House of Bowls

Went back to House of Bowls for lunch.

Kinda grateful to lunch with new friends, because that leads to new dishes. 

Stir Fry garlic with ong choi - water spinach.

Stir fry flat noodle with beef, one of my fav. 

White Cut Chicken with garlic sauce.  This is one of my fav new dishes.  Kinda like the Oil Chicken or the Hainanese Chicken, but it is poached.  Very nicely done.

There's also a noodle dish, no pic. But it's egg noodle that is crispy at the bottom, with chicken and mushroom inside the mix with a white sauce. Must find the name and order that again too.

House of Bowls

6650 Corporate Dr

Houston, TX 77036

713-776-2288

 

Lomichi

Was down in Sugarland and stopped by the former Mia's Goodies.

They rebranded to LoMiChi. 

The day we were there, it was buy one get one half price off for Mango Sago.  Sounds great to me!  That's my go-to drink that I buy there anyway.  Not that I don't get their puff or mochi, but this is the only thing I get consistently. 

I love their version because it has real chunks of mango and alot of it.  There's equal amount of sago too.  Everything is just the right balance, not too much of one versus the other.  This is my must stop everytime I'm in the area and definitely worth the drive.

LoMiChi HTX

3412 Hwy 6 

Ste N

Sugar Land, TX 77478

https://www.lomichi.com/

 

Crown Seafood

Went back to Crown Seafood for dim sum.

 

This time we went after 1p, and turns out that's the trick. 

We got Siu Mai - pork & shrimp dumpling, like a little cup.  For sure, this is very meaty. 

We got the Preserved Egg & Pork congee.  The preserved egg is super salty, which makes the plain congee & pork flavorful from it.  Out of all of the congee, this is one of my favorite. 

We got the Fried Tofu topped with Fish Cake.  It's nice with all of its fried yummy goodness.

Pan-fried Turnip Cake.  They literally shred daikon, and add with flour, they're steamed.  Once in shaped, it's cut into slices.  And when they're ready to be eaten, people pan-fried it.  The flavor is flexible for any kind of sauce.  The only reason I know it's because it was done in my house growing up.  I'm all about eating these, as long as I don't have to do the shredding. 

Then, my favorite, Fried Cheung Fun with XO sauce.  I just like it's fried with the sauce mixed in, and it just so much more flavor than the plain fried ones.  Though, the plain ones goes with the peanut and hoisin sauce mixed.  

The thing about dim sum is that it's fun to order all these little dishes.  Except my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach and then regret ordering so much.  Of course, I would eat them for left over, I just love the variety and the mix. 

Anyway, Crown is easy to get in and out of the parking lot.  The wait time here is pretty decent, they move the tables very quickly, so the wait is minimal. 

Crown Seafood

10796 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77072

281-575-1768

https://crownseafoodrestaurant.com/

 

Ding Tai Fung

If there's a DTF, you bet that we'll be checking it out.

Just because our girls trip have been to a DTF annually, so it seems fitting.

We got the cucumber salad, it does have a kick to it. 

My favorite green beans.  What make this great is the garlic, not too much but just right to taste. 

Had a small taste of the Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, the flavoring is even and the rib is fresh, so would highly recommend. 

This is Noodles with Sesame Sauce, which is formerly known as the Dan Dan Noodles.  It has sesame oil plus the chili oil, so it does have a kick to it - be sure to mix it up really well. 

We got the shrimp & pork spicy wonton, which has a very flavorful, but I don't think it's too spicy, chili oil sauce.  Very nicely boosted. 

Of course we have to get some XLB.  This is the crab and pork XLB, and how you can tell is the little crab made out of carrot, so you know which flavor you're getting. 

Of course we have to get the OG Pork XLB.  We just like the soup.  I have to say the skin here is better done than the ones we've had in LV.  The skin in LV is thicker and soup is dryer, but here it has a nice balance to the texture. 

Of course, a pic of the mascot - Bao Bao!

So trick here is the same as the one in LV.  Book ahead.  They do get busy, this is a busy mall.  There were folks that walked up and was told they have a 80minutes wait.  We may have booked our dinner on the 'earlier' side, but since California is 2 hrs ahead of Texas, it was just right for dinner for us.  And being early and off peak, having a reservation cannot hurt either.  There was a mistake to the number of guests on our reso, the team there immediately adjusted while people are still waiting.  So I'd say having one on file can only help!

Ding Tai Fung

in Westfield Century City

10250 Santa Monica Blvd

#2400

Los Ángeles, CA 90067

https://dtf.com/en-us/locations/los-angeles

 

88 Dumpling House

Saw this place on IG and not realized how close it is to me. 

I immediately grabbed my dumpling loving friends to come with me. 

I really love the mini pan fried pork bun, I really like these even on the regular size.  But if it's bite size I'm here for it.  It's meaty, the bun skin is nice and solid, and the bottom is nicely fried and crispy.  So good. 

And we got the Chicken Sautéed Noodles - it does have tons of flavors, large bits of chicken, lots of veggie.  Don't think the bowl is small, there's actually alot of noodles in that box.  Luckily, they have lids for you and ready for take home.

It's kinda interesting, you walk in, and you place an order on the kiosk and pay there.  Then, you grab a number and sit down.  The staff will bring you the food as they are out.  They have a counter for sauces, water, and extra utensils, but everyone is very friendly. 

88 Dumpling House

8017 Main Street

#400

Houston, TX 77025

346-718-2881

https://88dumplinghouse.com/

 

Maison Chinoise

We saw on IG about Maison Chinoise 

It's an upscale Chinese place. 

