had been steadily growing for a few decades, the L.A. Riots in 1992 spurred many merchants to relocate here. There are about 1,000 businesses mainly on this stretch between Brookhurst Street and Beach Boulevard.

If you're unfamiliar with Korean barbecue, or wary of going to places where the staff doesn't speak English, then Light Town House is a good introduction. The exterior is a little run down, but the interior is spacious and clean. The staff speaks English and are quite attentive, refilling panchan and flipping and cutting your meats. The portions of meat and panchan have always been generous and of good quality.

The restaurant used to have charcoal grills but have since removed them. :( Nonetheless, the large smoke vents remain and keep you from smelling like barbecue afterward. See? Nice interior huh?

Here's a selection of panchan ranging from kimchee to tofu and raw crab kimchee.

The $24.99 order of kalbi (short ribs) goes on the grill first.

There's also daikon slices and rice noodle sheets to wrap around the meats.

Close-ups of pretty panchan.






The bulgogi was in large generous slices. It seemed like the $20.99 order was a neverending plate of bulgogi because we kept eating and eating and there always seemed to be more.

I miss the charcoal grills that gave the meats a nice smokiness, but quality of meats and panchan and service is just as good as ever.

There's also weekday lunch specials and a variety of Korean specialty stews and seafood if you want to be adventurous.

Light Town House Korean BBQ
8902 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92844
714-638-5757

Squash Blossom Quesadilla

Pretty? Wanna look a little closer?

How 'bout from this angle?

Yes, the squash blossom madness continues with squash blossom quesadillas. Or is it quesadillas de flor de la calabazas? Ah, my Spanish is very rusty.

Squash Blossom Quesadilla

For 1 quesadilla (but I know you'll want to make more than 1), you'll need:
1 large flour tortilla
3 or so squash blossoms
1 tblsp cottage cheese, or queso fresco, or any soft white cheese
A few sprinkles of cheddar cheese
1 tblsp salsa

Look! I made another video, with just one minor kitchen mishap. What can I say? Filming and cooking at the same time can be a bit challenging. Or scroll past the video for directions.

In a saute pan on medium heat, brown tortilla and then flip. On one half of the tortilla, add squash blossoms (I like to leave the petals facing outside.), a spoonful of cottage cheese, or queso fresco, or any white cheese, and a scoop of salsa. Fold the other half of the tortilla over to seal in the heat.

Ta da! These were so very light. I could taste the delicacy of the squash blossoms, and the lighter cottage cheese and salsa complemented them perfectly.

Enjoy!

My squash blossoms recipes:
Crostinis with Arugula Pesto, Bruschetta al Pomodoro, and Squash Blossom Ricotta
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Minced Shrimp
Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta
Sauteed Squash Blossoms
Squash Blossom Omelet
Squash Blossom and Prosciutto Pizza
Squash Blossom Quesadilla

Squash Blossom Omelet

Isn't it pretty? Right after I finished making my deep-fried squash blossoms stuffed with basil and cottage cheese, my cousin came over with a bag of freshly plucked squash blossoms from my youngest uncle. Yup, same uncle that gave me that huge batch of squash blossoms earlier. So I had to come up with a few more recipes. I mean, I guess I could have cooked my previous recipes but where's the fun in that? ;)

Squash Blossom Omelet

For one omelet, you'll need:
3 eggs
4 squash blossoms
1 tblsp milk
A pinch of salt
A few shreds of cheddar cheese
A few sprigs of cilantro


Heat a pan on medium heat. Beat 3 eggs with 1 tblsp of milk and a pinch of salt. The milk is purely optional, but I think it makes eggs fluffier. Pour into pan and toss in a few sprigs of cilantro. Lay the squash blossoms on top. I like to put the petals facing outward so they'll look prettier when folded in half. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Cover the pan with a lid so the eggs can cook.

Then carefully fold the omelet in half and you'll get this.

Enjoy!

My squash blossoms recipes:
Crostinis with Arugula Pesto, Bruschetta al Pomodoro, and Squash Blossom Ricotta
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Minced Shrimp
Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta
Sauteed Squash Blossoms
Squash Blossom Omelet
Squash Blossom and Prosciutto Pizza
Squash Blossom Quesadilla

Deep-Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese

Marvin of Burnt Lumpia's post about longanisa-stuffed squash blossoms reminded me that I still had several recipes sitting in my queue. Oh surely you didn't think I was done with squash blossoms did you?

I bought a $1 bag of squash blossoms still attached to zucchini at the farmers' market in Alhambra. They just looked so cute, I couldn't resist.

I decided I wanted to do an Italian-style squash blossom recipe by stuffing them with basil and cheese. I had cottage cheese on hand, but ricotta would probably work better. Either way, they were good.

Deep-Fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese

You'll need:
As many squash blossoms as you wish
About 1 tblsp of cheese per blossom
About 1 or 2 basil leaves per blossom
Some flour for the batter

Squash blossoms should be carefully washed inside and out, stamens removed.

Slice basil leaves into thin strips and mix with cottage or ricotta cheese like so.

Then prepare a simple batter of flour and water. I don't measure but you can start with equal parts flour and water until it's the consistency you wish.

Deep fry until golden.

I served mine on a bed of angel hair pasta with tomato sauce, and the leftover basil and cottage cheese mixture in the center. Hmm. I think I ended up making this with too many colors. But it was lovely.
Enjoy!

My squash blossoms recipes:
Crostinis with Arugula Pesto, Bruschetta al Pomodoro, and Squash Blossom Ricotta
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Basil and Cottage Cheese
Deep-fried Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Minced Shrimp
Ravioli with Basil, Squash Blossoms, and Ricotta
Sauteed Squash Blossoms
Squash Blossom Omelet
Squash Blossom and Prosciutto Pizza
Squash Blossom Quesadilla

KyoChon Chicken - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I know my food. And you know that I know the difference between a drumstick and wing drummette. Except when I evidently don't know the difference.

Oh, you'll enjoy this story. As I was recounting it for the Nth time last night, I was laughing so hard my eyes teared.

I don't know if it's age or stress, but in the last few years, I get moments where I am extremely scatterbrained. Extremely. This day was one of them.

Cousin Q (fellow dumpling-lover who introduced me to Daikokuya Original Noodle & Rice-Bowl in Little Tokyo) and I were headed to lunch when Henry Chan's Food Videos called asking if I wanted to chase down a taquito truck. I said I was going out for Korean fried chicken if he wanted to join us. He had never tried it before so he said yes and I swung by to pick him up. Little did he know what he was in for that day.

I am generally a creature of habit, especially when it comes to driving. I will take a possibly longer route as long as I know where I'm going. I prefer driving on major roads and freeways that I'm familiar with, rather than trying to find shortcuts. Add two backseat drivers into the mix, male ones at that, and I get very, very discombobulated! Cousin Q hates my driving, but he makes me drive most of the time and complains the whole way. Which only makes me drive worse! Grrr!

So as I left Henry's place and headed toward Fremont to get onto the freeway, he told me to turn left.

Me: What? But Fremont is that way (Up ahead.).
Henry: There's a shortcut. Go left.
Me: Where?
Henry: Now.
Cousin Q: Just take Fremont.
Henry: No, turn left.
Me: What? But didn't I already miss the left turn? I'll just take Fremont.
Henry: No, this is faster. Turn left.
Cousin Q: Just take Fremont.
Henry: Turn left.

