hehehe!

Okay that was my attempt at a bad opening joke.  Enjoy!

Whole Foods Market:  An upscale market catering to those seeking “all natural” and organic foods–as well as a unique shopping experience. The customer service is pretty good. Whole Foods is a bit pricey, but their “365″ brand items are reasonable. The Prepared Foods hot bar is an awesome place to lunch at.
Context:  “Dude, I just had lunch at Whole Foods–the mushroom lasagna–and now I’m just about broke!”
[Source:  urbandictionary.com]

My first impression of Whole Foods is pretty much the above.  Back in LA, the only one I ever noticed is the one located within Paseo in Pasadena.  I always wondered who the hell drives to a mall to buy groceries?  Rich folks, that’s who!  On top of that, their shoppers have their own designated parking spots in the underground parking structure.  Like they weren’t spoiled enough with foods free of hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, flavours and preservatives!

But then I found myself wandering into there by accident the other day, literally.  I thought I walking into CVS (the store next door.)  Anyway they have this hot foods/bakery section that I decided to explore.  Most of their stuff is charged by the pound.  It was rather charming to see gluten-free pizzas made from rice.

Chicken Curry Croissant Sandwich ($6.99)

Their pizza/deli employee informed me that this was their best sandwich.  Heads up, this is a very sweet sandwich.  The curry turned out to be sweeter than I anticipated due to coconut milk.  (Thai influence, perhaps?)  There were also sliced walnuts and raisins in it which surprisingly complemented it well. Overall, I thought the sandwich was pretty good.

Fresh Berries with Creme Anglaise ($5.12)

Okay, I only got this because it looked like panna cotta.  This was a LOT more attractive in the store, but it got mushy on my way home.  As mentioned, they weigh the foods and charge you by the lb, with exception to the sandwiches.  The man told me that a small cup of this might run me at $2-3 so I was like, okay give me a small one.  And oh my, it turned out to be $5.12 excluding tax. $5 for this lil cup of fruits with condensed milk?? (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)  FYI it’s like, an inch tall. Overall this was an expensive lunch!  Will I wander into Whole Foods again?  Only by accident!

“Dude, I just had lunch at Whole Foods and now I’m just about broke!”

Whole Foods Market
8825 Villa La Jolla Dr
La Jolla, CA 92037

Shio (salt) Ramen  ($6.49)

Miso Ramen (6.49)

Ikura Gohan

Now I also go next door to Miyabi-Tei where they specialize in bento, soba, curry and donburi (rice bowl dishes).

Oyakodon with Unagi Kabayaki
simmered egg with grilled ell coated in a sweet sauce

Tofu side

I don’t remember what they call this.  It’s simply a cube of topped with dried fish flakes, green onion and their soy sauce.  So light but delicious!

I also go to Daikichi Sushi for their pre-made sushi/sashimi selection.  It’s noted as the “Best Grocery Store Sushi in LA!”  and possibly all of Southern California.

Various (discounted to $13.95)

Not bad.  Though you can tell the sashimi is not as moist as it would be, just made.  Still, its quite fresh and satisfactory.

California Roll + Unagi Roll

Their selection is huge.  I usually just grab at the ones I’m familiar with.  As for ramen, some people prefer Ajisen (which I hate), Orochon (Little Tokyo) or Shin-Sen-Gumi (Torrance / Gardena).  I like miso broth best though Santouka’s specialty is supposively the Shio.  Oh well! 

Another thing, during the summer Santouka serves this cold ramen dish, Hiyashi Chuka.  In a way, it’s like a noodle salad.  It’s simply cold ramen noodles topped with sliced cucumber, bean sprouts, and egg omelette.  And possibly chia su.  The sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.  It’s very simple but oh-so delicious!!

I just love Mitsuwa!  Their foodcourt is not too pricey, while the quality remains great.  Especially the one in Torrance and Costa Mesa.  In case you’re wondering, I have tried the one in San Diego and it is terrible. GAH!

Mitsuwa Marketplace
21515 Western Ave
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 782-033

Mitsuwa Marketplace
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-6699

I usually steam the dish in my rice cooker prior to packing with 1/4 – 1/2 cup water.   You know how rice gets hard after the refrigerator?  Steaming takes care of that, and holds onto flavour and texture.  

Hello!  I’d like to introduce  the place where I do my internet surfing, studying, meeting…  UCSD Price Center is basically where I do all my work — I guess you can say, this is where the magic happens. Ha!

No but seriously.  I really love the newly expanded Price Center.  They’ve got wi-fi, public computer and printer access, and of  course, boba.  When I first came to UCSD it was still being constructed and now that it’s open, I just love my school this much more.

Finally, my blog was founded on the idea of the two basic human needs:  food and sheltar.  With that, I aim to demonstrate how I personally try to fulfill those needs and I set it in sunny southern California.  I say SoCal rather than a more specific region because I spent my childhood in Orange County, teenage years in Los Angeles, and I presently attend college in San Diego.  With that, SoCal is my niche, my sheltar.  Food, well, I lost love to eat!

P.S.  I cannot offer the most upscale dining and wining experiences because, well, I am a college student.  However I assure you that though my budget is small, my stomach is not.    I must say though, so far I have had much better experiences in eating in the LA and OC area.  That is why I go back so often whenever I can.  San Diego is still quite new territory for me.  But as I explore my new home I will definitely be writing about it here!

