carmela ice cream cools down pasadena one spoonful at a time

perhaps you cool down by diving into a pool, but for fatties like me, i just eat ice cream...and lots of it....wearing my shorts....with my sandals on so i can get that thong strap tan on my feet that i sooooo love to top off my summer look. so naturally, when delicious sounding ice cream joints pop up on my radar such as cathy's post about carmela ice cream in pasadena, i was totally hooked in to try. i.want.that.salted.caramel.dangit.

the flavors they have are rather extensive and they do allow you to have a taste of their various offerings, but after the 3rd tiny spoonful, my asian guilt settled in and i stopped myself from tasting all eleven flavors. i also recommend that you go earlier rather than later because as you can see, the last thing you want is a bold mean line running across the flavor you craved. sucka.

they do sell other goodies...cake pops, ice cream sandwiches, and other cakey sweets....

but the real deal, the cold calling that lead me to pasadena was their handmade, organic dairy ice cream. i decided to get one scoop which they then allowed me to split into two flavors and got the salted caramel on the bottom and the brown sugar vanilla bean on top. and to take this sweet deal to the next level, they make this crazy delicious waffle cone/waffle in a cup that gives you a most buttery crunch when you bite it.

i really enjoyed spooning my ice cream from the bottom up, mixing the two flavors together. but the best bite of all was a piece of sweet waffle slightly softened by the melted ice cream with a bit of blended salted caramel and brown sugar vanilla bean still clinging to it. but i warn you, eat this delicious yet rich ice cream in moderation lest you want some engorged fat cells clinging to your chunky thighs as well. that is all.

Carmela Ice Cream
2495 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 797-1405

www.carmelaicecream.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

yujean kang's in pasadena packs a surprising punch

when i think of pasadena, i don't think of eats. i think of robin's egg blue boxes, apples, and old ladies thinking they will be forever 21. but an invitation from diana brought danny and my belly out to pasadena for a media tasting at yujean kang's gourmet chinese cuisine which promptly changed my mind about what i can eat in pasadena...and how much food my belly can actually hold...oh dear!

first off, i can eat yujean kang's crispy tofu rolls with chicken and mustard greens. the tofu skins had a slight chew to them when fried and are not similar in texture to fried egg rolls. in my heart of hearts, i wanted to believe they were healthier because of the tofu skin. yes?

the shrimp and garlic chives dumplings wrapped in traditional wheat starch skin. the dumplings looked like little doves nestled in their bamboo nest and will perch nicely on your pair of chopsticks before taking flight into your mouth.

the four season dumplings was another yummy appetizer. each pocket was filled with a different ingredient; chopped celery, tomato, wood ear mushrooms, and egg which offered a distinctly different taste based on the orientation of your bite. fun.

yujean kang's hot and sour fish chowder was absolutely AMAZING. this version was tangy, tart, and chunkalicious with fish sans the neon brown look that most hot and sour soups are known for. THIS is the perfect soup to nurse a cold or to accompany any meal. i want to go back for more!

we also nibbled on their braised black cod with soy, garlic, and scallion with baby bok choy.

and chomped on their sauteed jumbo prawns with smoked diced black cod. this dish was well seasoned and the smoked diced black cod was an addictive addition. i used my expert chopstick skills to pluck each and every piece of diced cod before inhaling my prawns.

another stellar dish was their slow cooked pork belly with tofu knots and dark mustard greens. the unctuous nature of the belly and the sweet notes from its caramelization brought just enough savory/sweet decadence to my scoop of fluffy jasmine rice. delicious and a must order!

their spicy scallops with glazed walnuts (normally prepared with prawns), was delightful to eat. each piece of glazed walnut from this dish was like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae because of the delightful burst of sweetness.

mei gan which is a dried, spongy veggie. an interesting texture for the mouth and a definite first for me.

then we partook in a hot cup of tea, asian style with the cup cap and all to keep the contents hot. the best thing about eating at chinese restaurants is the soothing cup of tea to wash all the food down.

and before i knew it, i indulged in their delicious dessert plate; mandarin orange cheesecake with passion fruit sauce and red bean pancake with coconut sauce. each bite had the perfect balance of sweetness and was a wonderful way to end our meal.

yujean kang's chef/owner kept true to traditional chinese flavors but was thoughtful in tweaking certain aspects of his dishes to make even someone like me who grew up on home cooked chinese meals rather interested in coming back. and with a huge wine list, i'm DEFINITELY coming back.

