my delicious weekend~

my foodielicious weekend!

it’s been a while since I went nuts and went on a rampage feeding my cravings~ partially, my boyfriend and I are trying to save money.. but this weekend, we let loose a little :]  here we gooooo~

Friday night! – Moshulu (Philadelphia, PA)

Foie Gras on Griddle Brioche

this was my 2nd time having foie gras~ yuuummmy~ the port wine jus was the perfect complement!  the vinegrette taste of it evened out the powerful savoriness of foie gras.  i can still draw the taste from my memory.. but i can’t quite pin point the words to describe the complex taste of foie gras.. it’s very heavy… but delicious.  gooey but juicy.  haha anyway, this is the appetizer the waiter at moshulu highly recommended.  i wish there’s more of it for a pricey $20

Duck with confit, whipped sweet potato, light curry sauce

the description on the menu definitly drew me in me~  i also ordered duck my first time at Moshulu and it was quite the dish to be remembered, so i thought, well can’t go wrong with that! … soOOoo the picture looks pretty amazing– but frankly, i was a bit disappointed with the quality.  the chef apparently suggests medium, but i think differently… perhaps it’s the way they cut it.. but i found the meat to be quite chewy 😦 normally, duck shouldnt be chewy. the texture should resemble chicken more or less– do you recall eating chewy chicken? lol anyway, the garishes were ok– whipped sweet potato went well with the confit.  the curry sauce added a little something extra to the seared duck, but i did wish the curry was slightly more potent to match the foie gras as a follow up.

chicken with truffle gnocchi and shiitake mushrooms in pesto sauce

I think my boyfriend picked the winning dish!  the chicken was cooked to perfection! so tender and juicy FAAAR from being dry.  my favorite part was the truffle gnocchi!! it’s like little balls of explosive truffle goodness in your mouth!! yuuummm wish they have that on the menu as a side ❤  please try!

like the last 2 times, we dined at Moshulu with the benefits of a Groupon.  lol just fyi– i’ve noticed that about every 6 months, Moshulu advertises on either groupon or livingsoical with the $25 for $50 worth of food.  I highly recommend catching this deal before making the reservation because this place is quite pricey!  the presentation of the dishes is fantastic! but it’s one of those places where looks can be a bit deceiving lol

Saturday grocery shopping! – Mitsuwa (Edgewater, NJ)

boy o boy do i loooove this place!! it’s been a very long time since i’ve been here since it’s so far away, but the trip this saturday was definitely well worth it!  the best part about shopping at Mitsuwa is that i get to pig out and rape the food court before walking off those excess calories I did not need to intake lolol

Santoka – Shio ramen combo with negi rice

Katsu don setto! with a $2 tempura shrimp lol

everything was delicious if you ask me! :]  very simple japanese comfort food! the food court is a MUST when visiting Mitsuwa!!

now onto the grocery shopping part :3

Onigiri!!

flowery pink sparkling sake~ this was actually quite delicious, tasted like soda almost haha

vanilla and chocolate powder for baking – i didn’t buy them but they look so cute! i mean of course~ the japanese have to make even the most irrelevant item adorable! lol

croquettes!! yuuummm

my staple drink when I was in Japan for study abroad  – how nostalgic 🙂

the back of the bottle has winnie the pooh on it!! sooooo cuuuute!

last item and absolutely a MUST! some wagyu beef!!! XD totally necessary for shabu shabu

Improptu visit to NYC!!

weeeeellllll…. since we were already up in North Jersey and just happened to be across the Hudson River— why not go into NYC? XD

We stopped by the local 508 Gastrobrewery in Tribeca for some drinks while catching the game on TV.  Sorry no pictures this time!

I ordered the black berry margarita and boy did it pack a kick in it! then again.. i’m a super light weight lol we also got the truffle mac and cheese as munchies~ yum yum yum — seriously, truffle ( like bacon) makes everything tastes better! lol

Afterwards, we went to Cha Chan Tang in Chinatown (Pell St and Mott st) for some late night grub~

(left) Portuguese baked chicken with rice (right) pineapple fried rice

this is one of my favorite places to grab some cheap, homey, satisfying MSG filled food!  if you have tried it yet, you should definitely stop by this Hong Kong-ese cafe when you’re in the area!  for breakfast? lunch? tea? dinner? they got it ALL! A huuuuge menu and the majority under $10!

just a side note about this place: the sanitary rating for is now a C… so you might want to watch out lol don’t get anything not well cooked!

aaaannndd that’s it for now! more to come later! it’s restaurant week! 😀

Xmas FEASTING!!!!!

It has been so long since I posted about food!

Thankfully, with the holiday and the wonderful gifts it has brought to my family, I got oodles of pictures to share again ^_^

12/22 Ocean City Seafood Restaurant (Chinatown, Philly)

dim sum is definitely one of favorite meals of all times~ not only is the food delicious– you get your portion of fried stuff and many steamed dumplings and assorted buns!  <— those are undoubtedly some of the best of chinese food!   It also tends to bring families together ❤  it’s hard to come by some good-o-quality time with the family during the busy modern era now a days…

my experience at Ocean City was good– there’s a decent variety, nothing tasted weird and everything was clean (that I can see ^^;;).  the other competitor in the area is Ocean Harbour.. I think I prefer this one since the food tasted a little fresher.

12/23 Han Dynasty (Cherry Hill, NJ)

unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures for this one.. if you’ve been, then you probably know about the Dan Dan Noodles which is my favorite at Han!  the other one is the Wanton in Chili Oil~  another favorite that we got was the “Fish in Hot Sauce” — it is exactly what it sounds like haha but with more flavor and umph.  The fish fillet is covered in a gravy like sauce with red pepper flakes sprankled ALL OVER the dish.  Celery and cabbage at the bottom as garnish.  The fish is slippery and silky like tofu.  I highly recommend trying this as it is a well-known dish to the locals of szechuan as well.

I do have several pictures uploaded onto Yelp from my previous pics, you may check them out here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/han-dynasty-cherry-hill#hrid:z1-AmNSxfdeYGXeXMCalFQ

12/24 Scaturro’s (Marlton, NJ)

Xmas eve dinner! We had so many people at dinner, we ordered a bunch of the appetizers to share and then our own entree.  THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD!! I brought half of my dinner home and ate it the next day lol

Fried Calamari

Grilled Octopus

Buffalo Mozzarella (left) and cold fish (right)

“Veal Oscar” with crab meat and parm mashed potatoes

I’m not sure if i have a favorite that’s a “must-try” if anyone ever asks me… everything was fabulous but I wasn’t wowed.  The most unique I would say is the Grilled Octopus and the cold fish.. haha I wish I know the actual name of it.. but i didn’t pay too much attention to the menu.

Tiramisu

This was delicious!  it didn’t feel heavy~ it carried the balance of sweet and coffee taste.

12/25  Xmas brunch! Homemade ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT dumplings!

this was pretty awesome~ all the parents (except for the men.. so I guess really just all the ladies in the house ^^;;) took part in wrapping the dumplings and cooking them for everyone 🙂  I feel very blessed to be part of this wonderful and loving family, feeling the love in every bite :3

Xmas dinner at Imperial Inn (Chinatown, PA)

Roasted Pork with jelly fish

Lobster and crab stir fried with scallion and ginger

fried quail? pigeon? bird? and steamed fish in soy sauce

lastly… fried noodles and fried rice in ying yang sauce

Ying Yang Fried Rice is one of my favorites of all times! I think mainly because it’s somewhat rare even for restaurants in Hong Kong/China.  In fact, this was my first time having it in the states.  It was sooo nostalgic… haha can’t say it was 5 star quality but still yummy– partially because I was savoring it from my memories too lol  not to many people are fans of this dish because of the butt load of sauce? kids love it though.  🙂 the white side is more of a creamy sauce with shrimp.  The red is made from ketchup, sweet n sour, with chicken.

12/26 BOXING day feast!

during the past couple days, the families have been taking turns picking a restaurant and etc… this time, my Iranian aunt wanted to reach out of the norm for my traditional chinese family and introduced to my stubborn dad the flavors of Lebanon!  (well living in the suburbs, you’re limited to choices.. the below is the closest we could get to a authentic middle eastern style dinner ^^;;)

catered by Norma’s (Barclay plaza, Cherry Hill, NJ)

 from bottom up: flavored rice, salad, falafel, hummus&pita and tabbouleh!  (we made a side of steamed broccoli lol)

lamb and chicken kebabs!  beef kebabs(? on the left)

close up of the Falafel

we had SOOOO much Tabbouleh, this is like the end of it haha

we also got food from Joe’s Peking House (Marlton, NJ).  But i get that so often, i didn’t even bother taking pics haha.  I would recommend getting the fish filets in clay pot.  We also got their sweet and sour pork which is always a solid choice.  Stir fry clams deliver a kick every time.  Overall, if you  haven’t been, definitely give it a try.  A very consistent Chinese restaurant in south jersey.

that’s all I got for now!  🙂

UT Sanrio at Uniqlo

やっと来た〜〜〜〜！！！

The new Sanrio Tees at Uniqlo! wheee!

I’m telling you these are selling like hot cakes! So you better grab one quick before they sold out!

PS.  Did you know they’re opening a Uniqlo in Paramus, NJ? They also plan on having a location in San Fran! 😀 Hope you’re one of the lucky ones to be near one of the few Uniqlos in the States!

Happy shopping! What’s your pick?? 🙂

for more information: click  http://www.uniqlo.com/us/product/women/ut/sanrio

Yogurtland adventure <3 (in Jersey!)

At last! I finally got my hands on this yogurt! I’ve been seeing all this Yogurtland buzz on the internet and was wondering what it was for the longest time.  At first, I thought it was only a west coast thing, then I wouldn’t be able to do anything other than sit at home and be jealous.  But luckily, New England States have a Yogurtland or two, too!! Right here in New Jersey.  Needless to say, I had to go!

I was so excited! and finally arrived at the destination.  I was never a huge fan for red mango or pinkberry… it was ok, but never overflowing with joy and satisfaction.  However, after I tried several flavors at Yogurtland, I knew I found my yogurt spot!  The moment I tasted the red velvet cupcake batter, I thought I landed in dessert heaven.  Then I tried a couple more and lastly came across taro.  Once I put that in my mouth, I was dead set on getting it! YUM~!

I felt like a little kid in a candy store.  My eyes were glistening like I turned into an anime character and stared at these adorable spoons and yumming each scope of yogurt.  Seriously, how can you not like this place? Delectable and unique flavors with an abundance of cuteness! The only thing that I was disappointed with was that they ran out of the special Hello Kitty paper bowls… 😦 I hope they get more in, so I can complete the full sanrio Hello Kitty scene at Yogurtland.  Also, unfortunately I already missed the Hello Kitty and chocolcat spoons when the campaign first launched, but at least I have melody and Keroppi.  I’m happy 🙂

I decided not to get any souvenirs… Mini Keychains for $3.50 (seems like they ran out), plush keychain $8, and T shirt for $19.99.  The spoons are enough for now. 🙂 they will be my official yogurt-eating spoons 🙂

To share the knowledge of Yogurtland to the east coasters, here is Yogurtland’s full menu:

I’m looking forward to trying more flavors :3 Like greentea and lychee.  Vanilla waffer sounds good, too.  For now, I’m super duper content with red velvet and taro.

So yeah, until next time! I hope the summer fun continues!