the ring

It’s Freeeaaky Friiiiday! A few summers back the besties and I went up to Sac for river rafting. Well, the boys did - while we entertained ourselves like this. I’m actually surprised that I agreed to do something like this because I’m the biggest wimp ever when it comes to scary movies. But let’s be real…it was broad daylight and this shallow well was perrrrfect! 

lolo (her hair was too short for this special occasion)

grace - ah ha…theere she is! 

moi (aren’t I convincing??!)

Then while the hubs and I were in a cute cafe in Shibuya, sharing a slice of cheesecake…this drives by and my eyes widen…

Of course I had to run outside and take a picture of it! 

Anyway, have a grrreat weekend y’all! I hope you’ll be stuffing your face with BBQ’s galore because that’s exactly what I plan to do :D 

korea: food

Last but certainly not least….Oh where to begin. The question was, what didn’t we eat while we were in Korea? 

On the drive to my grandparents place in Imsong, my uncle asked what we wanted to eat. Robin said “ban chan” so we met him at this shady looking place. 

Then we sat down in this room, and I was really starting to doubt my uncle. Sketch looking place + being in the boonies I really had no clue what was going on. 

Then these 2 ajumas, carried in a small wooden table filled with the most glorious side dishes I had ever seen. 

I believe other than the rice, there was nothing else that repeated itself. 

The homemade makkoli (rice wine) was a tannish color that I had never seen before, but it was delicious. Later, my uncle mentioned that a former South Korean president used to frequent this place. Oh me of little faith! :D

When we finally arrived at my grandparents, we went straight to eat our first Korean BBQ meal in Korea. 

The restaurant had these tubes hanging from the ceiling that were efficiently sucked up the smoky BBQ air. 

Umm..easily the best taeji kalbi (pork bbq) that we ever had. I mean look at it, it doesn’t even look like pork (and for sure it’s pork b/c this restaurant doesn’t serve beef!). 

Green tea noodle naeng myun! Hands down the best naeng myun I’ve ever had. We were stuffed but after tasting how freaking good it was on a full stomach I devoured it. Being a country bumpkin for a few days turned out to have its perks! 

Yuk Hwe (raw beef bibimbap) in Seoul

Hanging out by the Han River, and ordered jja jjang myun and fried chicken…because…because we could! 

Where else in the world can you get food delivered to the river? The guy on his bike came back about 40 min later to pick up the dishes (I was in awe of the Korean food industry!).

Did we stop eating there? Oh hells naw. To the pojangmacha we went! 

Why is it always so much more fun eating in a tent with plastic walls versus an establishment with actual walls?!?

Went to a traditional Korean style restaurant in Samchungdong called “Hwa,” thanks Nansie! 

My little miss sunshine ordered ttukbaegi bulgogi and I became hooked. Ttukbaegi is the term used for the stone bowl, but the bulgogi is in more of a broth with clear vermicelli noodles. Yum! 

Ok, now when I’m traveling, and I ask “Should we…?” when it comes to food - it’s really not a question. I’m really just demanding your agreement that we need to try everything in sight, and thank goodness these two ajumas were on the same page as me. All the street food you’re about to see, we tried in a span of 3 hours. Don’t judge. 

I was looking forward to this the most after spying it on some food blogs. The deep fried potato swirled on a stick. It was bomb.com. 

Ddukbogi and soondae? Aye caramba!

Chicken kabob wrap. I know you must think that’s crazy, but after Diana bought one and her eyes rolled back from how good it was, we all bought one. In fact two couples bought extra to save for later. That good! 

Cuttlefish

Lemonade spritzers!

At WaraWara bar near Garasugil. The night we met the ham of the century Shawn! 

The ajumas + Wonny :)

Gae-rahn mari filled with ham, cheese, and other ooey gooeys. 

Seafood ddukboki (this was actually really really good). 

Later that night, we went out for late night eats to a famous gopchang place. I was overjoyed that there was actually a place that grilled intestines only! It was divine. 

Our final night we played in Jamsil. The streets were packed, and we had some delicious ddak kalbi (chicken). 

Koreans have some strange affinity to cheese. Though I wasn’t jumping at the thought, but we ordered some and it was pretty tasty. 

What made the ddak kalbi so delicious was that the chicken was already marinated, and not just simply cooked with the gochujang. 

