Tarbush Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I wasn't quite sure of what to get at this small pan-Middle Eastern chain in Malaysia, but the menu said that this dish was "emblematic," so I went for it. Not only was the fish fried delicately, but it came out on a bed of flavored rice, which was apparently cooked with fish stock and fried onions. More importantly, they provided a little cup of spicy red sauce reminiscent of that Yemeni salsa-like stuff, making me gobble this down with ease.

It was also interesting to find Barbican beer from Saudi Arabia here. There was no alcohol in it, making it taste a bit like soda, especially given that they only had flavored ones like lemon available. Nonetheless, I really wanted a beer after a long day so this was the next best thing that I could get at a restaurant that doesn't serve alcohol. The quality of the food here was better than I was expecting, and I'd be happy to come back.

Nasi Bojari from Madam Kwan's in Malaysia

Our team lunch today was at an outlet of Madam Kwan's, which I haven't been to in ages, especially since I think they've since closed their Singapore outlet! And today, I noticed something on the menu called nasi bojari, sitting right underneath her famous nasi lemak. I'd never heard of nasi bojari before, so I gave it a try. And I liked it. The three-colored rice had a bit of laksa leaf it it, but that didn't matter as the chicken was moist and it also came with some of her famous beef rendang. I was also a big fan of her tender and spicy otah. We left here completely stuffed.

Restoran Bak Kut Teh Mo Sang Kor in Pandamaran, Malaysia

The local team suggested this place for a team dinner tonight (145 Jalan Chan Ah Choo, 012-312-3125). At first I was wondering why we were driving nearly an hour out of the city to this little shack unassuming shack in Klang, especially when there are many places to get Malaysian bak kut teh much closer to the office.

But when I tasted this thing, it was obvious why. Oh man, that was some of the best pork that I've ever had, and it was because of the fat. It sounds gross, but we're not talking about a bunch of gelatinous lumps here. The fat was smooth, creamy, and delicious, especially when shoveled down with rice and that dark broth (more like a sauce, actually). And most notably, that broth/sauce wasn't dominated by Chinese herbs like I remember Malaysian bak kut teh to be. It reminded me a bit more of say lu rou fan from Taiwan.

So yes, I'm glad that we made that long drive out here. Note though that one has to specifically ask for those fatty cuts or else they give you the normal bowls which are much leaner. Plus, these guys were already sold out of most cuts by the time we arrived at 7:30 PM, so one has to get here earlier.

The Rösti from Picnic at Wisma Atria

Here was the rösti from Picnic at Wisma Atria. It was not only more thick and moist than I was expecting (not a good thing), but also rather expensive too. Indeed, nearly everything here is rather pricey for what you get. Sure, they have to pay for that prime Orchard Road real estate, but Japan Food Town is in the same building, and I could've eaten there for less money yet be more full and satisfied with the quality of the food. Sigh.

Chindamani Indian Food Stall in Singapore

I'd never heard of this place (151A Serangoon North Ave 2) until today. But their roti prata is up there with the best of them thanks to their thin and crispy texture, not to mention loads of butter. The curry was a bit pedestrian though, which means that I still prefer Sin Ming over this place. But Sin Ming's prata is chewy, so if I want a thin crispy one instead, then I'll have to see if these guys have another curry that is punchier.

StopOver Artisan Pasta at Republic Plaza, Singapore

This was a random stop today, and could've had a lot of potential given my crusade in finding affordable yet quality pasta around here. See, these guys (9 Raffles Place #B1-03A, 9221-3731) do handmade pasta at relatively cheap prices. And I was encouraged by the fact that they used dry chili flakes in their aglio e olio rather than fresh chili padi. So I went ahead and placed an order.

From there it went downhill. They didn't even toss the pasta in a pan; it was just done in that disposable bowl that you see above. More importantly, it reeked of garlic. Sure, garlic is literally the first word of aglio e olio, but this was just way too much (it was enough garlic to kill a small animal). To make it worse, the garlic was largely still raw, making it irritatingly pungent rather than aromatic.

