I've constantly heard raves about this place but have never been motivated to try it. Mainly because Louisiana style crawfish seems to be their specialty. Crawfish are not my thing. In general, I believe crawfish are overrated and overpriced. First, the only edible part is the tail, which is just a fraction of the little crustacean's overall weight. The meat is somewhat similar to crab or lobster but less flavorful. Some people say 'sucking the juice' from the upper body's cavity is pretty good...um pass. Secondly, it's M-E-S-S-Y! A bib is a must, and I recommend not wearing nice clothes because these little guys will slip out of your hand as if they were still alive.

My group had ordered the Ragun Cajun spice for an order ot 2 lbs shrimp and 1 lb of crawfish. This spice was really good. Much better than I anticipated. Fingerlicking good. You can also get your seafood seasoned in Lemon Pepper, Garlic Butter, or The Whole She-bang!, which is a combo of all three.

As expected I wasn't impressed with the crawfish. However, the shrimp was delicious. It was sweet and tender, and fingerlicking good...Gosh i want some now... I'd definitely go again for them. The shrimp is probably frozen, but the seasonings that this place uses are awesome. I've been craving to go again.

The corn on the cob and cajun fries were also good. The corn, which can be cooked in the same bag as the crawfish and shrimp, absorb the spices and flavoring of the seafood. The corn even though flavored with the same amount of heat, turns out to be even spicer than anything else in the bag. My lips burned as I munched each kernal off in a typewriter motion from right to left. :)

Crawfish $7.99/lb & Shrimp $8.99/lb


The Boiling Crab
14241 Euclid St. #C-116
Garden Grove, CA 92843

I've found a new outlet where I can upload all those food pics I've been taking lately.

http://biggestmenu.com/?user=kabukimoon

Homer: Do you sell toys?
Shopkeeper: We sell forbidden objects from places men fear to tread... We also sell frozen yogurt, which I call "frogurt".
Homer: Yeah, well I need something for my son's birthday.
Shopkeeper: Ah... Perhaps this will please the gentleman...
(The shopkeeper reaches the shelf and takes the Krusty doll.)
Shopkeeper: Take this object... But beware, it carries a terrible curse.
Homer: Ooo, that's bad...
Shopkeeper: But it comes with a free frogurt!
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The frogurt is also cursed.
Homer: That's bad...
Shopkeeper: But you get your choice of topping!
Homer: That's good!
Shopkeeper: The toppings contain potassium benzoate.
(Homer stares at the shopkeeper.)
Shopkeeper: That's bad.
Homer: Can I go now?
--The Simpsons

Yogurtland is my most preferred Froyo place. As I mentioned in the Berry Sweet post, Yogurtland is a self serve frozen yogurt shop. It offers 16 different flavors and your dessert will cost you a mere $.30 per ounce.

The only drawback seems to be that the more exotic flavors rotate. On this particular visit, they didn't have peach or coconut. Though, they always have some form of plain, strawberry, vanilla, & chocolate. There were actually three forms of chocolate this visit: chocolate w/ sugar, sugar free chocolate, & chocolate mint. The Fullerton location also doesn't carry Taro. Ever. Taro is only available at the Irvine shop. I'd make the trip to the Irvine location just for Taro flavor though.

The fresh fruits also vary due to seasonality: Watermelon, blueberries, kiwi, bananas, raspberries, pineapples, strawberries, peaches, mango, etc.

You can find a more thorough review in the food blog Monster Munching.



Chocolate, Mango, & Strawberry Froyo topped with Strawberries, Raspberries, & Kiwi



No curse or potassium benzoate here.
That's good!
But the taste is so deliciously addictive you'll come all the time.
Ooo, that's bad...
But it comes with your choice of fresh fruit toppings.
That's good!
The yougurt contains cultures of Lactobacillus & Streptococcus thermophilus.
. . .
That's good.
Can I go now?

Yogurtland
www.yogurt-land.com
501 N. State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831

Heads up, Free food!

Taco Bells across the US will be distributing 1 free crunchy taco per person 2-5PM on Tuesday, October 30 because 1 base was stolen during the 2007 World Series of MLB.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fan_forum/tacobell/

Saigon Cafe occupies the eastern side of the former Bolsa Supermarket. The market has long closed, a casualty of the constant Asian market wars in which ethnic supermarkets constantly open up to compete for the local Asian demographic.

With checkered walls of black and grey, the interior is clean and casual. A nice change from the majority of nearby places that have not invested so much in appearance. Because of this yuppie-esque atmosphere, I had high expectations for the food. Unfortunately, I was shot down.



