Diary of an Island Foodie

Benu - San Francisco, California

2011-09-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

hello everyone! after a very long hiatus, i am back to blogging thanks to some new inspiration and ideas. stay tuned for new things on here!

i feel there is no better way to come back then to talk about my experience at benu. barely a year old, benu has been talked about, written about and recommended by people reaching as far as the east coast. the famous david chang even said "benu in sf best restaurant in america? if not now then damn soon. corey lee working w flavors that are on point. run don't walk." corey lee, the brains and talent behind benu, has an impressive resume that includes a nine year stint at french laundry. it is no question that his training and talent has cultivated something that is uniquely his, and this is what makes him truly talented.

why the name benu? On the way to the city my friends and i had a discussion about how to pronounce the name. this made us curious as to what benu actually meant. we asked our waitress, and she told us the quest for chef lee to find a name that would start his career anew, a name that would have people judge his work based on his food and not his resume. the benu is actually a mythical egyptian bird that is much like the the phoenix of the greeks. it constantly rebirths itself much like chef lee wanted to do.

the atmosphere and staff there are two seating areas in the restaurant. we sat in the quieter area that had less tables. the design of the restaurant led us to feel like we were somewhere else other than a noisy san francisco. it felt like they wanted to create a setting without any distractions, which they accomplished. the staff was fantastic. we had a main waitress, but each of the wait staff seemed to help out and present us with our food. they were all well versed in the menu. one of my friends decided to do the wine pairing with the tasting menu and the sommeliers seemed to know their stuff. see her review here.

the food i am a true believer that good food doesn't always mean lots of money. i will admit that there are a few exceptions to this rule and benu is one of them. my friends and i decided to do the tasting menu which is definitely worth the money. the tasting menu had 19 small bites. even the ones i liked the least were still amazing. chef lee's dishes consisted of items i had either nver seen before or were new takes on familiar dishes. i definitely want to come back and try out the regular menu. see the pictures below of all our food.

just a few other tips: make reservations- we made ours two months in advance. don't make any other plans for the night if you do the tasting menu- it takes about three hours.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-01-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

this year for all the holiday parties and for some family gifts, i decided to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch thanks to thomas keller's ad hoc at home (thank you foodgal for providing the recipe online). the cookies were a big hit! because these cookies use darker chocolate i feel it created the perfect level of sweetness. they also bake perfectly, crispy on the edges and soft and gooey in the middle. i highly recommend this recipe if you need to bake some chocolate chip cookies.

cookie dough

after baking

close up of the finished product

World Expo - Shanghai, China

2010-11-08T19:41:00.000-08:00

one of the reasons we choose shanghai for our family trip was because it was the host city for the 2010 world expo. it was quite the experience. in terms of crowd control, there were a lot of things shanghai could have done better. waiting time for lines were anywhere between 2-4 hours. because of these wait times, we only saw the inside of 2 buildings. one thing is for sure: the work countries put into the architecture of their buildings was amazing.

one saving grace for our experience was the food the world expo provided. each country's pavilion showcased their food. one country highlighted their food more than others, spain. spain brought in highly rated spanish chefs and created a tapas bar in their pavilion. it wasn't hard to choose where to eat since spanish food (due to it being part of our heritage) is one of my family's favorite cuisines. everything we had was delicious and good quality.

sangria

paella

stuffed peppers

croquetas

gambas

jamon serrano

Din Tai Fung- Shanghai, China

2010-09-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

for my parents' 25th wedding anniversary/my 25th birthday/my sisters' 21st and 16th birthdays, we decided to take a family trip to somewhere new. after much debate we chose Shanghai, China. thanks to foodicles' suggestions, it turned out to be a great food trip. our first stop after checking into our hotel was din tai fung. all the food we had there was outstanding especially the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

"draft" tsing tao

hot and sour soup

dumplings in spicy sauce

xiaolongbao - pork

siopao (bbq pork buns)

mushroom dumplings

xiaolongbao- pork and crab

sauteed green pea shoots

reflections.

