Mother's Day Ecards

If you've yet to flag Mother's Day (it's about a week away) on your Blackberry, desk top calender or personal planner, then think of today's post as the gentle reminder! That is, that it's time to go out and find the perfect gift for the woman that gave you life!

If, like me, you don't live in the same state or country as your mom, you have a couple of days to get that snail mail card in the mail, or to go online and order a bouquet for mom.

Or, you can skip the post office and online shopping all together and just send her one of these free electronic cards!

For the Top mom. You know she's the best, and Mother's Day is the perfect time to make sure mom knows it too! This delicate watercolor ecard gives you enough space to list all the reasons your mom is top dog!

From Punch Bowl.

For the Artsy Mom. Choose from one of her favorite art works or just send her a simple "I love you" courtesy of Louise Bourgeois.

From MoMA.

For the Mom who has it all. She still has her good looks and health, and more importantly, she has you as her kid- enough said.

From Hipster Cards.

For the Animal Loving Mom. She's your mama bear!

From The Nature Conservancy.

For the Mom that doesn't mind favoritism (or a good laugh).

From Someecards.

Little Tokyo Gastronomy Tour

One of the highlights of my friend's visit to LA was a gastronomy tour that we took of Little Tokyo. Having lived in LA for about 5 years, it is a little embarrassing that I have never stepped foot into Little Tokyo. So this Six Taste Little Tokyo tour was the perfect chance to rectify the situation and get some yummy Japanese cuisine in my belly.

Before our tour began, our tour guide Bryan ran us through what we could expect and some small rules and guidelines. I heard two things- 1. there will be a lot of food today! This is a gastronomy tour so pace yourself and 2. do not be shy, if you want seconds, don't hesitate. In typical Nic style, I chose to ignore the first and follow the second.

Green Tea Mochi Mochi (Left) and Melon Pan (Right)

Other baked goods from Yamazaki Bakery

While we were standing around getting to know each other, Bryan passed around some treats from Yamazaki Bakery - merompan or melon pan and green tea mochi mochi (and yes, you have to say mochi twice). The melon pan is a sweet Japanese bread that is reminiscent of Mexican sweet bread with a sort of crispy cookie dough layer on top. Despite its name, melon pan does not taste like melon but its name was derived from its melon-like shape. According to Bryan, the melon pan is an example of Eastern influences on Japanese baking. The mochi mochi on the other hand is a classic Japanese treat. Made from pounded rice, the mochi mochi had an addictive chewy texture to it and I appreciated that the flavors were not shove-in-your-face obvious but more subtle and sweet.

Our first stop on our gastronomy tour was Oiwake. There we were served beef tataki (seared filet mignon slices on top of ponzu slivered onions), gyoza (fried pork and vegetable dumplings served with a chili soy sauce) and some California rolls. The tataki was nicely seared, the ponzu sauce was perfectly sweet and the onions helped cut the rawness of the beef. On the other hand, I was not impressed by the gyoza (which were limp and soggy) or the California rolls (truth be told, I don't think a California roll can ever be impressive in my book).

While at Oiwake, Bryan ran through some basic Japanese eating etiquette, all of which I already knew. However, I welcomed the reminder to not de-splinter my wooden chopsticks at the table (an insult to the chef) and to dip only the raw fish portion of my sushi in the soy sauce and not the rice or the ginger (which is meant to be a palate cleanser between fishes).

We next visited Fugetsu-Do, a small traditional Japanese sweet shop that has been around since 1903. There we sample little cubes of fruit flavored mochi and I found myself gravitating toward the lemon flavored one which deliciously chewy was not overpoweringly lemony.

One of the thing I love most about Japanese culture is their emphasis on presentation. I remember on one of my first trips to Japan, I found that all stores would gift wrap your purchases for free and all you had to say was "presento" and nod/bow a couple of times throwing in a few "hi's" here and there. It must be said that no one does gift wrapping quite like the Japanese. (NB: now this "presento" trick could have been entirely false. For all I know, the workers in the stores could have just been having a good laugh at the silly little foreign kid in their store, but the point is, that's how I remember it :D)

This emphasis on presentation also applies to their food as evident in how it is packaged and presented in neat little boxes all gussied up ready for purchase. How can you say no to something like looks so pretty. If you've ever been to Japan or just the Narita airport and visited a couple of food stores, you'll know what I mean.

Sakuramochi- Tokyo style (Left) and Kansai style (Right)

Anyway I digressed a little there, but my point was that everything looked so pretty, my friend and I could not help but purchase some additional sakuramochi to go- mochi, sweet azuki bean paste (red bean paste) wrapped in sakura or cherry blossom leaves. We bought a Tokyo style sakuramochi (which is made rice flour) and a Kansai style sakuramochi (which is made using glutinous rice flour). I loved the saltiness of the pickled sakura leaves and how they brought out the sweetness of the red bean paste. Personally, I preferred the Tokyo style sakuramochi as I felt that the glutinous rice flour was a little too much competition for the overwhelmed azuki.

