Revisit to Foo Foo Tei

One of the many posts that is long overdue. A couple months back I went back to Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda to get a bowl of ramen before class.


The usual suspects.


Nasu miso to start. It was a little too salty for me. I'm no expert though on this dish, only having it at one other place, which made it more on the sweet side. Anyone have a recipe for this?


Yasai Shio Ramen with Chasu. Lots of veggies in a good sized bowl. Personally, I am a miso fan, but I decided to take a risk and to go for the shio. I didn't like the consistency of the broth because it was kinda thick. If you ever cooked those non freeze dried / "fresh" noodles in the soup base instead of cooking them separately, you'll know what I'm talking about. Not sure what was going on that day. While I did enjoy the taste, I still like miso better =)


Oodles of noodles.


Friend ordered the Shin Shin ramen. It was supposed to be very spicy, but he said it wasn't too bad.

I finally experienced the horrendous wait here, so it's best to come during the off hours. Service was quick and efficient despite the growing crowd.

Foo Foo Tei
15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

Have a nice Sunday!

K-town to J-town

Location: Los Angeles, Koreatown, The Corner Place.

Objective: To take grandpappy out for lunch.


The menu.


Banchan to the right of the gas grill: Some sweet black beans, vinegary radish and carrots, and some cool radish kimchi chilling in a light salty broth. Also some sesame oil and some scallions in a light oil dressing and lightly dusted with red pepper for the meat.


Banchan to the left of the grill: Kimchi, sprouts, some nonspicy cabbage kimchi, spicy squash, and I forget what the last dish was. It looks like ginger, but it wasn't...Overall a decent selection of sides.


The bulgogi. One thing you immediately notice is that they give you a lot of meat. We just put in one order, and this was about half of the serving. I'd say 1 order of bulgogi is good for 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are.

*Caveat: I was a bit wary this time around when we ordered. On a past visit, I bit into a piece of meat that tasted horribly off, like it had been wallowing around on the dirty floor and then decided to jump back into the tub with the rest of its doomed brethren. It didn't happen this time, and I thank the sweet lord above for that. My cousin also said this had happened to her once. =/
Otherwise, the bulgogi was good. The meat was tender and marinated nicely with a good ratio of sweet and salty.


If you read the menu and were wondering what in the world was "Cold Noodles in Soup," it is dong chimi gooksu, a dish that Gil Mok/The Corner Place is known for. Above is the regular size. A very minimal dish made up of noodles, green onions, and a slice of tomato for garnish in a cool radish soup...the same salty brine that the white cabbage/radish kimchi, but slightly modified. It was a bit sweet, which made me wonder if they used sugar or even 7 up. I remember when I was younger and visited Korea, we visited this nengmyun place that used Chilsung Cider (think 7up/Sprite) in their broth. Some may find it plain, but I enjoyed it with the banchan and found it to be a nice remedy for the hot weather.

Service was prompt and friendly, and no real complaints besides that one time w/ the meat. My grandpa seems to like the place, and although he is a bit demanding to say the least, the staff was patient with him.


2819 James M Wood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006

*Parking can be quite a hassle since everyone in the tiny plaza decided to each put "Parking only for ___" on a few spots in an already small parking lot. I hate that! So, if you park in the wrong spot, you may be chastised by the local parking security officer and shooed away. So far though, I've been lucky*

We also stopped by Little Tokyo to pick up some manjoo. I ended up dropping my grandpa off to get the goods while I aimlessly circled around trying to find parking.


These were freshly made and still steaming...


and filled with red beans that had been sweetened with honey.

Simple and delicious.

I never did find out where he got it, but he told me it was from a little street vendor in the plaza between 1st and 2nd. Perhaps you readers have a better idea of where it is than I do.

Hump Day Randoms

I love Wednesdays. Well, Wednesday nights to be more exact as I drive home from work. I have one easy class on Thursdays, and even though I have to work part of the weekend, I don't mind because the worst of the week is over.

Last Sunday, I finally got to try one of the many recipes I've had bookmarked for a good while now and made some Rosemary Apricot Bars that I saw on Gastronomy's blog.


Here's a piece. Mine was nowhere as pretty as hers, but I was happy with the taste. The only thing I think I messed up on was the consistency of the topping. I didn't mix it well enough and I could have added a little more butter to avoid some parts that had a gritty feel from just being unmixed sugar. Still it was a lot of fun to make and even better to eat!

I also met up with some of my cousins last weekend, and one of them surprised me with a few beers he had picked up for me. So without further ado, the beers of the month:


I've only tried the Franziskaner before, so I look forward to drinking them all...in one sitting. Kidding!

Hope your week is going well, and huzzah huzzah, tomorrow is Thursday!

Golden City

Last bit on my past SD trip. I had the chance to get lunch with several other food bloggers: Kirk and Cathy from mmm-yoso, Carol from CABcooks and Dennis from A Radiused Corner. No shyness this time. Camera was out without hesitation. =) Kirk took care of the ordering.