AAAARGH!

I turned left. Right before Fremont. But there was no freeway access and I had to go on some unfamiliar side streets before getting to the freeway on-ramp. And since when does the carpool lane have a traffic light to get onto the freeway? So I had to step hard on the brakes to stop in time. Which prompted Henry to ask if I was OK because I almost hit a car. No, I didn't. We both had to step hard on the brakes to stop at the red light too. Hmph!

Well, I should have written my own directions down instead of relying on cousin Q who told me to take the 110. But I never take the 110 and find it very disconcerting to see downtown L.A. to the left of me, instead of the right. And hey, didn't I used to go clubbing somewhere around here? This looks vaguely familiar?

Hey! Pay attention to driving, cousin Q admonished.

Finally! We arrived at KyoChon Chicken in Los Angeles' Koreatown. Parking in the lot was crowded and tight. So I dropped the guys off to finding parking.

I walked in and they already had a small bowl of pickled daikon on the table. A bit overly sweet, vinegary. This is to offset the spiciness of the chicken.

And wet paper towels.

All three tables inside were full so we ended up sitting in the shaded patio area. It was really hot that day. Ugh! I'm kinda wishing I hadn't suggested Korean fried chicken after all. But I've been wanting to try it for years when I first read about it on an expat's blog and he always wrote about the garlicky goodness and crunch of Korean fried chicken. And cousin Q had recently read about KyoChon in Korean-Am magazine and mentioned it to me the week before so it had been lingering on my mental "cravings" checklist. And the New York Times had recently written about them. And this was one of only 3 KyoChon locations in the whole country, the other two in Torrance and New York City. And well, sometimes I get craaaavings.

Although there is sit-down service, with so few tables, the restaurant is much more popular for take-out. The tables and chairs are pretty bare-bones.

Umm, I don't remember why I took a picture of the outside of the menu, except that Henry was taking a picture of this. And cousin Q was just sitting there rolling his eyes while the two of us had our cameras out.

We ordered cheese sticks. $1.99 for six pieces. These were standard, nothing special.

The chicken fried rice was $6.99. Pretty isn't it? The fried rice is red and had quite a kick from all the chili powder. The ketchup and mayonnaise drizzled over the cole slaw was a bit weird but I actually didn't notice when I was eating it.

OK, now we got to the chicken. From reviews on Yelp, I was expecting an hour wait so that's why we ordered the fried rice to tide us over. But actually these were ready right after the fried rice came out so I'm not sure how long that took. The chicken was very lightly battered and then twice-fried to give it that extra crunch. This was the original 15 pieces for $15.99.

Ouch! That's some pricey chicken. The twice-frying made the inside a bit drier than Chinese fried chicken, but then there's the crunchy outside. It's not like Southern fried chicken with its thicker batter to keep in the moistness. It wasn't as garlicky as I was expecting though.

The guys had also ordered 15 pieces of spicy chicken for $15.99.

OK, now we get to scatterbrained moment #2, or is it #3? Tell me that doesn't look like a bunch of wings to you? I was under the impression that they had ordered two sets of wings.

So I'm munching on this piece of chicken and remarking that they serve some big wing pieces. I'm thinking it's awfully meaty for a wing drummette. I think I even say it doesn't taste like a wing. Cousin Q is giving me weird looks, but then he does that all the time so it no longer registers. And then I get to the bone and realize, hey, I'm eating a drumstick, as I remarked out loud. And cousin Q just can't stop his laughter at that point. But then neither could I. Henry surprisingly acted like he didn't hear the whole exchange at all. Oh! Maybe he didn't hear and only cousin Q heard me being stupid, and that's nothing new.

But no, later Henry said he wasn't quite sure how to react, and that he and cousin Q were giving each other strange looks while I was making my these sure are big wings, oh! it's actually a drumstick comments. And hmm, maybe it doesn't come off so funny in reading about it, but oh man, in the retelling I seriously had tears coming out of my eyes.

Oh? Did you want to hear about what the spicy chicken tasted like? Imagine all that chili powder that goes into kimchee sprinkled into the batter of fried chicken. That chili was insidious! The first few pieces were fine but then the chili lingers in the mouth and before I knew it, my lips were a bit stung and red. Whoohee!

Contrary to Yelp reviews, the drinks are not free. They're $1.50 but you get free refills. Anyway, with so much food, we wrapped the leftovers to bring home. I love the cute little boxes and tote bag.

So was Korean fried chicken worth the hype? Well, it was good but soooooo pricey! I mean, I realize they're factoring in the additional labor of twice-frying the chicken, but really! Lunch came out to $45, then add in tax and tip and well, I could have just gone out for Korean barbecue with loads of panchan for that price!

The chicken gets even spicier as leftovers. I don't know if the chili got a chance to settle or concentrate or what. But at 4 a.m., when lil' sis had late night munchies cravings, one bite sent her searching for the fried rice to offset the spiciness. And that was spicy in its own right. Then she proceeded to polish off the rest of the wing. Hey, we don't waste good food, spicy or not.

Umm, and yes, I really do know the difference between drumsticks and wing drummettes. Except when it's really hot and I have two backseat drivers discombobulating me. Feel free to laugh at or with me all you want. I certainly do. :P

Oh dear, did I just lose my food cred? But you know I'm generally on the ball right? Right? ;)

KyoChon Chicken (Several locations)
3833 W. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA
213-739-9292

Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad

When Barry had sent me the Jungle Red Hibiscus, he mentioned that the leaves were edible as well as the flowers. So with a bag of mixed salad greens from the farmers' market in Alhambra and some pomegranates from my garden, I made a really pretty salad.

The Jungle Red Hibiscus leaves are tart, reminiscent of sorrel, but oh so much prettier since they look like burgundy maple leaves.

Hibiscus Leaf and Pomegranate Mixed Greens Salad

You'll need:

For salad:

However many mixed salad greens you'd like
Any edible hibiscus leaves you can find
Sprinkles of pomegranate seeds

For dressing:

balsamic vinegar
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Wash and toss salad greens and hibiscus leaves. Sprinkle on some pomegranate seeds. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Give a few turns of black pepper in your pepper mill.

Enjoy!

The Jungle Red Hibiscus Repairs Itself!

Look how pretty my Vietnamese desert rose looked in August's heat. I was wrong before when I called it a plumeria. Well, it is a member of the same family, and in Vietnamese it's the same word. But a bit of Googling turned up the proper English name. Desert rose seems more apt wouldn't you say?


And yes, I'm a dork. I got so happy when I realized my Jungle Red Hibiscus healed itself. If you look closely in the post about when I did a plant swap, despite the careful packaging, the stem was broken. So I made a makeshift splint with two toothpicks and scotch tape. And a few weeks later when I checked I felt something weirdly knobby. I took off the tape and saw that the tree had healed itself. Isn't Mother Nature grand?

So except for my front porch, this is the sum total of my gardening these days. Yup, half of that is the sugar loaf pineapple, galangal, and hibiscus that Barry sent me. (Thanks again Barry!) One Nearly Wild rose bush that I bought as a bare root and only just got around to planting, so I took it with me. One amaryllis and two peonies in hibernation. And two tuberoses.

