Pie Five Pizza

When we were in Dallas, we went to KidZania.

It is a kid play city.  And yes, when you arrive, you do see half of a plane out there.  

Basically, it's a little city for kids.  They can make and spend money by doing tasks.  They may be firefighters, which actually put out (fake) fire and ride on a firetruck.  There is also a podcast studio, dance studio, creative studio, chocolate factory, taco shop, avocado shop, and a pizza store.

At the Pizza Store, for $10 smackeroos, they can make their own pizza.  And it does take the full 30 mins. Unfortunately, my kid has no interest in making a pizza.  So, we just ordered it straight up.

Just got the plain o' pepperoni.  It taste like what normal pizza would, so no funny business there.  You can tell it's fresh though, which I do appreciate.  

See, kiddie place can produce good food.

Kidzania

https://usa.kidzania.com/en-us/

Pie Five Pizza

https://www.piefivepizza.com/

Starbucks Reserves

I've never been to a Starbucks Reserves before.  

So I was super excited to find out there's one near where I stayed for my business trip.

They have a very sleek bar with bar stools.  They can do coffee flights right there and then.

Don't worry, they still have their regular bar for regular beverages.  What makes it Reserve, they have their own Roastery (not this one in particular), and they have special roast and products that you cannot get at regular store.  

What I thought it was interesting was that for a specialty drink that is not on regular menu, will be made at the special bar.  Your regular drinks will be out by the regular bar.  As a matter of fact, your Starbucks app won't show specialty drinks as an option to order.

What I got was Hazelnut Bianco Latte.   It is a mix of hazelnut praline milk and regular with the Reserve espresso.  To be honest, I cannot tell the difference between a regular espresso vs. Reserve's espresso.  The milk mix was good and I've never had before.  So I like that.

Starbucks Reserves

2355 Olive St

Ste 120

Dallas, TX 75201

https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us

 

Don's Cafe

This is a stable in Chinatown, 

I've actually never been inside before, despite them being a cornerstone for the Chinatown community.

It was rainy, so Pho was just the comfy food.

I got the Pho Tai, nothing much to it.  Beef Broth, beef that are cooked on rare, parsleys, onion and vermicelli.  Of course, you put your own lime juice, bean sprouts and japaleno pepper, should you needed a kick.  

It was a bit confusing because I see a lot of folks do to-go orders, so they naturally walk up to the counter, place the order, paid and sit down.  But yet another group of kids sat down and there's a guy (not sure if it's the sever but someone that works there) came and took their order and delivered food.  So, guess it can go both ways.  Do bring cash, since they are primarily a cash operation.

Don Cafe

9300 Bellaired Blvd

Houston, TX 77030

 

Tea Top

Went to Tea Top for a tea.

I got the Peach Green Tea as based, and got the poppin' boba.  I don't usually get those because, when I pop them, it always surprises me.  Imagine caviar but bigger and fruitier.  It has a lot of syrup, so if sweet is not your thing, it's best to get the tea less sweet to accommodate the boba.

It's a good afternoon pick-me-up.  I was bummed they were sold out of their traditional brewed tea for Osmanthus, I like that they have that bottled and ready to go.

Tea Top

9889 Bellaire Blvd

Ste E203A

Houston, TX 

281-501-1381

https://www.instagram.com/teatoptx/

 

Marmo

Came down the Montrose Collective.

Parking definitely is a challenge in the area.

The sun was out, so we sat outside and pretended that we were cool.

Cute outdoor patio seating.  Got a glass of Gastatio - which is a mocktail.  Orange and lemon flavoring with tonic, it's a cute mocktail - a tad tart.

For start, we did Burrata.  It's nice and cold... this dish kinda confuses me.  It's burrata cheese, pumpkin seed, fig, and squash. The whole texture is just mushy to me.  I liked the flavor combo, but don't care for mushy-ness of the dish.  Had they have bread or warm toast to go with it, that'll be perfect.

We ordered calamari - which is not what we had in mind.  We were thinking it'd be frito misto but turns out to be with a lot of olive (which made it super salty), capers, raisins, pine nuts.  Definitely not what we expect or thought we ordered.  Next time, I'll go with my gut on the meatball. 

