Pho 21

I was working in the Clear Lake area, and was looking for lunch.

I stumble upon this place.

I got Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio, which is Vermicelli with Grilled Pork with Egg Roll.  The problem is that they brought me grilled chicken... I was wondering why it tasted with more meat than the normal pork. 

I also ordered the Che 3 Mau, which is usually a drink that truly is a dessert but people will serve it as a drink.  The problem here... they waited it for dessert to serve, so it didn't arrived until my main dish was done.  And as you can see, there's more ice than anything else... or rather proportionately, it's half ice and half everything else.  And it should really have 3 colors, but you only see 2.  They should've had mung beans (yellow), aduzki beans (red) and pandan jelly (green), and top it off is the coconut mlik.  I didn't see much of coconut milk even though I tasted some.  Basically, it's not the same.

This seems to be hot spots for alot of offices in the area.  All the staff are friendly but do they get the instructions... well, base on my order that day, I'd say no.  Is the food good?  Perhaps in the proximity, there are better closer to the freeway.  Given it does mostly office people's lunch business, this will do.

Pho 21
2443 Bay Area Blvd
Houston, TX 77058
281-990-8409

Common Bond

On the rare occasion that I can visit some cool breakfast spots...

I got to go to Common Bond.

Love the lovely Valrhona Mocha, which is a very rich mocha, if you ever try it.  But sure looks lovely, doesn't it?

This is their soft scramble egg.  The consistency is like a congee.  It has parmesan and herbs and you use bread sticks to soak it up.  

If you go early in the morning, it's quite nice to bring a book and just enjoy your coffee.  Of course, you can have their baked goods to go too.  The price is on the higher side, but does worth it, when you get tho enjoy the space and their wait staff are super attentive to you, it's almost bordering pampering.  Keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays.

Common Bond

1706 Westheimer Road

Houston, TX 77098

713-529-3535

http://wearecommonbond.com/

Maine-ly Sandwiches - soup

Had to grab a quick something... 

Decided to stop in Maine-ly Sandwiches.

I got the Lobster Soup.  They have the soup made ready and have lobster meat ready to go in.  But don't get me wrong, every bite has a taste of lobster meat.  It was delicious, every bite.  Definitely worth getting the bowl.

Alot of folks are still new to the sandwich shop, and every time, I see the person behind the counter ever so kind, polite and patient to explain what they have to offer, how to order and the sizes of the sandwiches and soup.  If you still haven't been, don't hesitate.  If that price is an issue, keep an eye out for LivingSocial or Groupon they do offer discounts every so often.

Maine-ly Sandwiches

3310 S. Shepherd Dr.

Houston, TX 77098

713-942-2150

http://mainelysandwiches.com/

Lucky Palace Korean Restaurant

We drove by this place a few times, thought we give that a shot.

Came in during lunch, and the place was pretty empty during the week but food was not bad.

We chose the lunch special.  Each $17.98, but between the 2 of us all of this were alot... so we ordered the short rib and BBQ beef.  And the lunch came with soup, which you can choose from 5 different types of soap.  We had the seafood soup and you're supposed to put the raw egg into the soup as they arrive and the heat of the soup would cook it.

And you of course get the side dishes, where there are little anchovy fishes (which could have used a little more meat), green beans, kimchi veggie, kimchi pepper, vegetable, potato and eggplant.

At the end of the meal, you get a cup of cinnamon tea on ice.  It was nice, but too 'spicy' for me.  

It's nice to have a meal that you don't have to cook yourself.  It's nice to cook it too but sometimes I do hate getting that smell in my hair and clothes.  This way, they cook it for you, and no sweat there.  The price is a bit high for lunch, but it's good enough to worth that price.  The only thing I do wonder is how they sustain business because there were hardly anybody in there while we were there.

Lucky Palace Korean Restaurant

8508 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77036

832-409-6002

https://www.facebook.com/luckypalace528

EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet food onboard

Yesterday, was showing off on the food at the party, today, let's talk about what you'll get on the Hello Kitty flight.

This is the Shining Star Jet, which featured Little Twin Stars at the front, and My Melody & Hello Kitty are on the plane as well.  This is EVA's 7th Hello Kitty 777-300ER jet.  Since the airline hub in Taipei, Taiwan, all flights have to go thru there.  That said, they opened up a new route from Houston to SE Asia, which is a first for the company, and they have Hello Kitty and Friends to do the inaugural flight.  You can take EVA Air from Houston to Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Mainland China, and even Paris.  Of course, you have to stop over in Taipei.  And if you're lucky enough to fly out of Taipei, the gates at that airport has check-in kiosk, to boarding pass, to gate waiting area and special gate shop just for Hello Kitty, that's the dream, I tell ya.