Some egg rolls and crispy things were served as a part of their lunch special.


Soup or soup? I chose soup. Hot and sour (other choice was egg drop I believe)


Our waiter putting on his gloves and ready to get down to business w/ that duck. The man deftly cut the duck and wheeled the cart away.


The product: slices of crispy skin, compliments of the man's knife skills. Now grab a little of that along with some scallions...


Slap it one of these piping hot buns, fresh from the steamer. Dab a little hoisin sauce on it and...


boom! My sammwich. I have never had peking duck before and found it to be a fun experience. The total was $20, which I was told was a good deal.


The second course of duck: lettuce wraps with duck meat and some water chestnut.


Pork Intestine w/ pickled vegetables. Another new dish for me. It tasted just like you'd imagine it to be. The pickled vegetables were sweet, reminding me of pineapple/sweet and sour, and helped to cut through the offal taste. Overall though, not bad, and I got to try something new.


Steamed pork w/ preserved vegetables. Very fatty and just enough to give you a heart attack. Enjoy!


Beef stew w/ daikon.


Kwai Fei Chicken. Cold chicken in some kind of ginger sauce. Nice to gnaw on.


Fish w/ black bean sauce. I liked eating this over some rice.

So there you have it. If you're not in the mood for Mexican, San Diego is a place with few late night options, but luckily Golden City is one of those place you can go to for some cheap eats. The total for five people came to around 17 bucks/person (?)

Want to read more? Check out Carol and Dennis' take, or check out mmm-yoso for a multitude of posts as well as Kirbie's Cravings, who has recently written about GC as well.


I always liked the colors of this sign. You'll see the plaza right off the 163.

Golden City
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

Good company along with trying new food made this lunch a lot of fun, and I hope to do it again sometime soon. Afterward, I saw some new massage place that opened up that had an hour massage for around 20 bucks. So to work off my food coma, off I went. Not a bad deal at all.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Roy's

Previously on mother may i?

I was able to go down to San Diego for a few days in August before school started. A friend who works at Roy's invited me to try the place out, so, getting the rare chance to eat at a nice place/being a poor student, I wholeheartedly agreed. Throughout the meal, I learned a lot about how the restaurant works and how things are prepared. But as I sit to write down this post, I realize how much I've forgotten since then =/ Sorry all, but I have limited space in my head and had to make some room for school. So onto the food.


Started off with some edamame seasoned with some Japanese spice.


Soon after the rolls appeared along with a bottle of white wine (whose name I forget). Lakanilau Roll(left): Seared Kobe Beef wrapped around Snow Crab, Tempura Asparagus. I've never had Kobe beef before. The beef was a little bit rubbery, having been sitting so long and waiting to be eaten while my friend and I caught up with each other. The crab tasted different to me as I'm not quite sure if I've ever had real crab before in a roll...only krab =) I like crab and I liked the roll, but it just tasted a little weird. I still kept eating it though. Avocado Sunrise at Haleakala (right): Tuna, Hamachi, Salmon, Avocado & Asparagus Tempura Roll with Dynamite Butter. The tempura and butter sauce made this very rich. The mix of fish reminded me of this box type roll I had once at Sammy's Sushi in SD. And in the back was some other roll that I can't remember, either a shrimp tempura or a spicy tuna roll.

I can't remember what roll this was either. Maybe an eel roll topped with some roe? The sushi was pretty good and fresh as far as I could tell, and I thought that it could have done without the sauce.


We also ordered another appetizer: Tarragon Pesto Grilled Japanese Eggplant Staircase Molten Brie, Fried Capers & Balsamic Onions. I love eggplant, and this was a nice new spin on the vegetable I once hated as a kid.


Having stuffed ourselves on the appetizers, we shared a trio: Roy's Original Blackened Island Ahi, Hibachi Grilled Salmon, and Hawaiian Style Misoyaki Butterfish.

My favorite out of the three was definitely the butterfish. I've had it before, but only at a sushi joint and never cooked. It was very fluffy and soft, and the sauce was light and sweet. The salmon was good, but to be honest, I've never really had salmon at a place that blew my mind. I feel I can make the same at home and would be just as happy squirting some siracha on it. The Ahi came in some kind of mustard sauce.


Gotta have that rice!

And we still had dessert: Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Hot, Molten Center; served with Raspberry Coulis and Vanilla Ice Cream. Rich hot chocolate inside the cake, which made this so good. I could definitely go for some right now...

I eat well everytime I come down to SD, and this meal was no exception. The food was great, the presentation beautiful, and the service prompt and timely although I admit my view is biased since my friend works there. But regardless, a mahalo to Mr. Magoo for dinner and the wonderful experience! Ono brah! (haha had to put that in there =p )

Roy's
8670 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122

Next time on mother may i?: A lunch with some fellow food bloggers in SD, who have already posted about it, making my job a lot easier... =D