Tiny No.5

Took my aunt and uncle to Tiny No.5.  Haven't been there forever.  Amazingly during the week, they get pretty busy for breakfast.  The crowd was interesting, when we arrived it was obvious business types that were having business meetings there.  By the time we were leaving, the shift had changed to a mom's group hour.  It was interesting to see the shift took place.

I got the Orange Julia, it's so refreshing... I highly recommend this to everyone.

My usual, Migas.  Delicious as ever.  It has eggs, sausage, potato, onions, cheese, tortilla bits, and verde salsa.  I really think that the sauce really did the trick.  It was not spicy, but has a kick to it.  Definitely spice it up and make it very flavorful.  I love their micas so much.  The scenery isn't bad either.

So, the parking lot at Tiny's is tiny.  So, bring patience.  As I mentioned earlier, the crowd changes from business talk to mommy talk.  But it does get packed and that translate to parking lot gets busy as well.  Street parking is an option, but watch the signs and respect the neighbors.

Tiny No. 5

3636 Rice Blvd

Houston, TX 77005

713-664-0141

https://www.tinyboxwoods.com/tinys-no5/

Osaka

Went to grab a quick lunch at Osaka.

I always have to remember not to order too much food because they give you the freebies... this one is fried potstickers with pork inside.

This is the Dana Roll, which has yellowtail, salmon, tamago (egg), jalapeño, onion, all tempura-ed and has eel sauce and spicy mayo on top and sprinkled with caviar (masago).  I was trying things out on a whim, and this turned out to be an very happy accident.  

It is delicious, packed with fish and egg, jalapeño wasn't strong, and the flavor from the spicy mayo and eel sauce were just right.  I quite like this roll.

This is the O-Two roll:

which is basically California Roll topped with cooked scallop.  This wasn't as good as I had imagined it to be.  I was hoping the sauce to be thicker and not so thin.  I had such a great first roll, that the second roll fell short.

Don't forget when you pay the bill, they'll offer you some ice cream, so don't over eat like I did.  I was kinda sad to miss out on my red bean ice cream.

Osaka Japanese Restaurant

4001 Bellaire Blvd

Suite J

Houston, TX 25

713-838-9812

http://osakahouston.com

Hopdoddy Burger

Been hearing alot about Hopdoddy...

... but didn't have the patience to go wait in line in the River Oaks District, so it was a relieve to hear that Rice Village was easier.

I started with the half order of sweet potato fries, which came with the chipotle aioli sauce.  Frankly, you put aioli on anything I'll pretty much like.  So, no complaint there.

I got the Goodnight/Good cause burger, which is a cheeseburger with onions, hickory BBQ sauce, their Sassy Sauce (the white stuff at the very bottom) with lettuce and tomato.  The burger is good, you can tell they hand made those patties on site, or you can see a dude at the window doing it.  They said their sauces are hand made, and I can't tell otherwise.  The burger looked huge, because it is.  I had to cut it in half and share.  

Their claim to fame is that everything is locally made.  Bread baked fresh daily, no antibiotic, no hormones meat, which are grounded fresh daily.  And that they support local businesses.  

The line was long and intimidating, but they have a server standing the front gauging the table situation.  So by the time you are done paying, grabbing your soda, a table is waiting for you.  If you cannot wait to do the line thing, you can sit at the bar, and it's is full service at the bar.  Actually, sitting at the table is full service too, but you have to buy your burger and they'll come back and fill whatever you need.  On a good day, I highly recommend sitting outside at the patio, they also extend service outside, but just more comfortable out there.

Hopdoddy

Rice Village

5510 Morningside

#100

Houston, TX 77005

281-557-2337

https://www.hopdoddy.com

Cafe Brasil

On a rare occasion that I got the morning off, and between appointments.  Snuck to Cafe Brasil to grab breakfast.

I got this nice and warm almond croissant.  I know you can't smell it, but it does have that freshly out of the oven smell.  Not only warm to my tummy but warm to my heart too.

