Bellagreen

The weather is so nice out that you can enjoy the sun a bit.  So we went to sit outside at City Centre.

My eyes were bigger than my stomach and ordered the grilled chicken with honey fried goat cheese over a bed of arugula.  First off the chicken was grilled nicely, didn't turn too dry.  The Honey Fried Goat Cheese is delicious, but I wouldn't put the two together.  My taste buds were confuse, my stomach though I needed protein on top of protein just a different kind and at the end it was great in concept not in my tummy.

We got smart this time, as we park, we placed the order via app.  When we arrived, all we have to do is to grab a nice sunny seat and food was ready in no time, which was helpful since we have little people with us, and they don't care how long it takes the kitchen, they are restless and want food.  That worked out nicely.

Seating out at the patio at City Centre is nice, once the kids are done eating, we turn them loose to play at the lawn and you can keep an eye on them as they roam around.  Easy going.

Bellagreen - City Centre

800B Town & Country Blvd

Houston, TX 77024

713-464-5557

https://bellagreen.com

 

Sugar Bubs

Walking by a market and saw Sugar Bubs.

According to the guy (aka boyfriend of the owner), Sugar because it's dessert, and Bubs is the name of her dog. 

Look at that pretty packaging.  All done by a guy, and he was instructed to package it in a very specific manner.  I got a box of 4 minis and picked the following flavors.

Green tea flavor.  I like that it's not too rich like a regular cheese cake and the flavor came thru nicely.

I got the Hot Cocoa one - definitely very chocolatey.

This is Earl Grey Lavender, nice and light, and really makes me want to have a cup of tea to go with this.  Which I will say, typically, I'd like to have coffee to go with cheesecake in general.

And last but not least, the original.  Nice and clean flavors and delicious.  I'm definitely going to follow them and see what other flavors they have.  I have not yet tried the Biscoff Caramel but that sounded good. 

I think as is, you can order from their website.  If not, I've been seeing them in different farmers or maker markets on the weekend and worth a follow.

Sugar Bubs - Basque Cheesecake

https://www.sugarbubshtx.com

 

Barnaby's

Haven't been to Barnaby's in a long time. 

I forget how they have a little bit of everything.

But I was craving lasagna, so that I shall get.  This thing filled the plate to the rim... so much food.  I barely could hack half of it.  Had to take the rest home and it became dinner.

On a good day, sitting at the patio is so nice.  You enjoy the weather, the food, and the company.  But do go early, they're popular as always and not easy to snag a patio table.  

For parking at this location.  There are street parking of course, but there are also garage parking, as the ground level is dedicated to retail.  It does stay don't stay idle for more than 5 minutes, but parking then patronize at one of the stores are totally fine.

Barnaby's

1801 Binz

Houston, TX

713-874-1454

https://barnabyscafe.com/museum.html

 

Mamak

Imagine how thrilled I was when I was just getting a mango sago at Mia's, and saw Mamak's sign.

They've had changed hands over at the Chinatown location, and ultimately ended up shuttered.  This time, they are tucked in a corner, literally, inside a grocery shopping center down in Sugar Land.  That's a nice surprise.

I got the 3 layered milk tea - it's definitely very unique and yummy.

Of course got some satay.  I'd order Roti if I could fit it all in, but since I can't, I refrained.  I just love their peanut sauce.  I got 3 beef and 3 chicken, amazingly, as much as a beef eater I am, their chicken here is delicious.

I saw this on someone's social media feed, and was inspired.  This is rice and egg noodle with curry chicken.  It really is 2 kinds of noodles in the mix.  Rice Noodle and Egg Noodles, stir fry together with curry sauce on top.  It's definitely not something I've had before and it sounded interesting.  It is really like curry sauce on top of regular stir fry noodles.  A pretty safe choice, and of course chicken in the mix.

Speaking of chicken, one of their well-known dishes is the Hainanese Chicken.  I do applaud them for having a good mix of meaty and boney chicken.  The sauce is really what I'm after.   They noticed that, for leftover, as I'm packing it for home, they offered me a full little container of it.  YUM!  Of course, it has to accompany the coconut rice.  You can actually a meal set that has 1/4 chicken, rice, and soup.  

Mamak Malaysian Restaurant

3412 Hwy 6, Ste R

Sugar Land, TX 77478 

346-874-7913

https://mamakmalaysian.com

 

Five Guys

Was in a hurry the other day, so we ended up at Five Guys.

Not that I don't want to go there or that the food have problem.  Sometimes they get so busy that I just get discouraged.  Like this time, we were just lucky that we placed our order and a big group came in right after.  Whew.

First thing first, whenever I order a small fries, it's always overflowing and it might as well be a large fries.  They use peanut oil and it smells like that in my whole car.

I got a burger, added lettuce, bacon, and mushroom.  The meat patty was good, and the add-ins definitely made it yummy.  I would say that I come back mainly for the meat patty.  The customization is nice, and the team does a good job.  But the burger patty is what I come back here for.  Of course, they're fast and make that convenient is a perk.

