Aqua S - Animal Crossing popup

Happened to came up to Aqua S and they were having a pop-up.

This has Pineapple Soda with Vanilla Ice Cream on top with sprinkle and cherry on top.  It is a nice summer quencher, and parked agains the cute background they had set up for the Pop-Up too.

It was weird when we arrived, they were asking if we have a reservation.  We were just trying to get ice cream.  So for Pop Up you have to make a reservation online ahead of time and then you will be seated and served by the Maids from the Maids Cafe.  They even have little stalls for gifts and what not.  This one is Animal Cross themed, but they have other ones too.  If you're interested, best thing to do is to follow them on Insta and you can get more details.

Aqua S

9889 Bellaire Blvd

Ste D232

Houston, TX 77036

281-849-8381

https://aquas.us.com 

 

Jolibee

Who doesn't want some fried food on a hot day?!

Went back to line up at one of my favs.

Let's have some fried food.  Left box is the ChickenJoy. Top bag has small fries, it an dip the gravy if you're into it.  Then I got a Peach Mango Pie, the real purpose.

Here's my fried chicken.  It's the spicy version this time.  Luckily, it's not Too Spicy; still crispy and moist on the inside, definitely my favorite. I also got the Pineapple Quenchers - I swear I can taste a bit of the pineapple bits in there, I wish it has a bigger size.

Talk about junk food adventure, much needed.

Jolibee

8001 S. Main St

Houston, TX 77025

713-655-8914

https://locations.jollibeefoods.com/usa/tx/houston/8001-s-main-st

 

Liberty Kitchen

Went back to Liberty Kitchen for a business lunch.

It's easy access and decent food.

Got the Ahi Tuna salad, forgot to tell them to skip the avocado and egg, both are very filling but since I got the protein and veggie, really don't need more proteins.  At any rate, last time the sear was prettier but it's just as good.  I mainly like their dressing.

To top it off, I got the truffle fries on the side.  I mainly wanted it for taste.  At any rate, I wish it's more crispy, mix with the truffle taste would be great.  Truthfully, it's my eyes bigger than my stomach, it's for taste more than anything else.

At any rate, the lunch crowd is busy.  But I applaud the server keeping everything in line.  The end of the experience was little off key.  As we came in the tail end of lunch hour, it dies down as we were finishing. It was hard to wave them down to pay the tab.  The bussers were kind and tried to get our stuff boxed up and got mixed up.  So it was good until that point.

Liberty Kitchen

4224 San Felipe

Houston, TX 77027

713-622-1010

https://libertykitchenoysterette.com

 

Sushi Wabi

We did a girls night after watching Top Guns Maverick, decided to walk over for dinner.

Ended up at Sushi Wabi. 

For starters: we got agedashi tofu, veggie tempura, and gyoza.  I love the tofu, but these days and age, for 4 little squares cost at least $5-6.  That's nearly 40% from before.  For veggie tempura, the sweet potato is always the favorite.

Pacific Roll - has tuna, salmon, avocado on top, salmon, tuna, cucumber in the middle.  Pretty good.

Spider Roll 

Tempura Banana, haven't had that for a long long time.  It's paired with mango ice cream.  Perfect for a hot night.

Overall, if you step in, you can feel the shortage of staff and the rise of prices all reflective.  The 2 waitstaff and 2 bussers were busy about barely got our iced tea refilled.  Though the tab came out to be about $25 for everyone in the party, some of the prices definitely had gone up compare to others.

Sushi Wabi

3953 Richmond Ave 

Houston, TX 77027

https://www.sushiwabihouston.com

 

Chuy's

I was supposed to have a lunch date at Chuy's but since it fell thru, I ordered to-go as a constellation. 

My standard go to: Custom Beef Enchilada with Tex Mex sauce.  It comes with rice & beans.  Every order came with a side of creamy jalapeño and tomatillo sauce. But as a fan of Chuy's we all know that the small little thing is not enough.  So I ordered extra 4oz.  Of course, I pour it over my entire dish.  

I do believe that they jeeped me on the TexMex sauce, and rice, and beans - I think mainly because of these smaller compartments.

Chuy's 

2706 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77098

713-524-1700

https://www.chuys.com/locations/houston/river-oaks

 

Hopdoddy

Went for a quick to-go dinner.

Got the Ahi Tuna Burger, I'm not usually a mayo fan, but this mix was a very good blend.  I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but having it this way is great together.  The Tuna comes with a thick layer of steak, so on top of the veggies it's very good combo.

I got the truffle fries - pretty good.  Also good reheated.

Sweet Potato fries - a tad soggy.

The to-go process was kinda easy.  You place your order online.  Pull up to the pick-up order spot and text them.  They just bring out the order.

Hopdoddy

4444 Westheimer Rd

H100

Houston, TX 77027

713-227-2337

https://www.hopdoddy.com/locations/riveroaks

 

Blood Bros

Finally got to try Blood Bros. 