Not much by way of pretty gardening pictures to share anymore I'm afraid.

Prickly Pear Cactus Fruits, Golden Kiwis, Taiwanese White Melons, and Yellow Watermelons

Just a random post about some of the more unusual fruits I've been seeing around. Are any of them new to you?

These prickly pear cactus fruit were 3 for 99 cents at Super-A. They reminded me of dragonfruit, afterall they're both cactus fruit. Light and refreshing for the summer. I just don't like the seeds.

And from my usual grocery shopping at the San Gabriel Superstore, golden kiwi from New Zealand. These were 79 cents each. But they were larger than green kiwi. Not quite golden though, more like a yellow-green. The taste was still kiwi-ish, but also apple-pearish too?

Taiwanese white melon. This one cost me 93 cents. I first tried them in Vietnam two years ago. All this time I thought they were just stunted honeydew. That's what they tasted like.

And look at this beautiful yellow watermelon. Have you seen the like? 59 cents a pound.

The taste is much lighter than red watermelon, not nearly as sweet either. But very fun to eat for the novelty factor.

San Gabriel Superstore
1635 San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-280-9998

Che Bap (Vietnamese Pudding with Corn and Tapioca Pearls in Coconut Milk)

One of the other mainstays of summer for me is che bap (Vietnamese dessert soup with corn and tapioca pearls). Che is a catch-all word to describe Vietnamese dessert soup. It can be eaten as a snack at any hour of the day, not necessarily as a dessert, served warm or cold. It can be made with anything from corn to bananas to seaweed to beans.

While you can get che bap at any time of the year, summer's bounty of fresh corn on the cob makes this an even fresher treat.

I like using fresh corn sliced off the cob.

Tapioca pearls. Yup, this is the same stuff that most Americans would recognize in tapioca pudding.

And coconut powder. Why powder and not coconut milk? I find it easier because I can see when the tapioca pearls become translucent if I boil them in water and not coconut milk. The powder also allows me to control how creamy I want to make the che.

Che Bap (Vietnamese Pudding with Corn and Tapioca Pearls in Coconut Milk)

For about 4 servings, you'll need:

2 cups water
2 tblsp sugar, or more if you like it sweeter
1/4 cup tapioca pearls, or more if you really like tapioca pearls
2 corn on the cobs, corn kernels sliced off
6 tblsp coconut cream powder, or more if you like it really coconutty
just a dash of vanilla extract
honey to taste

You can soak the tapioca pearls for several hours or overnight until translucent. But if you're really impatient and want to eat it right away, you can follow my method.

Slice kernels off corn. Set aside.

Add 2 cups of water to a small pot. When the water boils, add 1/4 cup tapioca pearls and 2 tblsps sugar. Turn the heat down to medium-low.

Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or so. When the tapioca pearls become nearly translucent, like so, add about 6 tblsp coconut powder, a dash of vanilla extract, and the sliced corn kernels. Taste and adjust coconut powder or sugar if necessary.

Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes until tapioca pearls are completely translucent and the che has thickened like so. Optional: Add honey at the end for aroma or further sweetening.

Che bap may be served warm or cold.

I like serving mine in these delicate bowls. Like it? The bowls were one of my thrift stop finds from a decade ago.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Nothing says summer quite like fried green tomatoes. Perhaps it's because green tomatoes aren't something you can find in the stores or farmers' markets. It's a special treat if you're lucky enough to grow tomatoes, or have uncles who do. Besides fried okra, fried green tomatoes has to be one of my favorite Southern dishes.

Make sure your tomatoes are firm and all green. That slight hint of red on the lower left tomato? After it hits the frying pan, it turns into mush. I like my batter to be half flour and half cornmeal for that unmistakable crunch. They're terrifically quick and easy to make. My brother was visiting when I asked him if he wanted some fried green tomatoes. He looked a little surprised but was game to try. Between the two of us, we polished off the whole batch.


Fried Green Tomatoes

For 4 large green tomatoes, you'll need:

About 1/3 cup cornmeal
About 1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste

Mix equal amounts of cornmeal and flour in a shallow bowl and set aside. Beat 1 egg with 1/2 cup milk and set aside. Slice tomatoes about 1/2-inch thick. Lay them out flat and sprinkle salt and ground black pepper on both sides.

Heat frying pan to medium high.

Take a tomato slice and put it in the milk/egg mixture, then flour/cornmeal. Repeat. Then slide it into the frying pan and fry until golden.

Serve with ranch dressing.

If you're in a Southern mood, perhaps you'd like to also try making my recipe for Southern fried chicken with sour cream mashed potatoes and cream gravy?

Enjoy!

Cuban Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

This is a variation of my baked chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon recipe. I haven't been able to achieve the crispy skin of restaurant baked chicken but the meat is reliably moist and tender, and the skin is still crispy, just not as crispy.

I baked this with some baby Dutch potatoes to absorb all the lovely chicken and lemon juices. A variety of root vegetables would work as well.

If you want the chicken to be properly lemony, it's best to marinate it overnight.

Cuban Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

For 1 roast chicken, you'll need:
1 tsp of salt per lb of chicken
juice of 1/2 lemon per lb of chicken
1 onion, sliced
6 cloves or as much garlic as you'd like, smashed

Wash the chicken and shake off any excess water. Rub 1 tsp of salt per lb of chicken all over the skin and inside the cavity. Let the chicken rest at room temperature to absorb the salt.

Juice lemons, estimating about 1/2 lemon per lb of chicken. I like tart, so for an average 3-lb bird, I usually go up and use 2 full lemons. Pour lemon all over the outside and inside of the chicken. Add sliced onions and smashed garlic cloves. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to marinate overnight.

The next day, drain off any excess marinade and place the chicken on a roasting rack. Add the drained onions and garlic underneath. Or if you're cooking everything in a pan, add the onions and garlic with the potatoes or root vegetables.

With a fork, deeply prick holes all over two lemons so that juices can drain out while cooking. Stuff lemons inside the cavity of the chicken. If you like tartness, you can also cut the pricked lemons in half so more of the juices drain out during cooking.

Cook chicken breast side down at 425 degrees for half an hour. Turn over so breast side is up, adjust temperature down to 325 degrees and cook for another hour until skin is crisp and golden.

After the chicken is done, allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Otherwise, the juices will all run out.

I served this with frijoles negros (Cuban black beans), bananas frita (fried bananas), and pastel de tres leches (cake of 3 milks).


Enjoy!

Bananas Frita (Cuban Fried Bananas)

Mmm. I do love my fried bananas. Lightly crispy on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside. These are not to be confused with maduros, which are fried plantains and taste quite different.

I remember years ago when I was on the Atkins diet and asked Versailles Cuban Food Restaurant in Culver City to hold the rice. The waiter asked me if I wanted extra fried bananas instead. I know all that sugar in the fruit wasn't Atkins-approved but no way was I gonna turn that offer down!

I could never find a proper recipe for this, so I tried pan-frying regular bananas, then deep-frying them. It's not the healthiest food in the world, but deep-fried bananas are awesome! And they tasted like what I got at Versailles. :) So until someone tells me a better method, this is my approximation of Cuban fried bananas.

