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!

REVIEW: Crepevine is the place for big portions

Hungry? Do you want something with great "quality" and at the same time, a burst of deliciousness in your mouth? Try Crepevine! Ok, I just sounded like I was doing a commercial right there.

First of all, I love their menu. I love the chalk board feeling, which gives the whole restaurant a old fashioned feel while keeping up with a fancy look.  

Their menu included sandwiches, pastas, salads, crepes (sweet and savory), omelettes, egg benedicts, scrambled eggs, and other breakfast items. You can actually taste the fresheness and quality of their food. Most to all the food is very nutritious. That's why I love it here so much. 

bangkok salad

Bangkok Salad- This is the only salad I've tried at Crepevine, but I know for sure its going to be my favorite.  The sauces and spices go together so well.  The chicken is marinated with a curry flavor.  On the bottom are chopped up peanuts and they add a special crunch to the salad.  The semi-sour vinaigrette is  already mixed within the greens which is convenient for me because when I mix the dressing from the top of the salad to the rest of the dish, I tend to make a big mess.  I love their presentation also.  The plate is huge, and it is filled up with no space wasted.  And not to mention, their sourdough bun is delicious.  

palermo fettuccine

Palermo Fettuccine- This pasta was very creamy and cheesy.  Pasta isn't my favorite so I didn't find anything much special in this dish.  The chicken was ordinary.  The sauce was standard.

smoked salmon benedict

Smoked Salmon Egg Benedict- I'm a huge fan of salmon.  Any kind of salmon-raw, smoked, baked, fried, anything.  I'm also a huge fan of eggs with spinach.  That's why this dish is perfect.  The eggs were perfectly cooked- the yolk was drooling out.   Potatoes were served on the side, and they were nothing to rage about. 

provence

Scrambled Eggs with Salmon (provence)-  This was sort of similar to the Benedict above, but the salmon is cooked with the eggs and spinach.  Personally, I love goat cheese which was added on this dish. It gave the scrambled eggs a creamier taste since the salmon and eggs were a bit on the drier side.  It was delicious.  Potatoes and toast were served on the side.  

Those were some dishes I tried at Crepevine! I know I didn't get to try many of them, but that means I get to go to Crepevine more often.  That's a good thing.

I would say this restaurant is more on the pricy side.  However, their portion sizes and the quality of their food is incredible, so their prices is reasonable.  You've gotta give this place a try.  And one more thing-this place isn't actually like a fancy classy restaurant.  You have to order at the front, carry a number sign to your table of your choice and then they will bring your food over to you.  

If you have tried Crepevine (yay!), what is your favorite dish?

Also, shout out to my mom for taking some of these photos.

FAVORITES: Not your ordinary bagel

Lately, I've been loving a type of bagel called pumpernickel bagel.  It may look weird or somewhat unappetizing to you, but trust me, the taste is amazing.  Well, at least for me it is. It's so hard to describe the taste.  It is basically one of those foods that is either a hit or miss, which means you either like it entirely, or you hate it.

So I tried this bagel shop in Alameda called House of Bagels, they have a huge variety of bagels, and out of the large selection, of course I decided to try out the darkest, most unappealing one, and the one with the strangest name.  Yep, that is me. And if you check me out on yelp, you can see how many times I've been here based on my check ins.  The reason why I love this place so much is because they claim to have fresh and no added preservatives or oils in their food.  This is what I call quality ingredients and food.

I usually either eat my bagel as a bagel sandwich, or I eat it plainly.  But I'll warn you now, if you just eat it plainly, your jaw will plead for a break.  Cause mine were exhausted.

Pumpernickel is a whole grain food which means it is way better for you than the white refined flours founded in white bread.  And incorporating more whole grain in your diet means less risk of diseases and illnesses.  Also, they have more fiber than white breads.  So if they run out of pumpernickel bagels at this bagel shop, I recommend choosing some other whole grain bagels which include the rye bagel and the whole wheat bagel.  Pumpernickel contains many vitamins and minerals that are essential for the body overall.

I just decided to share this short post with you guys to let you guys know the things I've been craving in my life.  If I get a good response, I will start doing more of these.  And of course, they will most likely be a bit on the healthy side because I love nourishing myself with the good and natural ingredients.

Done.

REVIEW: Latino foods take on a new approach

Alright, the reason why I named the title, "Latino foods take on a new approach" is because for me,     when I think of Latino foods, I see the same foods as the Mexican cuisine.  However, that is not the     case. Bocanova is indeed a fusion-style Latino restaurant and most of their foods are not at all like     the Mexican style.  In fact, their food seem pretty much like a mixture of many different cultures.       

On January 23, 2015, my family and I came to Bocanova for my mom's birthday.  The view was great, since it was located in Jack London Square.  We took a seat outside, with the calm ocean view. It was quite breezy, but they provided us with a lamp heater, so that came in handy.

