Category: #foodie

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#foodie Japan Japanese food

Omelet Rice @ Wired Cafe (Shinjuku)


I stumbled to this cafe in Shinjuku because my friend told me that there was free wireless available here. I’m still getting re-acquainted with the area, so I come to this cafe located on 7F of LUMINE 2 in Shinjuku station.

This was my first real meal in Tokyo; I didn’t eat anything on the day of arrival besides some onigiri and water. It felt nice to finally eat something of substance; omelet rice with a tomato-based mix of vegetables and a small side salad. This was one of Wired Cafe’s lunch specials of the week; granted, it was a little pricey for my tastes (roughly 980 yen), but I didn’t mind so much since I got a good amount of food in the deal. Plus, the drink was included in the set.

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#foodie health products

Chip bag sizes are deceiving….

Just noticed this today–although Fritos and Cheetos are usually packaged in the smaller bags, their calorie count is actually higher than if you buy a bag of Doritos or Ruffles. Actually, Doritos are the “healthiest”/lowest in calories among Frito-Lay regular snacks (this excludes the baked varieties and the 100-calorie packs).

It might sound confusing….you would have to look at the nutritional information (provided in the links above). 1 oz. of Fritos is 160 calories; 1 oz. of Doritos is 140 calories. Sure, it’s not too much of a difference, but it’s still noticeable.

I came to this realization today while doing preparation work for tomorrow’s carts; was kind of craving chips, and kept looking at the calories/fat grams on the chip bags. Sigh. Size doesn’t matter when it comes to chips; the “small” bag actually is deadlier in terms of calories and fat.

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#foodie My San Francisco Chronicles

Dok Bok Ki Cravings.

Since Thursday, I had been craving Dok Bok Ki (spicy rice cakes) so badly. The name is Korean, and I am guessing the dish itself is of Korean origin since I have never seen it served in other Asian restaurants. Anyway, I first tried this tasty dish last year with some Korean friends; they introduced me to more authentic Korean food than the usual Bulgogi, Bibimbpap, and such.

I remember when I first tried Dok Bok Ki, I really liked it a lot, but completely forgot the dish’s name after my friends moved back to Korea. So I forgot about Dok Bok Ki in general. At the beginning of February, when my friends and I had a three-way birthday party, we had our dinner at a Korean restaurant called Playground here in San Francisco. There, I was re-acquainted with Dok Bok Ki and wanted it more.

I next tried Dok Bok Ki at another Korean restaurant called Won Mi along Fillmore Street. I went during their lunch time and was able to secure the lunch special price. I remember eating their Dok Bok Ki and thinking to myself “Spicy and sweet, and oh so chewy.” Korean food is one of my favorite kinds of food–I love spicy foods and I just love how many little dishes come with the meal. Lots of little trays of kimchi/random appetizers served, and sometimes there is also a complimentary almond rice drink served after dinner. Mm.

Anyway, so I was without Dok Bok Ki for around a month and that was probably what stirred up my cravings on Thursday. I kept thinking “I want the spicy sweetness of Dok Bok Ki” and was trying to plan my Friday out so I could go get some lunch at Won Mi. Unfortunately, I did not have a good day on Friday and decided to stay in that day.

Yesterday though, my cravings were still very strong, so I ended up going to Han Il Kwan with my friend for dinner. Han Il Kwan is probably the best Korean restaurant I have been to so far in San Francisco. I loved Won Mi and Playground, too, but Han Il Kwan seems to have the best value for their meal. We got many little appetizer dishes, a complimentary egg dish, and the almond rice drink, all for under $10 per person (without tip).

Here was where I finally satisfied my craving for Dok Bok Ki, and it was well worth the wait! I got a big plate of it and could only finish half of it; was happy to bring home some leftovers. I just love how chewy the texture is and the sweet/spicy sauce served with it. Mmm. I feel like I will need to stay in San Francisco or live in another city/suburb with superb Korean food in order to feel sane, haha.

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#amreading #foodie American Culture Chinese Culture dining out restaurant

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

Currently reading The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee and so far I find it a fascinating read. There are many things I already knew about Chinese food in the US (that most of it isn’t authentic); after all, my parents explained this to me awhile ago since they still operate their restaurant in Virginia.

In the end though, what foods stay “authentic” to their native origins when they enter a foreign country? After all, I’m sure most of the stuff I eat/crave at Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, et. al. restaurants are not 100% authentic; we can say that most of the foods are adapted for the American palate.

It’s the same thing with truly American food crossing over into other countries such as Japan. The burgers in Japanese McDonald’s are definitely different from the burgers here in the U.S. There are different combinations and such; there’s a shrimp burger in Japan! You wouldn’t find such a thing here in the US.

Anyway, back to more reading. Just wanted to pause a moment and reflect on this aspect.

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#foodie Review Time

Mentos: Gum…?

I stumbled upon this little creature at Walgreen’s yesterday morning: Mentos Gum. Since it was flashing “NEW!” I figured to try it out.

I finished the whole 15 pcs today…

No, the gum really isn’t that good actually.

It’s chewy and has good flavor for the first minute, but then…the flavor leaves very very quickly. I had to spit the gum out after two minutes or so since the flavor was already long gone.

Sometimes I really wonder about Mentos in general. They claim they are the “chewy mint” but their “mints” don’t even freshen your breath really. Same goes for their gum–no fresh feeling. They try to fool people into thinking they help freshen your breath but in actuality they are just candies in disguise.

I have to say, the gum was only addicting due to the initial burst of flavor, but afterwards, the thrill is gone. Sigh.