Sugar Snap Pea Recipe

For all your bacon lovers out there, here's a recipe I'd recommend making!  The combination of the sugar snap peas and the bacon and onions makes this dish unbelievable!

Don't believe me?  Then gather up some of these ingredients and let's get started!!!

Ingrediants:

1. 3-5 slices of bacon (depending on how much you love bacon!)
2. 1 small pack of sugar snap peas
3. 1 yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
4. 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
5. Salt and pepper

1.  Cook 3-5 slices of bacon in a medium sized skillet until golden brown and let it cool down.  Then place the bacon strips on a cutting board and chop them into bits and pieces.

2.  Finely chop the onion and garlic if you haven't done so and add it into the pan until onions are tender.

3.  Add snap peas to the pan, cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.  Uncover, stir the peas and onions and cover again for another 5 minutes.

4.  Once peas are tender, add the bacon into the skillet and remove the pan from the heat!  Let it sit for a couple minutes and serve! 

Hope you guys will like it as much as I did!!!  Recipe found on the Food Network website. 

Thanks,

Lina Chen

Road to Seoul Korean BBQ

If you've never had Korean BBQ you are missing out.  The meat is marinated to perfection and the culmination of meats that come together is just mouthwatering.  Most places serve it with ban chan (side dishes), kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), man eul (raw garlic), rice or rice paper, and an endless number of foods.  Honestly, Fourth of July BBQ's got nothin' on KBBQ!  Depending where you go and the many options that they provide all determine what you get out of it.  Before I left for California, Eric and I would drive all the way up to Thornton, Colorado to the only all-you-can-eat (AYCE) Korean BBQ restaurant at the time.  I'm not sure if they have anymore AYCE restaurants there but the one in Thornton, Q-Table, is more of a buffet style where there's many options to choose from in addition to Korean BBQ such as sushi, fresh fruits, and other Korean dishes you would normally order from a sit down menu.  Great thing is that it offers more foods, ideal for those who want a variety of foods to try from.  I wouldn't necessarily say that they quality is superb since buffets tend to emphasize more on quantity, but the food was good enough for me since it is a Korean-owned restaurant with real Korean foods that I would see on the table in my very own home.  

As my friends and I ventured out towards downtown L.A., we stopped by a few places in search for the best AYCE Korean BBQ.  At first we went to a place called Hae Jang Chon Korean BBQ off of 6th street but the place was packed!  After placing our names on the waiting list and standing around for about 15 minutes, we decided to leave because the wait time was well over 2 hours and I'm pretty sure there were 20+ groups ahead of us.  Not individuals.  Groups.  As much as I would have loved to eat their unlimited Korean BBQ, there was just no way we could wait that long for food.

Road to Seoul was our next and what deemed to be our last destination.  Parking wasn't as difficult to find since they have their own parking lot.  We did, though valet the car ($2) and went inside.  By the time we got inside, there was a heap of people but the wait time was only an hour (Thank God!). 

As soon as we were seated I immediately hit up the common items on the menu from option A which gives you the option to get AYCE...

-  Steamed Egg
-  Black Pork Bacon
-  BBQ Chicken
-  Bulgogi
-  Beef Sirloin
-  Whole Squid
-  Korean Pancake
-  Seasoned Beef Rib
-  Baby Octopus
-  Pork Belly
-  Galbi

And other things that I can't quite remember.. The list was quite extensive...Option A only entails every individual at the table to pay $17.99.  The list for Option B has more options to choose from.  Fortunately Option A has, to me, most of the essential and popular meats such as bulgogi, sang-gyup-sal, and galbi.

Road to Seoul brings out a bowl of salad, rice paper (which was a foreign concept to me until I moved out to L.A.), raw garlic, Korean pancakes that consist of green onions, gyeran jjim (계란찜)--steamed egg casserole, kimchi (김치)--fermented, spicy cabbage, and a Korean version of a potato salad--all I remind you are unlimited as well.  I generally take the rice paper, place a few pieces of lettuce on top, then take the meat which is lightly dipped into Road to Seoul's rock salt (which is pretty neat), and then wrap it all up and take a bite into it.  If you want to go traditional, traditional...dip the raw garlic in the this brown pasty sauce called ssamjang (쌈장) and place it on the meat before wrapping up the rice paper.

At a Korean restaurant I generally lean towards galbi but the sirloin steak here was juicy and delicious so I highly recommend you getting

Overall the place speaks for itself.  There's a high demand for Road to Seoul BBQ for a reason.  That reason is because this place is soooooo goooood!  The sole purpose of this write up is because I'm currently craving it at this very moment...

<3 Lina Chen

1230 S. Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006

323.731.9292

Burma Superstar

As I reflect on the trip I took to San Francisco, I can't help but to let my mouth water while thinking of the superb food that I had at Burma Superstar.  I mean, when you see a line at the door, you know it's going to be good place to eat.  The total wait time was about an hour maybe an hour and a half so it may be best to set reservations ahead of time.  Parking was hard to find and the restaurant was quite small and claustrophobic because the tables are in close proximity of each other.  Don't let that deter you from going there though.  Inside was permeated with aromas and spices.  The decor was quite simple with a few Burmese sculptures and paintings along the walls allowing the individual to absorb the Burmese culture while dining there.

Before going into the details of the dishes we had at Burma Superstar, I wanted to write a few facts about Burma since I'm assuming not many people know about this little southeast Asian country.  I sure didn't.  Burma is also known as Myanmar and it is located west of Thailand and Laos, and South of China.  From 1824 to 1948, the British ruled Myanmar and after years of mismanagement, Burma became one of the poorest Asian countries.  Foods from Myanmar are influenced by neighboring countries with a Burmese twist to them.

Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp

The first dish we had was the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp.

These jumbo-sized shrimp were pretty garlicky.  According to their menu, the shrimp is tossed in a "garlicky infused oil, and topped with toasted garlic." Talk about garlic to the extreme.  I love it though.  Love it so much that I actually have another blog (click here) where I've gone to a restaurant that devotes their attention to the stinky herb.

Anyway, this dish was my least favorite dish out of the three we had.  It's not the fact that there was too much garlic or it was bland but when you compare this dish with the other two below, it just doesn't compare.  In my opinion, the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp didn't have as much flavor.  Still a great dish but if you are limited on how much you want to spend, then get the Burmese Mint Chicken or the Burmese Beef Curry instead.

Burmese Mint Chicken

The Burmese Mint Chicken and the Burmese Beef Curry are a must!!!  Chicken is my least favorite meat; I would consider beef, pork, or seafood any day, but this Burmese Mint Chicken blew me out of the water!  The chicken is minced into a blend of jalapenos, cloves of garlic, red chili peppers, and of course, mint leaves.  The mint is strong.  It immediately hit me when I took a small bite of it but it wasn't over-empowering the dish at all.  Just didn't expect the mint to be so flavorful.  The small chopped up pieces of the chicken absorbed the surrounding ingredients making it spicy too.  A combination I normally don't see in foods.

Burmese Beef Curry

Like the chicken, I really don't like curry either.  We ordered this just for Eric but of course, with an open-mind I took a bite of this curry and wow.  Just wow.  This was equally great as the Burmese Mint Chicken.  The wet Burmese Beef Curry is braised in a combination of spices and herbs with a mild spicy, curry flavor.  The meat was tender.  The dish was topped off with bits of cilantro--my fav.  We also ordered a side of their coconut rice, jasmine rice with coconut milk and fried onions, which went very well with all three dishes.

I was just surprised by this experience at Burma Superstar.  It convinced me that not all curry is evil (it doesn't sit well in my stomach) and that I have more options than fried chicken, chicken wings, and chicken nuggets.  To me chicken has to be deep fried or covered in hot sauce in order for it to taste good.  Baked/grilled chicken?  Yeah right.  Even though it's healthier, it's just not for me.  

I give this place two thumbs up!  It's authentic and original.  I've never seen a Burmese restaurant so it is a rare find here in the United States.  Luckily, I found one just for you!

<3 Lina Chen

 309 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94118
415.387.2147.   www.burmasuperstar.com

Garlic: The Stinking Rose

For those who can't stand the smell and taste of garlic, then this blog entry isn't for you.  So I recommend moving on to the next post or just come back later until I have another mouth-watering treat for you.

Today I wanted to write about The Stinking Rose, an infamous garlic restaurant located in both San Francisco and Beverly Hills.  According to their website, it "has become famous for celebrating the culinary euphoria of garlic."  They kindly appreciate the stinky herb and incorporates it in all, if not most, of their dishes, including their desserts!  

My lovely boyfriend took me here on our four year anniversary and to my surprise, it was a unique experience.  I've been to many restaurants and there aren't any like The Stinking Rose.  The interior is whimsical and very playful.  In a way, I thought I was submerged in a dream where I had run away to join the Russian Circus.  Russian Circus?  Yes, that is correct.  The Russian Circus.  There were vibrant red walls much like that of a ringmaster's jacket.  Bundles of garlic hanging on some parts of the ceiling with extravagant chandeliers lighting up parts of the room.  We sat under the Garlic Lovers Lane where these massive black-and-white striped canopies hung over us as we ate.  The table tops were marbled with hints of greys and whites.  The plates, ceramic.  The atmosphere was just warm and inviting.

Garlic Soaking in a Hot Tub

As far as the food, it wasn't up to par for me.  I ordered the Baby Back Ribs with garlic encrusted all over it.  Personally it was a bit dry and tasteless (even with the garlic!).  The mashed potatoes that came with it were good though. Eric ended up getting the Garlic Roasted Prime Rib.  Once again, it wasn't my favorite just because it was flavorless as well.  I personally enjoyed the Garlic Soaking in a Hot Tub appetizer where the garlic is slowly simmered while soaked in extra virgin olive oil and butter.  This allows the garlic to break down and become soft and mushy unlike it's raw form.  Just like butter, you place the garlic atop of your bread and spread it across the flat surface and munch away! 

Sizzling Iron Skillet Mussels

We also ordered the Sizzling Iron Skillet Mussels which was served with a buttery-lemon dip.  I love mussels and so this was probably one of the highlights of the night especially if the entrees weren't all that impressive.

The last item I I would recommend trying is their garlic ice cream.  It's not common to find yourself a garlic-flavored ice cream.  I'm not sure if many places do serve it, but if you ever get the chance, just do it.  It wasn't your normal sweet, savory ice cream that you would get at Coldstone's creamery.  It was cold (obviously), a bit bitter, and it definitely had a hint of garlic to it.  It was very subtle and not too over-empowering as far as taste.

I think what made this experience delightful is the decor/theme that The Stinking Rose upholds, the interesting foods that they serve, but also being able to celebrate our love for each other.  I can finally say that I have been to The Stinking Rose and hopefully you can too.

<3 Lina Chen

55 N. La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

310.652.7673.   www.thestinkingrose.com