Authentic Japanese Izakaya in Las Vegas

Back in the states! And, back in Las Vegas. Even though we just came from Asia, we still have cravings for Asian foods we don't easily find in Manila. One of those cravings is Japanese izakaya.

One of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas is Ichiza. You get a variety of plates, fresh beer, and a great dessert all at a pretty good price. The atmosphere is very casual and fun. The menu is not just the lamented menu you're given at the table, but it's also all the additions all over the walls. A lot of the menu items change daily - which totally encourages you to keep coming back. A good place for a great dinner!

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Custard Apple & Pastries from Taipei

Tasting local foods is the best part about traveling. When the foods are so good, you have to take some home so you can continue to enjoy it for days after the trip.

Taiwan excels in their fruit production. They are so sweet, full of flavor, and beautiful looking. One of these fruits is their custard apple. In the Philippines and even in Thailand, the custard apples are small with big seeds. Here in Taiwan, they are huge with tiny seeds. And, they are so succulent and sweet!

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Another take home treat were pastries from our family friend. He gifted us with a great variety. Here are a couple of the pastries we have been enjoying since after the trip.

The first is the classic Taiwanese pineapple cake. This is a different brand from last time, Chia Te. It's also delicious and not too sweet. You can taste the butter in the pastry - yum!

The second is the sun cake, another Taiwanese treat from Taipei Leechi. It is filled with a delicate condensed malt sugar and surrounded by a flaky, crumbly pastry. So yum!

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Taiwanese Shaved Ice

After enjoying mango ice, we also tried other flavors of shaved ice. This time we were taken to a local spot near the National University of Taiwan in Taipei. Tai Yi is a great place for shaved ice. The ice isn't as fluffy as the mango ice, but the toppings are so delicious!

I love mochi. If you do, too, this is totally the place for you. It's the freshest mochi I've tasted. So soft with a delicate chew. So yum!

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Mango Ice craving during the winter season.

Aside from Din Tai Fung, another must have during our visits to Taipei is mango ice. Unfortunately, this time around it was the winter season. So, mangoes are not one of the seasonal fruits in Taipei.

Fortunately, though, the mango ice store we visited last time creatively adjusted their menu selections. Instead of fresh mangoes, we enjoyed mango jelly. It's not overly sweet at all. The chew of the jelly is not mushy and not stiff either. It's like chewing into a perfectly ripe mango. It's pretty amazing how the jelly tasted just like a real mango in both taste and texture.

We also tried the lingonberry and lychee ice. Lingonberry ice cream with lychee jellies. The lingonberry was tart but really refreshing. It was like a combined taste of cranberries and blackberries.

The best parts of these ice desserts is the fluffiness of the ice and the sauce. The ice is like when snow first falls and it's so powdery, and the mixture of condensed milk and caramel sauce is so delicious!

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Boba (aka, Pearl Tea) - A Taiwanese Specialty

The last couple times I visited Taipei, I was just too full after meals to stuff more into more stomach. Unfortunately, that meant I didn't have a chance to taste local boba teas, also known as pearl milk teas or tapioca milk teas. I've been loving this drink since grade school when one of my brothers and his best friend, who was from Taipei, would take me to some of the better spots in the Bay Area. The criteria was not just about the taste of the tea, it was mostly about the texture of the tapioca. It had to be chewy, but properly cooked, but not overly cooked.

In our last visit to Taipei we saw these boba teas being served in huge beer mugs - so cool!! This time around, I saved some stomach space to finally try it out. At Chun Shui Tang you get this cool atmosphere of a teahouse while enjoying your huge mug of boba. The chew of the tapioca was just right and the tea wasn't overly sweet at all. A great afternoon snack.

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Local Taiwanese Eats at Shin Yeh 101

Aside from the Din Tai Fung requirement while in Taipei, I also had to eat more local Taiwanese cuisine. To enjoy with a view and in a nice setting, we revisited Shin Yeh 101. I love the atmosphere here, and it's even better when it's a clear day out to enjoy the view from the 85th floor.

This time around, we had a light lunch and focused on local eats. Everything was satisfying, quality, and fresh tasting. I really love Taiwanese cuisine.

Here's a look at a few local items. Remember if you go here, make reservations!

