Pho 79

I’ve been coming here for a years and this place never disappoints. The quality is consistent (always awesome), the servers are quick and to the point ( just give them your order, don’t lag). Here the price is definitely right and you always get more for what you pay for. It’s cash only, so for you dummies that never carry on you, now is the time to start. Just order an Ox Tail, a Medium bowl of whatever meats you want, and happiness is achieved my friend. If you have any room left, order the avocado shake. Sounds weird, but you’ll love this offbeat dessert. haha

P.s. Just watch out during the busy hours, parking and seating could be a pain.

9941 Hazard Ave

Garden Grove, CA 92844

One last hurrah in Los Angeles

With only a couple days to go, J. Kao and I head out for one last trip to LA to just chill and chow. For so long I was promised a Hong Kong style breakfast, yet much like a recent post, it wasn't until the end till I was finally taken out... but hey I can't complain, since I'll be having the real deal in few months. (WOOT) 

But damn was I shown what was up, as soon as we sat down we ended up getting the whole shebang (pretty much anyways). Being only two people between us, it's amazing at the fact that we had a single bowl left to go. But it was seriously not that hard to put in work on this spectacular feast, personally I love love love Chinese breakfast and this hit me right in the sweet spot. Thank you very much for giving me a preview.

(Photography only lasted up until the first bite, seriously, I forgot about everything else as soon as I dug in.) 

1.Pineapple Bun w/ Butter: No real melon included, it's just named after it's appearance. It's my personal favorite combination of slightly sweet bread and salty butter (magic). -

2. HK-style French Toast w/ peanut butter: It's as good as it sounds, straight up.

3. Fermented Egg Congee: There's something about this one that makes it so much better than others. Savory chicken broth perhaps?  

4. Chinese Churro w/ rice wrap and peanut sauce: Guilty pleasure, stretch pants not included.

5.Ham & Egg Sandwich: Bare bones in simplicity, but I find a certain charm about in how it reminds me about my younger days. I'm told this a traditional thing for the old men to snack on before they go out to spend their days playing Mahjong  

6. Horlick: Not as sweet as I was expecting to be but incredibly refreshing and a pleasant palate cleanser. 

7. Ovaltine: J. Kao's personal favorite drink growing up.

After a brief interlude through downtown, what could a trip here be without visiting our favorite watering-hole, Handsome Coffee Roasters? See that simple menu, love it! The fine print makes it sound pretentious,
but it keeps the Starbucks crowd out. 

After deciding to stay local we ended up with the mega cravings for noodles, and since the ever-so-popular Daikokuya, is always packed we gave a quick search on yelp only to discover an equally intriguing spot only a few doors down. 

Being the group that we are, this cordial dinner turned into another veritable feast! Bowls and tempura for days, some of the notable side orders where the deep fried egg (possibly duck) which carried a deep yellow yolk, soo good. Among all the other bowls, the highest of recommendations can go the Uni Udon! So magnificently rich and decadent, that it has actual (generous I might add) chunks of tasty sea urchin floating about on ever bite. As a friend would put it, it looked like a hundred sea urchins died to make that dish, I have no shame. 

What's amazing is the lack of notoriety this place even gets! Half the people in here look like stragglers who didn't want to wait an hour plus over at Daikokuya and decided to compromise on the "other noodle place". But unbeknownst to their know, their about to get the rug pulled from underneath them. No matter tho, let all the attention go the hype machine and I'll just continue strolling in with only a few minutes wait. Haha

With our conquest of gluttony a success, the only thing left is one last drive through downtown and enjoy the lit up skyline as we say good bye one more time.  

Delicious Food Corner

2327 S Garfield Ave

Monterey Park, CA 91754

Marugame Monzo

329 E 1st St

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Pork Chili Verde

With a only a few weeks left to before J. Kao moves back across the Pacific to Hong Kong, we've decided to host little meal sessions where we're able to experiment with new recipes that we had our minds on but never really had the chance to try out. It'll  be taking place at our respective homes, one night each and every week until it's time finally say goodbye. This week I began our little series with a humble stew I've been craving since I've came back from the frosty Manhattan isle. It's a classic Mexican dish  that I grew up on and favored during chilly nights, stewed pork in chili verde salsa. For the Salsa Verde, I've come to really appreciate this version, as it comes close to my moms boiling method over the roasting variations I've seen everywhere else. Unless otherwise, you can acquire decent Salsa Verde at your local Mercado (Latino market) or even find it at Trader Joes, believe it or not.

