March Madness
Also means reduction in work productivity….
I surprise even myself that I can get so into college basketball as I have the last couple of years. It is a little insane, but the games can be so much fun. Ranging from pure ecstasy to sheer despair, I have experienced all the ups and downs. This is usually not what I like to subject myself to. On a normal, daily basis, I strive towards making my life a happier place and as low stress as I possibly can.
So why is it that I am allowing myself to stress out about this game on this day, Friday March 16th, 2012.
Moment of contemplation
This long weekend was a mix of doing nothing, to doing some things, but ultimately it was no great achievement in life. Ever since I started my new job, I have taken the fact that I have time on my hands again and turned it into an opportunity to pretty much revert back to my old grade school days.
Then again…I blame having a game to play on the Xbox. Ever since I got my hands on Final Fantasy XIII-2, it’s been hard to put it down. I just have this urge to plow through the game, rather than taking my time. Sort of how I approach life – go as fast as I can and grab opportunities as I pass them. However, I never stop and check out things around me. This has led to an expedited journey through my game, and my life in a way.
My time during the day and night disappear into the game itself. Every time I start playing, my day just disappears and I am left wondering what happened. My life has been on fast forward ever since I started college. I was determined to finish school in four years, no matter what. Followed by my first job in my career right out of college, and now I look at my last seven and a half years, I cannot believe how quickly it went.
Ironically, this fits well into the current game I’m playing (FFXIII-2) where the main objective is time travel.
Who else feels like their time has been on fast forward? Especially the last five or so years? Who would want to travel back in time to re-do things? Or just re-live it?
Having a hefty time..
Traveling for work usually means 2-3 pounds gained per week away. It is inevitable and I am feeling it. There will be a digest of what I ate during this last business trip. Until then…go Superbowl Commercials! 🙂
San Diego Restaurant Week 2012
It is time for San Diego’s Restaurant Week again starting this Sunday (1/15)!
Have you looked at the menus and booked ahead of time for your spot? 😉 If not, and you would LIKE to be seated between the hours of 6-8pm, I would suggest you get on it!
Here is the site for the list of participating restaurants: http://www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com/
Enjoy!
In the words of Billy Blanks, “When I say get on, you get on it!”
Taking a giant leap
Tomorrow, I will be embarking on the next chapter of my career as I start with a new company.
After spending three years at a global public accounting firm, I had come to a decision that it was time for me to strike out on a new adventure. Am I nervous? Yes, because of the unknown factor but I’ve gotten over such nervousness before and I’ll do it again.
Like everything else in life, I’ll take a deep breath, take that leap of faith, and believing in myself and my decision.
Food Truck Festival!
This Saturday (8/20), the Del Mar Racetracks will host its first Gourmet Food Truck Festival…HOORAY!!!!!!! I’m particularly excited because I missed the San Diego fest back in June due to travels, so I am NOT going to miss out on this one!
The festival will have trucks from San Diego, OC, and LA coming together for us to gorge ourselves senseless. You just need to get general admissions to the fairgrounds which is $6 for adults.
See the website here for more details:
http://www.delmarscene.com/events/gourmet_food_truck_festival.htm
Will be reporting back later this weekend! 🙂
Shimbashi Izakaya
This weekend was CP’s birthday and after much deliberation, I settled on a place I have been trying to get us to for some time – Shimbashi Izakaya. The restaurant is in downtown Del Mar, tucked upstairs, in a nook of the shopping area by the shores. Only reason why the restaurant came under my radar was because my fellow foodie co-worker had told me about it.
When we arrived on Saturday, the entire shopping area was packed, including Shimbashi. However, we were seated immediately for our 8:15pm reservation. The restaurant was simple and beautiful, though small so I would highly recommend having reservations especially during Saturdays.
As we settled down at our table, we flipped through the menu. I knew going in, that I wanted to try their sushi (naturally), but also their Paitan Ramen. Paitan broth generally is made from stock of boiled down pork (or chicken or both) bones, to give the “milky” and rich flavorful soup. A good broth takes a lot of time and patience, with just the right amount of spices, and so hard to find in San Diego. When I saw that Shimbashi had a “Paitan” ramen, I just had to try!
