Jinya Ramen

Came to Jinya Ramen Bar up here in Dallas. 

This is in a cute little area. 

The presentation on this is cute our server brought me the drink and then do the matcha in front of me and then pour it over.  It's a great presentation. 

Also, nice touch that they branded the logo on slices on lemon. 

This is the Matcha Lychee Lemonade - which naturally has matcha, lemonade, lychee juice, and the fruit you see there.  It's actually pretty nicely balanced, and it's light bodied so for a hot summer night, this fits in perfectly. 

For App - got the Miso Glazed Eggplant - there's fried eggplant, baby Brussel sprouts, bell pepper, drizzled with miso sauce, there's bok choy and bonito flakes.  The saltiness and the veggie made it so good, I wish growing up they make veggies this way.  The eggplant is not too mushy, which has a little 

For entree, I got the Tonkotsu Black - which has ramen, pork broth, pork cha siu, green onion, scallion, garlic chips, garlic oil, fried onion, chili sauce, seaweed and 60 degree egg.  How it becomes 'Black' is where the garlic comes in, which adds the flavor to the broth.   Basically, the pork broth is already fatty by way of the meat, bone and all that being cooked other.  When they say 'Black' it's added garlic that bumps up the flavors.  So, now you know. 

In terms of the area, it's cute, there's stores and other eateries around.  But watch for the parking signs.  There are a few directly outside of the storefront are likely for pickup for to-go orders only.  There are parking lots that are free around the corner.  Just park and walk over, even in this heat, you won't melt, I promise!

Jinya Ramen Bar

7949 Walnut Hill Ln

#160

Dallas, TX 75230

213-272-7578

https://www.jinyaramenbar.com/locations/prestonhollow/
 

Pho Bac

When I told my dad we wanted Pho, he suggested here. 

I've never been here, to be honest.  So this is my 1st visit.  (photo from Yelp)

The place seems to be always packed.  That's because many have dubbed that this is the most authentic Vietnamese food in town.  

I got the lemon tea, which was more like lemonade with a hint of tea.  It was too sweet for my liking. 

I got the Tai Kobe, which is Beef Kobe style.  That said, this is small size, and you see it comes with alot of food.  There's vermicelli at the bottom, there's beef slices, scallions, and of course you can add your own sprouts, mints and jalapeño pepper too.  You mix it all up and it's a very full-bodied dish. 

Since they are pretty busy here, coming here on the earlier side of lunch works.  The parking lot does have lots of spots, but they do get packed quick.  So bring patience. 

 

Pho Bac

153 N. Plano Rd

Richardson, TX 75081

972-231-9205 

Dallas Grilled Cheese Co.

This is a new place to us.

Who knew that there are so many variation to Grilled Cheese.

Got a Mango Shaken Tea - never had a shaken tea before, but it taste like tea with bubbles from the shaking. 

I got the Brie and Bacon, because that combo sounded great.  Don't be fooled, it is actually alot of food. They diced the bacon (plural) and the cheese-y goodness.  But it was rich.  And of course, I opted for sweet potato waffle fries, that totally put me over. It was yummy, don't get me wrong, just a lot of food.

Beyond the sandwiches they have wings, bruschetta, fries galore, salad, soup too.  So all your comfort food is all here. 

The place is in part of a shopping center, and don't worry, there's plenty parking in front of stores, or at the garage - which is free.  So don't worry about that.

Dallas Grilled Cheese Co. 

5319 Mockingbird

# 120

Dallas, TX 75206

469-620-2121

https://dallasgrilledcheese.co/

 

Cafe Brazil

When I'm in Dallas, I like to come here for breakfast. 

Not going to lie, great memories of coming here after 2am for breakfast.  Of course, now, it's just a basic breakfast. 

Of course, I love the coffee bar.  They have 6 brew ready to go.  Feel free to mix and match.  Of course, that challenge is the proportion of what you put in the mug.  So if you have concocted something spectacular, it's hard to recreate.  But for coffee lovers, this is great!

Of course, as part of the hydration squad, we also have OJ and water with the coffee.  Start your morning right!

My fave that I can't get elsewhere in Houston, Fruit Pancrepe.  They have a mix of fruit, not just your strawberries or banana - which they have there, but there's also pineapple, grapefruit, and puree of fruit and sauces.  It's great for dipping the crepe.  I love that every bite of crepe + fruit + sauce was just yummy goodness. 

Don't worry, I got a side of bacon for some protein just for good measure.  See! A well balanced breakfast. 