The decor with the window seats are fancy.

Even the ceiling is fancy.

I got the Pom-Lycee Fizz - it's not too sweet.  It has Pomegranate juice, lychee, ginger, lemon, and sparkling water.  It's pretty good, has a little bit of a kick.  

The Apps & Dim Sum has arrived. 

Crispy Rock Shrimp - It's fried shrimp with a little spice, and you can pair that with basil aioli sauce or jalapeño aioli dipping sauce.  (pssst - the basil aioli is better)

Then we got the Waygu Pot Sticker, this was legit delicious . We were really worry because it's fancy that the last might not deliver, but this was surprisingly good. 

This is the lobster dumpling with caviar on top.  It was fine, wasn't as good as the other dishes. 

Xiao Long Bao - the soup is legit.  The skin is not super thick, but the meat to soup ratio is good, and it was good.  Definitely would come back for it. 

This is the Iberico Pork Char Siu - this is really a top notch char sir.  The way they marinate it is good, the pork is good. and sauce it came out was good too.  Now I just needed some rice to go with that. 

For entree, we got half a duck.  Cute presentation. 

You can pair it with either bao or pancake, and you dip either Hoisin Sauce or Mustard, with scallion, carrot, and cucumber into the wrap. 

Just for some greens, we got the XO Stir Fried Green Beans.  Even the beans is delicious.  If I had that growing up, I'd eat more veggies. 

It's birthday for one of the girls, they gave us mochi.  It has the vanilla one and a chocolate one.  Those you can tell they are not made in-house. 

Since we already got one dessert, we only got another one, this is Banana Egg Roll pair with coconut ice cream.  It's actually thin crepe wrap and the fried with cinnamon sugar, inside has banana, cream cheese and little bit of other fruits. 

The service is good for an upscale place like this.  They came back to check on us often but not so much that's disruptive.  The booth sits low, if you don't like that be sure to tell the host staff.  Obviously reservation is needed.  We've seen folks walked in and walked right back out because it was peak dining hours. 

In terms of parking, there are parking at the surface, parking lot down by Barnes & Nobles, or if you valet, they are part of Brasserie 19 & Hudson House where you pay $10 + convenience fee, and tip at your discretion. 

Maison Chinoise

1958 West Gray

#102

Houston, TX 77019

713-565-4111

https://www.maisonchinoiserestaurants.com/htx-location

 

Fu Fu Dim Sum

Went to Fu Fu for dim sum. 

The place doesn't look much on the outside, but once insides, there's so much space, you'd be impressed with how many tables and people milling around. 

Got a few staples here, Egg Tart, Har Gow, Turnip Cakes

Then we have BBQ Pork Puff, Pork Cheung Fun (rice noodle wrapped), and Sesame Ball.

We got there around Noon, and it was a pretty full house, but luckily a table was getting up.  We just had to wait for a few mins for them to clear.  We ordered our food checking off boxes on the menu sheet.  Surprisingly, some of the food that shouldn't take too long did, some we expected a little more time came out quickly.  All in all, it was good meal.  Service was good, staff were nice and efficient.  Wouldn't mind coming back here. 

Fu Fu Dim Sum

11810 Bellaire Blvd

Ste A

Houston, TX 77072

281-529-6269

 

Silk Road

Went back to Silk Road for dim sum. 

They got the fancy napkins now. 

Came back for the crispy shrimp Cheung fun, still one of my favs here. 

Chicken Curry Puff - it's was only ok. 

Baked BBQ Pork bun - It's nice and flakey.  Sugar dough topped to give that flakey texture. 

Of course, there's a steamed version of the BBQ buns.  And of course since it's not Canton style, the BBQ inside is brown with brown sugar instead of red ones. 

This is the Mushroom Bao - I just love how cute it is.  Just like a real mushroom.  It's a steamed bun where the filling is mushroom.  Definitely cute.  

Not pictured: Xiao Long Bao, Turnip Cake, Har Gow, Siu Mai - the usual dim sum faire. 

I think the place has gotten its rhythm, and everyone is operating more syncopated than before.  Staffing seems to be managed properly, and the staff also have gotten to know the menu better.  The experience is still quite enjoyable.  Doesn't look like you need a reservation as much as you needed it before.  But couldn't hurt to have one. 

Silk Road

2929 Westpark Dr

Houston, TX 77005

713-576-6018

https://silkroadhtx.com/

 

Hainan Jones

Another piece of New York

Hudson Yard is so unique to me, we don't get architecture like that in Texas, so it's always fun to visit it.  And at Hudson Yard itself, it has a mall, and they have giant screen for movie, tennis match or whatever the event might be.  Seems to be a fun place for gathering. 

But then, take a turn uptown, came to Urban Hawker, which is a food hall for Southeast Asian all in one spot. 

After checking out the noodles, masala and such.  I came to have some Hainan Chicken.  

They have a full set with soup, rice and chicken dish with double the veggies.  I skipped one of the veggies just because I know I won't finish it all.  At any rate, the set comes with rice, poached chicken, cucumber, and soup.  The rice is the traditional Hainenese style with chicken broth.  I usually like it with garlic, but I do like black soy sauce as my second favorite.  The set minus the veggie was $17, so for lunch in New York is not bad at all. 

Hainan Jones

inside Urban Hawker

135 W. 50th Street

New York, NY 10020

https://www.instagram.com/hainan_jones/?hl=en