Let's get on with the food!

 This is Hello Kitty's friend, Tippy.  Having him as the chef, all cuteness abound.  This is the display of all service item used on board.  They have 4 types of coasters to match the season.  Also menus to match the coasters.  On the left back corner is the kid's meal.  Scroll down for the food itself.

 Special Place mats, that matches the season as well.  Yes, even the snacks are Hello Kitty packaged.

 There's no boring peanuts here, they even have special candy themed.  Oh, and yes, so does the sugar packets and the utensils.  It's been known that this is the only airline that people are packing away the plane amenities like crazy.

 Cover of one of the 'Seasons' Menu, wet nap, and fancy napkin, all Kitty-fied.

Even your beverage menu is Kitty-fied.  Each plane has a theme, and each theme has it's own service items.  Such as specialized Safety Information cards, playing cards, headrest cover...etc.  There's a few standardized Hello Kitty items, such as drink menu, barf bag (yes, you read that right), rising cup, toilet paper (yes, it is Hello Kitty TP onboard), and soap.

Hello Kitty's bear, Tiny Chum is our Engineer, I just know the flight is super clean and tidy.  Get you to your destination safely.  

Here they displayed the inflight snacks.  Too bad, I didn't know you can take them.  By the time, I went back, all the snacks were gone.  :(  And yes, they have specially made ice cream cups for the flights. 

 Take a closer look!  I call this flavor, Cup O' Cuteness... even the spoons are Hello Kitty!!!!  Squee!

 On Board, I missed the first class entree meal, but caught the dessert trade.  As you can see, even though it's fancier, Hello Kitty's touch was not to be missed.  They have Kitty on top of the Strawberry Tart, and as mentioned before your napkin ring is also Hello Kitty.  

And yes, all flight attendants on this flight wear a special Hello Kitty apron.  Very rare and you can buy it via EVA Air's Sky Shop.  However, if you buy it on the plane, you get a special Hello Kitty bag, only available for on-flight purchased. 

 This is the Kid's meal I was talking about earlier.  They have fruit, dessert, macarons, cookies, omelet with meat and veggie in fun shapes, definitely get the kids excited about the meal.  

You see that pink tray on top, you can take that home.  It's in a shape of the famous Hello Kitty bow!

 Not shabby at all at the economy class as a matter of fact, there's more Kitty Goodness to be had back there.  This is the Seafood variety, you have salad, entree is shrimp pasta, also get some fruit and macarons, all have Hello Kitty's shape on it.  

(p.s. all seats have a cool pillow as you see there)

 On a different tray, you have pancakes & sausage, pasta, fruit plate, ice cream and cake, and macaron.  Even the cups have Kitty on it.

 These are just sample meals you can enjoy onboard.  That's one thing I love about travelling long haul, you do get better food than just a cold sandwich you pay $6 for, and it taste awful.  Asia Airlines want to out done each other by providing good food and now add Kitty to the mix, this is a class above.

This is truly a special flight, and this was a special event.  I've never toured a plane before it's inaugural flight before, especially with my favorite character of all time.  This takes the Kitty-Craze to the next level. The CEO of EVA Air is also a commercial pilot, if you board one of these flights, you just may get him as your pilot.  

The entire presentation was detailed and on point.  On the business side, they started a new route to establish ground for the airline here in the Houston market.  Establish relationship between the airline and the city.  On the cute side, they picked the most recognizable mascot as their representative, has a great collaboration with the parent company.  Invited the head designer as part of the tour and event.  It was just a joy to participate in it.

For more info on EVA Air,  Hello Kitty Jet (which flies 3 times per week out of IAH), and other Hello Kitty or EVA Air Goodness.  Go to EVA Air Website.  They also have downloads and wallpaper for you to keep.   For more of the party and my Hello Kitty crazy-ness, go to Pattykins.com for more pictures.

EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet Launch Part

It was such an honor to be part of the EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet Launch even in Houston.  I was super stoked as a huge HK fan myself.  If you want to learn more about the plane and the party.  Go to Pattykins.com to see more pics.