First up – the sushi! We ordered the Lobster Salmon Roll: Lobster, masago, and cucumber, topped with salmon, garlic oil, ponzu, sesame seeds, bonito flakes and red onions. Quite a mess of food, but my goodness! It was utterly melt-in-your-mouth delicious! I could not believe how one bite of this made me go: HOT DANG!
Fresh salmon, plus sweet lobster in my mouth was worth a squealing ovation. Then the bonito flakes contributed the salt in the equation, while the red onions gave it a little spice kick and was rounded out by the ponzu’s citrus. Great sushi roll!
CP ordered the Tempura Udon and take note that this bowl was quite small. Their portions for noodles were quite small (you’ll see mine). The udon was simply dressed with nori, scallions, and the cute little fish cakes. What I did like was that they kept the tempura off on a separate plate so that the batter would not get soggy. CP really like his udon and since I did not try it, we’ll just have to go with his word! I mean…it IS his birthday ;).
Here is my Paitan Ramen and boy was I excited when this came out! Take a look at that white, milky broth! However, here’s where my trepidations came: notice the lack of blobs of fatty oils that I would expect from a good paitan broth. With hesitation, I took a sip of the broth and was relieved to find it was quite good. Not to the level of the one (THE best one) CP and I had while in Hawaii, but still worthy of noting.
The broth was rich tasting and coated my mouth nicely, but the flavor did not overwhelm which I had hoped it would. The ramen noodles itself was the usual egg-based noodles that were cooked al dente. Accompanying the noodles were bean sprouts, bamboo, corn, boiled egg (not marinated), nori, chashu, and scallions. The accompaniments were good yet, the non-marinated egg made me a little sad. I love a good salted/tea egg.
We also had ordered some Chicken Karaage, and the reason why I don’t have a picture of it…it was terrible. Don’t bother yourself with this item. The chicken pieces were huge (by appetizer standards), the breading was flimsy and oily, and that whole dish was a hot mess.
Another issue I had with Shimbashi Izakaya was that their servers were not very good at working the floor. We were left completely unattended for a solid amount of time after the food was delivered by one server, and our waitress came to check to see if we were ok at that point. Well, of course we were. We just got all of our food with no issues, so naturally we were ok. After that point, our waitress (or any of the servers) failed to notice we had empty plates and empty drink cups. Also, CP and I had wanted to order more food, but it took the waitress too long to bring a menu, and then again too long to come and ask what we’d like, that we just decided to go since we had a movie to catch.
Other than that chicken mishap and sub-par service, CP and I had a lovely dinner. The sushi is definitely great and a must have when going to Shimbashi Izakaya. I would come back next time just for the sushi and also just over order because apparently that’s the only way one can ensure they get food.
Shimbashi Izakaya
1555 Camino Del Mar, Suite 201
Del Mar, CA 92014
Back from overseas!
Can you say sensory overload?? Well I think that is the best way for me to describe my time in China and Hong Kong. My trip was utterly amazing and exceedingly exhausting. The heat, humidity, and the unfamiliar…it was not a vacation, but an experience. Stay tune for my highlights!
Off to my next adventure!
Ladies and gents…I am off to my next adventure. I have been busily packing and wrapping up things here at work, plus it is during this time of the year where lots of events are going on as well. It has been quite hectic.
Am I ready for this vacation?…Most definitely YES! So where am I headed off to this time?…Here’s my itinerary:
Hong Kong
Beijing
Nanjing
Wuxi
Suzhou
Hangzhou
Shanghai
…then back to Hong Kong for more!
Yes! I am finally, FINALLY going back to where it all started. Needless to say I am completely and utterly ecstatic. This will be all unfamiliar and maybe a little familiar too. The next two and half weeks will be a whirlwind adventure.
So until then…再见! (See you soon!)
An ode to the work life
I was driving to work this morning, quite early actually and as I was radio channel surfing, I found Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” playing. I love this song for different reasons, but mostly because it perfectly sums up my relationship with work. I don’t exactly recall when this realization dawned upon me, yet once it did, it just all came naturally.
