Marigold Club

So grateful to get to come here and brunch with friends.

This is my first time at the Marigold club, and the parking situation can be challenging.  The valet works for not only them, also the other restaurants on the block.  So you may end up sitting for a bit.  Hopefully, street parking opens up as you drive up.

Fancy menus and table settings.

Got a zero proof Pimm's Cup - it's actually pretty good.  Refreshing, not sweet at all.

Started with the Caesar Salad, it has parmesan and sourdough croutons. 

Mussels in white sauce, very delicate balance and done well. 

Caviar & Potato Soldiers, which is really hash brown topped with creme fraiche and caviar.  It's a one-bite ordeal.

From the Boulangerie - we got the Profiteroles - which is sweet.  It's supposed to have bergamot flavor, but I couldn't taste it.  I did taste the vanilla. 

For entree, I got the French Style Omelette - it's nice and smooth on the outside.  The inside has cheese, nice and creamy.  It can be rich, so best share this with a friend.  Also came with a side of salad.  The vinaigrette had some lemon zesty something, which was a bit tart for my taste. 

For dessert, we orderd the Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse, everyone at the table lauded over this one.  It has a lattice cookie on top (very pretty pattern).  You break that, and dig into the mousse, just to find chopped hazelnut and praline on top of chocolate mousse and creme anglaise.  Everyone at the table loved this dish.  Definitely worth getting it again. 

Had to show how pretty the dining room is.  Even the wallpaper told a story.

The bathroom is just as fancy.

Details in the wallpaper is very unique.

A place like this is great for fancy date or girls dinner out.  The place is very Gram-able.  Our situation was weird, the day happened that they have a baby shower and a Sweet 16 happening, and we were sat in the back bar room.  That's not a problem, but the service was delayed quite a bit to where we were wondering if they forgotten our food.  For a busy day like that, I would've hoped and expected that they staff the kitchen appropriately.  It's not uncommon for restaurants to host large events and keep up with the normal dining, at the same time, time management on their side should've been allocated appropriately.  

If you are interested in trying for yourself.  Be sure to make a reservation, and feel free to call ahead and see if the volume of the day of dining is hectic or normal traffic.   I do see that they offer Afternoon Tea, that reso is done on OpenTable separate from the restaurant itself.  You can access via their website.  It's $75 pp.

Marigold Club

2531 Kuester St

Houston, TX 

832-781-1901

https://themarigoldclub.com/

 

Hypsi

Here's another, I tried it so you don't have to...

Inside Hotel Daphne, is this cute little place called Hypsi.

Decor is hip, coloring is bright.  Got seatings both inside and out, which is great for weather like this week.

Ordered a N/Americano - no, not the coffee.  But a mocktail with orange bitter,  non-alcoholic vermouth and soda.  It's actually pretty good. 

For entree, I got the Frittata with a side of fries.  As pretty as the Frittata came out, it was tasteless.  I was begging for salt after a bit.  It's kinda sad for a $18 dish,  I can barely taste the pancetta in there, yes on the greens and some of the cheese, but no pancetta. 

Fries was good though. 

For dessert, we ordered a Tres Leche Tiramisu to split.  It was pretty tasty but that is after having waited over 15 minutes for it. 

Here's the hotel's lobby, very welcoming and pretty.

So here's my gist on this place.  It's aesthetically pleasing.  It looks upscale enough to where you want to brunch in.  That said, the staff are not experienced enough.  When I sat down there were 2 other tables occupied, I have sat down maybe 5-7 mins before someone decided to provide water.  You have various staff, and water should be the first when you sit down.  

When we decided to get the tiramisu, if you've tried to make it, or understand what it is, it's not something they make to order.  They have to have prepared it in advance and put it in the fridge before serving.  We sat for good 15 minutes and asked the server before our dish arrived.  Which said to me that they have forgotten.  Coupled with the food was tasteless, I don't need to come back.  The only saving grace is that it gave me more time to catch up with my friend. 

If you want to come see it for yourself, no need to make a reso for brunch, not sure about dinner.  There is a valet service offered.  Here's another weird part, we asked our server to validate us, she said, they do it out front.  We thought meaning at the host stand.  When we arrived at the host stand, they said it's validated out at the lobby check-in desk.  So we saunter over.  But then the staff at the check-in desk said the valet driver will take care of it.  That seems like no one knows what's going on.  Which adds more to the negative side of this experience.

Hypsi

inside Hotel Daphne

347 W. 20th St

Houston, Tx 77008

346-613-1265

https://www.hypsirestaurant.com/

 

Ruah Café

Ended up in Conroe for a conference.

