Aqua S

Have you heard about this ice cream place from Australia?

It's in Chinatown, and has quickly become one of the most Instagrammable place in town.

Yep, there's 2 pictures right here...

This is more iconic, lots of folks and kids step right up to this one... oh wait, there's my ice cream in there...

Another one here... how classic is that?  Phones, who has those anymore?

And as Oz's does, G'day!  

So, how was the ice cream... each month they change out flavors twice a month.  They ran 1-15th and 16-30th.  Occasionally they have other random flavors that makes an appearance.  But their base flavor is Sea Salt.  

This time I got Pandan and Sea Salt with 'angel floss' aka cotton candy.  And that's the other thing, you can have cotton candy, toasted marshmallow, popcorn, or all three on top.  It will get messy, but you've been warned.  It's good, definitely different and nothing like that in town.  They do sell certain flavors in a small size, it's $5 per little pot.  Since they're rare flavors (i.e. Durian) I guess... but I do look forward to what they'll mish mash up next.

They are located in Chinatown right next to Tiger Den.

Aqua S

9889 Bellaire Blvd

D 232

Houston, TX 77032

281-501-3220

http://www.aquas.co

Asahi

Went back to Asahi for a quick lunch.

As usual, you go on a weekend day, they have Happy Hour all day.

Great deal on their sashimi, not to mention how thick they cut it. This round I got salmon, tuna, and yellowtail.

Tried the Shiso Saba, which is mackerel with salt.  Pretty crispy.

Can't resist, had to get the unagi sushi.  

Whole meal doesn't cost alot, but tons of decent food.  This is what I call quick and cheap meal when you just want something fast and fresh.  I like going to mom and pop shop and support them especially when they're doing a decent job.

Asahi Sushi

8236 Kirby Dr

#200

Houston, TX 77054

713-664-7686

http://asahisushi.net/en/

401 Table and Tap

Heard alot about 401 from the Moms group, so had to come check it out.

First off, it is hidden, but not exactly hard to find.

This is run by the same folks who runs Hungry's, but the food is very different.

Had to have an Arnold Palmer.

This is their onion dip, very good with homemade potato chips... once you had one you can't stop.

This is the Bistro Chipotle Cheeseburger. 

Different angle, it has bacon, avocado, cheese, chipotle sauce, that comes with a side of Greek Salad.

The meal was very satisfying, and on a Sunday night, this place was packed.  Food is decent, and I see that they have toy box with toys to keep the young kids occupied.  For older kids, 6 and up, they can go into Club No Majors, which has videos, iPad, coloring gear, games to keep kids busy. 

We sat at the bar and got full service, so if you come in late and see a line of people waiting for a table.  Do not despair, the bar is just as good if that's an option for you.

401 Table and Tap

6700 Bellaire Blvd

Ste 150

Bellaire, TX 77401

832-962-7649

https://www.the401bellaire.com/

Nobu

Finally got a chance to go to the much hyped Nobu here in Houston.

Very fancy door, which leads you to bar and dining upstairs.

Since it's still new, a reservation is highly recommended.

This is the Shichimi Passion, which has passion fruit, honey, lime and shichimi.  Shichimi is a 7 spice mixture in Japanese cuisine, essentially peppers of several kinds mixed together.

This is the lobster taco, pretty good, a tad too tiny.  Could eat alot of these.

Horse Mackerel sashimi with dried miso, garlic bits and yuzu infused oil.  Together, is actually very good.  Definitely recommend that.

This is the Uni Shooter...

... it has uni (sea urchin), yuzu sauce, quail egg.  Sadly, all I tasted was the yuzu and egg going down, not the uni.

Artichoke salad- too blend for my taste.  As a matter of fact, I tasted it and saved calories for other dishes.

This is the Eggplant Spicy Miso, pretty good, it is served warm.

Wagyu dumpling, which was hailed by alot of Yelp reviews.  Personally, in this method, you couldn't really taste the different between the wagyu beef that I know you can.  It's not a bad dish, but maybe get a different wagyu dish that feature the flavors instead.

