May 14, 2008
Lonely Ping Pong Table
The ping pong table at Iona sat idle for a brief moment.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:44 PM
April 24, 2008
Jonas Does Shake Shack
A plain old hamburger (with lots of ketchup) and a vanilla shake.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 12:00 PM
April 1, 2008
Nathan's on Coney Island in Black and White
I'm trying some stuff out in Lightroom. You can see the original photo on flickr.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 9:16 PM
March 31, 2008
Eating Cold Pizza is Best Done Pantless
Pantless, yes. But with the rest of your Easter outfit on.
Posted by tien mao in Film, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 8:34 AM
March 13, 2008
Making Dumplings With Family
Sunday night, Shannan and I went over to my parents' apartment to participate in a traditional Chinese expeience...dumpling making. I'm not sure I've actually ever done this, but apparently people all over China do this on New Year's Eve when members of the family return home for New Year's celebrations.
There are a few stations involved in the process: the dough maker/chopper, the dough flattener, the skin former, the filling stuffer, and the dumpling pincher. I'm sure there's some official terminology for the actual people in those positions and that some of these roles can be combined, but for the five of us (Aunt Bonnie was there too), that's how the roles were split and that's what I'm calling the process. The easiest job fell to me most of the night - filling the dumplings (if you know how to use chopsticks, you can do this job).
It took us a little while, but we made something like 200 dumplings - pork and shrimp with Chinese leek and pork and shrimp with Chinese cabbage. The best part about the labor intensive process of making dumplings has to be the family bonding and of course the dumpling eating afterwards.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 5:13 PM
March 11, 2008
The Bo Ssam at Momofuku Ssam Bar
March 3, 2008
Jonas Attempts to Eat a Rib at Hill Country
Some of the meat items at Hill Country are rather large. For some reason, Jonas wasn't keen on trying much of the food (perhaps it was the ice cream that he was eating), but he did seem to enjoy the spare rib once he got his hands on it. It's unfortunate that actually eating the rib wasn't an easy task. Jonas also enjoyed dancing around on the stage with some random kids, but I don't have any pictures of that.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 10:35 AM
February 26, 2008
Wegmans is Your #1 Stop for Peeps
Or so I would hope they claim to be. I mean, look at all those Peeps they have on display! This was right across the isle from the health-food section.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 1:52 PM
February 25, 2008
The Beautiful Chaos of Hot Pot
The first hot pot of the winter.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 8:57 AM
February 19, 2008
Croque Madame from Cafe Henri in Long Island City
Sunday brunch at Cafe Henri in Long Island City.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:40 PM
February 14, 2008
Taco Bite Reopens in Williamsburg
When I relayed what Janelle told me to Shannan - that Taco Bite had reopened - Shannan was very excited. How excited? She insisted that we go that night AND she said I should have kept it a secret and taken her there for a Valentine's Day dinner. Ever since Taco Bite closed way back in 2006, she hasn't been happy. She would go there as many as three times a week for dinner, so when it closed she lost a major part of her diet.
Taco Bite just reopened this past weekend, but it's no longer all that close to us. Now it's on South 4th St at Rodney (by the BQE). They've expanded their menu and are a full fledged restaurant now, no longer just operating out of the side of a restaurant. They're still waiting on their liquor license, but their menu spans a whole two pages now (not including booze/desserts).
After talking to the owners/employees, it seems that they'll deliver all the way to our apartment. I'm not sure if we're really in their delivery zone or if they're just willing to deliver to us because they still remember Shannan.
Taco Bite 310 S. 4th St (at Rodney) in Williamsburg, 718.302.1117, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner except on Mondays
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:32 PM
February 13, 2008
Sausage and Peppers from the Crosby Connection
It may not look appetizing, but it sure tasted good. And I don't even love sausage and peppers that much!
