Choose your restaurant smart

^ ^


Here are the websites that mentioned by our guest Shaina:

Chowhound
7x7 magazine
Yelp

Also, google the restaurant you are looking for, a lot food blog will pop up, then it's time to make your decision.

Enjoy !!!

High tea-- the traditional English afternoon tea

Tips and Ideas on how to attend an English style afternoon tea with style and elegance. Learn teatime etiquette, manners, and traditional charming behavior.

Following are tips for proper teatime behavior.

1. When holding a handled teacup, Never loop your fingers through the handle.

2. It is considered rude to stir one's tea in wide circular motions. (Proper etiquette requires the teaspoon to be held at the six o'clock position to begin. Then, any added liquid is folded lightly towards the twelve o'clock position two or three times.)

3. The teaspoon should never be left in the teacup. When not in use, place it on the right side of the tea saucer. And place back the teacup as well.

4. If served scones, split the scone in half with a knife. Butter is spread on one of the scone's crumb sides. This can be topped with jam, if you like.

5. Tea sandwiches and treats should be eaten in delicate bites. Remember to smile and chat between bites.


P.S.  love joy"s tearoom is the place that I've had this wonderful "High Tea".


                  
                                  Enjoy !!! ^^

Mikado sushi-- Friendly place to go

Since school is still going, let's go back to San Francisco, this time you will go to Mikado Sushi Japanese restaurant with me, it is located at 1684 Bryant St.

 Let's go




           Enjoy !!! ^^

Your food Expo 2010 --Shanghai

Click to play the podcast first   ^ _ ^

Nanxiang Steamed Buns, Shanghai Featured Food

A notable Shanghai delicacy is the xiao long bao, sometimes known as Shanghai Dumplings in English-speaking countries Xiao Long Bao, or "small steamer bun" (literally translated) as mentioned above, is a type of steamed bun that is filled with pork (most commonly found) or minced crab, and soup. Although it appears delicate, a good xiao long bao is able to hold in the soup until the xiao long bao is bitten. They are steamed in bamboo baskets and served with vinegar and in some places, shredded ginger. A common way of eating the Xiao Long Bao is to bite the top off, suck all the soup, then dipping it in vinegar before eating.

Chinese mitten crab (Da Zha Xie 大闸蟹 ), a kind of crab found in the Yangcheng Lake is another dish you are going to eat in Shanghai. It is normally consumed in September and October in every year, just the time you may travel in Shanghai right, perfect for you.
Seafood is more about the fresh tast, thus the crabs are made by a simple way, tied with ropes or strings, placed in bamboo containers, steamed and served.
                        

Pork rib with rice cake (桂花年糕猪骨) has different ways to cook in the south part of China, while usually sweet osmanthus will be added  to make this dish more tasty. Shanghai people likes to eat light and sweet food, foreigners from America may like Shanghai food.

Your food Expo 2010 --Shanghai is licensed under a Creative Commons 署名 3.0 美国 License.

Guoqiao mixian in Yunnan (2)

Believe me, the delicious taste of guoqiao mixian will have us crossing any bridge necessary to get a giant bowl of chicken soup and noodles. Originating from the Yunnan Province, this traditional snack/soup is more than just a make-it-yourself novelty experience, especially when the broth and noodles are cooked to perfection.

The price of Guo Qiao Mi Xian is from Rmb 3 to 15 or higher, which determines what types of dishes you are given to add to the mix.

Guoqiao mixian in Yunnan China

Foreign Cinema -- the best dating place (1)

I'm thinking that maybe some of you are not really traveler, but new comers from somewhere else, been here for a while but still don't familiar with all the stuff in town. You may not know where is the biggest shopping center or where to get the lowest gas price, while you mat want to know which place is the best one for dating!!! This blog is going to tell you where to go if you are in love with somebody, especially male. :)

I've asked people around me and they offered me the best one they think, so I'm going to do a series about this, to make sure you find your best one.

The first one is named Foreign Cinema, as you can tell from its name, its not only a restaurant, but also a cinema. If you want to know more information, just go check their home page:http://www.foreigncinema.com/

It will be look like this in the day time.

And will started to show movie when dark is coming.

Every blog I did before was to share my experience, this time I want to share experience of my friend who gave me this great suggestion -- Alia Smyk, from the moment we parked the car right in front of the restaurant and walked through the art deco doors. We sat outsied under the stars and twinkle lights and were wined and dined. Watched a lovely black and white film and had great conversations. It was an evening movies are made of. Perfect for a first date. 

