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We had a quick lunch @ Spicy Town 麻辣誘惑. Originally we wanted something light, but unable to find 1 in this Plaza. So ended up eating at Spicy Town. This place is pretty crowded during lunch time.

Just ordered couple simple dishes from the lunch menu. Lets start by saying the dishes were extremely saltly to our likely. We've eaten spicy dishes before, but this place is just too salty for us.

Lunch comes with a bowl of rice and soup. We didn't eat the soup, corn egg drop soup ... too sweet.

[caption id="attachment_1327" align="aligncenter" width="750"] 2 Lunch Dishes[/caption]

I forgot the pork dish name - some kind of non-spicy pork dish. The dish itself its good if they can tone down on the sodium. Ok portion for lunch.

[caption id="attachment_1328" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Forgot the name - some kind of non-spicy pork dish[/caption]

Diced chicken stir fried with dry red chili pepper 歌樂山辣子雞 - chicken was crispy fried, and little spicy, but missing peppercorn for the numbness :/

[caption id="attachment_1329" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Diced chicken stir fried with dry red chili pepper 歌樂山辣子雞[/caption]

 

Spicy Town
43683 Boscell Rd
Fremont, CA 94538

This is our first time here for dinner. We were here couple months ago for a quick lunch, but didn't write about it. It was a Saturday night, so this place was pretty packed. Nonetheless, we got a table right away, just 2 of us. This is probably one of the popular HK Cantonese style dinner place in Fremont. Indeed, the food is not bad.

COFFEE SPARE RIBS 咖啡排骨 - outer was crispy and inside is tender. A little sweetness with a hint of bitterness coffee flavor. They put a bit of whip cream on top ... hubby says it taste like Mocha. Not a bad dish.

[caption id="attachment_1321" align="aligncenter" width="700"] COFFEE SPARE RIBS 咖啡排骨[/caption]

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET WITH DAIKON 柱侯蘿蔔炆牛腩 - I am a little disappointed in this dish. It was wayyyyy over sweet. It tasted like they cooked with too much rock sugar, just too sweet. Beef was tender.

[caption id="attachment_1323" align="aligncenter" width="700"] BRAISED BEEF BRISKET WITH DAIKON 柱侯蘿蔔炆牛腩[/caption]

STIR FRY GARLIC SNOW PEA TIPS 蒜蓉豆苗 - just had to get a veggie dish. Fresh and hot garlic-y snow pea tips, hard to go wrong with this one.

[caption id="attachment_1320" align="aligncenter" width="700"] STIR FRY GARLIC SNOW PEA TIPS 蒜蓉豆苗[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1322" align="aligncenter" width="700"] ABERDEEN CAFE 香港仔[/caption]

This is just going to be a short one, introducing a rather new ice cream place Matcha Love located inside Mitsuwa Supermarket San Jose.

It's about 7 weeks new, this is our first time visiting. The line was pretty long ... and only 2 person working, 1 at cash register, another 1 preparing the order. So be prepare to wait a little. Very simple menu, ice cream and drinks. We wanted ice cream! 3 flavors - Matcha, Black Sesame, and Hoji-Cha (you can get all 3 flavors too).

We weren't very hungry, so just ordered 1 small Matcha Cone. Pretty good size for its price, about 5 swirls :P $3.00 (same price for cone or cup).

Matcha Ice Cream Cone - very creamy, milky with a hint of matcha flavor, maybe a little weak on the matcha flavor, but not bad.

I've heard the Hoji-Cha ice cream is pretty good too, that's for next time.

[caption id="attachment_1317" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Matcha Ice Cream on Cone $3.00 small[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1316" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Be prepare to wait a little :)[/caption]

I've been wanting to try this place for a while. Definitely a popular and crowded place, we got here around 8:15pm and waited 15 minutes for our table, not bad. Service was prompt and good.

BANCHANS - 8 free side dishes, non of them really stand out. Typical kimchi, radish kimchi, japchae, bean spouts, string beans, appple salad, and couple others I don't know what they are. I guess we enjoyed the japchae, we asked for refill.

SEAFOOD SOFT TOFU SOUP - soup was good, but not great compare to Tofu House. I had the Spicy, but it wasn't that spicy. Tofu House soup was spicier and filled with more ingredients.