Cafe Brazil

6420 N. Central Expressway

Dallas, TX 75206

214-691-7791

https://cafebrazil.com/

 

Waygood Coffee

Went to Waygood for an afternoon hang. 

Ordered a Sea Salt Banana Matcha.  Just sounded interesting so figured, why not.  Honestly, the sea salt just made the banana (and vanilla) less sweet and the matcha less bitter.  The balance was struck well here.  Not too sweet, salty or bitter.  The whole thing tasted smooth mixed together.  I wouldn't mind getting that again. 

Waygood Coffee

3819 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77098

https://www.waygoodcompany.com/

 

Freshly Squeeze by Eliyah

When a young entrepreneur starting up a business I have to show my support.

Eliyah picked a good market to be at.  The day was hot, and lemonade is just the ticket to quench some thirsts. 

For 32oz, it's iced-cold, you can just have the original flavor, or add various kind of flavoring that they have to offer.  And not to mention, the lemonade wasn't too tart or zingy but you do see them making them onsite as you order.  Her crew includes mom and dad, so this has turned to a family business.  Way to go, girl!  Talk about a lemonade stand going big!

Freshly Squeezed by Eliyah 

https://www.instagram.com/freshlysqueezedbyeliyah/
 

Cobel Liege Waffles

So I've been seeing this IG accounts on my feed for some time, and lucky that they were at a market right by me.   I had to make a trip up there to check them out. 

To those who are unfamiliar, liege waffles are from Belgium, they use a yeast brioche batter than the runny batter.  So it's texture are not the same, and you can tell the difference when you cut into it.  It feels chewier, and has more elasticity to it.  Not in a bad way, just more than a regular waffle would. 

First off, they have 3 types of base waffles, Cinnamon, Chocolate, and Original (which is plain).  Then you have different types of toppings.  (L) Banana, Strawberries with hazelnut drizzle, Blueberries, Strawberries, Cinnamon Bun, Biscoff, and minis.  

All made to order. 

Of course, I have to get something yummy. 

The Biscoff is actually pretty good it has cookie butter drizzle on the top of a plain and the flavors between the cookie butter and the cookie crumbles are a nice combo. 

Of course, I most looked forward to the Banana Strawberry with hazelnut combo.  I would say that I do appreciate the whole thing is not as sweet as I had pictured it to be, which as much as a Sweet Tooth that I am, I don't do overly sweet and this hits the mark just right.  Which is much appreciated. 

You can catch them at various markets around town.  For most up-to-date locations, follow them IG. 

Cobel Liege Waffles

https://cobelwaffles.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cobelwaffles

 

Latuli

Went out for a girls night dinner and came to Latuli.

Apparently, the name of the restaurant derived from the first 2 letters of each of the chef's children's name, that's pretty clever. 

First up: Bread, because no one will say no to bread.  We have yeast roll and cornbread from a pan.  It comes with jalapeño jelly and whipped butter with salt, I'm loving the butter and salt combo.  Gimme!

Then we ordered the Double Dip (thanks internet for recommending it).  Left is red fish dip, right side is Pimento dip with housemade chips for 'dipping'.  The red fish dip is not strong at all, pretty mild and the chips carried it well.  Pimento cheese, well, who doesn't enjoy them?!

Got some veggies for good measure, got some charred broccolini.  The red stuff on top is not bacon but drunken dried cherries with granola for texture. 

Not pictured, Batata Brava - puffed sweet potato with chili creme fraiche, love that combo.  Definitely worth getting. 

For entree, we split the Wild Boar Ragu - because no one ever said no to Ragu pasta.  The pork flavor is heavy but good.  Mixed very well with the dollop of ricotta on top.  Not very 'saucey', but the flavors works for what it needed to do.

For dessert, we got the cobbler which came in its own pan.  It's spiced peach cobbler that comes with a scoop of in-house vanilla ice cream.  The cold and warm combo gets me every time.  

Overall, the meal is delicious.  The space has really high ceiling, which I was worried that sound carries, but it worked out fine.  Reservation here is a must.  We've seen folks trying to walk-in and the wait is no joke.  So save yourself some grief, book ahead.  The valet, however, left very little to be desired.  First off, the crew is small, and not equipped to handle the crowd of this size.  Second, the parking lot the property has is small at best, but the space house much more people than there's parking space for.  So the valet crew park the cars to another lot, not one lot over but at least 2.  We saw our valet person walked in the dark to 2 lots over.  Meanwhile, the center in front and in the back both have significant space.  I'm surprised that the restauranteurs aren't striking deal arrangements with either, if not both centers to pay for the spaces say after 6pm or something.  The wait time for car retrieval was ridiculous between shortage of drivers and how far the cars are.  That definitely dampened our experience there.  Maybe I'll try lunch again some day, but definitely will not be dinner. 

