Best Japanese Food! (Dan Izakaya)

Restaurant: Dan Izakaya Restaurant
Address: 1306 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129

This is another one of my absolute FAVORITE restaurants! Dan is tucked away at the corner of a plaza that looks a tad bit worn out. Nevertheless, the food is truly amazing! I love going there for both lunch AND dinner! Today I had lunch here and here's what me and my family members got. We all got the combo lunch sets, which come with miso soup, rice and your choice of two entrees. The combo lunch set is about $10, which really isn't that bad! I think the most expensive lunch item is about $16. As for dinner, it gets much more pricey. Next time I go there for dinner, I'll be sure to make a separate post on it!

Let's get into what I ate today for lunch:

 So this is the miso soup. It comes with the combo lunch sets. It's pretty decent miso soup but not drop dead amazing. It has seaweed, tofu and green onions in it!

This is what I ordered today. I got the salmon shioyaki (salmon cured with salt) and tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet). It was delicious! This was my first time trying tonkatsu and the meat was tender and it was fried perfectly crispy. The salmon shioyaki is a must-have every time I come here. I love it because I LOVE salmon (so many good omega 3 fatty acids in it!). The salmon is grilled perfectly and salted perfectly. Not too bland, not too salty.

As you'll notice in the next few pictures, all the combo plates come with a fried pumpkin tempura, some potato salad (super good! It's very creamy yet light...if that's even possible.) It also comes with some pickled veggies and some "seaweed salad". Delish!

This is again salmon shioyaki but paired with sashimi. Even though it's only a few pieces, each piece is cut so well and Dan's fish is so fresh! I feel like the quality of their fish here is awesome. I never feel like their fish tastes too fishy which is a huge plus.

This is beef teriyaki and tempura. Dan fries their tempura really well, to the perfect crispiness. As for their beef teriyaki, it's another one of my favorites to get. Their beef is cooked wonderfully, not too raw but not overcooked to the point where it's hard to chew. Not to mention, their teriyaki sauce is great too!

This is chicken teriyaki with saba shioyaki. The chicken teriyaki is pretty good as well because it's the same teriyaki sauce as the beef. I like the beef a bit more just because of how chewy the beef is. However, if I'm in the mood for chicken, I'll get this and happily enjoy it haha! As for the saba shioyaki, this is also one of my favorites to order. If I'm in the mood for saba, I'll get this! Again it's cured with salt like the salmon shioyaki, but basically it's just saba fish instead of salmon. Saba is definitely very tasty and seems to absorb more of that saltiness which goes so well with the rice but I often opt for salmon just because it's packed with so much more omega 3!

Yes..I know, why the heck am I taking a picture of plain white rice? Well, Dan has AMAZING rice. I love their rice because it's chewy, not too sticky yet not too separated/un-sticky. Just look at the picture and you can see. The rice is the perfect consistency, love it!

Other things I recommend for lunch include:
-Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura Udon and Mini curry: I love how you can get two things in one! The udon is delicious because the noodles are cooked so well. The tempura is fried to the perfect crispiness. The mini curry is also delicious because you can get some of their rice alongside the curry which is awesome. I love both noodles and rice so this set is perfect when I'm unsure of whether I'd like noodles or rice more. Perfect for the indecisive ones ;)
-Asari (clam) Ramen: This is DELICIOUS. It's definitely on the heavier, creamier, butter-ier side but the clams are very fresh (never found any sand or anything in them) and the ramen is again cooked to the perfect consistency. The soup base has that yummy clam taste as well as a strong butter taste which appeals to a lot of people. It's scrumptious, especially on those cold winter days.

As far as service goes, when they're less busy they're definitely nicer but food does come out pretty quickly and if you have any requests, they definitely do attend to them. It's not GREAT service but they still manage. The food makes up a lot for the service too haha.

In summary (for lunch):
Taste: 9.5/10
Service: 7/10
Price: 7.5/10

Definitely hit this place up if you're looking for some good, authentic Japanese food! One of my favorites, and it's a place I'll be going to for a loooooooong time! I'll definitely blog about this place again for dinner!

Happy eating!

My Fav: Dim Sum (Joy Luck Palace)

Restaurant: Joy Luck Palace 醉香居
Location: 10911 N Wolfe Road, Cupertino, CA 95014

YES, missed this place! I've been craving Dim Sum for so long. This restaurant is one of my all time favorites. For lunch they serve Dim Sum, and for dinner, they serve regular dishes (but you can still order these dishes for lunch too!)

