National Ice Cream Day - Mochi Ice Cream

Happy national ice cream day everyone!  Even though it is very cold, gloomy and raining from summer thunderstorms (yes, in California), I will still be celebrating with scoops and scoops of ice cream - Mikawaya's mochi ice cream.

Mikawaya has a home store in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles,CA with a wide assortment of (natural) flavors, but this will take over an hour commute.  Asian markets such as Mitsuwa and even Zion Market are much closer and carry some of the more exotic flavors including my favorite black sesame (and red bean which is a close second), tiramisu and plum.  Each box is ~$3-4 and contain 6 pieces.

Black Sesame Mochi (my #1 favorite, two thumbs up)

For even more convenient access, my local Trader Joe's carries a few limited flavors (green tea, strawberry, mango and chocolate) for a set price of $3.49.  My local Ralph's also carries a few flavors but retails for ~$5-6, so I am more than willing to drive the extra mile to TJs where I can pick up ~2 boxes for the price of 1.

Green Tea, Mango, Strawberry, Chocolcate Mochi

Since I picked up 3 boxes of mochi, I resisted the temptation to pick up some of TJ's coffee ice cream or other goodies.  Trust me, it took a lot of willpower.

Lots of ice cream options at TJs

Mango, Green Tea, Black Sesame

 I celebrated with some black sesame, mango and green tea mochi ice cream... Hooray for national ice cream day (aka great excuse to run out and buy more ice cream)!

Tomikawa Sushi Bar - Reverse Happy Hour (Irvine, CA)

Since my pots and pans were still in moving boxes, I used it as a good excuse to go on another late night dinner adventure.  It was ~840pm and many restaurants were closing soon at 9pm.  Luckily, Tomikawa Sushi Bar in the Cypress Village Shopping Center was still open till 10:30 so there was plenty of time to eat and even better, they have a reverse happy hour starting from 8:30 until closing.  

Tomikaya Sushi Bar had very trendy, modern decor with bar seating with TVs for sports as well as high tables and also table booth seating.  It was packed with diners even at this later hour (including families with children) who were also taking advantage of the Happy Hour menu.  

There was an assortment of sake, Japanese beer, wine and martini options to unwind with on the late night happy hour :

Reverse Happy Hour Food/Dessert Menu

Reverse Happy Hour Drinks Menu

Large Sapporo Beer 22oz ($5.95, vs $7.95 full price)

In addition to the sushi rolls, there were many sushi and sashimi choices including sea urchin (uni), tuna, salmon and albacore.  Not the best sushi/sashimi but was very well priced for HH (~$3 for 2 pieces).

Albacore (Saba) and Salmon Sushi ($3 for 2 pieces vs. $6 full price)

There were also appetizers options, and the salmon kama (collar) that I ordered came out well cooked and juicy.  It came with a ponzu sauce concoction on the side, but I didn't need it since it was already delicious on its own.

Salmon Collar ($4.95 vs. $6.95 full price)

The sushi rolls were actually a full roll (not half roll as with some HH promotions), but smaller in size than a typical roll.  Pretty decent quality and quantity considering the price and value.

Rainbow Roll ($7.50 vs. $10.95 full price)

Heart Attack Roll ($4.95 vs $7.95 full price)

Also ordered the nabeyaki udon (not on the happy hour menu).  The hot udon came out in an earthen pot and was very tasty, although not in the traditional sense as served in izakaya-type places. Comes with shrimp tempura, chicken, egg and assorted veggies.

Nabeyaki Udon (~$10, not on reverse HH)

The reverse happy hour menu was pretty extensive considering they have a lot of options for drinks, appetizers, sushi and sashimi, sushi rolls and desserts.  You could pretty much order drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts solely based on the reverse HH menu, which I'm sure some sushi-loving families were there for (minus the alcoholic HH drinks).  For all the items that I ordered (which was quite a lot even for 2 people), the bill was only ~$40 (including the non-HH nabeyaki udon).  This would also be a great place for a group of friends and co-workers, and I will definitely be back for the reverse HH especially for the salmon kama! 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Cost: $ (for reverse HH)

Service: 4 out of 5 (even though it was busy for HH our server was very attentive)

Recommendation: Yes (but can't speak for non-HH)

Tasty Garden (Irvine, CA)

I have been looking for a Hong Kong / Cantonese style cafe in Irvine for awhile, but there doesn't seem to be too many in this area.  I saw there was previously a KoKo's Cafe that has now been closed down.  After some searching, I stumbled upon Tasty Garden (which also has locations in Arcadia and Westminister).  

True to the typical cafe environment, Tasty Garden was loud and bustling.  It is a fairly large restaurant with tables set up closely next to each other (with no defined wall barriers). Many different conversations mingled together as groups of families and friends energetically went about their discussions.

I ordered a two very popular dishes - beef chow fun, black pepper fish fillet and a veggie dish. I also ordered a standard cafe drink, lemon ice tea which comes with free refills.

Lemon Ice Tea (with free refills), $1.75

With Chinese cuisine, a meal usually consists of a few dishes that is shared by the family.  Following this tradition, the dishes came  out in large portions in a family-style size for sharing. 

Beef Chow Fun ($8.50)

However, much to my disappointment, the chow fun turned out to be quite bland and oily.  Each strand of noodle ended up coating my lips with a thick gloss of oil.  Adding some hot sauce did enhance the flavor a bit.  

Black Pepper Sole Fillet ($10)

The sole fillet also came with some steamed vegetables and black pepper sauce.  The fish was pretty well cooked, but the main flavor of the sauce failed to deliver the black pepper taste.

Ong Choy with Bean Curd Sauce ($10.50)

The veggie dish I ordered - ong choy with bean curd - was okay. Surprisingly (since veggies should cost less than fish or beef, right?), it came out in a much smaller portion.  It tasted alright with some bean curd flavoring,  but did not look as fresh as I would have liked.

The main dishes were reasonable priced considering the large portion size.  The vegetable dish turned out to be more expensive than either one of the main dishes.  After this meal, I'm not sure if I will be returning unless I had a strong craving for a Cantonese cafe dish.  Perhaps I didn't order the right dishes that day.  Luckily for this restaurant, they do offer a large variety of menu options and it is the only true cafe  I have found so far in this area.  But with the demand for HK style cafe (considering the popularity and large groups of people there), I wonder... why are there so few in the Irvine/OC area?

Rating:  2.5 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5
Price: $$ 
Recommend: No

Fitness: FitBit Flex Activity Tracker

Every year, I hope to develop and stick to a good fitness routine, eat healthier and maintain a stable weight.  It doesn't sound too hard at first, but my hectic work schedule and my insatiable food cravings somehow take over and I find myself adding a few extra LBs each year.  It is too easy to fall into the slippery slope of more calories added >>>>> more calories burned.

I heard about the popular Fitbit activity tracker (aka fancy pedometer) and almost immediately ran out to buy it. I needed some motivation and maybe this Fitbit gadget will hold me more accountable to my (ongoing) goal.  I did read some online reviews first and many reviewers seemed to favor it over other popular and similar items (e.g., Nike fuelband, Jawbone, etc.) for convenience, user-friendliness, etc..  Although the clip-on alternative Zip was more affordable ($49 at Walmart), I chose to purchase the Flex because of the wristband feature.  

Fitbit Zip ($49 at Walmart)

I got my Fitbit Flex at Walmart for the full price $99, but looking back I should have bought it at Costco ($97, here) where it is slightly cheaper, has an excellent return policy, and also comes with 2 additional colored bands ($20-$30 value).  It would have added some nice variety (and better outfit coordination) instead of the single blue band that it came with. This is where I recommend all my friends to get theirs!  (Update: Walmart now has the Fitbit for $88 with one colored wristband.)

Fitbit Flex ($97 at Costco)

Adding friends (via email address) and enrolling into 'challenges' (e.g., work week hustle, daily showdown, weekend warrior) has been very motivating to reach my daily 10K step goal.  Some of my friends are more active so reaching the 10K goal is no problem, but for me I usually have to put in a considerable amount of effort. When I see them creeping up to my # of steps or if I am way behind, I find the willpower to take more stairs at work, park my car further, and hit the gym or take a walk after work.  Honestly, there are some days that I am too tired and stagnant between 6-8K steps/day, but for most daysso far I have been meeting the 10K at least 4-5x/week!  So far it has already been a drastic improvement than my previous (lack of) routine... lets hope this will be ongoing routine.  Wish me luck!

Coffee Addict : Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Happy Hour

I jumped with joy when I found out about Coffee Bean's Happy Hour promotion : 50% off ALL ice blended drinks during 3-5pm until August 2nd!!  CBTL does a great job with their drinks and always deliver a fresh and aromatic blend of coffee or tea.  Their specially crafted drinks can be quite pricey, but in these hot summer months, an icy cold drink is more than well worth it. 

