Tamashi Ramen

Located at the old Fuji Ramen King's location, a new ramen spot popped up.

Same location, but not the same food.  

I got the Miso Ramen with extra fish cakes.  Sure, the noodles are nothing spectacular, it is the Sun Noodles that majority of restaurants use.  The soup however, has improved tremendously from it's previous version.  It has more body and texture than previous. The meat is pretty tender and it showed that they put some work in there.  The 60 degree egg was actually done well, it may not be soaked in shoyu for hours like other places, but it's not freshly cooked like some places I've tried.  

Overall, the transformation was better than I'd expected.  The place is small, so due to this new rendition, it has also gained popularity.  You may have to wait for a seat, but they're pretty quick.  They also offer sushi and a few appetizers, but they do make a point to say they are focused on ramen.  I would say this is not top of the line, but they're finally bringing their level up to be qualified to be compared with the big boys.  I look forward to improvements in the future.

Tamashi Ramen

2518 W. Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX

346-204-5523

https://www.tamashiramensushi.com

Tommy's

Was working out of Clear Lake and been getting lots of recommendations to go back to Tommy's.

Heard alot of great things about their Oysters and their Happy Hour, really need to plan it better to go there for that.

Instead, I got lunch.  This is the Jambalaya Pasta.  It has andouille sausage, chicken, bell pepper, onion, bit of creamy tomato sauce but not too much.  The pasta was definitely filling with the chicken and the sausage.  It was very hearty, I can see me eating this when it is cold out.  Even if it's 100 degree out, this is pretty suitable, I just can't finish it.

Tommy's 

2555 Bay Area Blvd

Houston, TX 77058

281-480-2221

https://tommys.com

Bubble Egg

Been meaning to try Bubble Egg a while now. 

Everytime I want to go there, it's usually after I stuffed my face silly, then realized I should've left room for dessert.  Today, I finally remembered to save room.

Since I'm sharing the dessert with the little dude I didn't go too fancy like their pre-suggested cones.  So instead, I chose the Hong Kong styled egg waffle, which they used as a ice cream cone.  A scoop of Chocolate ice Cream and called it a day.

Otherwise, you can choose the base of original, matcha (green tea), or chocolate.  They even let you pick filling inside the waffle.  It's a relatively new thing in Hong Kong to do that.  But in Japan, they've been doing that in various waffle street food (i.e. Taiyaki).  Then, you pick your ice cream, they have about 10 to choose from.  Last but not least, topping... yes, topping.  Which you can do fruits and nuts.  Fruits they have 3 to choose from and nuts they have 5 to choose from, and oh, would you like to top off with a pocky stick too?  Erm yeah!

So, it is definitely a great Instagrammable food, the issue is the execution of eating the food.  Towards the bottom, your waffle is soaked and wet and your mouth can't get caught up, and everything is dripping every where.  There's really no polite way of eating this, so be prepared.  That said, it definitely should be experienced.

Bubble Egg

9188 Bellaire Blvd

Ste B

Houston, TX 77036

281-888-4135

Hong Kong's Cafe

It's been a long time since I've been back to Hong Kong's Cafe.

Got me an Iced Lemon Tea, Hong Kong Style... this ain't no Arnold Palmer, kids.  This is tea!

This is a very common Hong Kong fare, Wonton noodles.  It's nothing fancy, but veggie broth, with egg noodles, bok choy, and of course the start, wonton.  Every wonton has a sizable shrimp in the middle.  The skin of the wonton is light and not thick.  It holds the shrimp just right.  After you finished the bowl, you don't feel like you've been weighted down by noodles, it's actually a pretty good feeling.

As usual, don't forget to bring cash here, they do not accept credit cards.

Hong Kong's Cafe

9108 Bellaire Blvd
Ste A
Houston, TX 77036
713-772-9633

Agu - not ramen this time

After going to Agu's event last time, they gave us a coupon to come back.  So come back, I did. 

Got me a Gyoza, pretty yummy.  

