Rice to Meet You

My first time using the Chowbus app (note: I'm not being compensated by Chowbus)

I was just intrigued to see claypot dishes easily accessible that I didn't know about.

I got the meal set, which comes with an entree and a drink or appetizer.  So, obviously, I got the drink here.  It's a Mango Green Tea, very light-bodied and has a hint of mango, not too fruity or too floral.

I got the Cantonese Cured Pork Belly claypot entree.  It has the Chinese sausage and pork belly.  The key to any claypot rice dish is that they burnt the rice and the whole lump clump together.  The characteristic about these dishes is that they give you a soy sauce mix and you pour it over the rice to break up those lumps.  

So, when you order dish like this, pour on the sauce, mix the rice, protein all up and it's ready to go.  They gave us half of an egg, that's a lot of protein here.  Basically took me over 2 meals to finish this.

Another thing to note is that this is my first time using Chowbus the app.  Neighbor of mine referred me.  I thought, why not, I'm lazy I don't want to drive.  I will say that I'm impressed that they are smart enough to bundle the restaurants together for the users' convenience.  What that means is: if one of you want one type of dish, another person want something else.  The app has a deal where if it is part of their bundle, they are willing to make multiple stops with no additional fee.  

Like the other food delivery app, you get the status of your order, track your driver and communicate via the app.  But, I would say true to any dine-in Asian eatery, they delivered 10+ minutes before the delivery window.  The driver actually read the instructions of where I tell him to go.  So needless to say, I'm impressed.  

Is not that a lot of mom and pop restaurants already offered delivery for 5 miles radius or something of the like.  But this is taking multiple stops, multiple dishes all combine into one with no miles restrictions.  Not to mention, they now have more restaurants participating, truly helps me discover different places without having to leave my house.   Keep in mind Chowbus is mostly picking up from Chinatown (Bellaire) area.

Rice to Meet You

9888 Bellaire Blvd

Ste 138

Houston, TX 77036

713-777-8838

https://www.ricetomeetu.com

 

Kona Ice

For hot days, the sight of shaved ice is a welcome sight.

Ordered the Tiger Blood, it is actually watermelon, strawberry and coconut. You can  tell there's coconut in there, but it's not too strong that it's a turn-off.  

If you call the Kona Ice truck to your street, they will come if there's 10 orders or more.  For parties they are very reasonable and very accommodating on pricing too.  The entire crew are very easy to work with.  

Definitely worth calling them over.

Kona Ice

https://www.kona-ice.com

 

Bao Shi Yi - again

After last post, a friend of mine introduced another drink, so I went back to Bao Shi Yi

This is their Strawberry Slush with Cheese Foam.

Typically, I'm not a cheese foam kinda person, but if it's good, why not... 

Basically the slush part is pretty good.  The foam does sink down, and it's not too salty, and not too over empowered by the cheese taste, but the hint is definitely in there.  There are a few slices of the strawberries in there, and it does taste very fresh.

Since it was breakfast time.  I decided to get you-tiao, or aka Chinese doughnut.

Basically the process of making is similar with the exception that this is salty and not sweet.  Definitely is filling with all carbs.

Again, loving the drive-thru, every time I went there hardly any wait.  Plus, everything you order is made to order, so you know it's hot hot hot.

Bao Shi Yi

3819 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

346-867-3941

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Tastu-ya Ramen

Was craving for some ramen.

Have to get a pic of the giant cat at Tatsu-ya.

As you walk up, they remind you that you should order online first before walking up to pick up.  And as they say, no mask, no ramen.

It came in well packed packages to ensure save journey to its destination.

You open up there's the the glorious broth.  I do miss how much texture their broth has.  Of course, it's not as good as it is served in person, but it is still quality broth.  

The charsiu and egg are as good as ever.  My compliant is too much mushroom & chives, rather save room for more noodles or more meat.  

Their online ordering is pretty thoughtful, but I will say that if there are issue with your order there's no phone to call in.  They want you to email their info mailbox, which I will say did answer quickly but it is a bit inconvenient.  

I had also ordered Karaage Mushroom & Green tea, both were missed in the order, and of course I didn't discovered until I got home.  Had to email them to resolve.  They were pretty quick and did offer for me to get it, if I were to drive back to the store.  But I was hungry and was not in the mood, but the quickly offered refund, so I appreciate their promptness on that.

