Simon’s Prime Hamburgers, it’s like Five Guys but Canadian…

After playing on the Detroit side, we decided to go to the Canadian side for the carnival there and the fireworks…. so we packed our backpacks and off to Windsor, Ontario Canada we go..

HAHAHAHAHA

SMOOOOOOOTH… I can’t stop laughing at these ads.. google them, they’re hilarious!

We first stopped by a Tobacco shop for some cigars :] The guy seemed talkative and probably lonely? Windsor is such an empty city.  But yeah you can drink 19+ but then you can only get tobacco 19+ too. Not bad.

And while we wandered to search for our hotel, my eye caught this.. so obviously we had to get some.  We’re both Leos so we got the Leo Bubble Tea from Bubble Tea Express— Hibiscus + Litchi with tapioca pearls and we added some Mango Jelly for more texture. YUM.  This was SO delicious, not too sweet with a slight plum tart taste to it.

W sipping away. :]

Our view from the hotel room was PERFECT for the fireworks… and had a gorgeous view of Detroit.  So sad how beautiful Detroit looks from across the river… but then when you’re in it, it’s almost depressing. Womp

WE WERE STARVING.  We only had a bubble tea all day so we HAD to eat something.  We looked for a deli but ended up choosing between burgers and shwarma….  We ended up here at Simon’s PRIME Hamburgers.  Basically a Canadian rip off of Five Guys, but with poutine.

No wimpy burgers for us.

W got the Baconegg’r Double with Fried Egg, Bacon, Cheese, lettuce, Ketchup, Tomato, NO onion…

and I got the Big Greek Double with Feta Cheese, Tzatzki, lettuce, Tomato and Onion….

Double is the only way to go. W got bored of his burger half way but I loved mine, for a double patty burger it was surprisingly light, probably because all the condiments were pretty light and fluffy. The bun disappeared in your mouth and kinda demolished but I liked that it wasn’t heavy or too chewy. FLUFF FLUFF.  We didn’t realize that the burgers CAME with fries so we had a side of fries. SHAME ON YOU CASHIER! You’re supposed to warn us.

Fries overload.  They were SO tasty tho.  Perfectly crispy and fried.

Blade Sushi Bar/Lounge at Fountainbleau

On our last day in Miami, W had an early start to a busy day so I just slept in cuz it as rainy/thundering on and off all day in Miami… woke up around 1130 and got ready to spend a day shopping and eating…

After some shopping around and fell in love with the most gorgeous Philipp Plein seude biege crystalized skull bag/tote… UGH I WANT IT… it was almost 5grand SIGH… AND these jean shoes… I finally headed over to Blade for some sushi.

I was surprised to find out that Bladen and La Vida are actually one.  La Vida is american and Blade is, well duh, sushi/Japanese but you can get both in the same place.

Sushi Bar

My view

Ready to eat

…with my Sparkling Sake Mojito

Sparkling Sake, Bacardi Superior, Fresh Mint, Hand Pressed Lime, Soda, Cane Nectar

Water a la Z with Lime & Lemon

Edamame
Steamed Soy Beans with Sea Salt

It was a huge piping hot STEAMING bowl. YUM!

Octopus Carpaccio
Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Red Onion, Cucumber, Spicy Vinegar Dressing

This was the dish that got people thinking I was in the food industry/restaurant biz hahahaha….

Green Salad
Rice Vinegar, Dressing, Carrot, Radish Sprout

This was so much more decadent than I expected.  Squash, avocado, tomatoes, carrots, amazing. SOOO GOOD.

Naruto Maki
Thin Sliced King Salmon, Crabmeat, Masago, Avocado, Scallion, Vinegar Dressing, Wrapped in Cucumber

Not that great but fresh

Salmon & Scallop Sashimi

The scallop wasn’t on the menu but I asked for some.  And I asked for them to give me thin slices of lemon with it.  Can you believe they charged me freaking 23$ for that one thinly sliced up scallop?!  It was delicious, but I’d hav appreciated more lemon in the slice lol.

Apprently this was too much food for lil ol me?! So said food neighbors… waiter also thought I was in the restaurant biz/food industry cuz I got the octopus hahaha and probably cuz I was picky about scallop.

Half way thru I finished my mojito so I got a Lychee Martini.  Grey Goose, Lychee Liqeur, Orange Bitters, Lychee Juice.  I was trying to eat super slow and enjoy myself and scenary.  Fuck the girl next to me who told her mom “OMG I wouldn’t even go into a STORE by MYSELF” go back to your salads bitches.

