YUBAN Restaurante in Roma Norte, Mexico City

An old friend took me out to dinner tonight, saying that we were going to a mezcal bar that also served Oaxacan food (Colima 268, +52-55-6387-0358). It was upscale and modern, as seen in that amuse-bouche above, but fortunately the prices weren't too outrageous.



Obviously, I wasn't hungry after that marathon of food today. And I wasn't really in the mood for chapulines either. But since this place was Oaxacan Zapotecan, I caved out of obligation. As expected, they were sour, but also of good quality, so I still ate them all.



I also grabbed this fish, which tasted liked it looked, reminding me a bit of many of the Baja-Med places that I like to hit up in Tijuana. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I had a coffee here, but I'm pretty user it wasn't the Yuban that you're thinking of.

My Second Food Tour Today: Chilango Tacos 101

This may seem greedy, but I actually had back to back food tours today, as the Eat Mexico folks also offer an afternoon taco tour that was conveniently timed and located nearby in the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. This one was more focused on seated taquerias. I was happy with the crunchy chiccharon in a campechano taco from a shop called El Jarocho, as well as some pulque that we got together with that chunky lamb barbacoa at El Hidalguense above.



Other destinations included that cochinita pibil above from a Mayan place called Welik as well as some smoked marlin tacos from a small chain called El Pescadito Roma. The latter in particular was probably my least favorite, as there was just too much meat. But there was a Cuban ice cream stall at the Market Medelin that was impressive, including one flavor that that tasted like butter and another one that was cinnamon-laced. It was also interesting to stop at a tortilleria to eat a tortilla with nothing but a sprinkle of salt, thus effectively being a salt taco.



They closed out with the rotating kebab spit tacos, the first one being tacos arabes at Taqueria El Greco. Notice that it's actually pita bread rather than a tortilla above, as this is the Lebanese predecessor to tacos al pastor, the latter of which we got at El Tizoncito Cholula. I've had mixed sentiment about tacos al pastor in the past, but this one might've been my favorite of the day given how delicately he cut the meat without overdoing the pineapple.

A Mexico City Street Food Tour in Cuauhtémoc

The team at Eater recommended a street food tour from a group called Eat Mexico, and fortunately they had one that started at 9 AM in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood. We probably hit at least ten stalls in three hours, with the most memorable one being this charming gentleman's stall, La Abuela. He does tacos de canasta, or "basket tacos" that are stacked and steamed, giving it an almost tamale-like feel to it.



Another memorable one for me was a carnitas stall that sold all sorts of pig parts, including ears and stomach. I opted for the ovaries above, which were a bit bouncy in texture; it was edible, but also wasn't anything that I'll get cravings for. Either way, there were a number of other things that we sampled, including breakfast staples like tamales, quesadillas, and tlacoyos, as well as even a tortilleria that provided a potent salsa to upsell with its freshly made corn tortillas.



They closed the tour with a few things that I wasn't expecting, including a burrito stall, which is rare in Mexico outside of the northern states. They were made with big flour tortillas, but unlike American ones, they were rolled much skinner (think: cucumber size) with an option for "Swiss style" cheese crusted on the outside. I was also happy with a Veracruz seafood stall with that tostada above featuring Mexican lime-based mayonnaise instead of beans and a tortilla that was fried to order.

Taquería Los Cocuyos in Centro, Mexico City

I needed a small bite after getting into Mexico City tonight. Late night tacos to the rescue! This streetside shop (Calle de Bolívar 57) stays open until 5:30 AM, and they have a nice selection of meats available, including brains, ears, heart, head, eyes, gizzard, and tongue. I went for some of my usual tripe, which turned out nice and fatty, as well as some suadero flank, which looked juicy when I saw others ordering it, but didn't end up being as good as it looked. I still happily gobbled it up of course. I wonder how the longaniza was; I saw him chopping up quite a few red sausages for other customers.

Rincon Criollo Restaurant Cafe in Miami, Florida

This Cuban cafeteria was very cool (2601 Northwest 39th Avenue, 305-871-7755). Complete with outdoor bar seating, it was decently lively on a Tuesday afternoon, and it was walkable from Miami Airport too. I got even more excited when I realized that my waitress didn't speak any English. This looked really promising. Gimme some vaca frita with moros y cristianos and tostones, please!

My expectations were too high. The flank steak was tender but borderline too salty. One would think that it would then make for a good companion with the rice, but it just ended up being plain carbs without much animal fat in there to perk it up. The fried green plantains similarly were just starchy, and the raw garlic that came with it didn't help. I liked the boiled yucca though. I'm happy to come back here for the atmosphere, but I'm going to have to do some more research into what kind of dishes I might like.

Shooters Waterfront in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

This restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway (3033 Northeast 32nd Avenue, 954-566-2855) was a fitting place for a business meal in Fort Lauderdale tonight. I didn't really care for the food, as a lot of it was overseasoned without anything exciting. But at least those yucca fries were local.

Bokampers Sports Bar & Grill in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is such a pleasant Miami suburb that I never would've thought that they had a bunch of bars serving food until 2 AM every night. But there were a lot, so I walked over from my hotel to this one. It was a big sports bar, and I went with this burger, which was good but nothing mindblowing either. But it was running at only S$5.99 right now, which made it a steal considering that the hotel gave me a pass for a free drink too.

Texas' Pie Five Pizza Co at San Francisco Airport

I was walking through SFO this morning when I noticed this build-your-own pizza shop. It turns out that it's a seven-year-old pizza shop from Fort Worth that opened its first California outlet here last year, post-security at SFO. I thus reluctantly decided to eat here, figuring that it wouldn't be often that I would get to try it.