2010-09-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

i think my love for food can be attributed to one thing: family- my parents, sisters, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and even close friends. for me food has always symbolized a gathering of the people i love and care about. i believe that there is no point to creating or eating amazing food if you can't share it with anyone.

there are so many reasons christmas is my favorite time to visit guam. bumping into an old friend at a bar. catching up on the latest gossip over lunch with a close friend. chatting with a second cousin at a family party. mom and dad's home cooked meals. hearing my baby cousin ask for more chicken. food and drinks bringing us all together. growing up on guam with such a large extended family makes me appreciate where i come from and who i have become.

the sickness and loss that has surrounded me, my loved ones, and even some i have barely known in that last few months has caused me to reflect. the support i have witnessed through these tragedies has been a testament to the strength of my "family". it makes me thankful for those around me who are always there to support me. if the last few months have taught me anything, it's that everyday we need to tell those we care about how much we love them

i'm back!

2010-08-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

After an extremely long hiatus i have decided to come back to the blog world. My trip to the Philippines, Shanghai and Guam (home) inspired me to write about my travel and food experiences once again.

Since my family and I frequently travel to the Philippines, we have our favorite restaurants that we continue to visit during each trip. One of these is the Italian restaurant Cibo. The menu includes soups, salads, pastas, pizzas, paninis and other italian entrees. Definitely a must try if you ever visit the Philippines.

mango shake

red grape shake

crema di zucca- summer squash.cream.bacon

spinaci zola- spinach and gorgonzola

patatine fritte- home-fried potato chips w. garlic mayonnaise

penne al telefono (my favorite)- stewed tomato.mozzarella.white cheese.basil.cream

Eat Real Fest- Oakland, CA

2009-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

the new trend this summer seemed to be food festivals. this was the final one of the summer and the only one i was able to attend. from what i read about the others, this one definitely was the best of the summer. everything costed between $2 and $5, which made it easy to try all the different vendors. on top of the food, there was a beer garden where every few hours you could meet the brewer. i look forward to attending next year.

falafel w/ pita and tomato and cucumber salad from liba

bulgolgi taco from seoul on wheels

chicken and sausage rice from localicious

official eat real fest glass and one of many local beers

chocolate cupacke w/ caramel frosting from sweetface bakery

Houston, Texas

2009-11-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

in august i took a trip for a few days to houston to visit some relatives. as usual travel means lost of eating

chocolate bar- my sister also came from new york to see our family. the day she arrived was her birthday so we took her to get some chocolate cake. we tried a few of the different cakes and pies and they were all very good. perfect with a tall glass of milk

muffaletta- this sandwhich originated in new orleans. the name refers to the sicilian bread used to make the sandwich. in the sandwich is a marinated olive salad, capicola, salami, mortadella, emmentaler and provolone. it was good but after awhile i couldn't eat anymore.

the breakfast klub- this was a great breakfast soul food place. this place seemed family owned so the service was impeccable. they treated us like we were part of the family. i had the chicken and waffles. The waffle was nice and fluffy and the fried chicken was not too greasy. i definitely recommend this place to everyone.

Spec's- basically bevmo on steroids. would come back to houston just so i could look around this place for a few hours. as my uncle said- disneyland for adults

lankford grocery- don't let the name fool you. this is in no way a grocery. it is a small whole in the wall burger joint, the kind you would see on diners, drive-ins and dives (and it was on there). it's not the cleanest or healthiest place, but it was damn good. you can top your burger with everything from grilled onions to a fried egg. i would also recommend this to anyone visiting houston.

the refuge- san carlos, california

2009-10-27T23:05:00.001-07:00

i am thankful i have tons of family who are as into food as i am. whenever my uncle and i are both home around dinner time, we make it a point to try a new restaurant in the area. one such opportunity arose and so we went to the refuge. i had been wanting to check out this place for awhile since i had heard a lot of good things about their belgian beer selection and their pastrami sandwich.