This post will talk about the food at the party, tomorrow's post will talk about the food on board.

All the tables were decorated with these lovely bouquet and of course a cute (adult) lemonade.  It's a very light version of hard lemonade, which was perfect, because that day was hot even though we were inside an air conditioned tent for the party.

I know you wanted to see the napkin up close... yep even the napkins have Hello Kitty on it.  Actually, these are actual drink napkins that will be used on board of the HK Jet.

 Little dumplings like a little purse which has pork and edamame sauce inside, very delicious and very trendy of them.  Not Pictured, also not tasted: mini salad inside hollowed cucumber, and salmon and slaw on a mini chip.  Very dainty, definitely appropriate for the event.

Alright... savory course: They have vegetarian noodles (upper left corner), which have a cute Chinese takeout boxes as their container.  Fruit Skewers, refreshing for the hot day.  Pulled Pork Slider, which they put this green sauce on it - Yummy.  Salad, and chicken skewers at the bottom.  

The slider was definitely a hit of the party.  Since this is technically a business event, there were alot of men that appreciated the sliders being available and definitely get 3 for the meal.  The green sauce I can't tell what it is, it's like a Green Goddess sauce but for meat.  Since I happen to share a table with Matt & Lyndsey, reps of the Houston Astros.  We ended up chatting instead of dissecting food.  It was very interesting, since Hello Kitty makes appearances in other baseball games, I was asking when she will come to Houston.  They did try for it last season but there was a conflict, and they will continue to bring it up for the next season.  That said, EVA Air turns out was first advertised in Houston with the Astros.  That's pretty cool to get that type of exposure for a Taiwanese Airline in Houston.  They definitely valued the Houston's Chinese Community and also gain exposure in Baseball venue.  Very cool.

 Of course you cannot have an event without cute cupcakes as dessert.  They have vanilla and chocolate cake base, and then the chocolate frosting.  The chocolate Kitty is a mint, so it does balance out all the chocolatey goodness.  Very awesome way to end the food.

EVA Air, is now flying 3 times a week out of Houston Intercontinental Airport.  For more flight info, plane, info, or fun downloads.  Go to EVA Air's site for more Kitty Goodness.

Paciugo

After the little dude had a fit during his haircut (read: scream, kick, cried, scream), we all needed a treat...

Back in the day, the small usually get you 3 flavors.  Now, that only gets you one.  I guess they realized it's too much work for a small little cup.  Oh well, we got chocolate.  Since it was a hot day, on top of all the screaming and kicking, gelato was super refreshing.  Even the rambunctious little dude was quiet down.  No more tears, no more screaming, and even a silly little smirk.  So we have a winner.

Paciugo

5172 Buffalo Speedway

Ste A

Houston, TX 77005

713-838-7677

http://paciugo.com/west-university/

Auntie Chang's

Met up with my college gal pal for dinner with the little dude too.  They wanted Chinese, so we went somewhere close and have good food.  Which by the way, did you know that there is not decent Chinese between Humble and Inside the Loop?

This is the Singapore Street Noodles.  It is stir fry vermicelli with meat and veggie.  Normally, it came with shrimps as well, but wasn't much in the room for it.  So they can hold whatever you want for your order.  The uniqueness to the dish is that it has a hint of light curry that goes with the sauce.  Very nice.

I also ordered the assorted dumpling.  It came with 2 veggies, 2 pork, 2 beef, and 2 chicken.  The chicken and pork were good. Jury is out on the veggie one and meh on the beef.  The skin of the dumpling is very thick, and holds up well during the steam.

Service was ok this time, there were a big family and we had a somewhat big party.  They do equip kids with crayons and coloring pages.  So that was nice.  And they do have milk and kids portion on some dishes, just ask them for the list.

Auntie Chang's Dumpling House

2621 S. Shepherd Dr

Suite 290

Houston, TX 77098

713-524-8410

http://auntiechangs.com/

Masa Sushi

I was working down in the Clearlake area and was trying to find sushi.

I got the lunch special and it comes with soup AND salad.  They have miso or chicken broth soup, ginger or sesame dressing.

I got the 7 pieces of sushi: tuna, salmon, snapper, white tuna, kani, eel, and one more... I don't remember.  And instead of the California roll, I had the Spicy Tuna instead and boy was it spicy.

