Mala Sichuan

We took an out of town guest who requested Mapo Tofu, which is spicy tofu dish.

For us, we got baby bak choy, stir fried.  We needed some non-spicy veggies to balance out the spicy-good-ness.

We had the onion stir fry beef, super delicious, and best suitable for the non-spicy lovers.  You can taste the heat of the wok, which in Chinese is where the flavor comes from.  And then after you had a few and happily chewing, realized everyone's favorite dish at the table is the same thing... so you are all fighting for the onions too.

Wonton dumplings.  It's obvious that they made them in house, no frozen here.  Every bite you take is fresh.  Can't complaint, yummy to the max.

Our out of town guest thought we were crazy for going to lunch early.  Soon he realized we were actually already late for Chinatown hours.  By 11a, while  you might be early for lunch, there were not a parking spot to be had.  We were lucky I saw someone pulling out and I swooped in.  But in this heat, we may have to go to the next lot or further to park.  Or go somewhere else altogether.  And even though when we first sat down there were 3 other tables besides us.  By the time we left there were a line waiting by the cashier's counter and by the door.  So, who's crazy now, eh?

Mala Sichaun Bistro

9348 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77036

713-995-1889
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mala-Sichuan-Bistro/186616358058028

Le Peep

Went to grab a quick breakfast at Le Peep.  I haven't been there for a long time.

Got the waffle with apple, cinnamon sprinkled on top of the whipped cream that nicely melts on top.  And there's sauce to go with it.  Super yum!

It's been a while since I've had cooked apple.  It was super yummy.  Our server also very on top of things, so that was on top of the yummy food, it was a super nice experience.  Go early, because whichever Le Peep you go to, gets filled up quick and busy is the word.

Le Peep

6128 Village Pkwy

Houston, TX

713-523-7337

http://lepeephouston.com/

Catalina Coffee

Was down in Washington Avenue and needed some coffee...

Found Catalina Coffee.  It's a cute little place. 

Got an iced mocha latte, just what I needed to keep awake.  It tasted good and I don't need to add anything else. 

Across the way has this amazing mural for the Gorilla at the Houston Zoo.  If the weather is not so hot, you can find a few seats on the side of the building and enjoy it with your drink or pastry.

I will warn you, the place's parking is tiny and limited, they even have additional parking across the lot, but that's still not enough.  The place looks like they have some yummy pastries and with good coffee, it is the perfect combo.  Sadly, the place is overran by true hipsters and wannabes.  There are alot of people who come in and grab a cup of coffee and enjoy their day too, but given the place is so small, it just made me want to exit asap.  Maybe I'll try again earlier in the morning and maybe the work crowd would be different.

Catalina Coffee

2201 Washington Ave

Houston, TX 

713-861-8448

http://catalinacoffeeshop.com/

McHugh's Tea

My mom wanted to come here, so we stopped by...

Got a pot of tea to start.

We got the white tea, and it was light and refreshing for a hot summer day.

I got a lunch set, which came with Quiche Lorraine, the crust is super awesome.  Very buttery and delicious.  It came with a small cup of soup, I got the vegetable soup, and a side of fruit.  For lunch, that is actually plenty.  You can tell that the quiche and soup are homemade and no fakes about them.  Turns out, the mother/daughter team split up the mother in the back of the house and the daughter runs the front of the house.  The mother actually host cooking classes at the shop too.  

We just wanted to grab a quick bite but they were asking if we have a reservation.... Hmm. Well, once you walked in you will know why, they are very popular with the shower parties in their private room, a big party for another shower in the back dining area, and there are 4 bar seats, and the tables aren't big there.  If you just walk up, don't expect to get any afternoon tea, because they do require reservations for that.  You can get salad, sandwiches, quiche & soup, baked goods.  They do have a gluten free scones.  The place is quaint, they took up alot of space for tea and gifts, so it looks crowded when it is already tight in space.

