Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Gastronomy in Germany!

Visited Berlin last April on a one month backpacking trip across Europe! Studying and living in England introduced me to the kebap and the döner, of which I was told were Turkish... later I was told that the döner is originally German! Regardless of whether that's true or not, you can guess what my first meal in Berlin was then...

Yes, that is the Brandenburg gate in the background! Anyways, this döner, from a cart in the road (go street food!) was the best one I'd ever had. Probably one of the cheapest too. The döner-kebap is closely related to Greek gyros. The meat in the döner, whether chicken, lamb or beef, is roasted on a rotating spit and sliced off into flatbread and then accompanied by sliced raw onions, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and a yoghurt sauce similar to tzatziki. The veggies were so refreshing after coming out of a carb-saturated tour of Italy!

Amidst a free walking tour, my eyes landed on this famous chocolatier:

Going as far back as 1863, Fassbender and Rausch were chosen as the official chocolate suppliers to the royal German family. That spells quality, no?

After the tour, my travel buddy and I made a beeline back to the chocolate shop (shop is a bit of an understatement as the place consists of multiple floors lined in marble, gold gilding and glass).


After drooling over the truffles, buying samples for ourselves and friends back home, we took the elevator up to the 2nd floor cafe. In the late afternoon there were plenty of people having their between-meals coffees. We popped open the menu and perused a bit after we were shown to a table with a pretty fabulous view.


The menu's prices were around what we expected for a pretty fancy place, but we figured, hey, we're staying in a hostel, not a hotel; we've been eating cheap (but amazing) street food, and we've been walking everywhere, thus saving lots of money. Why not?

What's an afternoon coffee-break without coffee? And they gave a complimentary chocolate!

Traditional apple strudel. Excellent, light, flaky, buttery and perfectly sweet! Great presentation as well!

The eisschokolade (ice-chocolate drink) was definitely my favourite, being a chocoholic. They didn't skimp on the cocoa neither. Plus, who doesn't love fresh whipped cream? Heavenly!

Another venture with sweets that I partook in was a trip to KaDeWe, a fancy superstore of an establishment with a famous gourmet food court.

The inside was absolutely glorious! Fancy glass shelves and cases filled with beautifully plated pastries--everything you can imagine! Cakes, cupcakes, streudels, macarons, truffles, meringues, tarts, brownies...


It was such a difficult time choosing what to sample! So four of us settled to split these two beauties:

Our friend on the right is an apple pastry with streusel on top, a bit resembling a bear claw. The pastry on the right is a strawberries and cream tart (the whipped strawberry cream was spiked with some liquor and pretty strong). I must say, I gave the award to the apple pastry, which was buttery and rather donut-like.

In addition to sweets and street food, we also tried to sample more formal traditional cuisine. Our tour guide recommended a place to us called zum Paddenwirt that was slightly touristy, but served up reasonably priced German food. I decided to order herring with potatoes and sauerkraut.


Being the seafood-lover that I am, I enjoyed the herring quite a lot; it definitely needed the potatoes and yoghurt sauce to balance out the saltiness. The sprig of dill on top was a pretty touch as well.

My friends, feeling quite adventurous ordered pork knuckle/ankle with sauerkraut and potatoes. They enjoyed their fare a little less, so I probably ate most of it, to be honest. A little background: at home I eat pork ankle quite a bit, being of asian heritage and all, so it didn't freak me out. In fact, it was really good trying it pickled instead of braised in soy-sauce, which is also delicious.
Am I making your stomach turn? Maybe I can convince you: if you're willing to eat hot dogs or sausages (assuming you know what these are made of), what's to stop you from trying ankle? Really, it's just another piece of the animal (although, disclaimer: there are parts that I would not try).

Next up, wursts! (I spared you so many terrible puns just now...) Of course one has to sample the various wursts/sausages of Berlin when trying to get a good grasp of the country's culture. It's what Germany is known for, right?

