Shaanxi

Seeing as this is my last week in China, I have made it a priority to go out and eat with my friends as much as possible. Not only is this to enjoy all the food I will miss, but also as a sort of festivity with my friends for being so helpful and hospitable. One of the restaurants I got to go to in order to complete my goal was one from the Shaanxi province. This province is famous for its noodles and vinegar, and after eating here I can see why. All vinegar in China is incredible, but the one served at this place is impeccable. And seeing as I’ve become such a fan of noodles, I can also say that the ones specified to be from this region stand out from the rest.

The first plate of food we got was something that was called Four Bowls. It is basically four little bowls filled with different foods from the region. The four bowls included pork belly, tofu, meatballs, and millet. The pork belly was incredible. I usually shy away from pork belly because I find the amount of fat to be too overwhelming, but this one was cooked so properly, that it tasted like butter. The tofu was great as well, along with the meatballs. The millet was served in some sort of citrusy thick sauce, which led me to not like it as much.

The next plate of food was two small pieces of braised pork shank in Chinese spices. It was a bit dry and could have been braised for a couple of more hours, but the flavors were there. Eating it alone though got old a bit quickly though.

The star of the meal was the noodles. You basically get a plate of whatever noodles you want, garnished with vegetables like carrots and bean sprouts. Then you head over to a sauce bar and dress your noodles however you want. They have eggplant based sauces, meat sauces, and vinegar sauces. I got hand sliced noodles with a mix of pork sauce and vinegar. I used to think that hand pulled noodles were my favorite, but after trying the texture of hand sliced I may change my mind.

This meal was incredible and I am glad I got to try food from a different region. Although my time in China is coming to an end, I will definitely remember all the great meals I had with friends.   

Sichuan

A couple of months ago, I went out to have lunch with a couple of my Chinese friends and they refused to let me pay. They have this idea that just because I am visiting their country, I am a guest to them. Most of the Chinese people I have met here have this mindset so it always makes it an awkward situation when I go out with them and it comes time to pay for the bill. I would have it the other way around and just pay the bill myself, but they should at least let us split it. Anyway, today my friends agreed to be my guests. I was relieved to go into this lunch knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about them trying to pay.

We went to a restaurant called Sichuan Mianguan, which not surprisingly specializes in Sichuan cooking. This type of cuisine is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China, so you know it’s a big deal. Sichuan food is known for being mouth-numbingly spicy (instead of heat spicy) through the use of different peppers and peppercorns. I love spicy food so this is probably one of my favorite cuisines in China, compared to other sweeter ones. On top of that, out of the top dishes which I have come to learn about in China, around three of my favorite five come from this style, so I may be a little biased.

Between four of us, we ordered 5 dishes. This may not seem like a lot of food, but when you come to China, you quickly learn that more often than not, there will be food left over. This was definitely the case in this occasion, seeing as the portions we received were quite huge. Instead of letting my guests order like I usually would, I ordered today. I feel comfortable enough with a Sichuan menu that provides pictures in order to know the dishes that I like.  

First came what we know in America as Kung Pao chicken. It’s basically stir-fried chicken with peppercorns, onions, garlic, and peanuts. It is extremely delicious and one of the milder dishes that I ordered when it comes to spiciness.

While we were munching on the chicken, the waitress brought one of those dishes that have become my favorites; Mapo Tofu. This is a popular tofu dish set in a chili sauce and peppercorns. Although I wished the tofu would have been a bit more firm, I absolutely loved the traditional way this restaurant served theirs

Next came the noodles with fermented vegetables in a chili sauce. The vegetables included spinach, cabbage, and lettuce. I have had better noodles but you could tell that they were prepared in house. I always appreciate this and would order this dish again. This is another thing that I have fallen in love with in China.

The third dish that I have fallen in love with in China is an unexpected one. It was an eggplant dish that will probably always taste better than it sounds. I’m surprised I like this dish as much as I do because I did not even like eggplant to begin with before coming to china. My favorite part about this dish is that it is sweet and spicy and if prepared correctly, actually tastes like it has meat in it. If you don’t know what you’re eating, you wouldn't be able to tell me that this is a vegetarian dish.