For those who have never had Dim Sum, it's basically a Cantonese thing and what happens is, servers come out pushing carts of food and they go around to each table telling you what they have and asking you if you'd like it. If you want it, just order it! Easy as that!

Here's what I had today for lunch:

This is called pork spareribs and it's super tasty, one of my favs! The flavor is great and there's actually some taro pieces hidden underneath the pork and the taro was cooked wonderfully. I loved how the taro had a hint of saltiness and meatiness because of being cooked with the pork.

These are beef meatballs! Basically it's just what it sounds like..a ball of beef with some green onions in it. It's cooked so that it has a bit of chewiness but not too much and they give you some black vinegar to go with the meatballs. The black vinegar marries so well with the meatballs. Usually I never eat anything with vinegar (black, red or white) but I always eat these meatballs with the black vinegar!

 These are steamed Shrimp and Chive Dumplings. I love how chewy the dumpling skin is and I love to eat it just plain or with some soy sauce and hot sauce.
**The hot sauce at Joy Luck is great, you gotta try it.**

This is just Chow Mein or Pan Fried noodles with some bean sprouts. I love pan fried noodles because it's just so flavorful and the bean sprouts give it that extra crunch. Yummy!

 Does this look familiar? This is the pan fried version of the Shrimp and Chive dumplings. The dumpling skin has that extra crunch because of being pan fried and it definitely has more flavor than the steamed version because again, of being pan fried.

This is Tofu with black bean sauce. The tofu really absorbs the sauce, which is absolutely delicious. No need for soy sauce or anything!

These are pan-fried buns with pork and veggies. It's great because you get that crispy outside from being pan-fried but you get that soft, chewy and fluffy texture of the bun. Personally, I actually like the bun much more than the inside because of the crunchiness paired with the "fluffiness/chewiness" but the inside is, nevertheless, still scrumptious!

This is beef rice rolls. Basically the outside is a really chewy, almost-dumpling like exterior. The "skin" is rice noodle sheets, made from rice flour and/or tapioca/glutinous rice flour (to give it that chewiness). The inside can be filled with anything from shrimp, pork to beef. My dad just really likes the beef one so we get it but I've tried the pork version and I like it too! These rice rolls are covered with a special kind of soy sauce, a kind that's more flavorful...not sure what kind it is though, but it's tasty!

Here comes dessert! Don't be scared by the black stuff. This is DELICIOUS, another one of my favorites. These are glutinous balls filled with a black sesame paste and covered in white and black sesame on the outside. These are a bit crispy/crunchy on the outside and super chewy. I love the black sesame paste too, not too sweet. These are perfect when they are freshly made because the black sesame paste is gooey and runny. If they've gotten cold and been out for a while, the paste actually thickens up to be kind of solid. These are a must have! Plus black sesame has so many health benefits :)

OMG I was craving these. Don't they look so plain on the outside? Yes..I know they do. But they're bursting with deliciousness. These were piping hot when I got them, which made me really happy. The outside is just a chewy bread bun but inside is filled with goodness! What's inside?? Look below.

Okay..maybe it doesn't look THAT appetizing but I swear they're delicious. Look how fluffy the bun is too. Inside is a sweet, egg yolky past that is soft and gooey. It's almost a pudding-like texture and tastes pretty similar to the inside of an "egg tart" if you guys have ever had those. It has that creamy, egg yolky taste with a pudding-like texture, absolutely mouth-watering. Not only that, they also hide a bit of real egg yolk in the very inside of the buns. It's a-m-a-z-i-n-g. You gotta try this out.

Overall, this came out to be around $50, not too bad right?

So I was pretty full after all that but here are some other things I recommend but I didn't have the chance to eat today:
Chicken Feet with Black Beans (Sounds gross but it tastes great! Not to mention, the collagen chicken feet has is definitely a plus for all you ladies out there. No need for Botox then ;) haha)
Glutinous Rice in Tea Leaves (One of my absolute favorites. I love how perfect the rice is and the tea leaves add that perfect extra kick of flavor to the rice. Some other Dim Sum places I've tried don't have that tea leaf flavor so the rice is white but here at Joy Luck, you can definitely taste that hint of tea leaf and the rice is actually tinted a bit brown because of the tea leaves..and soy sauce I'm sure. It also comes with sausage, some bits of pork and some egg yolk, all wrapped up in the rice!)
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce: Nothing too special about it but it's just good to get some veggies in. I love Chinese broccoli so I almost always get this!
Siu Mai: This is what many people typically order. It's just a pork dumpling with a shrimp! Not too exciting but still yummy!

