MochiMunchi

Dragon Beard Candy

2010-05-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

Just by looking at the picture, you might think they are noodles or some sort, but they are actually a very famous traditional Hong Kong snack. Just imagine, mixture of ground peanuts and sugar wrapped in blankets of silk-like strings of sugar...the presentation, the taste and the texture in your mouth...you just can't help but wonder how did Chinese people invent something like this???
Hong Kong is a food heaven, traditional snacks like this one is on the verge of becoming obsolete. I barely even see them in HK anymore. Surprisingly enough, I found them in the Bay Area. That's not all, I actually found a live demonstration of the making! I just hated myself so much that I didn't have a camcorder that day. Why am I so amazed by this? Because the ingredients are very simple, the craftsmanship behind this is what makes it so tasty. Yes, craftsmanship, not showmanship as in Benihana (one of my blacklisted "Japanese" restaurant).

Feeling intrigued? Why not try making it? It's really straight forward, actually. I think the trick is really the pulling part, and of course practice makes perfect! Here's the recipe, you can now get the first hand experience.

SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS:
75 grams fine white sugar
75 grams peanuts
150 grams corn syrup
A pot of glutinous rice flour for coating the corn syrup from sticking to each other when pulling.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Using medium heat, bring the corn syrup to boil for about 5 minutes, let it sit and thickens.
2) Refrigerate for 4 hours.
3) Shake the thickened corn syrup out from the pot and dig a quarter size hole in the middle. If it's too hard, you can warm it up a little bit
4) Coat it with rice flour and start stretching along the hole. Keep stretching until it becomes a big ring (remember to keep coating the rice flour as your go along), you then twist the ring to create an "8" shape, bring the two rings side by side and continue stretching.
5) Keep repeating this process until it becomes like strings of silk.
6) You can then cut or pull them apart into size of your palm. Sit aside for fillings.
7) Finely ground the peanuts and mix with sugar.
8) Finally, you can wrap the peanuts filling inside the prepared "corn syrup silk blanket"
9) Voila! Served!

Tokyo Taiyaki

2010-05-21T14:16:00.001-07:00

After all my visits to Tokyo, I just realized I've been missed out on this traditional Japanese snack all along! I am not much of a sweet tooth. As much as I like traditional Japanese desserts, I have a limited tolerance for them, so snacks like taiyaki never made it in my to-eat list in Japan. I've been to Roppongi Hills many times already, but I've never taken serious consideration for the restaurants here. It's a tourist spot and definitely not the best place for traditional food, however, I forgot the most important characteristic of Japanese--they are extremely proficient at fusing other cuisine with Japanese cuisine and they are super good at perfecting practically everything.

It was a stormy night when I stumbled upon Tokyo Taiyaki. I was drawn by the warm red bean aroma and the cuter than normal taiyaki shape. I thought I'd just go in to stay out of the storm for a while. When I take a closer look at these cute looking taiyaki, I found out that they actually come in six different types: Papa Taiyaki, Mama Taiyaki and four Baby Taiyakis. Each made with different type of red bean and selected ingredients. And, of course, they also placed buckets of the different types of red beans next to them for reference.

They are currently running a Valentine's Day campaign where they are offering discount for the love of Papa Taiyaki and Mama Taiyaki. They look so cute that I decided to buy myself a Mama Taiyaki. I purchased my ticket from the vending machine and patiently wait for the freshly made Taiyaki.

As I am holding my fresh out of press Mama Taiyaki, I took a closer look at its slightly larger outer shell. Then once again, I was amazed by how thoughtful Japanese people are. They designed a brand new mold for this to allow bigger surface to be baked. The larger fish scales give a more crispy texture to the shell. Brilliant!

So, I took my first bite with much expectations. And, god knows how thankful I am to the founder of Tokyo Taiyaki. Finally, someone thought of a revolutionary idea to balance the sweetness of this traditional dessert! They layered the Mama Taiyaki with a piece of rice cake during baking. It is now melted into the red bean paste. The sweetness is just right. I must also give a big plus for including Mochi's favorite food--Mochi! Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, this Mama Taiyaki is just super mochilicious. Even though sweet is not my favorite, but this dessert has made the No. 1 spot in this year's trip. I must go back again and uncover the secret behind the Papa and Baby Taiyakis. See you next year!