This is more about the environment of the restaurant, not food. But Foreign Cinema also has very delicious food for couples. The price is a little bit higher than regular restaurants, while for dating with your lover, its worth it. 

Enjoy it!!! ^^


(P.S. My camera was broken before I went to Foreign Cinema by my cat, all the pics in the blog are from yelp, thx for ppl who uploaded them.)

Little Fire Pot

I'm going to continue the hot pot recommendation, the restaurant I'll introduce this time is named Little Fire Pot (小火鍋) in daly city san francisco,  behind the west lake plaza. Also you can go check their website http://www.littlefirepot.com/ .

                                   Inside of Little Fire Pot

First I'll tell you that according to my personal experience and the comments on yelp, this one is not as good as Little Mongolian Sheep which I mentioned few days ago. While it's a nice place for beginner who has never try hot pot before. They have instructions on the wall to show you how to eat step by step. Also provides a variety of soup for the base and each type comes with different side dishes.

Someone like my friend who went this place with me last time complained about the food is not enough. For my own, I can't even finish by myself, but it's try that they don't offer too much food that enough for guys I guess. So I may suggest girls to bring your girl friends instead of boyfriend if you want to try the Little Fire Pot. When saying this, I should say that their dessert buffet is so good, you can't miss this part no matter you are already full or not.

Warm you at chilly day--Hot pot

   Went out yesterday with my friend and found out that it was windy and cloudy outside. When I feel cold, the feeling that I want to eat hot pot come up every single time. Those characters will show up in my mind --  Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot (小肥羊火鍋). It has 9 branches in north America 4 of them in America, try to find the one near your place.

I love spicy food very much, but if you can't handle it or your tablemates can't, you can get the half normal broth/half spicy broth combo. It will be look like this.    

LSM has a different kind of broth compared to those other shabu shabu places. The broth there tastes healthy, all those little bits of herbs and of course delicious. The spicy broth is just my level that taste good but not too spicy. 

Meats are all very nicely done and cut there, they will give you loads of veggies per order and their meat balls are huge and very good taste. 

One thing I have to mention here is that the broth is very hot, watch out kids, and don't say I didn't warn you, remember to wear short sleeve shirt a tank top maybe, cause you will get hotter and hotter during your eating time.


It's a nice place for group of friends to meet and eat together. Bring your friends with you next rainy day to LSM. Maybe we can meet there.

Enjoy!!! ^ ^

Chinese Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival（元宵節）is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar year in the Chinese calendar. After this day, it means the Chinese New Year celebrations officially ends. The Lantern Festival is also known as the Little New Year since it marks the end of the series of celebrations starting from the Chinese New Year.

Chinese people eat Tang yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) at the Lantern Festival. Tang-Yuan at the ancient time was made to worship the God of Fire. Also, at that time every house in the city would hang red lantern and explode fire crackers. People believed if everything goes this way, then everyone can avoid the fire accident. 

It's the second year for me that couldn't celebrate Chinese New Year with my parents and family members, to make myself not feel that lonely, I asked some friends to my place, we had a good night.

Of course, we ate Tang yuan, it looks like this, we just boiled with water

Usually, Tang yuan has red bean, sesame and peanut flavor, this one is sesame.

                         Some Tang yuan has colorful outlook, but taste the same, what's inside is more important for the taste. 

  
I don't exactly know a restaurant that has Tang yuan everyday, but it's very easy to find the frozen one at any Chinese super market like Ranch 99 or Marina, just go to google map search those super market, you can make it yourself. 

Its usually look like this

Enjoy !!! ^ ^

Chinese food -- Las vegas

    Las vegas welcomes tourists from all over the world every year, every month, every day. So it has different food for people from different places to choose. For some of you haven't been to Taiwan yet, 阿宗麵線 is the right restaurant to go. 阿宗麵線 is a chain restaurant, the one in vegas is just one of it's branch.

滷肉飯 （pork rice）

See what we ordered! As a Chinese, some of those food is new for me as well. It's Taiwan flavor, and it's different from food from China mainland.

Dessert: red bean milk shaved ice 

Enjoy !!! ^ ^

Seafood cross street

    As I said, food in Crab Landing is just so so, if you don't care about the atmosphere or nice view when you having food. The one just cross street named KETCH JOANNE RESTAURANT AND HARBOR BAR is another good choice for you.   

It's an old country style restaurant, you'll see a lot Americans sitting inside eating with their family or friends when you walk in at dinner time. I like that kind of decoration, if you are tourists come to the USA for the first time, you can have the feeling that this is the America still that in your mind.

Here comes the food

Clam chowder is my choice, they have more to order and you can ask for soup of the day to see if they have any special. 

