Black Sugar Milk Tea

Some days you just need a Milk Tea to go.

Picked this one up at Asian grocery store.  It does taste very black sugar, which is heavier than the normal milk tea.  I'm still not used to drinking milk tea in a little can.  I need my big ol' boba straw.  That said, I do miss the boba too.

So how was it?  It's too sweet for my taste, the dark sugar is heavy.  But you're jonesing and too lazy to go to one nearby, this will do the trick.  I have yet to have a true black sugar boba, to really have a true comparison, so I will reserve that for after. 

 

Burge & Board

Went to make a visit to Burge & Board

They were doing a Valentine's Day special.

They were featuring the boxes they have.  We've tried the mini's, usually get the 2-4 people box.  

But this time trying their 1-2 people grazing size.  You know, I'm just addicted to their pesto.  One of the best ones I've tried.  There are 2 types of meat, 2 types of bread/cracker, 2 chocolate dipped strawberries, 2 types of cheeses, grapes, olive, and slices of cucumber. Oh and honey and pestos.  

My usual complaint, not enough cracker or little bread for the yummy goodness in the box. But she was smart to have some bagged and ready for sale. 

They also feature their Sister Bakery, Burge Bakery.

As usual, I like the high quality of the ingredients.  Their pesto is as addictive as always.  I think this size box is perfect.  I hope they offer it more in the future. 

It was fun to finally meet the owner for the first time, even though I've ordered thru her several times.  She has always done contactless delivery that we always missed each other.  She's super nice and very easy to work with.  Highly recommend for parties big or small.

Burge & Board

https://www.burgeandboard.com

 

Biscuit Sticks

Talk about nostalgic, I found these online.  

This is Four Seas Biscuit Sticks.

Nothing fancy about these sticks...

Really was getting it because that's what I grew up having.  Sadly, my kid doesn't share the same love... But I still enjoy it and have a good trip down memory lane.  They now have Seaweed Flavor and Tomato Flavor.  I just like the Original Flavor, just salty enough, just right.  Brings back good times, is why they're nostalgic food.

 

Hong Kong's Cafe

In going back to support local... finally made my way back to Hong Kong's Cafe.  They're true Mom & Pop shop.  Now that they limited 

We got some Cha Siu (BBQ pork) for cooking later.  It's great if you wan to dice it and mix it with fried rice.  Or eat it with egg noodles.

Then Stir Fry Beef Rice Noodle, which has the flat rice noodle.  Definitely can taste the heat of the wok on this one.

Got the Chinese Sausage Fried Rice.  It's a comfy food for me.  It has the savory and the mix of everything together.

For a bit of dessert, got their egg tart.  I just like the crust.  It's not the flaky crust, but the flavor is good.

We got an order of turnip cake for Chinese New Year.  I'm not quite sure why Turnip Cake is part of the Chinese New Year tradition, but it is.  And it's really daikon cake, not real turnip but that's a whole different story.

What we did was the pan fried these and eat it with soy sauce.  The other way is to steam and eat it that way.  Basically you shred the daikon and the the juice of it plus the mix of Chinese sausage, it congeal to become solid.  I am partial to the pan fried though.

Hong Kong's Cafe

9108 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77036

713-772-9633

 

Bao Shi Yi - Medical Center

I was so excited when I heard that they're opening a Bao Shi Yi right down the street from me.

For grand opening, they are doing a breakfast combo.  

This is a very cute wall - definitely doing this for the 'gram.

There are also cute decorations in each of the table.  Yes, I said in the table.  It is under the layer of glass you eat from, and it has little touches like these all over the place.

Don't judge, this is 2 meals here.

Meal #1: I got the Grapefruit Slice Tea - it has a layer of slushee on top.  Then, got the XLB.  I'm not sure if they have to do a bunch for the grand opening specials, but a lot of them has very little meat filling. I know that's not the norm.  Hope it's just a fluke. 

For Meal #2: This is the Braised Beef Noodle.  They literally gave you 3 things of bok ahoy, but there are lots of noodles and the meat quality is not bad, made for the XLB.  They even have this cute package of the soup so your noodles won't be soggy.  I will say, I have forgotten the bit about you don't let spicy stuff sit overnight because it marinates some more and gets spicier.  It was spicier the next day.  When will I ever learn?!

You can online order and then do a quick pick up.  This location has stuff that the Kirby location doesn't.  They have several types of baos that I've never seen or heard of before.  They also have different types of frozen dumplings you can purchase and cook it at your leisure.  By the looks of the set up, they may do a drive thru in the future.  Who knew that this building used to be a Subway Sandwich shop is now revived to be a hip little dumpling spot.

Bao Shi Yi
2328 Holcomb Blvd.
Houston, TX 

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Tout Suite

Went to Tout Suite for some coffee & macarons.

But first, Coffee.  I got a cafe latte with almond milk.  It was light and easy going for the morning.

