5 Hours in San Jose.

 Graduation has been a whirlwind! The last four days have been more or less nonstop with events or catching up with friends. I haven't had much time to do what I do best: EAT!

My friend Julie was passing through town before we both head down to Southern California. With a couple hours to spare, we paid a long overdue visit to Mochicream and Blush Raw Bar & Lounge.

Finally!!! The fat kid in me was jumping for joy! I couldn't contain myself. Alas, we forgot the mochi in the freezer this morning as we were rushing to get out the door...This means one thing: I will have to get mochi in Los Angeles!

                                 

Miyabitei, one of food counters in Mitsuwa Market, serves up hot noodle and rice dishes. I was curious as to how Japanese chashu compared to its Chinese counterpart, so I ordered the chashu ramen. Also, who am I kidding here? I love chashu and I'll take it on anything. 

Chashu found in Chinese delis are always dyed to a pinkish red hue on the outside and sliced pretty thin. Also, it tends to be a bit on the salty side. This chashu, however, was thick in cut and not overly seasoned. It was simple yet still delicious! The ramen was more or less perfect in consistency, chewy but not too chewy. As usual, I couldn't finish the bowl but was stuffed 'til way past dinner time. 

Julie ordered the curry katsu, which was (and I quote): "BOMB!" The katsu was crispy and nicely seasoned, although I think she would've liked the curry to have been more spicy. 

Blush has happy hour weekdays from 3-6 pm. Their specialty is the slushies. Blush Mango Margarita? Why, yes please! We also ordered brie fondue. Brie is a past love of mine and it still brings about such nostalgia. The flame of the tealight candle kept blowing out, not that it had much purpose anyway. 

I hope the days continue on this way. Sitting in a courtyard sipping on margaritas as the day winds down could be on my agenda more often. No complaints there! The weather was temperate, but I think that was because I drank a bit too much...as per usual. 

Cao Lau

I feel guilty for having long been idle. Here's a post I did a while back. Hoping to tie you over until my visit to Los Angeles next week!

In the central province of Quang Nam lies a sleepy riverside town by the name of Hoi An. It is home to my mother’s childhood and one of Viet-Nam’s best unknown delicacies: cao lau. When translated to English, ‘cao lau’ literally means high stairs or stories. Cao lau has a certain regal tone to it, perhaps attributed to Hoi An’s ancient history of once having been the Indianized Kingdom of Champa. 

The dish of cao lau consists of noodles, pork, greens, and only enough sauce for taste. What makes cao lau so distinctive from other Viet-Namese noodle dishes is the noodles itself. Rumored to be made with water from an ancient Cham well just outside of town, these noodles can only be acquired in Hoi An. 

I call this dish a delicacy, because in fact, it is. On the rare occasion that I am on a visit to Hoi An, I recall of only a few shops that specialize in serving the dish. Here in America, those whom I talk to have never even heard of it. Once in a while when my aunts take a trip to Hoi An, they kindly bring back a small box of these noodles and thus we rejoice with my mother making cao lau for a few exceptional members of the family. We tend to keep it under wraps, because there’s never enough to go around!