Yujean Kang's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine
67 N. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 585-0855

www.yujeankangs.com

verdict: tasty, try it!

hawai'i: side street inn for a greasy kiss

our last big meal in oahu was spent at side street inn which is known for their late hours, kimchi fried rice, fried pork chops, and a full bar. although eager to eat after a successful day of shopping (i am a gal. i am genetically programmed to shop), i was not ready for the huge portion sizes dished out by this eatery in ala moana. oh woe is me, my fat belly and all.

the ice tea was sweet and refreshing.

colin's homemade oxtail soup ($14) served with nori musubi reminded me of my mom's own homemade soups. this medly of daikon, shiitake mushrooms, and pieces of tender oxtail was a most comforting reminder of my momma as we took sips of this savory brew.

we were told their pan fried island pork chops ($22) was a local favorite so we promptly ordered it. one bite left a greasy kiss on my lips and a lump in my belly. although tasty as all fried things are destined to be, these particular fried pork chops were massive and provoked a sense of guilt that only eating a slice of triple layer chocolate cake can rival.

since they were out of their infamous kimchi fried rice, we ordered their side style famous fried rice ($12) which we were told was their o.g. rice dish. again, tasty, yet greasy. not another greasy kiss i thought...but kiss i did. in fact, the whole meal felt like i was making out with a greasy faced sumo wrestler. not hot. not at all.

Side Street Inn
1225 Hopaka St.
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 591-0253
sidestreetinn.com/

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

hawai'i: infamous coco puffs at liliha bakery

opened since 1950, liliha bakery has become an integral part of the oahu food scene. their infamous coco puffs even made a cameo on the cbs t.v. show, hawaii five-0, which fueled a resurgence of coco puff lovin' and skyrocketed these pastries into super puffy stardom.

although their puffs placed liliha on the dessert map for those living outside of the aloha state, it should also be noted that they offer more than just their coco puffs which can be seen here

and here

and here too.

but similar to the man in line in front of me who bought 16 boxes of coco puffs to place in his cooler before his flight back to seattle, i knew I HAD TO TRY these darling looking coco puffs for myself.

so i got four coco puffs for us to try. two chocolate ones, the regular coco puff, and the green tea coco puff. and just as quickly as i bought the puffs, they went *puff* in the air as we expertly knocked down each one in rapid succession, not once acknowledging our bulging guts.

because the lovely element about this coco puff was the salty chantilly icing on top which contrasted beautifully with the chocolate filling inside. a definite crowd pleaser as you will see once you do a little more research for yourself. as for me, my most favorite puff of all was not the original but rather the green tea one which offered strong matcha flavors that tempered the overall sweetness of the puff.

and before we left, we bought a box of original coco puffs to give to a relative we were going to meet up that night. and as we presented this box to her, the first thing she said was "ahh, you went everywhere didn't you. you go where the locals go..." which made me sigh happily inside because after a 6 hour plane ride across the pacific ocean, the last thing i wanted to do was eat where the locals won't touch with a ten foot pole. not to mention, these puffs were dang good, too.

Liliha Bakery
515 N. Kuakini St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 531-1651

lilihabakeryhawaii.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

hawai'i: giovanni's aloha shrimp truck gives you delicious garlic breath stank

this truck looks busted.

but admittedly, it serves some hoppin' delicious skrimp amongst all the shrimp trucks lined up in oahu's north shore.

giovanni's aloha shrimp truck is easily located by the use of a gps (a godsend when you're driving around hawai'i). their menu is concise and basic because you get skrimp, or you get skrimp...and maybe a hot dog, but i'm not sure why you're going to get a hot dog at a shrimp truck.

the shrimp scampi ($13) was pretty DERICIOUS. huge skrimps swaddled in a garlic butter sauce dotted with finely chopped garlic accompanied by two scoops of rice. although simple and probably replicable in your own home, i can see why you would want to drop by giovanni's if you so happen to crave shrimp and you so happen to be in north shore. i sure did.

on the other hand, their hot and spicy ($13) shrimp was pretty terrible. the hot sauce turned out to be dominated by this vinegar funk which gave these shrimps a very one noted flavor profile. i am not a fan of eating things that taste like vinegar. to add insult to injury, there is a a warning for it on the menu board "very hot. no refunds." omg, bye, bye $13.

before we headed back to our hotel, i HAD to stop by ted's bakery for their infamous chocolate haupia cream pie which is also located in north shore. oh boy, thick, decadent, chocolatey, with a whisper of coconut haupia in the mix. oh dear, how i wish they had a storefront here!

we also picked up a slice of ted's pineapple cheese pie because we had visited the dole plantation earlier that day so i still had prickly pineapples on my mind. though this slice was delicious, it was pretty clear to me that the chocolate haupia pie was the be all and end all dessert in hawai'i. in fact, i think i will be dreaming about the chocolate haupia tonight.

ted's bakery also serves bento boxes and various lunch items which were delicious. alas, we were hungry and scarfed them down before i could take pics. just another reason for me to head back with my belly and my camera. good times!