Delicious.  I also ended up buying W a Blade Roll / Panko crusted Toro, Pickled Ginger, Asian Pears, XO Sauce and Bleau Roll / Tuna, yellowtail, salmon, avocado, scallion, masago wrapped with daikon, soy onion dressing.  But we didn’t get a chance to try them cuz we were in a hurry to make it to the airport, boo :[ Next time, maybe… lol…

Thai Town Cuisine 瓦城泰國料理 in Taichung

Today is a fun filled day of the ladies of the 范 Ladies in Taichung. All but one of my aunts -mom’s sisters – live in Taichung so it was off to Taichung to eat and play with my aunts and favorite cousin :] BUT the night before I somehow ate something bad or touched something – methinks it was the late nite street food of braised chicken feet, seaweed, taiwanese sausage, squid ink taiwanese sausage and mala beef jerky that might’ve set it off [boo!] but nonetheless, itchy and in pain off I went…

On the HSR and eating sour gummies daddy bought me from Taipei 101 :] It even came in a cute cherry bag! Yay!

Also bought some Japanese seaweed/rice cracker snacks and Potato Spicky.. which is like savory pocky :]

As soon as we got there, right before noon, we were picked up by my auntie and brought to Thai Town Cuisine. My mom and I had NO idea what we were getting ourselves into. My aunt, my mom and I and a ton of my aunt’s friends and their daughters. Oh me oh my, we ate a lot and got double servings [which came in separate dishes and was spaced out] for many dishes so no detailed pics but I’ll highlight some yummies…

Basic Highlights of our menu:
Spicy Cumin Beef in Coconut Sauce 椰汁炒牛肉
Spicy Beef Stir-fry 辣炒牛肉
Thai Seafood Salad 海鮮什蔬沙律
Pork Scalp with Spicy Thai Herbs 大薄片沙律
Original Shrimp Pancake 原味月亮
King Prawn Vermicelli Pot 冬粉明蝦煲
Curry Crab 咖哩紅蟳
String Beans with Shrimp Paste 蝦醬四季豆
Steamed Seabass in Lemon Sauce 檸檬清蒸魚
Fried Chicken Leg with Spicy Pepper Sauce 風味椒麻雞
Green Curry Chicken in Coconut Sauce 綠咖哩椰汁雞
Thai Fried Rice Noodle (Pad Thai) 泰式炒河粉
Corn Soup with Crab Meat 蟹肉玉米湯
Spicy & Sour Shrimp Soup (Tom Yom Kum) 酸辣蝦湯

& for drinks we all got
Thai Ice Milk Tea 泰國冰奶茶  & Mango Juice 芒果汁

A had a taste of everything… and then some… LOOVED the spicy minced beef stirfry [even tho I SWEAR it's TOTALLY chicken they still insist it's beef, even on the website.. grr] and seafood salad… the pork scalp, basically super fatty pork, cold and sliced super thin with raw onions and lots of spice was great and crunchity :]

Yummyyyy!!

The crab was fried and then doused with a delicious curry :]  The green beans were tender and had such great shrimpy flavor to them!

Fried Chicken Leg and Cabbage Slaw was tasty!!!

The Tom Yum Soup 酸辣蝦湯 was spicy and plentiful of shrimp and veggies! YUM!

After all this we went thru a few huge pots of white rice LOL.

I only thing I didn’t try was the crab/corn chowder which I can already imagine how it tastes. Everything was fresh and super tasty, unfortunately all the shellfish made my hives even worse :[ -- by the way I also ADORED the green curry chicken with sliced green beans, thinly.. they looked like mini jalapeno slices but were green beans, YUM! -- By the end of this meal as I was eating practically half of the seabass [SO good and FULL of delicious lemongrass flavor, light but FULL OF FLAVOR!] my hives tripled at least and grew bigger, redder and itchier..OOPS…

But still, desserts first!

芋香黑糯米 (熱) Black Sticky Rice with Taro in Coconut Milk (Hot)

SOOOO GOOD! The sticky rice was griainy yet still chewy and QQ and the taro chunks were fab. After awhile the soup turned into a beautiful purple red color from the rice.

摩摩喳喳 (熱) Exotic Asian Fruits Combo in Coconut Milk (Hot)

“Rubyfruit”, Jackfruit, Palm Seeds, Taro, Boba, Lychee, etc…

I’ve never had warm fruits in a coconut soup so this was SOOO GOOD.. whatever this “rubyfruit” was it was huge and red and crunchy and SO GOOD. POP POP.  LOVE Palm Seeds and used to eat them by the can and of course jackfruit <3 ANDDDDD.. ever had a WARM/HOT lychee?! I have now. YUM!