It's not on the regular menu of the Crosby Connection. It was the special that day. Yum.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:22 PM
February 7, 2008
Chinese New Year's Feast for the Year of the Rat
It's a Chinese New Year feast fit for a emperor! A king! A prince!
Last night, my mom did her yearly Chinese New Year cooking and as usual it was extremely delicious and filling. From top to bottom are: peanuts, jellyfish, chicken and something to wrap in lettuce, lion's head meatballs, eight vegetable dish, a shrimp dish, vegetables with dried scallops, a whole fish, and glutinous red bean rice cake.
Welcome, Year of the Rat!
Posted by tien mao in Culture, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 4:53 PM
January 30, 2008
Acapulco Deli and Restaurant in Greenpoint
Now that I've determined that beans are the main component I hate in Mexican food, I've found that there are actually some items that I like.
With Taco Bite near our apartment closed, we've turned to Acapulco Deli and Restaurant, which is almost as north as you can get in Greenpoint. The typical items I order are pictured - Pacifico (complete with frosty mug!), chips with red sauce, and a steak burrito (no beans). Not pictured is the Mexican Coke I always get as well.
And it's not just me that loves it, the users over at Yelp are big fans too.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 2:10 PM
January 23, 2008
From the Crosby Connection
One of the better lunch options in SoHo is the Crosby Connection. Pictured here is the meatball sandwich (Crosby special), the smoked gouda and ham sandwich (with apples), and the beautiful prosciutti (freshly sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sundred tomatoes, sweet roasted peppers, basil, virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar). Yumm.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 3:12 PM
January 15, 2008
Testing Out the Deep Fryer
Way back in 2006, I was given a deep fryer for Christmas. Since then, it's been in our cabinet waiting to be used. Why hasn't it been used since December, 2006? Because Shannan hates the smell associated with deep frying. As she was away this past weekend, I seized the opportunity to fry some shit up! On the menu were fries, onion rings, and chicken wings (I was watching football).
I found that fries were the easiest (essentially all you do is cut and fry), followed by wings, and onion rings. It was hard to tell when the chicken wings were done, but otherwise they were easy. I think I liked the results the best with the onion rings, but my batter, while good, could have used some salt. I also learned that you can't put a whole bunch in at once because they stick to one another.
I think that everything I fried tasted good and seemed healthier than any fried food I would get while eating out. Maybe it's because I used fresh ingredients and knew what I was putting into/onto the food.
Given the results, I don't think Shannan should discourage me from using the deep fryer again. I think she would be pleased to eat the results.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, House and Home, Photos at 12:29 PM
January 9, 2008
A Warm Day is a Good Day for Shake Shack
While it can probably be said that ANY day is a good day for Shake Shack, yesterday was almost the perfect day to go. They may be putting heating lamps in for the winter, but I'm still not sure I would want to sit in the cold eating a burger. After all, those things can only warm you up so much.
Besides, isn't it possible to have too much of a good thing? Waiting for Shake Shack to open used to make the burgers that much more satisfying. Now they're going to be open all year, making a shack burger that much less special.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:27 PM
November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving Dinner
Looking at this photo, you can kind of see what it was like at Thanksgiving for me. Sadly, you can't really taste what it was like or smell what it was like.
Pictured clockwise from the turkey are: two types of cranberry sauce (one with walnuts), garlic mashed potatoes, yams, corn with pine nuts, some strange avocado/shrimp, and green beans.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 9:35 AM
November 21, 2007
Lady Liberty as an M&M
Lady Liberty with M&Ms that were made to help the Central Park Conservancy.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:20 PM
November 14, 2007
La Nueva Conquista in SoHo
Lunch options in SoHo are generally not cheap. A good sandwich runs $6 or $7, depending on where you go, and anything else tends to be $9+ for lunch. Salads (not that I eat them for a meal) can sometimes set you back more than $10. No thanks!
