costco

costco

2 Chome-6 Sachiura, Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0003

tel: 0570-032-600

what was consumed: hot dog (100% pork here in japan) with lots of sauerkraut (no limit! just a vat of it next to the mustard!) and mustard; matcha and vanilla swirl soft serve.

i love costco. don't judge me. i understand that japanese don't really have the storage/space to buy in bulk; that said, costco is always packed (granted we usually go on the weekends). it's so popular that people will line up before opening time. every time we've been, we've made sure to get to costco at least 30 minutes before opening and yet it's already bustling with people by the time we get there. i don't get it. there will also always be those who are at costco just to ogle at how people will buy "in bulk"; photos are also taken (i sometimes want to as well. i mean, who needs 20 gallons of mac 'n cheese? well, i do, but that's besides the point!). costco is also great for their pre-prepared foods, which, in the case of japan, includes platters of sushi.

i will also note that the costco i've been to in korea, and now in japan, have at least one item on the menu that is a reflection of the local culture. in japan, it's the matcha soft serve. they took it off the menu for a little bit, but then brought it back. yay! the line for food is often 30+ people deep, even at 10:30am. you can bet that we've stood in that line. i can't not!

online: https://www.costco.co.jp/

the smith

the smith
1314 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
tel: 202) 250-3900

what was consumed: crab cake tots, kale caesar, daily special (fish and chips) ...

i passed the smith out on u street countless number of times, wondering what it was all about. japanese language partner and i decided to check it out. note: be sure to specify which of the 'the smith' locations you're meeting at so that you don't end up at the chinatown/penn quarter location while the other is at the u street location. just sayin'.

the smith has a pretty traditional american fare menu, imo. they do a good job with what they offer and the service is great. i do like that the u street location has a seating section that is inside, but outside at the same time (the street-facing wall of windows opens up! great feature). one don't miss thing, though, are the crab cake tots. if you're a fan, definitely grab the few bites that makes up this dish. the tot-shaped crab cakes, along with the dressing and the toppings, are super delicious bites!

online: https://thesmithrestaurant.com/location/u-street/

    

taco bamba

taco bamba
777 I (EYE) Street NW, Washington , DC 20001 
tel: 202) 289-7377

what was consumed: nachos, carne asada taco, mexican corn

looking for a yummy mexican place? chef victor albisu's taco bamba is definitely not one to miss! with a large variety of tacos (which you can customize!), you won't be disappointment. they're a little on the pricey side, but they're oh so delicious. taco bamba also offers other delicious bites in addition to tacos, for those who are not fans (who are you, btw!? NG!!!). for sure, check out the mexican taco. i was tempted to get more than one, but ... next time!

at least in the bar area, they had a small salsa bar which we used to garnish our tacos and nachos to our hearts content. mild, medium, and hot salsa were all available and all delicious. i only regret not having more room in my stomach to enjoy them more!

they also have HH options! be sure to ask about them (when we were there, they had a HH taco special and nacho special! in addition to beverages, of course.

note, though, that it can get really loud at taco bamba. my language partner and i had to yell in order to have a conversation, but that was ok. we enjoyed the music!

online: https://www.tacobamba.com/location/chinatown/

kung fu tea

kung fu tea
1529 Wisconsin Ave NW FL 2nd, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 813-3672

what was consumed: taro milk tea with bubbles and taiwanese fried chicken

coming from so.cal, where i've been drinking bubble tea since my childhood, i'm always happy to visit new places that offer delicious bubble tea. 

kung fu tea makes their drinks to order (i.e., they're not pre-packaged/pre-mixed), which is great. in fact, when you order, after you select which tea you want, you choose how sweet, how much ice, and what additional fixin's you'd like to add. my usual go-to is taro milk tea (and depending on my hunger, i'll order the tapioca pearls). they also have tapioca pearls that "explode" when you bite into them! i'll most definitely try those, next time.

i also like that kung fun tea has a few savory bites. in particular, i love the spicy taiwanese-style fried chicken. the szenchuan spice that's a part of the batter is delicious and will be a great complement to your tea.

the location i visited is also down the street from georgetown university. so, depending on when you go, the lines may be long thanks to all the co-eds. hahaha ...

online: https://www.kungfutea.com/

jinya ramen bar

jinya ramen bar
1336 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 588-8560

what was consumed: quinoa salad, jinya ramen, spicy ramen

is there such thing as too many ramen places? no, i say, no!