This restaurant has amazing food, the best Dim Sum in the Bay Area in my opinion! It's located in the heart of the Cupertino Village Plaza and inside, it's gorgeous, especially during lunch time because the sun radiates through the restaurant. Nevertheless, the service is lacking as the waiters/waitresses don't really smile and it takes them a while to get to your requests for things like ice water, forks etc. But hey, it is super busy so it's hard to accomodate to everyone! The service really doesn't bother me because the food makes up for it :)

Also, be aware that on the weekends the line gets SOOO long, so if you're planning to eat here on the weekends, be sure to call in and make a reservation or arrive early! This place is big but it fills up fast. Usually weekdays there's not much of a wait but I warn you, if you're eating during "normal" meal hours, then make a reservation or prepare to wait for 30 min-1 hour.

In summary:
Taste: 9.5/10
Service: 5/10
Price: 7/10

I will DEFINITELY be back soon. I've eaten here since I was a little kid and I absolutely love it. It is THE place for Dim Sum in the Bay Area so if you're ever around, definitely stop by!

Joshu-ya's Spicy Crunch Roll (Joshu-ya Brasserie)

Restaurant: Joshu-ya Brasserie

Location: 2441 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704

Today I went out with a few friends and had dinner at Joshu-ya's, located on Dwight Way in Berkeley, CA. Many people had been telling me how great the restaurant was so I was expecting a lot. My expectations weren't exceeded but I wasn't disappointed.

We arrived at the restaurant and the waitress who came out to "greet" us and take us in wasn't too friendly. However, our table's server made up for it. She was consistently refilling our water when need be and taking away plates whenever we were done. The service is a bit iffy in that sense. The service really depends on the server.

Now, getting into the food. The menu was really extensive and everything looked so good! It was hard to choose!

I couldn't decide so I asked our server what the most popular rolls were since I was in the mood for some sushi. She mentioned the "Lucky Danny" and "Spicy Crunch" so I decided to go with the "Spicy Crunch" Roll! The roll is describes as having spicy tuna, tuna, avocado, tempura flakes, soy paper, and spicy aoli.

After a few minutes, everyone was served miso soup. It was plain. Nothing too special about it. Just miso soup. No tofu in it, only seaweed. It really wasn't anything special.

About 10-15 minutes later, my roll came. It looked beautiful first of all, with the red from the tuna and the green from the avocado. It was pretty good. Not as amazing as I was expecting it to be but it was still tasty! 

I liked how they gave us plenty of ginger as well as wasabi because many Japanese restaurants I have been go only give a small bit of ginger and about a nickel size of wasabi. 

 I really enjoyed the spiciness of the roll but I felt like it could have had more of a kick. It really wasn't that spicy in my opinion. I also would have liked more of the spicy aoli because I found myself still dipping the sushi in some soy sauce. I really enjoyed how fresh the fish was because there was no "fishiness" to be tasted and I loved how the avocado's texture mixed so well with the tuna. The rice tasted really good too and the tempura flakes gave a hint of crunchiness which worked really well in adding a different layer of texture. I also really liked how if I bit the sushi in half, the other half wouldn't fall apart like I've noticed some sushi does.

Overall, I really enjoyed the sushi. It wasn't AMAZING but nevertheless it was still delicious! However, the price was pretty expensive. For 8 pieces of sushi, this cost $11 and with tax and gratuity, I paid about $14 for this which is a bit much in my opinion. 

In summary:

Taste: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Price: 6/10

I WILL be back but not often because it is pretty pricey. The next time I go though, I'll probably try something aside from sushi. I've heard the Kobe Beef Slides are good as well as the Crispy Pork Belly Tacos. I've also heard the Amsterdam Roll is good too. 

If you're ever in the Berkeley area and have some extra money on hand, then stop by Joshu-ya's. It's definitely worth a go!

Welcome!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! My name is Cynthia and I am a HUGE food lover. I live to eat, not  "eat to live". Everyone has always mentioned to me how much I love food and it's come to my attention that I guess I have a pretty eclectic palette? Some people seem to have never eaten some of the things I eat on a regular basis so why not share our food/taste experiences with one another? Thus, this blog was born (credit to my roommate for this idea).

This blog will feature restaurant reviews. I hope you can all enjoy this delicious tasty food journey with me and I hope if you live around the same area I do, that you can head over to some of my favorite places and taste what I write about on your own!

Please follow if you're interested and look forward to many detailed posts and mouthwatering pictures!

All food lovers, let's unite on this blog!

With food love,
Cynthia
xoxo