Sakura Macha Kit Kat

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

My grad. school friend when to Japan for about 1 week back in February 2011 and brought back some "Sakura Macha" flavored Kit Kat for me and my other grad. school friends. The Kit Kat tasted pretty good but the green tea flavor wasn't strong enough. It tasted more of a vanilla flavor. There are 4 Kit Kat sticks in total (2 in each small package). This type of Kit Kat could only be found in Japan or on a website that sells Japanese candies/snacks.

Sizzler @ The Mall Bangkapi

Sizzler @ The Mall Bangkapi
http://sizzler.co.th/en/index.php

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

I haven't eaten at Sizzler in years!!! I think the last time I went was about 5 years ago in Thailand and probably over 10 years in NYC. I used to go to the Sizzler located at Rego Park (Queens) in NYC, but before I came to Thailand I saw that Sizzler closed down and is now a bank.

Anyway, my grad. school friends and I had lunch at Sizzler a few days ago. I got the Crumbed Fish entrée for 179 Baht (about $5-6 US) and it also included unlimited helpings at the salad bar. Both this entrée and there was the Pepper Pork Loin entrée that are currently on promotion for 179 Baht each. The Crumbed Fish entrée looked pretty small but I helped myself with the unlimited servings at the salad bar though. I was so stuffed after eating soup, salad, my entrée, fruit, and half of the green tea mousse (dessert). The Crumbed Fish entrée was good and I choose the buttered rice as the side dish. You could have order the baked potato, French fries, or the butter rice side dish. I also really enjoyed the food that I sampled at the salad bar. Everything was very fresh and I saw that the staff stocked up the replenished food at the salad bar often.

I would definitely go back to Sizzler and probably try the Pepper Pork Loin entrée. But, I think I would go to the Sizzler at Fashion Island Mall, because it's closer to my house. :P

Fuji Japanese Restaurant @ Fashion Island Mall

Fuji Japanese Restaurant @ Fashion Island Mall [2nd visit here]
http://www.fuji.co.th/2009/EN/home/index.php

Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

Fuji Japanese Restaurant is another typical Japanese franchise restaurant that you'll see in many shopping malls in Thailand. I'm such a fan of Fuji and I just love the food here. Everything is very tasty and fresh. Sadly, it seems like I'm never full just eating only 1 set entrée. So, I came here with my parents for dinner today and I ordered the Futomaki Set for about 140 Baht (about $4-$5 US). The Futomaki Set consists of 4 different pieces of futomaki sushi rolls, a yakisoba dish, miso soup, a fried fish appetizer, and kimchi appetizer. I really enjoyed this set entrée but I wasn't full from eating everything. :( I ordered an additional entrée and it was the cold soba noodles with dipping sauce on the side [I don't remember the exact name of the dish, but you can point to the picture on the menu.] It was good and it finally made me full.

The service here was good. It took about 8-10 minutes for our food to come after placing our order. I would definitely come here again too. This place can get crowded too and the wait could be pretty long. Luckily, my parents and I came here for dinner early. I think we came here for dinner a little bit before 6pm.

To end this blog entry, here is a picture taken from my NOKIA E63. My dad ordered the grilled octopus set [Sorry, I don't remember the exact name!!!]. I thought that I saved a picture the Futomaki Set entrée on my smartphone but apparently I didn't. You can check out Fuji's website to view the menu. :)

Viet Cuisine Restaurant

Viet Cuisine Restaurant [@ Fashion Island Mall]

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

I haven't had Vietnamese food in Thailand in years! I think the last time I had Vietnamese food in Thailand was almost 10 years ago. haha...But, I grew up in NYC pretty much most of my life and ate Vietnamese food very often that I know the flavors for this type of cuisine. So, yesterday my parents and I tried some Vietnamese food for lunch at Viet Cuisine Restaurant. It's a small restaurant with nine tables and the place was kinda empty when we got there at around 12:30pm. The decor was modern. The staff was very friendly too.

My parents and I each ordered bento box style meals for 99 Baht each [about $3 US]. I ordered the honey chicken bento box and it came with rice, summer rolls, cantaloupe, and soup on the side. Everything was tasty and filling. The only complaint that I had was that the sauce on top of the summer rolls was spicy. I ate only two pieces of the summer rolls and gave the rest to my dad to finish. :(

I would come back to this place again to try a bowl of Pho noodle soup and other entrées. I'm curious if their Pho is good or not. And I'll write an updated review.