Latuli

8900 Gaylord Dr

Houston, TX 77024

https://www.latuli.com/

 

Tom N Tom Coffee

Back to Carrollton, Korean Shopping area

My impression of Tom N Tom in Dallas is very different than the ones in Houston.  The ones in Houston is a simple direct.  This one in Dallas is like a whole sit down cafe.  It has 2 levels, cases to show the food offerings and they have alot of savory and desserts on their menu than the ones I've seen in Houston. 

I got the Mango Matcha Latte - it's a tad too much matcha, not enough mango for my taste.

For snack, needed some protein, got these Pepperoni Pretzel bites.  Truly, it's like a mini pizza per bite.  It's pretty good but as pretzels goes, it's bread-y.

I really like this place.  They obviously have coffee, cakes, tea, bubble tea, pizza, sandwiches, smoothies and even apps.  But they also have Korean BingSu, milk ice dessert, and lots of variations.  

This location makes you feel like you're tucked away.  Folks come in to grab a drink, stay out of the heat.  Young people bring their laptops in to do some work.  There are tables that are tucked away for privacy if they come here for a coffee date.  The space has a little bit for everyone, that it's cool on the outside too (not pictured). 

At any rate, if you can find a parking spot on the weekend, this is a fun little spot to hang between the shopping and the meals. 

Tom N Tom's Coffee

2625 Old Denton Rd

#406

Carrollton, TX 75007

972-446-6633

https://tomntomscarrollton.com/

 

The Brunch District

Came to Brunch District.

Very cute brunch place for the suburb of Dallas. 

Lots of seating at the bar, but it's also cutely decorated. 

And in case you want to use your phone for menu, just scan the cube.

But first! Coffee!

I just have more hydrate issue.  I have my coffee, my OJ, and my water.  You know stay hydrate and all that. 

I got their Migas.  Mainly because I haven't had one in a long time.  But also, it's not heavy like egg Benedicts or omelets.  Migas was good scrambled eggs, tomato, onion, jalapeño, tortilla chips and jack and cheddar cheese.  Plus very generous portion for diced potato.  You can add meat to it as well, they have: chorizo, brisket, chicken or pork.  Service was good, everyone is chipper and happy on a weekend morning, when the whole place is packed. 

This is definitely a hoppin' place on the weekend.  As it goes, they do not take reso on weekends, so be early and bring patience, you'll definitely have a good meal. 

The Brunch District

3855 Glade Rd

Ste 170

Colleyville, TX 76034

682-503-4702

https://thebrunchdistrict.com/

 

Redstraw

You can't be in an Asian Shopping center and not go into the bubble tea place. 

As a matter of fact, there's so many of those around that it's hard not to trip into one of them. 

I got the Mango Mojito which is jasmine green tea brewed with mango bits and lime inside.  They also have coffee, custom tea mix and milk tea too because they are brewing it for you to order, the order does take longer. 

It's a good afternoon resting spot.  You can actually order online and pick up there to shorten the wait. 

Redstraw

1012 Mac Arthur Drive

#148

Carrollton, TX 75007

https://redstrawteabar.com/

 

Jinkook Korean

So in Dallas, there's a sizable Korean town area. 

One of the places that was recommended was Jinkook.  This is a very authentic mom and pop kinda place and it is intimate = not alot of tables. 

Seafood Pancake, which has lots of seafood ingredients, definitely worth getting. 

Bossam - which is Korean's style of broil pork wrap.  It has pork, kimchi, and squid. 

Banchan - we have kimchi, salad, and kimchi daikon. 

Cute little pot arrives.

They have Purple Rice!!!  They added peas and beans to add flavors to the rice. 

The table liked the Ox Tail Soup. Super flavorful and full-bodied. 

This is the Eel Soup - there's tons of ingredients in there.  Besides broth, there's scallion, freshwater eel, and glass noodles. 

This is Pork Stir Fry, very flavorful and definitely has a kick. 

For sure, next time I'm going to get the Chicken Ginseng Soup next time.  That was a very popular dish and saw tables around us getting it.  The Ox Tail is good, maybe get the eel in a different style next time. 

The Jinkook

1012 MacArthur Drive

#144

Carrollton, TX 75007

469-986-1012

https://www.thejinkook.com/