Munching on our sakuramochi, we were next led to Wakasaya where we sat down for a negitoro don (raw tuna bowl) served with some dashimaki (rolled omelet) and nori (seaweed) and a small portion of hot udon noodles. The negitoro was very fresh and had the right mix of o toro and chew toro to make it just fatty enough. I had my negitoro don with a little sprinkling of don buri sauce (think light soy sauce but sweeter and lighter) and some very very intense but authentic wasabi. I haven't had wasabi like this since... the last time I was in Japan? It's the kind of wasabi that a wiff of will set your eyes watering, and a taste of will clear any sinus infection. I like!

Negitoro bowls remind me of a training camp I once attended in Yokohama, Japan (at least I think it was Yokohama? It could very well have been Fukuoka but all my Japan trips seem to blend into one.) That was the first time I truly discovered the little gem of a don buri that is negitoro don! Fresh raw tuna, minced up and served a top a lot fluffy Japanese rice... who could ask for more!

Next up were Imagawayaki (Anzuki bean paste filled um pancakes?) from Mitsuru Cafe. I am not going to lie, I love love love Imagawayaki especially ones that are hot and fresh off the "waffle" pan used to make them. This Imagawayaki did not disappoint. Pipping hot of the stove and perfectly crisp on the outside, the red bean paste was beautifully sweet and salty at the same time. Just heaven!

In keeping with the dessert theme, we ventured to Mikawaya for some mochilato- mochi with gelato. Mikawaya is known for pioneering mochi ice cream and if you've ever bought a box of mochi ice cream from Trader Joe's or WholeFoods, it was most probably a box of Mikawaya ice cream mochi. For my mochilato, I ordered the hazelnut chocolate and to be honest, it could have been mochi ice cream and I would not have known the difference. Either way, I love mochi and I love ice cream so I was happy.

Our very last stop of the day was Chop Suey/The Far Bar. Chop Suey was initially opened in 1935 to introduce Chinese American food to the Japanese in LA. Apparently there is a lot of history associated with the restaurant but by this time in the tour, I was so stuffed/going into a semi food coma state that I missed a lot of what Bryan said. Either way, Chop Suey was still being restored and we dinned at The Far Bar instead. Located through a very narrow passage way between two buildings, The Far Bar basically occupies the outdoor patio portion of Chop Suey. There we dined on some spicy tuna rolls and french fries with a wasabi dressing. The wasabi french fries were definitely very interesting but I think I am going to stick with my fries and ketchup combo, you don't mess with a classic that is that good.

After a 3 1/3 hour gastronomy tour, I had tasted the food of Japan in LA, walked the streets of little Tokyo and learned a little about the cultural history of Japanese Americans. Tired but satiated, I was ready to go home.

Details:
Yamazaki Bakery
123 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-624-2773

Oiwake
122 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-628-2676

Fugetsu-Do
315 E 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-625-8595

Wakasaya
335 East 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-621-2121

Mitsuru Cafe
117 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-613-1028

Mikawaya
118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-624-1681

Chop Suey/The Far Bar
347 E 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-617-9990

Teishokuya of Tokyo

Stop 3 of Spring Break Asian Extravaganza: T.O.T or Teishokuya of Tokyo. My Singaporean guest and I headed to Little Tokyo to meet up with 2 of her secondary school friends from Singapore who are working in LA now.

Our little group had originally planned to dine at a ramen place but for some reason, we changed our minds and ended up at T.O.T. Thrown off my game, I was a little frazzled as to what to order, but since I was in the mood for something crispy and deep fried, I got the tonkatsu don or fried pork with egg bowl.

I usually do a good job of ordering- you know, when you go to a restaurant and order what you think you want but end up looking at your neighbors dish wishing you had gotten what they ordered... yeah I am usually that neighbor people gaze wistfully at. But this time, I found myself looking longingly at my friends plate and sadly at my own. My tonkatsu was soggy and lacked the deep fried goodness that i was craving. Meanwhile, my friend had ordered some udon noodle goodness with mushrooms and tempura and all that kind of good stuff. She let me have a sip of her broth and the earthy umami goodness of the mushrooms just stole my heart and my poor little tonkatsu (crispy or not) never stood a chance. Oh well...

Details:

Teishokuya of Tokyo
345 E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
212-680-0344

Ramayani

Stop 2 on my friend's LA spring break Asian cuisine extravaganza was the Indonesian restaurant Ramayani. Located on the busy corner of Westwood Blvd and Santa Monica, this tiny place is often overshadowed by several popular Middle Eastern restaurants. From the outside, the restaurant appears to be dingy and lifeless but I say, don't judge a book by it's cover. Inside the restaurant is well lit; and bustling with life and free delicious smells!

