Hardwok Cafe, Taiwanese Food: Restaurant Review

We celebrated my cousins birthday a couple weekends ago and he was craving to try out this Taiwanese café located in China Town. The place is called Hardwok Café (haha get it? Hard "wok"?) and is a Taiwanese style café that has many Taiwanese dishes as well as popular Taiwanese styled drinks and treats! (If I'm wrong about it being Taiwanese, my bad! But I'm pretty sure it is..)

First off, you got to have bubble tea! I had the Honey Green Milk Tea with pudding (instead of tapioca since I don't care for it that much) and holy crap this was so good! I usually love honey flavored anything and tend to get black milk tea over green milk tea, but I'm glad I got the green milk tea version since it is lighter and you can really taste the honey in it.

My drinke =)

We also ordered quite a bit of appetizer things. This one below is the pork blood rice cakes. Yes, this may sound gross to some, but seriously, this was good. It reminds me of the Korean pork blood sausage that is filled with rice as well. This one was actually a bunch of rice in a pork blood stew and then cut into little rice cake squares. The sauce on top was sweet and when dipped with the ground peanuts it made for a nice treat. I couldn't eat too much of it since it was a little sweeter than I would have liked it to be, but it was still good.

 



You can see that this is mainly rice and what holds it together like the glue is the pork blood sauce.



 

 

 

Another little snack that is one of my favorites is stewed chopped pork ears. The cartilage is nice and crunchy on the ear and the flavor is really simple. I really like the texture of this, but I know it doesn't math everyone's tastes.  We poured a little of the sweet/savory sauce over it and enjoyed nibbling on this.

 

 

My cousin, who is a really big fan of tonkatsu (the breaded and fried Japanese pork dish) wanted to try this Taiwanese style one and it was pretty good! There wasn't any sauce, but it wasn't really needed since the breading was flavorful enough on its own and the pork wasn't dry. I believe they pounded it out to be thinner and more tender.

 

 

Ah, on to my dish! This was so good! If you are a fan of braised pork and pork hock, you would absolutely love this dish. It came with a bowl of noodle soup which was very clean tasting and a real palette cleanser. The pork hock was nice and tender, but not too done where it would be too slimy/mushy. I definitely had leftovers and took some of this deliciousness home!

 

Another food over view

 

When we saw that they had the Xiao Long Bao (literally translated as little dragon bun/dumplings), I knew I had to try them. These are my favorite types of dumplings since they have the soup inside (if done right and the outside wrapping doesn't break!). I have to say this one wasn't as good as I would hope it to be and I probably wouldn't order it again since I've had better dumplings in other restaurants. For the price though, this isn't bad, and is good to share amongst 2 people for a quick snack.

Next, we had this turnip cake pudding type thing and again, this wasn't as good as I was hoping it to be. The flavor was there, but the texture was a little too soft for my liking. Also, I found the use of that same sweet/savory sauce to be a bit too powerful for this dish. A simpler soy sauce or something would have been better, or even nothing at all. Just having the sauce on the side instead of poured over would have been better.

 

 

My brother wanted the pork over rice dish. I took a bite or two and it was pretty good--it is definitely filling. I really liked the steeped hard boiled eggs on top along with the pickled radish (takuan).

 

And now, THE BEST PART! CAN WE PLEASE LOOK AND APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF THIS DESSERT!?!?!

 

This was the strawberry custard honey toast (more like strawberry ice cram). These type of sweetened breads/toast are really popular in Asia and in many Hong Kong and Taiwanese styled restaurants.

 

They loaded the dish with fresh strawberries, tons of ice creams, and some blueberries and a couple of strawberry Pocky sticks as garnish.

 

Inside, the bread is actually squared out to bite sized pieces and each piece is coated with the most delicious butter & honey blend and toasted to perfection. UGHHH! I'm craving it again! They have other flavors that I for sure want to try next time I'm there!

