Oh man, many little good things happened/were accomplished today, but none inspired me to write a post until the ever magical and most-fun-person-to-eat-with-in-the world, Robyn, made an appearance in my mailbox. Via a box of chocolates. Wait! But not just any chocolates, but the most picture perfect set by Pierre Herme.

Look!

And then I turned to my dad, who was clearly confused by my excitement, and declared, "hoooooo, these are so amazing, I'm not going to share them with anyone in world!" He didn't look like he gave a hoot, so I continued, "but I might share them with you...because, you are cool like that, dad!" And then he looked really confused, so I went back to oohing and ahhing over Pierre Herme's strategically designed box.

I don't know even where to begin! With names like Mathilda, Mogador, Cho Chocolat, Ispahan, Azur, Lou, Ouvre-toi, I can barely decipher which type of chocolate is what, but there are hints of pralines, caramel, rose, cirus, and nougatines to come. I think I've gone to fairyland. I'm going to taste these bit by bit and do a post on all of them at once, though till then, I'm going to savor the chocolately scent for as long as I can. Thank you SO MUCH Robyn!

And that's the end of the really delicious chocolate part, but if want to know what I did with the rest of day, read on!

OK. So I woke up late after a post-Christmas pre-New Years potluck party with all my high school friends. We had Zippy's Chili, poke, Zippy's Fried Chicken, lots of hummus and pita, garlic-shoyu edamame, CPK pizza, brownies, Ted's Pumpkin-Hapuia pie and plenty of other good stuff. Ah, how much I miss potlucks!
Well I was still half asleep on the living room couch when I heard the doorbell ring. Our couch is not so strategically placed within feet of our completely see thru door, and when I looked up groggily, I saw...the FEDEX MAN. oh no! How embarrassing! I was still wearing my hello kitty pajamas from 7th grade! so I ran and hid in my sister's room. The doorbell left unanswered. I'm sure the fexex man understands.

A good half hour later, I bravely opened the door to get the package. I looked at the name. It was addressed to me! Wow, it must have been my lucky day. I dragged in it and ripped it open. And what was inside? A new suitcase from my employer! Neato! Even though I'm not starting work for a good eight more months, gifts already? It's not quite big enough to check in at the airport, and little bigger than the typical carry on...but it's the fact that i got a SUITCASE in the mail that makes me happy. As you can see, it doesn't take much to make me happy.

I also had a very bad cinnamon roll ($2.25) from Great Harvest Bakery. It's like dry bread sprinkled with brown sugar then rolled up into a pseudo cinnamon roll. Though the frosting, given in a little container on the side, is very nice, smooth, thick with cream cheesy goodness and not too sweet. If only I had a good cinnamon roll to spread it on!

I also got Buddy a new dog tag (after he got lost yesterday). It's a yellow hexagon that very plainly says, BUDDY, and then my mom's cell phone number on the next line. We couldn't put our home address cause we're going to move soon. Dad suggested putting our PO Box, but I highly doubt anyone would return Buddy to a PO Box.

My Dad and Bread

My dad has a great affection for bread, baguettes in particular. He loves bread more than rice and noodles, which is unusual for a Chinese guy. As a result I was raised eating more baguettes than rice and for that reason, I am addicted to bread and it is completely not of my own doing. There is always a baguette sitting on our kitchen countertop (a bacon epi if mom has her way or a sliced buttertop if my sister has hers).

Our all time favorite is the baguette from Saint Germain, a local Japanese bakery. Long and narrow with just the right proportion of a crackling crust to soft yeast innards. This baguette is just a touch saltier than others found around the island and makes for a fantastic sandwich spread with pate and a few slices of cha.

A typical lazy weekend lunch :)

When our family goes to Costco, we sometimes pick up the two-pack of La Brea baguettes. The baguettes are sent to Costco parbaked and are then baked to a crusty delight at my favorite Hawaii Kai Costco. These baguettes emphasis the difference between the lighter Japanese baguettes and the heartier, rustic European type. I prefer using La Brea's bread in tune with "American" style sandwiches like tuna and turkey, and my all time favorite: mac nut pesto, tomatoes, spinach leaves and mozzarella.