Over our month's worth of trips, we made a habit out of looking up famous eateries; one of them was Currypoint (above). That was actually the last place we went and since we'd already had bratwurst and currywurst, we went for bockwurst!:

Bockwurst is different from bratwurst in that it is usually made with veal; it is also often simmered instead of grilled. It came with a side of potato salad.


Bratwurst is generally made of beef or pork, but it can be found made of veal; eaten with a sweet or hot German mustard, it can be then called currywurst!
Aside from the flavour, something else you should look for in a wurst is that snap you get when taking a bite; when cooked/grilled, the ground meat inside the casing expands, making the casing taut and giving you that satisfying snap on first bite!

Also bought a popular German drink called Mezzo Mix; the best way to describe it is orange Fanta mixed with Coke--in fact, when I spent New Years with my friend Lena in Germany, she and her friends made their own with Coca Cola and Fanta. Alas, we don't have it in the U.S...

Want to hear a secret?
My favourite sausage EVER is actually the käsewurst... which I ate in Leeds at the German Christmas Market.

The real kicker is that packed in the ground meat, there are squares of CHEESE and when the wurst is grilled, the cheese melts! This goes onto the list of one of the best things I've ever eaten.

In a Bowl, on Wheels, Off to Flavortown!

I was hangin' with my brother and our friend Eric yesterday; we decided to go get something to eat because that's our favourite past time.


And it was about 10:30pm and our palates and stomaches were being tortured watching Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." (And of course there's Guy Fieri of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," whose job we are all secretly coveting... if only it didn't come with the bleach blonde hair and its tool-y disposition).

After making consulting with the crystal ball that is Yelp for a late-night eatery, we decided to make a trip to Asa Ramen, a hole-in-the way ramen shop in the South Bay. It was the last night all three of us were in the same city, so why not grab so local eats!

We were really lucky to have gotten there on the first go as the place is really easy to miss. The shop sign is also in Japanese kanji, which we can barely read. Venturing a guess, we turned out to be right. The restaurant side (I think the other half of the place is a bar) was starting to fill up with its late night patrons so we were seated at the bar. The menu was thankfully short (two ramens with an assortment of takoyaki--fried octopus with various toppings), with big enough writing for the dimly-lit establishment, and reading Yelp reviews made ordering even easier!

"3 Koterri Ramen please!"

I usually smell the food before I eat it--it's just a habit--and I couldn't wait to sip the fragrant broth even though I'm pretty sure they just spooned it out of a boiling hot pot. It tasted just as good as it smelled! Eric told us that "koterri" means "rich," as in "rich in flavour." The seasoning was amazing, having absorbed all the flavour that the sliced pork has to offer (when eating ramen, one of the pillars of judgment is the taste of the broth). It really is one of the best, if not the best, broths I've had in ramen ever! Being both flavourful and tasty, there was a lot of body to the broth, it wasn't oily and the green onions held its hand like an old friend! As a comfort food, there wasn't a crazy lot of dimension to the broth, but that's not what you're looking for in comfort food anyways. Though nice and light, the broth is the statement in the ramen!

The noodles were cooked al dente and are probably made in the shop. The toppings on the ramen were modest, containing plenty of chopped green onions, two slices of pork and sliced bamboo, which I really enjoyed. The bowl cost about $6 (one can upgrade to a large size for an additional $2). Asa is modest in size: when we left, there was a line going out the door. If you do plan a trip there, I would recommend going with a small party, as it's a more intimate eatery. Overall, it was a pleasant eating experience and I am definitely planning on making a trip to Asa Ramen again!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Speakeasies in San Diego

I first discovered the novelty of San Diego's speakeasies when my pal Donna had her 22nd birthday at Vin de Syrah in Downtown San Diego. 'Speakeasy' is a term from the Prohibition era when alcohol faced being illegal, so speakeasies were set up as secret watering holes in the 2o's. I was invited to go along and visit the Alice in Wonderland-themed wine bar and found it absolutely charming in decor!

