The Morning After… at Wagamama & SAVORY FROYO at PINKBERRY!!!

Okay, fine. It was the AFTERNOON after.  We didn’t really drink close to enough to be hungover but WHY NOT eat for it? W and I slept in, obviously, but A worked so she met up with us for lunch….. we were gonna head to Cafeteria [MMM Mac&Cheese]… but it was kinda crappy out and W wasn’t feeling well [and had to buy pants!] so we went to Wagamama. MMMM, always a tasty noodly treat.

After going back and forth between a lot of items… we chose.

A got the  Veggie Itame – rice noodles in a spicy green coconut and lemongrass soup topped with stir-fried chicken breast or fried tofu, beansprouts, chillies, red onions, scallions, bok choy, peppers and mushrooms. garnished with cilantro and lime

She let me have a slurp and it was tasty!!!!  I find coconut broths to be heavy but this was pretty good.  Altho fav one would still have to be from Urban Belly. Anyways.  You dont miss the meat at all.

ONE COMPLAINT: They served A’s dish to someone else… next to us.. apparently they always eff up orders here.. it’s good but srsly?! And then “rushed” the re-order but she got hers sooooo long after ours. UGH. Annoying.

I got the Chicken Chili Ramen – spicy broth and ramen noodles topped with fresh chilies, red onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, scallion and a wedge of lime

And W got the same as me but with grilled steak. I should’ve gotten steak :[ My chicken SUCKED and I only had like 1.5 pieces.  But I added a lot of shichimi 七味唐辛子, “seven flavor chili pepper”  in it and made it even spicier.  My nose got sweaty.  They also have soy sauce and chili oil for condiments.

After our bellies were full… A and I hurried over to Pinkberry, right next to Wagamama.. at first W resisted but he gave in and got a cup of froyo too.  BUT, OMG, they have SAVORY toppings now?!?!?!

Yep, those are diced peppers, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers and basil….

Since we’re curious we got given samples.  I tried the cucumber, pepper, EVOO and a tasty spice.. maybe paprika?!  And a salty sunflower cracker.  A had the one with olives, pesto, tomato and another cracker :]  It’s actually served with their Greek Yogurt and was surprisingly really tasty.  *cue W’s face squishing in disgust* hahaha…

I ended up with this tho, sweet for me !!!
Half strawberry, half salted caramel with mangoes and raspberries!

DEEEEEEEEEELISH!

After shopping around a bit and relaxing W went to prep for the dinner and I did a little work.. and by little I mean little… cuz soon I was dressed and ready to head out for drinks and dinner with the chefs.

When I finally got to shake Ken Oringer’s hand, I may have a giggled one too many times. OOPS. These may have been to blame.  I had a champagne cocktail, some of W’s drink and this tequila/jalapeno smokey drink [with mango ice cube YUM].

We ended up not eating dinner with the chefs, just had a few drinks and then W and I went to O Sushi for a delicious sushi/sashimi dinner.

It was the first time I had their Hamachi Kama – only disappointment was this Tako [octopus] dish that was just salmon and octopus chopped in cubes with cubed tomatoes and cuc and etc… meh.  But Hamachi Kama had crispy skin and juicy moist meat. YUM – I had a delicious Lychee Saketini along with the meal as well :] NOM!  They give you a shaker full so you get about two martini glasses!!!

‘Til next time Taiwan… I’ll miss you

I got up at 5:30am

Grand Formosa Regent Taipei Taiwanese Cuisine & Snacks 寶島晶華

Mommy and I split the Chinese Breakfast Set

皮蛋瘦肉粥 / Preserved Egg and Pork Congee

Regular and Black Sugar 饅頭 [Mantou]

麵筋 [Mien Jin aka Seitan/Wheat Gluten], 豆干 [thin shreds of dried preserved tofu], 肉鬆 [Rousong aka Pork Floss]

Bok Choy with Fatty Pork

Shu Mai / 燒賣

Fried  Pan Fried Shrimp Roll in Tofu Wrap/ 腐皮捲

Pingu

rilakkuma bear

Had some Veggie Egg Fried Rice from Taipei to Japan with Pineapple Cake :]