This is the Rafute Rice Bowl, which is a fancy word for Pork Belly Rice.  To my surprise, they have a huge piece of pork belly on top of a bed of rice.  That said, the pork was too dry and it was hard to tear apart, so much so that the server asked if I wanted knife and fork.  But no one observed that if I needed to use knife and fork, maybe it's too dry?  Anyway, by looks, I'd thought there'll be more marinate to soften it.  Or at lease the fat cooked to break it down.  But I was wrong.

I wouldn't say that I wouldn't order this again.  But I wanted to see besides noodles, which they do well, what else they'd do well.  Luckily, I had the gyoza to fill my tummy.

That said, they do have a lunch menu with lunch sets that has an appetizer, entree for $10 -14.  Totally worth checking out.  Next time I think I'll stick with my gut and do a curry rice.

Agu Ramen

2130 Lone Star Dr

Sugar Land, TX 77479

713-588-5601

http://www.aguramen.com

Kata Robata

It's been a while since I came back to Kata.

Trust me, it's not by design, sometimes I gave up because of the parking situation, some times I pure get distracted and forget.  

We made it just in time for last call on Happy Hour.  Guess what, we braved it and got everything on the appetizer list.  WHA!!!

To start, we got the Agadashi Tofu, love the warm sauce and hope that my tofu don't soak up too much of it and fall apart on me.  Just love this dish!

Pork Belly Bun, this time, I think I tasted the other stuff more than I tasted the pork belly.

Kobe Beef Taco, it was light and easy going.  Flavorful in small bites.

Chicken Skewers, pretty tasty, after all, they are a Robata bar, should churn out yummy skewers.

Vegetable Gyoza, it is more flavorful than meets the eye.  It was a nice surprise.

This is the Texas Kobe Yakiniku Roll, it is with cooked beef, in case you're curious or unsure.  And there's cucumber, onion, and greens.

Fresh Catch Ceviche with Taro Chips.  You're supposed to grab a full bite of the fish and put it on top of the chip and dip the yellow sauce.  Either way, it's delicious, just get it!

Oyster Mushroom on skewers, pretty good, nice and soft and easy to absorb taste.

Shishito Peppers, out of all the grilled peppers, this is the only kind that I'd eat. 

Yuzu Marinated Salmon Sashimi, which has yuzu juice, olive oil, vinaigrette, cauliflower mousse (which I've never had it like that before), dried kumquat (also never had before).  To eat this, it is best to take a piece of long salmon, and put the cauliflower mousse in the the middle with the dried kumquat, or the little crunch and wrap it up and then eat it in one bite.  It is pretty darn good.  Definitely getting this again.

Brussels Sprouts - yummy!

This is Fish and Fish, which is a huge piece of grilled piece, and you definitely need to dip the sauce to go with it.

Got some uni sushi, really a redemption round after the not-so-good experience at Nobu.

This is amberjack with foie gras, which is one of my go to dishes here at Kata.  This time, however, the foie gras is not as flavorful as they were in the past.

This is the Oxtail Ramen.... eh, who am I kidding?!  By the time we ate all the food you saw before this picture.  I cannot stomach another bite of food... I did have the egg and some of the noodles.  The broth is so full of flavor and the noodles are the kind that has good elasticity, which sometimes house-made noodles don't get.  I did enjoyed the little bit I had.  Maybe have to save more room in my tummy for this next round.

This is the Banana Creme Brûlée.  I know it's uncommon sounding and I did belly ache about how much I ate before this.  That said, this is pretty delightful and to my surprise too.  It is creamy but not the traditional vanilla kinda of way.  It's more banana creme kinda of way.  They put a spray of Nutella Mousse in the corner, so if you take a dip of that with the brûlée and the fruit, it is so good... I'm surprised, since I don't usually do dessert here, and this turned out pretty good.

I think our server was surprised that we ordered so much food between 2 people.  As a matter of fact, we packed alot of it home.  But oh my, it was all so good, no regrets there!  As always, unless you're coming during off peak, always make a reservation for dinner service.  Trust me, you won't be sorry.

Kata Robata

3600 Kirby Dr

Suite H

Houston, TX 77098

713-526-8858

https://www.katarobata.com

Movie snack

So, sometimes you just have to eat something bad while you're on a diet.

