Terra Plata: Restaurant Dinner Review

This past Sunday, we celebrated my brother's birthday with a dinner at Terra Plata, located in Seattle's Capital Hill.

I started off with their fennel and grapefruit soda. It was citrus than anything and I found the fennel taste to be almost non-existing. However, it did remind me of a drink I've had in Malaysia which tastes very good so I wasn't totally disappointed.

We also selected this wine to pair with our dishes which was majority seafood.

Our first appetizer dish were these large beef bone marrows. Prepared very simply with just a little salt and a date compote mixture, the juicy (almost fat like) bone marrow melted onto the crusty bread and paired very nicely with the date mixture. It is very rich and not recommended for those that do not like the texture of fatty foods.

We also had this baby turnip dish, cooked with orange and some other garnishes. This was absolutely wonderful. The flavors complemented so well together and the texture of the turnips themselves were nice and tender--a wonderful start.

Then came one of the earth dishes that would probably the mos 'not worth it' dish. This small wild mushrooms gratin was a bit pricey, and didn't come with enough of the toasted bread.  However, the mushroomws, especially the morel mushrooms, were very delicious. The creme fraiche melted nicely with the sauce that gave it a ricotta cheese feel and the sauce was butter heaven. I just wish there were more components to this dish, maybe even pair the sauce with rice, to make it more worth the price.

Next was the risotto. I loved the little baby asparagus in this, which added a nice texture throughout, however this was a very rich dish. I couldn't have too much since it was quite heavy, but the flavors were there.

The Manila clams with their homemade chorizo sausage was probably my favorite dish. It was a total flavor impacted dish with just the right amound of textures and flavors mixe around. The smokiness of the sausage balanced out nicely with the chickpeas and pickled onions which all complimented the flavors of the clams. Not to mention the giant crouton pieces of bread throughout the dish to soak up all the juices!

The next dish to come to us was their so called 'sea bass' dish. Now, this isn't the typical Chilean seabass, that a single steak would weigh more than this small fish, but a part of the bass family. I think they should've made that distinction, but honestly, I don't think they really knew.

This was one of the first times I have seen a whole fish, head and all, steamed in it's entirety at an American restaurant. I see it all the time at Chinese ones but this is a first seeing it at an American one.

The preparation of this fish was simple and did not leave a fish/seafoody smell, which is always difficult to accomplish. I'd only wish the fish was bigger for the price, but overall it was decent and very fresh.

The last dish to come out was this pork belly and lentil dish. Very reminiscent of the way Chinese restaurants prepare it with a hint of five spice, this was a very comforting and delicious dish. Half a piece even satisfied me. The pork belly was very tender and melted right in your mouth. Then it also had a crunchy element of the skin. The lentils paired nicely with it along with the fruit compote along the top to glaze it.

Then for essert we had the creme crulee and the cookies and milk.

A light and creamy dish that wasn't too sweet and had a nice crunch on top with the fired sugar top.

I mostly picked this cookies and milk out because of the horchata (mexican rice drink with cinnamon and sugar). The cookies were so-so (probably not worth 8 dollar at all) but their horchata was very good.

This restaurant was definitely a good experience, but the prices can add up. Our total bill was slightly over $200. We did however have wonderful service. Our server was very gentle and checked up on us frequently and thoroughly explained our dishes. He also changed our dishes to make sure we had clean ones and kept refilling us with their bread.

If you're looking for a cute place to go with the family or a date, this is a good place to try out in Capital Hill.

Miyabi 45: Japanese with a fusion twist

Miyabi 45, a Japanese fusion restaurant located in Wallingford, Washington (just west of the University of Washington) has always been on my to try list ever since I heard about its opening.
I was finally able to try it out last weekend for an early Mother's day dinner with my family.
To me, this place is nothing like the original Miyabi restaurant (located in Tukwila) but it does have a nice atmosphere to it. Since it was a hot day, the side paneled window/doors were open right at the front of the store allowing a nice breeze. The seating was a bit tight since I think they get packed pretty early so they were not able to give us an extra half a table (even though no one was really there yet right when it opened).
Now I'll jump right into the food :

They started it for us by giving us these complimentary tofu bites? I'm honestly not too sure what these were, but I believe it was some type of soybean product. It was soft and creamy and seasoned with ponzu and wasabi.