BROILED ATKA MACKEREL (EMYUNSOO GUI) - our favorite dish of the night. The fish is an oily fish (not greasy oil). Perfectly broiled, it has a rich and intense flavor, which we like. A little pricier than other places though.

FREE YOGURT DRINK - nice little touch, but Yakult still my favorite!

[caption id="attachment_1310" align="aligncenter" width="700"] BANCHANS[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1304" align="aligncenter" width="700"] SEAFOOD SOFT TOFU SOUP[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1305" align="aligncenter" width="700"] GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT AS TOFU HOUSE[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1306" align="aligncenter" width="700"] BROILED ATKA MACKEREL (EMYUNSOO GUI)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="aligncenter" width="700"] AN OILY FISH, RICH AND INTENSE[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1308" align="aligncenter" width="700"] FREE YOGURT DRINK, YAKULT STILL MY FAV![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1309" align="aligncenter" width="700"] POPULAR & CROWDED[/caption]

Another new bubble tea place in Fremont (same plaza as Marina Foods), I forgot how many new ones opened recently and of course I have to try it out.

A cute little place with beautiful and fresh color decor. Service was pretty good, I can see the employees are well trained, very systematic.

I ordered the very basic Jasmine Milk Tea, 30% ice, 50% sweetness. Tea were brewed already, and everything else added later. Bubbles were good, right chewy-ness, tea flavor weren't very strong, more towards the milky-side.

Basil Popcorn Chicken - freshly fried and crispy, love the basil smell. Just a little towards the sweet side.

Fried Tofu - I think it needs to be fried just a little longer, just little lack of the crispy-ness.

[caption id="attachment_1298" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Jasmine Milk Tea, 30% ice, 50% sweetness[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1299" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Basil Popcorn Chicken[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1300" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Fried Tofu[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1297" align="aligncenter" width="700"] T4 TEA FOR YOU 清茶達人[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1296" align="aligncenter" width="700"] T4 TEA FOR YOU 清茶達人[/caption]

We were in SF for July 4th fireworks, we got an excellcent spot! It was magnificent!

Anyway, we went to S&E Cafe in SF for a late dinner. It was around 11:30pm when we got there and this place did have few tables. We were promptly served with water and menu.

Macau Style Pork Chop Portuguese Sauce with Spaghetti - pork chop was amazing! It was crispy, tender, and juicy. I was rather impressed, most of the Asian places use baking soda or powder mandarin the pork chop to the point there are no more texture! This place was perfect! Spaghetti was al-dente! I wish they could throw in couple broccolis :P

Clam Vermicelli Noodle Soup (I forgot the name) - clam was pretty good, soup base was good, light an refreshing.

I couldn't mind go back for their pork chop :)

[caption id="attachment_1292" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Macau Style Pork Chop Portuguese Sauce with Spaghatti[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1293" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Macau Style Pork Chop Portuguese Sauce with Spaghatti[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1290" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Clam Vermicelli Noodle Soup[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1291" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Clam Vermicelli Noodle Soup[/caption]



 

Our Sunday Brunch! We were having family brunch and sister in law introduced us to Pastis. It is a nice little cute resturant, brunch was served from 9am-3pm. We were there around 2:35pm, hence the place was pretty much free up.

Bavette Maitre D'Hotel - grilled flank steak with french fries and salad. The steak was very juicy and tender, it was sliced when served.

Groque Monsieur - french bread with ham & swiss cheese topped with sunny side up egg. I didn't try this one, but it looks pretty good.

Le Benedict - classic benedict with sliced ham, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce. Poached eggs were cooked to perfection, runny yolks! Hollandaise sauce was wonderful. They seasoning on the potatoes were perfectly cooked and seasoned!

French Onion Soup - ok, according to my sister in law and brother in law, it was awfully salty. Even when we asked them to fix it, it still turn out over salty.

Brioche - its looks very dry! I didn't try it.

Overall, minus the French Onion Soup and Brioche ... it is a nice place for some classic Brunch.

[caption id="attachment_1284" align="aligncenter" width="700"] LE BÉNÉDICT[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1285" align="aligncenter" width="700"] LE BÉNÉDICT[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1282" align="aligncenter" width="700"] BAVETTE MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL - grilled flank steak[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1281" align="aligncenter" width="700"] CROQUE MONSIEUR[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1283" align="aligncenter" width="700"] FRENCH ONION SOUP[/caption]

This is one of our default place for Hong Kong Style Afternoon Tea. They usually have Happy Hour 3-6pm and 9pm-12am, special discount menu and buy 1 get 1 free drinks. Portions are good for its price. They do get crowded during happy hours.