Tastu-ya

1722 California St

Houston, TX 

https://www.tatsu-ya.com 

Jolibee

So haven't eaten out for quite a bit, and was craving for some fried chicken, and ended up at Jolibee.

Picked up a Halo Halo - which is really Filipino for Mixed Up - this is a shaved ice dish. At the bottom, there are mung bean, adzuki bean, jellies.  There's shaved ice in the middle, then you got ube ice cream, vanilla ice cream and flan on top, and oh condensed milk in the mix.  

Amazingly, all these sweet stuff together, it's not super sweet, but this is definitely a dessert on its own.

What did I get?  I got the 2pc Chickenjoy with mashed potato that comes w/ gravy.  Again, I'm amazed that their chicken aren't greasy as other fried chicken.  And you can see that it's not oily on the chicken there.  The mashed potato was so-so with the gravy.  Should've gotten the fries, but thought it was too much fried food in one go.  They also give you a side of gravy for the chicken, but that's too much gravy for me.  

My favorite thing about their chicken is that even though it's not oily or greasy, the chicken inside is still moist.  I don't know how they do that, but it worked out so nice.

Jolibee

8001 S. Main St

Houston, TX 77025

713-665-8914

https://jollibeeusa.com

 

Aka Sushi House

Love, Aka Sushi House.  

So what did I get?  I got the Chirashi lunch set.  So, the set comes with salad and miso soup.  To be honest, that's a lot of food.  The Chirashi bowl definitely is the right size for me, but you can see they still packed a lot of sashimi in there.  The amount of rice is just right but it is smaller compare to the bowl you get as a dine-in service.  Again, to me, this is just right.  Fish is fresh, and the tamago has a hint of sweet.  Just up my alley.

It's quick when you call in for order and they are pretty good in keeping everything in one spot and ready for pick up.  So I learned that when they say it'll be ready in 25 mins, I get there about a little shy 20 mins it'll be ready to go.  

 

Aka Sushi house

2390 W. Alabama St

Houston, TX 77098

713-807-7875

http://www.akasushi.net

Bao Shi Yi - Drinks

Went back to Bao Shi Yi's drive thru on Kirby. 

This time, I got drinks/dessert.

I had the Mango Slush last time and liked it so much that I came back for it again.  It is mango slush plus grapefruit chunks and sago in the bottom and throughout.  It really is a dessert to its own.  You get a bit of mango mush, a bit of grapefruit and a bit of sago.  I highly recommend this... not necessary for a drink, which you could, but as a dessert on its own.  If you treat it as a drink, just like having mango lassi, just keep in mind that it is very filling. 

The other is the Grapefruit Sliced Tea.  It really has slush and tea in there, for a hot day like we've been having.  It truly is refreshing and breaks up the heat.  Light bodied, not too fruity and not too sweet.  You can see slices of grapefruit in there, but the taste is not overpowering.  

Bao Shi Yi

3819 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

346-867-3941

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Tiger Noodle House

Had an urge for the Taiwanese Rice Bowl at Tiger Noodle House.

Taste good just as I remembered it.  I was really there for the sauce and the minced pork.  It really make the dish.  I also liked the Chinese sausage where they cooked it to crispy, which is not how my mother makes it, and it's nice and crunchy.  The egg was a bit much on the food, so I saved it for the following day.   As you can see, there's a lot of food here, and it is good 2 meals worth if not more.  

This visit is very different than before.  They basically do not have any seating inside.  All of them are to-go orders only.  And while they do have a few seating at the parking spots up front, you do have to distance yourself.  The tables aren't closed to each other per se, but as it gets filled up, you can see it'll be crowded.

Highly recommend you call ahead and place the order for pick up, that way you don't have to wait too long for the food.  They do have online order feature, but it's easier for me to talk to the person, just because sometimes it's easier to describe for me.

Tiger Noodle House

2424 Rice Blvd

Houston, Tx 77005

281-974-4083

https://tigernoodletexas.com

HRW - Traveler's Table

This is my first HRW for this year.

Things this year is not like years past, so I'm focused on restaurants that will do take outs.

For Traveler's Table's Brunch, I started out with Vietnamese Coffee Cake.  It was goofy, online, they said it's out of stock, but they obviously was offering it in person.  

Overall, for coffee cake, I expected some hint of coffee.  For it to be Vietnamese Coffee which has a very distinctive taste and smell, I didn't sense too much of it.  I think I'd like for it to be a tad more moist to make the texture more perfect with the drizzle.