Now, one thing to note, not all locations sell milkshake, so take note.

Five Guys

1760 Nasa Parkway

Nassau Bay, TX 77058

832-864-3495

https://restaurants.fiveguys.com/1760-nasa-parkway

 

Gratify - Brunch

Went back to Gratify, this time for brunch. 

Definitely make a reservation for that.

Let's not mess around, definitely need to start with coffee.  Got a nice cup of latte and a mimosa (not pictured) but yes, great start already.

We got the Charred Octopus - it comes with salsa verde and sweet potato.  Every bite was good.  Cannot go wrong on this one.

Baby Back Rib tacos - yes please!  Corn tortillas, pickled cole slaw, with scramble eggs & salsa on the side.  You just go to town.  

Ended with Taglierini and Truffles.  Ahh it was delightful.  Not just their homemade pasta, not just the parm sauce, the truffle, definitely worth while.

We would've gotten the Creme Brûlée French Toast as 'dessert' but the pacing of the latter half of the dishes were coming out too long in between, which gave my stomach a chance to catch up to my brain and got the better sense of me.  Otherwise, it would've been done!  Oh well, give me a chance to come back for another try. 

Again, service was great.  Kitchen didn't pace the dishes well all of a sudden.  Definitely make a reservation so you get a good seat.

Gratify

5212 Morningside

Houston, TX 77005

713-524-7865

https://www.gratifyhouston.com

 

Cloud 10 Chocolate Bomb

We saw some chocolate bomb at Whole Foods.

Since it's made by local creamery - Cloud 10, I have to try that out.

This reminds me of one of the planets. Jupiter?

I also got some Almond Milk with no flavor, seeing that the chocolate bomb has all the flavors you need.  Again, I didn't heat up the milk hot enough to melt the chocolate, but I did ended up breaking it myself.  And all the yummy goodness floated up.

Once you have a taste, you can immediately tell the quality in the chocolate is not just some milk chocolate reshaped.  It has nice texture, it brings its own flavors and for a cold day it's perfect.  Now, all you have to do is to curl up and take out a good book.

 

Tight Squeeze

At the other walkway at MKT, there's more shops hidden in there.

Can't wait till this is fully grown.

Saw this cute juice bar.  They are mostly made to order, but do have a few bottles ready to go.

Gosh, the menu is quite extensive.  They have so many different creations that I just get overwhelmed.

I asked the staff what's her favorite drink, and decided to go with that. She recommended Refresh My Day, which it was quite refreshing.  It has watermelon, strawberry, red apple, cucumber.  I really like this combo.  Not heavy body and light and easy.  Definitely will come back next time.

Tight Squeeze Juice Bar

600 N. Shepherd 

Ste 456

Houston, TX 77007

https://www.instagram.com/tightsqueezejuicebar/

 

Rakkan Ramen

Happened to be at MKT, thought we'd give Rakkan Ramen a try.

They are strategically located at the pretty corridor, so you can't miss them.

For appetizers, we started out to fried gyoza.  That's their sauce on top.  It's much like the other places's dumplings.  Not spectacularly good or bad, but it's part of a combo, and we'll try it.

Then, we got Takoyaki.  Pretty yummy. 

Let's talk Ramen.  I got the Amber, and has soy sauce as base.  First off, the noodle is a tad thicker than the Sun's egg noodle.  The Pork is good, the egg is lack a bit of taste.  The broth base is too thin mainly because they are vegetarian based.  Together is not as bad as some reviews I've heard or read, but it's not somewhere that I 'HAVE To' return to.  

They have seatings in the corridor and you have to get the server's attention occasionally.  They do have a cozy seating inside, if you want to avoid the cold.

Rakkan Ramen

600 N. Shepherd Dr

#515

Houston, TX 77007

346-867-2078

https://rakkanramen.com/locations/houston-heights/

 

East Side King at Post HTX

 Another place we went to at the Post HTX food all was East Side King.

One of their thing is the Takimaki - which is open faced sushi roll.  For $12, it comes in a set of 3; or $20 for 5.  You can choose from Spicy Tuna, Spicy Salmon, Blue Crab, Shrimp Tempura, and Avocado.

I got: (top) Blue Crab, which was nice and clean and fresh.  Then, I got a Spicy Salmon, pretty ok.  

The bottom one is the Shrimp Tempura - which was by far the best one I've had.  Definitely want to come back and try their buns and rice bowls.

Again, plastic is king, not cash.  As a matter of fact, we've seen them turn away kids with cash. 

As I had talked about in the previous post, they really have some awesome stairs at Post HTX (a former Post Office).  I'm just so excited to see the different stair cases. It's architecturally special. 

The stairs leads to the sky lawn.  It is a very nice space, and you can bring your food up there to enjoy the weather and the view.  And what a view it is.  You can see all of downtown from up here.  We also seen folks bring fancy photography equipment to capture the night view.  Definitely worth coming up here for.

East Side King

at Post HTX

401 Franklin

Houston, TX 77002

https://www.posthtx.com/eat/east-side-king

Taco Fuego

Finally made the trip to Post's food hall.

