Batanga

It has been a long time since I've been back to Batanga.

I vaguely remember that they're known for their tapas.

And a very instagrammable patio for happy hour.

They run all sorts of Happy Hour specials, so make sure you go check it out.

Got the Beef Taco and Fish Taco - which by the way, the Fish Taco I highly recommend.

Also a special on Flatbread, I have here Argentinian sausage (L) and Serrano Ham (R).

They were running a promotion on Wagyu slider, well, I will tell you don't waste your calories, it tasted like a regular slider to me.  So, just save it for something else like alcohol.

Patata Bravas - diced fried potato, but the special thing about this is their aioli sauce, it is super addictive.

Grilled beef skewers, it's the skirt steak but chew-y-er than I'd like.

We split some empanadas, there's Carne and Chicken here.  I really liked the Carne one.

Bacon wrapped date.  It's pretty good and if I wasn't full at this point, I would've eaten more if I could  fit them in.

So, I think this is one of the last place that has a payphone in their place and not for ironic or art reason.  I think they are functional, the problem I think most of us have nowadays is that we don't remember people's numbers like we used to.  Not to mention trying to find a quarter.

Batanga

908 Congress

at Travis

Houston, TX 77002

713-224-9500

https://batangahouston.com

Yokushi Robata

I was craving for some curry, and the closest one I can think of that's near me and don't have to wait till dinner.

So I ended up at Yokushi Robata.

Got a Lychee Ramune, which I also called the marble soda.  You have to push a marble thru the opening and it'll catch at the neck of the bottle in order to open it. 

As usual my eyes was bigger than my stomach, and I ordered more than what I should.  I got the shishito peppers just because I like them.  And also got the pork belly skewers.

Here's the katsu curry, which is fried chicken with curry sauce over rice.  I just really wanted the curry.  Their version of the curry was a tad too watery for my taste.  It tasted fine, the sauce mix with rice almost because soup-y.  Otherwise, it's fine.  

I like coming down to Yokushi just because if you come when they open they're not very busy.  At night however, they do get swamp and since they do skewer to order, it may take a bit longer with the volume of guests in the house.  Like I said I usually eat during non-prime time to avoid crowd and faster service.

Yokushi Robata

3837 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77027

832-933-6888

https://www.yokushirobata.com

Malk Bev Bar

I've heard about the Malk Bev Bar before, finally got a chance to see for myself.

They are located inside Snap Kitchen on Kirby location, at the back of the store.

If you don't know what Malk is, it is a brand for almond milk, but they also have pecan, cashew, and vanilla almond milk.  

I got the Matcha Sua da, which is a play on the Vietnamese Coffee, Cafe Sua Da.  Though the coffee itself is not strong, you do taste the coffee and matcha mix, just wish there's more caffeine.  Need the jolt in the mornings.

The 2nd time I went back, I got the regular latte.  This time I there's definitely stronger coffee taste.  The almond milk is not strong and the texture works.  I is not cheap doing almond milk based drinks. Not a bad concept and right now being in Snap Kitchen works, since the same audience would be conscientious  of what they intake, this is perfect, since it is gluten free, diary free, soy free, GMO, and vegan alternative.  

Take a few minutes to go check them out.  I look forward to see what other drinks they can make with almond milk.  Are they going to knock Starbucks out of top spot any time soon? No, but it helps to give everyone an alternative to what is out there now.

Malk Bev Bar

inside Snap Kitchen

3600 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

http://malkorganics.com

Classic Kitchen

Per Mom's request, we went for 'traditional' breakfast in Chinatown.

We ended up at Classic Kitchen.

Their menu... sorry I didn't see an English version, maybe ask the server???

I got the sweet soy bean milk.  Nice and warm, when the weather gets cooler, it'll be even better.

Chinese Donut, it is a fried bread, light and airy, but it is savory not sweet.

WHICH! Makes it a perfect dipping vehicle for my soy bean milk.  We're dipping and dunking.

Also, 2 kinds of sticky rice, one sweet and one savory.

The sweet one is very straight forward, it has the fried donut inside and a layer of plain, white sugar, than wrapped in the sticky rice.

The savory has pieces of meat, and meat thread (which are dried shredded pork which gets pulled like thread).  Trust me, it's a thing.  And it is of course, wrapped with a layer of sticky rice as well.

Lastly, we got an order of Xiao Lung Bao, which is not bad.  The soup inside of the bao is not a lot and the meat was good and the skin not too thin, we did have trouble peeling it off of the basket and the sheet.  But otherwise fine.

