An L.A. Must Visit: Castaway

Ever since I heard from Auntie L that Castaway is a great restaurant to visit, I have been hoping to dine there. It's slightly far and I heard that it's pricey too. But reading the reviews and seeing the photos made me want to visit it more. It somehow reminded me of how much I wanted to go to Sonya's Garden and Vigan. Luckily, I managed to have dinner there a few days before my flight back to Manila.

Hello, Castaway!

The place has a relaxed ambiance and doesn't have this snotty feel at all which I get when I visit classy restaurants. It feels more like a guest house with rather tropical decor.

The menu is not as extensive as I thought but all sound so mouthwatering. We ended up ordering Castaway Crab Cakes ($13), Roast Prime Rib of Beef ($32), and Bone-In Rib Eye ($38). As for drinks, we had a glass of Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri and Lemonade.

 

The crab cake was served quickly. It even arrived before the wait basket of fresh bread. It was quite savory and a pleasant appetizer. The texture was smooth and crunchy. The sauce too was a combination of tangy and salty. I truly enjoyed it.

 

The main dishes took a long time to be served though. Apparently, there was a problem with our side dishes... potatoes. They ran out of potatoes. Thus the over half an hour wait.

Japan in California: Yamashiro Japanese Restaurant

I love Japanese food. People close to me (and those who see me wolf down sashimi) know how much I just adore it. And every time I eat out, one of the cuisines I consider is Japanese. I'll either crave for salmon sashimi, ramen, tempura, udon, or whatnot. It must be my anime addiction that caused this. Anyway, on my last night in Los Angeles, my aunt R treated me to this nice restaurant overseeing LA. 

Hello, Yamashiro!

The place is so Japanese! It felt like I was really in Japan though I'll never know because I have never been there. I wanted to capture every corner of the place with pictures. I was like a kid trying to ingrain every bit of detail in my mind as this place is simply... amazing. At least for me. 

 It was rather chilly that day but we didn't care and took pictures like it's nothing!

We ordered though before we went out to capture the beauty of the place. We ordered Wakame Seaweed Salad ($12), Pistachio Salmon ($16), Truffle Hamachi ($16), Spicy Seafood Hot Pot ($10), and Duck Confit Asian Cobb (forgot to take note of the price of this one). For dessert, we had Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich ($12) and Banana Fritters (price was not in the menu as well).

The Wakame Seaweed Salad's serving was pretty stingy. Luckily though they gave us an extra serving for... FREE! The power of the people I'm with. :D The taste though was your typical seaweed salad. You could get a huge serving of it if you buy the ingredients yourself.

The Spicy Seafood Hot Pot wasn't spicy at all. It was served warm and it was a good appetizer. All the ingredients (shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, mussels, and scallop) were fresh. Yum! However, the serving, again, was too small.

Stop in the name of WINGS: Wingstop

Okay, okay, the title was beyond corny. I'm getting rusty here. Anyway, I have been wanting to eat out for a long time while I was in California as I normally eat at home to well, save money. And ever since I saw Wingstop, I have always been curious with it. And when Frannywanny posted it in her Instagram, I got even more curious. So one day, I finally have to try it!

Hello, Wingstop! 

Luckily, there was a branch a few minutes away from where I stayed though it was a pretty small store.

We had to wait for a few minutes before we could get a table while waiting for our order of wings. When we went, there was a promo of $20 for 25 boneless wings and we could choose 3 flavors. If I recall it right, we had Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, and Hot Original. The meal comes with vegetables sticks and bread. We also ordered fries and a glass of cola. Our bill amounted to less than $25. Not bad for a meal for two.

We managed to get a table before the food arrived. At first I was trying to figure out how we will manage to eat while sitting on a bench but chicken wing gods have been extra nice to us.

I didn't bother trying the Hot Original as it's the second spiciest flavor and I don't really like spicy food. I was told though that it wasn't as spicy and it tasted okay. Not superb but okay. 

The Garlic Parmesan is literally fried crispy wings sprinkled with garlic parmesan. Without the topping, it's as bland as blah.

Las Vegas Stop: Border Grill

Eating out in the US is pretty expensive so I never had the chance to really eat out as I normally do here in Manila. But it's okay. It made me learn how to prepare more dishes and even bake! I manage to try a few restaurants though while I was in the US and I will be sharing them one by one this month. Let me start with Border Grill (after a little story of our Vegas trip).