So, we had ordered ...

Garlic Chicken Wings 蒜香雞翼 - MUST GET! Always served piping hot, fresh from fryer! Very crispy skin and yet moist inside, right amount of flavors!

Beef Brisket Flat Noodle Soup 牛腩河 - on the menu was regular egg noodle, but I like flat noodles more, they changed it without problem. Flat noodles were good, not soggy. The beef brisket was tender, I wish there was more tendon. Overall, not bad.

Lettuce with Preserved Bean Curd Sauce 腐乳生菜 - we just wanted some veggies. Just boiled lettuce with preserved bean curd sauce.

[caption id="attachment_1269" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Garlic Chicken Wings 蒜香雞翼 - Must Get![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1271" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Beef Brisket Flat Noodle Soup 牛腩河[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1270" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Lettuce with Preserved Bean Curd Sauce 腐乳生菜[/caption]

 

 

We are here again last night - Sunday. We were here around 7:45pm and still couple empty tables, so no wait.  My previous review is here: Yokohama Iekei 1st Visit

We ordered Fried Squid - my hubby's favorite, anything seafood for him. I wish it was cut into smaller pieces. You will have 3 large pieces in an order.

I ordered Black Garlic Ramen - my favorite! Soup was hot and super garlic flavorful. It use to be 1 thick pieces of pork, but not it changed to 2 thin cut pieces of pork, still very tender and flavorful!

Hubby ordered Shio Ramen - soup was flavorful, but I still like my black garlic better :)

Soft Boil Egg - overcooked! Same thing happened to us last time. Really if they can serve a good soft boil egg, it would be perfect!

[caption id="attachment_1265" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Fried Squid[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1262" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Black Garlic Ramen[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1263" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Shio (Salt) Ramen[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Overcooked Soft Broil Egg :([/caption]

Finally another update! This time lets visit KungFu Kitchen 功夫廚房 in Fremont, CA. This is probably one of the better Cantonese Cuisine restaurant in Fremont, CA; it has a modern and clean design.

Place can be busy and packed at night, food was good, service was ok.

[caption id="attachment_1232" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Kung Fu Kitchen[/caption]

 

Fried Calamari - It was piping hot, batter was light and crispy. The salt pepper and onions just gives it enough flavor :)

[caption id="attachment_1229" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Fried Calamari[/caption]

 

Stir-Fried Flat Noodles w/ Beef & Bean Sprouts - it was very hot ... enough "wok-air" (if you are Cantonese you will know what I am talking about). It was pretty good.

[caption id="attachment_1228" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Stir-Fried Flat Noodles w/ Beef & Bean Sprouts[/caption]

 

Sauteed Pork Cheek & Vegetable - pork cheek was very tender and flavorful, loved all the colorful veggies.

[caption id="attachment_1230" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Sauteed Pork Cheek & Vegetable[/caption]

I would go back to try out more dishes.

We were craving for some Korean food and wanted to try a new place. We decided to try Manna Restaurant, restaurant is pretty good and plenty of parking.

Service was good, food could be better. We ordered couple items.

Seafood Tofu Soup Mild - hmmm ... it was good, but not excellent. Not as much seafood as other Tofu house.

Seafood Pancake - way too much flour, each bite was full of thick flour, lack of onion and other ingredients.

[caption id="attachment_1223" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Seafood Pancake - too much flour, not enough onion.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1221" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Seafood Tofu Soup - not the best, ok.[/caption]



 

This is your typical family style Cantonese restaurant. We were here on a weekend around 8pm, place was half full and very loud. Don't expect much decor, service was ok and prompt. There were 3 of us, so we ordered 3 dishes and surprisingly we finished everything ... portion not very big I guess.

Mango Pork - deep fried crispy pork cooked with sweet & sour Mango sauce. Mango was a bit sour, the pork was nice and crispy.

Tea Flavor Chicken (recommended by waiter) - half tea flavor chicken, more like soy sauce chicken, I didn't taste any tea flavor. Chicken was tender.