For my main course, I ordered the Truffled Ham, Mushroom, Brie Omelette.  I was surprised to see the onions draped on top.  I saw it in the description was hoping it was inside.  But what they did here was to have the onion melt the brie on top of the omelette.  It's decent, but I was left to wonder if I did taste any of the truffle that was on the description. 

 We also ordered a side of bacon to share.  Luckily, they are cooked well and the slices are thick, so that made me feel better for paying extra $6 for 4 slices of bacon.  Still high, but the taste and size redeemed for it.

They do allow for HRW order on their online ordering system.  However, you are missing a few options which I've called to find out that you can phone in the order and they will let you know if an item is available for order or not.  As a matter of fact, when the manager delivered my food at curbside pickup.  I had informed him as well.  He was apologetic but did admit there was a glitch.  

When you arrive, there are 2 entrance to their parking lot.  The 'smaller' one is for curbside and handicap parking.  The other is for dining.  On the weekend, they have a guy that valet's - if you're comfortable with that.  That said, he does block off spots and if you need to cut thru from one side to the other, you have to wave him down.  Otherwise, he's pointing you to a parking spot.  Once you arrived at the front, you have to phone in and let them know you've arrived.  Even though I've noted on the online order in the notes what my make and model of my car, they will ask again, in case you send someone else to pick up.

This year because things are so bad that all the restaurants that are participating are committed to donate $1 per meal to the Houston Food Bank.  That doesn't sound like a lot, but $1 can get 3 meals thru the Food Bank.  So, even though it is not a huge impact, it is important to participate.  Not only for the Food Bank, but also for the restaurants that are participating.  Hopefully, this is a way to reenergize the food scene and get people out eating agin.  

Traveler's Table

520 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77006

832-409-5785

https://travelerstable.com

International Snack - Oreo part 3

Feel like I've been on a quest of the best non- regular, International Oreo here. 

This time I found Mint Creme Oreo.  This one is not the Thins that I found, this is the regular size Oreo referring to the thickness of the cookie.  The filling is Mint Creme.  I immediate associate that with Thin Mints GS cookies.

Also came in the small packs, and each pack is 107 calories, which is great for on the go snack.  Just throw one in the purse. 

This is what the cookies look like.  I will say, it is definitely not Thin Mints.  The Mint Creme here is the cool mint.  So after you ate the cookie, you feel the mint going down.  No complaint, it's good, just never had that in a cookie before.  I've had that in a mint - mint.  So that's a new sensation for me.

The other one I found is The Strawberry Milkshake.  Back to the thin version, and to look for that, look for the box says Oreo Crispy.  Those are the thins!

Again, cute pack great for on the go snack, for 99 calories per pack.

Hooray for the thins.  The creme is definitely not something I've had before.  You can taste the strawberry and as artificial as I know them to be, the taste really resembles a real strawberry.  In that, it has its sweets, tang, and zest.  There's bit of sweet and bit of sour, which is very much unlike the artificial strawberry flavor anything that is sweet through and through.  That was interesting.  Don't worry, the zest and tang is so subtle it's unconscious but since it's different for me, it was neat to try.

I'm still in search of the Famous Sakura, if you see them, let me know.  I would say, having tried the several, the Chocolate Brownie is still my top one.  Otherwise, you can get these at several Asian grocers in the Houston area.

Bao Shi Yi - Kirby

I saw them renovating the old Elevation Burger location while I was stuck in traffic. 

I'm no stranger to Bao Shi Yi since we tried out in Chinatown.  This location definitely help the inner loopers get acquainted with yummy Chinese food.

They fully take advantage of the drive thru but seems like they needed to restock as they are running low on items.

Take a look took, the selections they have at this location, a lot you don't have, or are different from the Chinatown location.  One more tip: at the lower right corner, you can make the meal into a combo by adding either soda, coffee or soy mail for $1.25.

So what did I get: Popcorn Chicken.  It comes in a cute little cup.  But don't look down on it, there are actually a lot of meat in there.  Took me couple of meals to finish.

Shrimp, Pork & Chives Potstickers.  There are 8 pieces in there, and it is pretty much fill me up as a meal.

For drinks, I decided to order the Mango Slush and Soy Milk.  I love the packaging.  I forgot that their Soy Milk is not sweeten.  Which makes sense because if you order the warm Soy Milk and the Chinese Donut and you dip the donut into the milk, it works very well together.  