Scallop with spicy garlic.  The sauce on top of the scallops are like a verde salsa sauce.  Pretty good, but again, didn't truly feature the flavor on the protein.

Ahh, finally Uni Sushi... since I didn't taste any uni from the shooter, had to make up for it somehow, and we ended up getting the nigiri to make up for it.  Much better this round.

This is the Cappuccino dessert, which in a simpler term, it is pretty much tiramisu with whiskey whipped cream.  Its texture and taste is very close to a tiramisu served in a demitasse cup, which means it's tiny.

Overall, I knew I came here for hype.  At first when you sat down, they really delivered, drinks, explaining the menu, the dishes, and what not.  As the night went on, the service pace got slower and slower, to dragged and almost forgotten.  Not sure if it's the staff still getting acclimated or if the kitchen hasn't adjusted, but over all, a meal like this should not last more than 2 hours, but it did.

Again, I knew it would be a lot of hype, but having having the food, I expected more from the name, Nobu.  Dishes aren't super creative, drinks were more creative than the food.  And some hype online about the sea bass, but let's face it, you can get steamed sea bass at alot of places.  For the price I'm paying, I expected them to be better than say Uchi or Kuu.  Maybe after they've been opened a while, things would be different, but for now, I'm going back to Uchi.

If you are coming, make sure you check the reservation.  We tried to make a reservation at the hostess  station, to only find that after she fiddled with it for a few minutes that they're unable to do that there. I did it on OpenTable just fine.  And since it's hot, I wouldn't recommend the patio.  Plus, that space is smaller than you think from the outside.

Nobu Houston

inside Galleria Mall

5115 Westheimer Rd

C-3515

Houston, TX 77056

832-987-2599

https://noburestaurants.com/houston/home-2/

E-Tao

Short and quick one today.

Was just at E-Tao not too long ago.  This time I'm on a diet, so have to pick lighter fare...  

In terms of Chinese food, there's no good evils here.  They can all do damage. From rice to veggies, which seemingly harmless choice, can also be harmful.  It's all the matter of 'how' they cook them.  SO! After some research, I got the Chicken and Broccoli.  It's the least oily from my normal fares.  Nothing fried, the soy sauce used is not as aggressive as it's lovely counterpart, Beef & Broccoli, yet still flavorful.  I just love how the rice is in a pyramid form.  I didn't have too much rice, just because it's not my friend lately.  That said, the little sauce that the dish had, worked well for the little rice that I am eating.  

As usual, I have decent service here and quickly seated even during busy lunch hour.  One new thing I learned, they are approved by one of the religious council that their food is halal approved.  I thought that was interesting.  I did't know that Chinese food is not, and that they have a council letter to deem its approval.  Go check it out by the front kitchen some time.

E-Tao

5135 W. Alabama 

Ste 7295

Houston, TX 77056

713-965-0888

Shake Shack - Minute Maid Park

So lucky to get to go to an Astros Game now the they're World Champions.

I always like to just hang out a bit before the game.

I didn't realized that they've put in a Shake Shack in the ballpark.

Menu is much simpler than normal outfits.

For simplicity sake and my diet, I got the lowest of all evils.  Haha... I can't help myself so I got a hotdogs and their Crinkle Cut Fries.  It's delicious on top of that so killing my diet was well worth it. 

We even got an awesome seats to boot.

As the motto for the 'Stros goes: Never Settle!

I got there a tad early, or rather the game started kinda late.  That said, I took my time to check out what they've added.  Of course, you have the regular fan fare, BBQ, pizza, burger, beer, hot dogs, ice cream and what not.  By the 'Hill', 2nd floor, they put in Torchy Tacos.  There's Shake Shack, there's also a market for 'classy' wine and salad and some specials for that game.  Of course specialty alcohol booths, galore.

It has been a while since I've been to the game.  Lucky that the night we went they won, totally add to the experience.

Minute Maid Park

501 Crawford Street

Houston, TX 77002

713-259-8000

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/index.jsp

Goode Co.

Went to grab a quick lunch and stopped by Goode Company.

It has been a while since I've been there.

For my gluttonous cheat meal, I got a stuffed potato with sausage with a drink, which doesn't cost $10 total.

