Y Grill - Wagyu With Style

If you're craving for a great Wagyu steak, Y Grill got it under their belt. Everything about Y Grill : interior design, presentation, and taste are wrapped in modern innovation. On our last visit, we enjoyed their steak which were uniquely presented on top of hot stone. This time around, we're in for the Teppanyaki treat and from the top to bottom - it's an art of Japanese cooking. 

 

begin with foursome appetizer

fresh salad

oxtail ravioli soup

dipped 'em into the ponzu sauce

wagyu goodness with perfectly crisp garlic and potato chips

 fried rice

goma/black sesame ice cream

green tea ice cream. I can't decide which one to choose so I end up with both flavors. two much? ;)
 

goma cake with marshmallow and ginger cookie

Y Grill 
Wisma Nusantara 3rd floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.59
Jakarta, Indonesia
(021) 3193-6026

MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee - Fix Me

matcha latte

Everyone would know how bad I miss my Urth's Caffe green tea latte. So badly, that I will give up everything to have a glass of it right now. So, when I saw MOF has one page of beverage menu devoted for green tea, I was like a crack addict looking for a fix.

 matcha shake with a scoop of matcha gelato.

After a few slurps here and there, the matcha latte wasn't exactly the one I've been longing for. The texture was thicker than the usual. The milk was strong and very creamy, leaning towards too rich in flavor. The shake, as expected were even heavier but tasty at the same time, vanilla and a scoop of gelato really made the difference.

MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee
Plaza Indonesia Extension # L2 - E24, E24T
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Central Jakarta, Indonesia

Foo Foo Tei - Slurpy Time

broiled squid. nice chew, flavorful, and perfectly cooked.

grill blue mackerel. my favorite! crispy skin, moist and tasty meat.

potato croquette. crispy and wonderful.

nanchatte tonkotsu ramen #17. super rich broth! creamy and sweet. put chili flakes to tone down the richness.

After a few slurps of the nanchatte tonkotsu ramen broth, my friend ask me, "What do you think? Is it worth the drive?" I replied "If the traffic was clear, yes. But if it was like the last time when we stuck at the highway 60 for one and a half hour, heck NO." I know Rowland and Hacienda Heights have plenty of good food but the drive may took up to 1 1/2 hour from West LA and I perfectly know myself - hungry man is an angry man!

Aside from the long ass drive, Foo Foo Tei is all good. Fantastic ramen, crazy good appetizers, and one heck of wonderful broth - ramen #17. The moment you enter the room, creamy and oily smells mixed together and you know what's about to go down. Slurrrpy time!

Foo Foo Tei

15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

(626) 937-6585 

I Left My Tummy In San Francisco

As crazy as it sounds, My friends and I spontaneously decided to drive from LA all the way to San Francisco to eat and went back, all in 24 hours. Sleep deprived, food comma, and non-stop driving might not be good a combination, but to maximize the 6 hours drive (x2), let's make it worth it.

5 a.m. 

After 6 hours drive, we finally made it to SF

8 a.m. - Zazie

941 Cole St
San Francisco, CA 94117

(415) 564-5332

French Toast Tahiti:  Pinkie’s challah stuffed with caramelized bananas and walnuts. Extremely scrumptious... thickly breaded, sweet, and bursting flavors. I want it now!

After 6 hours drive, we desperately need some good hearty breakfast.  Zazie is no stranger when it comes to pancakes and french toast, and so do I. This place is so cozy and cute, especially their little garden patio in the back. Breakfast was pretty solid and I'm hooked with the tahiti french toast, what's better than maple drizzled banana and thick breaded toast?

  La Mer: with fresh hand picked dungeness crab, green onions, and haas avocados. one of the best crab benedict I've tasted. the egg is so juicy, the yolk drizzled all over crunchy english muffin and non-chewy crab chunks.

 Gingerbread Pancakes:  with bosc pears and lemon curd. Not my cup of tea, too flavorless. I'll stick to blueberry pancakes next time. 

9.30 a.m - Japantown 

Murata Cafe Hana

1737 Post Street

San Francisco, CA 94115 

mochi green tea ice cream sundae. green tea ice scream, red bean chunks, and mochi is a sick combo. I scream, you scream, we all scream for green tea mochi ice cream!!!!

 Sophie's Crepe

1581 Webster St

San Francisco, CA 94115

 nutella & strawberry crepe. thin and crispy crepe, freakin' good. next time I'll make it a la mode! 

Benkyodo Co. 

1747 Buchanan Street

San Francisco, CA 94115 

 kinako mochi. red bean and soy powders. pure indulgence! thank goodness we don't have this in LA, unless I'll be 10 pounds heavier from munching mochi everyday.

2 p.m

 The House

1230 Grant Ave

San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 986-8612

Mi casa su casa. If this is my house, then I'll never do any take out or delivery, I'll have lunch and dinner at home, repeat that everyday. Surprisingly, this hole-in-the-wall has big flavor to offer. It's asian food not being too asian and far from traditional. Everything is mouthwatering and bang for the buck!

 deep-fried salmon roll with chinese hot mustard. crispy outside and slightly cooked. superb!

 warm wasabi house noodles with grilled salmon. noodles offer unique hint of spicy. uber yummy.

 unagi avocado sandwich. with so many good items on the menu, I think this one is not a crowd favorite.

 grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy and udon. winner of them all, it will melt right in your mouth. the sea bass is so buttery, perfectly cooked to tenderness. the udon is comparably delicious. 