Afterwards I got the Chicken Curry and a breakfast of Spinach Omelet w/ Brekky Sausage and other yummies….  all the way to San Fran… one of the guy flight attendents was super nice and gave me cookies and tons of wine on the way hahahaha… so boozey me ate all of my chocolate waffles, cookies and sour candy on the flight… passed out on some sour belts.. HMMMMM…

At San Fran I got a HUGE Caesar Salad from the Cafe I always eat at there and got tons of snacks on the kid-infested flight. KID INFESTED. YES. I hate traveling on holiday season cuz the 6 hour flight was kids screaming, singing, kicking, running around, and smelled like baby poop. No lie. I turned up the Jay Chou on my ipod and tried to sleep…

Got picked up… with takeout :] Thank YOU :]

Miso Soup

Hamachi Kama

And tons of sushi and sashimi.. MMMMM, Soft Shelled Crab never tasted so good as now.. LOL

Also recieved some awesome packages outside my door…

Eat Write Retreat Goodies they sent me since I didn’t make it to the event….

:D
Deliciousness and COokbook happiness

ANNNNNND… CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY’s Everlast!!!! #swoon

I miss Taiwan. Although my ever-growing waist is glad this trip is over until next time.. #fattie :]

One of Didi’s new outfits from Taiwan :D

And so it begins… with AKA Bistro

It’s that time of the year, again, when I turn 21.. AGAIN.

No wait, I think last year I turned a sweet 16 with a party at Momofuku, Carnival, Maze and Blue Ginger. And while Family birthday dinner is ALWAYS at Blue Ginger… every single year… we thought we’d change it up a bit this year and go try out a new suggestion from my mommy… AKA Bistro – “boast[ing] the best of two distinct and sophisticated cuisines.  Half the menu offers French fare; authentic recipes derived from the owner’s mother, a native of Marseilles.  The flip side of the menu features a creative roster of Japanese dishes, with an emphasis on elegant sashimi.  Ingredients are sourced from a handful of small farms [within] a few miles of the bistro, and pristine (often sustainable) fish is sourced from around New England and the world.”

AKA Bistro [pronounced “ah-kah” not “A KAY A” like the abbreviation hahaha] is definitely something fresh and new and not what I’d expect in Lincoln, MA.. especially next to a train station….

I was excited – we had reservations for 7:30… but by 5 I was STARVING.. it didn’t help that my mom was making some of her famous spicy beef noodle soup to freeze for later… [yes after dinner I had a bowl back at home… and some marrow.. #fattie]

Me getting ready :]

The weather was kinda gloomy and wet but inside it was popping.. the atmosphere was loud and it was a little.. not hot.. but it felt stuffy and humid inside – slightly – decor was really nice tho :] Happy chipper place.

AKA Bistro
145 Lincoln Rd.
Lincoln, MA 01773 

Bread.

Cold. Chewy. A bit hard. But COLD :[ Sad. I want French CRUSTYYYY bread… fluffy inside… alas, no.

DOT DOT DOT

But let’s get to the fun part. Or in the case of my daddy “at least the champagne was really good tonight…” yeah that’s kinda a preview of what’s to come.

We popped a bottle of bubbly :] I got ID’d :[ The hostess also treated me like a little kid. BOO!

Escalope de foie gras poelée et compote de fruits secs
Seared foie gras and dried fruit compote

Not my favorite Foie Gras…  definitely not the worst.. but it was okay.. I thought it tasted slightly off… but mommy liked it. Daddy didn’t like it so mommy got most of it :] The fruit compote was plums and was pretty tasty.. loved the wilted spinach underneath the foie.. the tart on the bottom was kind of madeline like…

So pretty tho…

Hamachi Collar

This was a special of the day – AND cooked to medium rare – altho definitely more rare than cooked… the outside was slightly burnt…. MEH.

Scallop Ceviche

Banuyls vinaigrette and fresh winter black truffle

This was my favorite dish of the night. But it was SOOO SMALL… thinly sliced fresh scallop sashimi.. a very light vinaigrette and delicious truffle..OMG.. the truffle.. subtle and not overpowering – a little goes a long way – LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. I wanted MORE!