In the midst of not knowing what to get, the barista person got me the Double Almond latte.  It wasn't too sweet and it does have flavor with almond milk, which in turn became triple almond latte.  Didn't do it by design, just happened that way.  The double almond latte had double the flavoring of almond syrup.  Plus my milk, since I'm lactose intolerant.  

Today turned out to be a real almond day.  Talk about not only double almond, but quadruple almond day.  I always liked Brasil, you can really hid here, and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.  I was chilling and people come and go.  There were several groups, some families that come here for the breakfast hour.  And this place can accommodate whichever and still be comfortable.

Cafe Brasil

2504 Dunlavy

Houston, TX 77006

713-528-1993

http://www.brasilcafehouston.com

Killen's STQ

Got the opportunity to go to STQ with work people.  I love it, because that means we got to share more plates and try more new things. 

This is the smoked short rib ravioli.  I don't think people appreciate the smoked rib as they hold.  The sauce was flavorful, the rib itself is delightful and I wish there's more of it.

This is the Grilled Octopus with smoked hummus, with grilled tomato and cured lemon.  Again, I think people didn't quite like it because of the grilled octopus.  It is actually very nicely grilled and the octopus is pretty fresh.

This has to be the all time favorite for the table - pecan smoked pork belly with cherry habanero BBQ.  Everyone was grabbing a piece, and plates were emptied within a few minutes.  They reminds me of burnt ends at steakhouse in Beaumont.

Here's some sides before the entree: brussel sprouts. Yet another under appreciated dish, maybe because it's the shadow from early childhood.  But theirs is very nicely done, fried and then have light soy sauce drizzled.

Smoked Gouda mac and cheese, it was so good-a.  It is a tad more watery on the cheek than I am used to.  But last time, I remembered it to be cheesier.

Au Gratin Potato - another table favorite.  The potato wasn't too heavy, but of course I only indulged so lightly.  I can easily eat the entire pan by myself.

This is my entree - yes it's a black block

This is a short rib...

... see, there's even a bone to prove it.  It's huge.  It is smoked with salt and pepper rubbed and has espresso BBQ sauce.  It is so marinated that you put your fork in and the bone will separate easily.  It was so delicious.  Now, granted I barely hit half of it, and took the other half and ate it over several meals, but it's well worth it, because it was still awesome as leftovers.

For dessert, I got the pear four ways, which you can see 2 ways here, sliced and cooked.  The cake itself is a cinnamon pear cake with mascarpone covered by chocolate and cookie crumbs.  I can't figure out the fourth one, if you know, please comment.

The meal is super nice.  The service is top notch.  If you've been to STQ before, you know the place is small.  You should always make a reservation there, though we went during the week and it was easy to fit a large group, and yes, we do have a reservation.  As usual, plates are best shared, and basically, you can do no wrong with whatever you order here.  That said, we all did some homework before walking in.

Killen's STQ

2231 S. Voss Rd

Houston, TX
713-586-0223
https://www.killensstq.com

Aka

Went back to Aka for lunch this round.

By the way, when the sign on the door said they're not open until 12 noon, they really meant it.  Not even 1 minute earlier.  Nope, don't even dare think about it.

Lunch came with salad and miso.  I got the ginger dressing for the salad... it was a tad watery.

Got my favorite agedashi tofu.  LOVE!

This is their version of Chirashi.  I love Chirashi, just because you get all assortment of fish and on a bed of rice.  So you basically getting a variety of sushi deconstructed.  As you can see, they don't skim.  There are octopus, eel, crab, tuna, salmon, yellowtail just to name a few.

It's a small bowl but pack a big punch.  Unlike normal sushi (nigiri) where you get hungry after 30 minutes.  This lasted me for a good while.  Talk about yummy, price-worthy, and filling!