Hatcho Authentic Japanese Cuisine

2010-05-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hatcho is probably one of the few Japaneses restaurants that I will write about here. Foremost, I will not judge the authenticity of their dishes because I really haven never had some of these these dishes in Japan, but something else caught my eyes. Some might think that fresh and seasonal ingredient is all there is to Japanese food, but to me, what makes Japanese food so tasty is the Chef's heart and soul behind each dish. In Japan, I can find these restaurants all over the street, but in the Bay Area, there are really only two or three.
I remember the first time I went to my now favorite ramen place in Ebisu. It was a hot summer day, so the business was pretty slow. All the staff in the ramen restaurant were gather together in front of a ramen magazine with critiques and rankings in the Tokyo area. This ramen restaurant was ranked No. 7 then. They were in a hot discussion comparing themselves with their competitors. From that moment on, I know I can always come back and expect the consistent if not better taste of ramen. Hatcho, gave me the very same feeling.
Before I set foot in this restaurant, I've already heard some good things about them and of course, I also sought for reassurance by Yelping. Apparently, this Salmon Ochazuke is a must try, and I did. Just by looking at the ingredients and the plate settings for this dish, I knew I came to the right place. To ensure that all ingredients taste at their best state, they were all served separately, so the salmon don't get overcooked, the seaweed remains crispy, broth don't get cold and the rice won't get too soggy. With drops of sauce, perfection! I can say, this is little too fancy to be authentic, but I can definitely taste the effort and consideration behind this most simple everyday Japanese dish.

I was also surprised to find this Egg over Hamburger dish here. God knows how sick I am to find Teriyaki Chicken in every single Japanese restaurants in the Bay. The hamburger is cooked just right, very juicy and didn't compromise the texture of the meat at all. My only complaint is that the sauce might be a tad too tangy for some people. For me, I do find it pleasing to compensate the fat in the beef.

Hatcho's Tonkatsu is not the best by my standard as I am deeply poisoned by real Tonkatsu in Japan. Although with the shortcoming of limited supplies of good pork here, I think Hatcho's Tonkatsu still qualifies for the top 5% in the Bay Area. The pork cutlet was not overcooked like every other restaurant's, but without the true thickness of a real Tonkatsu, keeping it juicy isn't too hard to achieve. Hopefully they could put more thoughts into this dish in the future so I don't have to drive 6 hours to Tonku in LA.

Overall, it was a great visit for me. Also a plus for their Tatami seating for a more convincing Japanese experience. Keep up the good work!

Paris Baguette Cafe

2009-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

The first time I walked into Paris Baguette, my heart almost skipped a beat. I am a huge coffee shop hopper whenever I visit Japan. I still can't believe that my fond memories of their pastries, the ambiance, and of course the excellent coffee can now be found right in the Bay! Working in downtown area, you won't find anything more than coffee shops. Unfortunately, I have never been to one that actually met my standard.
Paris Baguette is composed of two parts, the pastry display and a sit-in area. The sit-in area is what impresses me the most. They used clear glass for all three sides of the wall which allows natural light to flood in. The fourth wall is a Paris scenic wallpaper, naturally. All of their customers are very different than those you normally see in a Starbucks or Pete's. They all seem to be enjoying the moment, whether solo or with friends. Very relaxing. This is how a coffee shop should be.

On the contrary, the other side of the bakery is very happening. Lines of people mingling around the pastry display cases picking out their favorites. There are baked sandwiches, pastries, sliced bread, cakes, and desserts. Of course, you can also order freshly made sandwiches and coffee.
I am very impressed with the variety of their pastries and their creativity of mixing different ingredients. Best of all, they are not overwhelmingly sweet like American pastries.