Near our home is Ginza Kimuraya (in Kahala Mall) - it's the first US outlet for this Japan based bread chain. I come mainly for an pan and apple brioches, and make sure to pick up a baguette, especially when it has just come out of the oven. Ginza has the softest crust of the three and is on the sweeter, creamier side. For this reason, I like using it as a breakfast bread, spreading on lilikoi butter or toasting it shards of dark chocolate just until the chocolate melts, then sprinkling on a touch of sea salt.

Last week I went to the KCC Farmers Market, as I do every Saturday. My usual agenda is cranberry walnut oatcakes for mom, orchids for the house (which is for sale now!...so, if you want to buy our home, just let me know :), tomato salsa for my sister, ginger syrup and avocados for the family, and always, some kind of bread for dad. What kind? "Surprise me," he consistently replies. So this time, I got the Pain Au Levain from Bale. About a foot in length and five inches across, it is very heavy and unlike other pain au levain's I had. The dough is heavy, almost wet and I do not like this bread. The crust is not exactly crisp but extremely chewy - this bread has no idea what it wants to be. But this is the first unsatisfactory bread I've had from Bale, so if you do stop by the market, make sure to try their sweet bread and focaccia!

I wanted to visit Angelo Pietro's since I read Ono Kine Grindz's post a while back. Angelo Pietro's is perhaps best known for their asian oriented salad dressings which can be found throughout the islands, all the way to nyc and even in Japan. It's a Japanese-Italian fusion restaurant and the main part of the menu is divided into three sections: pasta, pizza, and gratins. All Italian based, cooked with Japanese flavors.

Complimentary bread to start. A soft french roll, sliced, served at a temperature that hovered between semi-warm and room temperature. I was told that they used to bake their own baguettes...but alas, no more :(

Shann and I shared the Raw Potato Salad ($6.95) which came as a massive and tall nest of raw potato strands twirled upon each other. The salad was indeed very light, crispy and refreshing. It had absolutely no taste or flavor on its own, which is why the waiter also brought out...

their salad dressings! From left t right is the Sesame & Miso, Ume, and Shoyu. I prefer these types of Asian dressings and vinaigrettes much more than "American" type dressings because they are much more lighter and I feel, "lift" the salad rather than weight it down with cream. My favorite of the trio was the Sesame & Miso a nutty blend of miso and ground sesame seeds with just the faintest hint of shoyu.

I opted for the Bacon & Natto Spaghetti($8.50) even though I don't like natto very much. Why did I order it then? I was curious! And yes, curiosity would kill me and I just really really wanted to know what bacon & natto spaghetti would taste like. The spaghetti was tossed with natto and the topped with chopped bacon and nori. Surprisingly, the natto flavor was not that strong - it was more prominent texture wise, with it's stickiness binding the bacon to the spaghetti and each noodle strand to one another. It was not till I reached the bottom of the bowl and discovered a mini natto mound that I realized why I was only experiencing the natto texture wise - all the soybeans sunk off to one corner and the very bottom. So I bravely took a chopstickful (we had spaghetti with chopsticks instead of forks)...and realized why I am not a great fan of natto. Hehe. I still enjoyed the dish though! Natto in small portions, I think that I like!

Shann had the Chicken and Spinach Spaghetti in Shoyu Sauce ($8.95). This dish fell under the make your own spaghetti section in which you pick the meats, veggies and a choice of sauce. Sauce options range from your basic tomato, cream, shoyu, and one more I can't seem to remember at the moment. The shoyu sauce was almost like a light soup that would be used as a ramen broth. As you can see, the noodles were literally swimming in the sauce! Sautéed spinach and cubes of dry and overcooked chicken rounded out the dish along with the familiar flavor of garlic.

