Eat Thai til you Burst at 雲南小鎮 in Taipei

For just 469NT – like 16$ each – you can eat anything and everything off the menu til you burst… or you can order a la cart, at 雲南小鎮 ummmm…. obviously I’m gonna all you can eat DUH…. the hotel I stay at made me and my mama a reservation so we got a discount and got first priority. HOLLA.

This is literally right down the street from our hotel….. YUM.

Free soda/drinks and a small fruit.salad bar.

Papaya Salad.

Stir fried spicy Loofah… we got this twice.

Tiny Shrimp [虾皮] with Kong Xin Cai [空心菜] – Water Spinach…. which is basically a hollow stemmed spinach like chinese veg. One of my favorite greens ever… We actually ended up ordering this about 3x.

Red Curry Chicken…

I love Red Curry but for some reason it just didn’t hit it in the head… which doesn’t really matter… since all the other food was amazing…

Freshly steamed fish with cilantro, chilies, lemongrass, sweet and sour and just super super super fresh!!!!

Spicy Boiled Chicken

Spicy Eggplant

Thank you for finally giving me some authentic and delicious Thai food…. 

Homemade Thai Red Curry with Cod

I decided to go out of my comfort zone and cook Thai Red Curry tonight.  I made Thai curry once….. I think green? Or whichever. and it was meh, it was also in college… and me and my then boyfriend had to taste and tweak the entire time – It wasn’t bad… so glad my cooking skills have improve since then

I Vitamixed all the ingredients… added extra thai chilis, a habanero, extra ginger and extra lemongrass and garlic for more punch I don’t like going by recipes…. I’m a rebel

After the sauce started bubbling [oh I used LIGHT coconut milk for a little more healthy kick] I added in my veggies… chopped green beans, multi colored peppers….. red onion and eggplant…

After cooking for awhile I put in my cod and slowly added in some fresh basil

One for mama, one for me

Spicy, ilght and delicious!!!!!  FULL of veggies and delicious Cod.  Can’t wait to make it for J <3

BTW, Crazy bruins game tonight…. we were leading and then WTF 3x OT!?!?!?!

No worries… we let you win tonight Chi…… so it doesn’t look as bad when we win the rest :]

Ka-Noon Thai for Lunch

So I’m always at the doctors’ lately.  I’m always coughing and hacking away….. so after another doctor visit I headed straight to Ka-Noon to meet mama for lunch.  I’ve been craving Thai for EVAAAAA… so SO glad I gott some.  I also haven’t been here in ages and the quality is always changing.  This time I liked.  It was around lunch time so actually was super busy.

MMMM… best salad dressing ever. Possibly better than that Japanese stuff… has some sort of Peanuty-ness to it. YUM

Summer Rolls

I’m trying to get my mom to eat healthier, she likes the fried ones… but I told her to stick with these. I love the non-fried ones more anyways.

Mama got a Tofu Stir-Fry with Brown Rice

Tofu Garden – Stir fried w/ mushroom and assorted vegetables in brown sauce [Broccoli, Baby Corn, Carrots, etc.]

And of course I got a Jungle Basil Curry – Coconut free curry w/ mushrooms, string bean, eggplant, peppercorn, bell pepper, wild ginger and sweet basil – with Chicken.  I LOVE Jungle Curry but it wasn’t as spicy as I usually have it, but delicious none-the-less.

Just some delicious Thai Hot Tea to drink…. I need to get some for myself to make at home.  And suggestions on where and what to get?  Thanks!

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

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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.

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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!!!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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….

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Pre-Dessert: Citrus Sorbet

Great palette cleanser

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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

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…

Day of Lilies and Thai Food at Ka-Noon

When I lived near Bedford there were two restaurants I would regularly visit…. Cafe Luigi’s… a delicious little Italian place and Lemon Tree Cafe, a Thai place, right across from it. In recent years, Lemon Tree Cafe had been going downhill… BUT… it was recently replaced by a new Thai restaurant, Ka-noon.

Last week I headed over to the Concord Unit of the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to look at some lilies….

After walking around enjoying the views and nature… I was, soon, STARVING…. so we quickly headed over to Ka-Noon which wasn’t that far away

My Mai Tai

It was really light, not too sweet, but sort of weak-sauce alcohol wise :[ Boo!

Some hot tea… YUM!

Spring Rolls
Crispy Chicken and Vegetable Spring Rolls w/ Sweet & Sour Sauce

Super fresh and not greasy at all.. something about Thai and Viet spring rolls that are tiny and skinny and delicious.

Altho, as I’ll mention later with my chicken wings, I had chinese spring rolls last Friday….I have a pic but it’s definitely not the most attractive or even semi-normal pic ever.. hahaha so just imagine me with a huge spring roll spilling out of my mouth [all the innards came out of the fried wrapper part when I bit into it] SEXY I know, right?!