 

 

 

The only bad thing about the place is the size of it. If you are in a larger group or come at bad times, you will have to wait awhile. Other than the wait, everything else is on point. The staff are really nice and you can even order your bubble tea or other drinks beforehand while you wait, so at least you have something to sip on. The food comes out pretty fast too, so that's a plus when you're already waiting and are getting even more hungry. The pricing is very reasonable as well and I like that the portions are too big--it lets you try out more food things! I'm definitely going to come back here. Not sure when, but I definitely will =)

 

Have you tried any Taiwanese food? What is your favorite? Have you seen a dessert like this before?!

 

 

The smelliest foods in the world

Maybe I'm just a bit more adventurous than the average person, but I've had about half of these and honestly like them all.! Perhaps I'll do a post on the ones I've had and how I like to eat them?
I've had natto, lim burger cheese, durian, century egg, and stinky tofu!

No need to bash people or judge them for what they like, every culture has 'different' foods and it is what makes them unique! You don't have to like the food, just respect the people that eat them!

Th smelliest foods in the world

Seattle's Chinatown-ID Dragon Fest 2014 w/ Food Reviews!

This past weekend was the McDonald's presents Seattle's Chinatown-ID Dragon Fest and I was so glad that I went!

I couldn't pick between two ice cream flavors, so naturally, I got both!

 

Here's a look at the event and of course..some food pics!

Day time on Saturday

 

Night Market on Saturday Night

 I didn't spend much time at Dragon Fest on Saturday since I went to the Mariners game, but on Sunday, I was there the whole day working, but of course, I had to try some food places!

My first stop was the My Sweet Lil Cakes food truck that makes, as it says, sweet cakes, but in stick form which I loved the idea behind. The workers there were also very friendly.

 

 

It took awhile for them to open, but when they were ready, they had the Free Range Chicken & Waffle w/ syrup and butter ready to go!

 

 

As you can see, this piece was a fried batter of goodness drenched in syrup and butter. I wouldn't recommend eating too many of these, but one is definitely enough to indulge yourself! I loveeeed this!

 

Inside of the chicken & waffle on a stick.

Here's my friends Chicken & waffle (It looks way better and more like a waffle than mines! Haha)

 

 

I also then ordered their Red Velvet pancake with cherries inside. This one wasn't quite ready and I had to wait 30 mins for it, but I honestly didn't mind because it gave me tummy time to digest the chicken and waffle so I could really enjoy this one. Doesn't it just look amazing!?! drooools 

 

 

Inside the pancake  you can see the cherries.

For a mid meal break, I then went ahead and got some ice cream bars! I love Full Tilt Ice cream (local to Seattle) and especially their Salted Caramel one. When I saw that they had it in bar form, I had to get it!

 

Buttt, when I saw that they were 2 for $5.00 and had an Orange Rosemary Honey flavor, I knew I had to get both, and both I did get!

 

It probably wasn't the best idea since at the end they started melting a bit, but I was able to finish them both off fine! I didn't care too much for the chocolate dipped on top of the bars since it took away from the natural flavor of the actual ice cream itself but once I finished the chocolate, I could taste the ice cream flavors. I really enjoyed the subtle hint of orange and honey on that bar (couldn't really taste too much rosemary). The salted caramel wasn't as salty as I thought it would be (slight disappointment) and  parts of the bar was iced over, so not smooth ice cream but weird iced bits that were crunchy and not what I was expecting. Still good for a hot day, but could have been better!

=)

 The last thing I ate, I wasn't even going to eat, but once I saw that it was El Salvadorian food with pupusas, I had to try it!

 

 

I  had the Crazy Pupsa with everything in it and a side of their version of horchata (made not just with rice but with nuts too!)

 

 

 

 

side of pickled cabbage

 

The pupusa was nice and hot, they put it on the grill once I was there. It is like a pancake stuffed with a lot of ingredients, or if you're familiar with the Korean Pajun (pancake) it is kind of like that. Another way I can think of describing pupusas is if it was like a tamale in pancake form but less dense. The flavors all melded together and the pickled veggies were a nice cooling touch to the salsa and heat of the pupusa. 

The horchata was different than most I've had that were just rice and spices since this one also had peanut in it as well (hence the more brown color). I really liked this a lot and it reminded me of a few Asian drinks that have peanuts in them.

 

Overall, this was a successful event and I was glad I was able to eat such good food and try some new things! I love Summer time in Seattle and can't wait to go to more events!

 

Do you like going to festivals and fairs in your home town? What are you favorite ones? If I ever am in your area during your summer, I'd love to check them out!

Araya's Place-Vegan Thai Food: Restaurant Review

After a disappointing meal and food selection, my friends and I decided to walk around and see what would be another good alternative for lunch. At first we were skeptical about this place, because they were doing Thai food but Vegan! I love Thai food, and I know they use a lot of fish sauce and different meats and seafood, so I was curious to see how the dishes would turn out to be.

Walking into this place was even a nice experience. From the street, you're not quite sure what to expect, but when you walk further into the path to the restaurant, you see a beautiful deck space with seating available along with lovely decorations surrounding the space.

Inside is nice and bright with white walls and seating and open spaces for natural light. It was a very warm and welcoming place.

The Salad bar right by the entrance with different choices of condiments, salads, kimchi, fruits and different pickled veggies.

We absolutely loved the Thai iced tea/ iced coffee. Since this is a vegan restaurant, the 'cream' that was used for this drink is either soy milk or coconut milk, whichever you prefer! I had the Thai iced tea with coconut milk and it was really good and tasted almost as if it was a regular Thai tea, just with a hint of coconut to it.  Of course, since it was iced, the coconut milk would solidify a little bit, but it's nothing a little stirring can't fix. PLUS, the drinks were served in little mason jars with handles!!! How frikken cute!

 

 

We went during lunch so there was a special deal going on where you could choose either; Pad Thai, Pa-nang Curry and a couple other entrée courses, and you get rice, egg rolls, and the salad bar all for around $12. Not a bad deal!

 

 

I got the Pa-nang curry and loved the sweetness in it. It was interesting to see how the flavor would pan out without any fish sauce, but it was pretty legit! I liked the addition of the coconut milk too for a creamier touch. The only downside was the amount of zucchini in this dish. I'm not a huge fan of zucchini, so this made a good left over for my mom. The tofu was good and this was enough food for me to bring for lunch the next day.

 

 

 

 

And of course, what is a trip to a Thai restaurant without some mango sticky rice or black rice

pudding?!

The mango was nice and sweet, not too tart, and the rice wasn't mushy or too hard and was flavored just right with the right amount of saltiness.

As for the black rice pudding, it was a nice change because it had coconut ice cream on top (made vegan of course out of coconut milk).

 At one point of my life (like a couple years ago), I was addicted to the black rice pudding and would have to eat it once a week. It was just something I would crave and had to have. This definitely satisfied any craving I would have, but I just wishes the coconut milk they pour along with the ice cream was a bit more salty.

 

Overall, this was a surprisingly great experience. Everything from the atmosphere, to service to quality of food was awesome. If you are looking for a Vegan restaurant and want to try some Asian food, then this is the place for you! This will definitely cater to those who have a stricter diet, without lacking flavor! Of course I miss my dishes with shrimp and what not, but this is a good change of scenery from the usual Thai food I eat. Plus, the whole neighborhood around this restaurant is just so nice and relaxing to walk around in.

 

Do you like Thai food? What is your favorite Thai dish?!

 

 

Malay Satay Hut: Restuarant Review

Growing up with the occasional Malaysian food (my mother's family is from Malaysia), sometimes I get cravings, especially for items that remind me of the different trips I have taken to Malaysia. When my family gets a particular craving, we will go to one of the only, more authentic, Malaysian restaurants in Seattle, and that is Malay Satay Hut.

 

Located at the outer edges of the International District, Malay Satay Hut brings a slice of Malaysian flavor to the area. Ever since I was a little girl (I want to say around 15 years ago), my family and I would come here more frequently. However, over the recent years, we just never went back (not sure why?) Maybe the food quality wasn't as good or it just fell off our radar, but more recently, we have been going back and have been enjoying it.