On Lafayette St. near Spring is La Nueva Conquista (formerly just La Conquista), which will stuff you silly for the same price as that good sandwich - $7. Pictured is my lunch from Tuesday - yellow rice, pork chops (which are briefly fried in oil), rice crust (I would call this guo ba in Chinese), and topped with onions and gravy. I usually get plantains as well, but I went with the rice crust this time as I've never seen it as an option. La Nueva Conquista seems to be described as a "hole in the wall" quite frequently, but I think it's slightly larger than a hole. And if you're walking by at any time, you'll see that the restaurant has quite a devoted customer base.
More information:
- La Nueva Conquista is located at 236 Lafayette Street
- Eat for Victory (Village Voice)
- Yelp
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:17 PM
November 12, 2007
Jonas Eats the Pizza
I think I've figured out one reason Jonas and I get along so well. Our mutual love for pizza (and his snacks). Though I think if he suddenly decided one day that he didn't like pizza anymore, we would probably still get along.
And if you're wondering why he looks so disheveled, it's because he was eating after he got up from his long nap.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 11:43 AM
November 5, 2007
A Lobster Roll from Ed's Lobster Bar
Eating this lobster roll at Ed's Lobster Bar last week made up for that horrible, horrible seafood that Jake made me eat at City Island.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:16 PM
October 31, 2007
From Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant in City Island
After going up to Westchester yesterday, Jake and I stopped in City Island (The Bronx) for lunch. Somehow we ended up at Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant, which I was pretty disappointed in. I think, in hindsight, I would have preferred a McDonald's (though I didn't see one). Pictured are the fried calamari and fried clams. Not pictured is the horrible stench of sewage that seemed to permeate the establishment.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:08 PM
October 29, 2007
Candy Porn from Papabubble
From Papabubble, the new candy store that opened up last week. This is their fruit mix, which is my favorite so far. While there are some fruit flavors that I like more than others, it's nice to mix it up on occasion. And the fruit on the sides is a nice touch.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 11:47 AM
October 18, 2007
Dinner at Tang Pavilion
I feel like the quality at Tang Pavilion has dropped off a lot since I last went there a couple of years ago. But it's still popular enough that members of the head of the UN mission for China dines there (he was there on the same night).
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:40 PM
October 15, 2007
Another Year, Another Soktoberfest
Ahh, October. When we combine socks and the month to create Soktoberfest. It's the best time to break out your fanciest pair of socks for a party at my place. After all, you gotta keep the floors clean. The parties keep getting bigger and better. And despite thinking that there was way too much beer, there really isn't too much left over at all.
Best costume (no, not required) clearly goes to Grego and Adriane (not pictured), who came in authentic (I think?) German outfits. And whatever Jake thinks, he didn't have the best socks. I think that goes to Miguel and Julia, who made their own fancy socks!
Final alcohol consumption totals: 115 12oz beers, 1 1pt 9.4 oz beer, 2 1pt 6oz beers, 1 1pt .9oz beer, and one 1.1 imperial gallon beer.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, House and Home, Photos at 5:17 PM
October 11, 2007
Meal at Sun Moon Lake
While the food looks pretty good, I don't remember it being all that awesome. It was supposedly an example of the local cuisine in Sun Moon Lake though.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 12:30 PM
October 3, 2007
The Gutter in Brooklyn
In the long-standing tienmao.com tradition of putting things up way after I take the pictures, here are some pictures from The Gutter - a new bar/bowling alley in Greenpoint/Williamsburg (it's really right on the border). Almost the entire bowling alley is made of old lanes, which gives the place a nice look. The best part about The Gutter? It's conveniently located to my apartment.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos, Sports at 12:28 PM
October 2, 2007
Borough Food and Drink
Last night, I went to Borough Food and Drink for dinner with a bunch of people. At Borough Food and Drink, their menu is a homage (said with an H - think hom-age - by our waitress) and they outsource (again, according to our waitress) their dessert cakes and pies.