Even before you get the chance to open the menu, you're served a complementary cup of hot and sour soup. Hooray for free food! Maybe it was the price tag of zero dollars, but the Julienned bamboo, squiggly strands of black fungus, and lone straw mushroom lurking at the bottom was a pleasing appetite teaser.


BBQ Short Rib w/ Garlic Rice Suon Bo Dai Han Voi Com Toi ($7.95)

This was actually decent. The meat was a bit fatty, but that's usually common with korean style short ribs. The meat was flavored so much that it HAD to be eaten with rice. The garlic rice was interesting because it was kind of orange...i didn't know garlic came in orange. heh. The taste of garlic was more pronounce then the actual aroma which leads me to suspect not a lot of fresh garlic was used, if any.

House Special Pan Fried Noodle Pho Ap Chao Dac Biet ($7.50)

I was surprised to see all the various 'animals' the stir contained: Shrimp, fish, mussels, chinese sausage, chicken (or pork?). The noodles had been deep fried and cut to form 4 pizza slices. I wish there were more noodles though, you can't even see them in the pic. The noodles remained crunchy despite soaking in a stir-fry gravy. The sauce was the main flaw to this dish, it's too salty. I was glad it was a thin watery sauce because, it was easily separated from the rest of the ingredients by tilting the plate. The fish also had a muddy sort of taste.

Beef Stew with Egg Noodle Mi Bo Kho ($5.95)

Garnished with some thai basil and white onions; bean sprouts and limes not provided. (At other places, a dish of lime, salt, and pepper is sometimes included for dipping.) This item was deceptive. It looked pretty, but the taste was just mediocre. It was overly sweet and I mean like dessert sweet! A good beef stew soup should have the beefy sweetness you get from bones and meat like in a beef broth or bouillon. Since I'm not a big fan of wasting food, I managed to eat what I could while draining each noodle of lingering soup.

Overall, half of the night's selection was okay. I wouldn't consider them 'good,' just decent. And even then...the hot and sour soup may've just slid by because it was free. (Have you noticed free food sometimes taste better?) How can you really complain when something is free...

Saigon Cafe Restaurant
9550 Bolsa Ave #15 A
Westminster, CA 92683

Ok, so here's a follow up post to the green mooncake entry. After re-tasting white lotus mooncake, I still prefer the green one. The consistency is pretty much the same, but the pandan aroma just makes it so much more tasty.

Pure White Lotus Seed Mooncake
Zhonghuaqiuyue/Macau
$15.49/box of 4

I didn't know what to expect aside from Korean BBQ when I got invited to a restaurant named Honey Pig. Y thought the name was cute, I thought it was kinda weird, but if the food's good, who cares what the restaurant name is, right?

The restaurant is split into a bbq side and non-bbq side. The bbq-ing itself is all done on a large round metal ...skillet? or grill?...I'm not sure of the cooking surface's official name. It's raised in the center and slopes downward like a very wide, upside down ice cream cone. The center of the skillet is hottest while the outer edges are cooler, similar to the concept of a wok. The food is all cooked against this metallic surface and never once is licked by the tip of an open flame which I've grown accustomed to as being Korean bbq.

I forgot if my group ordered #2 or #3, but it comes with a big plate of beef brisket. Kim chi and soybean sprouts are assembled around the lower (hence cooler) part of the grill, but they still manage to cook somewhat. We place the meat in the higher part and it cooks and grease drains down the slanted surface. We also piled on tons of sliced garlic, and the smell was heavenly. *_*


I was kinda disappointed that there wasn't a huge selection of pan chan (side dishes). There was rice paper wrap, red leaf lettuce, slivered green onion salad, and a soupy broth with daikon. During the meal, a server came by and gave us a free helping of squid. In the center of the skillet, he attached a dish of spicy red sauce for dipping our freebie. From what I've heard, the restaurant usually gives complimentary items with your meal. Before the night was over, we had also gotten two patties of onion pancake.


Sort of towards the end, you can signal a server to bring the finale to your meal. They'll pour red rice and chopped lettuce on to your skillet and you fry the rice up with whatever is left on your grill. I'm not sure if the rice is flavored with chili or tomato, because it's sorta orangey-red. It wasn't all too spicy, but I think some of the heat may've been from the kim chi.


Wako Honey Pig
7212 Orangethorpe Ave #1
Buena Park, CA 90621

After oion's encounter with fuzzy moon cake, I had mentioned that I found green moon cake. So here it is. Mebbe they should be called little green martian cakes instead. bad pun. X_X;

Green Moon Cake (Panadan flavored Lotus Seed Moon Cake with 1Yolk)
Made by Sun Shun King/Hong Kong
$14.99/box of 4

After getting a heads up from spoon's journal, I made a quick stop by to check it out. What can I say, parking was a bitch and it was uber crowded inside. I didn't know that the special ramen was actually being sold at the ramen shop. I thought they were gonna set up a booth or display. Maybe next year, I'll try it. ^^;

Making Mochi Balls, Cakes under Glass, Fishies


Fried Fish Cakes & Melon Bread

Berry Sweet offers two flavors of frozen yogurt: Plain and Blueberry. The flavors are more sweet than tart and lack milky creaminess characteristic of Westernized frozen yogurt. The subtle tartness is a nice change from Pinkberry ( plain & green tea) and Yogurt Land. Though, I still like Yogurt Land more because they have so many flavors, a whopping 16! [For those that don't know, Yogurt Land is a self-serve froyo shop that charges $.30/oz] Berry Sweet's blueberry is pretty good, I certainly like it more than Yogurt Land's version. YL makes it's kinda sour... BS's prices are so-so, not the cheapest and not the most expensive.

The interior of the place is nice, it has a cozy cafe feel which is nice for meet and greet, though i could never imagine studying there like at a Starbucks or B&N.


Plain froyo with strawberries, bananas, & mochi.


Small Blueberry froyo (2.95) + fruity pebbles ($.85)


Berry Sweet
1068 S. Brookhurst
Fullerton, CA 92833

This has purple stuff inside; purple is a fruit.--Homer Simpson

In this case, guava.



Sometimes when I'm eating something for the first time, I tend to pick it apart and eat component by component. I recommend not doing that to the guava cheese strudel. No matter how temptingly flakey it may look, don't break off the top layer of pastry and eat it alone. Though it may be mouth wateringly crisp and semi-sweet with a bit of guava filling smeared to it, it takes away from the pastry as a whole. The remaining openface strudel was overwhelmingly sweet. I'm sure it would've been fine with the top piece to mellow out the sugar.

The cheese roll was a nice mix of sweet and creamy; the fatty creamy flavor you get from sharp cheddar or cream cheese. That's the flavor that'll send you to an early grave, but you'd probably die happy. The cheese roll has a texture similar to a lightly toasted croissant: crisp on the outside, but with soft layers of pastry underneath. As a finishing touch it seems to have a light (honey?) glaze which is baked on. Overall, these two items were good and I can see why they are so popular at Porto's.

Guava & Cheese Strudel a.k.a. "Refugiado" (bottom) & Cheese Roll (top)


Porto's Bakery
portosbakery.com
315 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203

Curry House is a string of Japanese cafe style restaurants opened by the House Foods Corp. The company is behind my favorite Japanese curry in a pouch. (Golden probably being my second.)


I ordered the Menchi Katsu Curry with Spaghetti. Menchi is hamburger steak, breaded with panko, then fried. (Excel and Hyatt aren't going to be getting any dog served to them here.) It's like the Japanese version of a country fried steak. It was moist and flavorful inside while the outside was crunchy. A delicious mix of textures. This was also the first time I've had curry complemented with spaghetti. It was soooo good! The spaghetti seemed to be sauteed with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Eaten alone it's somewhat bland, but the curry makes it so much tastier.

Menchi Katsu Curry w/ Spaghetti (dinner: $10.45)


The kid's meals are surprisingly large and well balanced so your little companion won't be dining completely on fried foods or sugar. It appears to be standard that all kids' meals include sliced oranges, corn, a tempura shrimp, french fries, and corn potage. The only variation being the actual main portion. I would take these over McD's any day.

Kid's Meal: Spaghetti ($4.50) and Curry Rice ($4.50)


Curry house is very kid-friendly. Colorful plates, coloring materials with activity placemats, plus the kid's meals come with prizes! Can you say Gashapon?!

Gashapon!

Yes, those little vending machine capsule toys come with each meal. And if you're disappointed that the adult entrees don't come with one, the gashapon machine is just by the door when you leave.

Curry House
www.house-foods.com/curry_house.html
14407 Culver Drive
Irvine, CA 92604

Personally, I didn't eat it, but it sure looks yummy.

Chashu & Wonton E-Mien Take-Out $6.25


Sam Woo Bar-B-Q Restaurant
samwooirvine.com
15333 Culver Dr. Suite 720
Irvine, CA 92604

My brother had once described his first impression in a local Asian market as this: "It's like being in a third world country!"

Weird smells, strange produce, exotic meats & seafood, illegible packaging. A place that seems dually messy yet still organized. Completely different from the Westernized grocery stores we are accustomed.

Despite the alien atmosphere, some everyday ingredients we take for granted in our diet can only be obtained by entering deep into the belly of the foreign beast. They offer a selection of groceries that you could only get in a third world country. You won't find these on the shelf of your local Krogers or Stater Brothers. If you do, you'll be paying a hefty premium.

Fresh Durian $4.29/lb

I've been told the nice ripe ones are those that have burst their rinds open, so that the pungent aroma fills the air. Definitely not Western market friendly.

Fresh Jack Fruit $1.09/lb

These suckers are big, 15-40 lbs each. If you don't eat alot or perhaps aren't handy with a cleaver, best to buy the quartered pieces or the ready-to-eat boxes ($3.99/lb), plus you can see the color of the fruit.

Spider Crab $3.99?/lb

Kinda scary looking. I'm not sure how you would eat these guys because they have uber skinny legs, so there's probably not much meat. Pehaps they are good for soup or bisque.

Ridgeback Shrimp $19.99/lb

Even more expensive than the lobster ($8.99/lb). Steam these babies up, peel and dip in soy sauce. Simple and yummy.

Vien Dong III
13861 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, CA

Thuan (Shun) Phat Superstore
15440 Beach Blvd
Westminster, CA

Despite the recent boom of shops serving fresh fruit on top of frozen-yogurt-that-seemingly-isn't-frozen-yogurt (IE Pinkberry, Ce Fiore, & Yogurtland)...Forget crackberry. Mochilato, a newly opened dessert shop which specializes in homemade mochi and gelato, has come up with a delicious alternative.


Fresh Fruit + Gelato + Shaved Ice = Yum Yum Yum!

Topped with blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, mango, banana, and mochi; vanilla gelato is hidden deep in the center of this colorful creation. Each fruit adds it's own flavor to the overall dessert. The shaved ice with gelato is a nice complement, the overall texture and flavor is not too watered-down or too gluttonously rich. Perhaps even too complemetary, because a single person could eat this whole dessert alone without a second thought, (hence the size name "Single?") There's also a Japanese style variation which includes red beans in syrup as a crowning finish and different flavored gelato I believe. If you can't decide which style you like, you can get a combo of styles for no additional charge. Overall a very refreshing treat to keep your tastebuds cool during summer.

Italian Style Shaved Ice "Single" Size $5.25

Two larger sizes are available: "Lovers" and "Family."

Namesake: Mochilato (Gelato-stuffed Mochi Balls) $1.25/each


I tried the mango gelato which was very rich and flavorful. The first taste is heaven, with a bonbardment of sweet mango. You'd think it'd be impossible to pack so much mango-goodness in such a small spoon. It almost borders on being a sorbet because the flavor is so pure, however there is a dense, creaminess that makes it uniquely gelato. Every bite after that is almost like a guilty pleasure, because something this good must be bad.

Gelato $3.00/scoop


Mochilato
14310 Culver Drive #E
Irvine, CA 92604

Mango Shaved Ice with Condensed Milk $2.99
Mango is one of my favorite fruits and what better way to take advantage of its seasonality than to have it fresh within a dessert. Mango shaved ice consists of ice which is shaved till it's light and fluffy, then topped with a simple syrup and fresh mango chunks. If you were to get this item served on a plate somewhere else, it would be a huge mountain of shaved ice then covered in your choice of toppings (fruit, mochi, red bean, mung, tapioca, etc.) Lollicup serves it in a cup, so the various ingredients are assembled in multiple layers. As a final step, condensed milk is added as liquid topping. The mango was soft and ripe. Very fragrant and sweet. However, I think the condensed milk made the dessert a tad too sweet since the mango alone was delicious. Next time I may probably request just a tad of milk, or maybe exclude it all together.


Lollicup Fullerton
www.lollicupfullerton.com
124 W. Wilshire Ave Suite A1
Fullerton, CA 92832

I think the restuarant name is pretty self explanatory. The place was packed, as is the case with most casino buffets. You definitely get alot of bang for your buck, especially if you're a heavy seafood eater.

$22.99/adult dinner (Fridays? & Saturdays)
I guess during the other days it's $16.99 but no Alaskan king crab. I'm not sure what other menu exclusions apply.

Roasted Prime Rib (additionally grilled) w/ Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Beef Gravy


Alaskan Kng Crab (chilled and hot)
I gotta say, when a place offers crap legs, they should really have decent crab claw crackers, those metallic utensils that crack shells open. It got really, really messy and painful without them. The legs had huge prickley thorns. People in my party were wary about chipping teeth by resorting to biting the shells open.


Grilled Salmon


Service was alright. It was alittle below average. The server came by to one side of the table to ask if drink refills were needed. I felt he shoulda perhaps addressed the whole table instead of one person. Also various servers/bus boys/girls/persons [whatever is PC] passed the table and somehow didn't notice or ignored the mounting pile of plates that needed to be taken away.



The dessert selection was plentiful: fresh fruits, pastries, soft serve ice cream, pies, cookies, etc. The complexity and elegance of the bite sized pastries showed effort, but no where near as nice or elaborate as the ones in Vegas. Either way, all the ingredients look the same in your stomach, but the desserts in Vegas are oh-so-more pleasing to the eye as well as the tastebuds.



The Buffet
Pechanga Resort & Casino
45000 Pechanga Parkway
Temecula, CA 92592

I think I've been conditioned to expect ridiculous prices for food when I go on outtings, especially after going to Knotts and AX. So I was quite surprised to find this affordable heart-clogger. The cheese was eewey gooey and stretched almost a foot when a cheesy morsel is taken. The chili was rich and beefy, less salty and seasoned compared to Wienerschnitzel's chili.

Chili Cheese Fries $3.50

American Classics
Pechanga Resort & Casino
45000 Pechanga Parkway
Temecula, CA 92592

Beef Chow Fun (Wet) Hu Tieu Xao Bo ($7.95)
There's actually a stir fried egg in this dish as well.

House Special Shrimp with E-Mien Tom Xao Dac Biet Lot Mi Yee-Fu ($16.95) extra noodles (+$6.00)
I love this dish, the shrimp are crunchy and seasoned just right that it may even border being too seasoned. The noodles are soft, somewhat fluffy, even with a slight chewiness. Less dense than regular egg noodle that's served with soup. I think they may've gone overboard with the green onions though.

Whole Peking Duck ($21.95)
From what I've heard about traditional Peking duck, only the carved crispy skin should be eaten with the steamed buns. The remaining carcass is then cooked into a soup or chopped up to be served as an accompaniment. Personally I like the skin with some duck meat which is just how this place makes it.

Duck carcass


Mung bean dessert with seaweed and tapioca
No dinner would be complete without a sweet finish.


Royal Capital Seafood Restaurant
royalcapitalseafood.com
10911 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA

Korean Gas BBQ Lunch.
$12.99/person
It's all-you-can eat, so I recommend coming extremely hungry. ^_^

"Panchan"
I guess you could call them condiments or side dishes. Most of which are fermemented or pickled. Panchan offerings vary but you do get your standard napa cabbage kimchi, rice paper wrap, and green daikon radish. There was also pickled soybeans, potato salad, broccoli with red sauce (bimbap sauce i think), spicy cucumber, seasoned potatos, red leaf lettuce salad and some julianned brown strip-thingies. (no idea what it was.) In the past, they've also had fish cake, rice glutin, and wilted spinach. Despite ordering the 'usual,' the meal can actually be different each time you go because of this factor. Also included with the meal is the steam egg pot and a spicy tofu soup.

Cham offers five different types of meat for your BBQ-ing pleasure: frozen cylinders of beef brisket, pork, marinaded chicken, and bbq pork & beef. The leaness of the bricket seems to vary, afterall you got fat cows and skinny cows. This time around, the brisket was extremely fatty, and i found myself having to cut huge portions of fat away from each piece before it met Mr. Grill. However, the fat prevents the meat from drying out as it cooks, which can attribute to tenderness and flavor. Some pieces of pork contained cartilage so you are surprisingly rewarded with a crunch as you chew. The bbq beef and chicken was okay. The bbq pork sucked: after being cooked it had a pasty consistency, which is just weird for meat. I could just eat the brisket with panchan and be a happy camper, the other meats seem like 'filler' to me.


Despite a tummy full of some of God's most delicious animals, there's alway room for ice cream. Cham Sut Gol offers free self serve ice cream which consists at most of three flavors at any one time. I've been there various times, but they usually seem to have chocolate and green tea. On different occassions, the third flavor has been bubblegum, praeline toffee, and vanilla. Today's 3rd flavor was toffee or sometime. Honestly i don't know what flavor, but the beige color was just not appealing enough for me to even ask.

Three ice cream drums sit a sliding glass-lid freezer in which you have to bend over and reach down in order to scoop your ice cream. Ice cream scoopers rest in a murky pool of water, only getting more murky as each vistor uses one. Towers of stacked ice cream cones rise reside in a cardboard box. The actual set up is a little less than sanitary and makes one a bit wary to venture for dessert, but for ice cream most seem to turn a blind eye to it including me.


Cham Sut Gol
9252 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA