elitejean: (ARASHI * Sho (AnAn-greasy))
[personal profile] elitejean
YAY
I just got home
LA is on fire

I'm going to do a pic spam...because it's been a while^^
It's mostly of food  I had this week...and my kitty  Aiko-chan <3
Some of my friends are telling me to become a Yelp-er.

I eat at restaurants  about 2-3 times in a day...not only that but I also get delivery  at work and over the weekend because I can't be bothered to cook ...well, it's really because I can't cook!! I'm also always on the search for new dessert  shops XD I spend a lot of weeknights on those places playing games and chatting with girlfriends  Now that I think about it I've become a regular at quite a few places and I'm often teased by the staff there. They'd tell me...what would happen when you get married? Who will cook then? I'd always laugh and tell them that I'd get delivery or I'd drag my husband out and eat somewhere...I'll probably get divorced  in a year...maybe less...

Actually, I'm already on Yelp I just don't write reviews XD
*Honestly, it's because I'm too lazy...*


KATSUYA
Japanese Restaurant @ Glendale's "Americana" at Brand

I had dinner there with Michael recently
Nikki and Karen joined us
Michael made reservations for a fountain seating for four @ 8:30pm.
We arrived there 20 minutes earlier and was seated promptly.

We sat in front of the fountain  and there was a lady singing that night.
The staff quickly handed us the menu and Michael and I started off with some cocktails

Photobucket

This thing tastes like the regular "grapefruit gin" to me.
Michael ordered it for himself but I ended up drinking all of it
I kinda like it...I'll definitely order this again when I go back there
It's about $12-$14 each.

Photobucket

Michael ordered this for me.
He said I might like it because I'm a girl  and it's fruity
This thing tastes like...bathroom deodorizer to me XD
I drank it in 5 minutes to get it done and over with.
Also about $12-14 each.
Michael later on pointed out that I drank his drink and mine
There really wasn't anything else to say so we just laughed it off.
Karen was the designated driver that night anyway

APPETIZER

Photobucket

Has raw fish slices.
Outer layer is cucumber.
It's pretty good though

Photobucket

The shrimp tempura pieces sitting on top are really delicious
The sushi below was just regular spicy tuna.
Shrimp tempura lovers would love this dish
For the sushi lovers...don't order it...it's just regular spicy tuna!!
I love/hate this because I'm a tempura lover and I'm a sushi lover.
The tempura was a hit the sushi was just average

JAPANESE PRIX FIXE


Photobucket

The dressing was wonderful
The texture was great too
The miso soup is ordinary
I like my miso soup with a richer & deeper bonito flavor

Photobucket

Hmm...it's basically salmon teriyaki that you can get just about anywhere. The salmon was nice and firm  What makes this different and probably a bit more hi-class than usual is the teriyaki sauce. It's sweeter richer, and thicker ...there was a smokey sort of flavor too. The wasabi flavored mashed potato goes really well with the salmon. The potatoes were very creamy and was just simply fantastic

Photobucket

This dessert...is pretty depressing  I felt like I paid so much for it when I could have gotten 6 of them from Mikawaya at the same price  Not only that...Mikawaya's is so much better!! For a $200 dinner I was expecting something special with the mochi ice cream dessert but I was really let down

Photobucket

We had it well done. This thing took forever...I asked the waiters twice for it. By the time it arrived we were about to start our dessert course The beef was soft but not spectacular even though it is kobe beef The foie gras wasn't really special either. Michael mentioned later on that it was like eating grease out of the pan  If I had to rate this dish from 1-10 I'd give it a 5 because it's not bad but it's not good either.

In a scale of 1-10 I'd give Katsuya a 6.5
More than the food...it was the wonderful fountain seating that I like here.
We had dinner for four (fountain seating) and it was around $200
I'd come again for the wasabi mashed potatoes  and the burning mandarin
I probably won't have dinner here again but I think lunch here is alright

Be careful of the 2nd floor bathroom It is dimly lit and a geisha floating head appears on the mirror  The cubicles have mirrors on them that shows a hundred you sitting on the toilet doing your business  Bathroom is dimply lit and the door to it is camouflaged with the wall so if you have drunk friends that need to use the restroom...accompany them or they might fall and break their neck, miss the bathroom and pee on themselves or get scared out of their wits from the freaky looking geisha face on the mirror XD Other sane and sober diners have missed the bathroom door and just gave up...one of the ladies that had to use them freaked out when Michael came out cause the door wasn't visible at all specially if you have bad eyesight Honestly, it's quite interesting and fascinating^^