You know, Clear Lake is near NASA and alot of the peripheral businesses does keep the place busy.  But the entire places does not have one single Asian person working there.  From the hostess to the wait staff to the sushi chef.  That's ashame because there is a large Asian population that lives in the area, and they should be able to have some authenticity to it.  The service is not bad, please don't get me wrong.  It will do the job for quick bite, I will say my tummy did not like something there.

Masa Sushi

977 Nasa Parkway

Houston, TX 77508

281-486-9888

http://masasushitexas.foodcoral.com/

Corner Bakery

Weekend breakfast at Corner Bakery.  

I actually just really liked their baked goods and the pomodoro sandwich.  

Decided to get the Americana breakfast, it came with toast, eggs, bacon, and potato.  Since we're in a chicken/egg shortage, was surprised by the generous portion of eggs they dished up.  They could've put more bacon on the plate though.  Or more potato.  It's very typical, cannot go wrong dish.  

I will say that alot of the folks there are the regulars, they got their table, get their wi-fi and or their books or newspaper, and just camp out for a while.  So, if you happen to catch a window of the shift changes, you may get a good booth.  

Corner Bakery

2615 Southwest Freeway

#100

Houston, TX 77098

713-520-8911

http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/

Oui Desserts

Haven't been back to Oui a while, so I decided to stop in for a quick break.

 Things seems to be much better run than when they first opened.  That's a good sign, because I really want them to stick around.

 Variety of macarons and of course desserts, and don't forget they have brownies and cookies too.  Here's the trick on their macarons... they don't all price the same, they varies from $1.25-$2.  I brought that up to the owner and asked how come they're priced different.  She said that it depends on the ingredients.  For instance, the fruit macs, they used real fruit and the process is more involved.  Versus some other ones are easier to make and the cost helps breakeven.  My only complaint on the macs is the way they look.  They look like when I first started making macs, lumpy and uneven.  For professionals like they are and the volume they make, things should've smoothed out by now.  That's definitely unusual, even though it gives the macs characters.   

I got the Apple Tart.  As you can see, a crust, the filling were the frangipane almond cream.  And then she layed the slices of apple on top, with almond on top of that too.  It all baked together, very nice. The flavor is harmonious and yum doesn't even begin to describe it.  Go try it yourself.

Oui Dessert

3411 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

713-487-9788

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oui-Desserts/470392526366347

La Madeleine

Went for a quick breakfast...

Orange Juice...

I had ordered the French Breakfast, but when it arrived the lady told us the potato galette wasn't ready.  So it became the American Breakfast... hmm..... I was really hoping for some potato galette.  Anyway, they were kind enough to give me some fruit in exchange.  So, an healthy breakfast either way.

La Madeleine

6205 Kirby 

Houston, TX 77005

713-942-7081

http://lamadeleine.com/breakfast/

Snap Clean Start

So, not much posting going on last week, as I was doing a cleanse... so no food = no posts...

Just been feeling bleh, and decided to do a cleanse just to see how I feel.  Last time I did a cleanse was 3 years ago.  Just wanted to see if it'll help me feel better.

 These are my morning juices... 

8am: Super Greens - It has Romaine lettuce, parsley, cucumber, kale, lemon, spinach, celery.  Over all, it doesn't taste so bad despite that fact that I'm not a parsley celery fan.  But it's essentially you drinking a salad with lemon sauce on top.  It goes down easy.  No issue there.

10am: Energy Boost - It has lime, papaya, watermelon, mint and coconut water.  All of those separately I'd be happy to take, in vast amount no less.  But for some reason, this combo together just did not rock my boat as I had hoped.  The lime gave it a real kick, so what could've been sweet between the watermelon and coconut water and the papaya, it just got more sour.

Noon: Anti-Oxidant - It has beet, apple, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemon, carrot, jalapeno, cilantro.  Ok, this is the worst one of the entire day.  I know that drinking this will have a kick going down, simply because I've done the lemonade diet before and you do drink this lemonade with cayenne pepper with maple syrup deal.  But this takes it to entire level.  First of all, not a fan of beet.  Second, definitely have an aversion against garlic and jalapeno.  So, it just tasted awful.  For every sip I took, I chased it down with water.  So, needless to say, I pretty much drink the entire bottle equivalent of water along with this.  Bleh!

 2:30p: Carrot Ginger Elixer - It has carrot, apple, lime, ginger.  Not a fan of ginger either, but it goes down ok.  Not too bad.  It was a tad refreshing, which I was surprised about.