Parking can be a challenge when it's lunch time.

This is their version of Bun Thit Noung - it's really their version of vermicelli bowl.  The pork belly is the burnt end, nice and crispy.

Got me some meat!  The person in front of me suggested the Korean ribs (the meat with sesame), I got the cheddar jalapeño sausage (not spicy at all), and burnt ends.

Brisket Fried Rice - it's very good.  Totally stand alone on its own.

Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese - also very good that will stand on its own.  Do me a favor, do not mix the Mac & Cheese with the Fried Rice.  

For dessert, I got the blueberry peach cobbler.

It has more lemon-y flavor the peachy.  Definitely more cake than a cobbler-cobbler-y.

Such a fun meal, and lots o' meat - need to have some salad to offset that.

Blood Bros

5425 Bellaire Blvd

Houston,TX 77401

713-664-7776

https://bloodbrosbbq.com

 

Mama's Kitchen

Decided to order in for lunch since there's only a couple of us.

Coworker recommended the Hotopia Fish.  Now, typically, I don't do spicy, but this is totally doable and and as long as I didn't eat any peppercorn, it was fine.  The flounder filet was fried nicely, doesn't fall apart easy but still very flavorful.  It goes well with rice.

Chicken fried rice.  It's good on its own, but what I learned is that the Hotopia Fish should go with white rice because it helps level out the spicy.  The Fried Rice is good on its own but does not offset the heat from the fish.

Overall, it's a great lunch, I never eaten there before.  Definitely going back again.

Mama's Kitchen

3815 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77027

713-380-2956

https://themamaskitchen.com

 

Street Treats by Lauren Kay

I was at a market in the Heights and saw the cutest Macs.

Totally adorable and I've attempted to do it before but not with much success.

So I totally admire those who does it well.

I'm not going to lie, I got them because they're cute and well executed, didn't have much regard to the taste. But to my surprised, the texture and taste was spot on.

I got the Pooh & Piglet, and you see the pied is done well.  The filling, I felt that they can use more, but the flavor was good.  It was mango, very suitable for summer.

You can catch them on their Instagram and see where they're participating at a market.  They do customized cookies and cake pop and full fledge cakes too. 

Street Treat by Lauren Kay

https://www.instagram.com/streettreats.lk/

 

Tahini Plus

This place is definitely outside of my normal side of town.

This is kinda of neat place.  You couldn't tell on the outside, but there's water fountain inside and plenty of seatings.  Great for large parties.

Let's start with the mango juice, it is less thick in texture than a mango lassi but still pretty rich.  Since I'm a mango fan, definitely have to stick with that.

For four girls, we decided to order stuff and share then order more as we see fit.

Got started with Dolmas - I would say that the rice is on the dryer side.  But usually the ones I've had are moist on the inside and flavor every bite.

This is Muhanmara - which is a dip (like hummus) but made with walnut.  None of us have had that before, but to all of our surprise, it is the best dish we've all had.  Definitely worth getting time and again, as a matter of fact, we did.

And what is dip without bread? These are fresh out of the oven Pita Bread.  Not too heavy, as a matter of fact light and fluffy.  It is great when it's all nice and warm with the dip.

We got the Mixed Grill to share.  It has chicken, beef and kefta (which is mix of beef and lamb).  The consensus is that the kefta is good, the beef is dry, and the chicken was mix.  Some of us liked the chicken because it was too dry, but some was perfect.  Since it was cooked on a skewer, it may have something to do with that. 

And because food is better with friends and calories don't count, we added a pizza.  It's a half and half pizza that has cheese on one side and meat on the other.  But I really couldn't take the 'meat' part of it, the cheese part was good.

Over all, it's a great experience.  Food is good, the service is great.  They are super attentive and friendly, especially to us newbies who haven't been there before.  Price is also reasonable for a group.  I would definitely go back anytime in the area.  

Tahini Plus Halal Kitchen

6802 Hwy 6

Houston, TX 77083

https://www.tahiniplushalalkitchen.com
 

Hao Hao

So heard a few hub bub on IG about this place and I am easily swayed. 

I was lured here by the rice cake dish and wonton noodles... that's what I got.

This is Rice Cake stir fried with eggs, there's scallion and onion. I think all Asian culture has a version of the rice cake, this is Vietnamese, and I do remember having this growing up.  This one you get a bit of scallion wherever you turn.  You do need to dip the sauce and it would be less dry.

I just never found a place that has that or don't know how to order it if it's not on the the official menu. It's a nostalgic thing.

So their claim to fame was Hong Kong style Wonton noodle.  And as it arrived, there's way too many scallions, this place love their scallions.  The wonton is decent but doesn't carry the taste that the Hong Kong Wonton does.  Adding the Cha Siu was good, but it didn't necessary add to it.  The noodles was ok but the more important part is that the broth has no taste.  