CHEESECAKE FACTORY
@ Glendale's "Americana" at Brand

It's across Katsuya and we headed there right after because the dessert at Katsuya was just ridiculous  I paid $50 including tax and a really good tip. A young gentleman served us and he was polite and very courteous We made a switch to our original order and he handled it beautifully. Karen asked for some bread and butter too and he provided it promptly

Photobucket

Highly recommended  Order this when you go there

Photobucket

Michael had this and I kept stealing his banana slices

Photobucket

What I got. This thing is huge and very rich
I was expecting a tiny cake slice like at the usual dessert shops but I was wrong.
I'd definitely order this again next time

Photobucket

What Karen got...I ate some of it too and it was heavenly  Usually I wouldn't order anything that combines cheese and chocolates (well, except for fondues...) but this...made me change my mind

Photobucket

This is what strawberry lover Nikki had.
It's the usual cheesecake from cheesecake factory.
It was good
I don't really need to say anything more about this one.

SYRUP DESSERTS
@ Downtown LA's Spring/6th and a few blocks away from my office

This place is a hidden gem in downtown LA
There is no elaborate sign that will tell you where it is.
The staff are friendly and darling
It's a tiny place but it feels like home there.
The place smells of coffee and sweet bread.
There are lots of board games on the second floor too^^

Next time I'll take a picture of it's facade that way dessert seekers will be able to find this place with no trouble!! I recommend their waffles and crepes  The coffee here tastes a bit stronger too compared to Starbuck's. We ordered the Manhattan cheesecake to go and my bff told me that it was really sweet.

Photobucket

Yes, they do latte art. Mine is a flower  but they do other stuff too like bears and whatever else. Just let them know at the counter. Like I mentioned, the coffee taste is a little stronger than usual but it's not bad at all.

Photobucket

What I ordered...I was craving for waffles that's why we ended up there that night The fruit are fresh and carefully selected...you won't find and bruised bits and stuff. The waffle was really soft and had crunchy edges...its really heavenly with the vanilla ice cream and the syrup they drizzle on it

Photobucket

Nikki who is a crepe lover had this. I ate half of it and it was just pure bliss. The crepe has some cream cheese in it and it just goes really well with the fresh fruits  I know cream cheese goes well with strawberries but it's quite fantastic with peaches too. This comes with a scoop of strawberry  ice cream.

Photobucket

My bff Meredith had this...it's a huge oreo cookie sundae to me^^
I kept getting some of it and putting it on my waffle

We played scrabble there and I won
Seriously, it looked like Nikki was gonna win.
I kept getting difficult letters like Q, W, X, and Z.
For vowels I kept getting I and E.
I was able to use them though with doubles and triples on the board

NOODLE WORLD
well, it's @ Pasadena's "Paseo Colorado"

Photobucket

Photobucket

Went there with the entire family for dinner It's a place where you can get japanese, thai, vietnamese, korean, chinese noodles, etc. To put it simply, it's a place where you get lots of different asian noodle choices  The servings are huge and the price is very decent and reasonable. Most noodle bowls are only about $8 each. They don't skimp on the toppings too so you'll get lots of meat and stuff on your bowl  I've been going there for years with my family and they still haven't changed.

I wanted to take pics of all the noodles everyone got since it's all different  but my grandma told me to eat more instead of taking pics Ah...I'm already in my early 20s and grandma still scolds me....haha!! That goes to show just how immature I am for my age

YASIKNARA

Photobucket

Lunch Bento  I got it delivered. The man seems to be very familiar with my place now since I order there quite a lot. He no longer calls me like before to get my order...now he goes inside our complex and just knocks directly on my door Same with the man from BonChon, Gil's, Authentic Thai and Pizza Hut

SOMEPLACE SOMEWHERE
was walking around north hollywood...or was it burbank?
anyway, it was hot  and I was starving and right in front of me was a japanese restaurant

Photobucket

Photobucket

I always have to get salmon whenever I go to a japanese restaurant.
Sushi or sashimi is fine and so is teriyaki. The price was reasonable.
The combo plate was about $12 and the salmon sushi  was about $5 for 2 pieces.

