Wanna Bao

Been hearing alot about this new Chinese place in Midtown.

 How their Xiao Long Bao is so amazing and what not.

 As you know, curiosity kills the cat.  Or feed me fat...

 Cute place and simple decor, not too complicated but got my attention of their details.

 First dish: salt and pepper squid.  Unfortunately, not enough salt or pepper, just kinda bland.

 Dancing Pork Belly, this is kinda interesting...they bring out a dish of the rice cracker and veggie, then in a separate bowl, they pour the pork belly and sauce over it.  

 So the story on the rice cracker: the original dish is to use the burnt rice from the bottom of the rice cooker or pot, scrap them up and you get the sauce over it to soften it and you have sauce and rice with the protein.  Since, these days are hard to burnt any rice, they substitute with rice cracker instead.

Finally, the reason for being here: Xiao Long Bao.  I will say, I'd wish they give personal serving of ginger and soy sauce to each diner instead of split.  I got the dip and double dip feeling when I dip my spoon in there to get some sauce.  

Anyway, the consummate in the bao were amazing.  The other dishes were so-so, but this one really hit it out of the park.  I can see why people were oohing and aahing about their XLB.  Definitely is a must try.  Watch out though, they have a shrimp one and a pork one, so make sure you ask for the right one.

The location is a tad on the side, but not hard to get to, despite the nearby constructions.  There are plenty of parking on both sides of the building.  It was previously an ice house/bar, but they closed things up nicely and it's very spacious.  The wait wasn't long on a weekend, but they do get crowded. The servers are nice and quick, didn't take long to get our food.  The signs outside of the building said they're still in soft opening mode.  Definitely coming back.

Quick tip, if you pay with cash, they give you 9% discount on your tab.  Might not be a bad idea.  We basically did that and the servers get to keep the tip in cash.  Good for everyone.

Wanna Bao

2708 Bagby St

Houston, TX 77006

832-623-7265

Tea Party

So, went to some certain wedding viewing party / tea party.

Styling by Toast from the Host.

 I actually had attended workshop hosted by her before.

 I just love her simple yet elegant of putting everything together.

 Good way of display and showcasing everything.

 Love the calligraphy on the dispensers.

 Of course, it's not a party without some bubbly.

 Of course, we have a swag bag, and the activity is to make our own fastener.  I didn't realized it can be made easily.  You can put as much or as little creativity into it as you wish and still have an amazing end result.  Very cool.

If you are hosting a party or a wedding, I highly recommend giving Lauren at Toast from the Host a shout.  

Asahi

Went back to Asahi for lunch.  Love the happy hour special on the weekends.

I got the agadashi tofu, I always thought it's weird that the ponzu sauce is served separately. 

I also got a kani salad, which to my surprised it's huge serving and with alot of the fried topping.

I got the sashimi, salmon, yellowtail, and peppered tuna.  I will say this: the tuna was good, the yellowtail was ok, sadly the salmon has no taste.  Le Sigh.  

They happened to have Uni, they were pushing it.  Thought I'd give it a shot.  Well.... sadly, and no surprisingly, it was not good.  It was slimey and no taste, that was a $4.50 wasted.  

Anyway, sometimes you get what you paid for.  The Happy Hour price is good, and the sashimi pieces are generous size.  This time the quality wasn't as good, in the past, I didn't have any complaint.  Hopefully, this is a fluke.  I will come back to try again, but hope it gets better.

Asahi Sushi

8236 Kirby Dr

# 200

Houston, TX 77054

713-664-7686

http://asahisushi.net/en/

Poke in the bowl

Finally got a chance to check out Poke In the Bowl.

Very convenient down on lower Westheimer in a shopping center.  Easy parking, that is, if you get thru the constructions on Bagby. 

Like the other Poke places around town.  They have a step-by-step method.  Pick your base rice or salad, choose sides, choose your protein (regular bowl gets 2 scoops and large gets 3 scoops). Mixin's and then sauce.

This is a size for regular.

So, what did I get?  I have: salad base, classic tuna and salmon.  There's cucumber, tobiko, tamago (egg), red cabbage, scallions, fried onion, and house shoyu sauce.  

This is very casual, no frill way.  Seatings are plenty.  You just get what you get, grab a seat and it's ready to eat.  If they get busy, the wait is not too long.  They're very accommodating, so don't be shy if you want something, just ask.  Definitely coming back.

Poke in the Bowl

515 Westheimer Rd

Suite D

Houston, TX 77006

713-714-8608

http://pokeinthebowls.com

Lady M

I was so thrilled when I first that Lady M is doing a Pop Up.

Here's some minimalists decor.

Here's the signs for yummy goodness....

They posted porn... er I mean cakes they have on the wall.

Even the box and the bags are classy... yummy goodness awaits.