This place does serve Vietnamese and Chinese style dishes, but it was strange that when I ordered couple dishes before landing these, none of those were available.  But the menu was huge, too huge.

I will say, I got suckered by the great job the influencer had done.  I'm was excited for a bit on the Bot Chein, but if I were to come back, probably get a traditional pho instead of a wonton noodle.

Hao Hao

12302 Bellaire Blvd

Ste A-6

Houston, TX 77072

281-933-9464  

 

Clutch City Coffee

Monday morning, of course the most important thing is... Coffee.

Here's a drive thru for you.

You can get your coffee, tacos, muffins and smoothies here all in the comfort of your car.  There are 2 lanes for ordering.  Everything they have is made to order, so you do have to wait a bit but it's all done fresh.  If you have the time they also have a small little table on the side if you want to enjoy your coffee and watch traffic rolls by.

Clutch City Coffee

4733 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77027

346-718-2197

https://www.clutchcitycoffeehtx.com/gallery
 

North Italia

As an office lunch, we decided to order from North.

The process was not a good experience for sure, but luckily, that doesn't impact the food.

I got the Prosciutto with fig, arugula.  That's one of my favorite from that place.  Good quality ingredients everywhere.  It was so good.  

Don't mind the corner, I grabbed a handful of Zucca Chips.  This time it's not as crispy as before, but I felt healthy for having some veggie, whichever shape it comes.

So, let me share my online ordering experience as a cautionary tale.  I placed the order via their website and it is by way of Doordash to take the payment and delivery.  In theory, it's great right? You got that piece out-sourced, all. you have to do is to manage the kitchen piece of it.  

I placed the order before they even open for lunch.  At first, they provided very good updates, we got your order, we confirmed your order, and to be delivered between X time and X time.  Well, the time past, it gave update that they are waiting on the kitchen.  Well, ok, things happen, I had it scheduled early and taken delays into account.  However, it kept getting postponed and postponed, then no updates altogether.  

I finally called the store myself.  I mean, if the issue was pending a driver to be assigned, I can just go there myself and pick up the food.  I know it's a privilege to use a service like that, but going to pick up in person is not beneath me.  As I talked to the Manager, turns out: if you order thru DoorDash's site direct, it goes thru the bar.  If you order on North's website, the order goes directly to the kitchen.  The poor Manager I spoke with was checking both front and back of the house.  As he discovered no order to be had, he went ahead and took my order via phone - the good o' fashion way.  When it's all said and done, it was over 2 hours over the previously scheduled delivery time.

So, here's the kicker.  It's not the Manager or the restaurant's fault because they didn't get the order, nor would they have known or predicted the issue.  DoorDash best effort is to cancel the order on their end.  So, even though they took, confirmed, and charged my order, their person on the support line can only cancel the charge.  Of course they were kind enough to re-do my order, but that's pointless at the point.  Which, by the way to connect with a natural person (not a chat bot) is very difficult on DoorDash's site.  So the only person that lost out was me, the user.  No compensation or the like.  As a matter of fact, somehow the order placed via phone is $7 more than what I placed on the website.  So, then now I lost on time, my personally going to pickup, and got charged more.  Let that be a lesson to you...

North Italia

1700 Post Oak Blvd

Ste 190

Houston, TX 77056

281-605-4030

https://www.northitalia.com/locations/houston-tx-blvd-place/

 

Brian's Bitchin' Bakery

Went back to support Brian and get those crack cookies of his.

I love how they are super positive and nice, good food to boot.

I love that they are always adding fun items to their menu.

I had done a pre-order.  That way, it's guaranteed that I will get some cookies and not have to rush.

I like how they always come with a menu of what I'm getting in the box.

First we have Ube. This is more like a brownie texture to me . There's some white chocolate bits in there too.

I quite like this Cookie Butter flavor.  It does remind me a lot of like Biscoff, except thicker, and it is definitely more oomph in there.

One of my favorite ones, Matcha Macadamia.  I think it's mainly because it has macadamia, but the matcha doesn't come across heavy, just a hint enough to have a taste. 

One of my favs, Earl Grey, Lavender and Blueberry.  I just love that combo. I know I said this before, ti really is like a muffin flavor plus tea. 

Lemon Poppyseed is probably one of my least favorite from the box. Just not much of a lemony flavor person.

Of course, the tried and true Chocolate Chip.  It is Thicc... if you warm it up 10 seconds before eating, it's even better.  Take my word for it.

Of course I have to get his Teamisu.  This is the Match flavor, but my favorite is the Thai Tea, which I had already ate it before taking a picture.  That said, the flavor is good, true tea, but most importantly, it's moist and creamy. Truly a great job!

Brian's Bitchin' Bakery

https://briansbitchinbakery.com