I want your ugly
I want your disease
I want your everything
As long as it’s free
I want your love…
Work, no matter where you go, there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. My work is no exception to this. And the work just spreads, like a viral disease that shows small symptoms at first and continues to fester until it consumes you completely. You think to yourself, “How am I going to survive?!” Yet, some part of you wants more. You want more and you want everything. Somehow, in that delusional state, you believe what you have earned isn’t necessarily free, but you DESERVE it because you’ve suffered (not just worked) for it.
I want you drama
The touch of your hand
I want your leather studded kiss in the sand
I want your love…
Oh the drama loaded situations we work through each and every day, and the things we do to minimize the level of drama is sometimes ridiculous.
The hand of the almighty…aka the powers that are a level above you can make things happen with just a wave of their hand or a mere touch, turns things into gold (figuratively).
…”leather studded kiss in the sand,” well just the sound of this makes me think it’ll hurt. Just like when I think about things I must do.
I want your horror
I want your design
‘Cuz you’re a criminal
As long as you’re mine
I want your love…
The horrors we have seen our colleagues go through, and the horrors we ourselves have survived through. I wish I had access to the grand “design” of this path, but where would the fun be? (You can’t hear my sarcasm, but I can assure you that it’s there.)
This work is criminal for the slow physical, mental, and emotional torment. However, as long as I am in it and have it, I want your kind of tough love.
I want your love and
I want your revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
I want your love and
All your lover’s revenge
You and me could write a bad romance
No truer words can sum it up than the words of Gaga.
Over the past 2 years, I have worked with some amazing people who have walked the same path as I. Some have had different experiences, yet majority had the exact experiences. Each of them have given me words of advice and I take them all to heart. To sum up the major points…
Enjoy the small things in your life that makes you smile.
Work may feel like it is consuming you, and you may be right, so remember how to enjoy and marvel at the world around you.
For a few seconds, to minutes, to days, to years…it doesn’t matter. Every instance counts.
Surround yourself with love, open yourself to the world, and you can find some peace amidst the chaos.
It’s still a long road ahead and I have to keep walking on it. Maybe I need to make another resolution…for my own sanity. I need to find my peace and I don’t have an answer right now, but I believe I’ll get to it and peace will be there.
Letter from a disgruntle customer…
Today was Father’s Day. My sister and I celebrated with our dad this morning before he had to leave for work. So it was just the 2 of us for dinner and we stepped into the local Mimi’s Cafe. We had such poor service that after we got home, I wrote a letter to Mimi Cafe’s corporate office…
To whom this may concern –
I am writing in regards to my recent dining experience at a Mimi’s Cafe in my neighborhood. Rarely have my dining experiences at Mimi’s resulted in significant issues, but tonight was a particularly busy Sunday evening. Granted it was Father’s Day and like any other restaurants, they have their holiday rush. As such, a customer would assume that a restaurant would be staffed appropriately in the back and front of the house, to accommodate for the increased holiday business. However, this was not the case recently at the noted establishment.
Including my own experience, I had noticed some issues from the surrounding tables by me. Firstly, the front of the house was severely understaffed and the back of the house was completely overwhelmed. We were seated approximately 10 minutes before the hostess had to come and offer to take our drink orders. Then it took another 10 to 15 minutes before we saw our waitress who had come to take our order. Whereas the table right next to us, who were seated after us, saw their waiter before us. During this time, I was watching other tables who were already seated with drinks, waiting for their food for an extremely long time. Therefore, I asked our waitress whether the kitchen was backed up. She admitted that it was and depending on what we ordered, it would be a wait, but she ensured us that she would put in our orders immediately.
Our food came at a timely rate, which was actually delivered by the waiter to the table next to us. Less than 5 minutes when our food arrived, our waitress checked in on us. Afterwards, I never saw her again even when we were obviously finished with dinner. I had to wave our waitress down after having her pass by us two times to other tables by us.
We were seated approximately 7:20pm, a party of 2 with an order of chicken cordon bleu and veggie sandwich, and we did not leave the restaurant until a little before 9pm. This was due to mostly to our inability to find a wait staff, then our own waitress.