This was SUPPOSED to be a Kumomoto Oyster with Uni and Caviar.. but they didn’t have the oysters and had another West Coast Oyster… and no Uni so they said they’d give me extra caviar. They didn’t but it was still good – wayyyy tiny tho :T

Os à moelle, fleur de sel aromatique,pain de campagne grillé

Bone Marrow, aromatic sea salt and toasted country bread

Delicious. Wish the Bone Marrows were bigger tho… I miss big fat delicious bones filled with marrow… MMMMM. This marrow was fatty, drippy, creamy… SOO GOOD and came with a little dish of a salt/pepper concoction to sprinkle over. This is the first time my parents have had Bone Marrow like this and they really enjoyed it :] Altho daddy thought it wasn’t that flavorful – which is why I said sprinkle more salt teehee.. but they both LOOOVED it…

Mommy’s Confit de canard et pommes Salardaises

Duck Confit, potato roasted in duck fat

The duck was cooked perfectly.. the skin was a bit TOO fatty and not crispy but still delicious.. a bit soggy tho.. the crispy bits of the sliced potatoes were delicious but even with the salad everything was WAY too greasy from all the duck fat from the potatoes and the confit.  The salad was DRENCHED in duck fat…. but I ended up eating all of the potatoes and the rest of my mommy’s salad and duck for her :] #tummyache

Daddy’s Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

I can’t find the exact dish on their old menu on the website but the stuff on the bottom was very herbby and gnocchi like… Even if you didn’t get a bacon piece the pork was cooked sooo tenderly and the bacon flavor totally infused itself into it. DELICIOUS.  The “gnocchi” like pasta or “dumplings” I suppose weren’t too bad either.. a little too mushy for my liking.. but probably the lightest dish out of the three we ordered.

My Saumon poche, beurre fines herbes, courgettes, fenouil et rattes

Poached Salmon with “beurre fines herbes”zucchini, fenneland fingerling potatoes

I… hated it.

But they were nice enough to take it off the bill. It was.. ick. Too buttery.. I hated the consistancy of the salmon.. which was bland… the fennel and zucchini I liked but the sauce it was in and the butter it was cooked in was just TOO MUCH…. :T I wanted to like it, I wanted to love it – I love salmon but I just hated it. Which is why I went to eat my mom’s duck fat drenched leftovers… if

Creme Brulee

Perfect.  Just wish maybe a little warm inside of cold custard on the inside.  BUT. Nice thick, but not TOO thick, perfectly burnt sugar crust.  Delicious innards… beautifully speckled with fresh vanilla bean. MMMMMM

FUNNY story. My mom and her friends had come here before when it JUST opened… the got the Lunch tasting menu and each had their own creme brulees for dessert. They had NO idea that it was vanilla bean and all took a bite, saw the black specks and freaked out – thought it was bugs or mold or dirty.. hahahahaha my mom JUST told me this story a few days ago and then AGAIN tonight…  Silly ladies :]

Complimentary Guava Jellies

They gave these at the end of the meal – SOOO good.. methinks there was grapefruit in it too?!… But can’t really remember… a little sweet but sooooo guava-y :D JOY! Made me miss Taiwan…

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

SOOOOO FLUFFY!! The cheesecake part was SO light and delicious… like whipped cream consistancy… the chocolate crust was flakey and cookie like – delicious.  The cherries were SOOOOOO GOOOOD and juicy!!!!

I wanted to have some family photos but part way thru the dinner my parents, especially my dad got super reminiscent and I got all emotional and teary and burst out crying and ended up being blotchy and sniffly for the rest of the meal – until I got a funny phone call from my sis Kate ;D but yeah… so no pix… I was splotchy in the above pic but it was far away enough that you can’t tell TEEHEE.. BUTTTTTT. PROPS to my makeup.. NOOOO gross masacara lines!!! :D Not ONE bit of makeup out of place.. I’m like halfsobbing and giggling with my mom about how my makeup wasn’t drippy.. LOL

OKAY so this wasn’t exactly a good meal – the desserts were great… the food was subpar :T The salmon was horrendous, the texture the flavor.. bland and fishy… overly buttery.. mommy’s greasy overly soaked with duck fat – even daddy’s delicious pork looked a little sketch and on the pink side… so far no food poisoning though, all three of us had some… but it seems like the Japanese food seems to be going more towards my liking… if I ever come back here, slim to none chance, I’ll get sushi.  I’ll stick to L’Espalier and Sel de la Terre and others for my French choice. Speaking of which.. I miss Chef Ed Cotton’s food at Plein Sud. NYC Trip ASAP! Sorry AKA Bistro. Good concept, poor execution. At least tonight… for my table :T Servers were nice, altho as soon as our waiter got the check he BOUNCED… how rude. At least the other servers said bye.

Happy – Almost – Birthday to Me :D

I’m SUPER excited about the coming week…s…. :] Vegas. Friends. Special Birthday Day :] Super psyched about it all….. Life has been so good to me lately. I’m glad to be pushing out all the negativity in my life and just focusing on the positive and the good people.. the good things… :] I may be “young at heart” forever, but some people are just freaking immature, childish and I don’t need them in my life. So good riddance. The past year and a half I’ve been dealing with a lot of negativity… settling for things even though I wasn’t happy – with where I was, who I was with.. what I was doing.. where I was going… with age comes wisdom… for most people – I’m blessed that I’m one of those people.

Thank you to all the amazing people in my life. Friends, family…. DIOR <3 This is gonna be a good good year – “21” is a good age ;D

Daikanyama at Bloomys

I had a few doctor appointments today and had only a banana and coffee all day long.. so by the time my last appointment was done [at 3pm] I was STARVED.  Since I’ve been on so many meds for being sick I’m not allowed to drive myself anywhere.. so mommy was with me all day :] We decided to grab a late lunch and finally try Daikanyama at Bloomingdale’s in Chestnut Hill. I know the owner of this swanky sushi place.. ther’es a Daikanyama in Lexington and she used to manage Fugakyu Cafe in Sudbury.

As soon as we were inside… [coming from the mall side we actually was confused about where the front desk was… haha. It’s on the other side. We were seated immediately.. we saw a kid my mom used to teach in Chinese School [my mom taught 1st grade, this girl is a senior in hs now.. crazy] So we chatted a bit and then, finally, got seated. I felt bad for the hostess just standing there waiting for us, awkwardly.

There were a ton of specials and there was a photographer there taking pictures of some of their signature specials for some article [not sure which] but it was just lunch and we wanted something light and simple.

Lookie, they have fatty pork <3

Soon after we were seated, we were given a complimentary bowl of steaming hot fresh Edamame. NOM.

I was chosing between Hamachi Kama or Grilled Mackerel.. but I couldn’t NOT get the Hamachi Kama.. and it was a great choice because this was SO perfectly cooked and SO tender. Recently the Hamachi Kamas I’ve been eating have been overcooked :T

Perfection. Salty outside, creamy and tender inside. Crispy skin. This is SUCH the ultimate thing to get at a Japanese restaurant [other must gets: uni, monkfish liver, lobster sashimi]

Fresh Oysters shipped directly from Japan

I like local oysters, who doesn’t. And I prefer East over West coast.. but hey it’s always fun eating things from foreign countries… make sme feel special. These were naturally sweet and salty.. but a dash of soy sauce.. a little wasabi and a little bit of spice…they were good going down but kind of had a fishy aftertaste.

Sashimi — Salmon, Tuna, Scallop and Japanese Red Snapper

The sashimi comes in pieces of 3.. I got 3 of my usuals and the special of the day, this Japanese Red Snapper [which they also served as a carpaccio] with the skin off [you had the option of keeping it on, raw]

It took FOREVER for the makis to come out. People had already come and gone while we were there — and we ordered the least amount… booo.. I was already done with the sashimi by the time the rolls came out….