I was very intrigued so I read up on their history. Apparently, Paris Baguette is a very famous bakery in Korea. It's the first bakery that fused Asian and French bakery successfully. I truly hope to see more branches open up through out the Bay. Frankly, I think they have far more potential than ShengKee and Sogo. They can definitely attract other groups than Korean. Venture out!

Potsticker King (鍋貼大王)

2009-05-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

Potsticker King was a big disappointment. Their business seems pretty good. They have the advantage of centralized Chinese population location surrounded by other Asian goodies. As soon as I walked up to the restaurant, I knew I came to the wrong place. The deco is very Americanized--dark lighting, comfy booth seating and all. But if they claimed themselves as the 'King' in the heart of Chinese community, they can't be that bad, right? Sigh....I should always assume the worst...

The biggest thumbs down is their potstickers. I felt like I've been cheated. They are really no different than the $3 instant potstickers where you could buy from Ranch 99. The only difference is they serve with a garlic soy sauce that other places don't usually offer. That's about it. Even the sauce, I could buy for $3/bottle at Ranch 99. How can they call themselves the King?? The dough was simply too thick for potstickers. They are probably okay for dumpling soups.

I also wanted to try their other Taiwanese dishes. I ordered the Pork Chop Over Rice (豬排飯), so I could try their pork chop, ground meat, soy sauce egg and pickles all at once. The batter of the deep fried pork chop was not crispy, it's soggy in fact and the meat wasn't juicy. The ground meat tasted very light. I think Ranch's deli department makes better ground meat than them.

Having said all the bad things, I must say the rice was excellent. They used Jasmine Rice, cooked to perfection. The body was dry but not too hard. It's supposed to be perfect with the ground meat. There are only a handful of Bay Area restaurants that actually serve decent rice, not to mention excellent rice. Very noteworthy.

A Fish Ball Broth came with the Porchop over Rice, which was just pre-cooked pre-packaged fish balls with chicken broth.

Their Oyster Pancake (蚵仔煎) was quite a disaster also. The batter was made too thick, making it impossible to slurp. I also think they put too much vegetable. They used 硯菜 instead of 小白菜 which the smell was way too dominant, making it impossible to tell whether the oysters are fresh or not. (Maybe that was the intention)

I am a big fan of Beef Stewed Noodle Soup (紅燒牛肉麵). There are only handful of Taiwanese restaurants in the Bay Area, how can I not try their Beef Noodle Soup. To me, their Beef Noodle is almost worthless. They used udon, the thickest possible noodle to pair with almost clear broth. There are tons of styles for cooking Beef Noodle Soup, and the chef should have the basic knowledge that to create harmony in a noodle soup, the type of noodle should complement the texture of the soup! I do, on the other hand, enjoyed their beef. The meat they chose were the part that mixed with tendon. They were tender and tasty. This really showed their effort of cooking it to perfection.

The Beef Noodle came with a side dish of Spices Bean Curd (五香豆乾). It was a little salty to my taste. Nothing special. Although this was again a bad experience, I still keep faith for my quest for authentic Taiwanese cuisine in the Bay Area.

Gamba Karaoke

2009-05-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gamba Karaoke is a Japanese karaoke bar. They do however own a huge library of Chinese songs. Their happy hour rate is as cheap as LA's rate 10 years ago. This place is secretly located near Cupertino Village, one traffic light from Wolf Road. Also in the same plaza, there's pretty famous Japanese Izakaya restaurant for its "almost all customers are Taiwanese".

The greatest thing about Gamba is its tidiness. If you are a Chinese karaoke regulars, you know how incredibly dirty those places are--comparable to public restrooms in Mongkok's shopping malls. Their Chinese songs are about 2 years behind than other places in the Bay, but they are adding 6,600 more Chinese songs this month! If you like singing, it really doesn't matter that they are 2 years behind. What's important is the cheap rate. Weekday happy hours until 8pm only costs $3/hr/person. Weekend is $5/hr/person. No compulsory service fee or beverage orders. Their regular rate is slightly cheaper too, it's $23/hr for small room.