Now off to Tea Time at 明森…

Midnight Snack @ Mr Cat with Friends 貓咪先生的朋友

Okay, back from another Family Fun day.. tired, sore but still ready for more.. so I headed to 貓咪先生的朋友 right by my hotel… aka Mr Cat with Friends. I’ve been past it SO many times and kept saying, “next time I’ll go” but haven’t. SO I went in expecting just to grab a beer or something but alas, more happened…

貓咪先生的朋友
Taipei, Taiwan台北市大安路一段83巷3號A樓1F
02-27318387

Go in the cute red door…

Cuteeeeeee

I love her. I want her. Can I still her? Makes me miss my cat Misty :[ She was that small when I first got her.. in 6th Grade... *pout* Also miss my Didi baby...

She drank form my water glass EEEE <3

Cutest Decor, no?! And cute fluffy cats everywhere!!!

Lychee Liquor, Blue Rum, 7-Up, Fruits and Fruit Jellys

After talking with one of the owners for awhile he was nice enough to come up with one of their special concoctions for me.  Previously it was gonna have tequila, but I guess me being a girlieeeee he replaced it with lychee instead :]  Kinda wanted the teguila, bu this tasted like candy!!!!

SOOO GOOD… the jellies made it SO fun! I’d love this if I were 5, couldn’t taste booze at all… I’ve been eating so much all day not sure if it was weak on the alcohol content or I was just already too poisoned from the drinks & wine earlier… ;]

Fried Snack Platter of Fries, Mozzarella Sticks, Chicken Nuggets and Onion Rings..
BEST kind of drinking food ;] They were sprinkled with rosemary and parm :] Or was it oregano… wait, either way, yummy herbs and parm.. dammit! Why is everything SO much tastier here?! The cheese seemed forever melty and stretchy.. the nuggets were supppppper QQ [haha tender] and SOOOO JUICY… and crispity perfectly fried fries.. OHHH MAN!!!!

So, they have lots of “real” dishes I wanna try, including different mini pizzas, burgers and sandwiches… BUT since it was almost midnite and I’ve been eating all day, I got… this?! to “eat less”?! Yeah I duno, drinking food ;]

Crepe filled with Amaretto Cherry Ice Cream

Fluffy tender crepe with fruity sauces drizzled over it… wrapped inside was delicious creamy ice cream… and sprinkled on top was a variety of chopped nuts. YUM! I need more black peanuts tho *must resist to open til back in States LOL

This place is cute, quaint and yummy :] The owners are super nice, especially the guy with the facial hair who talked with us for a good while and they are open til like 2am which is great for girls like me who are always hungry mostly after midnite :] PLUS, cute kitties to play with!!!!

and now, for your amusement…

– coming soon, currently uploading –

WooBar [W Hotel Taipei]

SOOOO I’ve been in need of a change of scenery from the usual from the past few days… and perhaps a glass of champagne or two :]  It’s rainy and cold now.. what happened to this super sunny 81 degree weather I came to?!… I bundled up like crazy and headed out, Starbucks in hand, to W Hotel.

10th Floor – WooBar

We got a cozy cute table near the windows looking out into rainy [boo] roof with a pool.. still a good view tho.. even might have seen a cute guy there.. but then again I was delirious and hungry.

Taipei Champagne

Lychee Liquer with Fresh Orange and Lemon, topped with Champagne

MMMM….. finally got a little bubbly in me…

Side note: As much as I love Taiwan, it’s like family overload since it’s just 24/7 and it can get a bit stressful… also all these asians and overcrowdedness like Manhattan x100 is just…  *anxiety* I love the city but after awhile this germaphobe/claustrophobic chicklet freaks out a bit.  For example today on the train, Friday night after work/after school I nearly had a nervous breakdown – asian ppl are just SO much ruder and I was just pushed all over the place, I may be tall but I weigh a lot less than most people…. :[ But I ain't no rag doll k!??!?! BOO!

So we ordered the special Tea Time set to share.... THIS IS SOOO MUCH DELICIOUS FOOD.

Colorful Winter Afternoon Tea Set

Condiments for the scones and then some....

Whipped Cream w/ Chocolate Balls

Strawberry Jam & Aussie Honey

Grissini with Parma Ham & Lobster Egg Creams

Lobster Egg CreamThis was delicious. Would've been even better with a little shaved truffle :] But I’m not complaining.. it was a bit too buttery/oily?! But it was sooo goood… tender pieces of lobster and delicate egg custard on the inside… reminded me of chawan mushi :] NOM! This was the first thing I went straight for since you need to eat it hot and plus seafood and egg.. need it piping hot :] I ADORED the way they presented/plated it – things are delicious eyes first. Then smell, then taste :]

Arancini with Marinated Vegetables & Crab Stick Toast w/ Caviar
It’s funny because I’m watching Iron Chef America Mozz and Chef Symon just made some arancini.  I’m very picky about my arancini – it’s either really good or BLAH. These were good.. loved the little bits of veggies on the stick :] Fun! Of course these are always better piping hot and fresh…

Crab Stick Toast w/ CaviarThey looked cute but it wasn’t that special.  I liked the crunchy toast tho – just cuz I love toast and I love crunchy :] And the pop pop pop of the caviar on top. Salty. But aside from that, the fake crab was just… fake crab. Or at least I think it as fake, either way – meh.

Truffled Potato/Chicken Tea Sandwiches & Caviar Crisps with Cream Cheese
Okay I added the chicken because I tasted chicken and celery and no potato, def no truffle but they said truffle and potato *confused* but then whatever, they were tasty. Slightly toasty white bread – MMM sometimes you just need your wonder bread!!!

Creme Fraiche <3 South Park <3 LOVES

Caviar Crisp with Cream Cheese

I thought it would be creme fraiche but it was CREAM CHEESE!!! Still good tho.. just cream cheese is a bit more overpowering in taste and texture for me.  Need more caviar.. LOVE caviar [you guys obviously know that already tho] <3

NY Cheesecake & Orange/Cranberry Scones

OMG this is my favorite cheesecake I’ve had in Taiwan. Usually the cheese taste is a bit off for me here, but this was SO delicious. Light, airy, fluffy… NOM!  The scones on the other hand were a bit dry and flavorless for me.  I like a scone that tastes SUPER scone-y but still super moist. I also love my scones with devonshire cream & jam <3

Vanilla Creme Brulee, Lemon Meringues & Gummy BearsThe meringues were teeny and super yummy! Great lemon flavor and just enough extra meringue to make a girl like me giggle. If it was a bit toastier it would’ve been even better but I’m not complaining.

Makes Tiffies happy!

Vanilla Creme BruleeVanilla bean seeds and all – great brulee crust and amaaaaaaazing custard on the inside. HAPPY!

Gummy Bears
Obviously…..

OH this made me oh oh oh oh oh SO HAPPY!!!

Bag of Macarons, Chestnut Raspberry Tarts w/ White Chocolate & Chocolate Lips

Bag of Macarons

Raspberry, Pistachio and….. Passionfruit?!.. These were mini and delicious! LOVE LOVE LOVE! I could eat macarons for forever!  A little on the sweet side but delicious none-the-less ;D

Chestnut Raspberry Tart w/ White Chocolate “W”

I wasn’t too ino the flavor combo but I ate the chocolate “W” :]

Chocolate Lip

Creamy chocolate-y center and so good.. there was a ice metallic sheer to it to :] YAY yummies

*MWA* XOXO to YOU ;*

Unforgettable — Alinea

How do I even begin to explain my experience at Alinea…  It has been on my Ultimate Restaurants to go to since I first heard about it.  Being one of the Top Restaurants in the world, and located in Chicago the timing of going and getting a table there was very limited for me.  This is truly one of the most amazing memorable delicious moments tantalizing every sense and creating something far more grand than the overused “Umami”… Visually sexy, teasingly delicious… some of the best service I’ve ever received and a beautiful modern atmosphere.

Last year, I planned a trip to Chicago for Baconfest, which I go to every year, and Z said that he’d love to accompany me.  This dinner was actually booked more than a month or two in advance, and we had been talking about this since the end of November and early December of last year.  We’ve eaten a plethora of delicious food together but nothing can ever compare to this night.

Trying to pinpoint each dish to the description was so hard for me.. from the wine pairings to each delicate flavor, texture and aroma… all I can leave you with is the visual experience and some commentary from myself.  I’ve written multiple entries trying to describe everything but it all comes down to – you need to try it for yourself.

This oyster leaf will forever be imprinted in my brain.  This oyster leaf, YES, actually tasted like a delicious raw oyster. Completely mind-boggling… all the flavor but none of the goopy mess or texture – just a nice simple delicate leaf.

This was the halibut dish and was SO visually appealing.  I loved the white on white…  everything reminded me of a beautiful snowed in morning.  From flavors like black pepper and coffee which is SO not “white” colored… this was delicious and surprised me with every bite.

A one bite of black truffle dumpling explosion. Orgasmic.