I don't think I would come back here again, but I'm glad I did come just once to try the bacon & natto spaghetti! For these prices, there's much better food to be found around the islands, whether it be Shokudo right next door or dim sum and Tai Pan. But I am interested in trying the many other Japanese fusion restaurants that have opened up on Oahu in the last few years. Will report back when I do! Enjoy your Christmas weekend everyone :)

Angelo Pietro
1585 Kapiolani Blvd Suite 110
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 941-0555

I've been spending way more time than necessary at Ala Moana in a rash and unsuccessful attempt to finish Christmas shopping. I go with the best intentions but end up getting distracted by food, people watching, and book reading at Barnes & Nobles. So I never get anything done. Sigh. Some things never change. My favorite part about shopping is making stops at Shirokiya, a Japanese oasis of food, books, electronics and baked goods (at Saint Germain). The other day I tried a new item, the "Dry Curry Roll" ($2.80). It's your basic California roll with avocado and crab, only this time, the entire outside is rolled in yellow curry powder. And ta-dah! It becomes a Curry Roll! Fascinating, isn't it? It was a nice change from the ordinary, though I don't think I've become an immediate fan. Perhaps when I'm back at school and short on food and money, I think curry powder and rice would make a good meal! :)

Today I had the Butterfish Bento ($7.20) which includes a local sized portion of rice, grilled butterfish, pickles, mushrooms, fishcake, a black seaweed (of which I do not know the name, but love to eat), two pieces of fried shrimp and a square of fried chicken (in front of the fish). The chicken really threw me off, it was a small tough square, very chewy and reminded me of a thick hunk of deep fried beef jerky. Perhaps this is a common Japanese item which I am unfamiliar with? But the butterfish was yummy as always. Smooth and savory, flaky to the touch, man, I love butterfish!

Shirokiya
Ala Moana Shopping Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. #2250
Honolulu, HI 95814
(808) 873-9111

This morning, I had breakfast with my favorite people in the world to have breakfast with: Steph, Shann and Kelly. I find that most people in the age range from 18-22 do not enjoy getting up before 11am on both weekdays and weekends. This is fine for weekends, when restaurants serve brunch till late afternoon, but when you want a good breakfast in the morning you must either go prior to 11am or go to a reliable all-day-breakfast place. But the morning is so pretty! So nice! Back at school I wait until the weekends for "real" breakfast fare or go out for pancakes on my own.

But back home during winter and summer breaks, I’ve got the wonderful Steph, Shann and Kelly. Yes, they are faithful breakfast food lovers and my closest friends for about as long as memory takes me back.

So this is how it worked today: at 8:30am Steph drove from Kaneohe to Kelly's house in Kaimuki and parked it along the street. They drove down together to pick me up just a few streets down and then we headed on the freeway, off at Punahou and up Tantalus to pick up Shann. See how gas efficient we are? teehee.

We got there just at 9am, and made our way into the cozy little restaurant bordering Downtown and Chinatown. We were quickly seated by the hostess at a dainty little table for four near the open kitchen. The minute we all sat down there was a unanimous, "brrrr...shivershiver." The seats were so cold! But we sucked it up like the brave warriors that we are and made do. Until we realized there were outside patio seats. That looked so picturesque and inviting! We kindly waved our waiter down and asked if we could move.
"Of course," he said, and gestured us out.
And here we are!

Between the four of us, we had two orders of the french toast and two orders of the corned beef hash. That way, everyone gets half an order of a sweet dish and half savory. We are clever, no? :)

There are few places in the island, that do real breakfast-y foods you find on the mainland, like egg benedict, lavish pancakes and french toast, and that sort of stuff. Which explains why I am forever grateful that Grand Cafe opened up breakfast and brunch service about a year ago.

Our "sweet" dish was the Island Bananas Foster French Toast: French toast, New Orleans style, bananas sautéed butter and brown sugar ($8.50). Oooh, it was so decadent! Three thick slices of rich eggy bread fried in a sweet batter and finished with flambéed bananas and a rich golden caramel. I like my french toast thick and hearty, and this they did. It was soaked long enough so that the innards were soft, but never mushy. Perhaps the sweet caramel pool at the bottom of the dish was a little excessive, though it is hard to criticize a lovingly created dish at this local run restaurant.

