Eats for Yiju

food-eating, coffee-drinking, forever exploring unicorn

[eatsforyiju]

ChungDam (Santa Clara)

Chungdam 3180 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95051

To celebrate the re-activation of my food blog, I just had to write about my amazing experience at ChungDam in Santa Clara.

I’ve honestly never had amazing quality Korean BBQ outside of Los Angeles, but Chungdam serves up some incredible dishes that makes it stand out from other Korean establishments. Everything we had was amazing quality, but what really stood out to me was how much thought was put into each dish. Even super traditional dishes were elevated through attention to detail or subtle additions to enhance the flavors/textures. 

Anyway, here’s a look at what we tried throughout the night!

First up, appetizers! 

-note-  Before I delve into the tasty dishes we tried, I have to say that the hospitality here is amazing! We ordered a lot of food and there was no confusion at all. 

Of course we had to try the 해물 파전 (seafood and scallion pancake) The pancake was not what I had imagined. The outside had a super crispy shell (imagine little crispy noodles) and the inside was the perfect fluffy texture with noticeable pieces of seafood and scallion.

(above: Seafood and scallion pancake)

Next up we had the fish roe and uni rice bowl. I like to dub this one the “tri-fecta bowl.” The bowl consisted of multiple types of fish roe, fresh sea urchin, and perfectly broiled unagi. The flavors went so well together, a super balanced bite with the salinity from the roe, the creaminess of the uni and the buttery unagi. Definitely get this bowl if you come here!

(above: Fish roe and uni plate / below: uni, unagi, roe with rice) 

Our final starter was the marinated tiger prawns. The texture was not like the typical tenderness of ebi you would get at a japanese restaurant. These prawns had more of a bite and a creamy taste. The manager told us that it was a very traditional Korean way or preparing these prawns; and it was super tasty!

(above: prawns, pancake, banchan)

ALSO. I can not get over how amazing the side dishes were! Most places only give one or two typical side dishes, but Chungdam had at least 10 side dishes that varied from vegetables to seafood!

Next, entrees!

The dish I loved the most was the 단호박갈비찜 (braised short ribs with kabocha). I think I died and went to heaven because everything from the seasoning to the tenderness of the short ribs was PERFECT- literally melt in your mouth. Don’t make the mistake of not getting this. 

(above: short ribs and countless side dishes)

Next, we ordered a spicy monkfish stew (a special of the night). The broth was flavorful and packed just the right amount of spice. 

(above: monkfish stew)

Finally, we finished up the entrees with 해물우동볶음 (spicy sautéed seafood and udon noodles). This dish had chewy udon noodles with a great variety of seafood. Honestly, everything is in the details and I loved that Chungdam actually cut the mussels in half and all the seafood was devoid of shells. 

(above: seafood udon noodles)

We can’t forget the star of the night, the KBBQ!

The two proteins we ordered were 허브로스삼겹살 (herbed pork belly) and 생갈비 (galbi, beef). Both the meats were incredibly fresh and high quality (the pork belly is organic too). Honestly, pictures speak a thousand words, so here ya go!

(above: galbi / below: stews, uni, bbq)

Of course, we had to get a couple bts shots *haha*

(above: when foodies and photogs dine / below: obligatory iphone shot)

Thank you so much to the team at Chungdam for hosting us and giving us impeccable service and delicious food!

Happy Eating!

[eatsforyiju]

Coqueta (San Francisco)

COQUETA Pier 5, The Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94111

I’ve been considering the latter portion of 2016 as “bulking” season. AKA, eating a ton and being too lazy to hit the gym. In an attempt to combat the holiday weight gain, I’ve committed to eating smaller portions. Here’s where Coqueta comes into play; tapas. (Hey, smaller portions, but a greater number of portions still counts as portion control right? Kidding.)

Pictured: Coqueta Interior 

Regardless, one of my first meals back in the bay area struck my fancy and compelled me to write my first post of 2017!