The place is no palace but for a breakfast or lunch it'll do just fine.  Wish there are a few more Traditional Chinese Breakfast places, but they are quite limited in places that offers them in Chinatown.  Plus, I realized that they are not super early people because alot of places don't open super early, 10am seems to be the norm.

Classic Kitchen

9888 Bellaire Blvd

Ste 108

Houston, TX 77036

713-270-8545

Kura Sushi

Been kinda excited to come to Kura sushi. 

Saw lots of friends (foodie and regulars alike) that they seems to have decent fish, and cool ordering system.  The little box on top of the ordering screen gives out prices as you eat, one price for every 15 plates - good luck!

Much like the other conveyor belt sushi places, they have the plates to count how much you've consumed.  Here we have Ebi (shrimp) and Sake (salmon) - pretty fresh.

Seared beef with yakiniku sauce and seared salmon with mayo.

Seared beef with unami sauce, this one was good enough that we ordered another plate.

Squid and Scallop - pretty decent.

This one wasn't as special as it looked.  I was curious by the presentation, it is really just the sushi deconstructed.  The bottom is rice, you get a slightly larger size fish, roe and cucumber.  Don't be fooled, get the sushi!

When you order something on the screen, they will also use the screen to alert you when it is ready.  When it is about to arrive, the screen will pop up a message and the kitchen staff will shoot the dish to you and it'll end up right in front of you.

We ordered a ramen to share, just because between the rice and fish, we knew we'd be hungry as soon as we walk out the door.  So we split the ramen.  Soup is ok especially when this is not their specialty.  The egg was done well and the pork was good, but were they all 'married' together?  No.  Does it pass the test of ramen in a pinch?  Yes.  Is it so horrible that I'll never order it again?  Probably no.  

The place is pretty high tech, you walk in, put you name on the list via their iPad, take a seat.  They grab you, have a server take your drink order and you pretty much don't see him until you check out.  They collect the plate via the shoot in front of you, which is also how they can count how many plates you've eaten.  The only weird thing as that if you are seated with 2 people, the second person may not have racked up any plates, you still need to check out even though you had zero.  They didn't explain that when we were there  and were having super trouble trying to close out our tab.

In the Midtown location, it's great that the parking garage is attached, short walk to the door.  Don't forget your ticket, you need it in order to pay before you go to your car.  Also observe the reserved spots, they are not obvious.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar

Midtown

3510 Main Street

Houston, TX 77002

713-636-2696

https://kurausa.com/

Moxie

Went back to Moxie's for lunch. 

Since you never know about lunch time, I always make a reservation just in case.

Just love how Instagrammable this scenery is.

Got an Arnold Palmer, while catching a bit of the game at the bar.

Last time I tried the poutine, this time just truffle fries.  Of course, not as decadent as the poutine, but just as good and addicting.

I got the Flatiron Steak Salad again.  I love the steak has some pesto like sauce on top, and it's cooked well to go with the salad.  You get little slices of goat cheese to go with the salad, but you also get it on the toast.  Since that's alot of food, I didn't get to the toast, but it looked delectable.  The vinaigrette dressing wasn't too overpowering, so that was a decent mix with everything else.

Like I said before, you never know what's going on during lunch, so making a reservation is a smart thing.  Happened to have lots of folks watching the World Series, so getting in and getting a seat easily made it that much more enjoyable.  Parking however, it's a different story in that shopping center, but they do have valet available.  

Moxie's Houston Restaurant

5000 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77056

346-571-6164

https://us.moxies.com/restaurant-locations/tx/uptown-houston-post-oak

Hong Kong's Cafe

Been a while since I blogged about Hong Kong's Cafe.

I got the red bean (adzuki) ice with evaporated milk and shaved ice... LOVE!

Hainan Chicken Rice dish.  I love the rice which is cooked in coconut milk.  The chicken is usually white meat, as a  matter of fact, I've never seen it not.  But what I'm most addicted to (no not the peanuts) but is the ginger sauce that comes with.  You're supposed to dip the chicken into the sauce, and you mix it all up and it's tasty.  I'm not sure what their secret sauce is, but I've had other places' sauce, and none compare to here.  So, it's definitely voodoo.  

Remember Hong Kong's Cafe is cash only operation, don't say that I didn't warn you.  They're pretty quick on the food, so you never have to wait long.

Hong Kong's Cafe

9108A Bellaire Blvd

Houston, TX 77036

713-772-9633