ISSEN JOKI
3rd FL of Alameda's Sakura Mall @ Little Tokyo

Photobucket

I always get this when I go there. The fish is pretty fresh^^ This is a raw fish sashimi bowl!! It comes with tuna, salmon, shrimp and 2 other fishes that I can't remember XD It has bonito flakes and a bit of wasabi...oh and they put kewpie on it!! (kewpie...japanese mayo^^ i recommend it so go to your asian food stores and get it!! it's really good so give it a try^^ It's only about $4 a tube/bottle at Little Tokyo's Marukai or Nijiya Market!!)

Photobucket

Photobucket

These two items come together as a combo meal!! I thought I'd get tiny servings but I ended up getting regular sized ones  I don't remember how much this is on the menu but it was really really cheap!! The soba noodles are nice, cool and firm The udon tempura's broth is good too and the shrimp was fried nice and crispy outside with the shrimp inside still juicy

Photobucket

I was by myself so I just had a bottle ...I forgot to take a picture of the tuna nattou I was eating while drinking this. The tuna nattou...well, it's raw so it's not for those who can't tolerate raw fish. It's great with some soy sauce...I also squeeze some lemon on it^^

Not a lot of people seem to notice this place...understandable because hanaichimonme (right next to it) has such a huge and appetizing window display. Right across it is a vegan restaurant...Shojin I think...I had pumpkin tofu balls there before. Their display is tiny but they won't loose to the other two. I frequent hanaichimonme for cheap ramen and curry  btw. The only person serving the customers at Issen Joki is a lovely japanese grandma  Sometimes...I call her mama-san XD

KORAKU
@ Little Tokyo

Photobucket

Photobucket

It was late. I was a little drunk and I wanted a rice ball.
I ended up getting 2 salmon riceballs ...and some curry combo meal to go XD
I sat there and waited for my taxi
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!! TAKE A CAB HOME IF YOU DRINK^^
Don't ride with friends who claim to be not too drunk either
Bell Cab...it's #5 (speed-dial) on my phone XD

I should go to this place and sit and eat there.
I can't remember the curry much but the riceball was great^^

ICE KISS
@ K-Town...along 6th Street near Catalina

Photobucket

Popular korean dessert. Every dessert place in K-town has patbingsoo  on it's menu. It's shaved ice with fruits, ice cream, etc. It depends on the flavor you order. Ice Kiss is not the best but I used to live near there and I like the fact that there's not much people there too because it feels like I can unwind.

I went to  HOME CAFE recently and also SPOT but I couldn't take pictures because my phone died on me. I'd go there again and take pics. Oh, but I like SPOT's ambiance. The girl that served us was adorable and charming She was also very nice and prompt. The guy sitting on the next table the night I was there looked like Seung-Ri (Big Bang) too XD Their prices are much higher and when they say cup...they really mean a cup XD A cup of tea  or cappuccino  here would cause you around $5-$6....it's  a little cup but it's quality over quantity.

Now that I think about it...I don't really go to Starbuck's anymore. I usually go to sit down cafe's now. I don't mind paying twice or thrice as much. I prefer the ambiance in sit down cafes and also the quality of their coffee is something Starbucks can't compare to anymore. Starbucks has become a national chain and it used to be a fave of mine back in HS but as time passes they are loosing the quality coffee I used to come there for.I get frustrated and feel like pulling my hair out. Starbucks...I'm sorry but to me you are no longer classy. I'd probably visit you again when I get gift cards this Christmas.

Photobucket

I went to the California Market recently and ate at one of the food joints inside. I ordered the #3 which I think was the galbi-tang (fave of mine!!). On my way out I passed by Bosco's and they had these on display I bought the tiramisu and the cappuccino. I was going to eat them later that night but I completely forgot...they got all squished and gross in my bag when I got home. I bought some rice pancakes too from the truck outside!!

Photobucket

Went there with Meredith the other night^^ Singing and playing around with the tambourines was so much fun  There was a lot of Arashi songs like Monster, Wish, Happiness, A-Ra-Shi, Truth, etc. I also spotted Kat-Tun, Hey Say Jump, NEWS and many other japanese artists. There's a ton of Korean songs too. English...it depends on who is looking...some may say a lot and some may say that it's few. Oh but they have little tagalog songs now that I think about it. They had half a page of thai and vietnamese songs too.