Some of you might not like that they are still using the flipping book system. That's right, not a computerized system. They use a 10-key looking keyboard where you just enter the song codes. Pretty straight forward. The Chinese song books go by artists' last name in alphabetically order (you can use English pronunciation to spell out the Chinese names). The system, I must say, is not the best. But I think for Karaoke enthusiasts, all the essential elements are already there. $3 an hour, what do you expect, right? I think this definitely beats $40/hr at Music Land.

QQ Noodle (三好拉麵)

2009-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

QQ Noodle is one of the few notable restaurants in Fremont, especially central Fremont. All of the good Chinese restaurants are either close to South Bay or in the Peninsula. Before QQ Noodle, this was a Taiwanese restaurant. Unfortunately, due to the lack of Taiwanese population in central Fremont and the bad location, the restaurant never made it. QQ Noodle claimed to sell hand-pulled noodle. Hand-pulled noodle is supposed to be very tender and has a somewhat undone texture (this varies between different parts of China) to it. This is similar to udon, although the technique is different. Unlike udon, it doesn't have a sour wheat after taste, but it's equally good.

I've been to QQ Noodle twice before, but the MSG-after-thirst stop me from visiting again. Since I love noodle soups and I've been reading some good reviews about it lately. Finally I decided to give it another try. Thank goodness I did because they've improved their recipe.

I have yet forgotten the horrific experience of Soy Bean Paste Noodle from 京味軒. So I chose the Shredded Pork Chow Mein (肉絲炒麵) instead. The noodle was not overcooked, just the right Qness. I wish it could be a little drier though. Maybe I am very tuned to HK taste, I'd prefer stir fried dishes to have 鍋氣 (I guess I can translate this to "having the aroma/heat from the hot pan". Not sure if this make sense to any of you though). Overall, it's a pretty tasty chow mein.

The Sour Mustard & Pork Noodle Soup (酸菜肉絲麵) is pretty decent too. As the noodles swirled in between the broth, you could better taste the inconsistency in the texture. I enjoyed that rough texture very much as that's the proof of non-machinery noodles. Since the main ingredient of this dish is mustard and shredded pork, I was a little worried that they use MSG to enhance the flavor. Hoo-ray! The soup was tasty and I didn't get the after-MSG-thirst. They have really improved.

However, since their specialty is noodles, the side dish wasn't the greatest. It's not bad, but when it comes to Sichuan style 麻辣, nothing beats the real thing. The sauce of the Sliced Pork w/Hot Oil Sauce (麻辣牛肉) was spicy but not numbing to the tongue. Those of you who eats traditional Sichuan style dishes should know what I am referring to. It's a tinkling/numbing feeling your tonque feels. One of the most unique flavoring in Chinese cuisine. Anyways, as side dishes, I think it's good enough. As long as the restaurant specialty is good, I am pretty happy already.

Mochi Making 101

2009-05-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

Okay...seriously this time...Following is a recipe from chow.com for you iron chefs out there.
** By Kate Ramos and Aida Mollenkamp **

Prep Time: 55 mins
Servings: 30 (3-inch) mochi

This is the sweet version of our Basic Savory Mochi. The addition of corn syrup allows the dough to remain soft, even when wrapped around ice cream. Though untraditional, if you have some leftover, try them toasted under the broiler for a few minutes.

Important Note #1: Mochiko is glutinous rice flour that is commonplace in Japan. It can be found at Asian markets.

Important Note #2: For the best texture, form the mochi immediately after making the dough. The mochi can be formed and stored, covered, in the freezer for up to 7 days. Be sure to let them defrost before using.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups mochiko, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

INSTRUCTIONS
1) Place mochiko and salt in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
2) Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 to 6 minutes.
3) Make a well in the center of the mochiko mixture and pour in the sugar syrup. Stir until all flour is incorporated. Immediately turn dough onto a work surface lightly floured with mochiko and knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 5 minutes; dust with more mochiko as needed to prevent sticking.
4) Pinch off tablespoon-size pieces and, using a floured rolling pin or your hands, flatten into 3-inch circles about 1/8 inch thick.
5) Dust rice cakes with mochiko and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer, or use as desired.