Per recommendation of the host, I got the squid ink pasta.  They make the pasta in-house, and they have an uni sauce with the crab meat.  It is topped with breadcrumb and baked . So it's nice and warm in my tummy and a bit crunchy and crab.  The sauce is a cream sauce, which adds to the texture.  I wouldn't mind coming back for this one.

The parking in the area is not friendly.  There is garage parking and it is at the back of the building, and they do have valet but spotty at best.  I wish they have validation, because they do over at La La Land around the corner.  And for a busy area like that, there's hardly many people park at the garage.  So, as we tell kids, go in pairs.  For dinner, I would say to make a reservation, but since they don't really have a brunch, showing up is fine.  I will say that they have a live piano act, but the music was so loud that we couldn't hear each other, and went outside instead.

Marmo Italian

888 Westheimer Rd

Ste 100

Houston, TX 77006

832-626-3400

https://marmoitalian.com

 

George's Bistro

Giving this little neighborhood joint a try.

We made a reservation, which worked out, because it was cold and the place was packed.

At least they have a cute little patio, but the wind was a tad much on that evening for patio seating. But they have a cute neon sign out.

Got a glass of Moscato

Got the crudo with hamachi, radish, chili pepper, and a tiny wedge of orange.  The key here is to grab all of those and roll them into one bite.  You'll get the radish to cut the saltiness, and have a clean finish with the orange.  The pepper gives it a small kick, so not a bad combo.

Here's the individual bread basket.  In fact, it's thinly sliced parmesan bread.  The smear is like pimento-ish.  Just eat the bread.

Per the bartender's recommendation, I got the Crispy Chicken.  They cook it part way, and then oven baked the rest.  The meat is not dry at all, and it is indeed deboned for the ease of dinner enjoyment.  The bottom has potato, cherry tomato, cooked cucumber with gravy over it.  It is pretty good, if the portion isn't so much, I would've finished it.  

I like a place like this as a neighborhood joint.  There's plenty of well-lit parking.  The staff are nice and the bartender is wonderful.  He took really good care of us while we were there.  So I would go back for the aspect of the place.

George's Bistro

2715 Bissonnet 

Ste 100

Houston, TX 77005

832-203-7329

https://www.georgesbistroandbar.com  

 

Izakaya Wa

Went for a quick dinner in the Memorial area.

Happen to remember that Izakaya Wa is near by.

My usual go-to: agedashi tofu.  This is different because most places has it soaked in ponzu sauce, but this is a miso broth.  Taste just as good, just different presentation and taste for me. 

I got myself a mix of sushi it has unagi, scallop, Salmond, tuna, hamachi, yellowtail.  I will say that I love all of them except the yellowtail was 'fishier' than I'd like.  The rest are pretty fresh and tasty.

For a late dinner this hits the spot. They stay and served until you're happy with your order.  They were leaning towards closing time but they don't make you feel rushed.  So I appreciated that.  I hope to go back next time for the skewers. 

Izakaya WA

12665 Memorial Dr

Houston, TX 77024

713-461-0155

https://www.izakayawa.com/memorial-1

 

Chez Kobayashi Patisserie

Friend was telling me about this place and I happen to be in the neighborhood and stop by to check this out.

It's in a small little corner at Memorial and Dairy Ashford.

I came kinda late, and this is what is left in the case.

A couple of people in front of me cleared out the bottom shelf, that's testament how good they are.

They even have coffee, and a small corner for you to enjoy it.

From what I understand this was a French Cafe in the prior rendition, you can see some remnants which fit perfectly with what it is now.

What did I get: I cleared out their Mont Blanc, which I understand they only has it on Thursday & Saturday. 

This is the Mango Tart.  Not too tart-y, it does has mango flavor but it's mellow-er than I had expected.  The texture reminded me of jelly but light in flavor, not at all overwhelming.

Here's the Mont Blanc - it's really the Japanese take of the French/Italian dessert.  Like the snow capped mountain its name after, there's powder sugar on top of strings of chestnut puree.  When you take the top, you will see the whipped cream inside, and small pieces of chestnut inside.  The bottom has a little cake, which is held by a little tart.  It's a lot of work, which is why it's rare and you don't see a lot of these made around town, when the tastebud in Houston has not grown to appreciate it.  

I can count on one hand (or even less) of places that make chestnut cakes.  Truly make and not bought from somewhere and serve.  It's very much an Asian Flavor despite it's origin from France or Italy.   That said, I treasure wherever we can find it.  