Giovanni's Aloha Shrimp Truck
66-472 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712
(808) 293-1839

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

Ted's Bakery
59-024 Kamehameha Hwy
Haleiwa, HI 96712
(808) 638-8207

www.tedsbakery.com/

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

hawai'i: spamming at mitsu-ken

like the guy you never thought you would end up falling for...maybe too short, too fat, too hairy, farts too much...i too, didn't think i would fall for spam as hard as i have. oh man SPAM. canned meat pumped full of sodium?! who would have thunk that i would be so smitten by gelatinous pink meat in a can...but that was before i had my first taste of spam musubi about 10 years ago so visiting hawai'i was as much about searching for relaxation as it was about looking for the perfect bite of spam musubi.

with this mission in mind, we were lucky to have found mitsu-ken early into our trip, thanks to a quick tweet from julian informing me about this small stand across the street from helena's. but after such a heavy meal at helena's, my first visit to mitsu-ken was a tentative one so i walked away from this tiny storefront with only one spam musubi in hand.

but literally, after one hefty bite of the spam musubi, a tidal wave of regret rushed in. why didn't i get more? how am i suppose to share just one? does d really need a taste? can we head back there now? WHY THE HECK DID I JUST BUY ONE I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!

so the following day, i was determined not to deal with food regrets from the day before. i picked up a mitsu-ken bento ($6) which consisted of garlic chicken, teri beef, a slice of spam, half a hot dog, egg omelet, and rice with furikake on top for lunch. everything on the plate had a sweet note to it, but since i tend to like sweet/savory foods, this whole bento box was right up my alley. EXTREMELY delicious.

and of course, the spam musubi ($1.25). it was everything i wished a spam musubi would be. it had the right amount of rice (not too much, not too little) and the right amount of saltiness and sweetness from the spam and soy sauce. although relatively easy to make, the "perfect" spam musubi bite can be rather elusive, but mitsu-ken smacked these flavor profiles right on the head. all you have to do is look at my leaning tower of spamisa to see how much i adored them.

sun, sand, spam. i'm hella coming back to this one! and next time, we're doubling up the spamisa to 10. ha! :0

Mitsu-Ken
1223 N. School Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 848-5573

price: $
verdict: holy shit!

hawai'i: the crack seed store supplies me with good crack

it was just a matter of time before this crack whore found herself in front of THE crack seed store in honolulu. yeah, it might have taken a 6 hour plane ride and flying over the pacific ocean to do so, but once she stood in front of the doors of this tiny temple that glorified all that was crack seed, it was GAME OVER. her slitty eyes immediately zoned in on the rows and rows of glass jars that housed the crack she had long been searching for.

she was overjoyed that the savory crack seeds were aplenty, the legal kind that can't be smoked, shot up the arms, nor snorted lest you want to deal with a big plum seed stuck uncomfortably in your left nostril. because dahlings, crack seed, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is a preserved asian "candy" a.k.a. preserved plum that is typified by salty, sweet, and sour flavor profiles. li hing mui would be the powdery form of crack seed and is utilized most commonly on fresh or dried fruits to provide a contrast to the said fruit's natural sweetness. once eaten and appreciated, these crack seeds are truly addictive, befitting of its name.

crack jars. lovely, lovely, crack jars.

before long, her eyes rested on this glorious green shelf laden with THE THINGS she flew so far for, li hing mui covered gummies. powdery li hing mui covered sour patch kids, green apple gummies, watermelon gummies, sour belts and the like...totally sweet, yet totally sour. loves.

her mouth puckered in anticipation, knowing that each piece of li hing mui covered gummy will taste even better than the last and with giddy anticipation, she ended up buying enough bags to put her over her carry-on limit.

this crack seed store is also known for their li hing mui icee which is a regular icee mixed with a spoonful of li hing mui juice. the salty flavors mixed well with the typically sweet icee flavors.

and how grand was it for her to find a little crack seed in the midst of this refreshing red sea? she was happy. this crack, ain't whack she says and with one hefty sip and a bag full of li hing mui gummies, she bade the crack seed store a fond farewell and swore to come back again. and she will.

The Crack Seed Store
1156 Koko Head Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-1022

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!