Kicpops

Hosted an event over the weekend and hired Kicpops for the event.

They are super responsive on communications.  Not to mention, I've requested kid friendly flavors and they delivered.  They do have boozy flavors, so make sure you request the right ones for your guests.

All fruit based are juice, not too sweet.  And I love the fancy flavors like Watermelon Agave, I got the Blackberry Lavender, very fruity.  They also have chocolate sea salt and cookies in cookies n' cream flavors to name a few.

The pricing is reasonable, like I said they are super responsive and communicative.  I contacted Clint to let him know where to park and he called as soon as he arrived.  It all worked out beautifully.  Highly recommend.

You can now order online, or catch them at Rice Village Farmers Markets.  Check their site for updated schedules.

Kicpops

https://www.kicpops.com

 

Ruggles' Dessert Cafe

Rumor has it that Ruggles has a new outpost and we have to check that out.

It is at the old Oui's location.

I'm glad they are only doing dessert at this location.

They are having Paleo & Keto options.

And macarons galore.

I got tiramisu tower.  It does taste like the dessert I remembered at Ruggles all outfits.  That said, I think the flavors are good enough that they didn't need to give you raspberry sauce.  I tried it with but it doesn't add anything for me.  I like to stick to the original flavors.

They now have lunch menu as well.  I saw soups, salad, and sandwiches in addition to lattes and desserts.  The nice thing is that this is a nice space, no outside seatings, but parking might be tight but no issues.  And you can go in grab a dessert instead of having to wait at Ruggles Black.  Go check it out.

Ruggles' Dessert Cafe

3411 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

 

Shun Kitchen

A dear friend bought dinner the other day.    We decided to pick up from Shun Kitchen.

For starter, we got the Brussel sprouts which is a tad saltier than I'd like but not bad.

Then got pork belly skewers.  They actually gave you a lot more meat than fat each bite.

I got the Ringo roll, totally not what I expected.  Since it's supposed to be apple, they have a very thinly slice apple on top but you can't really taste the flavor. I did like the spicy tuna and the yuzu tobiko flavor on the roll though, can skip the jalapeño.

The last thing I got was just cucumber roll, I've always liked it as a kid.  Just simple flavor and goes down easy.

To call for pickup, they open at 5p and there's no online ordering like the Bento Box has.  So set your clock to call in.

Shun Kitchen

2820 S. Shepherd Dr

Houston, TX 77098

832-409-5888

https://www.shunkitchen.com

 

Maine-ly Sandwiches

Was dying for a lobster roll, there's only one place.

Haven't been back to Maine-ly's since they closed the Richmond location.

Happens that they were running a special, lobster roll, soup and extra meat for $26.99.  This doesn't look like a lot, but there is actually a lot of food.  First of all, they really give you tons of meat in the sandwich. It is a butter toasted bun, with mayo tossed with the lobster meat.  I promise you, real nice chunk of lobster meat every bite.  

Then even with the small cup of soup you see there, since it's milk based, that's very filling.  They already give you a little chunk of lobster in the bisque, then they give you that extra little cup of meat.  I know it's supposed to go on the sandwich, I just dropped it into the soup and it was wonderful.  Every bite here has a nice chunk of meat too.  YUM!

Little joy, I tell you.  Little joys.

Maine-ly Sandwiches

7620 Katy Freeway

Ste 225

Houston, TX 77024

713-677-0771

https://www.mainelysandwiches.com

 

Pepperoni's

Went back to Pepperoni's for a quick lunch.

Quick and easy, order online and you can have it delivered or picked up.

Judge all you want, I got the Hawaiian.  Canadian bacon, pineapple, tomato sauce and cheese.  Just a 12 inch, perfect as a personal pizza.   For an uncharge, you can make it gluten free.  I think next time, however, I will get it thin crust.  It was a lot of bread for me on this one.  The taste was good, don't get me wrong.  The combo works, but there's too much crust, which is bread bread and more bread.  I think thin crust would've been better. 