The rundown about Coqueta: - California influenced Spanish cuisine - Tapas  - Amazing cocktails

Pictured: Barca cocktail and cheese and charcuterie board

It wouldn’t be brunch without some libations around the table right? I opted for the Barca Gin and Tonic (Notes of pine and grapefruit) What a beautiful drink! Herbs and florals and spices all floating around in a perfectly balanced gin and tonic cocktail. Yes. Get it. 

Next up, the charcuterie and cheese plates.  The charcuterie plate consisted of house cured jamon serrano, fuet, chorizo served with a tomato and olive oil mixture. The cheese plate consisted of blue cheese made with cow’s milk, a super creamy and rich goat’s milk cheese, as well as blocks of sheep’s milk cheese. Yum!

Pictured: Mar Y Montaña

Onto my most FAVORITE dish of the meal. It’s called “Mar Y Montaña” - sea urchin with lomo Ibérico. Oh my gosh. I just wanted and entire platter of this! The uni was so delicately creamy and sweet and perfectly complimented the pork’s crispy saltiness. Wow. 

Pictured: Grilled octopus and potatoes

Next, we had the octopus and the greens. The grilled octopus was super tender and the knife literally glided through it. The potatoes were definitely well cooked. I usually stray away from fingerling potatoes (or potatoes that are served in large chunks) because the texture is usually overcooked and mushy or undercooked and starchy. However, these potatoes were firm but soft at the same time. Yum. 

Pictured: Greens, drinks and octopus

The last of the savories was a mustard and chard dish with pine nuts and raisins. Who knew I could actually like raisins in a dish? Even though it was just a side dish, this one definitely stood out. 

Pictured: Manchego cheesecake bites

Finally, desserts! Manchego cheesecake bites with caramel corn. I was not a fan of this... the texture of the actual cheesecake is super fluffy, similar to the texture of a Japanese cheesecake. I prefer a more dense and creamy cheesecake so this was not really in my wheelhouse. The (undocumented star) was the affogato; bourbon ice cream with a shot of four barrel espresso poured over the top. This is a must try dessert item.

Overall, I felt like those dishes were enough for two people and I left feeling super full. Maybe next time we’ll come back with a bigger crowd so we can try more of what Coqueta has to offer. 

PS. The service here is STELLAR. I’m not sure if it was because we came at a not-so-busy time, but our server was so helpful in assisting us with what to order so we can try the most flavors without leaving feeling super stuffed. 

[eatsforyiju]

Liholiho Yacht Club

Whoa, talk about a crazy hiatus! 

I honestly could not decide where to begin with editing photos (I still have albums that haven’t been touched for 2 years! Yikes!) 

After a weird dining experience in one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, I decided to do a full post on this place. From my first time, to my most recent time, and even some visits in between.

And so begins my journey at Liholiho Yacht Club....

Liholiho Yacht Club 871 Sutter St San Francisco, CA 94109

A blue tiled Aloha.

(Yes, I caved on my most recent visit and snapped a shot.) 

The interior - Modern and clean. Also, you can’t beat an open kitchen! 

Atmosphere

The inside is clean and open. There is an amazing bar seating area and a little hidden section in the back with more seating. The crowd is always lively and whether you decide to wing it and pray for a walk in bar seating or make that online reservation 30 days ahead of time, the vibe here will definitely not disappoint.

Drinks

Wouldn’t be a meal without a little something-something, right?

Surfer Rosa - Hibiscus Vida Mezcal, Punt e Mes, Benedictine, lemon, soda ($12)

Coconut Telegraph - Banks 5 Island Rum, Coconut Syrup, lime ($12)

The drinks were well balanced and not terribly sweet; tropical and fun!

Food

This is what we are here for right? The food! The food!

Tuna poke v1.0

Tuna Poke - ahi tuna, sesame oil, radish, nori cracker ($15.50) 

The poke has to be my favorite starter here. The nori cracker is deep fried and adds such a great crunch thats different from the radish and greens. Definitely give this one a go. Also, I love that LYC actually made the pieces of tuna bigger as time went on; kudos!