I love the wide array of flavors they have on hand.  Also their heart shaped Macs too. There are Dark Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla.  I also pistachio and lavender too.  By the way, the Strawberry one also has little fruit hidden in the filling. 

Of course I have to get a Ca The Sua Da to go. They used to have these bottled and I so miss that.  I have to drink this right away?  Aww shucks... but of course.  It is the good o'l Vietnamese coffee with the condensed milk.  Instead of having it brew while you wait... these are pre-made and they just pour over iced.  But it tasted just as good. 

Not pictured - they also have chocolate bombs in heart shape for sale, which I got a few of them as gifts.  Not to mention their yummy display of Viennoiserie.  

Tout Suite

2001 Commerce St

Houston, TX 77002

713-227-8688

https://toutsuitehtx.com/

 

Niko Nikos

Finally got me some Niko Niko's.

I love their grape leaves.  It's yummy and quick.  

Nothing fancy, just got the gyro sandwich and oven potato.  They definitely piled on the potato because it was so heavy that the bottom of the box is warped.  Anyway, the gyro is as good as ever.  That's one thing I love about them, so consistent.  The potato, I basically boxed up more than half for another day.  They are nice and warm and I just eat up the seasoning and the yellow sauce.  So good.

I did curbside.  Though the instructions are not clear on their website or confirm email.  As you arrive, there are plenty of sign to direct you to the pickup spot.  You pull up to their tent set up and give them your name.  A server will run inside to pick it up and place it in your car.  Absolutely easy, and thank goodness I tipped before I checked out.  That way, no need to fuss with cash in person.

Niko Nikos

2520 Montrose Blvd

Houston, TX 77006

7130528-GYRO

http://www.nikonikos.com

 

Dragon Beard Candy

More random international snack to showcase.

This is Dragon Beard Candy which is a street fare when I was growing.

Now that they are not sold on the street like they used to anymore... you can order them online!  LOL. 

So this is what it looks like inside.  It has 4 pieces.  It is as messy as I remembered them to be.  Essentially they are a piece of filling covered with layer upon layer of sugar floss.  It is light and fluffy (denser than cotton candy) and they sprinkled peanuts on top.  This comes in Sesame flavor and I did taste that in the mix.  It's definitely not as good as you get them fresh from the street vendor, but it is pretty good for what it is.

 

Friend Bakery Chocolate Cookies

Here's another International snack from Japan.

It's chocolate dipped on one side cookies.  

Chocolate is milk chocolate.  The cookie was so-so, not too flavorful, kinda serve as a vehicle for delivering the chocolate.  I'll take it, but probably won't get it again. :-/

 

Tea Fix

Was on Instagram, and I usually get suckered into trying something...

This is one of those.  Luckily, it has an interesting result.

Came over to Wilcrest for Tea Fix.  Their signature drink is the Egg Coffee.  Yes, you've read that right.  The one on the left is the Iced Egg Coffee.  It has house coffee, bit of milk and omega egg foam.  And lucky that the barista recognized that this is my first time trying it, so recommended that drink it from the top down otherwise, you sucked up all the coffee and left the foam.  OR!  You're welcome to shake it all up then consume.  Of course, I'm doing it for the gram, so let's do the pic first.

The other drink I also quite enjoyed.  That is the Grapefruit Lime Tea.  It's actually well balanced and not too over powered by all the citrus.  I can imagine coming back in the summer and getting this tea alone.  They also have a wide variety of teas and coffees, you can try them all.  

This is a true mom and pop shop.  As a matter of fact, I happen to saw their office was converted to a nap room for their kiddos.  Then grandma and grandpa came to help baby sit.  I can totally see myself hang at this shopping center that has lunch, dessert and now tea.  

Tea Fix

6938 Wilcrest Dr

#E-1

Houston, TX 77072

281-721-2692

 

Dim Sum King

Since we've been staying at home, we haven't had dim sum very frequently.  So we decided to order some.

This is their Egg Tart - the crust is super flaky which is one of the 2 popular ways of making the tart crust. I usually judge how sweet in the custard mix with how the crust is made.  This one so far is decent out of the gate.

Top: Xiao Lung Bao, Shu Mai (shrimp dumpling), and Har Gow (pork dumpling).  So far pretty norm.

Turnip Cake - this is veggie style not meat in the middle.  Flavor is ok.

They were out of one of the dishes I ordered, and they comp this meat ball dish in return.  It was weird because it congealed together.  And it tasted strange... hmm.

Plain Cheung Fun - rice noodle.  You MUST dip it with soy sauce.  Not just any kind of soy sauce, it's a specific type, so take whatever sauce they give you.

Char Siu Bao - Steam Pork bun - it's lots of bread not enough filling.

This is sticky rice.  I swear they usually come with chicken and in banana leaf, but this came with neither and I had to awkwardly put some protein with the sticky rice.  

