Palty Hair Dye Review: Self done two toned layered hair

NOT scene kid. Haahaha, but I’ve started the process of cool-ifying my hair. For asian hair, to NOT get the ugly orange color, use an Asian dye product. Easy. Simple.  I decided on Palty, a Japanese brand and I actually got a ton of different colors.. raspberry macaroon, maple doughnut [haha they have cute names] etc… but I ended up just going all out and using the flash blonde last nite.

I only did a third of my hair in a slanty way so half of my left side is golden and so I have the layering effect when I have my hair done.  I dig it, I ended up buying two more boxes to make it blonder… and then possibly dying it the raspberry or pink or purple in a few weeks.  The process is super easy, from mixing and waiting it was all in less than an hour.

I’ll have better pics when I do my hair later today.

I’ve been cooking a lot more lately….

My trips to NYC has been inspiring me to cook more lately.  I’ve been able to experiment more and more with different foods.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned some of these from previous trips:

The dangerous habanero chicken pizza… which was delicious but deadly.

My famous meatballs…

My Short Ribs over Mushrooms and Chard

But here are some more recent things I’ve made in NYC

OK this isn’t really “made” but J and I decided to have a simple wine, cheese and meats night…. with steamed artichokes and baked Yam fries..

Iberico, Chorizo, Duck Salumi and Coppa

So many cheeses…

Half of these are chili/cinnamon rubbed, the other half are truffle butter rubbed..

And then the next night I made a warm grilled brussel sprouts salad with different peppers and veggies… topped with habanero vindaloo chicken…

And some Kale Chips and Fresh Avocado

STOP BEING USELESS
AND START BEING A CHEESEBURGER

So these were the peppers…

That cause me to split my finger open…

and go to the ER :[ WAAA

And then the day before Miami.. uh... night before, we had a a dinner party

I forgot to take pics of the panko pan fried quail I made [marinated in Honey , Orange, Habanero] which each person got a whole quail, cut in half on top of mixed greens as an App]

and I made Duck Breast “Confit style”

Jonathan brought Capri Sun BEER!!!!!!! <3

Oh back to the duck… slow cooked for like 2-3 hours… and then popped into oven with some balsamic vinegar, red wine, pear, raspberries, shallots and fig jam,

See… demolished the salad already… I served with truffled broccolini and mushrooms and baked chili/cinnamon yam fries.

And then the night after we got back from Miami I made bunny curry. YES. Rabbit Curry. And it was actually NOT overpowering on the bunny as some people said it would be.  You could taste the bunny cuz I left them in big chunks…the legs were kept whole, etc…..  just celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, onions, a whole rabbit [I butchered a rabbit for the first time] 

Some steamed okra on the side…

And then I put it all on a bed of mixed greens, freshly made sushi rice, topped off with rabbit meat and curry sauce. DELISH!

OK, now that we’re caught up on that I feel a bit better and will continue onto more NYC eats and Miami posts.

Village Yokocho… and more beer…

Friday Night means one thing: NO ALARM CLOCK – hottest words EVA. But that talks for later….. Friday night and J comes home and we decide that Japanese is what’s up.

Time for some yakitori. MMMM St. Marks time.  Which means Village Yokocho.

First thing we did was order a giant pitcher of beer. SO MUCH FOAM.

UMM… I couldn’t resist.

Takoyaki.

Asparagus. Scallions.  Green Pepper.  Mushroom.

Different parts of chicken and beef … and balls :] Oh chicken balls…. ground chicken balls not their “BALLS” durrrr…. that’s at a different place<3

Somehow all the sticks were on my plate. HAHA. Way for J to make me the fattie.

Not enough, we want MORE!!!!!!!!

We need more and more chicken skin…..

MORE chicken skin, alls, shishito peppers and then some…. OH cartiledge

After a delicious dinner.. we headed to the secret yet so known, Angel’s Share but the wait was too long and didn’t seem worth it.  The bathroom was gross and it was freezing in there… So we left….

… and headed to the sure thing: Proletariat

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Oisiiyo Ramen with……. uh, Cheese?

Late Night Ramen at Oisiiyo

After a nice 2 hour massage.. and no dinner…  I had amazing dinner at Oisiiyo…. while the veggies and ramen and broth… oh yeah and pork – were amazing… there was a huge chunk of some sort of American Cheese on it. Uh. Ew. Done and done. Next time you go, it’s definitely delicious ramen, just ask for NO CHEESE.