Pictured are the dumplings (surprisingly good), the mac and cheese pancake, tobacco onion rings (very good and oily), the jerk lobster (I wouldn't order again or recommend it), and the banana split (the candied walnuts were virtually missing).
I'm guessing the restaurant will be closed in less than two years. It's only okay in my book and Shannan got a martini with glass in it and some possible food poisoning from her braised pork shoulder. That's at least two reasons we won't be passing on another homage to NYC. They also seem to spill maple syrup on occasion.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC at 3:00 PM
September 17, 2007
A 7-Eleven in Taiwan
7-Eleven in Taiwan is all over the place. Taiwan has the 3rd most 7-Eleven locations, only trailing Japan and the United States (in that order). One of the nice things about 7-Eleven in Taiwan is that they have hot food that is actually somewhat appealing. Granted, like 7-Eleven here, you would only want to eat it if you didn't have any better options.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan at 9:09 AM
September 13, 2007
Making Pizza Again
It's been a long time, but last week I finally made pizza again. I'm not sure pizza making is like riding a bike, but it turned out decently. The only issue was that the dough turned out way too thick, so it wasn't really cooked all the way through. Okay, that's kind of a big problem. But I figure if I half the purchased dough, then it will be fine the next time.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 8:55 AM
September 3, 2007
Our First Meal in Taipei
When we arrived in Taipei, it was rather late and my dad and I were hungry. Nobody else was, so we ventured from our hotel to find some food. We found a local restaurant on while walking around that liked serving seafood dishes (as evidenced by the seafood noodles, fried cuttlefish, and clams). The one non-seafood dish we had was stinky tofu.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 8:13 AM
August 22, 2007
Calvin Eats 4 Hot Dogs in 3 Minutes
Calvin has always been a fast eater and drinker. And he's always loved hot dogs. So one drunken night, he told Adam that he could eat 10 hot dogs in 5 minutes and really thought he could do it. We had our doubts, but on Saturday we did an abbreviated version of that bet - 4 dogs in 4 minutes. Miraculously, he finished in 3 minutes, but not without the shakes from eating so fast. AND he didn't have a reversal of fortune.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Sports at 9:09 AM
August 16, 2007
Offerings from McDonald's in Hong Kong
Why eat at McDonald's when you're in a foreign country? Never underestimate the power of air conditioning and the knowledge that they have clean bathrooms.
Pictured here is the red bean pie (not nearly as good as the apple pies at non-U.S. locations or the sweet taro pie), corn (not very good), and a coffee from the McCafé.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 9:49 AM
August 8, 2007
Nestlé's Mango Madness
In case you were wondering, the Mango Madness ice cream cone does in fact taste like mango. It definitely hit the spot on a hot day at Ocean Park.
P.S. - Sorry for the late update, I had about 3" of flooding in my basement because of the wild storms this morning in New York City.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Travel at 11:39 AM
August 6, 2007
Grilling it Up in Fairfield
Saturday morning, we went up to Fairfield, CT to hang out with Kim, Cyrus, and James. After hitting up the beach, we hung out on their porch, eating and rehydrating. I had to come back Saturday night, but I hear Sunday was fun too. It was a fun little trip that we'll have to do again sometime.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 9:24 AM
July 25, 2007
Pizza in Hong Kong
I can't really remember exactly where we got this pizza, but it seemed like a restaurant that turned into bar at night and it was on a somewhat secluded street that had a bunch of bars on it. Nice, right? I think after a few days Japan and a couple more in Hong Kong, I was definitely craving pizza. Pictured is a sausage and olive pizza, which was actually pretty good. I'm not sure if it was good because it was actually good or because I missed pizza that much. If you're so inclined, here's a pizza upskirt.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Travel at 8:38 AM
July 24, 2007
Grandma Wong's Vegetable Stand
One of our stops in Hong Kong was to the vegetable stand that Calvin's grandmother used to own (Calvin's great aunt currently runs it). While his grandmother is now in New York, the stand is still there. I thought it was a pretty cool, non-touristy stop for us.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Hong Kong, Travel at 8:22 AM
July 19, 2007
Overindulgence at Hill Country
Tuesday night, a group of us went to Hill Country Barbecue - one of the latest 'cue joints to open here in NYC. A little different than your typical restaurant in NYC, at Hill Country you line up at various counters to order your food. There are counters for the meat, the sides and the drinks. While at the meat counter, you order meat by weight. The first picture is about 1/2 lb of the moist brisket (it didn't seem like enough to share with Calvin). We ended up with 1 lb of the brisket, 1/2 lb of the pork spare rib, and 1 jalapeno cheese sausage. We also had the white shoepeg corn pudding, sweet potato bourbon mash, and corn bread (with ancho honey butter) for sides. It was sooo good (especially the brisket and sides), but super filling. So if you ever go and you like to eat, eating a pound of meat and sides should be your upper limit. This would have been useful information to some of the other people at the table - I think someone got about 2 lbs of meat for himself.
