Food Touring

Trying food from all over the world, at home & abroad!

Southern Vietnam: Hủ Tiếu

Restaurant: Cơm Tấm Thiên Hương null
Address: 1111 Story Rd #1086 (inside Grand Century Shopping Mall)
City: San Jose, California

I took my mother and sister out for shopping at MUJI in Downtown San Jose. Afterwards, we went to get some nem nướng cuốn and a early dinner!

I ordered hủ tiếu dai, tôm, cua khô. The dish name translates as ‘chewy noodles, shrimp and crab, dried’. The ‘chewy noodles’ refer to the glass/clear noodles, which are translucent and chewier than bánh phở (phở noodles). And by ‘dried’, I  was referring to the dish with soup on the side.

You can also order hủ tiếu with soup if that’s your preference. If that’s the case, the dish would be called hủ tiếu dai, tôm cua, nước, with the latter word translated as ‘water’. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam, Vietnam

Northern Vietnam: Nem Nướng Cuốn

Restaurant: Cơm Tấm Thiên Hương null
Address: 1111 Story Rd #1086 (inside Grand Century Shopping Mall)
City: San Jose, California

I took my mother and sister out for shopping at MUJI in Downtown San Jose, and afterwards we went to get some nem nướng cuốn!

Nem nướng cuốn literally means ‘grilled pork roll’. They may also be described as ‘spring rolls with grilled pork patties’ at some places. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Northern Vietnam, Vietnam

Taiwan: Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐)

Restaurant: Din Tai Fung null
Address: 1088 S Baldwin Ave
City: Arcadia, California

It’s our last day in Pasadena! We decided to have lunch at the famous Din Tai Fung in Arcadia, ~15 min from Downtown Pasadena. Here is an introduction of Din Tai Fung, from Wikipedia:

Din Tai Fung is a restaurant originating in Taiwan, specializing in xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Outside its native Taiwan, Din Tai Fung also has branches in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, and Thailand.

Din Tai Fung was named one of the top ten restaurants in the world by the “New York Times” on January 17, 1993. In November 2009, the restaurant’s first Hong Kong branch at Tsim Sha Tsui (尖沙咀), Silvercord Branch (新港店), was awarded one Michelin star by the Hong Kong and Macau 2010 edition of the Michelin Guide. In December 2010, the restaurant’s second branch in Hong Kong at Causeway Bay, Yee Wo Branch (怡和店), was also awarded one Michelin star.

In the US, they are located in Seattle, Washington and Arcadia, California. There are actually two Din Tai Fung locations in Arcadia which are next to each other. On Saturdays, the first location opens at 10:30am, while the second location opens at 11:00am. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Taiwan

France: Macaron

Bakery: ‘Lette Macarons null
Address: 14 S Fair Oaks Ave
City: Pasadena, California

My family took a road trip down to Pasadena to attend a wedding. We are staying at a hotel in Old Town Pasadena, an area within Downtown Pasadena.

‘Lette Macarons was on the bride’s list of favorite places in the LA/Pasadena area. ‘Lette is a macaron chain located in Southern California at Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, Glendale, Los Angeles, Pasadena, and San Diego. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in France

Tokyo: Tokyo Banana Tree

Shop: Tokyo Banana Tree (inside Tokyo Solamachi, at Tokyo SkyTree)
Address: 1F Block 1, 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida 131-0045, Tokyo Prefecture
City: Tokyo, Japan

A friend went to Korea and Japan, and brought back some Japanese souvenir sweets/snacks, also called miyagegashi. Wikipedia has a short explanation of the term ‘souvenir sweet’:

Miyagegashi, also Miyagekashi (土産菓子, literally “souvenir sweet”), refers to a sweet made with the purpose of selling it as a souvenir. As with most other Japanese souvenirs (omiyage), the typical miyagegashi is a regional specialty (meibutsu), and cannot be bought outside its specific geographic area. The making and selling of omiyagegashi is an important part of Japan’s omiyage (souvenir) industry.

My friend was at the SkyTree Tower in Tokyo and picked up a few of the Tokyo Banana Tree products. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Japan, Kantō, Tokyo

Hokkaido: Tokusen Toroniku Ramen

Restaurant: Santouka null
Address: 675 Saratoga Ave (inside Mitsuwa Marketplace)
City: San Jose, California

Today, the cousin and I went to Livermore Outlets for Black Friday shopping from 8am to 3pm…! Then we met up with the rest of the family at Mitsuwa in San Jose. The two of us only had a banana and some quick bites the entire day, so we had our late lunch / pre-dinner at Santouka!

Santouka is a ramen chain based in Japan, with many locations across the world. There is only one location in the SF Bay Area while there are a few in SoCal.

The line was short when we got to Santouka, but the line got much longer after we put down our order!

I chose Santouka’s signature dish, the Tokusen Toroniku Ramen (translated to ‘Special Pork Cheek Ramen’):

Toroniku Ramen is our signature ramen which has the toppings served separately. Toroniku Cha-shu is simmered pork cheek (jowl) meat. Pork cheek meat is very rare and only 200-300g can be taken from each pig. It has a very rich flavour and it is tender like fatty tuna.

The toppings included pickled plum, green onions, menma (bamboo shoot), kikurage (wood ear mushroom), narutomaki (fish paste) and cha-shu (pork). Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Hokkaido, Japan

Calgary: Coffee @ Analog Coffee

Café: Analog Coffee null  
Address: 740 17th Ave SW
City: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Calgary is a big town in the middle of nowhere. During the weekdays, Downtown Calgary is busiest as most Calgarians work there. It is the complete opposite on the weekends; Downtown is dead empty with shops closing as early as 3pm. You can find some Calgarians chilling on 17th Ave SW on the weekends.

The number of third wave coffee shops in metro areas is on the rise, everywhere. The coffee scene is well known in the big cities in the United States, but it’s still relatively new to Calgary. Thanks to Fratello Coffee Roasters, you can now get good quality coffee at Analog Coffee! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Alberta, Calgary, Canada

Canada: Waffles w/ Eggs Ben et Dictine

Restaurant: Cora null 
Address: 255 5th Ave SW
City: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Hello from Calgary! I am here for a few days to visit my relatives. Today, a group of us had brunch at Cora before heading to an art faire in Downtown Calgary.

Cora is a breakfast & lunch restaurant chain found in major Canadian cities.

I ordered Cora’s “Uncle Fred’s Favourite”, which was advertised as available for a limited time only, with the following description:

This delicious waffle, simply overflowing with flavour, was specially created in honor of “Uncle Fred”, one of Cora’s very first guests. Answering his most decadent of requests, it combines a waffle with eggs Ben et Dictine. Enjoy three poached eggs, nestled on three slices of grilled tomato, smothered with hollandaise sauce and served on a Cheddar waffle, all sprinkled with bacon and chopped green onions.”

There was a 1, 2, or 3-egg option, for $10.25, $11.95, or $12.95 CAD, respectively. I was really hungry, so I went with the 3-egg option! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Canada

Korea: Patbingsu

Cafe: Mealtop null
Address: 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Ste 1315
City: Santa Clara, California

I went to Valley Fair to shop at the LEGO Store after work. I hadn’t gotten dinner yet, and was both hungry and thirsty, so I decided to check out Mealtop, a popular Korean patbingsu (shaved ice with red bean) chain based in Seoul. This very location is the first in the United States. Yep, it’s in the SF Bay Area before SoCal!!

Mealtop has 4 different shaved ice flavors- original milk, fruit, coffee, and green tea. It only comes in one size for $4.95 USD, and is served with red bean and mochi on the side. I went with the original milk shaved ice. Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in Korea

Tianjin: Jianbing Guozi

Restaurant: Tian Jin Dumplings null
Address: 989 Franklin St., Ste B
City: Oakland, California

Dad and I went to Oakland Chinatown to grab lunch, and we decided to stop at Tian Jin Dumplings and order something to-go. Tian Jin Dumplings isn’t your usual sit-down restaurant. Orders are made and received through a window, where you can also have a peek at the kitchen and see a crepe griddle/maker!

Tian Jin Dumplings has mostly dumplings as the shop’s name implies, but there was one item on the window that caught my attention. It said “Savor Tianjin Crepe (Salty)” with the ingredients egg, green onion, Chinese donut, parsley, preserved vegetable, sesame, sweet flour sauce, chili sauce, for $4.45 USD.

I asked how big it was, and the lady held her arms out! I ordered only one, to share with Dad. I also got to see the chef make the crepe! He first placed the batter on the griddle to make the crepe first and flipped it to cook the other side. Then he added two long pieces of Chinese donut (youtiao) in the middle, rolled it up, and cut it in half. The entire cooking process took less than a minute! Continue reading →

Posted on by Mango in China, Northern China, Tianjin