we back baby

hey fellow food lovers. we know, we know... it's been forevaaa and a day since we posted on this blog. sorry for the long hiatus, but we are back, and in full effect...

we'll start off with our recent trip to santa barbara... enjoy fellow foodies!

california dreams. beach bum food.

this weekend, since it was so nice out, adrian and I decided to head to the beach. we went to one of our favorite spots, this hidden little cove called Point Dume, which is in Malibu right off the PCH.

You know how usually after the beach, whether you go swimming or just lounge on the sand and read a book, you get hungry? Maybe it's being in the sun...but yeah we were starving. So on the way to the beach we passed by this little spot called Malibu Seafood, and Adrian was like "Ooooh lets go there later!" So we did. and it was poppin'! about 10-15 people in line. but the line seemed to go by quick.

adrian had seen this little restaurant in travel + leisure magazine the other day. it's not a fancy spot. simple and to the point. it's also a seafood market, where the malibu locals buy their fresh seafood.

so you place your order, take your number, then pick up your food at the window. no fuss. as for seating, what better seating is there than oceanview patio seating?! the view is gorgeous. so there's indoor seating, for those of you who get too cold easily, and outdoor seating, for those who like to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze, which is what we did.

I expected to wait 10 - 20 minutes for our food, but we took our number after paying for our food, and adrian went to grab something in the car. surprisingly, by the time he got back they were calling our number! thank god cuz we were hungry. faster than waiting at in-n-out!

we went with the seafood combo, which included fried fish, shrimp, mussels, and scallops, all set over huge steak fries. everything was delicious. what makes seafood good is how fresh it is, and dang this seafood was fresh. everything was so light, not too greasy. the fried scallops were our favorite. mmm. and their red shrimp cocktail dipping sauce is bomb, a little bit sweet, a little bit tangy.

we also had a cup of their clam chowder which was also delectable. not too fishy, but very creamy and fresh. yum.

the ambiance, like i said--not a fancy spot. very laid back and easy, sunny california style. the place is flooded with all types of people, from the elite malibu locals, to the surfer dudes with attitudes (kinda groovy, laid back mood haha). some people made it fancy by setting table cloths over their tables and bringing their own wine glasses and wine. whatever floats your boat.

you can head here directly after a day of loungin at the beach. enjoy some fresh seafood and take in that ocean breeze. aahhhh.

Adrian: 10 forks out of 10

Rose: 10 spoons out of 10

P.S. Sorry guys pictures are horrible adrian forgot his camera !

i left my stomach in SF

Sorry it's been forever since we posted up something, but we been crazy busy. we'll make it up to u, we promise...

so... not to knock the best city in the world, our hometown of Los Angeles, but...

San Francisco can hold its own when it comes to restaurants, or just food in general.

For those of you who don't know, I went to nursing school up north at USF (University of San Francisco) for four years.  Over the course of four years I was able to discover a bunch of hidden gems within this picturesque city.  San Francisco is about holes in the walls, mom and pop spots, and authentic and unique flavors. neighborhoods.  and some bomb ass food.

so here is a little taste of SF.  Adrian and I went up north a couple weeks ago because not only did we miss the city like crazy, but  to catch up with an college friend of mine who I hadn't seen in almost three years.  

the first spot we hit up was King of Thai Noodle.  there are about six locations throughout the city.  this spot, which was like 4 blocks away from my dorm, was like a second home to me.  I ws here at least 2x a week, if not more.  they serve original and authentic Thai cuisine.  no sugar coating, just the basic ingredients.  and sometimes simple is better. 

their specialty is the Pad Thai.  By far this is the best Pad Thai I have ever tasted in my entire life.  Christal and Mark agree, we brought 'em here when I was still living there.  Adrian says its a tie between theirs and the Pad Thai in the Philippines for "best pad thai" award.  

what makes it so damn good? they use skinny small noodles, similar to angel hair.  it has a softer texture.  and it's sweet too.  a little salty, which comes from the dried tiny little baby shrimps sprinkled throughout.  gosh it's making my mouth water.