Note to large groups, you can make reservations for 8 or more people, but they only allow a limited number of reservations each day for those groups. Although we didn't have a reservation, we only had to wait about 50 minutes for our table after getting there at 7:30.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 9:57 AM
July 9, 2007
Our First Meal in Hong Kong
Our first meal in Hong Kong was breakfast. What did we get? No, not dim sum, but noodles and Hong Kong-style French toast.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 8:03 AM
July 4, 2007
A Guinness in Stanley
Let's start the photos of Hong Kong off right! With a beer!
While in Hong Kong, we went to Stanley the childhood town of Calvin's mom. We wandered around a bit and grabbed a pint at the Smugglers Inn, a bar that's "that's very popular with both tourists and expats." It even had its own drunk white dude in the middle of the day! One thing that seems rather popular with bartenders in Asia is the shamrock on the Guinness. We saw them a lot in Tokyo as well.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 9:26 AM
June 27, 2007
A Yoshinoya Beef Bowl
The Yoshinoya chain of restaurants specializes in gyudon (a bowl of rice topped with beef) and is actually one of the larger fast food restaurant chains in Japan. We stopped in one day for lunch and it seemed pretty popular. Not surprising as it's relatively inexpensive and tastes good. I believe that this is just a beef bowl, but I can't be certain as I couldn't read the menu. There was some pointing and nodding going on.
Looking at their US website, they have tons of locations on the West Coast and it seems they even have on in NYC.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 9:08 AM
June 20, 2007
Remnant Pictures from BLT Burger
This was from a trip to BLT Burger before going to Asia. The 2nd picture is of "waffle bites" - kind of like potato skins with waffle fries instead.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:36 PM
June 14, 2007
From the 2007 Big Apple BBQ Block Party
I couldn't bring myself to see these photos from the Big Apple BBQ Block Party on my site until today. I simply had too much BBQ on Sunday to see them again. I'm not sure when I'll be able to eat it again. Maybe when summer's over?
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 8:33 AM
June 6, 2007
Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters
Another thing tourists do when visiting the French Quarter is go to the Court of Two Sisters to have brunch. They have a jazz brunch buffet every day where they have live jazz and you eat in the ... courtyard of the building. I wasn't all too impressed by the food, but I don't think the restaurant is about the food, but about eating outside in that setting.
Shannan and I didn't have as nice an experience as Margaret, Neil, and Jonas. They saw, and talked to, George Takei - of Star Trek fame and now on Heroes.
In case you can't read it on their site, here's a snippet:
"We are far too cool to say anything or take a photo. I pointed him out to Neil and we had a smile, but that was it. Jonas is, apparently, less cool. He was running around chasing birds while Neil and I called after him, "Jonas, no!"