• -Canola Oil 
• - 2lbs Boneless Pork Shoulder (cut into 1" cubes)
• - Salt & Pepper 
• - 2 cups Salsa Verde 
• - 1 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• - Medium Onion ( Yellow Spanish preferred), quartered 
• - 1 Large Bell Pepper (cut into large chunks)
• - 1 lbs Fingerling Potatoes 

-Heat oil in a large skillet on high and sear pork until they brown on the the outside, then transfer to a slow cooker/oven-proof pot. You might have to work in batches, so try not to over crowd the chunks.

-Once all the pork is cooked and transferred, add the broth to the skillet and scrape up any little bits of flavor using a wooden spatula. Once the broth starts to simmer, pour into the slow cooker/oven-proof pot along with the Chile Verde, Onion, and Bell Pepper.

-For a slow cooker; set on high for 4 hours until the meat is super tender, add the potatoes in the last hour. For a oven-proof pot; pre-heat the oven at 300F and set for 2 hours, add the potatoes in the last 40 minutes. *Be sure to skim some of the free floating fat off the surface, no need to use it anymore, it's done it's part.

-Serve in bowls with plenty of Tortillas and Lime wedges.

IL Dolce

I've been anticipating my upcoming trip to New York for over a month now, and the entire time what I've almost instantly been relating to that city is pizza. Don't get me wrong, that city has sooo much to offer aside from this classic staple, but ever since John Stewart's  brazen, if not ballsy professing of how superior NY pizza is over "Chicago-style", it was damn near impossible not to have it on my mind all the time.

Luckily J. Kao finally introduced me to a local shop that she claims is the best I can find anywhere around the OC. She's been talking about this place for so damn long I nearly felt that it was some old wives tale used to tease me, as it took her a couple years to finally bring me here! But I trust her in her claims, having she just been to Italy just a couple weeks ago, I was taken aback when she finally said she'd take me! 

The place is completely unsuspecting, being in the shadow of a strip mall, right off the turn of a freeway that leads straight to the beach. Inside had a very modern appeal despite it actually having a legit mom & pop kind of vibe. Our hostess (mom) was very delightful in taking care of us, and we could easily see pop get to work as soon as he got the orders in. Our orders where as followed.

-Prosciutto & Fig: Terrifically savory, the baked figs added only a nuance of sweetness that brought everything together, the cheese selected (I can't recall off the top of my head) was an excellent closer for the pallet. 

-Margarita: Had a bright, sweeter that expected sauce that rings in a balanced combination with basil. The delightfully chewy crust had that rustic charm as you picked up notes of the char from the wood oven. 

The place looked surprisingly empty for the lunch hour on a sunny Saturday in Newport Beach, we hoped it was some sort of off day for the business because it would truly be a tragedy to have lost such masterful  craftsmanship as a result of lacking a recognition. But I'm glad I was finally able to make an acquaintance with such a hidden gem. My cravings for good pie continues.

With that being said, I'm off to the east coast!

*Chicagoan discretion advised for the John Stewart link.

1902 Harbor Blvd.

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Orange Cafe

A charming little locals only spot that you would not have never have guessed to dish out out some spectacular american classics, while occasionally whipping up some awesome new innovations. First step in and you instantly appreciate that place as you look around at all the Americana hanging on the walls. Plus don’t be surprised if the sweet old lady, who I’m sure is there every day, greets you with a smile and would be happy to help you out with anything you have questions about.

Some of my favorites on their permanent menu range all across their omelette selection, the Florentine being my top choice in particular. The fact that use butter for their omelettes is something to die for in both the good and bad sense, you’ll food coma pretty hard if you actually finish the whole thing. Their Corned-Beef Hash was delish, a must try if you like a super hardy breakfast old-school. Pancakes where airy and fluffy, that I MUST recommend you try with the apple-cinnamon jam, along with some butter and maple of course.

