Meet Fresh

Friend was super kind and brought dessert.  I was craving Chinese dessert.

Got a personal delivery, and the yummy from Meet Fresh.

Got the red bean soup, since I like it cold, I put it in the fridge. 

Only problem was, I forgot that there was mini mochi inside, and they turned stone hard because if you fridge then, it hardens.  Oops.  The soup was good cold, not too sweet.  Too bad they don't make the dish cold.  But pretty decent summer pick-me-up!

You can go online to place the order, do check and see if they are running any specials.  The parking in that shopping center can be a challenge in, especially on the weekends.  So take heed and bring patience. 

Meet Fresh

9393 Bellaire Blvd

Unit I

Houston, TX 77030

832-582-5994

https://meetfresh.us/

 

Clutch Coffee

Went back to Clutch City for some coffee.

One thing I like is that I can drive thru.

They have it on both sides.

Full menu can be seen while waiting in line.

Of course, they have specials right at the window too.

Here's the view of the front drive thru.  I got a good coffee out of it too.  In terms of pricing it's competitive with places around the area.  But the drive thru is very convenient.  

Now, you do have a longer wait because you're in line and your drink is made to order.  But they do a great job and pretty fast all things considered.  So if your fave has a long line, should give them a try.

Clutch City Coffee 

4733 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77027

346-718-2197

https://www.clutchcitycoffeehtx.com/menu

 

Milk & Cookies

Been going by Milk & Cookies to grab coffee.

Thought I can give something soft a try.

Picked up a nice of the blueberry loaf.  It is very oily but the flavors are good.  It goes well with the coffee for sure.  One small bite at a time.  Which makes breakfast very stretched out for me, but yummy nonetheless. 

Milk & Cookies

2809 Saint Street

Houston, TX 77027

713-222-7474

https://tinysmilkandcookies.com/

 

Burger Chan

Was meeting up with friends because there was fellow HKers that mentioned about Burger Chan. 

What they didn't realized, nor is it on their online order form, is the they have awesome milkshakes. (That one is sesame)

Here's what they have to offer, and it's all worth trying (on all of them).  The Vietnamese Coffee is pretty good, my go-to is the Sesame, haven't done Green Tea, or Milo - but expect it to be pretty close to a malt as Milo is a malt.  But Milo is also a very Asian flavor. 

What can you have when you cannot eat much.  You get the tator tots which comes with the Burger Chan spices, which is actually spicy when you have lots of it in a short period of time.   And we also got Taro Chips, which also has the spice and combine together, it does get spicy all around.  But it's not stopping me. 

Burger Chan

5353 W. Alabama

#110

Houston TX 77056

832-408-0860

https://burgerchanhtx.com/

 

Mogee Tea

Went to Mogee Tea, and I liked their products when I get them from the grocery store.

Quite a different experience when I go to the store.  They do force you to order thru the machine.  As a matter of fact, there's no cash register at the counter.  The counter is all for drink making and picking up. 

I will say, the Bear drink topper is super cute.  We got the Classic Uji Matcha and it comes with whipped cream.  And then the other is Lemon Green Tea - both are good, and very different.  

I will say, the whole process of ordering with the kiosk took longer than with a person because there are too many customizable options.  So each user is taking up much longer to review options and selecting them than a person at the counter would have.  That said the place is a super hang-out for families with games and whatnot.  The place is super packed when we got there.

Mogee Tea

9888 Bellaire Blvd

Ste 148

Houston, TX 77036

281-974-2994

https://www.mogeteeusa.com

 

Brian's Bitchin' Bakery

So even though I can't eat exactly, I have have soft food. 

If I can help support Brian's and get yummy dessert, I'm going to go for it.

First up: Use Horchata.  Personally, horchata is a bit too nutty/grounds for me. But mixing with ube kinda lightened up the texture.  And it could be that they didn't use too much condensed milk but it's definitely not super nutty.

Next up is Pandan Espresso Tiramisu

It has enough pandan and coconut flavors topped with biscoff bits.  

As you can see there are your layers and cream.  One thing I appreciate Brian's tiramisu, is that they are never dried and soaked well.  So when you have other cream, the texture works together. 

Here's the other one, the Thai Tiramisu, which I already know that I'll like it. 

As usual, great flavor, good texture.  

There are Thai Tea flavors all throughout, not only in the cream, but also on the top with the powder.  So we're not lack of flavor every bite.