Pepperoni's

Medical Center

8502 Main Street

Houston, TX 77025

713-664-5353

https://www.pepperonis.net

 

Beck's Prime Woodlands

One thing about Woodlands is that everything is hidden.  They have everything you want in town, yet you can't see any of them.  So crazy.

I haven't been to Beck's Prime for some time, thought it'd be good to just revisit.  Got a cream soda, love that they still offer that.  And an Ahi Tuna Sandwich.  To me, it's one of the best flavoring from the fish to the feta, the cucumber, onion.  I love all of them and how they all come together.  Definitely a nice treat for my vacation week.  And yes, I did get their awesome milkshake, except a little person took it as his own, so....

Beck's Prime

Woodlands

2120 Buckthorne Place

The Woodlands, TX 77380

281-367-3600

https://www.becksprime.com

 

Bistro at Woodlands Resort

We went to the Woodlands Resort.  At first I was looking forward to eating at Robard, but then realized they were closed, that was a bit sad. 

Instead, we went to Bistro.  Basically, that is the only sit down on premise.  The other is the Pool side stand.  So, we'll take it to-go.

Got the mushroom ravioli.  Sadly, it's not enough salt or flavoring.  I know there's plenty of flavor for the mushroom, and it looks great.  Got my favorite parmesan.  Yet, the flavors were just not coming together. For that price I'm deeply disappointed.  I want to support the staff, but must we sacrifice the flavor?  

Bistro at Woodlands Resort

2301 North Millbend Dr

The Woodlands, TX 77380

https://www.woodlandsresort.com/dining/the-bistro/

 

Choco & coffee biscuits

This is another random snack found at Daido.

It's a skinny box of cookies. 

This is an up-close, but actually it's very small.  And cute details they have there around the edge of the cookies.  The filling in the middle does have different color of coffee filling.  It doesn't look it, but it smell very coffee.  It doesn't taste too strong, just enough of a hint.  Good snack for the middle of the day.

 

Mia's Goodies

Saw this place on Instagram - mostly for the puffs, but the rest looked pretty good too.  

Decided to make a trip.

To be honest, since lockdown, it's literally been a year since I've been back to Sugarland.  It's super crazy.

Anyway, look at all the goodies they have on display.  Yummy goodness!

Got a Mango Sago with Diced Mango chunks.  Sago essentially is like boba but smaller.  This is really a dessert that served in a big bowl in Asia.  But wherever I can find it in Houston, they're all served like a drink.  Guess it really can be since the sago is way smaller than a boba. 

Typically, this is a Summer Dessert since mango is in season during summer.

I also got: mochi - one is bubble tea flavor and the other is matcha red bean. It's definitely freshly made.  The bubble tea flavor was a surprised, but just as good.  Not big boba, just baby ones.  

For the real purpose of my trip: the puffs.  So it has a crusty top, nice and fresh choux paste for the puff.  The one top is chocolate and the speckled one is black sesame.  Not too rich on the cream, also not too sweet.  Definitely is not heavy and great with a cup of red tea. 

The shop is inside Jusgo Supermarket on Hwy 6.  It is facing the cashiers, which is on the back side of the little shops they have inside the store.  They also have frozen savory food that you can take home.  Totally nostalgic for me, definitely have to return for those next time.

Mia's Goodies

3412 Hwy 6

Suite N

Sugar Land, Tx 77479

832-532-0661

https://www.miasgoodies.com

 

Woodshed Houston

So I was at Levy Park for a playdate.

Saw this awesome place, mostly because it's the bar outside.  So jealous at the beautiful weather and a great bar on the side.

I got some house-made chips.  It's pretty darn good.  Highly recommend.  Not too thin, which happens to some restaurants, sliced too thin.  The seasoning is just right.

So I ordered the Smoked Bock Cheese Fondue.  What I was surprised and not too impressed about was the the cheese fondue came with grilled veggie and pita.  The pita was sturdier which works great with the cheese, the veggies however is not so easy.