The prices were a bit on the higher side, but it was expected because again, it was in Jack London Square.

BOCADITOS (snacks)

Dungeness Crab Deviled Eggs----Personally, I love hard boiled eggs, so if you're a fan of them like me, this dish would be great for you.  However, I think that they provided too much sauce for this, and it was too salty for me.  It had a thick texture and the sauce flavor was what they called, chipotle aioli. The crab was perfect though.  

dungeness crab deviled eggs

CEVICHES Y CRUDOS  

Ceviche is basically marinated fish with some lemon or citrus juice.  Crudos means "raw". 

Scallop Ceviche---This dish was probably one of my favorites.  The flavor was just right.  It tasted very fresh and complete.  The tumbo juice they added gave the dish a bit of sour taste which was perfectly combined.  Also, I thought the avocado went great with the scallops because the texture of the avocado was mushy and the scallops were harder, so it tasted as though the avocado was an extra sauce for the scallops. 

scallop ceviche (19)

ENSALADS (salads)

Quinoa Salad---Alright, this was hands down the best quinoa salad I've ever had.  They give you an adequate amount of duck meat and it tasted so good.  Avocado was also added in there which gave it a stronger taste.  There was also watercress, pumpkin seeds and cilantro vinaigrette.  Every ingredient inside the quinoa salad was absolutely amazing.  This is a must try for everyone.  

Not only is there a lot of great nutrients, it tastes so flavorful.  I'm always about the quality and healthy benefits of the food.  I literally cannot emphasize how much I love this dish.  

You have to try this right now !

quinoa salad (15)

PESCADOS Y MARISCOS (fish and shellfish)

Grilled Octopus---I love anything seafood related.  This dish was alright, but there was nothing really special about it.  The octopus was very chewy and the chickpeas went well as a side topping to the dish.  The flavor was just right with a little bit of sourness from the preserved lemon they added.  I wouldn't say I hated this one, but it definitely couldn't beat the quinoa salad.  

grilled octopus (21)

The following dishes are not on the regular restaurant menu.  It is on the menu of the Oakland Restaurant Week. The whole set meal was $40.

Scallop Crudo---This dish was extremely small and I didn't like it at all.  It was again, too salty for me.  There was cured kumquats and I don't like them so that is probably the reason why this dish didn't match my taste buds.  The scallops were very thinly sliced.

scallop crudo 

Duck Confit&Frisee Salad---I know I have repeated this many many times, but I very much dislike dishes that contain too much salt that go over my taste buds.  The reason why I like salads is because it is a lighter option.  But for this salad, it is nowhere near what I expected.  All of the greens soaked in the salty sauce.  The egg was my favorite though.  I love eggs that are cooked on the outside and drooly in the inside.  The duck was alright.  But I liked the duck in the quinoa salad better. 

duck confit&frisee salad

Slow Cooked Lamb---I think there were more vegetables than lamb.  Even though there were so many vegetables,  it went perfectly with the lamb.  They weren't cooked fully, but it added an extra crunch. The lamb was perfectly cooked. This dish wasn't too salty so it was great.

slow cooked lamb

Desserts

Dried Apple Crisp(with the set meal)---This dessert tasted like applesauce with caramel ice cream.  It was way too sweet.  It tasted like they added too much syrup to sweeten up the apples.  This was not my favorite.

dried apple crisp 

Warm Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding---These were one of those desserts that are just like WOW.  This was the best bread pudding I've ever had.  Since it was made with croissant, it gave the dessert a richer taste.  The Mexican chocolate ice cream was so good.  It was way better than the caramel ice cream in my opinion.

warm chocolate croissant bread pudding (10)

Churros---In a Latino restaurant, how can we not try churros...?  And no, these are not like the Costco ones.  They are served warm with a side of Mexican chocolate sauce.  I liked how the Churros weren't too thick or too long.  The sauce was delicious, just the right amount of sweetness and the texture was very thick so it didn't drip all over the place.

churros (8)

DRINKS

Café Mocha---First of all, I love the flower they drew on top.  The flavor of the drink itself wasn't as concentrated as I thought it would be.  But I liked it the way it was.  The sweetness was just right.

café mocha

Agua Fresca---Pineapple and Orange.  This just tasted like flavored juice, and nothing really special.  It was refreshing and very thirst quenching.  This contains no alcohol.

agua fresca (4)

Sangria---My mom drank this since it had alcohol.

sangria (7)

That is it to my review !

I've written a short review on Bocanova on yelp jasminecheng.yelp.com .  I do my usual check ins on there so check it out !

Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom !! I know you love food as much as I do, so I hope you enjoyed this delicious dinner at Bocanova.  Stay young (haha) and don't stress out too much !