Mixed Veggie (I forgot the official name) - just needed some veggie, nothing special about this dish.

Deep Fried Sweet & Red Bean Soup - freebie dessert, red bean soup was good, not overly sweet.

[caption id="attachment_1215" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Deep Fried Pork with Mango[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1214" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Tea Flavor Chicken[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1216" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Mixed Veggies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1217" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Deep Fried Sweet & Red Bean Soup - Freebies[/caption]

We visited here first time when my brother was in town last month. Service was ok, food was ok. It's a Korean owned sushi place, but its common in bay area nowadays. All rolls were ok, nothing stands out, not bad either.

[caption id="attachment_1162" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Ikura Nigiri, Spicy Scallop Handroll, Spicy Tuna Handroll[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1163" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Rainbow Roll[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1164" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Washington Roll[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1165" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Crazy Roll[/caption]

Visited Fusion House 好年東 on a weekend, not bad for Taiwanese food and place is decent clean. This place does serve stinky tofu, so you will find distinctive smells :P

Start off with Taiwanese Sausage Rice - sausage wasn't bad, but wasn't great either, I kind of like the pickled veggie. Portion would be bigger given the price is a little higher than other places.

[caption id="attachment_1155" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Taiwanese Sausage Rice Plate[/caption]

Squid Pottage with Thin Ric Noodle 魷魚羹米 - my husband is a big fan of squid, anything with squid in it, he will say its good. I only ate a piece of squid.

[caption id="attachment_1156" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Squid Pottage with Thin Ric Noodle 魷魚羹米[/caption]

Also a plate of veggie - 蒜蓉油麥菜 A Choy Stir Fry with Garlic.

[caption id="attachment_1157" align="aligncenter" width="750"] A Choy Stir Fry with Garlic 蒜蓉油麥菜[/caption]

Fusion House
46228 Warm Springs Blvd Ste 452
Fremont, California 94539

Another satisfying meal at Sushi Kai, fresh quality sushi and friendly service.

We opted for their Dinner Special, served with soup & salad, you also pick  2 appetizers and a main dish, for $17.

BF Dinner - chirashi bowl, white tuna tataki, and volcano roll - not that good, you can order something else.

My Dinner - 5 pc nigiri, tokoyaki - rich creamy and tangy sauce, and aojiso salmon

We are becoming a regular at Sushi Kai :)

[caption id="attachment_1076" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chirashi Bowl[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1071" align="aligncenter" width="764"] White Tuna Tataki[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1074" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Volcano Roll - not that good, you can get something else[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="800"] 5 pcs Nigiri[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1073" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Takoyaki - grilled octopus[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1075" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Aojiso Salmon[/caption]

 

We were here on a weekday night ... too lazy to cook after a long day. There was 3 tables with customers, no wait. We were given a laminated menu and marker, you can mark on the item you want. This meal was pretty disappointing, food was below average. All serving plates were chipped.

Since this place is called "My Dumplings', of course we have to order the Dumplings and the followings.

Juicy Pork Dumplings (8pcs) - Very disappointing, the skin was very thick, the moment I picked up with my chopsticks, all soup was gone :(
Chicken Steak Rice Plate - The fried chicken was thin was paper and fried skin was thick as brick, not very crispy. Best thing on the plate probably was the preserved veggies.
Chicken Preserving with Shaoxing Wine - Chicken was big and a little tough, it does have wine taste. However, it should be more tender.
Oil Brew Bamboo Shoots - sigh ... another disappointing dishes ... taste really really weird, way too sour.

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Juicy Pork Dumplings[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Skin was too thick[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1058" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Wine Chicken and Oil Bamboo Shoots[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Wine chicken was tough, its suppose to be very tender.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Taste really weird and sour[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1056" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chicken Steak Rice Plate[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chicken was thin as paper, skin was thick as brick and not fried very crispy.[/caption]

 

My new favorite Ramen spot! We were here last night, it was packed and we waited was about 20 minutes for seating. Service was pretty good.

There were many appetizers on the menu, we picked couple to start our meal. There were few types of Ramen to choose from: Spicy Ramen with 4 level of spicyness, Black Garlic Ramen, Classic Iekei Ramen, and Classic Shio Ramen.

We ordered:

Fried Squid - a little of the chewier side, but still tasty.

