Buffet with my girls

Azukar Sushi

Sacramento, CA

Fresh, made to order all you can eat sushi- $22 (dinner)

Edamame and Fried Oysters (secret menu)

Salmon Skin Handroll 

Honey Walnut Shrimp

This has to be the most unique roll I've ever had. It was sweet and salty, and very delightful.

Scallop Roll

Lion King Roll

Korean BBQ Beef 

Another unique roll that I absolutely loved. They even marinated the beef so that it was a mouthful of flavor

Poki Tuna

Definitely a pass. I liked the seaweed salad on top, but the tuna sashimi at the bottom was half frozen and just not great

Salmon Carpaccio

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD. The combination of the cool cucumber and hot seared salmon is just a mouth watering sensation

Tuna Carpaccio

This was good too, but not as fantastic compared to the salmon carpaccio

Hamachi Carpaccio

Pacific Sunrise

This was basically a sashimi salad. It was TERRIBLE. It looks beautiful, but the sashimi was half frozen which totally ruined the texture and taste

BBQ Albacore

This was quite unique because I've never had BBQ albacore before. The albacore was seared, so it had great texture. This was an interesting dish

Home made donuts

People raved about these to me, and I always questioned what is so great about donuts. But these are FANTASTIC. They taste like they were freshly made and sugared. Delicious and fluffy donuts. Although I was extremely stuffed from all the sushi, I had to make room for two of these donuts

Overall: Definitely pass on their rendition of sashimi dishes. I'm not sure if you can just ask for slices of sashimi (I'll try next time). Overall, all the sushi was fresh, creative, and had beautiful presentation. Surprisingly, on Saturday at 6pm, there was only about 5 other tables. Service was also incredibly fast, since there was only 2 sushi chefs preparing the orders. I have to say that Azucar is creative and delicious.


Ginger Elizabeth
A cute little bakery and chocolatier.
Yes we were stuffed from our fulfilling sushi dinner, but we always save room for more dessert!

Elegant and classy desserts

Home made chocolates daily

Perfect Macaroons- 2 for $3

Perfect in presentation, variety, taste, and texture

A very Vietnamese day

Quan Nem Ninh Hua

Sacramento, CA

A very authentic Vietnamese cuisine. I definitely suggest you to come here with someone with a Vietnamese background to help explain everything.

Do it yourself spring roll (Nem Cuon)- $14.99 

We had three people in our group, and we each ate 2 spring rolls! I love that it comes with grilled pork and the crunchy thing. The sauce was excellent too. This is similar to Brodard's spring rolls.

Beautiful and so healthy.

However, I think Brodard's sauce was better.

Shrimp and Pork Salad- $7.95

This was great with the sesame chip

Banh Beo- 10 for $4.95

This is what I came here for. My friends told me that this was extremely expensive since Banh Beo is only rice cake, thus very cheap to make. The presentation was very clean, fresh, and pretty. However, I was a little disappointed because it was not as great as other places. 

Overall: The restaurant is amazing if you are adventurous enough to try new things. They also had a great selection of noodle soups and dry noodle dishes. Don't expect to order a simple bowl of pho, because they don't have it! Be adventurous and try something new!

Bambu Snacks and Coffee

The Combination (Red bean, white bean, green/mung bean, taro, pandan jelly, pearl, combo jelly)- $3.50

Everything you love, in one. 

Delicious. Delicious. Delicious.

Irish Food

De Veres opened in the Fall when I was in DC. So of course, I had to check out what the buzz was all about.  Kevin and I arrived just in time for happy hour!

De Veres Irish Pub

Happy Hour is 3:30 - 6:30 PM Monday-Friday

Smoked Salmon Plate- $6

The Irish Brown Bread that came with it was terrible- dry, hard, and tasteless. The smoked salmon was fresh. Overall, this plate is a pass.

House Made Banger- $3

This came with the terrible Irish Bread too (which we didn't eat). The Banger, which looks like sausages, to me were really good! 

Chicken Strips- $5

The waiter said this was their best seller. They were actually really good- not dry nor oily. However, the chicken was UNDER COOK. The waiter was kind enough to take it off our tab.

Fish Tacos- $2

Regular old fish tacos

Our feast

Overall: De Veres seems like a great place to come hangout at night. There are plenty of tables, chairs, and rooms for big groups to come hang out. However, the food is alright. My perception of Irish food was not impressed.

Davis Coffee Shops

I feel like this is a helpful chart for all those who don't know what they are ordering!

During finals week, caffeine is essential.  Coffee houses around town are crowded with students studying everywhere; definitely annoying.

After working at the Coffee House as a barista, I have become a coffee addict.  I need my daily lattes in order to function. Even my sister tells me that without coffee, I am the worst company.

I've also learned that Starbucks definitely does not make quality espresso.  Their frappuccinos and other high calorie drinks are definitely delicious.  However, if you try their non-sweetened drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, plain espresso shot; you will definitely feel the burned and bitter taste.

Also, I apologize to employees at coffee shops that take my orders.  I know I am (now) a picky customer.

Small town Davis definitely has many coffee shops.  Here are my reviews on the non-big-chained coffee houses. They are listed from favorite to least favorite.

1. ASUCD Coffee House

This is an obvious bias.  All baristas are well trained in techniques.  Everything is manual, there is no automatic buttons for anything.

Favorites: Soy Latte, Dirty Chai Latte, ChocoMango (Iced mocha with mango syrup- an invention by Michelle and I)
Tip: The coffee, bakery, and pizza section is open on Saturdays. Not many people seem to know about it. Thus, there are plenty of empty tables.

2. Mishkah's Cafe

Fresh and delicious. One con is that although they relocated to a "bigger" location, the seating area is still very limited. The tables are always occupied with students and professors.
Right when you walk in, you are greeted by a friendly staff.  You immediately smell the strong coffee smell (which I love). The barista make delicious drinks. You can tell if they are good if you look at the foam. The foam should be silky smooth (no bubbles). I love it!
Favorites: Tuxedo, Gingerbread Latte (seasonal), any teas

3. Caffino Inc.

I love that it's a drive thru! Perfect for when I am lazy, which is always. They have so many different sizes, they even have extra large, which looks like a McDonald's super size! Who drinks so much caffeine!?
Favorite: Cinnamon Latte

4. Common Grounds Coffee

I like the decor. It is very modern, comfortable and bright. It is a great place to grab a coffee and study because they have plenty of seating and lots of parking spots available.
Favorite: Salted Caramel Latte

5. Barista Brew Cafe

It is a nice little coffee shop. Their hours are quite random because I tried going at 9pm once and they were closed even though they were suppose to be open. When I went back on a late afternoon, the barista said they close early depending on how busy the day is. It is a little cramped and the lighting is a little dark. They have an extensive menu with specialties of the day.

6. Cloud Forest Cafe
(forgot to take a picture)

They are supposedly known for their delicious panini that I am yet to try. Lots of tables to grab a bite and study.

Favorite: Kahlua white mocha

Final verdict:  I will definitely recommend Mishkah's for its great drinks and nice atmosphere.

So the last coffee shop missing from my collection at Davis is Mocha Joe's.  Expect me right when I return to Davis!


GOOD LUCK WITH FINALS!