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Din Tai Fung - A requirement for every visit to Taipei

My third visit to Taipei - which really means, it's at least my third visit to Taipei's Din Tai Fung. This xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumpling) establishment in both Taipei and Shanghai is so far my benchmark for extremely great xiao long bao.

What makes it "extremely great"?
1. The thin, and I'm talking about seriously paper thin, wrapper.
2. The flavorful soup which is not overly fatty, yet still rich with pork flavor.
3. The filling which is not combined with fillers. It remains a succulent pork ball.
With all these 3 elements combined, plus the fact that the wrapper does not break, makes these xiao long bao the best in the world that I have tried so far.

When xiao long bao doesn't succeed in all 3 of these elements, it just completely disappoints. You find yourself craving for the quality stuff. Unfortunately, I have not found that in the U.S. or Manila. Hong Kong comes pretty close. Shanghai and Taipei are winning right now.

This also means it's a total requirement to go to a Din Tai Fung in Taipei every time I visit. It would be a travesty for any food traveler not to do the same.

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Home Cooked Asian Meals

After traveling so much, it's so comforting to eat home cooked food at home. Even though I've been traveling around Asia, I still always find myself craving for Asian food. Here are a couple meals that I made and my mom also made during our down time at home.

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Ramen in Hong Kong

Lately my craving has been for quality ramen. Instant ramen cannot cure this craving. I'm talking about milky tonkotsu ramen with chewy noodles. You can't find this just anymore.

Since I was in Hong Kong, I took the MTR to Kowloon just for a bowl of ramen at Ippei-an in Elements malls. It was so worth it!

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Dinner in Yuen Long

For dinner, my best friend and I went back to Yuen Long to meet up with some friends for a big dinner. We were all hungry from a long day of running around. Our feast was filled with local foods. For dessert, we walked a few blocks for even more local treats.

I love eating local when I'm anywhere in the world. And by local I don't just mean the local food of the country, but I also mean the local food of the regions.

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Lunch in Yuen Long

Hong Kong is like my second home in Asia. There's so much of the city that I have yet to discover. On my last trip, I spent a couple extra days with my best friend who showed me around Yuen Long. Yuen Long is a town in New Territories that still feels like old Hong Kong. It's full of markets all throughout the day and night. People are constantly eating!

By getting lost in finding this restaurant, I was able to walk through a lot of the town. It's so cool how many restaurants and food stalls there are here. And when we finally found this particular restaurant, it was well worth the confusion.

Sichuan Potato Noodles. It's translucent and very chewy. The texture is almost like eating a firmer rice cake. As for the spice, we ordered level 2 of 5. I cannot imagine what 5 would be like!! I was already crying and sweating from this level 2. But it was so good. I'm growing to like spicier and spicier foods. It makes you hungrier for more to eat. Thankfully, I also ordered soy milk. Wow, that really helped relieve my palate and cool me down.

Following the meal, I was taken to the food stalls to enjoy some milk tea at a teahouse (which is featured here). It was a nice, small glass that I savored. This is probably best milk tea I have tasted so far!

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Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong

Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons has created quite a hype. It is the only Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong with a full 3 Michelin stars. Going into the restaurant, I was excited and expecting a lot. Three Michelin stars is a huge deal. I've been fortunate enough to dine at some Michelin rated restaurants in San Francisco and New York City, and quite of few of those were 3 starred. They all had that high level of quality service and amazing memorable food. So this is exactly what I was expecting.

To my sad surprise and disappointment, my expectations and hopes were let down. Quite frankly, I've had better Chinese meals with better service in other non-Michelin rated restaurants in Hong Kong. The food wasn't extra special. The service wasn't outstanding. Lung King Heen has done a fantastic job, though, with their marketing and PR.

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Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao at HKIA

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of my favorite airport around the world. Why? Because of the food, naturally. It has more than just the fast food and cold deli sandwiches you'd find in American airports. There are real sit down restaurants. Plus, the lounges, like Cathay Pacific's lounges, offer some great meals between transit flights.

To kill time and quiet my stomach, I tried out Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao. It's based in Singapore and has expanded across Asia. I've been hearing it has some pretty good xiao long bao, so I totally wanted to try this out. The soup dumplings and the noodles are quality and satisfying. Overall, I'd rank this in the top 5 of my best xiao long bao.

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Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.