Suddenly, Takei speaks, "Well, hellooooooo there Jonah! (I didn't correct him.) He had a little conversation with the imp, remarking that while Jonas's throughly slobbered finger might taste good, his tasted better (I'm not even kidding about that.) A few minutes later he even said to someone on the phone, "I'm here having brunch with Jonah and his mommy and daddy!" As we were leaving he commented on what a cute kid we had and Neil responded with a "We love your work." It was, in all, a very pleasant celebrity experience."
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Louisiana, Photos, Travel at 8:57 AM
June 5, 2007
Acme Oyster House in the French Quarter
One afternoon in the French Quarter, we were looking for a light snack so we went to the Acme Oyster House. It's a pretty touristy destination (isn't the whole Quarter somewhat touristy), but it was tasty nonetheless. We shared the oysters (Neil's first one, I believe) and I had the Creole Jambalaya.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Louisiana, Photos, Travel at 8:23 AM
June 4, 2007
Drinking in the French Quarter
I can confirm that the Hurricane from Pat O'Brien's are very strong. Not long after Jonas passed out, I too passed out. The Hand Grenades from Tropical Isle clearly aren't as strong. Even Jonas withstood the alcohol from them.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Louisiana, Photos, Travel at 3:14 PM
June 1, 2007
50mm Shake Shack Deliciousness
Nothing like a double shack burger. Plus that grilled/burnt cheese stuff at the top was pretty tasty too.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC at 4:17 PM
May 30, 2007
Iced Café au Lait and Beignets at Café Du Monde
Onto New Orleans! One of our first stops in New Orleans was Café Du Monde, a café famous for its beignets. It's a stop that every tourist to the city needs to make, no? For those unfamiliar with what a beignet is, here's a simple explanation: deep-fried dough with powdered sugar on top. The Café Du Monde website explains them thusly: "the beignet is a square piece of dough, fried and covered with powdered sugar." Pretty straightforward. They also say that historically, they were sometimes filled with fruit and brought to Louisiana by the Acadians (the word that Cajun originated from). The coffee they serve at Café Du Monde is a coffee-chicory mix, a custom also brought to New Orleans by the Acadians. What can I add about the beignet? They are awesome. That's pretty much it. There's also a ton of powdered sugar as you can see. There's so much of it that the floors, tables, and chairs are covered with it. On a somewhat breezy day (as the day we went was), you can't leave without being covered by the stuff.
The coffee that I ordered while there was my first ever. Quite a milestone, I think. And if that last photo isn't sexy enough for you, check this one out.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Louisiana, Photos, Travel at 7:35 AM
May 24, 2007
When in Cajun Country, Attend a Crawfish Boil
The day after the wedding, Thuy's parents were nice enough to have people over to their home for a crawfish boil. Thuy's dad bought 160 pounds of crawfish and prepared them himself behind the house. He has quite the set-up back there, perfect for entertaining people.
The crawfish we had were gigantic as it's relatively late in the season and Mr. Bui actually toned down the spice on the boil this time, but it still seemed adequately hot for me.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Louisiana, Photos, Travel at 9:18 AM
May 17, 2007
Late Afternoon Burger from Standard Deli
If you like to buy expensive clothes and eat food at almost the same time, there's a store in Tokyo that's perfect for you. Journal Standard, which has a few stores throughout Japan, has a location in Shinjuku with expensive men's and women's clothes on the first and second floors and food on the top floor. While I don't buy too many expensive items of clothing, I do like to eat food. The store was obviously Calvin's dream come true. We also went to their location in Shibuya, but the store and deli there are in two separate, but close, locations. They call their restaurant the "Standard Deli" and as you can see, I had a burger. I think it was the "Standard Burger", which, while decent, wasn't nearly as good as MOS Burger.
The Shinjuku location used to have a trailer where they cooked the food outside on the roof, but it's no longer there. It seems like they moved it outside the location of their Shibuya store.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 8:05 AM
May 16, 2007
Sushi for Breakfast at the Tsukiji Market
While visiting Tsukiji Market to see the fish market is something you shouldn't miss in Tokyo, eating there is another must do. It's literally the freshest sushi you can get in the world. There are two sushi places in the market, both insanely crowded with tourists, but what can you do? We went to Daiwa. Though it's not the most ideal thing to eat at 7 in the morning, Calvin and I throughly enjoyed the experience. Johnny, not so much. I think the meal ran us about $30 something for the set meal, which worked out best because we didn't have to order a thing.