I just went to where the line was the longest and stood.  

First off, they are cashless, so bring plastic.  Second, they are super fast, like they were in a food truck.  So, no complain on the line there.

What did I get: Fuego Fries with brisket.  

So, their line is well justified. This meat was well marinated and the sauce is is delicious.  But most importantly, the fries are crispy.  This is important because you don't want your fries just so and when they add the meat, the sauce, and cheese, your fries to become salty.  This one, every bite with meat and fries was a perfect taste, crispiness.  I'll definitely go back.

I just love Post's architecture.  I'm so enamored by it. The stairs are stunning and there's space.  Tons of space.  In case you don't know, it was the old Post Office downtown.  When you're in there, you can still seem some reminiscent of it.  The counter where you would've get your stamps, the sorting room, though with no machines. They definitely can put more in there.  Right now, the attraction is the food court, they will be opening their concert hall soon.  As is now, there are a few spaces opened for art space/exhibit hall.  I can tell they made way for a lot of usage, but as is now, the food is just right.

As far as parking is concern.  There are a lot of parking spaces at the front of the building on both sides.  If you go on a weekday where there's no event, you may even get a free entry, but don't bet on it. If you are going for an event, it might be wise to book a parking spot.  They have parking by Aquarium, Market Square and Bayou Park.

Taco Fuego

401 Franklin 

Houston, TX 77002

713-999-2250

https://www.posthtx.com/eat/taco-fuego

 

Kiran's

Came back to Kiran's for a friend's bday dinner.

I've only ever been here at the new location for tea.  The prior location for specialty meals or brunch.  Never dinner.  So this is new for me.

Started out with the Mint Lime Lemonade.  It is quite refreshing when you have a humid evening, dining outside.

We started with samosas, ours was lamb.  They split the dish for us and put a side of mixed greens and some chutney.

I got the Lobster bisque - which has 2 huge decent sized lobster meat.  There's also a shot of sherry in there.

Our share of basmati rice with raisins.

To go with the lamb rhogan josh.  To me, it's a very delicious meat stew.  Would've been great with some...

Papadum!!!  My favorite.  I do understand that I'm essentially saying the tortilla chips was the best part of the Mexican meal but it's true.  I like the papadum.  It goes well with the stew and of course, the chutney sauce.

We also ordered some Naan, this is a onion & serrano combo, which smells great, but tasted a tad salty.

I will say, it's been a while since I've been here.  The service was always a strong point for them.  This time was very disappointing.  We sat outside and there were a few tables both inside and out, not full.  We were seated for a bit before the server came to offer drinks.  Then the food came in a good pace, then all of a sudden, we wait and wait and wait, the naan and papadum were nowhere to be seen.  Those typically comes out after the appetizer and soup.  Then, our entrees arrived and we had to follow up with them in order to get what we had ordered.  We check around us again, and again, the tables weren't full. 

Totally understand the shortage of restaurant staff, but given the food is ok.  Their service was really what made them stand out.  If that piece is also not done well.  I don't need to pay that kind of price for food and service that are subpar.  As big as a city like Houston is.  Good Indian food can be found if you're in the right area.  Didn't need to go thru extra length to pay more to get less.  Hope this was a fluke.

Kiran's

2925 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77098

713-960-8472

https://kiranshouston.com

 

Burger Chan 2.0

To be honest, I never was able to go to Burger Chan when they were at Greenway.

So now that they're out in the Galleria area, I have no excuse not to.

They got a pretty big kitchen and a whole line of orders, even for a soft opening.

Can't complaint, because everything tasted good.

Just got a regular patty on brioche bun with lettuce, onion, cheese, and mushroom with aioli sauce.  YUM!  You can customize with a lot of choices and combo.  You can even have the sauces on the side.  You can make as many combos as you want.  

I will say, $5 only gets you 1 patty and that's a lot for me, but the owner was warning me, that's a kids size.  To me, that's plenty.

I also got their tots, which they were kind enough to remind me that they are spicy.  So, keep that in mind.

On your way to the line, there are mini clipboards with order forms so that you can place your order.  The customization is on there as well.  You can get a burger base, a hot dog base, or a falafel as your base.  Then there's the fries and combo therefore.

Though it was crowded, the burger was worth while.  They have seating at the store and also right outside in front of the office building entrance.  While you're in line, feel free to read their inspirational quote, give their daily puzzle a try.

For their soft opening, Burger Chan's puzzle was a simple math problem, but you have to do it the long form (think multiplication) and have to show your work.  That's cool because I'm standing in line any way.  This way, it keeps me busy and give me something to do while I wait.

The prize was a Big Mac macarons that shaped like a burger.  This looked like it too.  It is actually their apple pie flavor and it looks like a mini burger.

Anyway, will definitely go back to Burger Chan when it's less hectic.  I do appreciate the easy access and lots of parking.  Both in front of the store and the garage attached.

Burger Chan

5353 W. Alabama 

Houston, Tx 77056

https://burgerchanhtx.com