 

 

As you can see, their menu has a lot of options, and these are just a couple pages.

The interior is reminiscent of wood and long houses in Malaysia and has pictures of a local resort, street markets and this cheerful one of a man making the every popular Teh Tarik aka Pulled Tea (I love getting this when I was in Malaysia!)

 

We started off with a favorite, Roti Canai (a buttery, crispy soft layered bread of sorts) with curry (In Kuala Lumpor, I remember having it with the sugar crystals for breakfast and that was bomb!).

The roti was good and nice and light, but the curry alongside it was only so-so. As you can see we only had one potato piece per order and the curry itself was a little salty.

 

My cousin and I both wanted the Teh Tarik (pulled tea, black tea with cream and sugar) and I have to say it was pretty decent, for not being from Malaysia. It obviously isn't the best Teh Tarik I have tasted but it definitely satisfied the craving for the tea.

 

Now for our main courses. We of course love the Hainanese Chicken rice. My mom and my aunts will make this specifically for special occasions (like Chinese New Year) or sometimes on some random weekend, but they don't make it often because it takes a lot of work. You have to cook the whole chicken a specific way to make sure the flavor and texture is right. Then you have to take the fat from the chicken to use to flavor the rice and you have to cook the rice Juuuust right. Eating this at a restaurant is a nice treat because we get the great flavors without the work! Their rice was especially good. The texture wasn't mushy or too dry and the chicken flavors were perfect and it wasn't too salty. The chicken was nice and firm without being to chewy, yet it was nice and moist. This dish was on point!

 

 

We had another Malaysian (and my personal favorite) dish called Nasi Lemak which is a flavored coconut rice dish with eggs, peanuts, anchovies, and some type of curried meat ( I think this is lamb) and some sambal (a type of chili paste/condiment). I mainly like this dish for the coconut infused rice and when you mix it with the different sauces, it just makes for a flavorful combination!

 

 

We then had Fish Head Curry which I didn't really care too much for, besides just to have the okra. My mom really enjoyed it so it must've been good. I just wasn't in the mood for fish this day!

 

 

We had a salt & pepper frog leg dish. Not really sure that this is a "Malaysian" dish, but Malaysia cuisine has a lot of strong influences from Chinese cuisine so this may just be that typical salt & pepper combo used in a lot of Chinese dishes. This was a little too 'fresh' tasting for me. It was definitely better the day after. I just don't think the frog legs had enough time to soak in the salt to add flavor to the meat. Definitely not one for the faint of heart (especially when you tell people) but they really do look like mini chicken wings! The texture is similar too, just a lot more chewy.

 

 

This next dish is something translated to Buddha Taro Bowl, or Buddha Yam Pot which is basically fried taro (to act as the bowl) with stir-fry veggies and seafood in the center. I personally like the fried yam/taro part the best, I don't care too much for the items inside, except maybe just the shrimp. The presentation on this is definitely fun to look at though!

 

 

One of the last dishes we had was the Belacan okra, which is by far one of my most favorite dishes of all time! #1) I love okra, #2) I love shrimp and #3) When both are combined with onions and the belacan (which is a fermented shrimp paste that is fried) just makes for the most aromatic dish that is intense in tasty flavor. If you're not into 'fishy' items or are picky about it, this is definitely different than that and just smells and tastes amazing!

 

It was good coming back to this restaurant and I plan on going back again soon! My mom had already brought home food to-go from here including another one of my favorites, Char Kuey Teow, which is a wide rice noodle stir fry dish with a thick gravy. The owner even remembers my mom from coming that long ago and they talk about going 'back home' all the time and sort of reminisce also. Everything is reasonably priced, nothing super cheap, but nothing too expensive either. I would probably avoid rush hour times at lunch/dinner, but other than that, our service was good and we got our food in a timely manner.

 

Have you ever tried Malaysian food before?