Tuna Poke, drinks and buns

Buns - beef tongue, kimchi, cucumber, poppy seed steam bun ($12.50)

Let’s talk buns. A lot of places have been working with lengua but I come back to LYC because other places can put lengua in a taco, slider, whatever, but these darn poppy see buns always win me back. (I just wish there was more than two per order, haha)

Roasted octopus v1.0

Roasted octopus with curried raisins, castelvetrano, butterball potatoes, fresh coriander ($16.75)

Is it just me or are the portions seriously getting bigger too? Normally, I’m scared to order octopus because it usually comes out over cooked and chewy and unappetizing. But again, LYC has won me over. 

The super tender octopus is complimented perfectly with the crunch from the potatoes. Now let’s talk flavor, whoa. The castelvetrano olives are a nice salty contrast to the tart and sweet curried raisins. At first, I thought the mix of flavors would be too heavy, but that definitely isn’t the case here.

Duck hearts with pickled cherries, pistachios, 5–spice glaze ($14.75)

Honestly, this was my first time having hearts outside of yakitori places. I’m happy report that again, this was delicious! Although I wish that there was a bit more of a crisp factor because I wasn’t too big on the pistachios, but that is just personal preference. 

Bamboo fried rice with bay shrimp, spam and uni ($16.50)

This item is no longer on the menu (or at least I don’t see it with the uni) but I wish they still had it! I wasn’t a big fan of the shrimp as I remember this being a tad bit overcooked but the uni was delicious! Please bring the uni back! :D

Grilled shortrib with escargot, bone marrow, mushrooms, spring onions, fresh horseradish ($37.75)

I love all things bone marrow (I’m looking at you, Bestia) and this was a clear choice to me. The shortribs were cooked perfectly and the horseradish had a nice bite to it. My only complaint is that I wish there was something (a starch maybe) to go with the fatty-ness of the marrow. 

“Baked Hawaii”- meringue with caramelized pineapple ice cream, vanilla chiffon ($10)

I am a firm believer of dessert stomach. To be quite honest, I’ve never had a baked alaska before so it was my first time having a dessert quite like this. What a treat! I’m so glad that the pineapple ice cream was not overly sweet, but a little tart to compliment the soft vanilla cake at the bottom. Yum!

Overall, I am still madly in love with Liholiho Yacht Club and I can’t wait to try their newly opened Louie’s Gen Gen Room (A cool bar downstairs with a completely separate drink and food menu! How exciting!)

My biggest gripe is the wait-time and the reservation/walk-in situation. But that’s just poor planning on my part haha.

Rating 9/10

[eatsforyiju]

Alexander’s Steakhouse Pasadena (social hour not included in this post)

Due to some personal issues, it has been such a long time since I’ve actually gone into photoshop to edit pictures and put together a little post for Tumblr, but alas, here we are!

Alexander’s Steakhouse finally opened a location in Los Angeles in late 2015 and I was so excited to try it! Unfortunately, it has been quite a while and my memories are quite fuzzy on some dishes, but please bear with me.

First Impression:

The restaurant is located in a plaza sharing space with CPK and a couple other casual eateries; I found it a little strange, but the architecture and the landscaping is definitely very nice. The interior is dark and modern, but not a sterile kind of modern. We were seated relatively quickly and the entire staff was super friendly. 

Food:

Amuse Bouche: (not pictured) cucumber gelee (https://www.instagram.com/p/64SBY_uTUN/?taken-by=eatsforyiju) (https://www.instagram.com/p/64GhpYOTYc/?taken-by=eatsforyiju)

Starters: We started out with the typical hamachi shots served at all Alexander’s Steakhouses. This one was the Hamachi 3.0 with dashi / avocado / fresno / ponzu / negi / arare. Honestly, I was very unimpressed with the taste of this version. The flavors are fresh and bright, but it lacked seasoning and there was an off putting jelly texture. (Imagine congealed cold chicken soup)

(Pictured: Hamachi Shots 3.0 at Alexander’s 8.27.15)

(Pictured: Hamachi Shots 3.0 close up  8.27.15)

Next, we moved onto the dry aged tataki with burdock root / charred onion ponzu / egg yolk / negi. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this dish! It was so perfectly balanced and much better than the hamachi. Definitely try this if you’re not a fish person.