I wanted oysters for the hot day so we tried out the Shigoku and the Olympias. I've never had the Shigoku before and I have to say that I did enjoy it more so than the Olympia which I had before. They're mild and sweet and a larger size.

Everytime I go to the Miyabi in Tukwila, I almost always order an Uni (sea urchin) shot. They are $2 more here, but I still love them.

Here we had a chop salad with golden beets, asparagus, pea vines, and more. I really liked the dressing that they paired with this salad. The noodles were a little too hard for my liking, but I really enjoyed the tender beets.

A deep fried sweetbread that was on their special, this dish was on the more mediocre side and the sweetbread was a little chewy and not as flavorful as I would've liked. Also, the pea vines underneath were stringy since they didn't remove the top vein (as with most people that prepare pea vines UNLESS you're at an authentic Chinese restuarant). So overall, this dish wasn't as impressive.

Cheese plate with 5 different cheese and homemade crackers. The Meyer lemon marmalade pictured on the far left was amazing and paired with the cheeses really well. My favorite was the koji yeast fermented tofu (cheese on the bottom left ) since it reminded me of the Chinese fermented bean curd used in their cooking.

Foie gras with jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke) and brussel sprouts. This foie gras had a nice aromatic flavor which infused into the veggies. The piece I had (since we split it amongst 5 of us) was a little bit undercooked, but didn't bother me too much. It was still a nice succelent piece.

The main courses were our Soba dishes! (I had the Zaru Soba--cold dippng styple soba) while the hot ones other people had.

My mom ordered the duck and leek (kamo nanban). I only had a piece of the duck which I liked the texture of, but wished it carried a little more flavor.

I ordered the dipping soba. This handmade soba is very good. The texture is different than of the dry packaged ones you buy at the store or even have at other restaurants. It is nice a light and chewy but not overly aldente. Definitely a good soba and a good place if you want something handmade.

For dessert, we had this Japanese fusion style and their interpretation of a french beignet. I liked the idea of it, adding the bacon and having maple syrup that flavor-wise, should pair nicely with kinako (soybean flour). However, the buckwheat tofu reminded me more of the sesame paste with a too gooey of a center that reminded me of mochi (rice cake). It was okay, but I wouldn't miss not seeing it since it was on their special menu.

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience. The location was nice and on a sunny day, its even better because you can walk around and check the area out--(where we also got Molly Moon's ice cream about 3 blocks down!).

I would definitely go back and maybe try some other items like something off the Seattle's Best Bukkake (bad name..for certain reasons!) style of soba.

And below are pictures of the menus and pricing.

Mike's Noodle House-A Chinatown Favorite



image taken from http://msg150.com/2008/01/lunch-22-mikes-noodle-house.html

Mike's Noodle House, located in Chinatown in Seattle's Internatonal District right across from Hing Hay Park, is a Cantonese/Hong Kong style restaurant that serves an assortment of noodles, congee, side dishes, etc. For some reason, it has become a local favorite and is a popular lunch time location for not just strictly Chinese people but an array of people. The place gets crowded and packed quick so it is best to go there earlier in the day to guarantee a spot and not have to wait. The service isn't exactly the best since I found a lot of the waitresses to be rude (but its pretty typical of many Chinese places) since they have to work in such a fast pace environment.

My parents and I usually come here during the week day (when I was in school, we'd go before I had class) or now on  a day off if we go shop in Chinatown, my dad will usually want to come here. Here's a look at our usual order:

 

We usually always have congee, this one is the 'century egg (preserved egg) with pork.