For future added value to your customer experiences, I would recommend that each restaurant manager appropriately schedule their staff for holiday rushes. As most of the cafés I have visited are divided into sections, make sure each staff’s responsibilities are appropriately proportioned out to each section. Additionally, I would recommend that each restaurant manager periodically have a refresher over the company policy and customer relation. Although I am not completely knowledgeable in your company’s training, a good tone at the top should trickle down to the staff level. All levels of staff and management should be able to spot out customers who are obviously distressed, frustrated, and annoyed with their experience. Even though the restaurant chain is geared towards the middle market, this does not mean customers come and expect to be ignored; or have things go badly and no one acknowledging it.
We do not expect much, but this experience has soured my image of your restaurant and will make me rethink when I visit a Mimi’s Café. I will see if my perception changes with time, yet I will never forget this night in a negative nature.
Best.
Top Sushi!
It’s been so long since I’ve written a single thing here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been eating. I still remember to take pictures to keep a photo journal of all my yummy adventures!! And my adventures lately have been driven by either: 1. what I am craving for or 2. for convenience sake, due to work. Now that work consumes most of my time during the week, a good meal can go a long way for me!
My sushi consumption had increase three-folds since work started and I think I have a pretty good idea of what San Diego can offer me in sushi. Here are my top 3 picks:
1.) Sushi Ota – for the best and freshest fish, I would highly recommend ordering sashimi here. Their rolls are good too, but to truly appreciate the magic of fresh fish is to eat it unhindered.
This is what I get when I come to Sushi Ota because it’s just beautiful. A simple plate of 2 slices of each: tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. The fish melts in your mouth like butter and there’s absolutely no “fishy” smell or taste to them. Just soft, tender, buttery-like slices of the best sashimi-grade fishes.
When I took my mom to try the place, she ordered this beautiful arrangement of nigiris – cali roll, eel, shrimp, salmon, octopus, yellowtail, tuna, and mackerel. I didn’t want to eat her food, but she assured me that it was wonderful and better than the sushi restaurant my family’s always gone to. And responded somewhere along the lines: “See? Change is good!”
Now, when I went with my friends, we all ordered something different. I thought that they would give us individual plates of our orders like most places. However, Sushi Ota isn’t like most places…they put your table’s whole freaking order on one giant board!! It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Just look at that and tell me your eyes didn’t bulge out. I dare you.
And if you were wondering what we ordered: Crunchy roll (2), Caterpillar (2), Diego roll, and Shrimp tempura roll. We were VERY hungry…because before this feast, we also had…
We’re growing…adults.
2.) Miso Harney Sushi – funky and hip, the place to go for atmosphere and great rolls!
Who would’ve thought that a little cabin-like house in Old Town would serve good sushi rolls? Honestly, not me. That was until I finally tried Harney and was converted. I guess there can be good sushi amidst the land of burritos and tacos.
Meet…the stuffed tomato – fresh tuna wrapped around sushi rice, topped with crab and spicy scallop, and finished off with bonito flakes on top! I think they should have just skipped the rice part and gave me more of the good stuff! However, it was still delicious! My favorite part was actually the bonito flakes for the amusement factor. When you eat it, the flakes shrivel up and melt away. I loved that, because it was just a melt-fest!
I may not like the car, but I love Harney’s Rollz Royce. It was one of the most amazing rolls that has touched my taste buds yet. Inside: lobster tempura and cucumber. Outside: tuna sashimi, jalapeno, “money sauce”, ponzu & eel sauce. The lobster tempura added flavor and texture depth that shrimp tempura usually lose when you put it into a roll. I could eat this plus the stuffed tomato all the time! Except then my wallet would be in a very sad state, even if it’s worth it.
The Flaming Lip – tempura cali roll with cream cheese, topped with spicy mayo and jalapenos. My friend’s roll was my favorite presentation for a sushi roll of the night. I wonder if that plate was specially made for sushi because it’s just so cute that each piece has its own little cubby hold! These small details can help bring something from being good, to GREAT! I don’t remember trying this roll, so I will not speak for it.