Here's the beautiful sausage, BBQ sauce on top of a stuffed potato.  Sans sour cream and butter.  It's pretty darn good, and it's definitely hit the spot.

You walk up to review the ginormous menu, pick what you like, and walk thru the cafeteria style line.  They are ready to put together whatever your whim is.  If you are doing pick up, they have a walk-up window, so you don't have to go thru the line inside.

Goode Company BBQ

5109 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 

713-522-2530

https://www.goodecompany.com/bbq.asp

Moxie's

Finally gotten a chance to check out Moxie's

It's in the same shopping center as Old Navy on Westheimer & Post Oak.  Where Canyon Cafe used to be.

Also has a very instagrammable wall for you to take a few snaps.

Had my first poutine outside of Canada.  It has chives, cheese, beef gravy with chunks.  It sure was delicious.  I can eat this entire thing easily, but I won't.

I got the steak salad.  The steak was cooked at medium, covered with chimuchurri sauce on top.  3 slices of toasts covered with goat cheese on top.  Bed of veggies, tomato, onions, bits of goat cheese sprinkled everywhere. 

It is alot of food even though it may not look it.  I is very filling mainly because of the steak.  We came during lunch on a weekday, and it was so busy that we were grateful that we had a reservation and came early.  So, make sure you do that.  If not, they do have a small bar area down on the 1st floor to help levitate the traffic, though you may have to share a table.  There are seating out at the balcony and patio, but in this heat, may be better to stay in.

Moxie's Grill & Bar

5000 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77056

346-571-6164

https://us.moxies.com/restaurant-locations/tx/uptown-houston-post-oak

Cafe Ginger

Went to a get together dinner at Cafe Ginger.

I never gotten a chance to go to the original location in the River Oaks Shopping Center down on West Gray.  Now they're further down, also on Gray but closer to Montrose.

I got a bowl of the wonton soup.  I like that it has pork and veggie inside in a meat broth.

I got Mongolian Beef, haven't had that for a long time.  This is my junk food, the brown sauce has lots of sodium, but it's so darn good.

The place has a very dramatic decor inside, there's tons of seating that can be seated comfortably for big or small parties.  But if you do have a large party, it's best to call ahead.  The service is spot on.  Our server was attentive but not disruptive.  They serve happy hour till 6:30p, has various rolls to choose from.  Very pleasant experience over all.

Cafe Ginger

1952 W. Gray

Houston, TX 77019

713-528-4288

Andalucia Tapas & Bar

Went to Andalucia for tapas before a show at Toyota Center.

Between happy hour and dinner is a very popular time.

We got the meat and cheese plate.  The toast with the brie like cheese went swimmingly well.  The sharp cheese with the prosciutto was delightful.

Here's the crab cakes, I liked the sauce and the crisp leeks on top.  Nice and crunchy.

This is the chicken skewers, it was ok, but nothing super special.  The rice that came with was nice though.

This is an empanadillas with aioli balsamic sauce drizzled on top.  

The inside is spinach with apricot bits.  Not too heavy, even though it's fried.

Paella!  Came here must get this dish!  This is a seafood paella, and there's tons of clams, shrimps, squid and mussels.  It was super delicious.  The size is a bit larger than a dinner plate, very easy to share. 

This is a Bastilla, very new to this...

When we opened it up, it has chicken, roasted almond in the phyllo dough and a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top.

This is the Mereguez Sausage.  It's ok, but I would say save the calories for other dishes.

My friend, Julia was checking in on Yelp, if you mention it to the server, they will complimentary bring you a plate of Patatas Bravas.  It's diced potato and aioli sauce as topping.

Lastly, we go the Tortilla Espinola.  Potato omelet with spinach with aioli sauce.

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of aioli sauce in all the dishes.  Second, since I knew it'll be busy, I made a reservation, and that paid off.  We were downtown because we have a show to get to, having a reservation totally blows everyone out of the water.  They do have live music and diners there.  Don't forget to clap and tip them if you can.   

Andulucia Tapas & Bar
1204 Caroline St
#161
Houston, TX 77002
832-319-6673
http://www.andaluciatapas.com