Tuesday, May 10, 2011

My 5 Food Weaknesses

When you think of one of your family members or friends, I'm sure you can list a bunch of things that you associate them with. For me, there are five distinct foods that I think define me.

1. Salmon
Grilled salmon image from myrecipes.com
It takes very little to make salmon taste good. Heck, eating it raw in sashimi form is one of my favorite ways of consuming salmon. My roomies can find me cooking salmon about twice a week as well. I just simply pop it in the oven for about fifteen minutes, and come out an hour later feeling completely satisfied.

2. Green tea
Green tea image from schlafied.tumblr.com
From the simple hot cup of freshly brewed green tea, to the extravagantly-flavored green tea desserts, green tea in any shape or form makes my day! I love that it can taste so simple, and especially in desserts where it balances the sweetness.

3. Lamb shank
Lamb shank from Le Petit Chateau in North Hollywood
Lamb shank is definitely one of my favorite types of meat. I think it's from my mom's years of cooking it for my siblings and me to enjoy! Contrary to popular opinion, I like the gamey taste of lamb. Whenever I spot it in a menu, I can't help but order it nine out of ten times.

4. Sea urchin
Uni sushi from Sushi Imari in Costa Mesa
You probably knew this would be on the list if you read the last entry! Even though it is not necessarily the healthiest food to order often, I have never regretted eating sea urchin. Similar to salmon sashimi, I love how it melts in my mouth. I'm always impressed by foods that do not need any seasonings to taste good, and sea urchin is definitely on the list.

5. Nutella
Nutella image from helenista.tumblr.com
Need I say more? Nutella absolutely goes well with anything. Even alone. It is the best feel-good food, and I love how when I dip fruit in it, I can feel somewhat healthy (Hey I COULD be eating unhealthy junk food instead).

...And that concludes my list. What are your food weaknesses? What defines YOU?

Monday, May 9, 2011

Currently Craving: Blue Marlin

What I am having for dinner tonight:


As a poor student, I can't afford to eat out every single meal, so here's a nice pack of leftovers from a few nights ago to mend my starving stomach!

What I wish I was having for dinner tonight:
Sea Urchin Omurice from Blue Marlin.
My sister and I have been frequenting the Blue Marlin restaurant in West Los Angeles recently. I was first introduced to it from my sister, who told me that I had to try it being a lover of sea urchin (or uni). She recommended the sea urchin omurice, which is flavored rice, topped with fluffy omelette and a creamy sauce of sea urchin and mushrooms.

Disregarding my sister's recommendation, the first time that I followed her to Blue Marlin, I actually tried their sea urchin and spinach spaghetti. This dish was very delicious as well (but of course, that is true with most things coupled with sea urchin...). However, if I had to compare the two uni dishes, the spaghetti would rank second, as it lacks that extra melt-in-your-mouth creaminess from the rice dish.

So afterwards, I've returned to ordering the sea urchin omurice since then. It is honestly so delicious, it is worth driving out miles just to taste it! I can say this with confidence, as I am in Orange County most of the week, and driving up to Los Angeles for dinner is no small deal...

And if you go to Blue Marlin for dinner, don't forget to order their dessert! The chocolate souffle is amazing. Even when my sister and I find ourselves very full, we can't help but order the souffle to top it all off. Simply irresistable :)

Well, that's me and my fantasizing. Back to finishing my leftovers I go...

Blue Marlin
2121 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Comme Ça for Mother's Day


For Mother's Day, my siblings and I treated our mother to a nice (late) brunch at Comme Ça in West Hollywood. When we first entered the restaurant, I was already excited. It was nicely decorated in black & white, both inside and outside. The restaurant was brightly lit with large windows from the front, as well as windows cut out in the ceiling, which I thought was interesting.

The cute placemat!


We waited about ten minutes to be seated (with a reservation), and was served by a very friendly staff. The only that took away from what would have been a perfect lunch would be the cramped and busy environment. Tables seemed too close to one another, making it a little difficult for normal conversation (coupled with background music which at times got a little too loud and annoying). Our table, in particular, was seated right against a column, so that I couldn't pull out my chair all the way when I was getting seated. Also, maybe it was because it was Mother's Day, but the waiters also seemed very busy, running around everywhere.