Every time he has a pop up, I go and support, not only that I want to see small businesses to succeed.  But he's the only one that makes those flavors that no one else has and they are actually damn good.  Worth supporting definitely.   

Brian's Bitchin' Bakery

https://briansbitchinbakery.com/

 

Sharetea

Sometimes you just want a tea.

Since I cannot chew, I opted not to have boba.   This was a Winter melon Lemonade, but to be honest, it was more wintermelon flavor than lemon flavor even with that little slice of lemon.

At any rate, I like that as it is: it's not overly sweetened, the winter melon does cut down the zing from the lemon.  However, too much winter melon makes it bitter, that's something you don't want.  Majority of the winter melon flavor is neutral but if it's close the rind, it would be bitter.  So would not be a bad idea to make sure the sugar level is normal to cut that bit.

Sharetea

3651 Weslayan 

#100

Houston, TX

https://www.1992sharetea.com/usa

 

La La Land

Fun to go back to La La Land.

Not going to lie, this place is so grammable.  But because of that, the line was out the door.  The inside is pretty too, but since it's so crowded that it's not easy to take any pic.  There are quite a few people bringing their dogs too, so for both sitting at the breezeway and inside.  Plenty of room around. 

Not going to lie, this is pretty.  This is lavender, bloom matcha.  In terms of flavor, I used oat milk, so it's earthier than regular milk, plus the matcha it makes it more earthy.  Other than that, you can't really taste too much of the espresso itself.  But it's pretty nonetheless.

La La Land

600 N. Shepherd Dr

Ste 140

Houston, TX 77007

https://lalalandkindcafe.com/ 

 

Stock the bar party

When your friend is getting married and you need a gift for a couple that has everything, what do you do?

You throw a stock-the-bar-party.   Then the next question is: how do you make it cute?

Saw this on Pinterest and in my mind, it's cute and easy, so took on the challenge.

Turns out, I did not calculate the weight or support.  Basically, you get a flower pot, a floral foam, we did a sphere one, stuff some gift tissue at the bottom, and stuff some basket grass, and add.  From the few sites I saw was glueing skewer sticks at the back.  When in fact, they didn't tell you to check how heavy your bottles are.  

My tip here, if it's glass bottle, use a to-go chopstick, if it's plastic bottle, a regular skewer might be alright - better yet, double up on the stick.  That said, you also need to consider the weight because when we were moving it, the weight force the bottles all roll forward, well - yeah, it's a sphere, of course it would.   So keep that in mind.

We found a bow from something else and stuck it on the front and it went with the rest nicely.

 

Welch Smoothies

When you're on a special diet of not chewing and are lazy, you try to find solutions. 

Stuff you probably pass by, now seems useful.  Like this Smoothie pack.  

It's a very good on-the-go solution.  It does come out like smoothie, if you put it in the freezer, it'll be slushie.  I will say, it is pretty flavorful, very fruity as expected from Welch.  This is a strawberry & banana, but they have 5 flavors total.  I will say, stacking against a true banana & strawberry fruit blended smoothie, you can feel that there are lot more sugar and artificial flavors than the real deal.  But if you're on-the-go, and don't plan on bringing a bullet with you wherever you go.  It's a small price to pay.  

Personally, I'm staying with the natural fruit and add protein powder as needed to make do.  The artificial bits are a tad overwhelming for me.  But good alternative to have in case I'm in a pinch.

Welch Smoothies

https://welchssmoothie.com/products

 

Japanese Tea

Another item that came from the Bokksu X Hello Kitty collab, 

is a green tea.  I actually think they were a bit stingy, since that big o' box with all that snack and only include 1 tea bag.  At least do 2 for a friend to enjoy.

I really enjoy tea from this brand in Japan.  It is Satsumarche', which is half Japanese and half French.  Satsuma was an old name for the current Kagoshima prefecture.  And Marche' is market in French.  Either way, the tea are made by female tea maker and producer in the area.  Very unique.

It brews up pretty too.  Not too intense in flavor, but came out very light and clean.  It's very unique and you can smell it as it seeps.  

Satsumarche'

https://www.bokksu.com/products/kagoshima-seicha-gift-box-satsumarche-tea-bags

 

Death by Chocolate dessert

When you're limited in your food, you get creative and find easy way to do what you want.

Such as you buy pre-made dessert, so you don't have to hunt for it.  I got these at Costco. 