My favorite ice blended drink that I discovered from my recent visit:

Ice Blended Coffee (+ Cookies + Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans)

If you also love a scrumptious combination of coffee + cookie + dark chocolate and can handle an extra jolt of caffeine, I highly recommend the ice blended coffee with the add-on of cookies and espresso beans.  (Warning: very delicious, but lots of sugar, lots of cookie bits, lots of caffeine... and also quite pricey.)  I do find it quite expensive for a beverage.. It is almost ~$6 with the additions and even as good as it is hard to justify the price, but with the special it was a more affordable ~$3.    

I will definitely be coming back during their promotion period.  It might be hard to stray from my tried and true favorite, but I may use the Happy Hour to try out some of the other ice blended coffees... maybe I will find another favorite drink! 

Rating:  4.5 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Price: $$ (for beverage)
Recommend: Yes

Tang 190 (Irvine, CA)

After a long day of running errands, I visited the popular Korean restaurant "Tang 190" for a hearty meal to re-energize and refuel.  I had come to this place a few times before during the peak lunch/dinner time and put my name on a long waiting list, but didn't have the willpower to endure the wait. This time I had come later in the evening (~845pm, 45min before closing time) and luckily there were a few empty tables.  

Typical to the usual Korean meal, several side dishes including kimchi and picked radish were served alongside the main meal.  These side dishes were homemade and delicious, and I was even more eager for the main dishes.

Korean side dishes - comes with the meal 

The menu had different soups and also a few non-soup options (pork cutlet plate, bulgogi and calimari hot pot, pork and kimchi wraps). I have ordered bulgogi bibimbap at other Korean restaurants before which was very delicious, so the calimari bibimbap was intriguing.  Also, the table to the left and the table to the right both had ordered it... so that means it has to be good, right? 

Nak Ji Dol Sot (Calamari Rice Plate), $12.99

Some restaurants serve the bibimbap in just a regular bowl and some serve it in a hot clay bowl.  Tang 190 served it in a sizzling hot clay pot with a small bottle of sesame oil.  I drizzled some of the sesame oil as I mixed the over easy egg, assorted vegetables (the onions were so fragrant), spicy calamari and rice.  Each bite was even more delicious as I ate it in the hot clay pot which continued to sizzled for the next 10-20 minutes and stayed warm afterwards.

Yuk Gae Jang (Spicy Beef Soup), $10.99

Since I was starving, I had also ordered the traditional spicy beef soup which comes with a bowl of rice.  The soup was very hot (the temperature was presumably 190 degrees given their name) and had a small amount of glass noodles which absorbed the broth flavor well.  Although it only had a few small pieces of beef brisket and some assorted green onions and veggies, the soup was very flavorful.  But for the price, I wished it was more filling and that it came with a bit more meat and veggies in it.  But overall, it was a very hearty meal and what I would imagine authentic Korean "comfort food" to be. I will be back to try some of their other soup options!


Rating:  4.5 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Price: $$
Recommend: Yes

Class 302 Cafe - Shaved Snow (Irvine, CA)

This past weekend was hot and humid (high 90s, phew!!).  Summer has definitely arrived in the OC!  To cool off, I went in search for an icy cold treat and found myself salivating for the shaved snow dessert at Class 302 Cafe (which offers a plethora of Taiwanese food/snacks, drinks and desserts).  

What is shaved snow?  Don't confuse it with Hawaiian shaved ice or ice cream or gelato, because it is a different type of dessert in its own right. It is light and fluffy in texture, and just like its name, it is flavored snow that melts easily with each spoonful. What's even better is that it has less calories than ice cream which means less time at the gym later.  

There is the option to pick from several snow flavorings (such as green tea, mango) and toppings (such as red bean, egg pudding, boba) or choose from ones already created.  I opted for 'taro shaved snow' since it has flavored milk snow (not too sweet) that pairs well with large chunks of fresh taro, mochi dumplings (not the pre-packaged kind) and red bean toppings.  It's too bad they do not offer different size options ... there is only one size (which is pretty large and can be shared by at least 2-3 people) and one price (~$8 per plate).  

Class 302 Cafe : Taiwanese Taro Red Bean Shaved Snow

It seems there are more and more places are popping up lately in SoCal making it much easier to find.  Overall, Class 302 is definitely better than other places I've tried including Fluff Ice, Snow Station, Icekimo, just to name a few.  I would say it is almost as good as my top rated Blockheads Shavery in LA and now much closer to access... I will definitely be back!  


Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Service: 3.5 out of 5 (average for asian restaurant)
Price: $ (only if sharing)
Recommend: Yes