At least the pasta was firm, even if oddly they pointed to some dry pasta near the cashier when they asked me for my selection. Well, I might not mind trying one of the other sauces if I'm in a rush again nearby. But if the other sauces are loaded with so much raw garlic again, then I'm not coming back. Seriously, no one is going to want to be near me within a two mile radius right now.

San Jose's Happi House Famous Teriyaki

Not to be confused with Happy Hound in Los Gatos, Happi House is a local teriyaki place from San Jose's Japantown. It's been around for ages, and yet despite my many years of growing up around here, I'd never been to one. We thus stopped by tonight for a quick meal.

It was terrible. The "famous" chicken was tough like jerky, perhaps from being reheated twice. I tried dousing it in their tabletop sauces, including the spicy teriyaki one and even some Crystal Hot Sauce, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

The only thing I liked was their "Famous Asian Chicken Salad," and I suppose you can't go wrong with some crunchy onion rings either. But the beef flavored rice was rather boring, and worse, we left the place stinking like food. I don't think I'll be going back.

Mint & Basil in San Jose, California

This small chain of restaurants in San Jose is a bit of an odd one. They serve Southeast Asian food, but vegetarian. And they don't make that vegetarian label very obvious either, as the items on the menu just freely say things like "shrimp," "chicken," and "fish" without any qualifiers in front of them. True, the first page of the menu says "vegetarian," but only in small print, and I've heard of folks who left here frustrated after realizing that what they ate was really just tofu.

Still, I had a better-than-expected experience with vegan phở at Loving Hut last year, so I figured that maybe this place would be as good. Unfortunately, it wasn't. A lot of it tasted like processed sauces, and some of the dishes that we got were slightly sweet too, perhaps because they also refused to use MSG in anything. Now, there was a crispy chow fun that was kinda interesting, but it came with a bunch of crudely cut and tasteless cabbage on top. I left here stuffed but unsatisfied.

Pho Viet (or is it Pho Bel-Air?) in San Jose, California

I needed a quick lunch after getting into San Jose today, and what could be more local than a piping hot bowl of phở? Conveniently enough, there's a phở place near the airport, and it's nearly walkable...or a quick ride on the free VTA Airport Flyer bus number 10 if you so choose. Oddly, the signage and listing on Google Maps calls it Pho Viet, but the cover of the menu says Phở Bel-Air (1751 North First Street #60, 408-452-1060).

Anyway, that was a refreshing bowl above, with not just some finely sliced tripe but also an impressively tender and chewy tendon (admittedly, I didn't order the tendon, but the lady messed up my order and I figured that I'd go for it anyway). The broth wasn't as punchy as I would've liked though, and thus I didn't finish drinking it. Still, this is a pretty convenient place to hit up next time I need to transfer from the airport to the light rail.

The Counter Custom Burgers: Third Time's A Charm

It's funny how my opinion of this place keeps changing each time I eat here. This is my third time here, and I loved what I had today. And yet it was largely using the ingredients that I picked out previously, including tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, and cheddar cheese. I don't know if it was just because I was starving or maybe because choosing horseradish aioli instead of mustard let the fresh jalapeno slices shine in front of a beefier-tasting patty this time. I want to get another one.

Another Run to Humberto's Taco Shop in San Diego

I'm only in San Diego for one night, so I took advantage of it to do one last run to Humberto's, this time grabbing a taco with my enchilada rather than tostada like I got the other night. I'm having trouble putting my finger on what makes these X-berto's shops in San Diego so unique, but I just love the greasy combination of beans, cheese, lettuce, and salsa in a foam takeout box.

Craft & Commerce in San Diego, California

Back on the other side of the border, I needed dinner. So I came to this Zagat-rated place (675 West Beech Street, 619-269-2202) that does craft cocktails and craft beer along with food. The drinks were good, as were those grilled oysters above. Normally I prefer my oysters raw and unadulterated, but this one came together nicely with a smoky aroma from the grill pervading it; I liked it so much that I nearly got seconds! It's too bad then that I didn't really like some of my other items, like an eggplant dip that was too tangy as well as a grilled broccoli that was too sweet. I'd still come back here though.