We moved eagerly on to the Fresh Corned Beef Hash: Grand Cafe cured Corned Beef, topped with eggs to your liking with Potatoes O'Brien or rice ($9.55). We opted for sunny side up eggs and then realized our mistake when we didn't have any toast to soak up the yolk with! But that was all oookay as soon as we took a bite of the corned beef hash. Fresh cured in-house, the mix of corned beef and grated potatoes were well season, not a touch too salty and pan fried till this wonderful paper thin crust formed on the outside. How did it come about? I don't know, though shann suggested a thin egg batter? I still don't know, but couldn't care less. It was awesome. And then the potatoes! Each cut, oh-so-light!-oh-so-crisp! Just a sprinkle of salt was needed to tie over the red bell peppers and onions that rounded out the crunchy brown potato squares.

We lingered on the patio for a good hour and half. Taking out time, local style. All back from school for winter break. No obligations. No work. Just good food. And good friends.

Grand Cafe & Bakery
31 N Pauahi St
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 531-0001

Baking: Croissants!

AHHHHH! I made croissants this morning! And they came out awesome! That is all. I'm just so excited that both the food and picture came out well! My tummy tells me it is time for lunch, but I'll be back soon...enjoy! :)

Ok. Last midnight Donut Man run of the semester. And this time the run was not made in the midst of finals cramming but to celebrate the end of exams - woohoo!

Julie's from nyc. She loves food. And she loves donuts. I think I love her. She is my most faithful donut pal and this is the last time we're going to Donut Man together as she's studying abroad next semester and I'm graduating after next semester. I will miss my donut buddy. But I'll see her in nyc. Perhaps we'll make Doughnut Plant stops. We'll also be able to take the subway instead of drive. Her buttermilk raisin donut was good. So good that I ate half. I'm sorry Julie. But it was so good. Practically crispy on the outside and cakey rich innards studded with raisins and just the lightest glaze.

It was the classic chocolate glazed bavarian cream for me. Rich, sweet and indulgent - a fine balance between custard, pastry and chocolate all over. Every bite borders on the decision line of dessert or pastry, both? Neither? Perhaps just tasty sin all over. Don't think too hard about food. Just eat it and love it if it's good. Man. I will miss coming here with Julie. But it was a sufficiently delicious way to end!

Good news! I restrained myself from eating doughnuts tonight! applause, applause :)
Bad news. I found my wall of chocolate. During this past week I've been slowly accumulating a stash of brown chocolately goodness sweet stuffs. Just normal harmless everyday items from Trader Joe's, Von, and some Japanese chocolate from Life Plaza. But you know what happens when many harmless things adds up? Bad temptations.

I was studying (very hard) for tomorrow's Chinese exam when it came to my sudden realization that I was yet again, daydreaming. So, to snap myself back to reality, I stood up, did some stretches (if you could ever imagine such a thing) and unintentionally turned around to face the "kitchen" corner of our puny dorm room. To both my horror and delight, I encountered this:

Jars of Nutella, Trader Joe's knockoff version of Nutella, crisp chocolate cat cookies, mini Japanese dark chocolate truffles and a bitterly rich sipping chocolate mix. I must have been possessed or something cause all of a sudden I felt a desperate urge to run up to the brown colored wall and consume all of it.
"Stop it!" my roommate Meg cried out, "are you insane?" she commented as I reached the bottom of the cocoa cookie container. She peered into my Starbucks mug, nearly overflowing with warm, rich dark liquid chocolate. "You're going to give yourself a toothache!"
"MMmhhrmmmrrrmm...I'm starting diet tomorrow," I mumbled, melting a truffle into the sipping chocolate and offering her alternating spoonfuls of Nutella and TJ’s chocolate hazelnut spread. I was suffering chocolate gluttony at my weakest. After my tummy started to complain and my heart felt heavy with butter, fat, and baked goods, I stopped. It was a passionate fling with dark chocolate in the middle of finals season. I had my fill. Feeling rather belghbleghblah, I went to brush my teeth for a good ten minutes (no cavities for me!). When I returned to the room, I found all my "goodies" laid back neatly on the shelf:

I love my roommate.

I promise. As of tonight, I will not have any more Donut Man doughnuts (for the rest of the semester). I was so close to being so good. I did not venture out to Glendora when both hands of the clock reached twelve tonight. I was not even tempted.

But then Sabine called, "just wanted to know if you want anything, I'm going to Donut Man..." Aw, hell. It's like I can never win. And I told her "nooooo, nooooo, it's diet day. Besides, I already had a pumpkin danish from Some Crust this morning. And pizza for lunch! Noooo, no, it's okay!"

And I thought I was safe. I really did. However, my words were not heeded as Sabine showed up at my door an hour later, donut in hand. And not just any donut. But the seasonal pumpkin donut. What could I do?! (what would you do?!) I thanked her profusely and admitted surrender. And then I sunk my teeth into the still warm creature, a soft yeasty donut with a crown of cream akin to spicy whipped pumpkin custard. In the hollow, a contrasting white sweet cream cheese frosting smooth as butter and eager to please. And I said to myself, “half! Half! I shall only eat half!” I reached the half point, ready to put it aside. But then I closed my eyes and by the time I even realized a minute had passed…it was gone. The pumpkin cheesecake donut disappeared. Into my tummy.

This is what finals week does to you.

Please make me stop. It's final exam week (then back home to Hawaii!) and I cannot stop eating Donut Man's donuts every time the clock strikes midnight.

Most recently I fell victim to an apple fritter the size of your head and the weight of a basketball. It is absolutely luscious. The golden brown crusty, crisp shell, so finely glazed, is pure sin, giving way to a yeasty interior. This monster of a baby is studded with more apples than your heart could ever desire and hint of cinnamon. And you know. YOU KNOW. With every bite just how bad this is for you. You can feel the sugar grease slipping onto your tongue, seeping deep into the interior of your arteries. Sitting there. Waiting to clog the hell out of your health. But man, when it's hot of the fryer and glaze is still a bit wet, you just cannot stop. You cannot. And you should not. All regrets in the tummy the next day. But oh man, it was delicious while it lasted.

On a "lighter" note, I occasionally opt for the cinnamon cake donut. It is indeed light relative to the apple fritter. It’s a simple cake donut, honest and fresh and doused in a cinnamon sugar crumb mixture. Nothing to send a letter home about, but it's a nice break from my 2055 page business law textbook!

Dear God, please let finals week be over. I think I'm going to kneel over in exhaustion soon. And my arteries will never forgive me if I keep on donut-ing at this rate.

Donut Man
915 E Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
(626) 335-9111

Spicy Kimchi is a mother-daughter owned Korean restaurant in Diamond Bar. As a family run place, service is done with care in a very informal, casual manner. Place your order at the counter and then seat yourself at any of the available tables. Dishes run the stand Korean route from Bibimbop to to Bulgogi and include some randomly placed dishes with Japanese influence like the Katsu Curry Rice, Udon and Spaghetti with Cheese.

No more than five minutes after seating ourselves, we were brought out an assortment of panchan. They were all of the ordinary sort, with the exception of the potatoes, which I've never had prepared in this manner before. The diced and boiled potatoes were bath in a thick spicy pepper sauce. It was similar to gravy, only slightly more "sticky" - which clung tightly onto the potatoes. It's not something I'd ever crave, just something new to spicy things up. I bet there a least a hundred (I think...) variety of panchan out there and sometimes it's makes me sad to think I've only tried just a fraction of them!

We didn't expect a restaurant this casual to offer any panchan, so when a complimentary plate (or rather, basket) of green onion pancakes was placed before us, I had to give a little slient applause. It's not easy running a whole business with just two people! Though flavorful and well packed with onions, the pancake was uncharacteristically greasy - but hey, it's really the thought that counts in this case :)

Meg Bulgogi was a fairly large serving given the $8.50 price. The beef clearly of good quality, tender soft and well seasoned. Perhaps a little too sweet, even for my Hawaii raised, teriyaki chicken and honey fried spam tastebuds, but any well executed plate of hot beef would have been a pleasure on this rainy day.

The Bulgogi came with a plate of rice, scoop of mac salad (nothing like the kind you get back home!) and a little bowl of seaweed, picked carrots and shredded imitation crab. The little trio in the bowl struck me as well intended but nonetheless, random - how does imitation crab fit into the dish?

Yuk Gae Jang is what I imagine to be Korean comfort food, a gloriously deep bowl of flamingly spicy beef stew with glass noodles, chunks of stewed beef, eggs, kimchee for good measure, an assortment of root vegetables and green onions. I poured in my entire bowl of rice and gave it a good stir to make for a true meal in a bowl. Alas, I was not sick or in search of comfort, but it sure healed everything that could have used healing!

Spicy Kimchee
1381 S. Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(909) 396-9968

Hands Down, Best Smoothies Avocado & Durian Smoothies Eveeeeeer!

After a brief visit to the Norton Simon in Pasadena, Fan and I stopped by Mr.Baguette to pick up an afternoon, post-Museum-exhaustion snack. Our favorite things to get here are not the banh mi (which is on the pricey side compared to the many other banh mi shops along Valley), but the smoothies. I am firm in my belief that Mr.Baguette makes the best durian and avocado smoothies in the world. And because Fan and I can't decide which one we like better, we always end up getting one of each and sharing. The avocado is addictively creamy and barely sweetened with hints of condensed milk. Home in Hawaii, I’m used to splitting open fresh avocados and sprinkling on sugar for breakfast. This smoothie is like the same treat whipped and whirled in a blender with milk and a good cup of ice for chill. It's plain honest and refreshing. But the durian is a fine competitor, not as thick but equally decadent boasting it's signature scent that I find terribly inviting and texture, as creamy as cold custard.

To go with the smoothies, Fan had the grilled beef banh mi, which I swear she gobbled down in less than two minutes.
"Was it good?" I asked eagerly.
"Mmmmm. Mmmhmm," Fan replied, before quickly downing the rest of durian smoothie. Sigh. We should ordered two.

I had the xiu mai banh mi, which is described on their website as an "oriental style meatball made from ground pork with additional spices to add the flavor." Tells you a lot, doesn't it! To be honest, I don't know how else to describe it other than Asian meatball, which implies more savory that sweet, with a bit of fish sauce to taste and cellophane noodles and wood ear mushrooms. The meatballs are broken up and stuffed within the baguette along with picked carrots, daikon and cilantro and peppers. It's a very satisfying sandwich, both in size and flavor. Though what confuses me is that even though they charge nearly double of neighboring shops, there's always a line at Mr.Baguette. Banh mi's are cheap in general, but still. It's doesn't feel good to pay more than the guy next door, especially when the taste quality isn't that different :) Now, the ultimate xiu mai banh mi would have a nice thick spread of pate along both sides the baguette...that, I would pay good money for!

Mr. Baguette
8702 E Valley Boulevard
Rosemead, California 91770
(626)288-9166

Dining options past the hour of midnight don't run abound in Rowland Heights, but there's always one place you can depend on Life Plaza to be open. The food is not good nor is it bad, but it's cheap. It's not a dining destination but an ideal place to "hang out" when your tummy running low late at night. The menu is a straightforward option of three dishes for $12. I told you it was cheap! Choices run amuck from the Americanized salt and pepper chicken to stir fried rice noodles. It's a Cheesecake Factory of options - nothing is spectaular, but everyone will be at least remotely satisfied.

One of our selections was the stewed fish with cabbage. This "stew" was tomato and pepper based, kind of thick and goopy as if it could not decided whether it would be a broth or some congealed mass. No, I did not like it one bit. I fished out a piece of pollack, which was fine, if not tasteless on it's own. But the stew part, gesh, tasted like makeup remover!

The mapo tofu faired better, though it's hard to mess up a dish that can be easily made right out of prepackaged box. Soft tofu, bits of ground beef, this was also much more spicy than I had anticipated.

The garlic eggplant was the best of the three. A simple stir fry dish that you've probably encountered a bagazillion times in your life, sliced eggplant, onions, bamboo shoots and green bell peppers all in tangy "brown sauce" found in may of the dishes here. It's oily, a but greasy, but over a hot bed of rice, everything melds together nicely. Besides, the human body seems to palate take on fat well late in the night.

Life Plaza
1370 Fullerton Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-8811