(Pictured: Dry Aged Beef Tataki  8.27.15)

After that, we had the corn chowder. I don’t think this is on the menu anymore, but it was definitely memorable. The soup was savoury but also had a nice hint of sweetness from the corn.

(Pictured: Corn chowder 8.27.15)

Oh, can’t forget the bread! Is it weird that I would go back for the bread basket? It covered all the bases with sweet and savoury. I remember a cheese bread that went so well with the Straus creamery butter and the squid ink bun that was also pretty unique. 

(Pictured: Bread Basket 8.27.15)

Mains: Onto the steaks! We ordered the 10 oz filet mignon and the cab prime rib. I can’t remember too much about it but both cuts tasted divine. There was definitely nothing to complain about! The only disappointing side was the mac and cheese. I wasn’t a fan of the overcooked udon, but the cheese béchamel was quite unique. The blue lake beans were demolished in a matter of minutes! I loved them so much. Next time, ordering two of those haha.

(Pictured: Get in my belly! 8.27.15)

(Pictured: Aerial view of the dinner table  8.27.15)

Desserts: Finally, DESSERTS! Honestly, I can’t remember too much. I ordered (yes 2 desserts for myself) the cookies and cream souffle with ice cream sandwiches as well as the deconstructed.... something. It was a flan-like dish. I can’t say either were too memorable... but they weren’t horrible. I actually remembered the little chocolates, cotton candy, and popcorn that came with the meal better than the actual desserts we ordered!

(Pictured: Souffle and ice cream sandwiches 8.27.15)

(Pictured: Deconstructed.... something 8.27.15)

(Pictured: Little freebie sorbet  8.27.15)

(Pictured: The best 8.27.15)

(Pictured: Cotton candy, popcorn to take home and chocolates  8.27.15)

Final Thoughts: Again, I apologize for the lack of consistency in editing and the space-y review. I just wanted to get the ball rolling and post the yummy stuff I tried! Bear with me and the following posts will definitely be more detailed and consistent!

Happy Eating!

[eatsforyiju]

Little Meats Los Angeles; Sunday Supper

LMLASS was my first ever supper club kind of event. I was so anxious and nervous about the environment and the people, but by the end of the night, I felt like I had just shared a meal with family!

The night started out with an intro and meet and greet with one of the founders of Little Meats LA; Robin (and the LMLA team). Robin is so animated and has such great stage presence which was super helpful in easing (essentially) strangers into being comfortable with each other. 

Later on, I had the opportunity to chat with Elena and her husband Steven, owners of Copa Vida, who were kind enough to host the Sunday supper in their beautifully designed cafe. 

(Pictured: Guests mingling before dinner 9.20.15)

(Pictured: All the BYOB drinks and chatting 9.20.15)

The Space: 

Beautiful brick walls, dark grey walls and the concrete floors created a minimalist-industrial style space. The variation between high tables and lower dining tables added depth without detracting from the minimalist feel; an absolutely beautiful and bright place to dine with friends.

(Pictured: The menu and mix-in ingredients for 김치볶음밥 9.20.15)

The Food:

Appetizer - Cucumber with 쌈장 and peanut butter. Wow. The peanut butter really brought out an nice umami-like flavor that contrasted well with the crisp delicate sweetness of the cucumber. Yummy!

(Pictured: Stevie Cho’s 14 hour smoked brisket 9.20.15)

(Pictured: Menu, mix-ins and lovely table decor 9.20.15)

Main Course - 14 hour smoked brisket. Stevie Cho LOVES what he does and it clearly shows in how amazing his food tastes! The amazing brisket was served in a 김치볶음밥 (kimchi fried rice). The toppings were great; dried nori, kimchi, sesame seeds, scallions, and soft boiled eggs were mixed into the cast iron pan with the rice and brisket. The pan was so hot that it literally made a crispy bottom of rice that made for a tasty surprise in each bite of rice. 

(Pictured: Mixing in action 9.20.15)

Dessert - Pineapple sorbet with shiso. A little on the sweet side, but a great palate cleanser.

(Pictured: Pineapple sorbet with shiso 9.20.15)

Yes, the food was great, but it was made so much better by the great company and interesting conversations! (Not to mention the myriad of beers and wines we all ended up sharing from BYOB)

Thank you again to everyone who made LMLASS possible and the great people who showed up. I can’t wait to take part in another Sunday supper and see what else LMLA has to offer!

[eatsforyiju]

I really like your blog! :)

Thank you so much! Thats so sweet of you. Hopefully I post more stuff that you’ll enjoy throughout the weekend. Happy Thursday! :D

[eatsforyiju]

YEE: King’s Row Gastropub Pasadena

I thought I would get back into blogging with an easier batch of photos to edit. *sidenote* My DSLR decided to crap out on me halfway through the meal and the white balance actually turned half the pictures.... green. Yes, green. So.... I edited what I could salvage.

Monday night, I attended a Yelp Elite event and had such a fantastic time! I FINALLY met Shelley Z. after months of back and forth on Yelp. She’s an absolute sweetheart and such a great conversationalist! At each elite event, I always end up meeting so many interesting and friendly people.

(Pictured: Naan, punch and menu 9.15.15)

Now, down to the nitty gritty, the review!

King’s Row is a gastropub in the heart of Old Pasadena, and if you walk just a little too fast, you might just miss it! Once inside, the ambient lighting is like that of a pub/bar. There are brick layered walls and antique-y wooden floors, but my attention was immediately drawn to the myriad of beers on tap. WOW. Go King’s Row!

The food is a little beast of its own; what creative takes on traditional dishes! We were served naan, wings, sliders and chocolate cream pie.

Naan (stuffed with provolone cheese) - The naan was pillowy soft and just slightly seasoned so that you can really taste the cheese. It was kind of reminiscent of a quesadilla. Haha.

Wings (Mary’s chicken, chipotle honey glaze and house ranch) - The wings were amazing! The chicken was twice fried so it had a really nice crunch while the meat itself was really juicy. But I found the glaze to be the best part; it was a perfect balance between sweet, savoury and spicy. I also loved that the sauce consistency was not runny or overly greasy. The only downfall of the dish was the ranch. By itself, its a great condiment, but the flavors got lost when eaten with the wings and glaze.

(Pictured: Wings and Naan 9.15.15)

Burger + Fries (house ground patty, home-made American cheese, pickles, LTO, and Thousand Island all on a brioche bun) - OK.... I was a little disappointed with the “burger.” Its not a burger, its a slider. Other than that little blip, the slider was tasty. The patty was medium rare and the brioche added a little sweetness to the slider. As for the fries, yum. Who doesn’t love shoe-string fries? Satan, thats who. KIDDING! Gosh, gotta be all PC these days.

(Pictured: Burger and Fries 9.15.15)

Pastrami Slider (house cured pastrami, pickles, Sir Kensington mustard all tucked into a naan roll) - Its a good serving size; as opposed to the burger what was actually slider sized. The pastrami is pretty salty so just a tiny bun was enough. I wasn’t blown away by this dish. I like my pastrami thick cut and fatty. KR’s pastrami was thinly sliced and a little dry, but the mustard and pickles fixed that right up. 

Chocolate Cream Pie - Fuh-reakin-tastic. Maybe its the fact that I grew up eating my grandma’s ice box cake (I have the sweetest Italian grandma and I love her to bits). This pie had a graham cracker crust, chocolate pudding, creme fraiche topping and shaved chocolate. I wish I could have eaten the whole pie because this was better than any pie I’ve had in LA (including Pie Hole *gasp*). It was perfectly balanced between rich chocolate and creamy sweetness. I didn’t find myself searching high and low to find milk because the pie was not overly saccharine. Another point for KR!

Oh, can’t forget the booze!

Endless Boozy Punch (bourbon base, honey, lemon, hibiscus water, orange juice and prosecco) - This was SUPER strong, but tasty. I could see myself sippin’ this after a long day. I’m a one shot wonder so.... I was pretty much set after one glass, but I definitely saw people going back for more. (I would have had seconds too if my alcohol tolerance was better.)

Overall, great food, great drinks and great PEOPLE. If you’re searching for a place to hang with friends or happy hour, give King’s Row a try!

[eatsforyiju]

Faith & Flower DineLA 2015

Ok, so F&F and I have had a strange courtship over the past couple of weeks. I've stopped by twice to try their happy hour with no avail.

Frustrated that there is no happy hour until February 3rd, I decided to try the DineLA menu at F&F. Basically, for $25, you can choose an appetizer, an entree and a dessert.  Appetizer(s): Deviled Jidori Eggs & Fennel Citrus Salad - Both were really good. The deviled eggs were a tad salty and I felt like there was a strange sweetness to kimchi that didn't really work well. There wasn't that bite that I was expecting with kimchi. The salad was surprisingly delicious! It could have tasted better with a little less parmesan, but everything tasted balanced; sweet, salty, tangy, crisp.

Entree: Seared Steelhead Trout - The dish has roasted beets, root vegetable mousseline and citrus butter sauce. The sauce is like CRACK, albeit a little heavy. The trout itself was a tad bit dry but the sauce took care of that. I enjoyed it, but it still left me wanting.... something more. There was no wow factor.

Dessert:  Tapioca Pudding Flan - The flan had vanilla bean roasted pineapple, a spoonful of melted berry sorbet. The tapioca was not my cup of tea. It really wasn't creamy... at all. You know when you leave pudding out and throw it back in the fridge uncovered, there's this weird crust that forms. Well this flan tasted like someone scraped off all that crust and molded it into a circular shape. I love desserts. All desserts. I even count tapioca pudding as a dessert. However, I was sorely disappointed with this dish. I ended up just picking off the pineapple chunks and left the majority of the dessert on the plate.

Overall, for 25 bucks plus tax and tip, not a bad way to try out an establishment. I guess most people rave about the happy hour here and I'll definitely be back to check that out. However, in terms of actual food, the price-point doesn't match the quality of food. Just because something is plated beautifully, does not mean it tastes as good as it looks.

[eatsforyiju]

New York Magazine: Did you ever try any acid or psychedelic drugs to prepare for Taking Woodstock?

Demetri Martin: No, I have all these food allergies, so I’ve tried very few things in my life. I’m afraid of getting high and being like, "I don’t care what kind of sandwich this is!" And then people are all like, "How’d he die? Well, he got high and couldn’t resist a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

[eatsforyiju]

Friends

I am so blessed to have the friends that I have now. 

I'm talking about my real friends. Not the ones who will be nice to me one day then talk shit about me the next day. 

They mean the world to me. Even on days when I feel like absolute crap, they will always be there to say to me 괜찮아.

사랑해요 <3  

[eatsforyiju]

i dunno how to reply to that haha but yeah! i'm going to be back from march 9th to march 18th. hbu!

LOL SAME. i leave next friday :D

[eatsforyiju]

berry lovely :] on Flickr.

Yummy :]

[eatsforyiju]

[eatsforyiju]

Cupcake Adventures (again) on Flickr.

Starting my cupcake adventures in the city again now that midterms are over ^^

[eatsforyiju]

My true love :]

[l0venote-deactivated20140424]

[eatsforyiju]

Twaa? Legit?

[eatsforyiju]

Ohana ~