5pm: Spicy Basil Lemonade - As described on the name, it has basil, lemonade, cayenne pepper, palm sugar and water.  This is what I expected the Anti-Oxidant to taste like.  Refreshing up front and a kick going down.  As good as that might sound, I did have to slow myself down, just felt like fire going down my throat.

7:30p: Chai Cashew Milkshake - It has cashew, vanilla, cinnamon, date, ginger, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, clover.  I actually was very much looking forward to this.  I've had this at Snap before and of course know what to expect.  I knew this will weigh my tummy down and it'll taste good too.  I can do without the cardamom, nutmeg and clover though.

Overall, it's not too bad.  The first day I had a horrific headache.  Second day I dreamt that I was hungry in my sleep but in reality I wasn't hungry at all.  By the 3rd day, since I know that was my last day, I think subconsciously my body is already asking for solid food.  I was truly hungry by the last juice that night.  My system did feel better.  One co-worker was asking if I had diarrhea, the answer was no.  System functioned normally.  I will say that after that, I went to bathroom more often for the liquid in-take and the water I drank chasing the bad taste down.  The following day I had normal food (i.e. eggs and bacon for breakfast) and I swear I can feel my intestines working hard to process.   

As you can see, it comes with a handy dandy carrier for easy of purchase and/or carrying it around.  I pretty much took the entire thing to work just because all but one takes place during working hours.  The not-so-good tasting ones, does take me a long time to finish, and by the time I finish that, I realized it's time for the next one.  So, I felt like I'm drinking all day long.  But, by the 3rd day, it didn't feel so slaved to follow the schedule.  And I got a little more liberty on the timing.  If I don't hit 2:30p exactly, whatever.  I did try to stick to the order of the drinks though.

I find it easier to purchase the bottles at night than in the morning.  I have this myth in my head that the juice delivered in the morning is fresher versus the ones at the end of the day.  That said, it stressed me out on the timing of leaving the house, going to Snap (which is not on my way of either of their locations), and making it to work on time.  Not to mention, one day, we pulled up before the juice delivery truck did.  So, I almost had to break the days but luckily the driver had some, and mind you, the poor guy had to go and dig for 2 juices.  To do the cleanse is $47 (tax included), but if you go out to eat 3 meals plus tax and tip, it's about that if not more.  So, it's not bad.

Snap Kitchen

Available at all locations

http://www.snapkitchen.com/

River Oaks donuts

In honor of National Donut Day last Friday, I went to get myself a donut...

 Stopped in at River Oaks Donuts.  Since it was the 'national' day, plus it's a Friday, the line was extra long both in driver thru and in the shop.

 I got the Chocolate Cake and Fritter Bite just got stuck on to it.  I must say the Shipley's Chocolate Cake is still the best.  Conversely, the Fritter Bite at ROD is pretty awesome.

I got a few more donut holes.  I got their Nutella one and the Chocolate Cappuccino.  Both are delicious, devoured in one bite.  YUM!

River Oaks Donut

3601 Westheimer Rd 

Houston, TX 77027

713-961-9458

http://riveroaksdonuts.com/

Kata Robata

For my very be-lated birthday lunch, I was treated to Kata.

Can't believe that I haven't been since November.... boy do I miss their stuff.

We got the Fois Gras and Amberjack.  The fish is very good and the truffle oil is awesome, the fois gras wasn't as good as it normally was.  I just love to have the fois gras, the nuts and wrapped with the amberjack.  That way, you have the entire thing in one bite.

I got the Caribbean Roll, which is lobster, tuna, mango, avocado, eel sauce, and tobiko caviar.  I love how it's crunchy and still have tons of fish. 

For my bday dessert, I chose the green tea cheesecake with red bean ice cream.  You don't really feel like eating cheesecake, it's more like a chiffon cake, nice and soft.  Plus the red bean ice cream is very home made, unlike the ones I bought at the grocery store which are made somewhere, froze for a while and then I get them home.  It's hard to describe, but it's a kids we have red bean ice cream all the time and while they were also manufactured you know you're getting it fresh.

Like in the past, we went in the lunch time.  It's easier to get seating during lunch time on the weekend.  Plus we do go later than normal lunch rush, so it gets to be nice and not rushed and definitely walk in and get seated.  Try that time frame.

Kata Robata

3600 Kirby Ave

Ste H
Houston, TX 77098

713-526-8858

http://katarobata.com/