Here's the Cheese Fondue, and you do smell the beer, of course can't taste it.  I kinda wish they use sturdier containers - the container feels like it's going to fall apart.  That said, the cheese fondue is good.  But again, wish they didn't used grilled veggie which is soft as a delivery vehicle for the cheese.  The pita bread was better, but you know what works best?  The chips!  That is the perfect combo.  Plus they only give you 2 pieces of pita bread, that's definitely not enough.

Woodshed Houston

at Levy Park

3728 Wakeforest Ave

Houston, TX 77098

346-718-6110

http://woodshedhouston.com

 

Daido Market

I always like to go to Daido to do my grocery shopping right before lunch time.  They have the freshest fish for prepared meal.

There are 2 sizes on the chirashi, and all the sashimi is beautifully laid out.  I always like to tell people to think that it's sushi deconstructed.  

Here's Gyudon, which is thinly sliced beef over rice.  It also has some onions and some ginger.  I've seen some places add an egg over it.  I just really love the sauce, it's a big sweet and some salty to it.  So good.

Other lunch ideas at the grocery store there, various type of bento, unaju, curry rice, onigiri rice ball.  They also have pieces that you can make your own nice meal.  They have seaweed salad, octopus salad, tamago, sashimi.  I really love their prepared foods section. 

Daido Marketplace

11146 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77042

713-785-0815

https://daidohouston.squarespace.com

 

Cup Noodles Chips

Again at the Asian grocery store, and this caught my eye.

I saw Cup Noodles in chip form.  The flavor is Singapore Spicy Black Pepper Crab flavor.  If you don't know what Cup Noodles is, they are the company the put ramen in a cup.  They have so many flavors to offer, especially in Japan.  So much so that you can make your own at the Cup Noodles Museum in Japan.

Bad photo, but you see it's Kringle cut, and the flavor is very dense and it is definitely have the pepper flavor.  I can't taste the fabricated seafood taste, but for sure it was spicy and you can taste the pepper.  As typical Asian chips, a big bag has very little in it.  They leave a lot of air so chips don't get crushed.  But you see the chips are not big.  It is rich for sure, and not something I would get all the time.  I've tried it and it's not bad, but probably won't be my go-to chips.

 

85 Degrees Coffee

Went to grab a latte while I was in the area. 

Stopped by 85 Degrees.  Even for mid-day, it was pretty busy.  This time I got the Chocolate Latte

I got the Chocolate Milk Latte with boba.  As you saw on top of the foam, it has chocolate sprinkles and chocolate chips.  It is really like chocolate milk, not like mocha.  So in case you think it's like mocha it is not. 

I will say, not sure if it's a weekday thing or what, but the boba some were chewier than others.  Meaning, some of it is stale.  I can attest that is not the case on the weekends, so hope that was a fluke.

85 Degrees Bakery

1027 Blalock Rd

Houston, TX 77055

346-319-3950

https://www.85cbakerycafe.com

 

Fajita Pete

I've never had Fajita Pete until lockdown happened.  First off, it's to support a local mom and pop shop.  Second, they deliver.  Third, they offer various types of Specials.

First of all, what's chips with no Salsa?  It's a warm salsa. 

I got the Fajita for one.  Since I don't like beans I got double the rice.  I also got Flour tortilla and it came with queso.  Some of the meat was great, some were chewy.  I would say it's a mix bag.   Of course, put queso on top of everything is good.

On the side, you get sour cream, pico, and guac.  

If you order online, you can select pickup or curbside.  But if you register with them and create an account, it would allow you to take advantage of the specials that they are running that month.  When I order, they were giving away a free order of queso, of course who would turn that down?

Fajita Pete

6719 Weslayan St

Houston, TX 77005

713-723-8100

https://fajitapetes.com

 

Bao Shi Yi

Went back to Bao Shi Yi to grab lunch. 