They come in 6 little glass jars.  The chocolate mousse part is fine, it's the chocolate shavings that kills me.  They are hard chocolate, unlike how they look, they are not as delicate as it seems.  So the first time, I didn't know and had a few bitting incident, where it hurt alot.  Second time, I learned and picked those off before eating.  Except, when it's humid, that's pretty much a lost cost.  Why is it a chocolate experience is because there's cake in the middle.  So, seemingly perfect, with chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and chocolate shaving; unless you're me, who has a hard time with those.  

At any rate, you can get these for after dinner dessert, or parties at Costco. 

 

Cedar St. Cafe

Drove by this little hole in the wall when I was doing grocery shopping. 

Truly a tiny place.

You have some seatings here and 2 more tables on the side.

Kitchy wall decor.   I'd show you the outside, because it really match, but there were a few tables occupied, so I didn't want to disturb them.

Small cup of coffee, but like many other cafe, a latte to add a flavor and different kind of milk will drive up the price.  For $6 something on a latte is competitive to chains' pricing.  

What did I get?  Just a Soy Hazelnut Latte - they even bother to make a cute little flower.  It's not bad but coffee aren't super different.  They do have overnight oats and tacos here.  So feel free to check it out for a quick grab and go breakfast.  They are open form 7am - 3pm.

Cedar St. Cafe

215 N. Fifth Street

Bellaire, TX 77401

 

Japanese rice crackers

When you cannot chew with your front teeth, snacking can be a challenge. 

Not unless they come in small sizes and you can just munch bit by bit.

These are locally made in Japan by Senbei Lab.  They are shaped like flowers but they're actually salty.  Don't let the shape fool you.  The colors of these rice crackers are made from plum, shrimp, matcha, purple sweet potato, turmeric and chili pepper.  So, it's all natural, and it's very clever for them to use all parts of these ingredients to get the colors they want.

The Hello Kitty brand is a collab between Bokksu & Hello Kitty.  I've done Bokksu in the past.  While I do like to support mom and pop shops, the shipping and the cost of the box is not cheap.  What made me go back to it this time is truly because of the unique Hello Kitty product that they include.  You can check out their catalog here.  If you're not a Hello Kitty fan but appreciate different kinds of snacks, check out Bokksu's overstock.  They do have them for purchase outside of the box subscription.  Take a look see.

Hello Kitty Rice Crackers

Bokksu X Hello Kitty Collar

https://www.bokksu.com/pages/hello-kitty-and-friends-box-subscription

 

Chocolate Mousse

For a sweet tooth like me, dessert is a must.

Came across this at Whole Foods in their dessert section.  

It's their chocolate mousse.  Honestly it's pretty rich.  One cup basically take me 3-4 times to knock it all down.   But it's definitely milk chocolate to the max.  Very delicious.  Not something you can have all the time, but definitely is nice.

 

Houston Club

Just because I'm on a soft food diet, doesn't mean that I cannot eat out.

One of the neat places I got to go to was Houston Club.

It is up on top of One Shell Plaza in downtown.

It does have a neat view.  Too bad the day we were there was a tad cloudy.  But each table has a set of binoculars for you to check out how far it goes.

We started with burrata, which comes with tomato marmalade and crispy prosciutto.   Crispy prosciutto was a first for me.  But the burrata and tomato jam was nice.  Good taste and came thru very nice. 

Then we ordered Lobster Mac & Cheese.  I love Lobster anything, so no complaints from me.  The cheese was the cheesiest which has Cheddar & Fontina.  And the pasta just sits nicely in there.  

For entree, we did the Shrimp Risotto, its crab risotto with sun-dried tomato, and asparagus on the side, and you can see the saffron powder there.  It gives it an ump, and kick it up a notch.

While I mainly had the carbs, not the protein, it was still delicious.  Plus with the view, it's a great meal to boot. 

Here's a fancy plaque to say that they're historic even though they've moved several times now.  This location in particular was the main dining room for the Shell Executives 'back in the day'.  Now, it's a club for the tenants in the building.  So you do need to have a membership in order to get in.  Not to mention, if you don't, you have to take different elevators and twists and turns to get up there.  So if you're 'in the know', then you know. 

Up here, besides bar and dining, every day happy hour has food buffet style for members.  But they also have various meeting rooms, and private phone booth for any work calls you need to make.  They also have social events like Mother's Day brunch or Cinco De Mayo events.  So it's more social and business oriented. 

Houston Club

910 Louisiana 

top floor

Houston, TX 77002

https://www.invitedclubs.com/clubs/the-houston-club