Tobang Korean BBQ

2009-04-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Tobang! No More ToPalace! Tobang gave me new meaning of Korean BBQ. For someone who enjoys eating as much as me, I will always try multiple dishes on the menu. So, everytime I go Korean, I have to spend $20ish per meal. That's why I always ended up going Palace Buffet instead. The problem is that I really don't eat a lot, so going buffet is not always a well-worth meal for me.

One day, as I read up on Korean Karaoke places, I found a eating style that I have not seen before. Usually, when I go Korean BBQ, it's either the restaurant cooks the food, or we cook it at the table on a grill (charcoal or non-charcoal), but I have never cooked on a hot plate before (with oil draining resorvoir!). Since it's my first time, I made sure I do enough homework. I found out, this kind of BBQ places are not as cheap as I thought. I finally decided to go to Tobang, a place seems more affordable with pretty good feedbacks. Then bang! I got Tobanged. I totally surrendered and I sworn I will never go back to Palace again.

I went there with 2 other people. Since it's my first time, I didn't want to order the wrong thing, so I ordered what most people recommended on Yelp. It's a family meal for 3 at $55. It's a reasonable price consider if 3 of us were at Palace, we'd have to pay $75. The meal started with 9 banchans (potato/egg salad, stew potato, kimchi, spinach, pickeled radish, cucumbers, bean sprouts, mini pancakes and clear noodles). They also brought a big plate of scallion salad, sliced pickel radish, fresh lettuce, rice paper wraps and 4 kinds of sauces (soy bean paste, salt'n oil, sweet soy sauce and spicy sauce) for wrapping the grilled meat. And of course, a big pan of meat (pile of sliced beef, beef chunks, pork belly, a big rib eye steak and some vegetables). I was already feeling overwhelming.

About 15 minutes into grilling, the waitress brought over some fresh fried yellow croakers--crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. And it didn't stop there, another 15 minutes later, the waitress came over again, with a casserole of steam (moose-like) egg and a casserole of kimchee soup). By then, I was so happy that I couldn't stop laughing.

I have to be fair that the meat is not the best meat but pretty average. Since I was the only one doing the grilling, I overcooked some of them. The meat tasted perfect with all the fillings and the wrapper. It's too bad I don't drink, I heard that pork belly is best to go with Soju. When we are nearly finishing our meal, the waitress brought over a plate of steaming hot dukbogi (spicy rice cake). I busted out laughing, I just couldn't believe they are giving us so much food. Soon after that, the waitress came again! Baring a huge bowl of cold buckwheat noodles for us to wash down the meat. Finaly, it's the end. I packed most of the meat and cold noodles home. It's so worth it. $75 at Palace with no to-go vs. $55 with 2 boxes of to-go. I think this meal is best for party of 4. I am sure even with 4, you can still walk out with boxes of left over.

I then finally had time to look around. The place is packed and with long line waiting at the door. They are mostly groups. I must say, this place is great for large group of friends. The best thing of all, I didn't even smell like BBQ when I came out of the restaurant, and I was the one cooking right next to the grill. If the beef is top notch quality beef, I would've given Tobang a full 5 Munchis. For now, 4 big Munchis up. I will be back...often.

Taste Good (京味軒)

2009-04-30T14:11:00.001-07:00

After seeing reviews of this place on numerous sites, I decided to take the dive. Taste Good (京味軒) serves Beijing cuisine. It is in deed very rare in the bay area. I guess now I know why. The restaurant's located in Milpitas, not too far from Milpitas Square (環球廣場). Its decoration is very traditonal...red...green. I felt like I just walked into China. Their menu seem surprisingly promising and delish. So good that the picture quality actually looks a lot better than many other (higher class) restaurants around the bay.