The last dish that came is one that the restaurant is popular for. Unfortunately for me, I did not enjoy it as much as most people do. It is a spicy chili stew with beansprouts that basically has a whole fish (head and all) thrown in it. Then, the fish is cooked until it is basically breaking apart from how tender it is. The reason I did not like this dish too much was because the fish was a river fish (which I do not prefer) and because the hot pot stew was a bit too greasy for me. Although I did not like it, I was glad I got to try it and recommend that you do too. It just wasn't for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal. I got to eat three of my top five dishes in China, and that always makes me happy. On top of that, my friends actually let me treat them so it was overall a good meal. Now they’re saying they want to take me out one last time though. We’ll see who ends up paying that time.  

Cha Ca

I’m not going to lie and say I had a vast understanding of Vietnamese cuisine before going to Vietnam. Honestly, I only knew about Pho and Banh Mis. This may seem like next to nothing, but that’s two more dishes than most people in America can recognize. Basically, knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine is virtually none. So it was to my amazement that the food there was as incredible as it was. It was extremely complex in the depth of flavors that were achieved, yet the dishes themselves were very simply made. It takes true comprehension of the ingredients being used in order to do that.

The second best dish I found in Vietnam was something called Cha Ca, at a restaurant named Nha hang Cha Ca Thang Long. Basically, it’s a fried river fish in lemongrass in thyme, served with vermicelli noodles and seasonings. At first it may look very similar to Bun Cha, but it is completely different. The way the fish is prepared and the herbs that it is made with make this dish a whole different thing. The concept may be the same, but the outcome is different.

When you order, they begin by bringing you your herbs, noodles, fish sauce, and peanuts. Then you wait while the waiter brings a pan full of already fried fish and hot oil. He places this pan on a hot plate that is already on the table and waits for it to heat. As it heats, he begins placing the thyme and lemongrass with the fish so it can sautee. As it sautees, the smell that is coming from the pan is absolutely incredible. It literally makes your mouth water and makes you want to dig into the pan as it is cooking.  

Once the fish is ready, you basically prepare yourself a little bowl of food very much like Bun Cha. It tastes incredible and makes me wish I had more time to try it again at a different location. I can’t see it being better than it already was, but maybe different places use different methods. This was a great dish, and it definitely opened my eyes to the one of the dishes I had no clue even existed prior to having it.  

Bun Cha

Sometimes you have meals that change your life from how delicious they are. Others change your life from how different and cool they are. Today’s post is about one of the delicious ones. I've had a couple of those throughout Asia, and I love the fact that I've been able to experience them. I knew that I was going to eat amazing food, but I was definitely not prepared for some of the meals that I've had. There are three meals that I can name off the top of my head, and those are the Xia Long Bao at Din Tai Fung from a couple of weeks ago, the Ramen at Ippudo, and now the Bun Cha at Bun Cha Dac Kim.  

My recent trip to Hanoi Vietnam landed me at this popular restaurant. Places in Vietnam are known for what they do best, and only serving that. At this place, that plate is Bun Cha. Bun Cha is a type of vermicelli noodle soup dish served with grilled pork that is very interactive. People come for just that dish and there will definitely be a waiting queue. It moves fast though. And please do not expect the service to be good, because sadly, it doesn't have to be. People come anyway, and the staff has this figured out.

As I sat down, I prepared myself to have one of the better meals in the city (as I had heard from many locals). I sat down and ordered a Bun Cha, which costs 90,000 Dong (or $4.50), and waited for my food. Three minutes later, the waitress started bringing small plates of food. I thought this would be a dish, but it is actually something you have to prepare for yourself. She began by bringing a large plate of herbs, which included mint, cilantro, lettuce, and thyme. She also brought a plate of garlic and chili pepper, and a plate of melon soaking in a fish sauce and a vinegar mixture. Lastly came the large plate of vermicelli noodles and grilled pork patties in a broth.

Basically, the person eating the dish begins by putting some noodles on their plate and seasoning it however they please with what they are given. They add the pork patties/bacon at the end, mix it up, and that’s about it. It sounds pretty simple and anti-climatic, but the blending of flavors and textures is incredible. You can tell that these people do bun cha the way it is supposed to be made, and the fact that they don’t over complicate things is what makes them so successful. It’s a revelatory dish that I know I’m going to be craving very soon.

Just when you think you can’t be any happier, the waitress comes back with a plate piled with Cha Nem (egg rolls). These egg rolls are filled with crab, and they are perfectly fried. The texture is incredible, making them the best egg rolls I have ever eaten in my life. I don’t know exactly what it was that made these egg rolls better than previous ones, but I cannot see this simple dish being any better. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself to understand.