My good friend J went to California for a short vacation and we decided to visit Las Vegas to make her vacation worthwhile. The catch though was... we'll just stay overnight.

 

I was pretty proud with myself as I was able to learn Las Vegas 101 in less than an hour. Soon, I found myself securing our bus tickets (thank you Greyhound) and hotel (the farthest in the strip but hey, it is still on the strip!).

Soon, J and I found ourselves in a bus ride to Las Vegas and it sure was a long ride. 6 hours to be exact with a scent of Marijuana. Yes, weeds. For some reason, some passengers just can't wait. I found out it that it was the smell of weeds from an elderly. I guess I still have a lot to know about the "real world".

When we arrived, we tried to figure out how to get to the strip as the bus stop is a few blocks away. We had 3 options then, cab, bus or walk. I didn't consider taking a cab as an option as the fare is ridiculously expensive plus with the traffic, we'll run out of money in no time. So we decided to walk until we found a bus terminal. We got a day pass for $8 per person. It's not a bad deal at all. It's valid for 24 hours! Our hotel was about 4 to 6 stops away from the terminal and sadly, while inside the bus, I got squished. Yes, squished by one of the passengers. 

After an hour of stretching and resting, we finally decided to head out and explore Vegas. We first went to the observation deck at Stratosphere for the view then took the bus to go to the farthest hotel, Mandalay Bay.

Life Note: Live. Love. Laugh.

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with food but with life. Quite serious tone will be used too (or at the very least, I'll try). 

It has been more than a month since I last posted an entry and there's a reason behind this. I have been through so many things in life that I find so overwhelming. In a span of less than a month, so many things happened that could make one go crazy. But the thing here is, you only become one if you are not strong enough. The state of craziness is seen as a form of incapability to handle things, a form of escape from reality. But we are created strong. We just need a bit of faith in ourselves. Because life is too beautiful for it to be ruined by mishaps. 

Cry. There is nothing wrong with shedding tears. We are human beings and we get hurt. You might ask, what about those who do not cry? Perhaps they have been through worse, they simply do not care, or both. Our family and friends would often say "Don't cry." But here's the thing, let it out. Crying is part of getting over something. Cry until you reach the point of not wanting to cry over it. 

Open yourself to comfort. I used to be the type who do not open up and keep things to myself. I don't let anyone inside as I find it hard to trust people. But when you face difficulties, it's best to get wisdom from people who have been through the same or worse. We should remember that we are never alone. There are so many people around us who love us dearly. Yes, words won't really change a thing, but it's comforting to know that there are people, at times unexpected, who would go out of their way to make you feel better. Treasure them.

Accept reality. There is no use blaming something or someone because sadly, it happened already and no one can reverse time and change it for the better. Yes, this is hard because we always find ourselves asking, "What if this happened instead?" or "What if I didn't do it?" But the thing is, we'll never know until we get there. There's no such thing as certain in life. All we could do is give our best in all the things we venture on so that we will have no regrets in the end. 

Forgive. We all make mistakes. More often than not, we have a hard time getting over the mistake because we blame ourselves. We think of the things we have done that have caused all these to happen. But blaming ourselves won't do anything. What we need is to first, forgive and relearn how to love, especially ourselves. 

Learn. The time will come when the next adventure comes and you are ready for it. In this journey, you should not bring with you any baggage of the past. There should be no resentment, no bitterness or hatred because these will be hurdles for you to give your best, to give your all once again. 

Live in the present. We've heard about it so many times from our family, friends, movies and even cartoons. 

Live. Love. Laugh. These three words have been used in so many quotes and yet many forget about these. 

We choose on what we do with our lives. I choose to be happy. So I will be.

A New Breakfast Lovers' Hotspot

I just love breakfast and I get grumpy when I miss the most important meal of the day. We Pinoys just love food that most of us eat 6 times a day (breakfast, brunch, lunch, merienda, dinner, and midnight snack). But nothing beats breakfast. A great breakfast is the perfect way to start the day. 

Another restaurant I would love to try is π Breakfast and Pies by Chef Ed Bugia. 

Photo from Pepper.ph

Yet another gem waiting to be flocked to by (since it has been discovered already), it has a lot of reasons why it should be your next breakfast destination!