Was going to the movies anyway, so I decided, what the heck, let's go for it.  That is a small Coke Icee, which was still huge.  Then, there's Churros.  Even though it takes 10 mins for it, they sure doused it with cinnamon sugar.  Not that I'm complaining because it was good.  

I'm glad that they started to list the calories per food item.  Let's face it, they are just an approximation, but it's a good guide if you're on a diet like me.

Movie junk food, available at any movie theatre near you!  Don't forget to use your frequent visitor card to rack up some points at the concession stand!

   

Ramen bar Ichi

Came back to Ramen Bar Ichi on the West side of town.

Make sure you note the opening hours and don't show up when you think they should be open.  Made that mistake before...

This is Takoyaki, which is waffle batter with squid in the middle.  This is what they called the Osaka style.  They have Takoyaki sauce, which is a sweet soy sauce, seaweed flakes, on top of some leaves. Now, what makes that 'Osaka' style to me, is the creamy mayo and the spicy mayo.  They are for dip, and that said, the spicy mayo was pretty good.  Coming from a non-spicy food eater, that's huge.

This is their Tonkotsu Ramen, which has the pork and chicken broth as base, and you can see that it's pretty creamy.  Obviously, you see there's alot of scallion that you can see on top.  There's an 60 degree egg hidden behind there.  Pork that is nicely done, pull apart as you grab them.  Some mushroom, bamboo and of course, noodles.  The noodles are Sun Noodles, which are egg based.  

As usual, they tend to get busy and you have a wait list.  They go pretty quick.  Plus, the place is not just what you see, there's also another little bit more of seating in the back too.  So if it's crowded, don't despair.  It will be your turn soon, I promise.

Ramen Bar Ichi

1801 S Dairy Ashford 

#108

Houston, TX 77077

https://www.ramenbarichi.com

Del Frisco's lunch

Had a business lunch at Del Frisco's.

Got an Arnold Palmer to start.

Of course, you have to get a cup of Lobster Bisque, few people that add real alcohol to where you can taste it anymore.  I will say that there are lobster meat chunks, but I can always use more chunks...

For the entree, I got the Prime Steak Salad.  It has, obviously, Prime Steak cooked at medium, Deviled Eggs, real bacon bits and you can taste that it's smoked, avocado, tomato, on top of a bed of mixed green.  My favorite part, the bits of blue cheese all around.  The plate doesn't look big but has alot of food on it.  I had to split the salad and eat it in 2 meals.

Service is good as usual.  Our server got distracted and forgot one thing we asked for, but the pace was ok that we didn't think much about it.  While we were led to our table by a manager, there's another manager that made the round but skipped our table, that was odd.  Otherwise, no complaint there.

As usual, make a reservation no matter you think you need it or not.  Doesn't matter lunch or dinner, they're unpredictable when it comes to people's meal times.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

5061 Westheimer Rd

Suite 8060

Houston, TX 77056 

713-355-2600

https://delfriscos.com/steakhouse/houston/

Etoile

Met up with some friends at Etoile.

I haven't been for a few years, so anxious to see what's been updated.

Got an Arnold Palmer to start.

This is Pave de Saumon Roti - which is fancy French for 8 oz roasted salmon on top of English peas puree and peas, bits of gnocchi and mushroom sauce.  The sauce and the puree is awesome with the salmon.  I think I used the salmon wiped clean of the sauce.  I've never been a peas fan, so needless to say, the server was very confused when all it was left was just peas on my plate.

This is the Tarte aux Pommes, fancy French for apple tart with ice cream ala mode.  They have this fancy apple chips on top to make it more appealing, as if it's not already.  It tastes delicious to boot.  The ice cream is vanilla with salted caramel sauce drizzled all over the pie.  The crust is light and fluffy, so even though it is delectable, it is not as sinful to the waistline.  

As usual, going to Etoile, it is best to call ahead and make a reservation.  The place is not big, and for  a big party dinner like ours, they were able to accommodate comfortably for everyone in our party and the diners sitting next to us.  They do have a back room for additional seating, but they do go fast, so best to call ahead.  Service as always was top notched.  No complaints here.

