FAVORITES: My feelings for Thai food

Lately, I've been loving the taste of Thai food.  This post is going to be a little different from what the usual post looks like.  I'm going to introduce two Thai restaurants I've been to in the past couple weeks. One is called Thai Noodle House of Alameda which is an average and relatively cheaper Thai restaurant while the other is called Osha which is a restaurant on the pricier side.

This dish is from the Thai noodle house of Alameda.  It is the green curry with vegetables and shrimp.  Everything was great about it except the fact that the curry was a bit too spicy for me.  I know that green curry is meant to be spicier than other curries but I decided to give it a try.  So as I was eating this, I probably drank like five cups of water.  Also, the brown rice here was a bit different from other Thai restaurants.  The color is brown and in all the other Thai restaurants, their brown rice is black.  Nevertheless, I liked how hard the texture came out to be (I like to eat hard things).

This dish was from the other restaurant, Osha.  It is the pumpkin curry.  Since it is made with red curry, it was a lot less spicy so I liked it a lot.  Also, the salmon just made the whole dish a whole lot better (cause salmon is my fav).  The brown rice, I'd have to say is too mushy and soft.  I prefer to have rice that I can pick up piece by piece.  It was darker in color, compared to the one in the other restaurant.

Overall, I enjoy the pumpkin curry over the green curry, mostly because of the level of spiciness.  The pumpkin curry was just the right amount for me but the green curry was a bit too much for me.  As for the rice, I liked the Thai noodle house of Alameda's more.

This one is from Thai noodle house.  The pad thai. One of the most recognized dishes in the Thai cuisine.  This dish should always comes with shrimp and chicken and tofu with no additional charge. The thing I look most for in this dish are the noodles because everything else on the plate is about the same. I really like how it is just the right amount of chewiness, so it wasn't overcooked or undercooked.  

First of all, sorry about the lighting in the picture. This was from Osha.  The noodles were really flat.  When I tried to stir it, I could basically lift up all the noodles at once.  I would have to say that the chicken here was more flavorful than the one at Thai noodle house.  Also the presentation was fancier.  The carrots were twirled and they placed a flower on top.  

Between these two dishes, I would definitely say the Pad Thai from Noodle House of Alameda was better, mostly because of the texture of the noodles.  It wasn't all stuck together like the one from Osha.

These are the two main dishes in the Thai cuisine.  The pricier dish always has better presentation, but it may not always taste the best.  Sometimes, the most authentic restaurants have the best deals for great quality foods and tasty foods.

REVIEW: A pricey restaurant for average food

So about a week ago, I came here to eat with my family (because we had a groupon and it was about to expire). We wouldn't have came if we didn't have the coupon considering the overall price.

The place was quite fancy with a great environment. From where I sat, I was facing the Bay Bridge. How cool was that? 

For an appetizer, we ordered the crab and artichoke dip with pita chips. I'd have I say, the pita chip was so fresh, it had to be housemade. It was quite thick and it actually tasted like eating a piece of pita bread with a little crunch to it. The dip was just as great. The artichoke, crab, and cheese went really well together and it gave my mouth a burst of flavor. I'd probably say that this dish was the most special one yet. I've never tasted something like this before.

Next up, my mom ordered the seafood paella (pronounced pi-a-ya). I'm taking Spanish now so that's why I know. Haha. Overall, this dish didn't have as much seafood flavor as I expected. But they provided an adequate amount of seafoods such as scallops, mussels, and clams.

Here comes mine. My all time, favorite food in the whole wide world is salmon, or fish in particular. This was a very ordinary dish but it had some of my favorite ingredients in here. The fish was asked with quinoa, but I couldn't really taste the quinoa so that wasn't so great. And their roasted veggies were awesome because they were just the right amount of texture, not too hard and not too soft.

Of course my dad ordered the lamb rack. I personally love lamb also. Actually my whole family knows lamb except for my mom. It came with 4 pieces and a side of potatoes. The lamb was not as great as I expected (again!) because it did not have that gamy taste, which is my favorite part of eating lamb. 

You can kinda guess who's this one is for. It came from the kid's menu. It's my sister's. This dish was prepared with Alfredo sauce and there was nothing really special about it. But one thing I have to mention is that the French fries were extremely thin.

Also, complementary bread was served.

Of course, we had to finish off the meal with some dessert.  We ordered the chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream.  The inside of the cake was a bit melty which went great with the crumby cake texture.

TIP: How to keep warm during this time of the year

I know, I know, it's already spring and the weather has changed to a slightly warmer temperature now but nevertheless, I decided to share how I survive through the cold weather at night or in the early mornings.

I am a person that has cold hands regardless of the weather. Except for when it's really hot.  My body might not be necessarily cold, but my hands are just freezing.

I don't usually drink plain coffee but here's an example of a hot drink :)

1. Hot drinks are your new best friend
Not only do hot drinks warm up your hand, but they heat up the inside of your body to make you feel warmer.  And especially in the colder seasons, drinking cold drinks are actually bad for you, because not only is your body already chilly, and the fact that you are putting in more of the coldness, might just cause sicknesses.  In my own experience, every time I take in a cup of tea or even some warm water, I feel the temperature change happening in my body.  I'm no longer shivering or wearing a million layers.  Try this, and I guarantee you a change.  And you will be satisfied.

When I first bought it, it was pure white, but after wearing it a lot of times, it's becoming black

2. Get yourself a lightweight down coat
Once I started wearing this piece of clothing, I didn't even have to worry about wearing a bunch of layers and feeling uncomfortable.  These coats are super lightweight, and you can fold them and even fit them into a tiny bag.  They are a very easy piece to carry around, and they keep you super warm.  At first, I didn't even believe it.  But when I tried it on, whoa, it made a huge difference.  I really recommend considering to invest in a good-quality lightweight down coat.  I got mine at a store called Uniqlo.  They have so many color varieties, and of course, I got the plain white one.  When you wear this coat, you might feel a bit puffy or big, but trust me, you wouldn't care about how you look after knowing how warm this coat will make you.

3. Fuzzy socks are not only worn at home !
These comfortable pieces are a must to have during the winter season.  I wear them at around the home day and night, and even to school! Just make sure the other things you wear do not look too lazy, because that will just make you look like you've just got out of bed.  I usually pair mine up with a pair of sneakers or sheepskin boots.

4. Move around more
There is no doubt that increasing physical activity will heat up the body.  So don't just sit there all day, just with a cup of tea and many layers on(or just a lightweight down coat), you still have to get up and move a little to help your body stay warm.  Many people are lazy especially in the colder weather, but try to avoid that.  To be honest, I'm pretty lazy too, but I always try my best to just at least walk around or do something that will warm up my body.

5. Pile on the blankets
If you are a person that doesn't like to wear too many layers in bed, I would recommend you to cover yourself with thicker and more blankets.  It will really help especially because your body is not in motion at all during your sleep.



Stay warm!