the beer selection- the list was made up of about 20+ belgian beers. the beers we ordered came in glasses that were specifically made for them. reminded me of one of my favorite places in seatlle (brouwer's), although brouwer's beer list is a bit more extensive. this is place is a must even if it's just to try the beers.

the food- we decided to order a pastrami sandwich and a cheesesteak (yelp review recommended). the cheesesteak was mediocre. i've definitely had much better cheesesteaks. however, the pastrami sandwich was very good. i would definitely come back for it.

leffe blonde and la chouffe

pastrami and cheesesteak

mack's bbq- san carlos, california

2009-09-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

every once in awhile i crave a pulled pork sandwich. i was ecstatic to find mack's bbq just down the street from me in good old san carlos. and guess what their specialty was….their pulled pork sandwich! it was probably one of the best pulled pork sandwiches i've had. for my side i had their mac n' cheese. it was good but i generally like mine a little stickier. the cornbread was just ok for me. i had a ginger ale to drink. it tasted like a typical natural ginger ale which i love.

sprecher ginger ale

la petite camille- millbrae, california

2009-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

i have never been one to crave vietnamese food. of asian food it has always been my least favorite. that is until i ate at la petite camille. it combined affordable with good quality and fresh ingredients. i have always found this hard to find in terms of vietnamese food. every dish we had was so flavorful. thank you zeedeeaye for introducing me to la petite camille!

imperial rolls

crab fried rice- my favorite of the night!

house garlic noodle w/ prawns

beef look luck

best of the east bay party 2009

2009-09-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

last minute i decided to go to the best of the east bay party in oakland with maryanne, lraine, and dunds. of course the best of anything must include food. i wouldn't say the vendors at this event were the best i've tried. however, since this is the bay area, the food was very good. the tacos from otaez hit the spot but i wish they had some guacamole. the kettle corn was soooo good and comforting. as one person said to us, "can i have some because you guys look so happy eating that??" overall an applause for the east bay.

carnitas and carne asada tacos from otaez mexican restaurant

kettle corn from miggy's island kettle corn

bocadillos- san francisco, california

2009-09-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

bocadillos in san francisco is an amazing amazing restaurant. i absolutely love spanish tapas and this is the perfect place to go. thank you foodicles and family for the recommendations!

pickled vegetables

lamb burgers

house-made chorizo

braised tripe

gambas- my favorite of the night!

falafel drive-in - san jose, california

2009-09-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

nothing helps a work day like a great impromptu lunch with a good friend. since i only had an hour we decided to go to falafel drive-in. this was my first time there even though i've lived near there for six years now. i don't eat falafels very often, but these were probably the best i've had. their banana shakes (which they are also known for) are a little heavy but very good!

small falafel

banana milk shake

pilita grill- san carlos, california

2009-08-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

it has been my mission to find a good gyro in the bay area. nothing has really come close to the gyro at aladdin's gyro-cery on "the ave" in seattle. the one thing always missing is the the pita. the bay seems to love to turn the gyro in to a wrap. although slightly different in taste, pilita grill's gyro could match aladdin's if it was just in a pita. my cousin and i shared this and the greek burger. the patty was made with ground lamb and topped with feta cheese. very yummy.

bread w/ tomato olive-oil dip

gyro and fries

greek burger

hotaru- san mateo, california

2009-08-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

for me downtown san mateo has become a great (and convenient) place for japanese food. one of my favorites is hotaru

cold udon- refreshing on a hot day

inari(tofu skin), saba(broiled mackerel) , salad w/ japanese dressing

ryowa- mountain view, california

2009-08-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

on guam one of my favorite places to eat is aji ichi. some of my favorite things to order there are the japanese fried chicken and fried rice. i actually find ryowa's chicken better than aji ichi's. however, i do find aji ichi's japanese style fried rice better but not by that much. ryowa definitely fulfills my aji ichi cravings while i find myself away from home.