Bananas Frita (Cuban Fried Bananas)

You'll need:
Plan on a banana or two per person if you're greedy like me.

Slice bananas. Deep fry until golden and lightly crispy. That's it!

I served these as part of a Cuban-themed dinner with frijoles negros (Cuban black beans), pastel de tres leches (cake of 3 milks), and lemon garlic roast chicken.

Enjoy!

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

No Cuban meal is complete without a side of black beans. My recipe is horribly inauthentic as it involves the use of hot dogs. Yes, I still had some of the free Hoffy's hot dogs left over. Don't worry, you can't see or taste the hot dogs, but it adds a nice meatiness to the dish.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

You'll need:
1 can black beans, or 1 cup dried black beans (Make sure you soak them overnight first.)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 hot dogs, diced, or ham if you prefer
1 bay leaf, or 1 tsp minced bay leaves
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
salt, to taste
red wine vinegar, to taste
cilantro, chopped for garnish at the end

Optional: 1 bell pepper, diced

In a pan on high heat, saute onion until softened. Add hot dogs and saute until golden. Dump in the can of black beans. Fill up the empty can with water and add that water to the pan as well. Add a bay leaf, or 1 tsp minced bay leaves, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin. When the mixture boils, turn heat down to medium low, cover the pot, and let simmer for about half an hour. Check and add water if needed. If you're using dried beans, it'll take a lot longer.

The beans will start to get mushy, you'll want to make them halfway mushier. That means take a potato masher and just slightly mash the beans, still leaving most of them whole. That makes them that thick soupy consistency. Add salt and red wine vinegar to taste. You want to add the vinegar at the end because it prevents the beans from softening.

Garnish with chopped cilantro if you wish. Serve with rice, of course.

And in case you missed it, I served these black beans as part of my Cuban dinner with pastel de tres leche (cake of 3 milks), bananas frita (fried bananas), and lemon garlic roast chicken.

Enjoy!

Pastel de Tres Leches (Cake of Three Milks)

The pastel de tres leches (cake of three milks) may have originated from either Nicaragua or Mexico according to What's Cooking America, Wikipedia, and Texas Cooking. This incredibly moist cake comes from being soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk or heavy cream. Topped with a layer of whipped cream. Hmm. Shouldn't it be cuatro leches cake then?

Tres leches cake is very popular in Latin American cuisine. The recipe supposedly came from the back of a can of evaporated or condensed milk as a way to promote the product. Condensed and evaporated milks were invented in the mid-1800's as a way to preserve milk without refrigeration. This recipe probably originated around the early 1900's.

Well, I did promise my cousins when they were over for bo luc lac (Vietnamese shaking beef) that I was making Cuban lemon garlic roast chicken the next day if they wanted to stop by. I thought this cake would be the perfect accompaniment. Except I didn't have evaporated milk on hand. I did have soy milk, however, and thought it was an perfectly acceptable substitute.

So after scanning various recipes, and making adjustments because I simply don't eat that much dessert, here's what I came up with.

If you want to serve this for dinner, it's best to make it early in the morning or the night before so the cake has a chance to cool down, and to absorb the milks.

Pastel de Tres Leches (Cake of Three Milks)

For an 8X8 inch cake, you'll need:

1 cup all-purpose or cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk, or cream
1/2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz soy milk, or 1/2 12-oz can evaporated milk

For the frosting, you can make your own whipped cream topping by beating heavy whipping cream for 3 minutes. Or cheat like I did and use pre-made whipped cream.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 cup sugar until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add in one egg at a time, beating until mixture becomes creamy. Add 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and mix until blended. Pour into a greased pan. Spread the mixture out as much as you can. Don't worry if the batter seems sparse, it'll spread as it's baking.

After about 30 minutes, check to see if the cake is done. Allow to cool down. Then prick the cake all over with a fork like so.

Now you're ready to add your three milks. Thoroughly mix 1 cup milk or cream, 1/2 can condensed milk, 6 oz soy milk or 1/2 can evaporated milk. Pour three milks over the cake and let chill in fridge. It'll be very liquidy but after several hours, the cake will have absorbed the milk like so. You may have to prick the cake a bit more if it doesn't seem to be absorbing the milk.

Frost with whipped cream.

I like this cake best served chilled with the whipped cream just a little melty.

It's a very, very wet cake, but not mushy at all.

In case you missed it, I served the cake as part of my Cuban dinner with frijoles negros (Cuban black beans), bananas frita (fried bananas), and lemon garlic roast chicken.

Enjoy!

Tim Tams

When Wok and Spoon first waxed poetic about Tim Tams, I had no idea what she was talking about but she apparently loves them so much she forked over 5 euros for a small package.

Since evidently I'm not the only clueless one, and because she was going back to Australia, she decided to give some away. Imagine my surprise when she picked me to be one of the lucky recipients of Tim Tam biscuits.

Oooh, look what came in the mail. Hehe, biscuits. You silly Brits and Ozzies! They're cookies! :P

She splurged and sent a double-pack!

It was a little melty from the sun but it's chocolate!

Chocolate on chocolate on chocolate! Chocolate cookies with a chocolate cream filling dipped in chocolate!

Yeah, between lil' sis and me, these Tim Tams didn't last the week. :P

Thanks Wok and Spoon! I have the best blogging buddies!

85 Degrees C Tea House - San Gabriel (Closed)

After our dinner at Kabuki Japanese Restaurant in Pasadena, I wanted some kind of dessert to remove the fishy taste from my mouth. Where to go that wasn't too filling?

I had passed 85 Degrees C Tea House many, many times as I drove down Valley Boulevard.
It was on my mental check list of places to try, but nothing urgent pushed me. Until I saw Henry Chan of Henry Chan's Food Videos's pictures of his light and fluffy green bean snowflake dessert on Biggest Menu. And when he mentioned the cafe had free wi-fi, I was so there!

The interior was a nice surprise. Very classy for a tea house, no?

Taiwanese music videos played on flat screen tvs. The only pop singer I know is Jay Chou, but these other singers were entertaining too.

Umm. Umm. SEMEN TEA!? What exactly does that look and taste like? Well, you know me, I would have totally ordered it except I was with my brother and no way was he going to drink semen tea. Oh, don't worry. If you know me, we'll get to that in a bit. :P

My cousin ordered the passionfruit green tea with lychee jelly for $3.75. This is the size small. Pretty generous huh? It was real fresh-brewed tea, not the powdered stuff you get at some tea houses.

This mound of deliciousness is the green bean ice snowflake for $3.95. This was piled about six inches tall.

Here's a closer look. The texture is completely different from normal Taiwanese shaved ice. It's very fine, incredibly light, and when combined with the condensed milk takes on a viscous texture almost. Normally by the time I get to the end of a Taiwanese shaved ice, I can't finish because it's just too icy. No brain freeze here.
I was craving green beans because of the hot weather. My ba noi (paternal grandmother) always made sweetened mung beans in the summer because she said it would cool us down. Green beans are good for you. It helps balance all three doshas. :)

We also ordered the mango ice snowflake for $4.50. The mango was very ripe and very sweet, drizzled with mango syrup. Oh man, I was in mango heaven.
My brother said his sister-in-law said the snowflakes are made by freezing condensed milk with water. I can't verify whether that's true or not, but the dense color and texture seems about right. This doesn't appear to be the same as the 85 Degrees C Cafe in Taiwan, however, since the only overseas location on the website is in Sydney. This location looks very different from what's on A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei.