Maybe I didn't get my build-your-own configuration correct, but I didn't like it. The thin crust was a bore, the sauce was too salty, and the toppings were limited. It was so salty that I didn't even bother to finish it. I'd much rather go to MOD or Blaze instead.

The Chef's Lunch Special at Numazu Uogashizushi

The first time I came here, I didn't like it. But I have to admit that I've been coming here almost every day this past week. Why? That lunch special above, which gets me ten pieces of freshly made sushi for just $16.80 (US$12). Granted, it's nothing to go out of one's way for, but it's real sushi. The fish and rice weren't refrigerator-cold this time, and the selection rotates with whatever is available that day, all while being easy on both the wallet and waistline. Besides, Ryo doesn't have its S$18 menu anymore.

A Skinny Burger from Fatburger Singapore

I know, I'm not a big fan of Fatburger. But last time I was here, I spotted some folks ordering these Skinny Burgers. And I was at Novena during lunch today, so I figured that this was my chance to give it a try.

Yep, these are basically their version of a no-carb burger. But instead of wrapping them in lettuce like In-N-Out's Protein Style, this one splits the patty in half with the condiments shoved inside.

But again, I was let down by the patty, which were not just tiny, but too lean and tasteless. And the skinny fries were a bore too. I need to remind myself not to come back here.

Say Seng Authentic Teochew Mee Pok, Singapore

I'll admit that I got drawn in by this stall's pretty signboard when I walked by Market Street Interim Hawker Centre (5 Cross Street #01-41). Plus, it had a short line in front of it, so I figured that the food had to be good too, right?

Actually, it was too ketchup-y for me. But I won't be surprised if I come back for breakfast; not only are they very friendly, but from 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM, they offer a cheaper S$3 (US$2.15) bowl that isn't offered at lunch time. Score!

Caffe Fernet at Customs House, Singapore

This place (70 Collyer Quay, 9178-1105) isn't cheap, but I was so impressed with their cocktails after a corporate-sponsored event not long ago that I figured that I'd stop by after work tonight. It turns out that it's from the folks behind Jigger and Pony, which explains a few things. And fortunately, one could get a negroni or an old fashioned for a reasonable price of just S$15 (US$11) during happy hour. They also had a cacio e pepe on the menu that I wanted to try. I preferred Cicheti's more fragrant version, but this one still did the job, even if it was rather pricey at S$25 (US$18). I suppose that someone has to pay for that scenic view of the Marina.

Ah Ter Teochew Fishball Noodles at Amoy Street Food Centre

This place has gotten some attention lately because of a new air-conditioned restaurant that they opened near Boat Quay. But I went to the original hawker stall (7 Maxwell Road #01-14), which is a bit cheaper. And this S$5 (US$3.60) bowl generally worked for me, especially with their tasty soup.

Sadly though, they used some pieces of lettuce that were wilting to the point where they were brown on the ends, while the sauce coating those noodles was mildly sweet. As such, I prefer other places. Well, it was better than the average food court stall at least.

Meatsmith on Telok Ayer in Singapore

I've been to the Little India outlet of Meatsmith, but not the original one in the city (167 Telok Ayer Street). Today we came for a business lunch, and I liked it. All of the cuts of meat were all very tender, with the burnt ends and brisket in particular being the most impressively tender and fatty. But yeah, it's not cheap.

Thailand's OMU Rice in Singapore's Suntec City Mall

It wasn't intentional to hit up two Thai chains this weekend. We just happened to be at Suntec City when we figured that this Japanese omurice place from Bangkok would make for an easy dinner (3 Temasek Boulevard #01-301, 9834-0079). They offered several different sauces; I went for curry, which certainly wasn't anything as exciting as Coco Ichibanya (and it wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be either). But they offered a "lava-style" option here, leaving the egg cooked halfway on one side so that it's creamy and oozing when you cut into it.

Bangkok's Go-Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam in Singapore

Thai chicken rice was one of my favorite things to eat back in school, as it was available from restaurants in East Hollywood's Thai Town. I haven't had any since that time, but the chili sauce in particular was something that made it different from chicken rice in Singapore. So when this Michelin Bib Gourmand stall from Bangkok opened an outlet at NEX (23 Serangoon Central #B1-05, 6559-9980), I wanted to go there for a taste.



Yes, it was good (and affordable!), with moist chicken and a savory soup to wash it down. The rice wasn't as fragrant as many places in Singapore, but those distinct grains were good enough, and I liked how they didn't cover the chicken in a sweet sauce (well, the brown chili sauce was a tad sweet, but it was on the side and with refreshingly coarse cuts of ginger). Actually, the sour chili sauce that came with the omelette was like the one I had in school, so I used that on the chicken too.

Gyeongseong Lamb Skewers in Seoul, South Korea

Last time I was in Korea, I walked into a lamb restaurant but got turned away because I was a solo diner. So when a teammate asked me if I wanted to have dinner tonight, I suggested that we go get lamb. He thus took me here (26-12 Samsung-ro96-Gil, 2-567-4787), and to my surprise, I saw Chinese characters yang rou chuanr on the sign!

No, I didn't come all the way here to eat chuanr, but I was kinda curious to see how they localized it, especially since I had heard about how it had gotten popular in Korea lately with automatic skewer rotation systems. It is called yangkkochi in Korean, and there is even a place in Tanjong Pagar that offers it, right next door to Pasta Brava.

I was surprised to find that I liked it better than Xinjiang chuanr, mainly because the quality of meat is superior (at this shop, at least). OK, Alati has the most tender chicken, but Alati's lamb has gotten horribly gritty, whereas these were choice cuts of meat interlaced with bits of tasty fat, and came with a cumin/chili dipping sauce. I liked it enough that we ordered additional portions of the same thing.