happy birthday america

2009-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

nothing says happy birthday america like food and wine. since flying apparatus was in town i joined him, foodicles and our friend abby for a day out in napa.

bistro jeanty

jeanty started us off with a basket of warm bread. it had the perfect balance between soft and crunchy.

creme de tomate en croute- i could swim in this all day. it was a delicious, creamy tomato soup w/ a flaky, buttery puff pastry that wasn't too heavy

saumon fume au bistro- a carpaccio style salmon. it was very refreshing for such a warm summer day.

moules au vin rogue- these mussels were amazing. i wish i ordered them. i could eat these for days.

next stop- bouchon bakery

i'd have to say the chocolate chip cookie was pretty normal. their signature bouchon, however, was very good. i wish i bought more!

after we eating we went to two wineries for some tasting. our first stop was peju

we were lucky enough to have been with a member. the staff was very attentive at informative. i don't consider myself a wine connoisseur, but i thought the wine here was very good. i would definitely bring people here in the future.

the 2nd winery we went to was silverado. very scenic views. it's the kind of place i would like to wake up in every morning. the wine here was also very good.

overall, it was a great day of food, wine and friends. can't ask for much more.

san diego adventures

2009-07-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

a few of my girlfriends and i spent a week in san diego to celebrate closetcouture's 25th bday. a vacation always means lost of eating.

1st night- la puerta for a late night meal. this was my first carne asada fries experience and they were pretty darn good. the border tacos with freshly made guacamole were very good too.

day 2- a trip to san diego would not be complete without a trip to islander grill, a restaurant that serves chamorro (guam) food. being the only one who knew what to order, i ordered for everyone. the meal was both satisfying and filling.

red rice, short ribs, cabbage salad, chicken kelaguen, empanada

after a relaxing day at pacific beach, we went to eat at pacific beach alehouse. they brew their beers in house. their beers were good but i was surprised at how good their food was. the star of all the food was definitely the lobster mac and cheese.

front to back- pacific sunset ipa, whitewash wheat

calamari

lobster mac n' cheese

spinach artichoke dip

mile high ice cream pie

day 3- started with lunch at sand bar sports grill in mission beach. to continue my taco kick i ordered the carne asada and mahi mahi tacos. for the price these were pretty good. i've had better but these were quality for a sports bar.

after another day at the beach (mission beach this time), we went back to our new hotel, the porto vista hotel. we decided to have a drink at the hotel restaurant, the glass door, before going out. i'm glad we made a trip there because our bartender made the most amazing drink. i have a great appreciation for cocktails made with fresh ingredients. she made us a dragon berry mojito.

day 4- on our way back to the bay, foodicles and i stopped at stone brewing co in escondido. i recommend visiting here if you are ever in that area. they put a lot of work into the design of the restaurant and this extends to their food menu. you can tell they value the quality of their overall product and image.

13th anniversary ale

spud buds

bbq duck tacos

alice's summer thing, out the door, and bi-rite creamery

2009-07-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

another great thing about summer: outdoor concerts. what makes outdoor concerts even better....the fact that it's free and its performers include gavin rossdale AND sugar ray! what really surprised me about this festival was the quality of the food. then again should i be...it is san francisco.

philly cheese steak (good quality, flavorful meat) and garlic fries

Gavin Rossdale

Mark McGrath!

After the concert, we went to the san francisco shopping center to eat at out the door, the to-go version of slanted door. this was my first slanted door experience, and i'll have to go back again.

cellophane noodles w/ dungeness crab

crispy imperial rolls

lychee ice tea

the last stop on my sf food adventure was bi-rite creamery. i'm going to say it....this is the most amazing ice cream i'ver ever tasted. there was a line but it was definitely worth the wait. (disclaimer: i have not tried humphry slocombe yet) i had the coffee toffee and roasted banana. i also highly recommend the salted caramel.

half moon bay brewing company

2009-07-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

nothing says summer like an eventful spur of the moment trip to half moon bay. and a trip there would not be complete without some seafood and maybe some beer too. we decided to eat at half moon bay brewing co.

mahi mahi fish(one of my favorite fishes) and chips

raspberry brown ale

santa ramen, san mateo

2009-07-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

ramen reminds me of home: ichicban and grilled cheese at home on a rainy afternoon, ajiichi miso ramen with gyoza, a late night meal at fujiichiban. santa ramen in san mateo did not disappoint meeting my ramen craving.

my favorite!- miso ramen

Old Friends. Good Food.