McHugh's Tea

5305 Bissonet

Suite D

Bellaire, TX 77401

713-218-6300

http://www.mchughtea.com/

Urban Eats

I was downtown serving Jury Duty, they were generous to give us more than an hour for lunch, so I drove down Washington and see what's opened for lunch.  

Drove past Urban Eats before, was super curious, so figured eating by myself for lunch would be less intimidating.  

Got an Arnold Palmer, which alot of people understood it to be lemonade & iced tea nowadays but alot of times people are doing it more alcoholic than not.  I have jury duty, people, have to stay sober!

I got the Cowboy Sliders and it came with a side salad, and for $3, I upgraded to truffle fries.  The Cowboy has nice meat, onion ring, bacon, bbq sauce.  The meat is superb, good quality and the fries are super yummy with parmesan cheese.  The salad was a bit more sour than my taste, but it is veggie for balance.

When you first drove up, valet is almost the easiest instead of driving around for a parking spot.  When you walk into the store, the first floor is a little market, deli style.  And they have all the cheese, prepared foods, drinks, baked goods.  And you can also order off their menu and take your food togo.  The seated area is upstairs, and they have a hostess that seats you.  Seating is not alot, but there's no bad seats in the house.  

I had Eric the barback as my server, and that dude runs circle around several servers and managers.  He made sure everyone is taken care of.  I told him it was my first time there, and he took the time to explain the menu.  Talked about the place, when they have music.  The guy just cannot sit still, but to the favor of the place, everyone was well taken care of, including his fellow staff members.  Can't say enough good stuff about that guy.

Urban Eats

3414 Washington Ave

Houston, TX 

832-834-4417

http://www.feasturbaneats.com/

Osaka

It's been a while since I got to grab a quick lunch.

Came out to Osaka, just because I know it's non-peak and they'll be super quick.

As usual, they gave you complimentary appetizer.  This is tempura pepper, it was a tad too much batter this time.

Siu Mai, pork dumpling.  It was good but you can tell it's from frozen, not homemade. 

Got couple pieces of nigri, Smoked Salmon, Chopped Scallop, Unagi... yum!

I got this roll, forgot the name, but it has tempura-ed salmon inside with roe and cucumber, and topped with eel sauce, and crispies and roe.  It's nice and yummy.  For friends who do not eat raw, this is a good go-to.  The salmon is cooked, so it warms your belly.  It's ok, I was sitting in A/C.  

I always liked that the staff from the server to the sushi chef goes out of their way to be friendly.  And of course, at the end, they offer you complimentary ice cream.  I was so stuffed, I can't even finish that roll, little to say to add ice cream on top.  

Osaka Japanese Restaurant

4001 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 

713-838-9812

http://osakahouston.com/

Niko Niko's

Went to grab a quickie lunch

Luckily right before lunch crowd.  And people don't just come one or two, there seems to be 6 or more every party I've seen came in after me.  Luckily, I was able to secure a table.  

Got my standard Gyro Plate with potato.  Did you know that Houston Chronicle had attempted to do the recipe and shared it with everyone?  My friend tried it before, it's good but not like the real thing.  I love how the potato is nice and soft and just seasoned perfectly.  Of course the meat is yummy and you can put it together with the dolmas.  I love their dolmas, as opposed to Yia Yia Mary's, mostly because Niko Niko's pack them nice and tight and still deliver flavors, versus Yia Yia's is tons of rice but not really serving the purpose.  And never fails, when I take a bite, it falls apart.  

We were just saying that we remembered back in the 90s, this was just a small little bugalow where you walk up and it had no seating.  Then a year or so later, they enclosed the place and added a few more seats, people were lining up out the door.  Then they expanded, bought the land next to it, to add more seats, bathroom (that was nice), and parking.  Till this day, the parking lot still get packed.  Obviously they're doing something right.

Niko Niko's

2520 Montrose Blvd

Houston, TX 77006

713-528-4976

http://www.nikonikos.com/