adrian had the Kao Nar Pod, which is boneless roasted duck and chinese brocolli over rice with a succulent thai style duck sauce.  he says if you're a fan of duck, then this is the place for you.  the duck was roasted to perfection.  he inhaled this within a  matter of minutes.  i looked up and he was cleaning his plate. lol.

i had the Kao Prik Sod, which consisted of any choice of meat (I chose ground beef), thai chili, bell peppers, and onions over rice.  this was so huge i couldn't finish. but oOoh it was delicious. a little spicy--just the right amount for my sensitive tongue. 

of course we needed something sweet after all that spicy and saltiness, so we headed 2 stores down the street to Genki Crepes & Mini Mart.  in japanese, the term genki means fresh or healthy.  and that you will be after filling up on their scrumptuous desserts, snacks, and other asian goodies inside.  

what they are most popular for are their ice cream crepes, since they have the asian ice cream flavors such as lychee, mango, red bean, and green tea.  we decided to go with my fave, lychee ice cream, and we added on bananas. 

they also have these cute egg puffs, which  you can get in any flavor you want. so cute and fun to eat. 

we went with an ice cream crepe: lychee ice cream with sliced bananas. yum

;look at these asian candies and munchies and sweets.  i could stand here all day  and look at each one. i wouldn't even have to buy anything.  they're just fun to look at.  see look. im just in awe. adrian got pissed at how much time i wasted there haha. 

my favorite.  knick knacks. as in knick knack patty whacks. give a dog a bone. cute stuff!

okay, on to the next spot...

upon reuniting with my old buddy and her hubby they took us to this spot in Napa Valley before we went wine tasting.  it's a burger spot called Taylor's Automatic Refresher.  Think  of a modern day 50's style diner. modern-retro inspired.  

We went with the Bleu Cheese Burger. so delicious. meat so juicy and tender.  All burgers are cooked medium well unless ordered otherwise.  perfectly grilled, slightly pink on the inside but perfectly browned on the outside, just the way i like it.  Adrian loved how the buns were a sweet type of bread, almost like King's Hawaiian Bread.  so delicious.  and not greasy at all!

had to get the garlic fries of course.

now on to wine tasting! my girl bea (who i hadnt seen for almost three years!) and her hubby Andre took us wine tasting in Napa, at a winery called Bouchaine Winery in Carneros.  

I went with a sweet dessert wine, called Bouche D'Or which means "Taste of Gold," in reference to its beautful amber color.   It's a chardonnay flavored with honeyed apricots and figs.  Fruity, decadent, and tarte. but not too sweet, sour, or strong at all. just my kinda wine.  

Bea chose the Gewurtztraminer (pronounced Ge-vertz-tra-meen-er), a dry but also slightly sweet wine.  not bad, but not my type.  Bea loved it though.

pefect complement to wine: crackers, cheese, grapes, almonds, and olives.

the vineyards were soo beautiful and serene.  they seemed to go on forever.

last but not least... Sushi House.  This spot is not in SF but is in the East Bay, across the Bay Bridge in the city of Alameda, near Berkeley and Oakland Airport.  It is one of the best sushi spots around, it is always poppin', and don't be surprised if you have to wait a while to get a table.  

Located on a waterfront, the place is pretty big, with an option to dine indoors or out on the patio overlooking the water.  It was chilly, so we opted to stay inside.  

they've got a huge variety of specialty rolls.

There are three rolls in particular that are our faves.  First is Lion King Roll, which consists  of the original california roll, dressed up with a succulent fillet of salmon, drenched with their special house sauce, then baked to perfection.  the best and most popular roll on their menu!

Next, the A's roll, which has softshell crab, avocado, cucumber, crabmeat, all topped with unagi and eel sauce.   softshell crab is adrian's fave.  it's just okay to me, it kinda scares me cuz it reminds me of a spider with its legs.  that's just my arachnophobia getting the best of me. 

Finally, the Raiders Roll, filled with deep fried prawns, cucumber, crabmeat, and topped with unagi and eel sauce. 

all in all an end to the perfect little vacay in SF.  one weekend definitely was not enough to hit up all the good spots in and around this magical city.  But don't worry SF, we'll be back soon fo sho. 

  

Fullst0mach-San Francisco

Hey everyone , once again I want to thank everyone who's looked at the blog . Sorry we havent been posting but we are heading up north. Yes, San Francisco , so keep checking the blog. If anyone has any suggestions for unknown spots in the bay, pls share it with us . So comment the blog post, and let us know what restaurants you what us to try ! 

peace , love and elbow grease 

- adrian fullst0mach 

easy like sunday morning. patrick's cafe.

we wanted a good brunch on a lazy sunday afternoon, so with the help of yelp we found Patrick's Cafe, on san fernando blvd in glendale (borderline burbank).  

the place got rave reviews, and we were up for some good breakfast. something else besides your usual IHOP and denny's.  and we came to the right spot. 

 

the decor on the outside was cute: retro but at the same time modern. there's an outdoor eating area which was totally cute (I love eating alfresco) but it was such a windy cold day that we decided to head inside.  there was also a cute little twosome eating outside.  an older lady and her cute little pomeranian sitting in her lap, waiting for a piece of food from her owner.  i kept pleading with adrian to take a photo of them, but he didn't wanna be rude.  plus she was a little scary and looked like mickey rourke. haha. 

here's the outside eating area. definitely will eat out here on a nice warm day. cute garden out there too. 

you pay for your food at the register first, then they give you a number to place at your table. here's the cashier.  two lovely, polite ladies. 

here's the menu. to view the full menu click here http://www.menupix.com/losangeles/restaurants.php?id=201362

adrian had the French Toast.  he loved it.  better than your average IHOP french toast.   the best part?  the bacon. cooked to perfection.  crsipy, crunchy, light.  not greasy at all (which is very common at breakfast places).  come to think of it, it might have been turkey bacon?  haha that would have been funny, cuz adrian hates turkey bacon.  but he loved their bacon.  the dish is served with bacon, and a choice of hash browns or fresh fruit.  and by the way, the fruit was really fresh and sweet.  u know how the fruit sucks at some places?  well not here.  the presentation is so pretty. scrumptuous. 

i was feeling adventurous, so i decided to go with Patrick's breakfast souffle.  it was a casserole made up of eggs, bacon, ham and sausage, topped with melted cheddar cheese and fresh avocado. who would think of adding avocado to eggs?  i know i never have. i chose the hash browns so adrian and i could just share both the fruit and hash browns. look. picture perfect. 

i am so glad i chose this.  so creative, an egg souffle!  the eggs were as fluffy as air. with the bits of meat and avocado as a perfect complement. mouth wateringly good.  the best breakfast i've had in a while. look at the layers. mmmm.

adrian chose an Arnold Palmer for his beverage.  for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a mix of lemonade and iced tea. yum.

note: do not order the OJ.  that pissed me off.  i thought it would be fresh squeezed.  it was not. it tasted just like my tropicana OJ at home.  oh well, u win some, u lose some. 

interior decor is retro-modern.  service is great. didn't wait too long for anything.  people are nice.  very laid back and casual setting.  

i would come back here for lunch next time.  lots of reviews raved about the Kobe Beef Burger and a sandwich called Patty's Fatty.  will definitely be back.  we love this place. 

Adrian: 8 forks out of 10

Rose: 9 spoons out of 10

(i had to knock off a point for the OJ, otherwise it's a 10)

FINALE. RAMEN

 WATTUP , Its me adrian , rose's has been complaining that i havent been writing on the blog , but theres a reason "I SUCK AT WRITING" !!! rose is super skilled at English Composition.  but fuck it here we go. First , I just want to thank everyone for looking at our blog ask COMMON would say " we do it for the people " (hes a rapper and had a song couple years back for peeps that dont know ) Well if you guys have been following our blog we had an obession over ramen. We both ate at 2 places in Japantown . One was Orochon 

and the other was Mr. Ramen 

There was this one place that we both wanted to go to but the line was really long and when you got to eat you got to eat , the place was called Daikokuya. One day rose DECIDED to eat there WITHOUT ME !! and she told me she loved it but not for the RAMEN both for the shredded pork

So I told rose we have to go to this place so I can get the final verdict !!

Drum roll pls (hearing drum roll) 

YUP, THIS PLACE IS GREAT , SERVICE  A - CLASS , FOOD FIT FOR AN EMPEROR 

The reason is when you order the ramen you will notice a little box saying that you can add more PORK BONE BACK FAT which increases FLAVOR , think of it has EMERIL's "BANG"(if you dont know what that means then you shouldnt be reading this blog at all ) but since rose was with Suzanne Somers oh sorry I mean Christal Bergado , they didnt want to add it. I must worn you though if your a health nut and dont like fatty foods and eat carrots sticks as a snack then you would not want to add this BACK FAT to your ramen , but if you a health nut like that (pls dont read this blog). Well to get to the point the added PORK BONE BACK FAT adds alot of flavor. So to get the the point pls go to DAIKOKUYA !!!! Its the best but either go early or your gonna have to wait. But wait folks they do have a new location in Monterey Park google it and you will Find it. 

 Peace , Love and Elbow Grease 

 -adrian  

p.s rose is right after working a post you tend to feel hungry! 

Mama Mita.

There's a spot in Glendale called Mamita's litterally around the corner from my house.  It's right on Brand & Maple next to the Mercedez-Benz dealership.  It was like a 2 minute walk from my pad.

We feel like idiots because we never been here before, and I've lived in this neighborhood forever. Peeps would always tell us "You live right by Mamita's, you should go!" but we just never got around to going until tonight. And we're glad we did.

It's a little hole in the wall spot.  They serve traditional Peruvian cuisine--a rare find. there aren't too many Peruvian restaurants around.  I think Peruvian food is underestimated.  It's not highly publicized in the mainstream food cuisines, but after eating here, I discovered that it should be.  

They serve bread along with butter and an interesting green sauce.  I was a little nervous about trying it at first, but trust me you will love it. Imagine guacamole mixed with jalapenos. but be careful, it can be pretty spicy, so put on as little or as much as you want, depending on how spicy you like it. and the butter evens the spiciness out a little bit too.

For our appetizer we went with the Chicharrones de Calamares, which was delicious. Deep fried and served with a salsa type salad, consisting of diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a zesty lemon-lime sauce. the sauce went perfectly with the crispy crunchy calamari. perfect.

For our main dish we chose the Pescado A Lo Macho.  The Pescado (meaning fish) is a fried fish fillet topped a variety of seafood including shrimp, squid, and octopus all sauteed together in a zesty sauce with tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. What stuck out to us most was that there was a huge lemon taste to these sauces. which we love. lemon tastes so fresh and tangy.

Adrian ordered an Inca Cola, and he loved it. He said it tasted similar to bubble gum.  I was like "Really?" So I tried it and it really did taste like Bubble Yum from your childhood.  I did not like it. But hey everyone has their own thing.  Adrian tends to like the extremes: really sweet, spicy, salty...  I'm more on the mild side. 

The atmosphere is warm and cozy.  There's a mural up on the wall displaying scenic views of Peru, showing ancient Incan pyramids.  After reading up on Peruvian cuisine, I discovered that the Incan influence is prominent in Peru, having settled there generations ago. 

Service is excellent.  Parking can be found behind the restaurant. The only one downside I would say is the restrooms--you have to go to the back and they are in a separate little building by the dumpster. A little scary but it's cool just have someone come with you and you'll be fine. 

So if you're feeling a little adventurous, or just craving some new exciting flavors, go ahead and try Mamita's.  For the full menu click here http://www.menupix.com/losangeles/restaurants.php?id=201574# 

We knocked off a few points cuz of this other Peruvian spot in LA called Mario's--the food doesn't compare.  Mario's is actually a little better. We'll elaborate on that next time we go there. 

Adrian: 8 forks out of 10

Rose: 7 spoons out of 10