Flying to Taiwan.. more like Eating a ton of delicious food in Business Class…

Early December, SUPER early one morning.. I woke up to head to the airport…

I slept the entire flight from Boston > DC Dulles so I was starved when we got there…

I ended up at a Diner getting an omelette some home fries and a side of fruit.. and of course a TON TON TON of black coffee…

Want some “Shitty Wok” ?

As soon as we sit down we were offered green tea and champagne. I LOVE IT.

Japan!!!

While we watched at the Japan Airport we got some ramen…

And fries and edamame…

And then headed to the VIP lounge for tons of more free food and a free sake/booze bar…

All the sake, wine and whiskey you can drink.. I had my fair share :D

And then it was off to Taiwan… I can get used to this good food on the plane :D

Finally Arrived!!!!

Toki Toki Toki

I finally popped my Toki cherry :]

And they were prepared for me… see that?!?!?! HELLO KITTY COCKTAIL!

Dumplings

Ramen

Pork cheeks <3

Regular

Misoooo

YUM

And a little special treat from the chef :]

Absolutely delicious, creamy, filling and FULL OF FLAVOR. Did NOT disappoint.  Sorry Chef about my last review but this was FANTASTICAL!!!

This is definitely a heavier ramen – stick to your bones – let’s go home and food coma, sort of food ;]  great drinks, great people and a great time.. it was a super late dinner and a long wait but it was DELICIOUSLY worth it!

P for Pabu & Perfection [Baltimore, MD]

PABU.

SAll I can say is that I have heard so so so SO much about this place. And I am a HUGE Japanese / Sushi fan. I’ve eaten a LOT of it. EVERYWHERE.

Literally. EVERYWHERE.

Definitely lives up to the hype. I suggest you take a trip to Baltimore specifically to eat here. Make sure you have a big empty tummy ready to fill up.  If needed, walk around the aquarium first.

[Note that it's day time and bright out... we ended up skipping our original train ticket to eat more and go home later!]

I’m ready to rock and roll… [WOK and roll HAHAHA get it? Yeah I know bad joke, but AT LEAST I'm laughing!!!!]

Look familiar? Apparently they donate 1$ to breast cancer research everytime someone orders this. YAY

It’s called the Maiko Onee and contained hakutake sochu, pamplemousse rose, and yuzu. YUMMMMMM…

And before we knew what we were getting ourselves into, a little plate of small bites arrived. DELISH

Happy Spoons [oysters, caviar, mine had uni and lots of happiness], eel rilette, miso- carrot/burdock, ohitashi [the spinach], lotus root and tiny tiny white fishies.. I forgot what they’re called but so tender and yummy

SUCHHHH a palette opener. SO delicious. I could’ve used another plate. Haha. Sharing is hard when food is this good.

Good thing next course W and I both had our own bowls of sashimi.  AMAAAAAZING.

There was this one fish, seared… you eat with ginger and scallions. OMFG. Amazing. This was the most amazing fresh delicious creamy sashimi EVAAA

And suddenly we got free sake

Next came the most beautiful creamy custard-y soft homemade tofu. SOOO much better than the other day.

Some nori, scallion, mushrooms, japanese yam and OMG the tofu…….

Seeng this guy at work knew… yakitori was in the works

Foie Gras Pops wrapped in Nori.

HOLY FUCKING HELL. SOOO GOOD.  I love my foie. This was amaze balls.

At this point I was about to burst.  So I ordered some hot tea to help wash it down…

But I’m a trooper, so off I go go go

I’m pretty sure there were more nigiri… but.. just relooking at all of these makes me full again hahaha… we ended with this.  ”Just one more… just one more…”

And it was simple and delicious.

But of course there is always ALWAYS room for desserts.

Gingerbread amazement. MIND BLOWING.

Dessert

No words just perfection. Go. Now.

Sushi Taro — Kaiseki & Sushi Tasting

Me and my W wanted Sushi… so after a day of work we finally decided to go find sushi. We KNEW we wanted sushi and didn’t know where to go.

THANKFULLY we met up with L and some of W’s friends and we decided on SUSHI TARO - a tiny walk up next to a CVS

Mr Octopussy says hi

So I’ve been back and forth about how to blog about out food since we both got different tastings.. So I’m gonna do it separately.  We shared our food but it’s easier to separate it.

We decided to get two different tastings.   W got the sushi tasting minus shellfish…

Sushi

Liver……. something….. and eggplant

Sashmi

Sushi

He’s so Jiro

We actually both got this soup so you can see more detail on my tasting.. except his didn’t have shellfish i it.