Well, pictures are always deceiving, but I just didn't expect them to be that far off. I came here partly because I saw their menu online which featuring their Soy Bean Paste Noodle (炸醬面) plate setting. It looks very authentic...just like the real thing that I've seen when I was blogging around on other local food sites.

On their menu, the Soy Bean Paste Noodle came with 8 separate little dishes where each ingredients is placed in a separate plate. However in reality, I only got 4 ingredient + sauce. I didn't mind, as long as the noodle taste good....Sorry, that didn't happen. The noodle is thick noodle, it's too starchy and not tender. The sauce is not enough to 'wash' the noodle down. Maybe a different kind of noodle would taste slightly better.

This bun (肉夾饃) is the highlight of my meal. Costs $3.25, this bun is very similar to English muffin except without the sourdough taste, but the dough is a lot more dense than English muffin, so I wasn't too crazy about it. The meat, however, was very juicy. It's shredded pork mixed with jalapeno and cilantro. Very delicious.

This 打鹵麵 is even worse than the Soy Bean Paste Noodle. I am on no ground to judge the authenticity of this noodle as I have never tried the real thing, but the noodle itself had totally failed me. This noodle is even more starchy and dry than the Soy Bean Paste Noodle. Although the soup is very saucy, but it doesn't cling on the noodles at all. The sauce itself is made of various kinds of mushrooms and with only few pieces of meat. So it came out to be a little bland, but at the same time, it tasted like the chef had put a lot of soy sauce to give it more flavor. It did looked very good in the picture....

The Sauteed Meat Balls in Brown Sauce (焦溜丸子) is a mismatch between the meat ball and the sauce. The chef added too much flavor in the meat balls that they were fighting with the sauce which is an entirely different flavor. The sauce is suppose to coat the meat and make the meat ball tasty, but when the meat ball is already so full of flavor, the sauce should lighten up. To sum up, I think the flavors are all wrong in their dishes. I am sorry, I had to give only 1 munchi rating to Taste Good. Maybe, maybe I am not used to Beijing style.

Lawrence Plaza Food Court - Seoul Jung

2009-04-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

Seoul Jung specializes in anything casserole and soupy, from soy milk buckwheat noodle to beef short rip broth. Price range is about $10 a dish. It's a little too pricey to be fast food, but with the food I god, it's well worth it.

I really wanted to try the soy milk noodle as not that many restaurants offers this dish, but the owner told me if I am buying to-go, even if they pack the soup and noodles separately, it won't taste good by the time I get home. So, she suggested the porridge to me. The porridge only costs $8. It's a mix of chopped vegetable, barley and brown rice. It's a very fragrant dish. Taste-wise, the only thing I can argue is lacking a tad of salt. I think this is done purposely as you are suppose to eat this dish with banchans (side dishes).

The Tri-Color Soy Milk Soba is a very interesting dish. Korean soy milk is known for its richness, even when it's cold. I am super amazed that even with all these soba, the soy milk still maintains the richness and taste. Too add another layer of flavor, they also added dash of freshly roasted sesame. This dish is a great alternative to traditional Korean Cold Noodle for summer time, the only drawback is that you can really only take a small amount of soy milk at a time. That's why the selection of banchans become very critical to complement this dish.

Unfortunately, the banchans given were very basic. I wish they had given me anchovies or fish cakes instead of all vege to enhance the flavor. Overall, I do like their wide variety of soupy dishes.

Lawrence Plaza Food Court - Dishes

2009-04-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

To be frank, I think this place is a bit pricey. Their dishes cost at least $10, but the portion of food is quite small. There are several dishes where you could order half size, but the small amount can only served as appetizer. Thankfully, the quality compensates the shortcoming.

These 2 pictures show the difference between a full size ($13) ddubokgi (spicy rice cakes) and a half size ($6.50). It's really not a lot of food considering you always get lots of banchan when you go Korean. The taste, however, is very flavorful. The rice cake is as tender and Q as it should be. The sauce is quite spicy and less sweet than others I have tried. Usually, people make ddubokgi a little sweeter to compensate the spiciness. I actually like this a lot better, it really gives you the kick and because it's less sweet, it didn't cloud the true taste of the spicy sauce.