That aside, however, lunch was amazing. The four of us started off with two lighter dishes to share: the Steak Tartare and the  Poached Maine Lobster salad.

Steak Tartare from the Brunch menu.
I absolutely LOVED the Steak Tartare. It was very refreshing and appetizing, and what my sister would call, "a party in my mouth."

Poached Maine Lobster salad from the Mother's Day special menu.
The lobster salad was also good. I liked the way that the lobster was coupled with refreshing apples and greens. However, when I ate the greens alone, they were a little too salty for my tastes. Between the two starting dishes, I definitely preferred the Steak Tartare.

Next, we continued on with our main entrée dishes. My mom ordered the Roasted Duck Breast, my sister ordered the Eggs Benedict, and I ordered the Hazelnut Pancake. My brother ordered the Halibut, which I did not end up taking a picture of.

Roasted Duck Breast from the Mother's Day special menu.
According to the menu, the duck was paired with blood oranges, carrots, and black olives. While I only tried a little bit of the duck, I instantly became a big fan of the dish. The duck was crispy on the outside, yet super tender and succulent on the inside. I did not try the roasted (?) blood orange on the side, but according to my mom, that was fantastic as well.

Eggs Benedict, with a substitution of smoked salmon instead of ham, from the Brunch menu.
My sister also let me try some of her Eggs Benedict. It was a very satisfying dish. My mom also decided that it was her favorite dish from the meal. I loved the way the eggs were perfect, and the textures of all the components tasted very nice together. I would love to come back and order this myself next time.

Hazelnut Pancake from the Brunch menu.
The Hazeulnut Pancake was topped with berries, pistachios, and... brace yourself... foie gras butter (which made my decision of what to order much easier). Although I was slightly disappointed in the presentation, as it didn't look as promising as my mom or sister's dishes, I was very satisfied in the end. It was a perfectly filling dish. The butter, as you may imagine, made the pancake PERFECT (note the caps!). I also liked that after I finished eating it, I didn't feel like I gained 50 pounds. It was filling, but also very light.

After we finished with our entrées, we tried their desserts as well! My mom got the Crème Brûlée (not pictured), my brother got the Profiteroles, and my sister and I both got the Chocolate Caramel Tart.

Profiteroles from the Dessert menu.
I slightly regretted not ordering this after my mother tried it and gave raving comments about it! Although it is listed as being stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream, my brother told us that the one in the middle was actually green tea flavored. I cringed. Green tea flavored foods complete me... I must come back again to try it!

Chocolate Caramel Tart from the Mother's Day special menu.
This was every bite as tasty as it sounds. The ice cream listed was popcorn ice cream too, and not just plain vanilla ice cream. Although I loved every bit of it, I am sad to admit that I was not able to finish it. It was simply too filling :( Don't get me wrong, it's still very very good, and I highly recommend it! (Just maybe not after a filling meal.)

So all in all, I would definitely like to return to Comme Ça and maybe try out their other dishes, such as the burgers and sandwiches that many people seemed to be ordering! And definitely their profiteroles. Yum!

Comme Ça
8479 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Friday, May 6, 2011

Hello!

Since moving into my own apartment with my roommates for college, I have spent a majority of my meals eating out. Always one to be adventurous with my food, I started an album on my Facebook cataloging all of my most memorable and interesting eats. As an extension of that project, I've decided to create this blog to share my favorite restaurants and foods I have come across!

As for the blog name, I decided on titling it after two of my favorite foods! Those who know me may already know I carry a bit of an obsession with Matcha green tea. Anything flavored with green tea is an instant win for me (pancakes, crème brûlée, ice cream, milk, etc). Pavlova is another killer food, and so I'll leave you with a picture of it :)

I hope you enjoy my blog, and if you ever need any ideas for places to go eat, please check back often!

Pavlova from The Cheesecake Shop in Sydney, Australia