I even ate the unagi, which I usually stay away from, and what looks like the ark shell thing that I took a picture of (3rd picture). I believe Calvin and I walked away agreeing that it was the best sushi we've ever had.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 9:36 AM
May 10, 2007
The Asian Colonel Sanders
It's all in the eyes. Seriously. It's slight, but it's there.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 10:46 AM
May 9, 2007
More from the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo
Back in March I posted one image of the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. Here are some more from the early-morning trip to the market. If you ever go to Tokyo, I would highly recommend a visit. Just watch out for all the tractors and the people that are actually there to shop. I think some of the fishmongers really had disdain for the tourists, while others were somewhat receptive.
If you're wondering what's in that third picture is, I have no idea. And to get an idea of how large those frozen tuna carcases are, check out this image for scale (only a half tuna pictured). And that picture is just a fraction of the tuna that were on sale that day.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 8:54 AM
April 25, 2007
Eating Teppanyaki in Tokyo
One night while in Tokyo, we met up with Calvin's friend Akira for dinner. I'm not sure I ever knew the name of the restaurant (it might have been Teppanya), but it was teppanyaki, which uses a griddle to cook the food. It was really, really tasty. Insanely tasty. We also got a little tipsy, as you might be able to tell. I didn't have quite as much to drink as I nearly fell asleep at dinner (jetlag, yo).
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 9:48 AM
April 16, 2007
Getting Bombed at Propoganda in Roppongi
In my first night out in Japan, I wasn't able to stay awake. It was bad. I would have a beer in hand and be falling asleep. The second night out I was a little better. We spent most of the night at Propoganda in Roppongi (a popular district for Gaijin). After teaching the bartender how to make an Irish car bomb, the three of us had quite a few.
The best part of being the person with the camera? You can edit the pictures of you out!
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Japan, Photos, Travel at 8:56 AM
April 12, 2007
Breakfast from the Excelsior Caffe
With Johnny away from most Western foods while in Medan, Indonesia (the third largest city in that country), he was jonesing for bread that wasn't sweet. We passed a bagel place one night, but couldn't find it the next morning, so we settled on the Excelsior Caffe. With my lack of Japanese and the lack of English from the person taking my order, there was a lot of nodding and pointing on my part. Somehow, I ended up with two sandwiches - the smoked ham & cheese, mushroom and some other "panini" - it had egg, ham, and cheese and was warmed/cooked in the microwave (the egg was still slightly runny). It might have been what they called the croque monsieur.
While it wasn't what I envisioned as a traditional Japanese breakfast, there were a fair amount of people that came in and out of the store while we were there. Calvin told us that a lot of people eat like this in Japan.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 8:43 AM
April 9, 2007
Beheading the Lamb of God
I don't think I've ever seen a Lamb of God before, so I've certainly never seen one beheaded. Well, that all changed yesterday. It's a good thing Jonas was occupied while Margaret lopped the lamb's head off. She also made a stuffed toast (2nd image) that had cheese and bacon on top. Inside was a whole egg! It was tasty, but probably would have been even better if warm. Best food item of the day - Margaret's brandied pear dessert topping.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 9:11 AM
April 5, 2007
Yes, That's a Chunk of Butter on My Ramen
It was breakfast, so it's okay, right? One morning, we were hungry for some Japanese food, so we stopped into a little ramen shop for breakfast. This was some ramen with some pork and scallops in it. To purchase, you actually put money into a vending machine (with pictures and no English) and the staff takes your printed order.
Oh, and it was delicious. The butter just made it better.
Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Japan, Photos, Travel at 8:10 AM