Overall, the to-go process is not hard.  You can call in or go place the order.  Once you placed the order, go run errands or check out other small businesses and come back to pick up.  For me, the regular dishes they done well.  For some other ones, I'm not sure what happened there.  They used to be so much more on top of it.  Of course, we always said, eating at home and eating at the restaurant is very different.  So I'm not quite sure which it is.  I can just say this experience is not what I remembered them to be. 

Dim Sum King

9160 Bellaire Blvd

#B

Houston, TX 77036

713-270-6788

https://www.dimsumkingtx.com

 

Fancy Kit Kat

Back to my Japanese snack kicks

This is Kit Kat Luxe for me.

I've always known about Kit Kat Chocolatory in Japan.  Which is basically an upscale Kit Kat product shop.  Think Ethel's for Hershey's chocolate bar.  But at the Chocolatory, you can make your own Kit Kat even and of course, rare Kit Kats like these.

These are truly luxe.  There are 2 types, the Sublime's which there are 5 kinds and 2 kinds of fruit ones.  The Sublimes are basically used premium chocolate that is aged in Whisky Barrels dipped.  The fruit ones are used fruit juice.

Apparently in Japan, one stick like this cost $2.88 - $3 per stick.  

It is longer than a regular Kit Kat.  And honestly you have done is plenty.

So is it worth it?  I think if you want to experience some high quality chocolate on a Kit Kat wafer, this is a good one to try.  I will say, my favorite are the dark chocolate and the milk chocolate.  The flavored ones I can do with or without.  I will say the fruit ones aren't my favorite out of the box.  I've had Kit Kat with fruit before, but maybe because it's too concentrated, not my jam.  Too bad I cannot customize the box, but if I were in Japan I would definitely make my own AND pick my own for a box.  Give that a shot. 

 

Croissant Broiche

Needed an afternoon pick-me-up

Drove myself down to the Village to and grab some coffee.

I got a tiramisu with a latte.  This is a nice reprieve after a long day of work.  I will say this is nice a rich, and much needed sugar.  Trust me, I was glaring at their counter for a long time.  Very tempted to get one  of everything from there.  They all looked great.  I must come back and try their danish, they looked good too.

I love that they have designated parking for the cafe.  There are seating outside and they still open the door for air flow.  The staff are young, presumably from the university.  But they can still make my latte and that's all that I care about.  

Croissant Broiche

2435 Rice Blvd

Houston, TX 77005

713-526-9188

https://croissantbriochehouston.mybistro.online

 

Japanese Senbei

More International Snack from Japan.

This is Buson Haiku senbei.   Senbei's are Japanese Rice Cracker.  The ones they see a lot in Asian Grocery stores are rice crackers wrapped with seaweed.  But there are more varieties out there.

This one, like its name, has a haiku poem on it. 

What's inside: It has different shapes and colors.  There are burdock root, wasabi root, ginger, sakura (yes the flower), shrimp, shoyo (soy sauce), sweet potato, matcha, sesame, and sugared wrapped peanuts.  

This is a pretty neat pack.  Can't say that I liked the wasabi or the burdock root.  The rest are not bad.  What I like about these is that it's a small tray with variety.  It's definitely portion controlled so you don't over snack.  Pretty good deal.

 

Mutiny Wine Room

This will mark the 2nd time that I've been out to a restaurant.

This time, we're at Mutiny Wine Room, thank to a fellow mom's recommendation.

To start, we ordered the Coastline Board

It has a side of shrimps.

Salmon, bread, olive, sardine, and pickled veggies

Also some asparagus and smoked trout dip with caviar on top.  It's pretty decent.

I got the Cacio e Pepe. This dish is like risotto except with longer grain rice.  It is topped with an softly poached egg at 63 degrees.  Cacio e Pepe is really Cheese and Pepper.  The cheese is in the sauce, which they used pecorino cheese.  You see pepper on the dish there.  They had these crispy garlic flakes that reminded me of the fried onion from the casserole.  Overall, not too empowering, it's has definitely cheese flavor, just that I wish there's more and have some meat to it.

For dessert, I got the Horchata Flan with mini churro and dulce de leche.  I will say the little brown poo looking things are not poo, they're chocolate-toffee texture.  So if you dip your churro with the whipped cream and grab that chocolate together, it's pretty decent.  

The flan is pretty decent, I can't tell if it is truly horchata, but it is cinnamon-y enough for me.  

What as not shown, a glass of wine (I actually had one) and bread basket.  The bread basket was a hit, it came with several varieties and with different spread.  I would recommend getting it.

Overall, food is good.  Disappointed that the wine list is limited.  By limited, I mean they don't have what I want.  I was surprised that they don't have a more full bodied white.  They truly just serve wine and water in terms of drinks.  Their interior is super cute, but if you're like me, who's uncomfortable dining indoors, they have a lot of tables outdoors in their patio, worth doing.  They have a mini parking lot, they also have a valet.  If not, you can park down the street and be sure to watch the signs.  

Mutiny Wine Room

1124 Usener St

Houston, TX 77009

https://www.mutinywineroom.com