We were all quite full from dinner and really didn't want to order anything else, but the cafe's policy is each person must order at least one item. Hmph! So I ordered a pot of lavender tea. I like how it's served with a little tea light burner to keep it warm. There's even a small pitcher of sugar syrup. The lavender tea was just perfect to offset the sweetness of the snowflakes. They were great going in, but by the end of the plate, the condensed milk was just a bit much.

See, real lavender buds.

Well, after totally digging the ambiance, and wanting to check out the wi-fi, I made a return trip and ordered my horoscope in a drink for $4.25. Evidently, libras taste like pineapple. This was a nice smoothie, but a bit too sweet for me, I'll stick to tea.

I also ordered popcorn chicken for $3.95. So artfully presented, isn't it? I'm really digging their presentation.

Ah, so still wondering about that semen tea? Yeah, so was I. The guy couldn't give me an explanation of what it was, but he said it tasted good and was good for my throat. Uh, huh, I bet that's what all guys say to girls about swallowing *ahem*! Well, I'll try to keep my blog relatively decent by not saying! ;) But this is what the "semen" looked like. And they pronounced it like "say men," not "sea men."

Served with a nice pot and tea light to keep it warm for $4.50. How did it taste? Vaguely honey and plum-ish. I know I've had this tea before.

I was all set to leave because I'd been at the cafe for hours, but then they refilled my pot with hot water. So after a second go-round, this is what the semen looks like. It's less sweet the second time though.
A little Googling and I found this blog's entry, which linked to this Chinese herbal medicine site with the scientific name for these seeds. There's many kinds of semen! It's not a misspelling after all!

Well, apparently I have friends with my odd sense of humor. After a dinner of homemade shio (salt) ramen with Char Siu / Xa Xiu (Chinese Barbecued Pork), as we were trying to figure out what to do for dessert, knowing how much she loves red beans, I suggested 85 Degrees C for the snowflake. I recounted the story of the semen tea, and my friend wanted to try it too so she could tell her friends.

At night the patio area is nicely lit.

A nice place to relax and catch up with friends. We even remarked about how much we liked these tea houses that dot the SoCal landscape. Hanging out at the 24-hour Starbucks in Portland just doesn't have the same feel. 85 Degrees C is open until 2 a.m. After 11 p.m., it gets packed. That bookcase you see just to the right of the doorway? It's filled with magazines and board games.

Red bean ice snowflake for $3.95. My friend was duly impressed with the size and texture. She said it was like eating ice cream because it was so smooth.

More talking, a couple refills of our semen tea, and I got the munchies so I ordered fried string beans for $2.95. I thought this was a rather wimpy portion. Apparently I'm not as young or as cute as lil' sis because she said when she ordered this, her basket was overflowing and she couldn't finish. Hmph! :(

Excellent decor and ambiance. Free wi-fi. Board games. Magazines. Good snacking food, artfully presented. Pots of tea with refills of water. And the only ice snowflakes I know of in town. What are you waiting for? Surely I don't have to sell this tea house any more?

November 2007 Update: On a recent visit, I wasn't allowed to plug in my laptop anymore. :( Just letting you know in case anyone else was planning to study with their computers.

January 11, 2009 Update: Not sure if it's a change in ownership or simply a name change, but 85 Degrees is now called ID Cha House.

85 Degrees C Tea House
425 W. Valley Blvd, Ste. 101
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-282-8688
11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant - Pasadena (Foothill Blvd.)

So after bringing me a peach-stuffed doughnut from The Donut Man, my brother ended up hanging around until dinner time. My cousin asked if we wanted to go out for sushi so we met up with her sister at Kabuki Japanese Restaurant in Pasadena, the one on Foothill Boulevard, not the one in Old Town. Little did we know that sushi for these three girls meant no raw stuff and loads of California rolls. :P

I've mentioned the Kabuki in Rancho Cucamonga before. Yes, it's Americanized, but it's OK sushi for its price. But while the Rancho Cucamonga and Old Town locations have the benefit of being in outdoor shopping areas, this location was just in a typical strip mall. Even then, it was quite packed and we had to wait for a table.

I don't think the green tea was free at this location, but the edamame was.

Seaweed salad for $4.95. Nothing special, but actually kinda pricey for such a small portion. It was maybe a loose handful's worth. In the grocery store, this runs me about $2-$3.

Calamari for $7.95. Hmm. On the menu it says calamari "rings." None of the pieces look like rings do they? Not bad though.

Here's my brother sticking his chopsticks into the picture so he can get a mention on my blog. My family likes to do that a lot you know. Tuna $3.50, yellowtail $3.50, Japanese snapper $2.95, salmon $3.25. Actually, you're probably better off getting the sushi than the rolls because they taste a slightly fresher.

Starting from the upper left of the top row, there's large roll of shrimp, avocado, egg, and vegetables for $4.50, spicy tuna roll for $4.25, spicy albacore hand roll $3.95, three orders of California rolls at $3.50 each, and BSCR or baked scallop on California roll for $4.95.

Cucumber sea eel roll for $3.95.

Tempura California roll for $6.95.

Gee, do you think my cousins got their fill of all the cooked variations of the California roll? Anyway, as I said before, the cheap sushi isn't bad for its price.

Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
3539 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107
626-351-8963
Monday - Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Friday - Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Peach Doughnuts at The Donut Man - Glendora

Remember back in April when I was swooning over the overstuffed strawberry doughnuts at The Donut Man in Glendora? Well summer means peach season and peach doughnuts!

So my brother showed up on my doorstep with this lovely little beauty. Except, except, while the strawberry doughnut looked massive and bold and mouthwatering. The peach doughnut was a little less colorful and dare I say it? Not nearly as bold in flavor. :(

The problem is that peaches are best enjoyed fully ripe, soft, sweet. But that doesn't work so well if you're going to try and cook and sell them because they'll just be a mushy mess. So while I enjoyed this (Who doesn't love a doughnut?), it wasn't nearly as satisfying or eye-popping as that strawberry-stuffed doughnut.

Maybe things are just better the first time? Oh yeah, and the price went up a dime to $2.60. I don't know if that's just for the stuffed doughnut in general, or the peach-stuffed doughnut in particular.

The Donut Man
915 E. Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
626-335-9111

Tom Kha Gai/Kai (Thai Galangal and Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk)

Tom kha gai/kai (Thai galangal and chicken soup with coconut milk) is one of my favorite light soups, as in not very dense. I like mine simple with just chicken and mushrooms in a light coconut milk broth. As you can see in the picture, it's more broth than anything else.


Here, I've lifted my spoon so you can see the chicken and mushroom pieces.

You can cross cuisines and serve this like I did with bo luc lac (Vietnamese shaking beef). Or keep it all-Thai and serve it with my pad see-ew (Thai stir-fried soy sauce rice noodles with broccoli, chicken and eggs). Hmm. I need to add more Thai recipes to my repertoire.