This dish was called snow.  Beautiful isn’t it? Something so simple yet BURSTING with yuzu flavor.

And then came the most amazing part of the night – wait is that even possible?  Chef Grant Achatz came out to presend the dessert to us.

The most beautiful display and work of art EVER.  You don’t get this anywhere else but here at Alinea. Breathtaking and SOOOOOO delicious.

Thanks for sharing this experience and amazing meal with me, Z.

Going Public, Brunch Style

We were all set for a brunch day at Public with my lovie, Sarina and her hubby Bri, but Sarina ended up being really sick so she had to bail :[ Z and I were still down for some bloody marys [he said they were super good at Public] so we ended up going anyways… the wait was ridiculous so we just got a seat at the bar….

Fig & Vanilla Bellini

Sounds great but it was just okay to me. TOO vanillay not figgy enough.. would have LOVED it if there was fresh fig puree or something in it to thicken it up… or see some vanilla bean specks floating around…. the dried fig was a nice touch but Z drank it all for me cuz I had pout sad face.

Public Mary

As soon as you walk in you see a table with a choose what you want scones/pastries station along with jams/jellys/spreads :D

Lamington stuffed with strawberries and cream

Delicious and fluffy <3

Literally the best part of the meal [aside from the Public Mary] I loved it by itself but I thought the jams were really tasty. Loved the toasted coconut ginger jelly <3

Irish Breakfast…. Poached Eggs on Sourdough Toast, Caramel Apple, Boudin Noir and Tomatoes

I love blood sausage [aka boudin noir] it was pretty tasty but the texture was a lot more mealy but creamy… I like more of a solid sort of boudin noir…. I’ve never had the irish brekky with the apple but it was good.. tasted like a sweet baked apple [haha] and the toast with perfectly poached eggs were NUMMMMIE <3

Grilled Venison Burger, Rare – On Miso Bun with Tomato Chili Jam and Cassava Chips

Look at that beautiful burger..

The bread was perfect and squishy.. great meat to bun ratio, cooked beautifully…. and I love the sweet tartness of the sauce…. I thought it worked really well together and fully enjoyed this.

Side of Bacon

They needed to be crisper but good fat:meat ratio… I love extra crispy, melt-in-your-mouth-fatty bacon so these were a bit too limp and chewy for me. Good flavors tho….

Bloody Maria

Tequila tequila… didn’t feel spicier to me… but tasted boozier…. not a fan of Marias so this was meh.. I ate the pepper tho :D SPICCCCYYYY!!!

Thai Teaser

Bloody Mary with FISH SAUCE in it… actually pretty tasty.. still preferred the classic Public Mary tho.. so we ordered two more of those after this round….

Tropical fruit salad with rosewater and sweet tahini yogurt

When I asked about the fruit the bartender/waiter said there was a lot of citrus in it… I’m like “anything TROPICAL?” said maybe some kiwis, mangos etc… sadly I got NONE of that just lots of citrus [at least there was blood orange] and some grapes.. lame.  I couldn’t taste rosewater and the tahini yogurt just tasted like plain greek yogurt…. nothing sesame-ish about it at all [which is sad cuz I LOOOOOOVE tahini]

Ginger spiced lychee French toast with lemongrass dark palm caramel and pomegranate mascarpone

French toast wasn’t bad… the lychee and the sauce didn’t really go too well together [Z prefered it without the fruit, I liked it better with but thought the caramel was too sweet] Def needs a bigger portion, but then again, I couldn’t eat too much of it.

Afterwards, feeling full but not fully satisfied we grabbed a quick “Grilled Corn Mexican Style” across the street at Cafe Habana – not bad but it’s no Toro corn ;D

Then went to Whole Foods so I could make it our taco night…. :D

Buddakan & wd~50

For a friend’s 28th Birthday I threw him a surprise party at Buddakan with all his friends and a party at Hiro…

We got a tasting for the whole table and the birthday boy added some other items on as well – frog legs, peking duck, pork belly, etc… we had well over 20 courses – they even accommodated us with a regular version and a shellfish-free version for our table… and like 10 different desserts… an amazing night of food and fun :] Buddakan is sure to please – even for Asian fusion haters like me – and great for parties!!!!

Highlights of Buddakan:

…But for his actual special day I took him to a special dinner….

We passed by a place called Fat Hippo
Him: Are we going to Fat Hippo?
Her: What’s Fat Hippo?
Him: *drops me off in front of Fat Hippo*
Her: …wait… why are we here?
Him: I thought we were coming here…
Her: I thought you made up the name…

It’s ok, his bday dinner place was just a little bit down the street….

wd~50