Couple Things I Miss About The States

I am now back in the UK waiting for school to start, and I must confess I am missing a few things about home. However, for the past six months I’ve also been missing certain British foods but I’ll save that for another day. 

First and foremost, the food I have a really difficult time accessing here in the UK is Vietnamese food. According to Wikipedia, the largest Vietnamese community is in Lewisham which is more south-east of London and I’m more north-west. Fortunately there is one Vietnamese restaurant (2 locations) in London that I can access pretty easily that’s pretty decent – Pho Cafe. Nonetheless, nothing beats homemade Vietnamese food. I just look at the photo below and I can smell the cha gio (egg rolls) fresh from the fryer… traditionally made with rice paper and filled with ground pork, glass noodles, shrimp, carrots and more. They take longer to cook, but when my Mom takes the time you are in for a treat. The proper way to eat them is with lots of fresh herbs. Take a piece of lettuce (Romaine is fine), add some cilantro/coriander and maybe some mint, place the egg roll in the middle, wrap it all up and dip in some nuoc cham (a salty-sweet dipping sauce made with fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, lemon/lime juice and chilli). In that bite, you’ll get an explosion of flavors and textures. First the refreshing lettuce and herbs, then the crisp of the fried rice paper, the warm meat filling and the salty/sweet/spiciness of the sauce. For some additional crunch or freshness, you might have a slice of cucumber on the side. These are seriously addicting. I went a little overboard last Vietnamese New Year and ate at least a dozen or more 🙂 

Cha Gio (Vietnamese egg rolls)

 

Another cuisine that isn’t that popular over here (but a bit more accessible) is Mexican food. Being a California girl, I really loooove Mexican food. Also having studied in Venezuela and having Colombian friends, I just really love all Latin food period! Excluding central London, everyday Latin food isn’t the easiest thing to get in the UK. There is the odd Mexican restaurant, but it just doesn’t seem to be as main stream as it is in the US. What IS popular though is making Mexican food at home. And by that I mean buying a fajita or taco kit (usually the Old El Paso brand) which comes with taco shells or tortillas, seasoning for the meat and packaged salsa. Basically the view of Mexican food is pretty commercial here, at least that’s been my experience. But that’s not to say that other dishes like tamales, mole or chilaquiles wouldn’t be popular here. Even less well known are empanadas, arepas or even the idea of a breakfast burrito (which I find a little funny since even McDonald’s sells a breakfast burrito in the US). 

Anywho, the good news is that you can find pretty much all the spices you need to make Latin food. So I do my best to make what I know which isn’t really rocket science. I just do the basics – various salsas (pico de gallo, corn, bean or mango), guac, fajitas/tacos, etc. I do have to share a funny story about my first experience at a British supermarket a couple years ago. I was in the chip aisle (known as “crisps” here) and a lady who works there was showing a man where the tor-TILL-lah crisps were (meaning she did not pronounce it tor-tee-ya). Haha oh I nearly died… 

Yas, Ana and I in '08 @ El Compadre

 

Right so the point is, I can make some basic stuff to feed my Mexican/Latin food cravings, but nothings beats properly made rice and beans (or chicharron, or empanadas, or cachapas, or arepas, or pan de yuca, or sancocho….sigh). A couple weeks ago, I flew out of LA for London and before I left I made sure to make a visit to one of THE best Mexican places in Hollywood – El Compadre. Well, correction, my Colombian friend Ana made me go 🙂 She came to visit me when I was living in LA two years ago, and it’s right around the corner from my old place. Needless to say we ate there three times in a few days. So a return trip was a must. And, as always, El Compadre did not disappoint. The place is one of those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that’s really dark inside. It has these great, old-Hollywood style brown leather booths. And occasionally there’s an actual mariachi band playing. They come around with their famous flaming margaritas too. It’s definitely a strange setting, but you know it’s good Mexican when the tortilla chips are warm and fresh. Even though it was dinner time, I had to get my favorite dish since it’d be our only chance to go there – huevos rancheros with carne asada. This may not look like the sexiest plate of food in the world, but I tell you – if only you could smell it! It’s the combination of earthy, creamy beans, moist rice, ranchero sauce, corn tortillas, fresh salsa, cool sour cream.. Mmmm.. I’m getting very hungry remembering this dish… Sigh, it’s too sad to reminisce any longer. Must try to re-create some day, but feel like it’s impossible without a Mexican grandmother or aunt to teach me secret family recipes. 

Huevos Rancheros with Carne Asada

 

Now that I’ve made myself properly hungry, it’s time to go and cook dinner! But more to come soon about my British favorites and my a Michelin-starred lunch!