Karnes en su Jugo in Tijuana, Mexico

I noticed this shop the other night while walking to El Taller, and I thought, wow, it's been a while since I've had carne en su jugo! I guess it must've stuck in my head over the weekend, because I came here for lunch before crossing back over the border (Boulevard Agua Caliente #1252, 524−9887).

To be sure, it wasn't as good as Karne Garibaldi, not only since they were much slower, but also since they weren't as generous with the garnishes. But their piping hot corn tortillas were delightful, and I still gobbled everything down with ease. I should get back to Guadalajara one day.

Pozole From My Hotel Breakfast in Tijuana, Mexico

I love me a piping hot bowl of pozole in the morning, especially after a night on the town. And fortunately, my hotel's breakfast spread featured it this weekend, along with a number of pleasant surprises like tamales in addition to the requisite chilaquiles and frijoles. Normally I'm not one to care much for hotel breakfasts, but this was both convenient and delicious.

Taconazo in Tijuana, Mexico

After quite a number of drinks, a local friend drove us to an outlet of Taconazo, which he says is one of the best taco shops in town. And I could see why. Not only were the tortillas delicious, but the tripe tacos in particular had some kind of rich smooth depth in there; I think they slathered a thin layer of frijoles and maybe some other stuff onto the tortilla first. Anyway, this hit the spot, even if (I never thought I'd say this) I'm admittedly starting to get sick of all of the tacos that I've been eating lately.

A Taco Stand at Plaza Fiesta in Tijuana, Mexico

It turns out that Plaza Fiesta in Tijuana is a wonderful little densely-packed area of craft beer bars. We grabbed a number of beers, but we also needed food. Conveniently enough, there was a taco stand sitting right outside. I got a few items, including a chicharron taco, a bistec en chipotle taco, and a mole taco. All of them were rather saucy and wet, which didn't occur to me when I ordered them, but in retrospect should've been obvious at that time, especially the slightly sweet mole. Anyway, this was just to line our bellies before proceeding into the evening.

A Tacos Aaron Truck in Tijuana, Mexico

This fleet of trucks across Tijuana has been hyped up quite a bit in the past few years, so my expectations were pretty high going in. I grabbed one pollo adobado and one quesabirria, both of which were very tender. But I wasn't blown away by how they were seasoned, as the former was slightly sweet and nutty, while the latter was rich and gooey from the cheese. Of course, rich and gooey can be a good thing, but I preferred the quesataco from La Taqueseria instead. Even when I spiked these tacos with limes, salsas, and pickles, I had trouble getting excited about them. Maybe I ordered the wrong things?

Taquesos y Papas' Quesataco at La Taqueseria in Tijuana

Last time I was at La Taqueseria, I forgot to get their famous reverse cheese taco, where the cheese is melted directly on the grill with your choice of protein before throwing it onto a tortilla. I made a quick stop today to try one, and yeah, it certainly was unique, even if ultimately the taste wasn't as radical as its appearance suggested. His wide array of salsas helped though (including two different habanero ones), and I was happy to have tried it either way.

Taqueria Los Albañiles in Tijuana, Mexico

My Uber driver recommended this place (Calle Benito Juárez, +52-664-685-8834), saying that the tacos were huge. I admittedly flinched a bit when he said that, but nonetheless figured that he would know better than me, and thus I came here to try it out tonight.

The good thing was that the corn tortilla was lovely, as was the huge array of salsa, pickles, and garnishes. He was right in that these were huge, but that's precisely why I didn't like this place that much, as I just ended up with giant clumps of meat in my mouth. I should've gone to Las Ahumaderas instead.