After perusing the menu, my friend and I decide to take the plunge and order Ramayani's Rijsttafel. For those of you who don't know, Rijsttafel is a Dutch word that literally translates to "rice table"and is an elaborate meal that the Dutch adapted from the Indonesian Nasi Padang. In other words, a lot a lot a lot of food, served in small portions with rice. We knew going in that we were going to be served a feast, but the ex-swimmers (yes, she used to swim too) in us were up for the challenge.

The first dish up was a gado gado salad which comprises of tofu, boiled egg, a medley of steam vegetables like bean sprouts, with a creamy peanut sauce. The vegetables were a little limp and could have used a little freshening up in ice cold water. My next complaint was that there was not enough peanut sauce to cover the whole salad. While I hate when restaurants drown their salads in dressing, I also hate the reverse, when there is not enough dressing.

Along with the gado gado salad, we were served a platter of Pangsit Goreng (deep fried chicken won tons), Krupuk Udang or koropok (shrimp crackers is the best way I know how to describe these to my "ang moh" friends) and Rempeyek (Spiced crispy peanut fritters with a touch of garlic and coriander). All the above was served with a delicious side of sweet sauce. The Krupuk was perfectly fried and crispy yet not overly oily.

Up next was a small bowl of soto ayam soup which consist of chicken, bean sprouts, and rice noodles in an aromatic coconut-milk based broth spiced with lemongrass and tangerine leaves. I haven't had soto ayam in a long time and you would think any soto ayam would taste good to my soto ayam deprived taste buds. But no, this soto ayam did not really hit the spot. Served at a luke warm temperature, I felt like I was eating sloppy seconds.

By this time, my stomach was starting to feel a little full... but I pushed on. Ayam satay or chicken satay and a plate full of Bakmi Goreng or Indonesian style egg noodles with chicken and shrimp (I think I may have also spied pork) was next up. The satay was tender but lacked the grilled chared-ness that I have come to expect from satay. Additionally, the peanut sauce was a little too sweet and not nutty enough for my liking. As for the noodles, they came out piping hot and was just delicious and peppery. I tried not to full up too much on the noodles even though I could have eaten plate full after plate full of this, but I knew the we had a little ways to go.

At this time, my stomach was begging me to stop but the athlete in me knew the finish line was right around the corner. And it was. Served with a big pot of steaming white rice (ahh! Comfort to any Asian who grew up on rice), out came 4 more dishes: beef Rendang (Savory mini beef steaks slow cooked in a red-chili, garlic, and coconut curry), Ayam Bumbu Rujak (mixed spicy chicken), Sambal Goreng Tahu Buncis (string beans and tofu in a seasoned coconut curry), and Ayam Kare (chicken curry). We were also served with a side of Acar and spiced peanuts. While everything was decently yummy and spot on in terms of authenticity and flavors, I will say that I was rather annoyed that everything was served luke warm! I have a passionate dislike for luke warm food because nothing taste quite right served at the ungodly temperature of luke warm!!

For our dessert, we had papa t's all time favorite, ice chendol which consist of Mung-bean jelly in brown sugar and coconut milk. I wished the ice in this dessert had been shaved down a little more as the random chunks of ice really put a damper in this otherwise classic favorite.

Details:
Ramayani
1777 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-477-3315

Sunset

Sunset at the Santa Monica Pier... one of the reasons I love LA!

Cakes of Birthdays Past

Growing up, my family had a go-to cake for every birthday celebration...Sweet Secret's fruit charlotte cake. It wasn't that it was the most fabulous cake but it was just tradition, we always got it (Had I had my way, we would have gotten a chocolate cake of some sort, but poor papa T is allergic to caffeine so we had to compromise). Till today, I can still recall the light sponge cake and sweet sweet fruits that topped the cake. The fruit charlotte cake was the cake of my childhood.

When I moved to America in my teens, my mother and I were dismayed at the horrible artificially sweetened cakes one found at the grocery store. Every year, we tried to find a decent cake to replace the fruit charlotte cake but alas, it was a fruitless pursuit (pun intended). So for a few years in high school, I never got a decent cake for my birthday.

Ice Cream Cake courtesy of awesome college friends

The birthday cake situation started to improve in my college years. Some highlights included an ice cream cake for my 21st and in recent years, my lovely and very talented sister-in-law Sarah has always made me a homemade birthday cake for my birthday. We've had Black Forest cake one year, a cheese cake for another and German chocolate cake another.

Black Forest Cake being cut by the beautiful Sarah

This year, Sarah outdid herself again with the most decadent and rich chocolate tort cake. Made without flour, this tort was dense, moist, bitter (in a good way) and very chocolaty. Even my brother, who is not a chocolate guy, gave it two thumbs up. Served with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries, we all had second helpings that day. Mmmmmm...

Drool.

To read more about my belated birthday weekend with my family, and to see my new hair cut (which mama T dislikes! *sob*) click on over to Sarah's blog.