More sexy sushi

W totally shared his sushi with me…

Looked gross.. but very very soft and tender… W wasn’t into the texture as much.. i think it was beltfish.. but still.. NOM

More sushi sexiness..

And for the last course he got MY spicy tuna roll…

And I got the Kaiseki with wine pairing for me…

Kaiseki

Delicious aperitif sake with flower petals…

The most beautiful soft tender tofu

With a yummy pairing

Monkfish, oyster and eggplant

By this point my pairing kept coming super super late.

My Sashimi – DEEEElicious

The soup I talked about before…

Squeeze some lime…

Shrimp, fishcake, fish, etc.. YUM

SOOO GOOOOOD….. fried soba, fried fish, wasabi lotus root, squid, sweet potato, pome seeds, tomato and squid ink fried wakame.

OH and a escargot W helped open for me.

I got a yummy fish… that tasted SUPPPER sweet.. shisito pepper and then some… YUM

A duck meatball in a daikon wrap and surrounded by crabmeat. Sadly the duck meatball was COLD so  only ate around it.

I got W’s sushi in exchange for him getting my maki roll. Eel. Scallop and Salmon. <3

Next time we will try TURTLE!!!

For dessert, W picked the chocolate cake:

And I picked the chestnut cake…

YUMMMMMMMMMM. Will go back.

Noodle Anniversary Dinner at The Source

Before beginning I must stand tall and say I was a trooper for going to the dinner. And I’m SO glad I did, I’d be bleeding and have no arms and I’d go. I love noodles. THE dinner was SO FUCKING amazing.  I adore noodles, but never have I ever had so much delicious tender QQ noodles.

But let me start from the beginning….

After a night out at Mandu and such.. I woke up early, per usual, to work.

After having a bowl of Safeway clam chowder, with lotsa hot sauce, for lunch, I was stuck with food poisoning and projectile vomiting for the whole day…

From Safeway
=
Pukey Miss Tiffie

W and I headed to Crystal City to go shopping for The Source‘s anniversary dinner tonight.. and we almost didn’t even go when I BOMBED the bathroom with more vomiting.

NO BUENO.

W even said we should probably not go. He wasn’t feeling too swell either.

BUT that did NOT stop me and W getting FABBBBULOUS outfits and going to the dinner.

We got there a bit early for some H’orderves and Champagne.  Dumplings, sushi and other delicacies were passed around.. including flutes and ever-flowing bubbly. DIVINE.  A few glasses in  and a bite or two, I sat down in anticipation. Reading and re-reading the menu over and over again.

The Source’s 5 Year Anniversary Noodle Dinner
Thursday, September 27, 2012

It was sold out but W and I were lucky enough to be offered seats as Mandu’s Danny Lee’s guests YAY

We are supppper excited!!! Look how hipster W looks. <3

——————————————-

1st Course
Chef Kaz Okochi, Kaz Sushi Bistro

Jiyashi Ramen (Japanese Summer Noodles)
Maine Lobster, Prosciutto, Sesame-Soy-Mustard Sauce

Paired with: Junmai, Kinshihai Yukikage “Snow Shadow”, Nilgata, Japan

A great refreshing start.  Mix it all up and down it went  Lobster actually wasn’t necessary.  Just an expensive accessory.  W can’t eat shellfish so he got it without it, just the prosciutto. WHICH, strangely, the prosciutto wasn’t overpowering like I was scared it would be. A great great start.  The shot went down smooooooth and paired sooo well with the dish.  Both light and refreshing, Perfect balance.

——————————————-

2nd Course
Chef Yesoon and Danny Lee, Mandu

Bibam Guksoo
Somyun Noodles, Kimchi, Gochujang, Radish

Paired with: Makgeolli, Korean Rice Wine

This was sooo good, vegetarian and REFRESHING. Spice. Cold. Quail Egg. I would LOVE to eat a huge bowl of this for lunch anytime anywhere!Booze in a bowl?

YAY. I also LOOOOVE milky rice booze.  This was sightly tart and soooo delicious.

Mama  Lee and Danny!!!