Corazón de Tierra in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

Despite so many of my runs to Baja, I was never able to get over to the Valle de Guadalupe, mainly due to logistics challenges. Forunately, Uber Tijuana is running a service called valleX, giving you a roundtrip driver to wine country with as many stops as you'd like (just pay for the waiting time). Yay! After a pretty long ride inclusive of some bumpy dirt roads, we made our way to this farm-to-table restaurant (Rancho San Marcos S/N at Km 88, 646-156-8030), which is currently number 39 on Pellegrino's Top 50 for Latin America.



They were charging US$75 for a 6-course meal plus another US$45 for wine pairing. On a global basis, that's not outrageous for a fine dining place like this, but it was still a lot more than I was expecting for Baja, especially given the bargain prices I was getting at places like Mision 19 (it seems like these guys previously priced in pesos, which probably would've made it cheaper before they fixed it to the dollar). Well, at least those six courses were bookended with multiple amuse-bouche, petits fours, and even a sorbet palate cleanser in between.



And yes, the food was delicate and done with care, leveraging a surprising range of local ingredients. That tuna tostada above was my favorite, not to mention all of the lovely vegetables and seafood that they leveraged in the other dishes. Next time I think I might try to stay at one of the boutique hotels in the valley, as there were so many more restaurants and vineyards to explore here. Fortunately, I was still able to stop at a local cheese shop today, as well as taste some local olive oil.

El Taller Baja Med Cocina in Tijuana, Mexico

Of all of the big name Baja Med restaurants down here, there was one old school one that I distinctly remember having not had the chance to try yet. So I made a specific effort to come here for dinner after crossing the border this afternoon (Avenida Rio Yaqui #2969-B, 664-686-3383).

The more and more bites that I took here though, the more it started to remind me of La Querencia, including everything from the innocent-looking (but wonderfully potent) habanero sauce to the octopus with olives above, even if this one seemed to have a heavy dose of ginger in it. It was only then that I realized that this restaurant is from the same chef! Anyway, the octopus above went down the hatch easily, especially since they provided some nice corn tortillas to go with it. I wasn't as happy with a ceviche that they recommended though, not only since it was a tad sweet, but also since it was based on salmon, a puzzling choice given that I don't think they swim this far south, do they?

In that sense, I'd rather go to Erizo or Mision 19 instead. I saw a lot of people here ordering pizza though, which seemed to be their specialty. I'm very curious about it, along with their pasta too, but the thought of loading up on carbs just wasn't appealing at the time.

A Late Night Run to Humberto's Taco Shop in San Diego

This tostada and enchilada combination plate was exactly what I needed after a night of heavy drinking. There's just something about the cheese, beans, lettuce, and tortilla that made this thing go into my belly in seconds. And while the alcohol surely had some influence, I liked Humberto's (1015 25th Street, 619-231-8433) so much better than Adalberto's last night. I'm sure that the twin bottles of spicy salsa helped too.

Adalberto's Mexican Food in San Diego

It's been ages since I've had any X-berto's in San Diego. And I needed some more steps tonight, so I walked all the way out to this place (2498 Market Street, 619-236-9558). I went with that combination enchilada and tostada plate, and it was just the nasty grease bomb that I wanted, especially when using their squeeze bottle of some impressively spicy hot sauce. Of course, it wasn't real Mexican food (and I didn't eat the beans and rice, especially since I wasn't actually hungry). But I'm delighted to have made it here, especially since these kind of late night shops are just the kind of places I would expect to go to after a few drinks.

The Smoking Gun in San Diego

Our sales team picked this place to host a client tonight (555 Market Street, 619-233-3836). It was more of a bar than a restaurant, but I needed food and there was stuff on the menu. So I went with what the staff recommended including some Brussels sprouts as well as that homemade stuffing above. Admittedly I didn't really care that much for either one, but I liked all the beers on tap and the cocktails that they made (the red View-Master in the background contained photos of said cocktails). Ultimately, the venue was just what we needed and was still a fun place to be at.