2009-06-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

tonight i got together with my old friend kelly from guam and her husband, ryan. she wanted japanese and requested that i pick a restaurant in SF. using the oh-so-helpful yelp, i found Koo. the atmosphere of the restaurant did not stand out for me but what it lacked in atmosphere it made up for in the food.

to start off i ordered the "a spoonful of happiness" and that is exactly what it is. simply put: it is orgasmic. this picture does not do it justice.

spoonful of uni, quail egg, tobiko, ponzu & ankimo wrapped w/ whitefish, truffle-oil & a shot of chilled sake

i also ordered the "tokyo crunch" it was very good and the ingredients were extremely fresh.

spicy tenkasu, hamachi, unagi, cucumber, tobiko

what a great end to a great weekend. nothing compliments good food like good company.

back in the bay

2009-06-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

after moving and having a load of family in town, i now have the time to get back to updating my blog. my food adventures are now continuing in the Bay. there was no better way to start off my adventures back in the bay than how i spent may 28, 2009.

that night f oodicles and i had tickets to see anthony bourdain(one of my favorites) talk at de anza. before the show, we decided to go to GocHi. Japanese Fusion Tapas. we got there 10 minutes before they opened and there were already a number of people waiting for it to open. when they finally opened I was surprised at the layout of the place. i love the atmosphere of this place. they set it up like a traditional japanese restaurant. you had to take off your shoes and the tables were low. i haven't been to a japanese restaurant like this since i was a little girl on guam.

now on to the food....lychee sochu- very yummy and a nice fresh lychee at the bottom. dangerous b.c you can't taste the alcohol

saba carpaccio- very good and refreshing

gyuniku reishabu salad- decent but probably wouldn't order again

we also ordered the yakiudon and chicken karaage- both were very good and not too oily

then it was off to de anza for tony bourdain. the only negative comment i have (which is actually my fault) is that i had heard a lot of what he talked about before. i read about him too much. topics included which celebrity chefs are good and bad for the world, vegans, and alice waters. afterwords, we decided to go have a drink at the cypress hotel in cupertino. about an hour into our bourdain discussion, angela nudges me and there is bourdain ordering a drink two feet away from me. thank you angela for initiating conversation and asking to take a picture with him. yes i will admit i was comepletely starstruck.

"love, eat, drink" -tony bourdain

p.s. anthony bourdain in ridiculously tall

SU's Marianas Festival

2009-04-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

last night i went to seattle university's 16th annual marianas festival. it was a dinner show, and i was delightfully surprised at how good the food tasted.

menu

red rice

bbq ribs
moist and meat fell right off the bone

bbq chicken

pancit

potato salad

chicken kelaguen
finely chopped chicken, coconut, green onions, chili pepper, lemon

empanada
very different from the filipino version. shell is made of corn flour and achote. inside is chicken and achote

golai hagon suni
spinach and green beans with coconut milk

cucumber salad

finadene
soy sauce with green onions, lemon and chili pepper

latiya
bottom layer- yellow cake/top layer-custard with cinammon

Guam Food Part 4: more home cooking

2009-04-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

christmas eve dinner

paella thanks to my mom

my tropical sangria- with calamansi, grapefruit, lemon

food adventures in portland

2009-04-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

my roommates and i decided to take a spur of the moment trip to portland with no plans. it turned into a great day filled with food and beer. when we got there we found out there was a beer festival going on, which i will blog about some other day.