The lines to be able to even get inside this place only speak for themselves. On top of that, the fact that the employees have everything down to a science make the restaurant downright impressive. If I were to only have one meal in Vietnam over and over again, it would be this one and I would not complain. I miss you already Dac Kim, and I can’t wait until I get to experience you again.

  

Ramen Love

As you can probably tell by this blog, I've loved all my food experiences in Asia. Some places serve better food than others, some countries have cuisines which interest me more, and some experiences I've had at some places are just unforgettable. But out of all the countries I've visited so far, I can honestly say that nothing tops Chinese cuisine. Not that I didn't like the food at other places, but they just don’t compare for me.

On the other hand, you sometimes find dishes in other countries that they just do better than anywhere else. For example, the fried chicken in Thailand has no equal. Such was the case with the soups in Japan, more specifically the ramen. I absolutely loved the ramen, and found myself eating it 5 out of the 6 days that I was there. They were all delicious but I will show you my favorite three.  

 

I ate this ramen in Osaka on my first night there. It was a huge portion, but it did not stop me from finishing. Although nothing in this specific ramen was the best individually, it made a very complete dish and my second favorite ramen overall.

This ramen is the one I ate in Nara. It had the best soft boiled egg out of all the ramen I had, but the broth was a bit salty. Again, this did not stop me from downing the whole bowl.

I saved the best for last. This is the Akamara special Ramen from Ippudo. This ramen house was highly recommended to me by different people, so I knew I had to make my way here. It doesn't look like much, but this is the best ramen I had during my whole trip. The broth was perfectly seasoned, the pork belly was probably the best tasting piece of pig I've ever had, and all the noodles were perfectly tender. I’d be surprised to find a better ramen sometime in my lifetime. It was definitely worth the walk here.

Overall, I fell in love with ramen. Although the food in Japan has been my least favorite of the food from all the countries in Asia I have visited, I could eat this dish every day of my life. I can’t wait to go back.

Dumpling Making

During my trip to Xi’an, I stayed at an incredible hostel. This hostel was extremely clean and had an incredible staff. They did everything to cater to their guests, which is very atypical of a hostel. On of the things that they did that stood out though, was hold special dumpling making classes on a specific night. Obviously, I couldn't turn down the opportunity to make dumplings, so I made sure to attend this class.

When I walked into the class, there was a plate on table with the prepared dough and a couple of condiments on the table. I would have liked to make the dough from scratch, but I can see how this may have caused an issue with the staff. The consistency is hard to get, and besides, the mess made by the people taking the class would be incredible.

The condiments presented were garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, salt, and rice vinegar. Next to that was a plate of diced up scallions. Apparently, the class was making pork and scallion dumplings. This did not faze me in the slightly, since I love this filling for dumplings.

After introductions, and some history lessons, the teacher took out a very fatty plate of pork. This is of utter importance when making a flavorful dumpling. Fat equals flavor, so you know these had to be good.

The teacher taught the class how to season the pork and roll out the dough to make the dumplings. Then, she taught us how to fill the dumplings and close them. I’ll tell you one thing, this is a tedious job which I will never again take for granted. People who make dumplings must have all the patience in the world. It turned out being really fun at the end.

When the class was done, the teacher took our dumplings to the back to steam. Twenty minutes later, came a pizza tray full of dumplings for the students. They weren't the prettiest dumplings, but they were mine. I was proud of them, and the fact that I formed them made them so much more satisfying.

At the end of the day, this was a wonderful experience. It was a great opportunity to engage in the chance to make one of the most popular foods when it comes to Chinese cuisine. I learned a lot, and look forward to experiencing this again.

Ramen Love

As you can probably tell by this blog, I've loved all my food experiences in Asia. Some places serve better food than others, some countries have cuisines which interest me more, and some experiences I've had at some places are just unforgettable. But out of all the countries I've visited so far, I can honestly say that nothing tops Chinese cuisine. Not that I didn't like the food at other places, but they just don’t compare for me. 

On the other hand, you sometimes find dishes in other countries that they just do better than anywhere else. For example, the fried chicken in Thailand has no equal. Such was the case with the soups in Japan, more specifically the ramen. I absolutely loved the ramen, and found myself eating it 5 out of the 6 days that I was there. They were all delicious but I will show you my favorite three. 