[NOTE: Pictures taken with my NOKIA E63]

Yentafo

A bowl of Yentafo noodle soup [from a food stall at TOPS' supermarket food court in Fashion Island Mall]

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

I bet that many of you may have never heard of Yentafo before. What is Yentafo? Well, it's a very well known Thai noodle dish with the pink sauce. The sauce is usually made from fermented bean paste, salt, and vinegar. You can also buy the Yentafo sauce from any Asian supermarket. So, the other day I ordered a bowl of Yentafo noodle soup from a food stall at TOPS' supermarket food court for 35 Baht (about $1 US). There were a variety of fishballs, fried tofu, and morning glory vegetable in the noodle soup. However, I requested not to put in pig's blood or octopus. Overall, this noodle soup was good and filling.

You can make Yentafo at home. Just buy the basic ingredients such as rice noodles, fishball, fried tofu, the Yentafo sauce, and any soup base (seafood or vegetable). You can also put in morning glory vegetable or spinach, white fungus mushrooms, pig's blood, and octopus. You can buy the instant noodle soup Yentafo flavor as well. Sometimes I buy the MAMA Instant Noodle Yentafo flavor when I don't feel like buying a jar of the Yentafo sauce. Then, you can add in the basic ingredients into the instant noodle soup.

If you are too lazy to make Yentafo, you can try to order it some Thai restaurants. Definitely give Yentafo a try!

[NOTE: Picture taken from my NOKIA E63].

Nittaya Kai Yang

Nittaya Kai Yang
http://www.nittayakaiyang.com [Google chrome warned me that this site may have malware]

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

My uncle & aunt treated my parents and I for lunch here last week. There are a few franchise locations of Nittaya Kai Yang in Thailand. However, I don't remember the location we went to though. Well, everything that we ordered were fresh and delicious. We were given a bowl of fresh vegetables [ie: Basil, Cabbage, String beans] to eat with our meal. The roasted chicken [Kai Yang] was flavorful and the chicken's skin was a little bit crispy too. I loved the fried catfish [Pla Duke Foo] dish. It comes with a sweet and sour salsa in which you pour over the fried catfish. A lot of the dishes here are small. But, if you eat a lot of sticky rice with the roasted chicken and green papaya salad; you will be full. For dessert, I ordered the taro ice cream. I didn't want to get coconut ice cream or other typical Thai desserts, because I eat them very often. Plus, I wanted to taste if this taro ice cream is just as good as the one from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in NYC. I have to say that the taro ice cream at Nittaya Kai Yang was OK because it wasn't smooth and creamy and I liked the one from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory better.

The service here was quick. We waited 5-8 minutes for our orders. The staff was very nice and friendly. I really thought about giving this place 4.5 to 5 stars since the food was really good. But, the portions were small and I didn't think it was a very memorable experience. This place is still a must try!

[NOTE: Pictures were taken from my NOKIA E63]

The Canton House @ Fashion Island Mall

The Canton House [@ Fashion Island Mall]

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

This is my 4th time here for the past three weeks. haha...I know, I should be trying other restaurants to eat. But I really wanted to eat the crab fried rice since the restaurant didn't have it last time. So, I came here with my mom for lunch today and I ordered the crab fried rice for 50 Baht [about $1.60 US]. Usually a lot of entrées in restaurants in Thailand are very small in my opinion and my entrée was surprisingly filling and I was full in the end. My mom ordered the fried flat noodles with fried fish in black bean sauce for 50 Baht too. I have tried that entrée before too and it was filling as well. Both of these dishes were great.

The Canton House is also probably known for and offers various dim sum dishes for 15 Baht each  [About $0.50 US]!!! But, you are paying for what you get. There are about 2-3 small pieces in a dish. During my very first visit at this restaurant, my mom and I only ordered dim sum. I think we ordered about eight different dim sum dishes in total. Plus, it also takes awhile for your dim sum dishes to arrive. The chefs steam/cook the dim sum dishes to order. You will not see the traditional dim sum carts passing by your table here. For drinks, my mom and I always ordered the Chrysanthemum tea [served cold].


The service is good and the staff is friendly. I noticed that some HS students working in this restaurant too and they would clean up the tables majority of the time. Overall, the Canton House is worth a visit. Come try the dim sum or other entrées too.


[Note: Picture taken from my NOKIA E63]

Grand Ramen

Grand Ramen
25/17-19 Sukhumvit 55 (Soi Thonglor)
Klongton-nua Wattana
Bangkok, Thailand 10110
Telephone: 02-714-1020

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

My cousin treated me to ramen for dinner today. My aunt and uncle came with us as well. I ordered the small "Tempura Ramen" for 110 Baht (about $3 US). I really liked the texture of the ramen and it was chewy. There were also some vegetables (ie snow peas, bamboo shoots) in the ramen. The  broth was very flavorful and it wasn't salty. You can also ask for a refill for soup broth as well. I ate all of my ramen and I was very satisfied with my meal. I was pretty full afterwards.

The service was OK. The staff could have been more attentive. This restaurant is small and there are some out door seating as well. Overall, I really liked my ramen and I would come back again.