They sold the slices, as a combo, 2 slices was for $17.  I got a slice of the Couronne du Chocolat and a slice of their original Mille Feuille.  

Side view shot of the 2 slices.  Mille Fueille are basically layered crepe cake with cream in between.    For Lady M, they have 20 layers of paper thin crepes on top of yummy light pastry cream. 

I also ordered a Green Tea Mille Cake, which I've had in NYC before.  The cream is just so light and after having a slice, you don't feel like you just ate a bunch of cream.  It was just simply delightful.

Mille Crepe Cakes always reminds me of an Anime I watched several years ago, where the main character has impeccable taste buds but has no skills.  But got scouted by a top pastry school.   So the first thing she has to learn how to do is a Mille Fueille.  This girl actually made it according to the show and it actually had a recipe in the manga.   She even included real life tips and hints for making your own.

If making it is not your game, you can always order to be shipped here.  They now have 13 different cakes that they will ship, which has increased over the years.  I also know that couple of places around town serve their cakes as dessert too, such as Gyu-Kaku.  Make sure you test it out, in case you're not sure about committing to a full cake.

Lady M

https://www.ladym.com

Ohn Korean Eatery

Talked my mom into going to Ohn with me.

To her, the joint is too hip for her taste.  I told her, who cares as long as the food is good.  That's the important point, right?

When we first sit down, they brought over 3 side dishes.  We got spiced cucumber, spiced daikon slices, and kimchi.  So basically, all spicy stuff, which I did not touch because I'm a wimp. 

I really love their Soy Garlic Wings, just my taste on these, not too salty, but lightly pickled, has a little bit of kick, but not the focal point.  Just delicious.

My second favorite dish, tteokbokki, or as I mispronounce - dobboki.  It is stir-fried rice cake with sweet soy sauce, scallions, and mushrooms.  It usually hot off the wok, so be careful of the temp.  That said, it is nice, gluttonous and delicious.  Now granted, I've been watching alot of Kdrama so I have been craving for some when someone on any of the show is eating this off the streets.  It's just a mini craving.

Also to share, we got the Seoul Brisket.  This is a very Texas dish - MEAT!  It is half pound brisket, and I know this doesn't exactly do it justice.  But it has BBQ sauce (which by the way is also very nice and go very well with the meat), potato salad (like all good barbecue place would), kimchi (cuz why not) and jalapeño peppers.  The meat doesn't take a lot of effort to tear it apart, and it is very well  smoked.  The fat and meat proportion is good.  And they give you two rolls to go with your meat, and you can make your own BBQ brisket sandwich.  

I love coming to this place, they have the street food that I want, and the hip decor.  Their TV plays Kpop, which we realized they have different 2 Kpop channels on different TVs, none of which matches what's being played overhead.  

You sit down and they bring you sides and a bottle of water, you can pour your own.  Then when you're ready to order, you just hit the server light, which is very much a thing at alot of Korean restaurants I've been to, unless they're small, that's their system.  Food came out pretty fast, no issue with anything.  If you don't know what the descriptions are, just ask, the servers are used to it.  

The area does seem to be a tad busy, and there's an officer that sits himself at the parking lot to deter any mischiefs.  That said, we don't come here very late if we can help it.  As usual, be aware of your surroundings.

Own Korean Eatery

9630 Clarewood Dr

Suite A-16

Houston, TX 77036

832-831-1862

Kiran's Afternoon Tea

I've never been to tea at Kiran's at their previous location on Westheimer, but love this new space on Richmond.

Always be sure to make a reservation because it does fill up fast.

To start, we got the Boiled Marsala Chai tea with cream and brown sugar already mixed in.  It's nice, warm and sweet with a nice kick.

First plate served: from front left - English Cucumber Sandwich, Roast Beef Puff Sandwich, Mushroom & Feta Samosa (and at the bottom, they have fig chutney).  I like the Samosa, not something you get with tea often.  Also, I'm used to mango chutney, so having fig chutney was very unique.

Here we have Tandoor-Smoked Salmon with dill sandwich, then it's the English Peas with cheddar sandwich.

Personally, I LOVED the salmon sandwich, it's a very different way of doing this traditional sandwich, and the mix is very complimentary that it was delightful.  Should've gotten another slice.

Then on the left is the Mango Chicken Salad with pomegranates on top.  The chicken salad is my favorite on this plate.  This is not your traditional chicken salad, the tiny mango pieces just kick the chicken salad up a notch, this is my second favorite on the plate.

In the center is some plantain chips with fig chutney for dip.  I can eat those all day long.

Here's some dessert for the last course: this is a vanilla marshmallow parfait

Strawberry shortcake, simply delightful.

Not sure what kind of pudding this is.

Lemon bars

Cranberry cheesecake bars

Chocolate mousse cake.