bjl said he'd seen jinya ramen coming to and from the gym. i was happy to accompany when he suggested we go there.

jinya is apparently one of many (there are locations across the country), which can be both good and bad. maybe they have a solid product? is their product so overproduced that it loses that which makes it special? is the authenticity lost? will it be like any of the other chains that we see? no matter - we still head over.

despite our early dinner dining habit (for reals, we prefer our dinner on the early side),  there was already a wait and jinya looked pretty close to at-capacity. we, of course, opted for two bar seats that just happened to open up as we walked up. yay!

jinya offers some more traditional/expected ramen options (e.g. shoyu, tonkatsu) along with some jinya specialities. what's more, some of jinya's ramens are served with thick noodles (verses the more common (dare i say traditional) think noodles). i might be a fan.

online: https://jinya-ramenbar.com/locations/detail/washington-dc-14th

din tai fung

din tai fung
3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (inside south coast plaza)
tel: 714) 549-3388

what was consumed: soup dumplings (both pork and crab), wontons in spicy sauce, shanghai rice cakes with chicken, steamed bok choy, and sea salt black tea to wash it all down

din tai fung in orange county? it is high time! apparently, i'm not the only one to think this way as the line to get on the list to wait for a seat at the south coast plaza location was out the door and around the corner (stacey and i took a chance and got in the significantly shorter "bar seat" line. stacey's a pro and we were sitting in under 30 minutes). funny to think that i've seen this delicious dim sum chain in so many different countries ... but it wasn't until i came home that i got to visit.

once stacey and i sat down, we quickly put in our order. all the soup dumplings please! or at least two orders (one for the each of us, split down the middle). and they were delish. inside each dumpling is some filling accompanied by broth. there is no such thing as taking a bite; you enjoy the entire dumpling as a whole. YUM. we also rounded out the dumpling menu with an order of some veggie dumplings in spicy sauce.

din tai fun also has other options, in case soup dumplings aren't your thing (but they should be. we will have to have a serious chat if they aren't). i'd definitely recommend the shanghai noodles. i love the rice cakes (similar to the kind they use for korean dduk-guk) in a soy sauce-base stir fried up with veggies and meat of your choice. i want to eat this dish (and soup dumplings) FOR-E-VER :P

online: http://dintaifungusa.com/locations_us/#orangecounty

classic rock coffee co.

classic rock coffee co.
#6-7, first floor, shaukat plaza, school road, F-6 markaz, islamabad
tel: 051) 873-6437

what was consumed: omelet, nutella french toast, bottomless (drip) coffee

yay for coffee and classic rock!

if you're looking for a fun place to brunch, put classic rock on your list! they have a nice selection of eats, along with fruit juices, smoothies, and coffees (including pour over - nice). and, really, you can't go wrong with a place that offers an all-you-can-drink drip coffee option (imo). the mexican omelet i ordered was really intersting, with the eggs inside of the bread. coupled with what seemed to be a cross between a tostada salad and nachos, it was a perfect meal with a bit of tex mex spice i had been looking for.

the slabs of bread that the pakistanis use here for french toast is different from what i'm used to, but a welcome surprised. and when topped with dollops of nutella, it's a delicious and sweet brunch option.

and be sure to pay attention to all of the little details they put in with the decor and music. classic rock lovers (loose definition, of course) will definitely appreciate all of the little things - the decorated walls, the guitar chairs, even the bathroom!

i didn't know that this islamabad location is just one of many. i'm glad to see that whoever it was that loved coffee and classic rock brought it here for us to enjoy. thanks so much!

online: http://classicrockcoffee.com/locations/islamabad-pakistan/

osulloc

osulloc
many locations, such as this one in insadong: 서울특별시 종로구 인사동길 45-1; also at 서울특별시 종로구 관훈동 170
tel: 02-732-6427

what was consumed: green tea! and green tea lattes and green tea ice cream. try the citrus lattes ... YUM.

tea seems to be a part of east asian culture, no matter which culture. in korea, green tea is one of the many popular teas and of the many brands, shops, and options that are available, there was always something about osulloc that called my name.

osulloc offers green tea and a slew of other tea beverages a la coffee shops (i.e., tea-based lattes, served hot and cold). their green tea is probably the most well known, and most enjoyed. they also have a slew of other teas, as well as green tea ice cream and a few other baked goods (like the green tea roll cake! yum). and be sure to also pick up some of their green tea spread, which is DELISH on shortbread cookies.

bjl and i went to osulloc's tea fields during our trip to jeju island. it's quite expansive and we could see how much care goes in to all of the tea production, as well as all of the other green tea products that result from osulloc.

also, as my time in seoul comes to a close, i thought it appropriate to end my seoul posts with memories of osulloc green tea. the creamy lattes, the subtle but fragrants scents of the teas, the delish ice cream ...

and so, in celebration, let's go get some ice cream :D

online: http://www.osulloc.com/

brooklyn the burger joint

brooklyn the burger joint
서울특별시 강남구 도산대로15길 12 가로수빌딩 1층; also at 서울특별시 강남구 신사동 540-11 가로수빌딩 1층
tel: 02-545-0718

what was consumed: burgers! try any of them that catch your eye. and, of course, cheese fries with bacon. and chili cheese fritos! omg, i haven't had those in ages.

i am all for a good burger (remember the Q8 burger challenge?), though, sadly, i haven't been able to find too many in seoul. the koreans like to add sweet sauces, and the like, probably to cut the grease (but the grease is so good!). so when kenny suggested burgers for dinner, despite having just eaten, i couldn't say no.

brooklyn the burger join is a throw back to diner-style eating, a la johnny rockets and other fine eateries (hahaha). we, of course, had to sit at the bar, which really was like the diner-style seating that you see in movies and that we now refer back to with hashtags (#tbt) as we remember the days of soda fountains and jukeboxes. hahaha. and, yes, they have kool-aid "on tap" (though not soda. that still comes in cans).

kenny and i opted for our usual: everything. a burger for each of us (mine was a classic burger with extra veggies. that's how you can tell, right? how good the burger is?). the buns were a little over powering (though that is usually my critique), but the patties were pretty hefty and well cooked, and the burgers came with quite a bit of fixin's and that make me happy.

and, seeing it on the menu, we couldn't resist but to order not only the cheese fries (with bacon. of course!), but the chili served with ... FRITOS. omg, i haven't had something like that since high school (so, a total throw back). i wish the chili came with cheese and a dollop of sour cream (you know. healthy) and MORE FRITOS. but that it's on their menu altogether and that the chili really was savory (no more sweet chili please!) was a huge welcome in my book. do you think they'll mind if i bring additional fritos with me next time? hehehe ...

it looks like they have some other locations, but kenny and i visited the location near sinsa station. no matter where it is, just go! yay for brooklyn the burger joint!

online: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-The-Burger-Joint/251660624869018

seoga & cook

seoga & cook
서울 종로구 동숭길 55 대학빌딩; also at 서울 종로구 동숭동 1-145 2층

tel: 02-6465-5080

what was consumed: steak salad, spicy seafood pasta, risotto ... YUM.

seoga & cook! while there are quite a few locations, i've only been to the one near hye-hwa station. with my family. after church. where our huge group would gather and stuff our bellies.

korean fusion american/italian food is sometimes not my favorite. but the fare at seoga & cook is pretty delish. the pasta is cooked well, the risotto is rich and creamy, the steak salad is ample is its portions (and with fries! though, really, you pay for it). so when you have a hungry crowd (or just a couple of growing teens), seoga & cook will def meet your needs.

seoga & cook is also good for bigger groups (we always had a table of at least 10 people. yes. i have a big family) and all of their dishes are served family style. but be sure to nab your share because for sure it'll be all gone by the time the plate comes back to you! YUM.

online: www.seogaandcook.com

noh-rang tong-dahlk (노랑통닭)

noh-rang tong-dahlk (노랑통닭)
서울특별시 서대문구 연세로11길 10; also at 서울특별시 서대문구 창천동 52-8
tel: 02-326-2292

what was consumed: fried chicken! mixed. and fried potatoes (to include tator tots. yeah!)

yay chi-mek! noh-rang tong-dahlk is one of my favorite places because they have a good fried chicken variety and include tater tots in their fried potatoes option. what's not to love?

the other thing i like about noh-rang tong-dahlk is that they have a super spicy option (in addition to the standard fried and sauce variation). there's something about the spiciness that cuts through the oil and makes the fried chicken so delicious. and spicy food is so yummy. they give you the option of getting one or all three, so go wild! and have some for me (at a location near you). YUM.