Black Forest Maki

Spider Maki

The crab was cold :[ Boo.. flavors were good and they were big but it felt like the crab was fried and set out too long…

Tofu Cheesecake

Isn’t it gorgeous? I wasn’t that into the flavor tho… the texture is so light [from the tofu] but it was a bit too… tart for me. Tasted kind of limey? But I want to be TOLD that I’m getting something limey before I taste it, especially in sweets like cheesecake. I expected original.

Overall the food was pretty good.. and the presentation is gorgeous. But the price seemed pretty steep…. it doesn’t look like we ate much but it cost over 100$ between the two of us. That’s kind of ridiculous. I still prefer Oishii Too for my sushi. Although I do want to come back here to check out some of their special menu items… :] Like the pork belly..and plus it’s super convinient being in the mall.. I always end up at 40 Carrots to grub but now I have another option [aside from the chinese place and the steak place there – but I don’t eat there]

BTW, of COURSE I went to 40 Carrots for froyo after :D

Plain with Sprinkles and Gummie Bears :D
I ate it at home watching Jersey Shore tonite :] Pauly D <3

Late Night at Douzo

Yayyyy Z was back in the Bean so obviously we had to eat and play and play and eat….DOUBLE DATE NIGHT!!!! We met up at Toro at 7pm but the wait was AT LEAST THREE hours… Me and Z were cool with it but our date buddies didn’t seem too thrilled on waiting — so we grabbed a few drinks [cabana boys ftw] and some apps [tongue, corn, sweetbreads, uni, etc..] at the bar and then headed back downtown to Douzo. I’ve heard about it but never been.. I’m always up for Japanese and sushi so okieeee dokieeeeee….

After another long wait and downing massive amounts of champagne [^__^] we finally got a table.

In true G6 fashion, Z and I ordered.. a lot…. hahahahah our partners in crime were less….crazy ;D Most of the items were ours :D Hahaha… you can probably guess which “safer” items weren’t our choices….

Ohitashi – Spinach with House Sesame Sauce

I love getting this….. Maybe because I love steamed spinach… this was the first time I’ve had ohitashi with a creamy sesame sauce tho… a bit heavy for me since I’m used to light soy-based sauce on my spinach but still good… could use some bonito flakes :D Bonito makes everything better…

Garlic and Chili Edamame

A new flavor other than the usual? I approve.. it was SOOOOO garlicky and delicious!!!! A bit overcooked but delicious flavor nonetheless… :D

Monkfish Pate with Ponzu Sauce

Creamyyyyy and delicious!!!!! I actually don’t really eat monkfish liver all too much so this was a real treat :D Think fish foie <3 yum. Very light and in the manner of Andrew Zimmern… “monkfishy” :D

Kobe Beef Tartar

It’s hard for me to NOT order beef tartare when I see it on the menu. This was pretty tasty [how can kobe not be] but such a tiny portion for this fattie. Nice and chunky… :]

I think this was Beef Kushi-Yaki obviously not mine hahaha

Presentation could be prettier but not sure on taste, they seemed to enjoy it tho :] But Z and I were tearing into our……

Hamachi Kama – Broiled Yellowtail Collar

Oh baby babyyy.. it was actually a bit tougher than usual. BUT HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG WITH COLLAR?!?!?!.. I adore Hamachi Kama, it’s good for you and it’s soooooo tasty!!!!! Best part of the fish… aside from belly and their head :D

The owner was awesome enough to send over some free tartares :D

Tuna, Hamachi and Salmon Tartares… they were pretty tasty :D

The tuna was on a taro chip :D NOM!

Seafood Kaiyaki – Baked on Halfshell

Cheeeeesy ooey and gooey. OK. I admit I like this stuff [it’s like freaking the crab rangoon of Jap food ahhahaha] but it just looks and tastes so bad for me… hahaha…. it was good I have to admit but I just don’t really eat this stuff anymore :] BESIDES I wanted a lighter meal that night anyways… hahahaha… no worries tho, Z cleared it up

We got one of the sushi/sashimi platters with all the fixins :D

It came with a spicy tuna roll which was the only thing we didn’t really finish – wait, did we? Maybe we did inhale it anyways….