Of course, tea is not complete with out scones.  This is cranberry orange scone.  After I stepped out to take the dessert pictures, my companions left me with one scone... so here this sad little scone sat.  Of course, they do have clotted cream and jam and also lemon curd.

The whole operation ran very smooth, tea refill practically by itself.  Our tea has always accompanied by a harpist, which makes you feel like you're eating yummy food in heaven.  The food comes in the right pace, and they even come by with extra should you still be hungry, which by the way, that's near impossible.  It's truly so much food.  The dessert bit was a tad disorganized, they didn't let us know that the dessert course is buffet style, so by the time our server saw us sitting there and not moving, that's when he remembered to tell us, which by that time everything was pretty much taken.  That said, again, so much food, the extra wasn't really needed.

As any tea, you should always make a reservation.  They serve on Fridays and Saturdays at 2pm, and fully expect it'll take 2 full hours.  For parking, you can valet, or you can self park at the parking garage, the restaurant is attached too.  You get 2 hours free if you dine with any of the restaurants on site, meaning, can't park there and then go to the Levy Park behind the building.  

Kiran's Houston

2925 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77098

713-960-8472

http://kiranshouston.com

Great Wolf Buffet - Loose Moose Cottage

We stayed at Great Wolf Lodge over the weekend.  

Since they made it so that you pretty much no need to leave the resort/hotel, figured I might as well get breakfast there, at the Loose Moose Cottage.

Breakfast buffet is really a character breakfast.  They have 3 characters that come around and take pictures and do a parade.  

Yogurt and fruit bar.  On the far side, there's biscuit and gravy.

Hot bar items: hash brown, French Toast, pancake, of course bacon.  On the far side, there's grits and oatmeal too.

Of course, there's pastries galore.  They also have food for kids, more like brownie and cookies.   There's also an omelet and a waffle bar.  

I got an omelet, but because the character was walking by, we went to take picture instead of taking picture of the food.  But, you get the gist.  LOL.

The charge $17.99 per person, and $9.99 for kids.  Beverage is not included in that price, it is an additional $1.79 with an adult buffet purchase.  My kid doesn't eat even one bacon, so you just have to let the server know when you sit down.  When I sat down there was some confusion as to who was covering my table.  Since everyone is trying to squeeze in an extra hour or so water time, it got busy quickly.

So that you can plan better, the Cottage open at 7:30a, the water park opens at 9a, and check out is at 11a.  So, you have to eat, pretty much packed and ready to go, then head to the water park for that extra hour before checking out.  That's also a prime time for the lobby, let's say the line at Starbucks is extra long for the parents.  

Loose Moose Cottage

inside Great Wolf Lodge

100 Great Wolf Drive

Grapevine, TX 76501

https://www.greatwolf.com/grapevine/dining-shopping/dining/character-breakfast

Kit Kat - Special edition

Following is my online overboard purchase, but thought I'd share anyway.

For a while now, I've heard about all the specialty Kit Kat in Japan.  Highly curious, and a few clicks later, I got myself a nice big box of Kit Kat at my front door from Japan.  Luckily, before the heat sets in.

All of these limited edition are really based geographically.  From the top, we have adzuki bean sandwich, wasabi, adzuki bean pancake, purple yam (sweet potato)

Besides unique flavors, the box design is also very different.  From the top: Fuji mountain - Strawberry Cheesecake, unbeknownst to me, the 2nd one is also Strawberry Cheesecake from another region.  Strawberry (no cheesecake) and apple.

This is Sake Kit Kat.  When you open it up, you do smell the rice wine, though you can't get drunk eating these Kit Kats, the smell of it is good enough to get you drunk.

Now, not all of the specialty Kit Kat comes in cool boxes, these came in bags.

Top to bottom: we have cooked sake (rice wine) flavor, dark chocolate flavor, and banana flavor for Easter.  I will say, it smells like banana, but doesn't really taste it.  It's covered with white chocolate.

Here we have green tea, mandarin (orange), and roasted soy beans with sakura (cherry blossom flowers).  Amazingly, it tasted like roasted soy beans and it's very lightly scented with flower fragrant.

Apparently, the name Kit Kat sounds like a good luck phrase in Japan, that's why there's a huge popularity associate with the chocolate.  They even have their own confectionary shops that you can custom tailor your box of Kit Kat with different flavors.  Some of the boxes you can even have your own photo and message on it.  

That said, the ones featured in the posts, are all in mini size.  No more than 54-65 calories per pack.  It's pretty small, and good things comes in small doses.  You can easily get Green Tea and Dark Chocolate here in the States, the other is really relaying on someone coming back or these online site.  The sites will only sell chocolate items up to April and some early May, for fear of melting during transit.  

Read more about the Japan obsession of Kit Kat here: 

http://fortune.com/2018/03/22/japanese-kit-kats/