I ate this ramen in Osaka on my first night there. It was a huge portion, but it did not stop me from finishing. Although nothing in this specific ramen was the best individually, it made a very complete dish and my second favorite ramen overall.

This ramen is the one I ate in Nara. It had the best soft boiled egg out of all the ramen I had, but the broth was a bit salty. Again, this did not stop me from downing the whole bowl.

I saved the best for last. This is the Akamara special Ramen from Ippudo. This ramen house was highly recommended to me by different people, so I knew I had to make my way here. It doesn’t look like much, but this is the best ramen I had during my whole trip. The broth was perfectly seasoned, the pork belly was probably the best tasting piece of pig I’ve ever had, and all the noodles were perfectly tender. I’d be surprised to find a better ramen sometime in my lifetime. It was definitely worth the walk here.

            Overall, I fell in love with ramen. Although the food in Japan has been my least favorite of the food from all the countries in Asia I have visited, I could eat this dish every day of my life. I can’t wait to go back.

Torikizoku Izakaya

An izakaya is a very traditional part of Japanese culture. Basically, it’s a very small place about the width of a walking closet that has a bar and a place for a chef to grill some yakitori (grilled food on sticks) and make some other traditional drinking food. It’s a place that is meant for locals to go and unwind after a long day of work, drink some cheap beer, and have lots and lots of food.

            After asking the owner of my hostel where I should go for some food one night in Kyoto, he directed me towards a place called Torikizoku. Now, this place was a little bigger than your standard Izakaya, but it was the same concept. It felt more like an Izakaya mixed with a sports bar concept. It was very hip, and I have a feeling that this place might actually be a chain spread throughout Japan.

            Anyway, I came here and started off with a beer. The food and drinks here are cheap and made to order, so I sat down to wait for my food to be prepared. I was able to try three dishes, and they were all delicious.

 First came out the kara-age. Kara-age is basically a battered and fried piece of food, and mine happened to be chicken. It was perfectly seasoned and fried, and like always with fried chicken, I managed to burn the inside of my mouth for not waiting. It was worth it though.

            Next I got to try Sunazuri-Shio, which is grilled chicken gizzards. This was a form of takoyaki, so it was traditional. They know their way around gizzards in Japan, and this place was no different. I wouldn't recommend them to someone who isn't adventurous with food though, as the texture could be chewy to some.

 Lastly, I was served an updated version of a classic chicken takoyaki. It was called Mune Demi Miso Cheese-yaki, which was barbequed chicken breast covered in cheese and then covered in a demi sauce. It was very good, but I regret not sticking to more traditional preparations of takoyaki.

Overall, the izakaya experience was a wonderful one. I got to spend a few hours at a fun place that was designed to bring the Japanese culture in a new way. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kyoto, and I look forward to coming again.

Kai-Ten Sushi

When I decided to go to Japan during my study abroad session, I knew one of the things I had to do was go to a Kai-Ten sushi restaurant. For those who don’t know, this is what the Japanese call conveyor belt sushi. The sushi chef basically just makes plates and plates of sushi (sashimi, maki rolls, nigiri, etc) and places them on a conveyor belt. The patrons of the restaurant then go on to eat as much as they want and are charged by the number of plates they ate at the end. Different colored plates have different prices, so that’s how one would know what they are eating.

            Kai-Ten Sushi is not the best sushi you are going to find. But still, it is very cheap compared to great sushi and still incredible by American standards. I frequent sushi restaurants in Miami and the quality of this sushi surpassed most restaurants back home. Although I was not able to make it to a “good” sushi restaurant in Japan due to time and money constraints, I am happy that I got to experience sushi in this form.

Due to the fact that I did not want this to be my only meal for the night, I only ended up getting four plates. It may seem like a little, but each plate actually brings two pieces. This was actually a substantial enough meal to keep me full for a couple of hours, and it was relatively cheap for what I got. I got to try the mackerel nigiri, the unagi nigiri, the crab salad maki, and the inari. I had tried all of these before except for the inari. The inari is a pouch of fried tofu filled with rice. It was seasoned with some sweet sauces, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. My favorite piece of sushi though was the unagi, but that’s because I’m a big fan of this ingredient.