Gosh, I just love Vie De France!  It’s this bakery/cafe located in the corner towards Sak’s.  I just adore their bakery section because I just love desserts.  Ha!

I call this… the fluffy fruit tart!  ($3-4)

Which was delicious, by the way.  I was ready to marry it.

Spinach Croissant ($3-4)

I pretty much recommend all their croissants and pastries.  They are all hot from the oven.  Spinach Croissant might sound strange at first, but it’s actually quite finger-lickin’ delicious.  Oh!  I’m craving it right now.  As for their lunch, it consists mainly of sandwiches.  I hear their French onion soup is delicious though.

Speaking of French onion soup, I heard Gemmel’s in Dana Point has some great French onion soup as well as “heavenly soufflee” and delicious creme brulee.  If you haven’t noticed yet, pastries and dessert are the way to my heart! *hint hint*

Vie de France
3333 Bristol St Ste 1420
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-1734

Cafe Hiro is a bit of Japanese and a bit of random influences, serving pastas, curry, and their own unique dishes.  It also features a cute atmosphere making you feel like you’re in a cafe in Italy.  You can find reviews of Cafe Hiro anywhere online with superb pictures and deep proclamations if how the food “melts in your mouth.”

Whatever.  I had a crappy dinner.

So it began pretty frustrating, because the wait was nearly 30 minutes despite there being several tables with dirty dishes ontop.  Then, for some reason the food just tasted bland that day, leaving me pretty bummed.  I didn’t bother taking photos and even now I can’t recollect what we ate.  Normally a lovely place to eat was just unmemorable.

Well, in case you do not know, their meals are served in 3 courses:  soup, salad, and the main course.  The layouts are usually pretty charming.  I don’t care for their curry; I find curry elsewhere to be more special.  I also don’t really care for their pasta though many people order the Chilean Sea Bass over Mushroom Risotto.  Lunches are $10-15, dinner $20+.  Afterwards, however, you must order dessert.  People usually get the walnut creme brulee or (my personal favourite!) the panna cotta (above).  I LOVE panna cotta!

Cafe Hiro
10509 Valley View St
Cypress, CA 90630
(714) 527-6090

Pad Thai ($3.99)

Thai Purple in Alhambra is this little Thai restaurant on the corner of Garfield and Main.  They offer a Pad Thai Tuesday special for $3.99.  It’s a great deal for people on their lunch break, a good portion, and I think it’s pretty tasty.  Their Pad See-ew and Pineapple Fried Rice are also fairly popular.

Thai Purple
27 N Garfield Ave
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 300-9083

This weekend Borders was having this 40% off any purchase sale.  I needed a book on Medical Billing & Coding but someone informed me that Cerritos Library was having some crazy book sale.

Skyline Room, 3rd Floor

I’ve heard of book sales before but never experienced one. Well, for $2 a bag, you are allowed to fill your paper bag with as many books as you want.  It was pretty exciting!  People were almost fighting for their share.

In case you are not familiar, the new Cerritos Library was opened in 2002.  It was the first titanium exterior-clad building in the US and cost $40 million to construct.  It reminds me of the Walt Disney Concert Hall which features a stainless steel exterior.

Cerritos Public Library
18025 Bloomfield Ave
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 916-1350

]]> http://bobamilktea.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/cerritos-public-library-cerritos-library-museum/feed/ 1 bobamilktea img_8342 img_8339 img_8340 http://bobamilktea.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/tokyo-wako-pasadena-japanese/ http://bobamilktea.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/tokyo-wako-pasadena-japanese/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:05:32 +0000 bobamilktea http://bobamilktea.wordpress.com/?p=94 ]]> I was admiring a beautiful Ferrari when this lime green Lamborghini cuts me off and tries to accelerate only to be stopped by the red light.  HA!  The irony.

Stopping by Paseo to pick something up we decided to try Tokyo Wako because I’ve never been.  Plus, I felt like being “healthy’ for all the dessert I’m probably going to eat later.

Miso Salmon Fillet ($17.00)
(Salmon marinated in Miso and grilled. Garnished with broccoli)

Truth be told, the salmon was grilled well but didn’t really taste like anything.  Steamed broccoli and rice might as well not been there.  This was bland all over.

Alaskan King Crab Roll ($12.95)
(Alaskan king crab meat and avocado topped with seared salmon, smelt egg, scallion and served over a bed of mayo and eel sauce)

At least that’s what the captions said.  As you can see, it was rather skimpish on the crab.  As for the avocado, mine actually had cucumber and I see no scallion or mayo sauce — not that they’d help this roll out at all.  In the end, the only good thing about Tokyo Wako is their teppenyaki and open bar.

Open Bar

Ha. I also enjoy the architecture at Paseo.  I noticed several news anchors live at the apartments.  Hell, if I had the money i would too!

In Old Town, there was this interestingly dressed couple which made me (and everyone around) turn heads.  They looked like they stepped right out of the thirties!  I bet he was woe-ing her.  How romantic!

Hopefully seeing people dressed from the 30s doesn’t mean we’re on  our way to another depression.

Tokyo Wako
330 E Colorado Blvd
Suite 239
Pasadena, CA 91101