1x1 Photography

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1x1 photography

---lizzie

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These two blogs are just starting but the photography and art are really good so check it out!!

Tong Legacy
Chubbs Photography

-Lizzie

Hong Kong Favorites {breakfast}

Aside from the tall buildings, horrible drivers, fantastic public transportation and tax free shopping, Hong Kong is known for its food. Because of the fast paced lifestyle that Hong Kong people are so accustomed to, the most classic way to eat breakfast is at a 茶餐廳 (tea restaurant). This is basically a very local and small restaurant where people like to grab a milk tea and some sort of freshly baked bread. They often serve a huge selection of drinks, noodles, rice and baked goods. You have to order fast and eat fast because taking up a table is taking up space for another potential customer, and the owners do not like that! Here's a list of a few of my favorite breakfast items to get in Hong Kong.

1. Pineapple buns. Don't be deceived by the name. There is no pineapple in a pineapple bun. However, I guess it sort of looks like a pineapple... The bun itself is fluffy and the best part is the crispy, sweet crust on top made of flour and sugar. The combination of the fluffy bread and the crispy crust is delicious. When served fresh, people often add a icy cold slice of butter on the inside which contrasts with the warm fluffy bread. People in Hong Kong rarely sit for a long time because they are always in a hurry so you can often stand outside and order it to-go.  Perfect with a milk tea, iced coffee or a lemon honey iced tea.

2. Satay Beef Doll Noodles. Yes, Asians can eat noodle at all times of the day. This is one of my favorites because the noodles in Hong Kong are delicious. The texture is chewier and firmer unlike the overcooked mushy texture of some noodles. Doll noodles are actually just instant noodles but for some reason, taste better in Hong Kong. Maybe it's just the ambiance of the Hong Kong environment. Satay beef is tender beef with peanut curry sauce poured over it. The beef and the noodles make a fantastic combination that many Hong Kong locals like to grab before a day at work.

3. French Toast. The French Toast is usually filled with peanut butter or some other sweet filling . The best part is the sticky, thick syrup that goes on top. A classic sweet breakfast that can really be eaten at any time of the day.

Try something new every day!

-Lizzie

Slater's 50/50

Bacon lovers' heaven. Bacon burger patties, bacon milkshake, bacon ketchup, bacon brownie...the list goes on. Let's start with the bacon ketchup. We ordered some fries and onion rings for the ketchup. The fries were pretty good but the onion rings were over breaded. I ordered a personalized burger with the 50/50 patty (bacon and ground beef mix), with bacon, avocado,

American cheese, lettuce and horseradish. When I try burgers for the the first time I like to go traditional when it comes to cheese. The patty was disappointing. Because of the bacon that was mixed in, the patty was dry and really dense which made it a little hard. Also the bun was dry and too big for the patty.

The maple syrup bacon milkshake was nice especially on such a hot day. But for a place that serves bacon in so many ways, the bacon really wasn't that good. It was a bit soggy and super greasy. Overall, it wasn't the best burger place but I heard the Mac n cheese is good and they bacon brownie is delicious. So I will have to go back just for that, but I probably won't be going back for the burger. Even though I didn't really enjoy my burger this place seems to be pretty popular so it was worth the try. Maybe it's the Mac n cheese or something I just haven't tried yet. I'll probably be back just to try and figure out what makes it successful. 

Home Dining

SO...besides trying new restaurants I also love trying new things at home. My whole family is composed of foodies like myself so we all like to try new things. Recently my mom has been going to the Pasadena Farmers' Market at Victory Park, and it is AWESOME!! I haven't been myself yet, but I am definitely going to do that soon.  Last week we had a salmon which was buttery, fresh and flavorful. I think the best discovery this month though, is the  famers' market strawberries. Literally the best strawberries I have ever tasted. They are organic so they're a little smaller and pricier but they are definitely worth it. Not only are they sweet, the have such a strong strawberry flavor unlike the watered down fruits that are shot up with steroids. It's super natural and it almost feels like you're eating strawberry candy. So delish!


To kick off the summer, my family had a mini BBQ. We had some burgers and we threw in some brie cheese in the patty which made it tasty and juicy. And we added some applewood smoked bacon which was a perfect combination. Also, my dad made some delicious truffle aioli with mayo, truffle oil and applewood bacon bits.

Last week my mom also made an INCREDIBLE home cooked meal. I have a picture of the appetizer but I lost the rest of the meal! :( Anyway, (left to right) we had a tuna avocado with sesame sauce, a celery gazpacho (really nice and refreshing for the summertime) and a uni brie cheese baguette. The last one was unique but the flavors were such a great combination and the slightly toasted baguette was perfect. Definitely my favorite one! We also had a seafood pasta in white wine sauce topped off with some paprika which was perfect for a seafood lover like myself. We finished the meal off with my mom's famous bread pudding à la mode. 

YUM.

RICE thai tapas

Last week I went to a new restaurant in Pasadena called RICE thai tapas. Oba, the Japanese restaurant next door, is owned by the same owner and since we really like Oba we wanted to try RICE. The tapas style is really nice because we could all try a bit of everything. The Mignon Satay and the Pad Thai were my favorites. The beef is very tender and I kept the peanut sauce on my side of the table hoping that no one would notice because I then proceeded to use it on almost everything. It was delicious. The owner told us that their Pad Thai is very traditional and the chef refrains from using ketchup or anything else to make it red or orange. The Pad Thai was really flavorful and fresh. The almost sticky texture of the noodles is fantastic. We ended the meal with a black sticky rice with mango which was pretty good. I'm a huge fan of black sticky rice and mango is my favorite fruit so for me it was perfect. I rarely find Thai places that make mango sticky rice with black rice instead of white rice so I was really excited for that. Overall the food is very flavorful and super fresh and perfect for a large group because it's easy to share. (Sorry for the bad photo quality!)

Monzo

A friend recommended this udon spot to us and my dad and I love all kinds of noodles so we decided to give it a try. When I eat noodles I enjoy a more chewy texture with a bite as opposed to a softer texture. I ordered the Sea Urchin Udon which is their most famous bowl.

The texture of the udon was perfect but I was pretty disappointed by everything else. The soup base was very thick and heavy and all the tempura was over breaded and drenched in oil. The heaviness of creamy soup/sauce and the oily fried food was not a good combination for my stomach and I left feeling unsatisfied. Despite the disappointing aspects of the meal I'd probably go back for the udon itself but I would go for a simple miso or soya based soup with no tempura.

I then went to Little Tokyo Village across from Monzo for the freshly made Japanese pancakes with red bean (dorayaki) but was once again disappointed to discover that they are closed on Mondays!! Finally I decided to walk to Marukai Market a block away (my favorite market), and I bought myself a daifuku red bean mochi which I am currently enjoying with a cup of green tea. 

Although it wasn't the most enjoyable meal I'm glad I tried it. The only way to discover something amazing is to try it all.