 Overall, the experience lived up to what I had imagined. It was fun and not too pretentious. It was a great way to start my night and lead me to some other food adventures in Japan.

DaDong

When people think of authentic Chinese food, one of the dishes that should pop into their head first is Peking Duck. It can also be called Beijing Duck, but the point that I’m trying to get across is how much of a staple this is. Its definitely not an everyday dish. Its more akin to celebrations and parties, much like lamb or turkey would be to Westerners. This dish is a duck that is a roasted with a very specific technique, which renders the fat and yields a very crispy skin. Therefore, you get the essence of eating a fried duck from the skin while the insides being juicy and tender.

            You can’t come to Beijing and not eat Peking Duck, and many critics and locals claim that the best one available is in DaDong. This restaurant, which now has four locations has been featured anywhere you can think of, from television, to magazines, to tour guides, so you know it has something going for it. When I first found out about this place, I knew I had to stop here at least once during my trip to china.

            Recently, on a trip to the Beijing Airport en route to Japan, I had planned on stopping here. Because of several last minute complications, plans had to be changed and sadly, I decided that I couldn't stop at this restaurant on this specific trip to Beijing. It was far from the airport, it was late, and I had no idea how to get there. Besides, I had other priorities and needed to worry about not missing my flight to Japan.

            While riding on the subway on my way to the airport, I got hungry and decided to get off a few stops before I was supposed to. I decided to just walk into any random restaurant and order anything (like I always do) and noticed that the restaurant that I had walked into looked slightly (more like a lot) above my budget price. It was decorated beautifully and was extremely big. As I began looking around, I noticed how many foreigners there were waiting as well. Mind you, this is a Monday night, and the wait was over an hour. Clearly, this restaurant was a big deal. After I asked some Europeans I saw what the big deal was, it turned out I had somehow ended up in DaDong. I saw this as some sort of sign that I was destined to eat here during this trip. I asked for a table as I laughed to myself, and began to get comfortable. The hour wait was actually 20 minutes and I was able to entertain myself by watching the chefs work in a windowed kitchen.

            As I was taken upstairs to my table, I was amazed at how beautiful and big this place was. It was a couple of stories with the ability to seat a couple of hundred people without feeling packed. I began looking through the menu and noticed how high the prices were (even for American standards). No worries though, I still got my duck.

When you order duck, you also order a plate of condiments, which come with certain sauces and vegetables. Along with that come some sort of special pancakes and some bread cut up in the center. These two things are for a person to make themselves something similar to a taco or sandwich. About 30 minutes later came my beautifully roasted duck.

 My chef came to the table and began by carving off some of the crispy skin. He placed on the side for later preparation and began cutting the meat into thin slices. After perfectly carving this bird, he placed the meat and strands of skin on a plate with beautiful presentation. This allowed the person eating the duck to begin making their “sandwiches” and “tacos.”

 From each duck come two plates of skin and meat. The skin is incredibly crispy and fatty. People who think that bacon is the best thing in the world would be proven wrong by this skin. It is extremely decadent, but not very fatty when prepared correctly (which DaDong does). The meat was succulent and not dry at all. Along with the condiments, this made for a wonderful meal.

 After the chef was done carving the bird, he wished me a good meal and left. I thought that it would be the last time I would see him but I was wrong. He came back nearing the end of my meal (or what I thought was the end) with a special soup made with milk and some of duck broth made from the bones that remained from the bird. I’m sure that the broth wasn’t made from my specific duck, but the fact that whole animal is used and fed to the customers shows a lot about the restaurant. They want their customers to receive what they pay for, and I definitely did.

 

After this, I thought I was done, but then came another small dish. Chinese eat a special type of porridge made with broth for breakfast. Its never really been my favorite dish, but when a plate of this came out, I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I’d be lying if I said that I finished it. 

Lastly, I was brought out a plate of hawthorns decorated with dry ice. Although a simple dessert, it was a nice palate cleanser after a roast duck. It was a nice touch, and I honestly can’t complain about anything that is free.

            Overall, my experience at DaDong was an incredible one. I think my favorite part was how it happened even though it wasn't supposed to. What are the odds of me ending up where I wanted to go specifically in a city as huge as Beijing? I know for a fact that the chances are very slim. The fact that this actually happened shows me how what is meant to be will always work out for you. And this was a perfect example of this, because I made it to the airport on time and had nothing to worry about. Once again, I love China.