Oddly, they offered Unaju - Eel over Rice. They are only offered at the Medical Center & Katy location.  It taste exactly how the other places have done.  The fish is no different than a lot places.  I will say that it is pretty big portion of fish that they gave.  There are sauce leftover to dip the broccoli.  

Again, online order is available and make it easy and fast pickup.

Bao Shi Yi

2328 Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX 77030

https://baoshiyibunhouse.com

 

Hokkaido Cheese Mochi

Here's another International snack.  

 This is Hokkaido Cheese Fluffy Puffed Rice Snack.  They pride themselves of using Hokkaido dairy, which is what they're famous for.

They come in 6 individual packs, and each 8 pieces-is.  These are super light and fluffy and pack a lot of cheese taste in there.  This is no Cheetos friends.  First off, it's not powder on puff.  This is really like a cheese curd type but not.  It has a little gelatinous texture going on because it has a bit of Mochi in it.  It's hard to described, it looks like a cheese puff but its nothing like it.  The cheese flavor is also more intense than a puff would be.  Basically a lot of flavor packed into a little puff.

 

Squable

Wanted to have brunch with my friend.  Been meaning to try Squabble.  But since their reservation is pretty popular, it was hard to get a seat.  So we did to-go instead.

I was dying to try their Croque Madame.  So even though it's the to-go version.

It's a very hardy sandwich.  It has ham, fried egg, cheese, and mornay sauce with a side of fries.  As you can see, this is a very rich sandwich.  Literally, held me over from lunch thru dinner.  The bread is a sourdough bread, which is nice and thick, drenched with the mornay sauce which is a cheese béchamel sauce and make that pretty rich.  With ham, topped with a fried egg on top, more rich goodness.  It was delicious, but definitely a rich sandwich.

You can make reservation online on their site and you can tell if patio or indoor seating.  If you were to order online for pickup, in this instance they were behind on orders, so had a wait instead of the appointed time.  I would say, it was goofy that they placed the dessert in between the warm dishes, so things were melted.  That was careless of the person who packed the order.  I hope they get better as they go.  Of course, since there's travel time, the food is not as nice and fresh and they come out of the kitchen but given that, the food is still pretty good.  Hope to go there soon!

Squable  

632 W. 19th Street

Houston, TX 77008

832-834-7362

https://squabletime.com

 

Kimino Yuzu Sparkling water

Here's another find at the Japanese grocery store.

This is a Yuzu Sparkling Water, with 1% fruit juice. 

What it taste like?  Well, it's like Topo Chico with Yuzu flavor.  What is Yuzu? It's a cousin to pomelo, or as the Chinese called it pomelo, but Japanese & Korean use yuzu a lot.  Basically it's citrus that's a tad smaller size than a grapefruit.  

As a comparison, there is a grapefruit Topo Chico, and compare to this, the flavor is more citrus-y, and less bubbly.  It's calm in terms of overall flow.  It's more flavor bubbly.  Definitely should give that a try if you see it.

 

Tom n' Tom's Galleria

We went to the Grand Opening of Tom & Tom's in the Galleria area. 

We've been to the Bellaire location a few times.  Truth be told, I actually appreciate that they opened one closer, and I can get to them easily.  

Since it's early, we got coffee & Thai Tea Latte to go.  For grand opening, they gave customers a coffee mug.  At this location besides the drinks, they also serve food.  Since it was right at the open, and there were folks coming one after another, I think I'll safe the food ordering the next time.  

The Thai Tea Latte is truly better cold than warm.  I will say, it's not heavy on the tea taste but it's not bad. The coffee is drip so it's fine.  Not too heavy or dark.  

One thing they have here that the other one didn't is that they have merchandise.  You know tumbler for hot or cold beverages, nice mugs and demitasse cups.  You can take them home and make your own.  Space doesn't need to be huge, but enough for the folks that live nearby to congregate.  Excited to come back to try their pretzels & pizzas.

Tom n' Tom's 

5353 W. Alabama 

Suite 107

Houston, TX 77056

713-497-5655

https://www.tomntomsgalleria.com