Ironside Fish & Oyster Bar in San Diego, California

If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably be here a lot (1654 India Street, 619-269-3033). Why? Craft beer, craft cocktails, and shellfish...what's not to like? I had that half dozen of local Baja oysters above, as well as some grilled fish and broccolini, all seasoned exactly the way that I would like them. Next time I want to get more of the raw and small plates on the menu.

Crack Shack in San Diego, California

A chicken and egg sandwich didn't really sound like anything that I wanted after a long haul flight from Asia. Still, this was on the latest Eater 38 list, and it was en route from the airport to the hotel, so I stopped by and grabbed the first item on the menu along with some slaw (2266 Kettner Boulevard, 619-795-3299).

And I'm so glad that I did. It was delicious, and it was clear that they took a lot of care in the details, including everything from the texture of the muffin, the serving temperature, and the assembly and presentation of it all. It turns out that it's a casual outdoor extension of the high-end restaurant next door, which explains things.

I'd definitely like to come back, particularly to hit the bar given the huge array of taps and cocktails at hand. The pozole sounded interesting, as did the deviled eggs and even their salads. Thumbs up.

Uncle Ho Tuckshop in Pasir Panjang in Singapore

The name of this shop doesn't exactly sound Vietnamese, and this industrial area isn't exactly where one would think to find a Vietnamese restaurant either, especially on a Saturday (100 Pasir Panjang Road #01-04, 9624-5861). But we were nearby this morning and it made for a convenient place for lunch.

It was great to see bún chả right at the top of the menu, but the pork wasn't as aromatic as getting it off the streets of Hanoi. Their bánh mì featured crisp and airy bread as well as an impressive homemade pâté, but it was drizzled with a sweet sauce rather than cut Vietnamese chili peppers. Their rice paper rolls were also sweet due to a slice of fruit in there.

I thus wished that their kitchen had handled things a bit differently. But I was still happy to have come here, and suspect that I will be coming back here again, especially since I didn't get a chance to try their phở this time.

Japan's Yakiniku Don-Don in Singapore

This yakiniku shop from Japan has opened up in Singapore (90 Tanjong Pagar Road, 6221-0841) featuring counter-top charcoal grills. The first thing on the menu was that gyutan above, which I gobbled down along with their signature salad and a beef soup.

Actually, they specialize in offal here, so I went for a plate of marucho, or cow's small intestine (the menu amusingly called it "fat wrapped in bowel"). It sounded horrible, but the fat was precisely what made it so tasty. Other items on their horumon menu included uterus, tracheal rings, throat cartilage, and "parts around ears."

It's too bad then that their karubi was disappointingly tough. Moreover, they tended to marinate things slightly on the sweet side. It wasn't as off-putting as Gyu-Kaku, but admittedly I don't know how frequently I'd come back either, especially given the rather high bill that I racked up tonight.

The Bianca con Kale Pizza at Casa Verde, Singapore

The only time I'd been to Casa Verde, it was actually for Mui Kee Congee from Hong Kong instead. I'd never actually had their Italian food here, but was kinda curious as I had heard decent things about it, especially since it was from the Les Amis folks. We happened to be at Singapore Botanic Gardens this afternoon, thus making this place an easy choice for a casual dinner at the end of the day.

I went for this kale pizza, which included everything that I would normally like, including tomato, artichoke, shallots, and Parmesan cheese. But it looked and sounded better than it tasted. The kale didn't harmonize with the rest of the ingredients, and if anything just got in the way. Worse, the shallots weren't grilled, fried, nor broiled like I had imagined they would be. Instead, they were pickled, and thus sweet. Ugh.

The Veggie Crunch Burger from McDonald's Singapore

That was gross. I originally came here because I was craving a Filet-O-Fish. But this thing was right next to it on the menu, and it looked pretty good in the picture. The patty indeed had a crunchy outside, but inside it was mushy, sticky, and tasteless. They had some kind of spicy sauce and cucumbers to perk it up, kinda reminiscent of their nasi lemak burger. But I really shoulda stuck to the Filet-O-Fish.