The Mango Slush is a dessert to its own.  There are sago, raspberry, and mango slush in the mix.  It is rich and pretty filling, as opposed to a drink, so it is something to set aside later.

I like that they have the drive thru, just keep in mind, orders are made to order, so it will take a bit, unlike other drive thrus.  Again, a lot of more authentic dishes are only available in the Chinatown location.  Hopefully they will expand here, but for to go meals, this is not a bad start.  I've seen posts of the interior, when things eased up, I don't mind going in and taking a few for the 'gram.

Bao Shi Yi - Kirby

3819 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

346-867-3941

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Yori Yori

In the days of to-go- meal.  We went to Yori Yori for lunch.

So I ordered Bulgogi Udon Noodles.  

It actually is a lot of food here.  Lots of meat on top of lots of noodles.  It comes with 2 sides, kimchi & sprouts.  I liked their bulgogi, very flavorful and not overwhelming.

Next thing we got was the Galbi, which is grilled ribs and it is full of heat.   It comes with rice and 2 more side dishes.  It came with kimchi and kimchi potato and fish cakes.  Truth be told, those sides are my favorite.  My other favorite that I don't see served often is the baby anchovies.  

Overall, they packed our boxes to the rim that we were able to eat this for several meals.  So we do mix and match everything together.  

This Yori Yori is inside H-Mart and you can go order and go shopping as its being made.  They do have social distance tables for seating, but really not a lot of people sitting down.  Lots of to-go orders lined up. The food still good after some travels, so no worries on that.

Yori Yori

insides H-Mart

1302 Blalock Rd

Houston, TX 77055

713-467-0777

 

International Snack - Compare and contrast of the Oreos

So the last time I found some thin Oreo from Japan.  This time I found more and had to share.

This is the Chocolate Brownie Thin Oreo. YUM

Again, it comes with a tiny 'tube', which is great for portion control.

You see how thin these are.  And the chocolate filling is packed with flavors.  You don't feel that the Oreo cookie and the filling was too much sweet and sugar.  It's nicely balance but your brain definitely identify that you're eating chocolate.

The other one I found was green tea.  They do green tea in all snacks and dessert.  So I know they'll do a good job here, there's too many competition out there.

Again, cute little tube, which if you consume its entirety it's 98 calories.

Again, you can see the matcha cream, and it does taste like green tea.  

I think that's one great thing about the Japanese is that they will make sure flavors will show up and yet not over powering what it's supposed to be.  Don't get me wrong, not all makers are good at this, I think with Oreo being an international brand, they have to show well.  That said, this is a great product.  I hope I find more to try.

Coco Creperie

Want to support local businesses and try to find any excuse we can.

I've always fond of Coco Creperie

I was surprised when I walked in that there are more folks dining in.

Let's focus the task at hand.... gelato.

We got: Chocolate and Pistachio gelato.  It's been a long time since I've had any pistachio gelato or gelato in general.  It was refreshing and for a hot summer and you do feel the difference and lighter texture is very nice.  I highly recommend you having one for a hot summer day.

Coco Creperie

2339 Rice Blvd

Houston, TX 77005

346-980-5525

https://www.cococrepes.com/location/coco-crepes-rice-village/

Beard Papa Bellaire

While I'm waiting for my food to be done, I snuck over to Beard Papa.

As you walked into the store, you see that they have put away the shares and tables that used to be around.  Social Distance is highly encouraged. 

The whole reason for going is to try their new product.

This is their new Boba Puff's they have out.  Boba in everything seems to be the trend, and curiosity kills the cat, or make you fat.  One or the other. Anyway, the cream came out fresh, maybe too fresh, as you see, you it was falling everywhere as I cut, which is fine.  As I cut, you see lots of boba insides.  It's kinda a weird sensation that you got the crispy puff and chewy boba.  

I will criticize that their cream flavor is lacking.  The ones I've had in NY at Alimama, the cream tasted like you're having the tea.  Versus, there's a hint of the milk tea here, but that's about it.  I tried it in a chocolate puff and a regular puff and they're good because the puffs are good, the cream is different, but I am curious that I saw they've done a taro boba filling, maybe I'll try that next time.

Beard Papa Bellaire

9393 Bellaire Blvd

Ste G

Houston, TX 77036

832-409-5844

https://beardpapas.com/locations/houston-chinatown-bellaire/