We never had issue with service here, but one thing I do felt like needed to be said.  I get that server needs a smoke break every now and then.  But would highly suggest not to do it by the front door where your customers can see you.  Don't they have a back parking or something?  That just makes me double think about my food, since they have to handle it too.  Hmm...

Aka Sushi House

2390 W. Alabama

Houston, TX 

713-807-7875

http://akasushi.net

Ninfa's Galleria

In a galaxy long long ago, Ninfa's in the Galleria was by the skating rink.

Now you can find them at the corridor by the Nordstrom entrance.  Conveniently, they partnered with a pizza place and has this huge space, but you can still get seated and order dine-in.

We got queso, because it's not a Mexican food experience, if there's no queso.  Sadly, today's queso was a tad runny, ok cheesy, but too runny for my liking.  I mean, if I have to kill some calories, might as well be what I wanted, right?

I got the Spinach Enchilada, it has your Monterrey Jack cheese on top with the ranchera sauce with a side of rice.  Typically it comes with beans, but since I'm not a beans person, they were nice enough to switch it to rice for me.

Service was slow, but given that the mall doesn't have any 'proper' Mexican food, and I use that term loosely.  That's pretty much your option.  Lord knows, no one wants queso from Chipotle, so you can forget about that.   Sadly, it's a matter of convenience, not a matter of taste.

Ninfa's Houston Galleria

5135 W. Alabama 

Houston, TX 77056

713-877-9730

E-Tao

Finally get to come back to E-Tao.  Did I ever tell you that means cure of the stomach?  The owner once told us that's why he named it E-Tao, kinda neat and thoughtful.

One of MUST-GET from here is Xiao Long Bao - Shanghai Soup Dumplings.  Have I ever tell you the story that the owner had brought in Chinese chefs from Toronto to train the chefs here how to make these?  That's a true story.  Now, the chefs are old hand at this and have done a fantastic job.  This was a business lunch, and my lunch companion was thoroughly impressed not knowing the story, now that he does, he was even more impressed.

This is dry stir fry of rice noodles and beef.  It has enough 'wok' into the dish.  It was nice and piping hot.  To top it off, the entire dish is cooked evenly.  It can be a dish of its own.  Combo of noodle, but the rice flat kind.  Soy sauces of several kinds, beef and various veggies (i.e. carrots, scallion, sprouts).

I love that they have this location inside the mall.  They while they do accommodate the fusion taste buds, they can also take care of the authentic Chinese taste buds as well.  I love this place.

E-Tao

inside Houston Galleria Mall

5135 Westheimer Rd

#7295

Houston, TX 77056

713-965-0888

North Italia

I always liked to go to North Italia.

Even for lunch time, it's a good idea to make a reservation.  Trust me, you won't be sorry for that.

Got my Arnold Palmer, I just love how they look before I mix it all up.

Zucca chips - if you get anything from here, it has to be the Zucca chips.  It is sliced zucchini and lightly fried.  You feel like you're eating something healthy, why not?!

I decided to get the Prosciutto pizza.  It obviously has prosciutto on it.  goat cheese and fig and arugula.  The whole pizza was on gluten free crust.  It's basically the crust is baked and they added the toppings after.  As you can see, none of them were baked into the pie.  It is personal size, but I would say that I basically ate half of it and decided to pick on the other half.  I love goat cheese and fig, MUST. FINISH.

Anyway, like I mentioned earlier, if you go there on a weekday, a reservation is highly recommended and trust me, if you do, you won't be sorry.  Lately the weather is nice and you can request to sit outside and enjoy the weather.  Parking is also convenient, you pull up to the garage on the side of the restaurant and there are escalators that get you to your car, easy peasy.

I will say, service has always been good, this time was a tad slower and I'm chalking it up as our server is somewhat new.  Otherwise, no issue with hostess, servers, or food.

North Italia

1700 Post Oak Blvd

Ste 190

Houston, TX 77056

281-605-4030

https://www.northitaliarestaurant.com

Aqui

Finally gotten a chance to visit Aqui.