Of course some uni.. ebi, scallops etc… we wanted sweet shrimp but think we accidentally ordered wrong…

Uni was so delicious and fresh :] NOM NOM NOM!!! Me and Z are obsessed….

Our double dates got some rolls too.. omg how fattie do me and Z look compared to their dinner?

Nom nom nom <3

Delicious and fun times… but it was just the beginning :D

Afterwards we hit up the new lounge Cure [the one that replaced Aria] for a super super fun night. It was freaking FREEZING tho…. I was running around like a mad woman screaming about how cold my… woman parts were #classy I know :] Hahahaha….

Light on the Dinner, Heavy on the Snacking

First off… I thought you guys would enjoy seeing a pic of my new food scale :]

My kiwi is 106 grams.

Thought I’d show you a quick snippit of my fridge… SOO much stuff, this is nearing empty too :] I go grocery shopping on Saturdays or Sundays, OVERstuff it but somehow by Friday or Saturday it’s empty again…

See all the apples, oranges, SHROOMS, some pre-cut butternut… pineapple… I always have TONS of fruit handy… tomatoes, veggies…. yogurt…

Chicken stock, Almond Milk… Kimchi *loves* Sake, Korean Hot Paste… UMMM, bacon…. different kinds of hot sauce (which reminds me I should show you my spices and sauces :] My pride truffle oils and EVOOs… millions of different kinds of hot sauces/spices :] HAR HAR… Ugh I see mayo but I don’t like mayo, it’s not mine… haha and it’s been there unopened for ages…

Some Squash & a pumpkin… yet to be eaten :]

DINNER WASSSS… *cue music*
Oishii Too

Oshinko Su ( Pickled radish)

Sashimi — Top Left Clockwise:
Scallop, Baby Hamachi, Squid, Super White Tuna and my beloved Salmon!!!!

Hamachi Kama (collarbone/cheek)

As I was about to start eating, Dior was going nutty and decided to stare at where her bowl should be. We both eat dinner around 7ish usually and today it was a lot later than usual.

So I fed her before I dug in….

MMMM, my first time tasting Baby Hamachi, it’s not as fatty as the regular Hamachi, I really liked it :]  The super white tuna was soooo fresh and tasty today :] I prefer it over all the other kinds of toro… altho fatty tuna is pretty good too..  SALMON is still my fav tho.. altho I didn’t enjoy it AS much today *strange*

The Hamachi Kama was SOOOOOO good. And it’s so worth it too, they actually gave me TWO pieces, I’ve only been to places where I get one puny one but these were both delicious and tender and meaty!!!! SOO good, I cleaned them off and sucked each part dry. I just didn’t eat the skin just a nibble or two… wasn’t feeling it today… it was tasty but there was too much to eat.

I also had some, of course, hot green tea with my dinner :] I really craved some hiya yakko & ohitashi today but I’m glad I didn’t get it… Cuz I ALWAYS get them… next time :] MMM bonito flakes!!!! And I’m really glad I tried the BABY Hamachi…. drool* Really good… and the Hamachi Kama… best appetizer ever!!!

And then, also OF COURSE, I had desserts w/ a yummy cold glass of Vanilla Almond Milk :]

Rice Krispy Treat *dip*

HUGE Coconut Macaroon *dip*

My last Sel De La Terre Brownie *dip* It said it was gonna last til 10/13 but.. eh I don’t want it to sit THAT long….

My mom decided to cut my Mamey Sapote but it wasn’t fully tender/ripe yet… so not sweet or creamy enough.. I think we’re just gonna turn it into a smoothie for breakfast :]

And then I went downstairs to watch R-Point..

After awhile I got hungry again…
SOOOOO….

9 Preserved Plums

3 Date Cakes (I LOOOVE the walnuts in them)

CHEW CHEW CHEW.. It takes me awhile to eat one cuz I just take a little nibble of a nut/date and chew chew chew, I get really upset when I run out of nuts…

I WANT ANOTHER ONE SOOO BADDDD >_<; But if I continue eating them I might as well just be eating larabars instead….