Summer Rolls
Delicate Rice Paper with Shrimp, mix Vegetables, Sweet Basil and Asian Angel Hair Noodles

My favorite :] I douse them in sriracha and prefer them with little to none noodles and just tons of fresh veggies.. in fact I miss my favorite Penn Station Sushi place that even has sweet potato in it… SOOO GOOD!!!!

Golden Wings
Crispy Chicken Wings w/ Sweet & Sour Sauce

I actually ordered these AFTER our entrees cuz I was still hungry but decided to place them with the other appetizers so I’d feel less fattie about it :] These were teeny tiny but SOOO juicy, perfectly fried and just delicious. I actually ended up having some wings in a PuPu platter – my second one I’ve ever eaten from in my life – on Friday night and these just killed them for me. These were SO good.. I burnt myself but YUM!

Som Tom
The Most Popular Papaya Salad w/ Shrimp and Peanuts w/ Thai Spicy Dressing

One of the best papaya salads that I’ve had that’s NOT homemade.  The sauce was still a bit too sweet for me and too much sauce but the balance of the proteins and veg and all that was really great… MMMMM….

Brown Rice

Fluffy and chewy :] How come my brown rice neve comes out this good?! They MUST put crack in it! YES!

Spicy Lemongrass Red Snapper
Lightly Crisp Red Snapper w/ Lemongrass, Shallot, Mint and Lettuce in Authentic Thai Spice and Sour Dressing

The snapper was really thin :T Which was kind of disappointing.. I had the shellfish mixture dish first so by the time I got to this it was slightly cold.. the sauce was way too salty and sweet so I had to eat it with tons of rice – not my favorite dish sadly.. I won’t order this again…. :T

Fisherman Spice
Shrimp, Scallops, Calamari, Mussels w/ Broccoli, Mushroom, Bell Peppers, Onion, Garlic and Lemongrass in Special House Sauce

Seriously the MOST tender scallops and calamari.. one of the mussels was a little off and looked really orange, but I still ate it hahaha #fattie… I LOOOVE shellfish medley dishes – um HELLO, Cioppinos and Bouillabaises being my favvvvvs :] The spice/heat could’ve been heavier and it would’ve been less salty but it was really really good :] MMMMM…

Take out: Sticky Rice w/ MangoI was going to eat this later on but realized that it was warm and amazing so I had it in the car… besides after the huge salt content of dinner I needed sugar to balance it out… the rice was SOOOO creamy and coconut-y AMAZING.. and the mango was SOOOOO sweet, perfectly ripe and just GORGEOUS… :]

Methinks it’s the same deal just a new name….. but then usually Thai places don’t go wrong… but it’s a great improvement from Lemon Tree’s downhill spiral from the past… :]  Definitely will be back again when I’m in the mood for Thai and in the area!!!

L.T.O. [Limited Time Only] with Top Chef Leah Cohen

For the past year, Top Chef-testant Leah Cohen [Season 5] was traveling all over SouthEast Asia [yep and she blogged about it too, woot!]b So for four nights, Chef is serving up a 5-course menu [with or without the cocktail pairings] here at L.T.O. [Limited Time Only]

A little bit about the restaurant… same space, same name, same servers but they constantly, and consistently, change up the chefs/restaurants that do pop-ups here.  VERY cool concept – especially with the recent boomage/popularity of pop-up restaurants. Very clever….

I got there a few minutes early and sat at the bar with a glass of bubbly while I waited for Z to get there.  I was asked by the bartender if I wanted “house sparkling” or “champagne”… I asked him which one was better, confused since I’ve never heard of ‘House Sparkling Wine’… I know there’s always House Red and House White, which unless is in Italy, usually isn’t too great, but not bubbles. He whispered “Champagne is better…” haha cute. And yes, it was tasty.

We were seated at a tiny little table in the back next to the DJ booth, but Z knew me too well and asked for the big booth with the nice squishy comfy seats for us. :] YAY! My butt is happy!

Amuse Bouche
Steak Tartare with Truffle Oil on a Freshly Fried Taro Chip

And so it begins…. MMMMM… I LOVEEEE steak tartare… I LOOOOOVOEEE taro chips and, of course, I LOOOOOOVE truffles.  The taro chip wasn’t greasy at all, perfectly fried [or maybe since it wasn’t greasy it was baked? Regardless, perfectly crunchy and flavorful] The steak was chunky and super tender. The crisp greens added another textural fresh element to the bite.  And of course, the truffles were AMAZING.  I did feel, however, that the truffle oil masked the natural flavors of the steak itself.  It was an amazing bite, but I kind of missed the meaty taste of the beef itself.

Delicious concoction of Prosecco, lemon and vodka.

To be honest, I’ve been kind of scared of overly sweet cocktails since Luckyrice.  While I do enjoy a cocktail once in awhile, I don’t think I had drunken so many cocktails in my life, COMBINED [college included] as I did that night.  THIS drink looked evil but was delicious. Bubbly, light.. did not taste alcoholic at ALL – aka EVIL… – I could’ve drank these ALL night.

Mussel Omelet
Bean Sprouts, Coriander, Sriracha

Adorably plated and executed.  Reminded me of my favorite Taiwanese classic, 蚵仔煎 Oyster Pancakes.. The bottom of this omelet was a nice starchy fried crunchy “pancake” bottom. Despite the liquid surrounding the bottom from the cooked sprouts and mussels, it stayed crunchy.  The egg itself was perfectly cooked – although I could’ve done with a few more mussels, when I did get a bite of mussel, it was delicious.  I LOVED the crunchy fresh bean sprouts.  It played perfectly with the creamy mussels, the fried egg and the “heavier” crunchy bottom… of course I love cilantro – always refreshing in any meal and when I did get some sriracha in my bites [more sprinkling of it please] I was in heaven. You definitely need some of each element to create the perfect bite.

Champagne Raspberry Cocktail

Pork Neck
Watermelon, Crispy Skin, Lime Chili Dressing

My favorite dish of the night and the dish I was most looking forward to. Fatty fatty pork neck with melt in your mouth meat and a super crispy skin.  The watermelon was slightly cooked and super refreshing.  The lime chili dressing, i actually did not expect to like but it was SO delicious and perfectly balanced.

Separately I enjoyed the white wine but I actually found it not very complimenting to the next dish…perhaps it was because of the Chinese sausage…

Cod
Chinese Sausage, Cockles, Yuzu, Dashi, Thai Basil

COCKLES!!!!!!!  And for once, a yuzu dish that isn’t overpoweringly yuzu tasting! Brilliant.  I really liked the dish.. the cockles were cooked perfectly and the chinese sausage added a great spice and fatty element to the dish.  It was diced really small, which I’m actually not used to as much.. because even my mommy’s fried rice with diced Chinese sausage has pretty huge chunks of the stuff… it was a very light sausage – also another thing I rarely see – and the cod, perfectly cooked, tender, and had a generous thick toasted rice topping.  While, Z didn’t really find it good with the fish, I loved the play on the texture with the fish – I just found it hard to cut into.

Last savory dish of the night..and while very yummy, left me wanting more… #hungry

Grilled Hanger
Star Fruit, Rice Noodles, Peanuts, Herbs

I loved the starfruit addition to the dish, Z did not.  He thought it was weird, I thought it was brilliant.  My dish was a bit sloppy but the servings were huge – which was funny because throughout the night I kept getting larger portions than Z did.  The steak was cooked perfectly but I found it to be a bit too sweet.  The rice noodles were cooked great but cut into small pieces so it was really hard to eat – not to mention I REALLY wanted some chopsticks to eat this dish with.  I loved the addition of peanuts.   Crunch crunch crunch – and of course the chili peppers and cilantro are always a plus for me.

Lastly there was dessert… that came with a very very slightly sweet dessert wine – which is great since usually they’re TOO sweet and overpowering compared TO the dessert, this was perfect, light and crisp.

 

Pain Perdu
Toasted Coconut Ice Cream, Bananas, Pecans, Bourbon Palm Sugar Syrup

To be honest, before I really dive into how amazing this dessert was – I didn’t think much of it. I love pain perdu – basically a dessert version of French Toast – it’s been done. BUT this just may be the best of the night.  Ok, I lie I loved the pork neck, but this was Z’s favorite, in fact he STILL can’t stop talking about it. It was a good dessert though – simple, just sweet enough, texturally great, and just YUM! The crunch of the nuts, the silky smooth ice cream and the creamy, yes CREAMY, pain perdu…. with the sweet caramelized bananas – mmm I want bananas foster now – THIS was SUCH a great way to end the night, and one of the best desserts I’ve had in awhile. :] No lie.

Full, fat and happy…

After dinner, I was sad that Leah didn’t really come out to talk to any of the tables so I asked our waiter if I could meet the Chef… waiting patiently we saw her come out, make her way all around the room AND…….. skipped us!!!! SO SAD…. but then one of the servers pointed out that we were the ones who requested to meet her so happy Tiff Tiff again… we chatted for awhile asking about her dishes and her travels around Asia. HELLLLZ YEAH, she went to Taiwan, and loved it. She said she spent the majority of her trip in Thailand.. which was very apparent in her dishes that night.  She was really sweet.. and when we went to take a picture together she freaked out about  my height [haha] and asked if her eyes were closed in the pic.  In which I promptly replied, “I’m the asian one, shouldn’t I be asking that?!” Hahaha… She also mentioned that while she wasn’t allowed to talk about it she was opening a restaurant soon which will also be based on SouthEast Asian flavors.. YUM! I can’t wait.