It is over by Lower Westheimer, and their space is very posh.

Here's my posh drink at the bar.

This is Elderflower Fizz, quite refreshing in the afternoon.

My only complaint is that they weren't able to smoothly transition my tab at the bar to the table.  

We got the Mushroom Salad, for me, who like mushrooms, this is a very flavorful mix.  There peanut, cilantro, Thai Chili sauce as dressing.  Not too spicy, the mushroom has been tossed in a pan and mixed in with the greens.  Very lively.

This is Sisig Tacos.  Since we had some Sisig at Underbelly.  Wanted to compare a bit.  The meat is good, the onion is fresh.  My only complaint is that they put some mayo in the mix and thrown off the taste buds.

Here we have Tuna Kililaw - it has coconut, heart of palm, jack fruit, cilantro, and tuna.  The fish is very fresh, but it was too coconutty for my taste.  

This is Banana Leaf Chicken, it is literally individually wrapped in banana leaf.  The problem with that is you can't use a fork to push it all down.  You have to painstakingly take them off the skewer one-by-one, then pull them one by one.  Ours were a little too toasted, so it was sticking together.  You get a side of rice and sauce.

This is their Hamachi Crudo.  Yellowtail with jalapeños and nuoc mam (aka fish sauce).  Typically, I love Crudo dishes.  This one however was a tad more fishy in taste than I'd like, and not the fish sauce type fishy, as in it may not have been the freshest of yellowtail.

This is me, pretending to have great artistic photographic skills.

This is their Tapioca Dumpling, which has ground pork inside, peanut, and salted radish.  You actually get these type of dumplings at dim sum.  Frankly, the skin covering it may not have been see thru, but taste about the same.

We decided to check out the Eggplant Tacos, eggplant, onion, cilantro and the sauce was really what made the dish.  Unfortunately, I forgot to jot it down.  If you happen to see it, order it and check it out.

Madai - Japanese Seabream, wasabi, shiso pepper bits, and thin slice of pear.  It was very nice, the seabream was seared and it taste very nice and very sashimi like.  One of my favorite.

Was very curious about the Fois Gras - which is on toast with coconut jam, kalamansi jelly (calamondin is a tiny citrus fruit),  and pandelsal (Filipino bread roll) aka my toast.  

Ensaymada - It's a mini ball brioche with brie inside and manchango cheese shred on top.  I wanted to like this very much, it was very hot inside and the ball brioche was ok.  As much as a cheese fan that I am, it is only ok for me.

Kalamansi Tart  - It has the kalamansi citrus, toasted coconut along with the ice cream, and slices of meringue fluff. 

It is very artsy composition, and the mix of it all is very good, and surprisingly light and not filling.

Overall, the service is great.  Their claim to fame is their chef Paul Qui, while I totally respect that he is a Top Chef and a James Beard award winner, the chef himself weren't there. Though the experience was not bad, but alot of people over hyped it a bit.  Not all dishes hit it out of the park, which I expected from all the accolades and the price.  It is a mix of Southeast Asian cuisines, and some were great and some were alright.  It is a unique dining experience nonetheless.  My main disappointment was that they did not have uni the night we were there... 

We got there when they open and it's not as busy as they made us to believe when we made the reservation.  It was interesting, their valet person was not there when the restaurant open.  Mid meal, the hostess came over and asked for our car keys and gave us a ticket.  That's just poor etiquette.  I don't even mind paying the valet, even though it was complimentary.  But, the guy was late, I'm eating, you coming to ask for my car keys, is just weird.  They should've left diners be, or ask for some kind of cash in exchange for the parking.  But for them to interrupt a meal, that's just put an awkward air mid-meal.  The hostess tried to be nice about it, but there's just no going around an awkward situation.  Just poor etiquette on their part, next time, just gave it up.

Aqui Houston

520 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77006

713-360-7834

http://www.aquihtx.com