From large hedge-mazes to playing cards on the ceiling to animal statues, the vibe of Vin de Syrah is a classier place for a night out; I would recommend dressing to impress here. As any speakeasy, Vin de Syrah is hidden in central Downtown San Diego on a corner. A set of stairs lead down to a graffiti-lined basement and a door camouflaged in a hedge.


Being the poor student that I am skipped out on ordering their wide selection of fine wines (I know, go to a place called "Vin de Syrah" and not order wine?! Readers, I'm spending most of my greenbacks on education--whether that's doing anything for me is up to you to decide). Instead I opted to share cheese platters and sangria (white and red) with my pals. The cheese boards were very gourmet and there was one coconut-cured gouda that I was particularly fond of. With the cheese came various marmalades (a honey-ginger marmalade that was lovely), chocolate that resembled that of a heath bar (not too crazy about it), slices of green apple, grapes, an assortment of other cheeses and slices of bread that seemed less fresh than the other accoutrements on the board (in the US I'm not a fan of bread--every other country seems to bake bread better than we do--so maybe I'm a carb-snob).

The red and white sangrias were equally tasty! I don't have an in on their marinating process, but it seemed to have been done well as the sangria was sweet with different layers of flavour. The perfect girly drink!

For DarlingYellow's birthday, we visited The Noble Experiment. This exclusive speakeasy requires you to TEXT a reservation in advance--they do not take walk-ins, so don't expect to be admitted even if you do find the secret door (dressed as a stack of kegs) at the back of The Neighborhood on the east side of Downtown SD. The Noble Experiment is small and intimate, seating maybe about 30 people, so also don't go expecting to have a huge hen/stag party there.


The decor inside is hip and pretentious almost; with one wall lined completely with golden skulls facing the bar, the ceilings and adjacent walls are decorated with oil paintings and LCD screens with trippy graphics, including a mounted deer head graphic that--what is that? Did it wink at me? I should stare at it for the next five minutes just to make sure!!! Flash photos aren't allowed to preserve the ambiance of the speakeasy--okay, fine, it is pretentious. Luckily, the service is quite friendly and not pretentious at all.


The vibe of the speakeasy is pretty classy, so in going I would dress to impress, though not formally. The booths are intimate... meaning they are quite small. They were cramped for our party of six. I'd recommend inviting no more than 3 other people to go with you. The prices are also a bit more, but you are getting fancier drinks; the drinks start at $12 and there is no vodka or beer in the place to keep with the prohibition theme. Feeling girly, I ordered the strawberry daiquiri:


Together, our group ordered strawberry daiquiris, "The Cloud," Country Gentleman and the Morning Glory Fizz (there is a pretty small menu, but despite this, you can order any mix you want). Dealer's Choice is also an option, being that the waitstaff will ask a bit about your tastes for drinks and bring back a surprise for you. "The Cloud" was a drink with grapefruit juice that I loved and would order again. My strawberry daiquiri, though with "light rum" packed quite a punch, so if you're a lightweight like me, go slow. It was definitely the most fragrant drink of them all; the quartered strawberry garnish sold it, to be honest. Taking a sip of your daiquiri also lets you catch a whiff of the strawberry, the main essence of the drink. I personally enjoyed the Dealer's Choice more than the daiquiri.

The Country Gentleman boasted spirits of 100 proof (50% alcohol) and knocked me clean off my feet! The apple brandy was tasty and powerful, but I'm not a huge drinker, so I will let you judge this for yourself.

I enjoyed my experiences at both places thoroughly and I would love to return, but I can tell you it's not going to happen frequently because of the hefty prices. Nonetheless, I recommend them both for quite an experience!

New Layout & Shoutout!



