tokyo table

My family plus dan and jwoo came here for dinner during winter break. Its in the Diamond Jamboree plaza which is the plaza with 85°C, the super popular place. Well it was an interesting place, kinda fusion-y, maybe owned by a Korean? I can't be sure.
There were a lot of people waiting, so we didn't get an actual table, but settled for a bar table...kinda. Very hard to describe. Well we got several appetizers, because actually they are pretty slow... But this is shrimp or spicy tuna summer roll (we got both) and a scallop dynamite. The summer rolls were okay, very ordinary. The dynamite was not a traditional kind, it kinda reminded me of nachos, but it was good.
This is yakitori. It was normal and just tasted like chicken teriyaki.
This is bacon wrapped asparagus. Well, anything wrapped in bacon is yummy. But normal...
My dad ordered a kaisen don plate which was marinated diced tuna, salmon, and yellowtail topped w/ ikura (salmon roe) on a bowl of sushi rice. This was yummy.My mommy got an assorted nigiri plate. Normal, normal but at least their fish was fresh.

The rest of us got udon, ramen, yakisoba, and a roll. Nothing too special. So the table next to us got this dessert which was flambéd in front of them. Because it looked so cool, we asked the waiter what it was and order it.

So cool! So it was a banana flambe. This was baked bananas drizzled with caramel and chocolate, topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

It was pretty dericious. But I can never resist ice cream.

I guess it was overall alright. It's pretty pricey but good.

Tokyo Table

http://www.tokyotable.com/

2710 Alton Parkway

Irvine, CA 92606

masse's

Since it's the holiday season, I wanted to put up a picture of something festive! Of course, I immediately thought of Masse's.

D's sister, brother-in-law, and nephew all have birthdays around the same time, so when we went to visit, I brought this cake.

Isn't it beautiful? I went up to their counter, bright and early and picked out prettiest one there. I was so excited, I even forgot to ask what kind of cake it was! What a mistake. It was tart, not too sweet, with wonderful textures. The fruits and chocolate were a perfect complement!

I'll have to put up pictures of Jen and Peter's wedding cake. Masse's is so amazing.

Masse's Pastries

1469 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA
(510) 649-1004

wood tavern

My fine dining escapades, though plentiful during my college years (ironic! I know!), have dwindled to the occasional birthday/anniversary affair. And then, only people you actually care about (I kid. Somewhat).

Wood Tavern has long been on my (and D's) list on dining establishments to visit, so I decided to take D there for his birthday. We went on a Wednesday night with reservations and I am so glad we did, because it was beyond crowded. We were seated right away though, and throughout the whole night, service was impeccable. They bring you two types of bread from La Farine (just next door!) with butter, refill your water the instant you finish halfway.

The decor is warm and inviting, all deep browns of wood and dark greens. Behind the bar is an open kitchen where you can see the chefs making your food! So charming! Noise level is up, as the space isn't exactly huge, and everyone is in somewhat close proximity.

The food didn't disappoint, especially our appetizer. We got the Pig 'N Figs (I know, so cute!). It was amazing. It was beyond amazing. The figs were sweet, the pork belly was tender, and the blue cheese crumble with the sauce...mmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!



For the entrees, D ordered the Pork Shoulder Confit, while I got a seafood/rock cod stew (I totally forgot what it was called! It was in Spanish or something).

Both were good--D thought mine was better, but I think I would've preferred his actually! So maybe we should've switched. His came with a lovely polenta; the pork was done well, quite tender. Mine was also good; it had a bit of a kick, which was nice. So good to sop up with bread. Mmm.

For dessert we went with their Basil Panna Cotta, which was...interesting to say the least. The fruit on top was too watery; when combined with the creamy panna cotta, it was...not so good. And I'm not too sure about having those basil overtones in something so creamy and light. I think we just chose the wrong dessert--the others looked better.

I think it's definitely worth returning, if only to eat the Pig 'N Figs! And to try their other desserts. Wonderful service, friendly staff, delicious food... you should go!

Wood Tavern
www.woodtavern.net
6317 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618-1331

more cupcake love

I know what you're thinking--for a person who doesn't like cupcakes, she sure eats cupcakes a lot!

I won't deny it, but I'll say this: I've yet to find a cupcake that I like better than Sprinkles.

That being said, today's cupcake is from Cupkate's, Berkeley's own cupcake truck! Following the trend of food trucks/carts that divulge their locations via Twitter, Cupkate's sells unique cupcakes and (the occasional) creme brulee.

We (me, Thomas, and Dan) got two flavors between the three of us: salted caramel and s'more. Jess Riady had raved about the s'more cupcake, and it didn't disappoint. It has a graham cracker crust on the bottom, the moistest chocolate cake in the middle, and toasted marshmallow for frosting. Now, being the frosting hater that I am, I LOVED the toasted marshmallow on top. It just adds a lovely, whimsical feel to the cupcake, added with the graham cracker bottom, it was seriously a worthy tribute to its namesake!

I'm a little disappointed in the salted caramel, I think just because the s'more was so good. It seems to use the same chocolate cake as the s'more with a light caramel frosting sprinkled with salt. It was good...just not as good as the s'more.

Also, the cupcakes (including the s'more) were quite oily. I don't know if they used more oil so that the cupcakes won't dry out in the truck, but it did leave an unpleasant residue. Is there such thing as too moist a cupcake? Let me tell you, this cupcake glistened with oil, it was that moist.

So yes, I do prefer Sprinkles, where the cake is moist without being oily, and the frosting a lovely thin layer. That being said, I also think that Cupkate's s'more cupcake is worth trying! What a wonderful and well executed concept for a cupcake!

Follow them on Twitter for where they'll be next!

gochi japanese tapas

For our two year, Dan took me to this place in the South Bay called Gochi. He had been raving it about it for weeks, but I made sure that every time he said something good about it, I ignored it or blocked it from my mind. I didn't want to be disappointed you see (yes, I am crazy).

I shouldn't have worried.

It's located in a nondescript strip mall, but the atmosphere completely changed once we stepped inside. The decor mimics a modern Zen garden, and the space opens into a raised seating area where you take off your shoes. To the side is an aisle with regular tables, and to the side of that are private tatami rooms. It was busy, and there were waitresses and hosts running around calling out orders in Japanese. We were seated in the regular table and chairs section, but I didn't mind, because I don't like taking off my shoes.

The menu is extensive. Don't be fooled by what they show online--that's only maybe an eighth of their menu! They have everything from traditional Japanese fare to super fusion-y food, like kimchi pizza. Dan and I opted for the more traditional options with a small twist.

We started with oyster shots and a seaweed salad. The oyster shots were by far the highlight of the meal. They dressed it with a citrus-y ponzu sauce and green onions and cilantro, etc, that made it so light and fresh tasting, and not heavy at all, as oysters are prone to taste. The seaweed salad was good too, but there was too much lettuce and not enough seaweed.

Next, they brought out our hamachi sashimi. The hamachi was good, also really refreshing (the lemons helped), and the texture wasn't quite melt in your mouth, but it was still good. (I think the best hamachi sashimi I've had was at Wayo, this little sushi place in SF.)

Then we had age nasu tofu. It wasn't quite what we expected--it was deep fried eggplant with deep fried tofu dressed with soy sauce grounded pork and green onions. The eggplant was much too oily, but the tofu was amazing. The flavor and texture were so smooth and silky (it wasn't fried for too long, because the outside was barely browned), I wished there was more than four pieces! The pork was good too--they had taken out the fatty parts, so we didn't feel too bad eating all that deep fried food. Haha.

Last we had the black cod with asparagus. This dish was good too, particularly the texture of the fish. The outside was crispy, the inside was buttery, and the sauce complemented it perfect, albeit a little on the salty side. It would've been perfect with white rice, but by that time we were too stuffed to order more.

Dan had really wanted me to try their Earl Grey creme brulee, but unfortunately they weren't offering it that night (though they had green tea creme brulee). It's okay though, because we went to Fremont later to get dessert with Jess. But that's for another post!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this place--if I get to go again, I would want to try their clay pot rice! And their fusion food.

Gochi Japanese Fusion Tapas
http://www.gochifusiontapas.com/
19980 West Homestead Road
Cupertino, CA 95014-0556

sprinkles cupcakes

Now, you may or may not know--I am not a big fan of cupcakes. *cues the collective gasp* Yes I know. It's tantamount to blasphemy, but I don't know! I just never understood the appeal.

Until I had Sprinkles.

I had heard of Sprinkles before (N had gone and enjoyed it, as well as various other people), but as I was in the Bay Area, I never got the opportunity (though I just learned there's an Palo Alto location. Still too far). I tried other cupcake places--Teacake, Kara's Cupcakes, etc.--it just didn't do anything for me.

But Sprinkles. Oh my goodness.

So my cousin Connie brought a box to church. "Eat one," she said. "I have too many!"

I resisted, but she already plopped on in my hands. Luckily (or so I thought) Dan said that he would eat it if I wouldn't. I watched him eat it without comment until curiosity got the better of me. "I want to try," I said, snatching it from him. And I'm so glad I did.

Connie had gotten the red velvet cupcake with a smooth cream cheese frosting and two circular candy sprinkle pieces. It was moist and had the best chocolate flavor, and the frosting was smooth and light. The cream cheese frosting balanced perfectly with the red velvet. I don't think I can adequately describe the sensation in my mouth.

I'm a believer in cupcakes now. No, I should rephrase that--I'm a believer in Sprinkles.

Perhaps it's a good thing that there aren't any locations nearby. I would not have enough self control.

No pictures because we ate that thing as though it would be our last taste of food. Please visit their website for their beautiful eye candy!

www.sprinkles.com