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WHY I COULD NEVER BE A VEGETARIAN

A few weeks ago, my dad’s good friend came down to visit Arizona and left us with a wonderful gift of Kobe beef. If you’ve never had a Kobe steak and you love red meat, I highly urge you to try some! For the uninitiated, Kobe beef is a special grade that is raised based on the methods developed in Kobe, Japan. There are stories of how the cattle are fed beer and massaged with sake. Whether or not those stories are true, the meat is incredibly tender and marbled. It is, of course, extremely expensive to get the real deal, but nowadays you can buy American-raised, Kobe-style beef which is still pretty good.

If you’ve ever had the real deal, then I’m sure you will never forget your first experience. Although I can’t quite remember how old I was or which exact restaurant it was, I can definitely remember the sensation of eating my first Kobe steak. It was a family dinner and I distinctly remember Dad ordering a steak that was supposed to be very special and insanely expensive (something like $200+). Each of us got just one bite, but I will never forget that bite. It literally melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor… Since then, I’ve had a couple Kobe burgers here and there but only a couple other Wagyu/Kobe experiences. One experience was last year in Phuket, Thailand at the Rivet Grill at the Indigo Pearl Hotel. For my birthday dinner, Chris treated me to a delicious Wagyu steak that melted in my mouth.

However, I must admit that no one can cook a steak like my Dad. If you are a “meat-a-tarian” (like Chris), then you’ll know that THE best way to eat a steak is charred rare. This requires very high heat and creates a perfect crust. So no matter how great the quality of meat, it’s not the same if it’s not cooked properly. And when you bite into a steak like the one below (a charred rare Kobe steak), your eyes will close, you’ll probably moan and you’ll know in your heart that you’ll never be a vegetarian.

 

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A LITTLE CALIFORNIA LOVE

There are two things I absolutely love to eat when I go to LA – sushi and Mexican food. It’s a Mexican breakfast that I often day dream about – some huevos rancheros, chilaquiles or a breakfast burrito. Growing up in California I obviously love Mexican food, but when I moved to LA I was delighted to find such a variety of good quality Mexican places from gourmet to hole-in-the-wall. Even better, it’s not just Mexican restaurants that have good quality Mexican food. Since the ingredients are so widely available and so many Californians have grown up with Mexican influence, you can eat pretty decent Mexican food at places that have “California cuisine” or “American cuisine”.

For lunch one day in LA, Adi took me to Toast Bakery Café on 3^rd Street. I had driven past this place a lot and the line was always around the block for brunch. So I was excited to finally try it. I was really torn between the breakfast burrito and the Oscar (thin strips of chicken, guacamole, fresh salsa, eggs over medium and melted cheese, sit atop grilled corn tortillas), but I didn’t want to eat too heavily so I went for the Oscar. It was the perfect portion size. Every ingredient tasted incredibly fresh and natural. The corn tortillas tasted authentic and the dish in general wasn’t over salted. It made me really consider getting that tortilla press I’ve been thinking of… Because so far I’m capable of making everything that goes into a Mexican breakfast except for fresh tortillas. And I know when I go back to the UK, I won’t have easy access to homemade tortillas like I do in Arizona (a little corner shop 2 minutes down the road).. Ah well you make do with what you have right!? Maybe that’ll be a Christmas present from Mom and Dad?

The Oscar @ Toast

 ** For all my former NBCU friends working on the Universal lot, please have a breakfast burrito at the commissary for me, with extra salsa.

Now SUSHI.

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EXPLORING ARIZONA – PART 2

A couple weeks ago, I ran my first charity 5K with my mom in Arizona. It was early in the morning, so we were feeling good and starving by the time we were done. We decided to head to a place we’ve been meaning to try in Gilbert – Joe’s Farm Grill.

Joe’s is a local place we’ve read lots about in the paper and was even featured on The Food Network on Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. This ‘50s style fast food joint is not what you would expect. First of all, its location is in the middle of farm land. But it turns out Joe’s owns about 12 acres of what it calls “Agritopia”. It grows a variety of leaf crops, vegetables and flowers. Most of which makes its way into the food you eat at Joe’s. Their farming methods even EXCEED the standards for USDA organic. Can you believe that? It’s an organic fast food restaurant. Already this place is unique. To make the entire experience even better, the restaurant is surrounded by picnic tables (in addition to tables inside) and beautiful views of its farm land.

My mom ordered the ‘pancakes and meat’ with sausages, and I had a two-egg grilled vegetable omelet with pecorino romano and a side of fruit. The pancakes were amazingly fluffy and the sausages weren’t heavy or greasy at all. My omelet was of course deliciously fresh with seasonal asparagus inside. It was a beautiful day, and we ate breakfast under a HUGE grapefruit tree with grapevines in front of us! If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend this place. It’s a perfect family place with plenty of room for kids to run around. Or stop by if you just enjoy being outdoors and eating good food!

"Pancakes & Meat"

 

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