The new layout pays homage to my friend's cooking blog Salt & Spatula. (Check it out! It's fantastic and offers plenty of awesome recipes and tips in the kitchen!) I had lots of fun going through travel photos and picking out my favourites foodie-memories to showcase in the banner. Hope you like it!

Stay tuned for more posting!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Loco Motion

Loco moco is a Hawaiian food that is just about as local as you can get; it's got the basics of what I define to be Hawaiian food (starch + meat + gravy). The classic loco moco is comprised a hamburger patty on top of a bed of white sticky rice which is topped by an egg (usually done sunny side up, although most places will ask you how you want it done). Lastly, and nearly most importantly, is the gravy. Certain joints will home-cook their own gravy and others will use instant gravy from the package. Though quite primitive in concept, every loco moco is different and my brothers and I have been on the hunt for the perfect loco. Maybe I'll ask them to guest blog about their legend of the loco sometime. ;)

It's definitely comfort food, but something that everyone should try at least once. It's really simple, but the quality of the different components can alter the overall experience enormously! If you live in Hawaii or are making a trip there, I recommend a few places for this local delight. Though many people have disputes over the originators of the loco moco, I give the claim to a place I grew up with: Cafe 100 in Hilo, Hawaii.


Cafe 100 offers the original loco in addition to different takes on the original, using spam, smokies, Portuguese sausage, tempura salmon, cutlet (battered and deep fried chicken fillet), shoyu pork (pork marinated and cooked in soy sauce), etc... The Kilauea loco has just about ALL of these in one loco platter. Cafe 100 also offers a slew of other popular plate lunches, soups, teriyaki bowls and grinds for the keiki (kids' meals). To top it all off, all of these are offered at extremely affordable prices! Doesn't get any better!
Tex's, which is nearly smack in between Hilo and Waikoloa on the Big Island, is one of the best loco's I've had locally. Tex's is the home of the malasada, a local favourite. A malasada is a pastry, much like a doughnut, covered in sugar and with the option of a creme or jelly filling (chocolate, bavarian creme, mango, guava, apple, lemon, etc...). Best eaten hot. Back to the subject at hand. The loco moco at Tex's has an awesome gravy and a great patty (Tex's also does burgers pretty really well, so this is expected, I suppose).
Ken's Pancake House, also in Hilo, has a mean loco moco too; it's a nicer place for a meal and is a bit more expensive, but the quality of the loco is also true to the tastiness of the original. My brother recommends the teri beef loco. Also recommended: oxtail stew and tripe stew.

Now, on the mainland, there are two Hawaiian restaurants I recommend in LA. Both staffed by Hawaiian natives, TNT's and Bruddah's serve up large locos to their customers with plenty of aloha! Other dishes at these restaurants that I recommend are Bruddah's beef/oxtail stew and their lau lau platter (if they haven't run out) and TNT's fried rice, the stir fried saimin and the Aloha Royale.

For my next quest, I'm off to hit the Hilo Farmer's Market (another childhood haunt of mine) and the new and much heard-of Puff City. See you witty slickers soon!

One of My Favourite Things to Eat

Hurricane Popcorn!

It's like a book that you can't put down!

If you've ever had Hurricane Popcorn, you probably know why I love it so; it's that furikake and arare rice cracker added in that truly makes it. Of course Hawaii Popcorn Company has started selling the premade stuff for the lazy or short-of-time--I'll admit it, I tried it and eat it when I can't get the kit--but nothing quite beats the original.

Hurricane Popcorn comes with a bag of unseasoned popcorn kernels in a pop-bag, a bag of butter and a pouch of the seaweed-arare mix. The instructions are pretty simple and the outcome is outright heavenly--I seriously hope God has a pantry of JUST Hurricane Popcorn for me when I get there. Of course the toll on your health is totally worth it. The buttery flavour and hint of seaweed is great! Most people whom I've shared Hurricane Popcorn are very hesitant initially, but trust me, the marriage of flavour and tastes is a delicious one.