But recently I tried one of their current specials of the day was basically “signed, sealed, delivered, I’m yours”, the unctuous Chorizo Benedict. Runny yolk egg, atop silky smooth avocado and drizzled with creamy chorizo hollandaise sauce, ugh, hold on I got light a cigarette. But yes, fats on fats on fats this dish was bad intentions from the start and oh man did I embrace it.

Ok, after giving myself a moment, I’m coming back again and again to build up my credit stamps for a free meal. See you there!

(Sorry about the orange hue,no amount of editing can phase it out, the place really lives up to it's name! Haha...)

1608 E Mayfair Ave

Orange, CA 92867

Portland Day 3- Go with the flow

  It's my last day here and I wake up with the realization that I really don't have that much left to do in this city, all of the must does where officially checked off, and all of the recommendations where seen. It wasn't until breakfast till a hostel mate said "Just go out for a run, it's what this city does". After much contemplation, whether or not forsake my (foot) arches & go run in Vans, I decided to go out and brave the popular Willamette River Loop.


  Now for those who love to run, you understand the zen calm you get when you fully take in your surrounds and appreciate little that you never noticed before. My time alongside this river path was highlighted by the passing industrial section  on the north side of the trail path and dodging very agitated geese. But of course nothing could beat the absolutely befuddled expressions on some of the joggers faces. Like I said, this is a city of runners (Nike was born here for Christ's sake) and I was the only schmuck on this trail without running shoes. The amount of concern on one guys face was if he was saying "PLEASE STOP, HERE TAKE MINE". Even the some hipsters I sped by where wondering "why are you even wearing those", but hey I had run off a case of doughnuts somehow.

  Everything else afterwards was picking a point and walk from there, I really had no idea what I was even going for. I ended up on the outer rims of town (the financial & university district) where I encountered a plethora of talented musicians, gorgeous city parks, Keller Fountain Park in particular just captivated me into just sitting down and meditate for an hour. After much roaming across the day I was able discover the somewhat luxurious feeling of having a coffee & cigarette, hipster achievement succeeded.

  By the time I came back there was an impromptu vegetarian potluck brewing. After a quick trip to the market, we where all in the kitchen making or pouring our contribution, where we later made our way out to our little patio. Some of the featured dishes was a Pesto Gnocchi pasta, Beet & Goat cheese spread, citrus kale & walnut salad, and Chevre baked tomatoes provided by yours truly (recipe coming soon). Naturally a congregation of this size, brings in more people and even more contributions. 

After what was once a quiet dinner, turned into a rally for a pub crawl where it inevitably turned into an all nighter of smoke, even more street musicians, and a conquering of a near by park where tunes & random stories where swapped. What a way to close it out, just wish I had more than 30 minutes to catch my bus when I woke up the following day, I've never packed my bags with such speed before. Haha 

I don't anything else I've come to appreciate after today about the fact that not everything should come planned, just take it as it goes. And that it's not necessarily the city that makes the trip but the people you meet. 

Keller Fountain Park

SW 3rd Ave & Clay St

Portland, OR 97255

-Photo Credit to Mariana Rego 

Portland Day 2- Stroll

Being such a beautiful day I decided to go on a little walk about Portland's famous park gardens and trails and get a feel for how truly green city is. Being only a short walk for my place, I hustled over to the famous Washington Park. 

Spent nearly half the day checking out beautiful trails laid out across this enormous stretch of land, nearly forgetting to swing by the International Rose Test Garden on my way back. Portland's known as the "City of Roses", how could I have???? 

Later into the evening the Hostel was having a mini open mic in the backyard patio, where there was a variety of local folk artists strumming away their soulful tunes. All the while the staff where grilling up free-range brats and veggie burgers served with quinoa salad, even the guy with the garage brewery decided to drop by an share his days batch. A true hipsters paradise I might say. (Seriously wish I brought my camera out...)

As the last kegs started to kick, so did some of the acts, as the closing artists started drifting into free association music that nearly brought the whole house down off their chairs (inebriated musicians make for some serious entertainment). 

Feeling like the evening still had some life in it, those still left hanging around the patio shuffled together for another round at the Mission Theater. Tonight's feature, early Martin Scorsese's 'Mean Streets' .