 3.30 p.m - Tartine Bakery & Cafe

 600 Guerrero St

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 487-2600 

 bread pudding. the legendary bowl might be moist and soft but I'm not a fan.

 banana cream pie. super duper rich and smooth blend of whipped cream and banana custard. it's crusty, rich, and filling. out of this world lusciousness. 

 WOW! This is the bomb. Tartine desserts are so lip-smacking and bold with flavors. No wonder this place packed and the chairs never empty. If only San Francisco is not up, up, and away, Tartine will be my favorite hot spots.

 chocolate mousse pudding. amazingly silky rich but not overly sweet. I love it. SO much. 

6.30 p.m - Thai Cafe

3407 Geary Blvd

San Francisco, CA 94118

  fish cakes

 crispy calamari.

With too much food already inside my tank, I feel like dinner at Thai Cafe wasn't enjoyable as usual. My taste buds were numb and all the food taste was just okay. I remembered the last time we ate that duck fried rice was so appetizing and finished so quickly, this time it tasted bland and leftovers remained on the plate. The calamari used to be crunchy and has tangy flavors, somehow become too salty and not so crispy. Either we ate too much earlier or the food was inconsistent, this was the least memorable cuisines of my SF trip. 

 duck fried rice.

8 p.m - Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream
 2790 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110

secret breakfast & blue bottle vietnamese coffee. 

Before we hit the road for another 6 hours drive back to LA, we went for some desserts recommended by some locals. As if we still have some room in our tummy, for last one for the road sake, two scoops wouldn't hurt. We had the secret breakfast, rum and cereal, which has crunchiness and sweet never taste so good. Second scoop is blue bottle vietnamese coffee which I think the best coffee ice cream I've ever tasted, strong coffee flavors formed in creamy texture. Strange thing though, along enjoying these, my tongue went numb and it felt so weird...oh well maybe it was just me.

So in conclusion, this is how you gulp 3000 calories and gain 5 pounds in a day... woohoo!!

Oh! Taisho - Yakitori, Beer, And You're All Set

okonomiyaki

I have mixed feelings about this place. Maybe it was because how much I love beef tongue yakitori, like loooove it, but this place had the worst beef tongue ever. Like yuckkk it was so chewy I couldn't even swallow it 'coz it took forever to chew that rubber thing down. Other than that, this place has awesome variety of menu and taste just like street food: greasy yummy! This place is always a busy bee, but if you come at non-peak hours, you'll sit just fine.

Highlight on the tables: okonomiyaki, takoyaki, cheese fries, chicken meatballs yakitori, garlic yakitori, and salmon cream spaghetti. Their yakitori didn't knock off my socks, especially when they specialize in that department, rather than Oh! Taisho it's more like Oh! That's it?!!

takoyaki

cheese fries

yakitoriiiii

chicken meatballs 

enoki wrapped in bacon

salmon cream spaghetti 

green tea creme brulee

Oh! Taisho 

9 St Marks Place
(between 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 673-1300

yakitoritaisho.com

Plenty of Fish In The Sea, But Sushi of Gari Has The Pretty Ones

If you don't appreciate the purity of traditional sushi, then you can skip this entry. If you're not into raw fish, then this sushi joint is not for you. If you're looking for some fancy hand rolls deep fried with tempura batter, then you wouldn't enjoy the food porn below.

But for the rest of you who just love some fine sushi, O-EM-GEE Sushi of Gari is like a grenade that will blow you taste buds away! When you came into Gari, no doubt you have to sit at the sushi bar and order the omakase. Once you decided to get the tasting menu, the waiter will kindly ask for any allergy and let you know that all the sushi prepared doesn't need wasabi nor soy sauce. The chef will hand you some magical nigiri pieces and until you say stop, the goods will keep on coming.

Let the dish out begin...

snow crab roll. subtle crab, perfect to tease our appetite.

 

toro with daikon radish. toro is undeniably amazing and the daikon is just an added touch of flavor kick.

 

red snapper with crispy lotus root. try to chow this thing in one bite. interesting and Ooh-daym.

 

seared salmon. when I expect this one to be unexceptional, I couldn't be more wrong.

 

japanese yellowtail with jalapeno. a little hint of spicy boost the freshness of the yellowtail.

 

tuna with tofu puree. an absolute crowd pleaser.

 

grilled black cod. a twist on a classic dish. LOVED it.

 

water shrimp ceviche. sweetness.

 

poached yellowtail with sesame sauce. besides for shabu dipping, I never knew that sesame sauce can work so well with raw fish.

 

golden snapper with crispy seaweed. hmmm.... I couldn't exactly remember this one. then it must be just so-so.

 

salmon with sauted tomato. we kept on starring this particular pieces prepared for people's order and waited our chef to make this for us, then finally...wow an awkward combination really taste well together. yummy...

 

uni. do I need to say more? thank heaven I patiently waited for this.

 

spanish mackerel with mushroom. it's gooood. 

Sushi of Gari
402 E. 78th Street
(between 1st Ave & York Ave)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 517-5340