These were the cutest caterpillar rolls and it made me wish all restaurants would do this. Although I’m not the biggest fan of this roll, I think the presentation itself would get me to eat it. Who wouldn’t want to eat these giant slugs? =D
3.) Cafe Japengo – simple rolls done right.
This place has been the Happy Hour hotspot for my work when I’m out at a particular client. It is because of all the happy hours, I have come to put the Rainbow roll as one of my favorite fall back sushi roll to have. My favorites are: the Rainbow roll, Hawaiian roll (California Roll topped w/ Spicy Tuna, Green Onion & Ponzu Sauce), and the Fifty-fifty roll (Inside – Crab & Cucumber; Outside – Rice topped w/ Fresh Salmon & Yellowtail, topped with slices of Lemon, Green Onion & Ponzu Sauce).
I unfortunately have been eating these rolls during happy hour or during a late night at work, so I chow down the food before remember to snap a shot. However, you just have to trust my word on it that this place is good. Once I get some pictures, I will share the goodness!
Well ladies and gents, that’s my soap box on sushi. There’s plenty of good fishes out there whether naked and on a board or dressed up and rolled up, it’s ALL good. So happy hunting and happy eating!
————–
Sushi Ota
4529 Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA
(858) 270-5670
Miso Harney Sushi
3964 Harney St, San Diego, CA
(619) 295-3272
Cafe Japango
3777 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA
(858) 552-1234
Fairness is not the game
Life doesn’t play by the rules of the game it seems…it just doesn’t seem to play fairly. Where’s the reff to raise that red card? Or throw down that flag?
The holidays are suppose to be a happy time for people. Luckily, it is for most…but for a few, it isn’t.
I lost a close friend of mine last week. It hurts. It hurts to think about it, I want to and sometimes I do cry when I think about it. Life is a circle, that I know. But it’s hard to accept when someone close to you, who had so much life left in her, and so much to give…suddenly cut short.
Just like that, everything that I thought made sense, suddenly seems gray again. Now, I’m just trying to do what I need to each day, but I wish I could call “Time Out” in this game. But Life doesn’t do time-outs.
*sigh*…
Wildfires
This will be quick and short:
If you live in ANY of the areas surrounding the wildfires, PLEASE get out! Better to save yourself and family, and DON’T take more then necessary! Remember, things can be replaced. Your lives cannot. So please stay safe.
Chaos of life
My sincere apologies…ever since the impending start of the semester (2 weeks prior to be exact), I’ve been going and doing EVERYTHING like a madwoman. This being my senior year, I am at the phase where I am actively looking for a job/career post-graduation. It is the scariest thing in the world to think that after 17 years of school (not including pre-K) that you are finally seeing that silver lining in the distance! I still can’t believe it, but I don’t have time to dwell on it though because I don’t have much spare time to do much of anything other than what I planned for the month, week, day, hour, or 15 minutes! Heck, even as I write this I am totally just forgoing my allotted time for my reading and writing for my class. *Sigh*
Plus, with everything that I’ve been doing, I rarely even get to eat out at places I would even write about. I mean, I do eat out every now and then, but it’s been more of a quick go and grab food than actually sitting and enjoying a good meal. It’s just hard right now to do that. I mean…it’s already hard enough to get to enjoy a meal with my family or friends.
I really do miss summer…
However, I do have something that I’ve been working on for this site and I will try to get it done and up soon…but don’t hold me to it! I have enough other pressures to meet deadlines and due dates. So please…no pressure, kay? I do want everyone to know that I do miss this blog a lot and wish I had more delicious stories to tell, but I really don’t. What I do have is a bitter dose of reality and life….maybe with a dash of surprise or something like that.
giving it a shot
I’m not sure how to start this blog at all, I’m not even sure if I should start this because I tend to neglect most of my internet creations. In the past, I’ve made about 4 websites, all of which are probably either deleted by the server (due to neglect) and/or lost in cyberspace…
Will this blog meet the same fate?!…Only time will tell I suppose!
So for the time being, I will try to post foods I eat around San Diego, homecooked food, baked treats, and anything else I find delightful!
May-chan
Delighted Palate 