We mostly sang pop tunes popular around the late 90s and 2000 something. We were only going to be there for an hour cause we were supposed to go somewhere else. In the end we ditched those other plans and stayed there for 3 hours Singing, dancing and playing the tambourine like idiots!!

Photobucket

Mom bought this cake.
It's pure soft chocolate inside.
Not mouse or icing.
It was soft, rich and very sweet.

Photobucket

Grandma knows what I like best^^
She bought these for me and gave them to me when we had dinner recently.
They're perfect when I'm busy typing away in the office!!

Photobucket

Re-posting this picture because thing is awesome!!
So awesome that I'm willing to buy packs of it online XD

Photobucket

Recently I bought a new 2TB HD from Amazon.
After I took it out of the box....the box disappeared XD
I found it later on and it looked like this:



Photobucket

Aiko-chan stole it!!

Here's some more cute Aiko pix!!


Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

She has a heart patch!! It's so cute!!
Can you see it?
It's a perfect heart-shape when she stretches!!

Photobucket

Photobucket

When I'm busy on my computer she brings her cat toys over and prods my butt with her paws XD
She is usually sleeping right next to my computer desk when I'm on the computer.
When I get up to get something from the kitchen she gets up & follows me too^^

Photobucket

When I'm busy on my computer she brings her cat toys over and prods my butt with her paws XD
She is usually sleeping right next to my computer desk when I'm on the computer.
When I get up to get something from the kitchen she gets up & follows me too^^

Photobucket




For one of my newest buddies from LJ [livejournal.com profile] spiralyte 
I take forever to reply but you are always so patient and kind to me
Thanks for everything dear and I hope you are having a fabulous one
I made this at work a while ago so it's a little plain XD
Enjoy your birthday  dear & may all your dreams & wishes come true

Photobucket




MEME
 Tagged by Miki-chan [livejournal.com profile] lockandkey_123 

→What song are you currently addicted to?
Golden Love by Maki Goto & Ravex


→ What's your favorite season?
WINTER...because I love Christmas


→ What’s the latest movie you watched?
I watched "SLITHER" last night with my mom and my sis

→ What is the one skill you wish you had?
To learn a lot of different languages in short period of time^^
It will be helpful when I'm traveling for pleasure and business!!

→ What’s your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
ARASHI ...oh yeah!!
There's actually quite a lot but that's my main one^^

→ What's your favorite musical instrument?
Piano
I can't play anything though other than the first 6 notes of "happy birthday"'

→ What web sites do you always visit when you go online?
my gmail and my other work related websites

→ What was the last thing you bought?
Lunch from Super Grill.
(I had it delivered to my office a while ago!!)

→ If you won 10,000 bucks today, what would you do with it?
I'd invite family and friends to dinner at the ritz-carlton hotel downtown^^
I'm thinking of going to WP24 for my bday anyway so it's like an early celebration

→ Favourite time of day?
Early in the morning like 5-am to 9am

→ What's the last thing that made you happy?
karaoke with Meredith (my bff) the other night

→ Do you want to learn another language?
YES. I'd like to learn as many as possible...but I think I'm no good....

→ Five things you can’t live without.
   
    ♥ Family ♥ Friends ♥ My Kitty
    ♥ My lovely boys^^ (especially Sho-kyun!!) err...this should be fandom XD
    ♥ haha!! I don't really know what else....
  


Tag ten people.

I'm tagging more than 10 people I miss and I want to hear from!!
[livejournal.com profile] szani [livejournal.com profile] phoenix_wings07 [livejournal.com profile] arisu_chan25 
[livejournal.com profile] spiralyte  [livejournal.com profile] patziepiva [livejournal.com profile] kaiser_storm [livejournal.com profile] chiishi 
[livejournal.com profile] helloshamone [livejournal.com profile] coolnat466 [livejournal.com profile] shi333 
[livejournal.com profile] atomicmi [livejournal.com profile] ketz12 [livejournal.com profile] jadeswallow [livejournal.com profile] cassiie03 


















This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

Profile

elitejean: (Default)
JEAN ❤

January 2020

S M T W T F S
    1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 7th, 2025 11:37 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios