Delicious, Messy, Dirty Hands

I'm glad I got to catch up with my dear old friend Mike. Most people would call him SuperMike because of his many honorable titles, but he is simply Mike to me. This night was super fun and full of jokes and laughter, like always.


Phil's BBQ (4.5 of 5 stars)

Arrived at 8:30pm

20 minutes wait

My first time and Mike's 6th+ time

The MENU

Since I am indecisive, being surrounded by menus for 20 minutes was super helpful!

The inside

A very large facility

Order and pay

Wait till the buzzer lights up, then get your food!

A table full of condiments!

"Beefy Ribs and Chicken Dinner" (2 bones and 1/4 lb chicken with 2 sides)- $12.45

For the sides, we chose potato salad and coleslaw. 

The beefy rib is huge and full of so much meat. However, the texture is definitely tougher and you really need to bite off the meat.  The beefy rib is not as tender but it has much more smokier flavor. The chicken was simply terrible because it was very dry. I'll definitely ask for the dark meat next time.

"Full Rib Dinner" (10-12 baby back ribs with 2 small sides)- $18.95

We chose macaroni salad and french fries

This was simply amazing. The meat ripped and fell right off the bones. The meat was tender and full of delicious flavors. It tasted like heaven! The french fries were disappointing since I heard so much good stuff about it. The macaroni salad was Mike's favorite.

After killing this meal, we had extreme food coma

Beefy rib vs. Baby back rib

Verdict: The beefy rib is definitely very manly. I would prefer the Baby back rib because it is so tender and easy to eat

Company: Mike

Time: Wednesday, 8:30pm

Location: Sports Arena

Type of food: American, BBQ

Ambiance: Large, fast, friendly,family oriented, large parties, 

Service: Although we had to wait 20 minutes to order our food, the food came out very fast (in about 10 minutes our buzzer lighted up) and it wasn't very difficult to find a seating. Also, the waiters were all very friendly and helpful.

Taste: DELICIOUS. Some of the sides were disappointing, but I came here for BBQ ribs and they delivered.

Price: Fair

Overall: I love Phil's BBQ. I actually went to Phil's again 3 days later but this time in their second location in San Marcos. There was absolutely no wait, the food came out a little slower, and the french fries were excellent. I think San Marcos has much better quality food. 

This is brilliant. Right outside the bathroom was a sink to wash your dirty hands!

Thank you Mike for a fun night!

Date With Miss Strawberry Lover

I had a really cute little date with Kimi last week. She totally helped narrow my yelping down by telling me she craved Ramen!

Yakitori Yakyudori & Ramen (3.5 of 5 stars)
This is one of the highest rated Ramen houses in San Diego!

It is easy to miss! 

My excellent blurry picture taking skills!

The MENU

The ORIGINAL Ramen

Dang and Kimi both ordered this. It was very yummy. The broth was a little salty and it didn't really taste like Miso soup. But I liked the Ramen! It tasted very light.

Spicy Miso Ramen

Of course I ordered this because of the CORN. It was a very exciting mixture of flavors. I thought it was very unique but it was way too spicy for me. Luckily, I traded this dish with Dang.

 Kimi is so so cute!

What a third wheel.

Luckily he had work so he only bothered our date for 30 minutes! 

Company: Kimi and Dang

Time: Wednesday, 1pm

Location: Kearny Mesa

Type of food: Japanese

Ambiance: Very Japanese/Asian, Small/Comfortable, Cute

Service: Nice, friendly, attentive waitresses

Taste: Unique blends of flavors

Price: $10 minimum on credit cards. The price is alright. An average of $7 per bowl during lunch hours.

Overall: I liked it! I'm not sure if it is worth it because I think Ramen should cost under $1. 

Crepe World (2.5 of 5 stars)
I'm glad they moved to a smaller venue (right next store). They definitely did not need that larger space.

The MENU (that you can barely see)

All mine.

Nutella crepe with Green Tea ice cream and Mango, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce

I am quite disappointed that they served this crepe in a French style. I missed the Japanese cone. But a lot of people don't know how to eat it the correct way. This Japanese crepe is crunchy, so it is very difficult to cut on a plate!

The crepe itself was ok. It wasn't very fluffy. The Green Tea ice cream was disappointing because it wasn't the Asian kind! The mango was raw, so it was hard and sour.

Kimi's delight!

Nutella crepe with Strawberry ice cream with Strawberries, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce

Kimi definitely looked like she enjoyed this one!

Hello cutie pie! Thank you for crepes!

Company: Kimi

Time: Wednesday, 2pm

Location: Convoy plaza

Type of food: Dessert

Ambiance: Small, young, fun, fast

Service: There was no one there. The man took our order and made it right then and there. We waited about 5 minutes for our order. I wonder what happened to those young girls that use to work there. I prefer them making my crepes.

Taste: It definitely tasted better before. Although the standards were not up to par, I did enjoy it.

Price: 1 fruit, nutella, and ice cream crepe cost $5.48

Overall: The quality definitely went down! The presentation is definitely better. I'll come back only because it is the only Japanese crepe place in San Diego.

We spent a nice 2 hours together! I love our talks about youtube beauty gurus and fashion blogs! We didn't even talk about our annoying boyfriends. We will have another date soon <3

Mexican Pasta

Making some pasta with some attitude by adding some Mexican snazz. 
The half white and half red sauce is inspired by my dear friend Mytien <3 Thank you very much cutiepie! (I miss you)

I couldn't choose which picture to show, so here are both of them.

Ingredients: white and red sauce, tomato, cilantro, onion, corn (duh)

Not pictured: lean ground turkey meat, chorizo, cheese, chile pepper

Boil some pasta!

Add oil, let it sizzle, add onions, let it turn a little brown, add in the lean ground turkey meat

We then found some Chorizo in the refrigerator. Chorizo definitely added the spicy/salty/fatty/Mexican flavor to the whole thing.

Mix and stir until golden brown (smells so yummy)

My brother had this idea of thickening our sauce by adding some string cheese! Brilliant. Then I added some cilantro because green makes things look pretty.

Add in some tomatoes to feel healthy, add the corn because I add corn to EVERYTHING, and add 1 chile for to add that sizzle in your mouth. 

TAHHHHHDAHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

White and red = Orange

My brother is so cute! He's such a creative cook. His philosophy is to just throw in anything and mix it all together!

Bon Appetit!

Dang came straight to my house after work. Just on time for some yummmmmmmmmy pasta in his tummy!

My belly craved Korean!

My mom, sister, and I love Korean food.  However, we never really get to go out for it because my dad doesn't really like it. So we decided to have a girl's day out and enjoy some delicious Korean food.

Tofu House

I love Korean restaurants because they always come with little appetizers to keep us busy while we wait for our food.  Tofu House only provides four little dishes (far less than other restaurants).  

Boiling goodness of Beef and Kimchee Soft Tofu with brown rice with two eggs cracked inside ($9.00)
Delicious. I like this combination the most because it does not taste very seafood-fishy-like. A very fulfilling portion. 

Bimbimbap ($10.00)

My usual go-to-dish. But my mom tried it this time. I love how it has the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot. The combination is mixed with fresh lettuce, other vegetables, and grilled beef. Love it.

BBQ Eel ($10.00 + $1 for rice)

I wanted to try something new and decided to go with some eel. I didn't really like it that much because it was extremely slimy and fishy. It was good the first few bites, but I definitely could not finish it. Also, I was disappointed to hear that this dish does not come with rice. Next time, I'll stick to the traditional dishes.

Company:  Mother and sister

Time:  Thursday, September 1, 1:30pm

Perfect time to go. Plenty of parking in the terribly small parking lot and no wait for our table.

Location:  In Convoy

Type of food: Korean

Ambiance:  Casual, simple, fast, clean

Service: Fast and friendly

Taste:  Fresh and delicious

Price: Average $10 per dish

Overall: Feels like a fast-food Korean restaurant. The prices are cheap compared to other Korean restaurants and the food comes out quick. My dad always thinks it is ridiculous that they charge $10 for a tofu stew because tofu is so ridiculously cheap at markets. Maybe that is why he doesn't think the food is worth it. But overall, I love Korean food and this place satisfies my cravings!

My dear LITTLE sister. WOW, we kind of really do look alike.

Spring Rolls

I felt Vietnamese one day and decided to make SPRING ROLLS for dinner.

However, I think this is a Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese FUSION! I used the Vietnamese idea of a spring roll, used Korean BBQ meat as the filling, and created a Chinese dipping sauce.

1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of fish sauce, and some freshly diced garlic

Mix all the ingredients together in a small pot over a stove

The more vegetables the better! As filling, I grabbed whatever was in my refrigerator: bean sprouts, lettuce, and cucumber. Dang had the awesome idea of putting mandarin oranges in it too!

I bought some freshly sliced beef at the market and a Korean BBQ mixture to marinate it. This is an excellent filler because it is so flavorful!

Use warm water to "cook" the spring roll wrapper

Easy, fast, and delicious dinner for four!

My cute little spring roll! 

No pictures of a wrapped up spring roll because none of them turned out clean and nice. 

Dang was a beast and ate 7 whole spring rolls! Amazing.

Simple and delicious!

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!