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.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album