——————————————-

3rd Course
Chef Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground

Noum Pachouk
Somen Noodles, Gatangal-Tumeric Stock, Cucumber, Bean Sprouts, Pounded Fish, Chilis

Paired with: “There is more to Cambodia than Angkor Wat” Okunomatsu Sparkling Junmai Daiginjo Sake, Cointreau, Lemongrass Syrup, Gin Barrel Aged Orange Bitters

I’ve heard amazing things about Toki but this just didn’t get my mojo running.  It was too fishy for my taste  The flavors were off.. and the “pounded fish” aka definitely raw mackerel was soooooo fishy. :[ Sorry Toki, not my steeze.

My pairing for it didn’t come until AFTER i attempted to eat it.  Kinda annoying. IT HUGE WAS, but def better than the dish itself.

Extra boozey mimosa. Pretty much.

——————————————-

4th Course
Chef Chao Sheng Liu, Mala Tang

Dan Dan Noodles
Minced Pork, Szechuan Pepper, Red Chili Oil

Paired with: Echigo Koshihikari Lager, Japan

My favorite dish of the night. I LOOOOVE Szechuan food and I LOOOOOVE dan dan noodles. Spicy.  Porky. Not too oily. HOLY FUCK amazing!!!  I usually get it from Lao Sichuan but this was sooo freaking bomb. NOT OVERLY spicy but just beautiful. You could taste the szechuan peppercorn and everything.

Beer pairing, tho it was Japanese beer went beautifully with it and cut thru the oil, spice and the szechuan peppercorn taste. FUCK YEAH.

——————————————-

5th Course
Chef Haidar Karoum, Proof and Estadio

Khao Soi Noodles
Short Rib, Braised Tongue, Chiang Mai Sausage

Paired with: Reisling, Dr. Thanisch Berkasteler Badstube, Mosel, Germany 2011

The making of my lovey Brent who works at Proof.  AMAZING noodles and the most tender tongue, fatty short rib and the sausage. OMG. DELICIOUS.  Wine was a bit on the sweet side for the pairing but I devoured the dish completely. LICK LICK.

——————————————-

6th Course
Chef Scott Drewno, Wolfgang Pukc’s ‘the source’

Drunken Duck
Chow Fun Noodles, Crushed Peanuts

Paired with: Berthet-Rayne, Châteauneuf–du-Pape, France 2009

This was paired with a beautiful red wine.  This duck though…… I’ve had MANY MANY ducks – I’m asian for god’s sake.  Chinatown. Taiwan. Asia.  The amazing place in Chicago for duck. THIS. WAS. FUCKING. AMAZING. Fatty. Crisp. UGH. I DIE.

Dear Scott Drewno, please always make Duck for me from now on.  Succulent. Juicy. Tender. MELT IN YOUR MOUTH. Skin sooooo crisp and juicy….

——————————————-

Pre-Dessert: Citrus Sorbet

Great palette cleanser

——————————————-

7th Course
Chef Pastry Chef Duane Copeland, Wolfgang Puck’s ‘the source’

Apple Custard Tart
Fried Pandan Noodles

Paired with: Beerenauslese, Steindorfer, Burgenland, Austria 2007

I LOOOOOOVED the gelato and the dehydrated apple.  The tart was good, as was the crispy green noodles.. but I was done and done by this point. SOOO GOOD, I ate most of it anyways TEEHEE – the pairing was wayyyy overly sweet.  Good but sweet – WHICH worked since the dessert wasn’t overly sweet. While I did enjoy the pandan noodles fried, I stil like them gooey and regular in coconut milk heehee…

Other Fun Notes of dinner:

- “Is this all Asian noodles?”
- I don’t like the taste of shellfish
- I don’t eat carbs

After, even though it was pouring out, we headed to Mandu on K Street for the afterparty. BEST. BONCHON. EVA.CH

One sojutini later, I was ready to go home and still continue vomiting from clam chower. UGH. Best Dinner though.  I LOVE NOODLES

Home Sweet Home

Nothing like being home, sick, and eating good old homemade mama’s cooking every single day YAY

Bittermelon & Pork Rib Soup

Spicy Pork Belly, Bamboo & Scallions

Marinated Cold Beef with Cilantro

Black Bean Bitter Melon

Chicken and Jujube Soup

Corn & Pork Rib Soup, Loofah & Japanese Mountain Yam, Spicy Pork Belly & Bamboo & Kong Shin Cai

Homemade Chicken Noodle soup with Shiitake and Spinach

Fried Eggs with Soy Sauce and Hot Sauce

Seaweed, Tomato and Chicken Soup with Oatmeal

Wood Ear Fungus with Ginger and Chicken

Dry Fried Green Beans

Spicy Eggplant

Pork Belly and Bitter Greens