                                        Steamed clames 

My main course: Captains Cippion 

(source is very good and you can add pasta with it)

I don't like seafood very much personally, but this one you can go and try it once. While for the reason I said once is because the price is not for everyday dinner, I mean for student like me, have no incomes.  LOL

Enjoy !!! ^ ^

Half moon bay Crab Landing!

When looking at my photos taken at Whynn's buffet restaurant, that long crab leg remind me a crab house at half moon bay. I went there last october with my friend, the restaurant call "Crab Landing", nice name LOL.

You also can find it at yelp http://www.yelp.com/biz/crab-landing-seafood-and-steakhouse-half-moon-bay-2.

Now the crab!!!

Then cheese oyster

Actually, the reason I recommend this restaurant is not only because the food, I should say food there is just 3 and half stars, but the view and environment is very nice. 

If you go travel with your lover, if you are tired because you have been walked the all day long, while you still want to see some beautiful view, this is the right place you want to go.

Having dinner with the right person, watching beautiful sunset outside of window, when the glow showing in both of your face, you may see happiness. ^^

Enjoy that !!! ^ ^

Las Vegas Buffet!!!

    Las vegas has so many casino and almost every casino has at least one buffet restaurant. I didn't go to every buffet in Las vegas, I just went to some that recommended by my friends who have been to vegas several times.

    The buffet restaurant in this hotel is the one I'm going to recommend to you today. Whynn is on strip street, keep walking towards north strip, you will see it.

   I'm sorry that I didn't take pictures of all the food they have, for the reason that I didn't know I will have a blog like this. Now you can just see food through my plate and plate of my friend's.


Food in my plate

Food in my friend's plate

My love ~~ cakes, pies,  ice cream ... ...

(The point is they all look very nice and taste so good!!! I would like to go the same buffet just for those desserts, I'm so crazy about that! )

Me eating ~~ Looks very happy when I have desserts in hand.  LOL 

I'll go GYM the next day (well, maybe when I dream that I'm in GYM )

Enjoy !!! ^ ^

Japanese Food in Las Vegas

As a full time student, the best thing is that I have 2 vacations every year. It's the perfect time for me to go traveling and have nice meal on my way. The latest winter vacation just pasted about 10 days, during that time I went to Las vegas for several days, it was fun!

Las vegas has a lot good buffet restaurants in different casinos, but this time I'll talk about a small Japanese restaurant that I found in this huge sleepless city.

Go through Spring Mtn.  avenue you'll see this restaurant is near Las vegas's Chinatown, on the second floor, Ichiza (市座) is it's name. This is Ichiza at yelp, you can see more information there: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ichiza-las-vegas

Ramen is one of the chief special
(very huge one, girls can share with each other)

BBQ is the most important reason why I chose this restaurant

Japanese BBQ meat especially oxtongue (don't be scared, oxtongue is very popular both in Japan and Korea, and it's very tasty) are very famous.

DESSERT~~~!!! My love

Honey toast
Very simple one but taste so so so... good!! As you can see from my picture, baked toast has a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, finally poured honey on the surface. Cut a piece of toast dip into the honey vanilla ice cream,  crisp warm toast with icy sweet ice cream, I can't describe the feeling that when those things are in your mouth at them same time!

Enjoy!!! ^ ^

Japaness Food around San Mateo downtown

Hello guys, this is my very first blog in English, I feel a little bit unsure. I'm pretty sure about what food I'm going to introduce to you, just afraid that my poor English can't give you the same feeling as I had when I was enjoying those YUMMY food. While I'll try my best!  :)

Since I'm living in San Mateo county, I'll start with some nice food nearby. Hope you'll like it. When you walking at San Mateo Downtown, you'll see Japanese restaurants are everywhere. Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know the answer, and you don't need to know why, all we have to do is focus on the food, find the one we like.


Some dishes you have to order in San Mateo Japanese restaurant:

    Spicy tuna hand roll

Spider roll (made from soft shell crab)

And of course my favorite sushi with scollop 

(they offer so many flavors, choose whatever you like)

Don't forget dessert after your meal, usually they have mochi and ice cream for you to choose, but I like the one Tokai (都會) has Tempura Cheese cake. I have to admit that I'm a cake person, and I'll oder tempura every time I go to Japanese restaurant, this dessert is a perfect combine for me, fired cheese cake is hot and sweet and melt immediately in your mouth, eat with strawberry jam will make you feel it's not too rich to take that whole piece of cake. You must try this if you have chance to be here, I'd love to hear what would you say about this. 

Enjoy!!! ^ ^