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Galangal and Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk)

For a 2-quart pot, you'll need:
1 chicken breast, or thigh, sliced into thin 2-inch strips
1 or 2 cans coconut milk depending on how rich you like your soup
1 can straw mushrooms, drained. Or substitute with regular white or crimini mushrooms, sliced, if you can't find it.
1 knob galangal, cut into big slices, to make it easy to remove later
1 or 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into big slices, to make it easy to remove later
3-6 kaffir lime leaves, or regular lemon leaves, sliced thinly
fish sauce, to taste
Optional: Lime juice if you want it more sour, sliced chilies if you want it spicy.

On high heat, in a wok, or small soup pot, add a drizzle of oil and saute chicken. The chicken doesn't have to be cooked, just enough to start releasing the juices. Then add 2 cups water, a few dashes of fish sauce, and galangal and lemongrass. When the water boils, turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer for about half an hour or so, so you can get a fragrant broth.

(If you're planning to make the bo luc lac, this would be a good time to get started on that while the soup broth is cooking.)

After the broth has simmered for a while and is properly fragrant, scoop out the galangal and lemongrass. Or you can leave them in if you don't mind fishing them out while you're eating.

Turn heat down to medium low and add a can of coconut milk, or two cans if you really like creamy coconut milk. Taste the soup. Adjust fish sauce to your liking. Add the drained straw mushrooms, or sliced regular mushrooms. Add lime juice if you want it more tart. Add sliced kaffir lime leaves. I've substituted with regular lemon leaves. To make it easy to slice leaves, I simply use a pair of scissors and snip them into the soup pot.

The soup should be creamy and slightly tart and full of lemongrass and galangal aromas.

Enjoy!

Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

Does it look yummy? Would you like a closer look?


Bo luc lac literally translated is beef shaking. The luc lac refers to the "shaking" that occurs when the beef gets tossed in the wok. While most Americans would eat beef in the form of a big steak, most Asians use meat to flavor vegetables and eat it with rice. So take that big steak, dice it, and you'll get this plate of bo luc lac. Add some tom kha gai (Thai galangal and chicken soup) and you'll easily feed six people.

This is how dinner sometimes goes in my house, or rather how it went down on this particular evening. I went down to my second-youngest uncle's to grab some rau dang (Exact translation is bitter herb. Glinus oppositifolius. There's no common English name for this.) It's in the same family as watercress and I didn't have any on hand so I figured rau dang was an acceptable substitute. I also grabbed a few tomatoes, and when the oldest '87 asked me what I was making for dinner, I told her to come down in an hour if she wanted some. Then cousin Q came over to return my DVD and I invited him to dinner too. The funny thing is, though my two youngest uncles regularly cook in their households, neither of them evidently make bo luc lac. And then later when lil' sis was ready to come home for dinner, she asked if there was enough for her best friend as well, and that's how I ended up feeding six people. And because everyone apparently enjoyed dinner so much, they all returned the next day when I made Cuban lemon garlic roasted chicken.

The directions are written in the order I would do each step so that it allows enough time for the beef to marinate, or for the onions to soften. Everything should come together fairly quickly.


Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

You'll need:
1 lb beef, you can go fancy with filet mignon or any cheap cut, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 or 2 tomatoes, sliced
1 bunch watercress, or mixed field greens, or lettuce, or whatever type of greens you wish
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce) or soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
Hanh Dam (Vietnamese Vinegared Onions)

Optional: Add 1 or 2 minced chilies into the marinade.

Dice the beef into 1-inch cubes. Add 2 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/2 tsp sugar to marinade. Set aside and let it marinate at room temperature.

Wash greens. Slice tomatoes. Top with vinegared onions (just the onions, you don't want the vinegar juices). Arrange your plate just so.

Mince garlic.

Now you're ready to cook!

In a wok on high heat, drizzle a bit of oil. Add minced garlic. Add in the beef, minus the marinade, and "shake" it until edges are charred and the beef is cooked to your liking.

Notice the reserved marinade on the side? You don't want to add it right now or the beef will get soggy and won't char.


Don't stir-fry the beef too much. Let it sear before tossing it in the pan. When the meat is all evenly seared, add in the reserved marinade and stir to make sure the juices are cooked.


Scoop beef onto salad, making sure to drizzle beef juices over the salad as well. You can serve this as a salad.


Or with com do ca chua (Vietnamese tomato paste red rice) like the top photo. You can also serve it with a small dipping sauce of ground black pepper, salt, and a squeeze of lime or lemon.

Enjoy!

I'm No Persephone

Can you see what's growing outside my window?


Here, look a little closer.

Thought pomegranates were always red and tart? These yellow ones are pure sweetness. It'll make you an addict my youngest aunt promised years ago when she gave me my first yellow pomegranate.

The color may not be as bold as the red varieties you're used to seeing, but trust me, the flavor is infinitely sweeter.

I'm obviously not Persephone because I can eat much more than just 6 measly pomegranate seeds.

(Psst! If you're coming to this post via TasteSpotting, it wasn't me. The editor changed my caption to 3. I know my Greek legends. Persephone ate 6 seeds. So for half the year, she was forced to live underground with Hades. And Demeter was so inconsolable with losing her daughter for half the year that she made the flowers die ie. autumn and winter. Sheesh. You'd figure people would check their facts before making corrections.)

Hmm. I think it's time to make another batch of fessenjan (Persian walnut pomegranate Cornish game hen) and I'll decorate the plate with pomegranate seeds.

Canh Chua Ca (Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup)

As I promised in my previous post, here's my recipe for canh chua ca (Vietnamese sour fish soup). Canh chua ca can be made with fish heads, or whole fish, supplemented by lots of veggies. You can eat it as is, or spooned over rice. It's a good way to use up every part of the fish. It's especially good with large fish heads such as tuna or salmon or sturgeon. If you're cooking it with the whole fish, often the filet portions will be scooped out and placed on a dish of fish sauce and chili peppers so you can enjoy the meat alone with rice or wrapped up in banh trang (rice paper). The veggies and soup broth are often spooned over rice too.

The sour part of the canh chua comes from tamarind, and is offset by the sweetness of pineapples. There aren't any hard or fast rules, it's simply fish soup with veggies. This is just how I make mine.

The plant you see below is the aforementioned bac ha. Although it may resemble elephant ears, make sure you've got the alocasia odora variety or else it'll irritate your bowels.

I peeled the thin outer layer and sliced them on the diagonal. You can see the spongey stalks. That's what helps soak up all the flavors when you add bac ha to whatever you're cooking. You can find bac ha at most Asian grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can substitute with celery stalks but it won't be quite the same.

You'll also need, going clockwise from the pineapple, beansprouts, shallots, garlic, tamarind, tomatoes, okra, lemongrass, and bac ha.

And let's not forget the most important ingredient...

Fish heads fish heads,
Roly poly fish heads,
Fish heads fish heads,
Eat them up yum

I took a fish head,
Out to see a movie,
Didn't have to pay
To get it in

Fish heads fish heads,
Roly poly fish heads,
Fish heads fish heads,
Eat them up yum

Sorry, I couldn't resist. You can listen to the rest of the Dr. Demento song and watch the video here. I don't know what's up with me and childhood songs lately. Those were the only lyrics I remembered of this song from 6th-grade outdoor school. I always thought it was a children's song. And the way it's sung on the video is totally not how I was taught. How disconcerting.

But anyway, onto the recipe.

Canh Chua Ca (Vietnamese Sour Fish Soup)

For a 5-quart pot, you'll need:

2 to 4 fish heads, or whole fish. I used catfish but tuna and salmon work well too.
2-3 stalks of bac ha, or celery if you can't find it, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
2 tomatoes, chunked
1 to 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup bean sprouts
a dozen or so okra pods, sliced in 1-inch segments
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut diagonally into about 3-inch segments or big enough to make them easy to remove from the soup pot
1 shallot, minced
2 or more cloves garlic, minced
A few sprigs ngo om (Vietnamese rice paddy herb) or rau ram (Vietnamese coriander)
2 tblsp tamarind (I buy seedless tamarind in blocks. They also sell it in paste or liquid concentrated form. Adjust amounts if necessary.)
fish sauce, to taste

Add a few drizzles of oil to your pot and saute shallot, garlic, tamarind, and lemongrass until fragrant. Add cleaned fish heads and just lightly pan-fry. They don't need to be fully cooked, just enough to absorb some of the flavors.

Then, leaving the ingredients in the pot, fill your stock pot 3/4-full. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium to simmer, and scoop out any excess foam. You can either remove the lemongrass stalks at this point if you don't want to have to do that while you're eating. I like to leave them in so they can flavor the soup even more. Leaving the lemongrass in big sections makes it easier to find and to remove from the soup later. Add tomatoes, pineapple, bac ha, and okra and let simmer. Add fish sauce to taste.

After maybe 10 minutes, when the fish is fully cooked and the veggies have slightly softened, taste soup again and add fish sauce if needed. Add bean sprouts and rau ram when the soup is almost done since they cook almost immediately.

Ladle into a big soup bowl to serve. Spoon over rice.

Or you can also make canh chua tom (Vietnamese sour shrimp soup).

Enjoy!

Starting Over Again with Jungle Red Hibiscus, Galangal, and Sugarloaf Pineapple

I'm not sure where the search started since he (Hi Barry!) landed on my recipe for a basic Vietnamese marinade for chicken and pork, but I received a comment asking if I had the "real bac ha."

Bac ha, sometimes translated as taro stem or elephant ears, with the scientific name of alocasia odora. While the other varieties of alocasia may look similar, eating them will cause a very allergic reaction. You can see what bac ha looks like in Gardening Updates.

Vietnamese bac ha is often eaten in canh chua ca (Vietnamese sour fish soup). It has arrow-shaped leaves and a spongy, fibrous stem that soaks up the flavors of whatever it's cooked with. While readily available in Asian markets in SoCal, finding the plant may be a little more difficult unless you know someone who grows it.

Barry said he had been searching for bac ha for a year and a half. He offered to pay me for some plants or trade for something from his tropical garden in Florida. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to start up my garden again, preferably with something that would do well in containers. So I sent off a few bac ha plants and included some stems so he could get cooking right away. In return I got this!

I wasn't expecting such bounty. The plant on the left is a galangal, often used for Thai curries and soups. The spiky plant in front is a sugarloaf pineapple. Barry says in 14 to 18 months I may actually get pineapples to eat! And the red plant on the right is a Jungle Red hibiscus. He suggested I add the leaves to salads and puree the flowers for a pretty tropical drink. I think I got the better end of this trade, but he seemed pretty happy with just bac ha since he didn't want anything else.

I said I'd make some canh chua ca (Vietnamese sour fish soup) and write it up so he could have a recipe for the bac ha, but his recipe seems pretty awesome to me so I thought I'd share.

From Barry in Florida:

"Thanks so much for the extra Bac Ha veggies. I don't know how to make the traditional soup, so I just made up a cool recipe using some things from the garden and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the texture of the Bac Ha and how it soaks up all the flavor like a sponge.

Here is how I made the soup:

1. Prepare a nice chicken broth made with chicken necks.

2. Pound in the mortar some galanga, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf, fresh bird pepper, and garlic .

3. Place pounded spices in stock and simmer. Strain infused stock.

4. Sour the stock with Ume Plum Vinegar which is also a salty brine.

5. Throw in some match stick carrots and the prepared bac ha cut on the diagonal.

6. Add some fresh sweet potato vine tips, and some kang kong (water spinach) tips when nearly cooked.

7. Cut up a handful of fresh sweet baby pineapple into small chunks. Add them to the soup.

8. Sprinkle in a few drops of good fish sauce, some black pepper, and sweeten up with a little stevia (or sugar if you rather). I didn't add any meat to the soup so the bac ha was the main feature."

Thanks again Barry!

Perfectly "Peachy" Nectarine Pie

I wanted to make a peach pie, but seeing as how I had three nectarines that had been sitting in the fridge for a while because they just weren't very sweet, I decided to use them for the other half of my pie dough. I usually make peach cobbler. And have never baked nectarines before so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Nectarines taste slightly more tart than peaches to me, but when baked, they tasted exactly the same. Hence, I dubbed this a "perfectly peachy nectarine pie." :)

See the very flaky crust? That's what I mean when I said this pie dough recipe has never failed me yet.

You can use the full pie dough recipe I used in my cherry pie to make a normal-sized pie, or divide it in half like I did and use up some leftover fruit. The dough is really where all the work is anyway and this way you get two pies with very little extra labor. The crust isn't as nice as it can be though because my pasta plates have a much wider lip than a normal pie tin.

Perfectly "Peachy" Nectarine Pie

You'll need pie dough.

For filling, you'll need:
3 smallish nectarines for a small pie, 6 nectarines for a normal-sized pie, pitted and sliced
2 tblsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tblsp flour


Make pie dough as instructed in my recipe. While the dough is chilling, mix pie filling ingredients and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll out two circles large enough to fit the size of the pan. Lay one circle on the bottom and top with pie filling. Lay the other circle on top and trim edges. Then lift the top and mix small excess bits of dough in with the filling. The dough will mix with the fruit juices and thicken while the pie cooks. Crimp the edges, or use a fork, or however you want your crust to look. With a fork or knife, make a few holes in the top of the pie for steam to escape.

Bake for about half an hour or until golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

Enjoy!

She Can Make a Cherry Pie, Quick as a Cat Can Wink an Eye...

Oh, where have you been,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Oh, where have you been charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife,
she's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother. Did she ask you to come in,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she ask you to come in charming Billy?
Yes, she asked me to come in,
there's a dimple in her chin.
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Can she make a cherry pie,
Billy Boy, Billy boy,
Can she make a cherry pie charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
quick as a cat can wink an eye,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

How old is she,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
How old is she charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
twenty eight and eleven.
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.

Every time I think about this pie or this post, I can't get the lyrics of "Oh, Where Have You Been Billy Boy?" out of my head. Seriously. Yup, that's what they taught us a Gaffney Lane. (Hmm. I do sometimes get hits from Oregon, wonder if any of my elementary school friends will find me?) I also learned how to square dance in P.E. And the worst cussing was saying, "Oh, brother," which garnered lots of snickers when I moved to Portland.

Anyway, I dunno if my idyllic childhood equates to cherry pie, but both always struck me as a bit old-fashioned. You can take your computer games and cell phones, I'll keep my childhood memories of catching salamanders in the pond, flying kites in the meadow, playing soccer and kickball and hide-and-seek with the neighborhood kids (who were all either related to me or from my hometown in Vietnam).

Store-bought pies are fine and dandy, and in busy cases, I'd even suggest using Pillsbury instant pie dough. But sometimes, I'm just in the mood to make everything from scratch - filling and crust.

So since we're on the subject of cherries, ah, you see how my mind works now? I made a cherry pie. Well, not quite as quick as a cat can wink its eye, but you know what I mean. I've tried various recipes through the years and finally settled on this one because it's never failed to give me a flaky crust.

The directions below are for a normal-sized pie. I actually divided the recipe and baked two 6-inch pies. Since I didn't have any smaller pie tins, several pasta bowls served just fine in a pinch. Sorry for the lack of pictures in the dough rolling part, it's hard to take pictures when my hands are covered in flour. :P

Cherry Pie

For pie crust, you'll need:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter or shortening
1 egg
1/4 cup very cold water
2 tblsp sugar
1 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut butter or shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until butter pieces are about pea-sized. Whisk egg and water together, and then add it to the flour mixture. Don't over-mix, shaping flour into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the mixture is chilling, you can start on your filling.

For filling, you'll need:

About 3 cups cherries, pitted
3 tblsp sugar, or more if you need more sweetness
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp flour

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then set aside.

Turn your oven to 350 degrees to preheat. Now you're ready to work on your dough.

Separate the ball into two equal parts. With a rolling pin, roll ball until the dough is big enough to cover the bottom of your pie tin. Fold the dough in half, then quarter and lay it on one-quarter of the pie tin. Gently unfold until it evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Cut off any excess.

Add pie filling to pan.

Add the excess dough with the remaining half and roll another big circle. You can now either lay that half on top, or cut 1/2- to 1-inch wide strips and lay them across in a lattice pattern. Instead of crimping the ends, I took more strips and laid them into a big circle as my crust.

Bake for half an hour to 45 minutes, or until crust turns golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

Enjoy!


You can see my other pie in the background. What kind do you think I made?

Cherry Cinnamon Jam

These cherries were very sweet, but I had a batch of not-so sweet cherries that I made into a jam. I was inspired by Tongue in Cheek's post, except I drastically cut down on the amount of sugar used. If you've always wanted to try making your own jams and preserves, it's really very simple. You don't need to make enough to last through the winter like days of yore or whatever, just enough for you to enjoy. And you don't need to buy any special pectin or preservatives. Simmering the fruit for a long while will release its natural fruit pectin.

Cherry Cinnamon Jam
Adapted from Tongue in Cheek

For 1 small jar of jam, you'll need:
1 cup of cherries, pitted
1 heaping tblsp sugar, or 2 tblsps if you like sweeter jam
1 tsp cinnamon

Wash and pit cherries. Add 1 heaping tblsp of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for an hour or so to dissolve the sugar.

Add mixture to a heavy pan, I used my enameled cast iron pot for this. Turn heat to medium-high and let it gently come to a boil. Give it a quick stir and let it simmer on medium-low to low until the mixture thickens to your liking. Sporadically check up on it and give it a stir every once in a while. This should take another hour or so if you like the cherries to still remain mostly whole like this. Simmer longer if you want them more jam-like.

When the cherries are the consistency you like, spoon them hot into a jar, close the lid tightly, then flip it upside-down. The heat will cause the lid top to "pop," thus sealing the jam. Store until ready to eat.


Serve spread on toast, or however you like jam.

I made this back in June and it lasted for several months in the fridge just fine. It could probably go longer but I've eaten it all up by now. That's also why I made a small batch, just enough for eating one jar at a time.

Enjoy!

I Only Bought the Lychee Drink for the Marble Inside

While we're on the subject of lychees... We are? Have you so quickly forgotten? So while, lychees are still on top of your mind, look what I saw during a recent visit to the San Gabriel Superstore.


The $.79 mangosteen drink will not replace real mangosteens, or offer any of its health benefits. It didn't even taste like mangosteens. No wonder since it only had 10% mangosteen juice. :(

But the $1.19 lychee carbonated drink does taste like lychee and it's fun! There's a marble resting at the top of the drink, where the blue cap is, and you push the marble down into the bottle with the pink top to open it.

The marble then drops down inside.
Later, I unscrewed the cap, removed the rubber seal, and took the marble out. Not sure what I'm going to do with a cleary marble, but I didn't want to waste it. After all, I was quite the marble player back in the day.

Oh? You want to hear the story?

OK, marbles were all the craze during the 1984 to 1985 school year at Gaffney Lane Elementary School in Oregon City, Oregon. (The year before it was stickers.) Well, being a poor refugee kid (We had only been in America for 4 years.), I knew I couldn't ask my parents to buy me any marbles. So one of my friends gave me a marble, I think I found the other, and I challenged my way to accumulating a total of 148 marbles. Yes, I still remember the number, even if I can't recall all the rules of the game.

I do remember we played for keepsies and I won a nice collection of clearies, cat-eyes (the purple/green combos were my favorites), a few highly prized speckled eggs, aggies (agates), alleys (alabaster/marble), steelies, and even a few boulders. Maybe it was because everyone was doing it, maybe it was because I thought they were pretty, because I have to admit I'm a girly-girl and digging little holes in the dirt, getting down on the ground, and making little fists to shoot off marbles from my thumb doesn't sound terribly exciting now.

Umm, yeah, so obviously you can tell I'm not a sequential thinker because I just jumped from lychees to marbles. Insert bad pun about losing my marbles here. :P

San Gabriel Superstore
1635 S. San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
626-280-9998

Pinkberry - Pasadena (Old Town)

So what did lil' sis have her eye on for dessert after our dinner at Mi Piace?

Pinkberry!
I know, surely you're sick of reading about Pinkberry by now. If you missed the whole fro-yo craze, read my post on Pinkberry - Los Angeles (Koreatown). In case you didn't know, the Pasadena location is now open on Fair Oaks Avenue, just around the corner from Cheesecake Factory. There's just two tables inside so it's really not a good location for lingering. But that's fine because most people would probably opt to walk around Old Town with their fro-yo anyway.

Lil' sis got a medium original with mochi, raspberries, and kiwi for $4.95.

I got the medium original with mochi, mango, and lychee. Yup, lychee is their new ingredient available just this summer. Although, I only got three lychees, and they were canned, and they looked like sushi.

Don't know what a lychee is? This is what fresh lychees look like. My oldest uncle's sister-in-law has a lychee tree and she shared with his family, and he shared with the rest of us.

I had forgotten how firm, white, and sweet freshly picked lychees could taste. Most of the ones you get at the market here are picked before ripeness and they're not nearly as vibrant in color or taste.

Other posts about Old Town Pasadena:
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant - Pasadena (Old Town)
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining - Pasadena (Old Town)
Mi Piace - Pasadena (Old Town)
Old Pasadena Film Festival - Pasadena (Old Town)

Pinkberry
19 S. Fair Oaks Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-744-0505