Then for myself, I usually almost always order the wonton noodle soup w/ soft beef brisket-the flavor of this is really flavor packed and delicious!



Then for the more adventurous, or those who like the 'innards' this is a plate of cleaned and blanched pork kidney and beef tripe served with veggies. The tripe is sort of flavorless but is cooked just right so it isn't chewy or tough at all. The kidney does have a stronger/gamier taste, but dipped in the spicy soy sauce, it is a nice snack!

Read about it

HERE

Stroopwafel! A Dutch treat

I've always seen these jumbo sized waffle looking cookies with caramel filling but didn't think much of them and maybe tried them only once. THEN, I was introduced the proper way to eat them and found them quite nice!

Warmed Stroopwafel on top of hot tea with melting caramel.

Off of the info I got from Wikipedia..a Stroopwafel is "is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle.^[1][2] They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, in 1784. Large versions are sold in the streets as a snack."

As you can see from the back wrapper of this Stroopwafle, its usually served with coffee or another hot beverage. I guess you're supposed to put it on top of a mug (that would fit and not have the treat fall into it) so the heat can melt the caramel inside as I have done below.

And as an end result, you can see caramel inside melt down and become a creamy consitency.

I received this item as a sample.

click HERE for Strropwafel selections.

Salumi: A Must-Stop Seattle Food destination, Review

I had a chance to FINALLY stop by the ever so popula Salumi Artisan Cured Meats storefront in Seattle's Pioneer Square area (website HERE)

Owned by the family of Mario Batali from Food Network, this place brings authentic and family style Italian foods and cured meats.

As I was walking up to the restaurant, I already noticed a line, but realized that the line moves pretty quickly (for people eating to-go which is the majority of the lunch crowd in the area).

They open at 11 am till around 3:30 to 4, Tuesday thru Friday with seasonal menus and daily specials.

 

Assembly line of workers that prepare the sandwhiches right in front of you and have the meat slicer constantly running.

Full menu with platter options

Porchetta: Slow roasted pork in fennel, carrots, and celery for a burst of flavor served with green bell peppers and onion on a toasted baguette. This comes to you warm and really is a flavor explosion. the juices soaked up nicely in the crispy baguette and caught all the flavor. The pork was nice and juicy and tender. Excellent warm sandwhich.

I wanted to try the cured meats so I couldn't help but try the Beef tongue/Lingua sandwhich:

Served on Giuseppe bread I believe. The cured beef tongue was sliced righ in front of me off of a huge beef tongue slab. I asked for Provolone cheese and adde the onions and peppers. This really made my taste buds happy. The flavor was incredible and the texture of the beef tongue wasn't what one typically would think of when they try beef tongue. I brought some to my brother and he really enjoyed this one.

Caldo Gallego soup: with white beans, salami chunks, potatoes, turnip, kale and bell peppers. This was a nice savory, homey feeling chunky soup/stew. There was a nice spicy bite from the salami that had peppercorns in them. The flavors were brought out well and blended nicely togethre. The beans and potatoe helped give the soup some body and texture. My favorite parts were the turnips and kale. I highly recommend this dish, and also dipping your sandwhich/bread in it to soak up all the goodness!

Pricing was mid-range I would say, but well worth it for the quality of the food. I can see why people wait in the long lines daily for their food.

All 3 items I picked up totaled to aroudn $28 with tax.

If you're ever in the Seattle area on weekday, take the time to try this place out!

Walrus and the Carpenter - A Seattle foodie destination

This is really a little ‘hole-in-the-wall’ type place located in Ballard, Washington. It is just West of the University of Washington.

*picture and description heavy*-full review

recent review I found HERE as one the best Oyster bars in America!

Now when you are driving by, you have to make sure you see the cloud looking sign since it is really small. Then you need to actually walk down a corridor before you actually reach the restaurant.

If anything it is a very small place with bar seating, and then some table seating right behind it. Be sure to get there early or else you may have to wait awhile! I don’t really recommend it for big groups, 4-6 is like the max. There’s a really nice ambience to the place and is very good for couples or group dates.

Now I believe the menu is seasonal but it is also very simple and not overwhelming with too many items to choose from. Sometimes, that can be a bit much.

We ordered just about one thing (or more) from each section of the menu and tried every single one of the fresh raw oysters that they had to offer.

wine list

Starting off with their bread/butter and olives, even that was really pleasant, especially the olives. I want to say they make their own brine for the olives because it was seasoned very lightly and not too salty, unlike some other places I’ve been. I also want to say they whip their own butter but I’m not 100% sure on that either. The bread and butter was not bad, but not thee best ever.

This was a cheese spread type spread of a kind of goat cheese with a rose water syrup/dressing and cucumbers. Surprisingly, the cucumbers went really well with the cheese and bread. I’ve never really thought of that as a combo, but the sweetness of the rose glaze blended nicely with the cooling flavor of the cucumber which helped balance out the tartness of the goat cheese.

Then we had fried oysters. I’m not a huge fan of deep fried oysters, id rather have them raw if theyre small, or have them grilled. But, these were actually good. They weren’t dry on the inside like I’ve had before which put me off fried oysters. My mom, whos not a huge fan of oysters, liked these a lot and the cilantro dip that went with it was a nice match as well.

This next dish was excellent! The smoked trout, lentils and pickled sweet onion just matched perfectly. I’m not a huge fan of lentils because they usually mush up on me, but these black lentils were cooked in a way were they were still nice and firm and with good texture. It was in a type of creamy/mayo-ish dressing and the flavor combination of the smoked trout, and sweet and tart onions just made it really enjoyable.

Next was an artichoke and something salad.

I probably wouldn’t order this again only because I thought itd be more artichoke hearts in it .

 

Now the steak tar tare with the raw egg yolk on it was wonderful! I also heard it was one of the most popular things at Walrus and the Carpenter. If you don’t like raw items… you should probably stay far away from this dish. However, if you don’t mind or are more on the adventurous side, please just go and try this. I’m not too familiar with places that do a lot of the raw beef thing but this place does it well. Its finely chopped up with some veggies and seasoning and topped with a raw egg yolk which you break up and mix together with the tar tare and use as a dip with the crusty bread slices. It’s a very simple dish that brings out the natural flavors of the meat which. However, if you have an issue with texture, slimy or raw stuff, you probably shouldn’t try it.

The next item to come up were the oysters, my favorite part! I’ve had some of them before, but I’d have to say my favorite one that was new that I tried were the Treasure Coves. They were nice and mild and sweet. I love my oysters on the sweet side so these were wonderful. I like the coppery and briney ones too, but these Treasure Coves were just delicious. I’d also recommend the Hama Hama oysters to anyone that like a mild but less sweet oyster. The rest were tasty too but only the Treasure Coves really stood out to me.

 

Next was the goat and lamb terrine with (salad). This wasn’t too bad and was one of the better terrines I’ve had. I think what made this one stand out was the fact that it was all wrapped with prosciutto which is one of my favorite cured meats. The salad was actually really good that went with it. They had these nice and plump sweet raisings that complimented the stronger/saltier flavor of the terrine.

And lastly, we have dessert! We almost tried the fig one that people next to us had tried since it smelled divine, but we stuck to the bread pudding.  Now, their bread pudding is unlike any other bread pudding I’ve had before or even personally made. It’s a whole slice of bread they use instead of having it chopped/broken up. Their butter cream sauce they had to go with it was one of the best things I’ve tasted since I love that sort of flavor. I was really tempted to pick up the plate and lick it clean after, but of course, I didn’t.

It was a very simple dish, but the flavor was incredible and the texture of the bread was nice and soft. I’d definitely get this again.

I highly recommend this place (thank you Anthony Bourdain for stopping here on The Layover). It is also pretty reasonably priced. With two pichets of wine and all the food, the total was less than $200 including tax and tip, for what could be a ‘pricier’ food spot.