Chicken Karaage (Classic) - served hot and crispy, but not impressed.

Spicy Ramen level 1 (beginner) - we wanted to order level 2 (entry level), the waiter warned that level 1 is pretty spicy. Bf didn't want to burn his tongue, so he ordered level 1. Soup was spicy, bf though the spiciness was just right for him. Broth was flavorful, noodle texture was perfect!

Black Garlic Ramen - my personal flavor. Very aromatic and rich broth. Love the perfect noodle, not too soft or hard. 1 thick cut of pork, very flavorful ... only complaint was my soft boil egg was a little over cooked.

[caption id="attachment_1031" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Spicy Ramen (level 1 spicy)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1029" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Fried Squid[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1028" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chicken Karaage Classic[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1030" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Black Garlic Ramen[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1033" align="aligncenter" width="800"] My soft boil egg was a little over cooked[/caption]



Yokohama Iekei Ramen
32136 Alvarado Blvd
Union City, CA 94587

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Finally its time to write about 85C, we were here in early December ... and as expected, the line was out the door. We waited a total of 1 hour. In short, bread was ok, it is best if you eat the bread right on the spot while its warm.

One thing disappointed, there were no tags on the bread ... we had no idea what we were getting :(

They have different lines for bread and coffee & cake. I've learn that you can order your drinks from the bread line too (they just have to ring separately).

Recommended:

• Mochi Tart - crispy crust, sweet & smooth fillings


• Sea Salt Coffee - loved the coffee with a the sea salt foam on top, perfect! So refreshing!


• Calamari Stick -  squid ink base garlic bread with some mozzarella cheese

[caption id="attachment_1004" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Variety of breads + Sea Salt Coffee[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Super crowded - total 1 hour wait[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1003" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Most bread were sweet, except the black garlic bread. Mochi Tart was very good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1001" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Strawberry Tiramisu Cake - not very good, no coffee taste at all.[/caption]

I would go back for the Sea Salt Coffee. I would also get the bread if the line isn't too long.

 

Located inside a busy plaza, so parking was big ... but it would be busy on weekends. There are many other restaurants inside this plaza. This is one of my bf's usual dinner spot with his friends. I am ok with the food.

Roti Canai - crispy and chewy served with a flavorful curry dipping sauce. Not bad for a starter. However, the price was a bit expensive for 1 piece of roti and dipping sauce $2.95.

[caption id="attachment_993" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Roti Canai - cripsy chewy and yummy curry sauce[/caption]

Sarang Seafood - Fried taro nest topped with shrimp, scallops, assorted vegetables and cashew nuts. Not a lot of seafood, taste wise was "ok".

[caption id="attachment_994" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sarang Seafood[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_995" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Fried taro nest filled with seafood and veggies[/caption]

 

Last Red Kari Beef or Red Curry Beef - most disappointed dish of the night. The chunky beef was tough! Really hard to chew!

[caption id="attachment_992" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Red Kari Beef/Red Curry Beef[/caption]

I am going to keep exploring for better Malaysian cuisines.

Located inside a huge Asian plaza, parking can be really bad on weekends. Southland Flavor Cafe has pretty good authentic Taiwanese cuisine.

Taiwanese Pork Chop Rice - portion was huge, large pieces of yummy pork chops, minced meat, mustard greens, and marinated egg. Everything was very delicious!!

[caption id="attachment_985" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Pork Chop Rice[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_982" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Pieces of pork chop, mustard greens, and marinated egg[/caption]

Oyster Pancake - of course we had to get this. Gooey eggs, green onions and oyster ... I think they can add a bit more oyster.

[caption id="attachment_983" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Oyster Pancake[/caption]

Finally, forgot the name of this dish - Fish Vermicelli Noodle Soup -  this is a regional Taiwanese dish, soup was thicker than usual. Fish filet with a bit of satay sauce I think, it was pretty good, boyfriend ate the whole thing.

[caption id="attachment_984" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Forgot the name - Fish Vermicelli Noodle Soup[/caption]

Oh, this place also has Stinky Tofu and Pork Blood Cake ... I am not a fan of those, but for those one wants to try, it might be a good place. I see a lot of people ordered Stinky Tofu, pretty smelly :P

Southland Flavor Cafe
10825 N Wolfe Rd, Ste 220
Cupertino, CA 95014