Lucky my friend did a wonderful job in her research and found this cute coffee house.  They also features crepes and fancy toasts.

I got the New York for breakfast.  It has bacon, chives, gouda cheese in the scramble eggs on top of Sourdough toast.  The whole thing is more filling than it looks.  It also has the side of diced potato and fruits.   By the time you add a cup of coffee, that's alot of food.  Truly, I was full till mid afternoon. 

They offer even more savory toasts, bruschetta flights, crepes both savory and sweet.  The staff are super friendly and we do see alot of professions from the university nearby and office spaces next door to stop in for food and coffee, it's very lively. 

Ruah Cafe

1219 Grand Central Pkwy 

Ste 100

Conroe, TX 77304

936-447-9206

https://ruahcafe.com/

 

Liberty Kitchen

Went back to Liberty Kitchen for a quick lunch.

Lunch is always quick and easy there.  Super convenient.

This time got the Farmhouse Chicken Cobb.  Obviously, they have eggs - 2 of them.  Grilled chicken, there's spring mix, tomato, bacon, blue cheese crumbled, and ranch dressing.  The whole thing is super filling, but the blue cheese really did the trick.  Made the flavor profile totally uplifted, aka, made it taste good.  Definitely should get this for lunch.  Super filling and tasty.

Liberty Kitchen

4244 San Felipe Dr

Houston, TX 77027

713-622-1010

https://www.libertykitchenoysterette.com/

 

Hey Tea

Friend of mine and I were just comparing some of the new tea shops in Houston.

Hey Tea was one of the higher ranked one. 

I got the Coconut Mango Boom - it has mango puree, jasmine green tea, mango juice, coconut milk, jelly, sago, and topped with pomelo.  The taste is very good and well balanced.  It's very closed to Lomichi's Mango sago drink.  And it's not as sweet as the one from Hui Lau Shan.  Definitely will get that again. 

The other drink I tried, based on promo, was the Oolong Yuzu 

It has a slice of dried Yuzu on top.  But it is light and not too sweet, a bit of zing, the Oolong tea complements the citrus very well.  And if you are about to exit the mall and get one, that's perfect for this humidity. 

Hey Tea

inside Galleria

5015 Westheimer Rd

A1305 (on the side of Chik-fil-A)

Houston, TX 77056

346-406-4827

https://www.heytea.com/

 

Tumble 22

Went to meet up with a friend for lunch.

They suggested Tumble 22 - never been and seems like high time to try something. 

The server ask if this is my first visit, and after I got my Arnold Palmer, this little tray came out. 

It is a sampler of the sides.  It has collard greens, BBQ beans, cole slaw, broccoli salad, mac-and cheese.  They were also kind enough to gave us a piece of Painless Chicken tender, and a Mo Hot for us to try in case we needed to gauge how spicy the chicken can get. 

I landed on 2 piece tenders in Korean style, which means they used Gochujung sauce, which is sweet and spicy. 

Of course, I have to get the dirty fries, it has queso and shredded chicken on top.  Quite delicious. 

This is the size of the their sandwich.  The chicken is quite sizable, with claw and bread, it's alot of food. 

There's a big parking lot right out of the store front.  The staff are super friendly and get our food super quick.  They do serve alcohol here.  And also have pies and shakes for dessert, which is perfect for kids. 

The reason for calling it 22, it's because in order to achieve the perfect crunch, they have to tumble the chicken in the mix 22 times in order to achieve the perfect balance.  Hence the name.

Tumble 22

10403 Katy Fwy

Ste 100

Houston, TX 77024

832-675-9100

https://tumble22.com/

 

Jenni's Noodle House

I often forgot that Jenni's Noodles is there. 

I believe the Shepherd location is the only store front left. 

I forgot that they have these quirky decorations around the store. 

I got the Limeade, it's been a while since I had one, and forgotten how good they are.  Not too sweet and not too zingy.

I was craving pho, so it was nice to stop in a small shop for a quick fix. 

The broth is as good as I remembered them.  The meat quality is good, and I do appreciate the balance of scallion, onion, and meat.  The meat is cooked to the color I like, nice and soft.  I do add all the sprouts they give you to add to my veggie in-take.  Overall it's a quick and easy meal.

The staff here is super, friendly and on top of your order.  He saw that I was ready to go, he offered to give me a to-go cup.  Super sweet.  The parking can be challenging at the front of the store, but they do have some at the back of the building.  

Jenni's Noodle House

3111 S. Shepherd Dr

Houston, TX 77098

713-523-7600

https://noodlesrule.com/