at night we did go to andina, a fantastic peruvian restaurant in the pearl district of portland.

corderito de los andes- rack of grass-fed lamb grilled to order with a Peruvian yellow potato and two cheese timbale with roasted pepper demi-glace

then we made our way to voodoo donuts. after seeing it on anthony bourdain's no reservations, this was a must and was completely worth us getting lost.

clockwise from top left- chocolate icing w/ peanut butter and rice krispies, voodoo doll w/ berry and cream filling, vanilla icing w/ fruit loops

other donut choices

guam food part 3: mermaids tavern

2009-04-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

mermaids tavern- one of the few greek restaurants on guam and this one is actually good. they also microbrew their own beer.

gyro and seasoned fries

guam food part 2: home cooking

2009-04-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

my dad is an awesome cook.

fresh pico de gallo

beef brisket

lamb chops

grilled asparagus and eggplant

guam food part 1: jamaican grill

2009-03-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

this is the first edition of my food adventures while i was at home (guam) during christmas break.

jamaican grill- one of my favorite restaurants back home. i ate here three times while i was home for three weeks. its a restaurant that combines local food with jamaican flavors.

jamaican grill burger w/ curry mayo - one of the best burgers i've ever had

chicken and ribs combo w/ jamaican rice

chicken and ribs combo w/ red rice....sauce on the side: finadene (soy, lemon, onions, red pepper)

matt's in the market

2009-03-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last month, my good friend angela came up to seattle for a visit. whats a visit to seattle w/out a trip to pike place market. i must say it is one of the greatest farmer's markets i have ever seen.

after checking out the sights and sounds of the market, we were starving and decided to look for a restaurant angela heard about, matt's in the market. we had the hardest time finding it. after probably circling the market another 4 times and finally using cell phone gps, we found it. as angela put it, it was like we had entered platform 9 and 3/4. This small restaurant was definitely worth the hour we spent looking for it.

fentiman's ginger beer

gourmet mac and cheese w/ ham hocks

Moving on up.

2009-01-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

nice job Philippines: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081231-180828/RP-cuisine-raised-the-bar-in-2008

will be heading back to seattle in a few days. will be blogging about my food adventures on guam when i get back.

stay tuned...

food link wednesday

2008-12-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

i think i will make wednesdays the day of links to articles concerning food =)

- new anthony bourdain blog w/ a tiny descritption of no reservations in saigon
- i guess even the food industry needs a bailout sometimes- Italy develops a bailout plan for their parmigiano industry
- might test out this chex mix for all the holiday parties...sounds interesting

stay tuned for the top chef fantasy game results for this week!

Top Chef Episode 4

2008-12-03T23:31:00.000-08:00

today is the start of the team guam vs team legen dairy...yes the top chef fantasy game. whats at stake: a free dinner

here is the team i picked:

eugene- he is just my favorite. fabio and stefan- not a big fan of them and their bromance but i will say they have been strong competitors.

turns out it doesn't matter who i picked b.c team legen dairy picked the same team which means so far the score is 10-10. thank you fabio for giving us points.

stay tuned for the winner!

Welcome.

2008-12-01T00:20:00.000-08:00

welcome to my new blog all about my love for all things food. this blog begins with my amazing food filled week in sunny california. here are some highlights from my weekend....

here was our thanksgiving spread made by one of the best cooks i know: my auntie wendy

the spread included red rice, lumpia, leg of lamb, mash potatoes, shrimp patties, ham and (drum roll please) TURDUCKEN!! it was a thanksgiving of a lot of firsts: the turducken, civet coffee , and my first glass of port.

another highlight for the week was our family outing to Canti na in the city. i have never seen such work go into the making of a drink. the drinks were amazing. these are the two i ordered:blushing lima. pisco, orange muscat, lemon, heering cherry liqueur

blackberry & basil cooler. square one organic vodka, muddled blackberries

it was an amazing food week for me and it gave me the motivation to start this food blog. more food adventures to come soon.