Lawrence Plaza Food Court - Nak Kung

2009-04-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Really excited to find another place than Zazang Resturant that serves Jjajangmyun ( 炸醬麵). Ever since my first visit to the LA's Galleria Mall food court, I was determined to find something similar in the Bay Area. Of course, this would be a difficult task, that's why I was thrilled to have stumbled upon Zazang Restaurant, but as usual, came back disappointed. Who am I kidding, Bay Area can never be as good as LA. However, this time, I came back a happy camper. Nak Kung is a Korean/Shandong (山東) restaurant serving Korean food with a Chinese twist. Their menu includes noodles, dumplings and other dishes. Very affordable pricing. You could get a full meal for as little as $6.50.

I ordered Jjajangmyun for only $6.50, came with pickle and onion as usual. The noodle is just the right degree of Qness. Compare to Zazang Resturant, Nak Kung's sauce tasted more meaty and flavorful. I noticed there are less vegetable. Sometimes, less is more. When you put too much ingredients, it just clouded the true taste. Nak Kung's sauce was made of small semi-fatty meat chunks, shrimps, onion and potato. The sauce would've been perfect without the shrimp--you can't expect they give you really nice shrimp from a $6.50 fast food. I had to minus one point because of the low quality shrimp they put in. Other than that, this Jjajangmyun is perfect. However, this changed after an hour...

I got really thirsty after my meal. This only proves one thing--they put MSG in their food. Something I really dislike. Having said that, I still think it tasted better than LA and Zazang Restaurant's.

They also serve other Chinese dishes such as Spicy Tofu and Pig Knuckles. They taste pretty regular, but it's nice to have other flavors than their regular meat sauce. I will still only go back for their Jjajangmyun though.

Lawrence Plaza

2009-04-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Expressway x El Camino Real, Santa Clara
Lawrence Plaza is almost a Korean shopping mall. Situated in the heart of Santa Clara where all the Korean goodies are, this plaza includes a Korean bakery, fitness club, supermarket, food court and bunch of other little stores. I will have individual entries to document them later on. Today, I will start with the food court first.

Following is a list of stores which I find interesting...and are all Korean
Galleria Supermarket

* Size-wise, it's considered a small~medium.

* With 2 Korean fast food stands.

* Not comparable to LA's Galleria. I was a bit disappointed.
Roasted Yam stand

* Sweet aroma, you could smell it as soon as you walk up to Galleria. I heart that smell as it reminds me of Harajuku....

* $2 a bag of yam, about 4 small ones.

* It's fresh out of the 'oven', very moist and at the same time, you could peel the skin right off.
Paris Baquette

* Korean bakery with French technique.

* This is one of my greatest find lately, I will have to go in to this in a seperate entry.
The Face Shop

* A beauty store that has a logo like The Body Shop and packaging like Shu Uemura.

* The plus side is you get to play with their make up just like Sephora.

* Pricing is little bit cheaper than Sephora's range.
A fashion store

* They have a lot of cute clothes here.

* It's a bit pricey just like any other Korean import clothing stores on Melrose and Haight Street and HK import clothing stores in San Francisco Chinatown.

* Quality is not bad and they have different sizes which is much better than a lot of other HK clothing stores.
A digital/home entertainment system store

* I think they should have home karaoke system. Will have to check it out one day.
A Fitness Club
Food Court
A Korean BBQ restaurant
There are couple more little stores by the food court which I won't go in to since I am not so crazy about them.

The Food Court: New and ikeaesque furnitures. There are total of 6 different eateries, 4 Korean food + 1 Japanese food (think owner is Korean) + 1 cafe.This place is still new. I went there on a weekend afternoon, it was very quiet. Then I went again on a week night. I was actually surprised to see so many people. No lines forming yet, but it's pretty good in the current economic situation.

Grand Opening of the Mochi Munchi

2009-04-27T15:47:00.001-07:00

May there always be good food...in the Bay Area!