Photo from isabelladepano.tumblr.com

Aside from the typical Eggs Benedict (called Eggs Benny in Breakfast and Pies), they have interesting gourmet waffles such as Salmon and Waffle at a very friendly price of PHP155! Topped with Salmon gravlax and fried capers, this will surely hit the tummy's happy bone! (Okay, that sounded weird and not just because the tummy doesn't have bones.)

Gluttonshopper on an L.A. (Mis)Adventure

If you're in L.A., a car is not a want, it's a necessity. Going around places is difficult without one. But the thing is, if you don't have one, you can't keep on relying on someone who has. You just have to brave it up and explore! And so I did.

During my first trip in L.A., I was with my mom and sister and we used to take the bus together. We have been to Chinatown, Glendale, and Hollywood via bus. And we didn't get lost at all thanks to the detailed bus route from one of my aunts. (Plus you are braver when you're with someone.) I also took the bus last year once on my own and I was confident simply because I know where I was going, my favorite mall, Americana.

From Beametrobusoperator.com

But yesterday was a different situation. I wanted to visit my Aunt's dad who got confined in a hospital in Glendale but I have no idea how to go there from Carson. And I have never tried riding the bus around Carson. 

 

So I did a bit of research and found some apps to use. I downloaded four but ended up using just one and deleted the other two since they were all MAJOR FAIL. I kept the other one for double checking routes and schedules.

A Milkshake Comeback: Once Upon A Milkshake

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard... What does that even mean?! Well, I know one thing, milkshake is L-O-V-E. 

Some of the best milkshakes I have tried before were the ones from In-N-Out and Shake Shack. Creamy, rich, and just so heavenly!

 

In Manila, the one I can recall is Peanut Butter Company's Dark Chocolate PB Banana Milkshake. Yummy and great for sharing (calories included).

But I'm sensing the craze will be back again with Once Upon A Milkshake. 

Ramen Girl Update: Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen New Dishes

I think I have already overly shared how much I love anything Japanese. From anime (I secretly want to cosplay... okay, it's no longer a secret), to the language (konnichiwa!), from the culture, to of course, FOOD.

I turn green with envy every time I see people post photos of themselves in Japan. It has been a dream of mine to go there. Authentic Japanese food!!! I heard that those hole-in-the-wall restaurants serve the best ramen! *Think Ramen Girl*

Luckily, there are some restaurants in Manila that offer really good ramen. One of which is my favorite Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen. I just fell in love with the Black Garlic Tonkotsu as it is different from the other ramen I have tried before. Plus, having the freedom to choose how hard you want your noodles? H-E-A-V-E-N!

A few days back, R of Ikkoryu Fukuoka emailed me that they have new dishes. I turned green again because I can't try it anytime soon. (Cue: TT_TT) 

Curious on what their new dishes are? 

Kettle: Fried Chicken Heaven?

What is torture for food bloggers? Seeing food shots and new restaurants we cannot visit because we're at a far away place. Daaaaaaaaarn!

Okay, what's happening? I left Manila for a few months and I see all these new establishments popping here and there! I am dying here! Since I could not do anything for now, let me share with you the food finds/establishments I can't wait to try or visit soon. (Warning: To help ease the pain of not eating these yummy dishes, I will do the listing in parts. Please bear with me. Oh and share your finds too!)

Kettle.

Image from Kettle

Why must you open just now? I read at Yummy magazine that your fried chicken is superb! I love fried chicken to the point that I ate it for one whole week! 

Image from Munchingaroundmanila.com

Since Kettle was featured by my favorite food magazine, I decided to check its menu and if I could just order NOW, I'd get the Oven Roasted Squash Soup (PHP249) just because squash is so delicious and that they don't have my other favorite... tomato soup. 

Image from Dude4food.blogspot.com

The Pork and Potato Strips (PHP339) which was described as a combination of crunchy pork belly and fresh potato chips is tempting too. Fine, irresistible!  

My First Thanksgiving (and Black Friday) Experience

It was my first time to experience Thanksgiving and Black Friday here in the US and it sure was TIRING.

Unlike the Philippines, most parts of the US do not celebrate Christmas the way Pinoys do. I think the only place in America that feels just like the bright Manila is New York. But I'm in California, 6 hours away from the Big Apple. Then again, they also have something quite similar to our Christmas where relatives come over to share a feast and that's Thanksgiving.