Not to mention, this is a mom and pop shop, they also have quiche, croissant sandwich, and sweet & savory crepes.  Not just the French crepes, the Japanese style with lots of fruit.  Definitely have to come back for that.

Chez Kobayashi Pastries

14522 Memorial Dr

Houston, TX 77079

281-741-9161

https://www.instagram.com/chezkobayashipastries/

 

Sugar & Wheat

So I've been following Sugar & Wheat for some time. 

She always does pop ups right in front of Daido Market and always sell out quickly.

Look at all those goodies...

This cute little guy is a Chestnut Au Pain - but the inside has a bit of adzuki bean mix with chestnut mixture.  I will say they do have a lot in there though.

She's very meticulous and even though she's not required to do this, she does include ingredients and disclosures.  Which I know a lot of bakers don't do this.

Then I got Chestnut Scones - this reminds me of rugelach dessert, except thicker.  This one does have a lot of chestnut bits in the mix and on top.  I like that it's not dry and not too flakey, definitely should heat it up and have a cup of coffee in hand while enjoying this.

Like I said, she usually does pop ups and a lot of times it's in the middle of the week which is not conducive to those of us who work far from there.  It was serendipitous that she was setting up as we were pulling in.   She does post on her Insta which days she's going to be, unfortunately, I don't read Japanese, so use the See Translation feature to help you out.  

Her popular item, also Japan's popular item is the Melon Pan - she had a Green Tea Melon Pan and a regular one.  Milk bread and pumpkin bread too.  Not only that, she does offer lessons, so if you're interested in Japanese pastries, check her out.

Sugar and Wheat

https://www.sugarandwheat.com

Soy Pinoy

Came back to Soy Pinoy.

This time brought more friends to check out POST, and also have lunch.

Lumpiang Soy Pinoy - which is the egg roll with some shrimp chips and sauce.

This is Pancit Bihon - it's vegetarian pan fried vermicelli noodles.  Very flavorful. It has mushroom, carrots, cabbage, green beans in the mix.

I had asked for. Sisig Salad, which turned into a Sisig breakfast dish.  It has an egg on top of a bed of rice, tomato salad and sisig which we all enjoyed and really liked how crispy it was.

Here's the grand-daddy of them all.  We decided to get the Kamayan - which is a platter with a bit of everything.  That's brilliant, really.  For $65, you get to taste it all.  It has (lower L clockwise): the Lampia (egg rolls), Sisig (crispy pig ears), the Pancit Bihon with fried shrimp on top (which by the way the shrimps are very good), shrimp chips,  tomato salad, BBQ pork (which everyone liked), and chicken skewers (which you can skip) over a bed of rice, with some red cabbage for good measure. 

This is truly a lot of food and we had 4 people and was kinda bummed that there are repeat of the food that we had already ordered.  Now we know better that when they say platter, they truly has a bit of everything platter.  Though they did not have the squid that I have in there as a mix.  The group concluded that anything pork, they've done a great job.  I'll add the shrimp too, even though I'm truly not a shrimp person, I felt they've done well with that.

Food Hall was less busy the earlier you come.  That said, this booth was the most popular, next to the Western African food, and next to that was the Thai.  So, the crowd definitely were leaning that direction today.  Enjoy the food, grab a drink and go up to the Skylawn for a stroll to digest your meal. 

Soy Pinoy at POST HTX

401 Franklin St

Houston, TX 77201

https://www.posthtx.com/eat/soy-pinoy

 

Snowy Dessert Bar

Stopped by Snowy for a little pick-me-up.

They are in full Fall mode.

Even the baggie is all decorated with pumpkins.

Grabbed my usual: Red Dragon - which has strawberry bits, grenadine, and Topo Chico - they do come with instruction for you to stir it.  Once you stirred, the mix will be less sweet, because the grenadine is all stuck at the bottom.  When you do, it's easier to get the strawberry bits too.

For snack, I got a Taiyaki - waffle with red bean filling.  The top has almond flakes.  What I really love is the flakiness of the waffle.  It's light and crispy, one thing is that it does get messy.  But still good, no regrets!

If you're coming, do check because sometimes the Kpop fans come here to host events, and the place does get busy. 

Snowy Dessert Bar

9600 Bellaire Blvd

Ste 103A

Houston, TX 77036

832-740-4182