Etoile Cuisine et Bar

1101-11 Uptown Park Blvd

Houston, TX 77056

832-668-5808

http://www.etoilecuisine.com

Myung Dong

I was watching my K-Drama, and totally makes me crazy Korean food.

I typed Ddukbokki in Yelp, and this place came up.  Not necessary for ddukbokki but for their tang (soup) and seafood pancake.

First off, I love that Korean food give you all the side dishes.  However, no place in Houston does a Korean restaurant serve mini anchovies. They typically comes in kimchi, sprouts, tofu in some form (spicy or not), greens of some kind, and they here given us kim-chi-ed pickles.

This is a huge plate of bulgogi, don't get me wrong, love my beef, just volume-wise, more than I expected.  Hooray for leftovers.  I think I'd like it to be less juicy, bulgogi, typically don't have that much juice around it.  Flavor is fine, could use more of it.  But more importantly, I don't have to cook it.

Purple rice.  I just love it.  Not that it tasted different, but just not something I get regularly, it's such a treat.

Don't mind me, I'm working on my photo taking skills... doesn't it makes you hungry?!

Seafood Pancakes.  Don't think: ah, that's nice.  This thing in reality is huge. Took me several meals to finish it off, it's that big.  I'd say, the diameter is almost as big as my laptop, and it's cut into many pieces.  If you come with a big party, this is a great share.  

The flavor is good.  Not too burnt, but added the crunch.  There are shrimp, squid, crab, veggies.  The best part, after you take it home and heat it up, it's still tastes good.  This totally holds up.

Ddukbokki!!!  When I watch my K-Drama, they go to street stalls and eat this.  They would stand there and just hang out, especially when it's cold outside.  Well, for us in Houston, it's hot as heck, but since we're in A/C, I guess it can pass.  

Surprisingly enough, it looks like lots of chili on it, it's not super spicy.  It has enough for taste, but overall, I can finish it decent enough.  What is ddukbokki?  It is Korean rice cake, but really, it this thick noodle form.  It can pack alot of taste, but if you don't add enough, it can also has no taste.  Chinese has a similar version of the food but it's more salty and savory, than sweet and sour kinda taste.  Sometimes you see them in soup, stir fried, or steamed.  

Only trouble with ddukbokki is that when it is cold, everything congeal, and when you try to heat it up, if it's not heated up evenly, the cold parts are hard as a rock.  So kids, don't try that at home.

Overall, Myung Dong is a mom and pop shop in a corner of a small strip center.  It is on the edge of Sharpstown, and it stands out with its odd shaped windows covered in green.  The ajumma (little old lady) runs the shop speaks very little English but between pointing and smiling, your order won't be wrong.  They also has a helper, so that helps.  For credit card, they have a $20 minimum, which between the 3 dishes, we hit that already, but bring cash just in case.

Myung Dong

6415 Bissonnet St

Houston, TX 77074

713-779-5530

401 Table & Tap

Went back to 401, just because I had such a good time there last time.

Came on a Friday night and luckily came early enough to get a table.

Love the wall decorations!

I started with Pineapple and Netflix, which has Pineapple jalapeño infused tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and agave nectar.  It has a spicy kick to it.

I ordered my favorite dip, Caramelized onion dip.  It tasted like there's bits of meat in there, but I could be wrong.  Love the chips, they should give us more.

Fried avocado, which has sesame seeds, and corn, a bit spicy for my taste.

Nice and simple cheese and cracker tray.  It's actually alot of food that you see here.

Finally, for entree, I got gyro and fries.  It's simple, and straight forward.  Not the best gyro I've had in the whole wide world, but because it is from Hungry's it definitely serves nostalgia for me.

I love the atmosphere here.  It is definitely family oriented, they have toy boxes at the hostess stand for kiddos 6 and under.  If they're older, they can go to Club No Majors, which has computer games,  iPads, coloring pages, board games, card games for 6 and up and they do have a staff in there to accompany the kids.  Not only that, they understand us parents needs alcohol too, and serve some stiff drinks.  I think next time I'll either go back to burger or try new pizza.

401 Table & Tap

6700 Ferris

Ste 150

Bellaire, TX 77401

832-962-7649

https://www.the401bellaire.com