Our final meal was a pretty big deal too. Jenny brought us to a famous ganjang gaejang (raw soysauce marinated crab) place in near Shinsa

Look at the size of the eggs! You won’t find crab like this in the states…and if you have, please direct me in the right direction! 

For some strange odd reason, the other 3 people I was with didn’t like crab brains, so I got 3x my fill!! I was swirling that those brains around with rice like it was my birthday! I  pretty much died and went to heaven. 

Well, that was my final update on my trip to Asia! Whew…that was exhausting. Back to regular programming:)

korea: people & places

Ahh…the motherland. It’s been nearly 10 years since I last visited - and just like Japan it was an entirely different experience. Back then I was underage, and staying with family. Now with my hubs in tow, and some of my favorite people traveling with us - there were no limits to the fun we were about to have!

First stop, a brief stop to some of my cousins in Seoul (True fact: I have about 21 cousins on my mom’s side alone because she comes from a family of 8…never a dull moment!)

Then drove about 2.5 hrs south of Seoul to see my grandparents in Imsong. They thought Robin was so handsome and cute. HAHAHAHAHA. They’re funny. No, but in all seriousness it was so good to see them and spend time with such an amazing couple. They’ve been married almost 70 years, have 8 children together, and with my grandfather currently suffering a worsening case of Alzheimer’s, it’s really inspiring to witness how they love each other in ways both big and small. 

Making her granddaughter’s handsome husband some jelly toast. Too cute. She kept asking if we wanted ice cream and soda for breakfast too. A true grandma:D

I also got to visit my uncle who is the artist behind Korea’s Fun Park (theme park). His work is amazing, and I was floored by seeing it all in person. My mom said growing up he was misunderstood and was often labeled the “bad boy” who rode motorcycles always doing strange things outside the box. Well, today his family couldn’t be any prouder!

Fun Park Korea! 

One of my favorite pieces, King Kong!

Wild boar made of tires.

During the trip I also had the pleasure of staying with the lovely Jenny Cho who hosts Arirang’s Morning Call!

Oh Franklin….

Did some sight-seeing with these two b’s. If you look verrrry verrry closely you’ll see the top of the Yonggungsa temple. Hahaha. Ok, we really didn’t try very hard to get to all the sights because we were too busy shopping and eating. 

Lipstick twins! Dang, we’s cute! 

Shopping in Myung Dong - super fun. Tons of alleys and little boutiques. 

Shopping in Garosu-gil with the “cool” boys (what an honor to be able to hang out with them!). 

I didn’t have a good picture of Garosu-gil, but it was my 2nd favorite street to shop at where we bought tons of cute iphone accessories. My phone is majorly fobbed out right now.

We did hit up the Co-ex Mall which was blah, and Lotte for some Duty-free shopping but those weren’t as memorable to post. I have tons more pictures related to food, so watch out for that tomorrow!

Happy hump day! 

japan: food

Ahh…now for the good stuff! Since it’s no secret that I luuuurve food, I had to post this topic separately (will do the same for Korea). You probably haven’t even eaten breakfast by now…how cruel of me :) 

First stop, Yoshinoya! Sike, but had to post. I peered into the restaurant and they didn’t have the radioactive green vegetables in Japan (surprise surprise). Looks more like a restaurant, but I didn’t dare step inside. 

First bite off the plane was definitely onigiri. Airplane food makes me barf so I helped myself to these plenty ‘o these bad boys. 

Our first real meal in Japan was at Roppongi. Teppei took us to a seafood restaurant that was just about the cutest place I ever did see. I have no clue what it was called, but took pictures of the sign (which reminds me, we would have been lost without Teppei because there are hardly any signs in English! I have no clue how foreigners navigate this city…)

Salad to start…

Fresh crab, uni, and tuna topped with salmon roe? Oh myy. Ohh myyy. 

I actually have no clue what these fish are to the left, but we dipped them in the salt mixture on the bottom left and then topped them off with green onions and minced garlic. Heaven!

Gargantuan Japanese peas you had to peel (as in the individual beans) and dip in salt .

I loved that Japanese restaurants served sake by the glass because we got to sample some great ones! If you look closely you’ll notice they pour it until it is about to overflow. Sake to the brim? So my steez. 

What Japanese people eat after a night of drinkage in the wee hours of the night. Brilliant. Simply brilliant. 

We went to Ippudo for our first taste of Japanese ramen. Creamy pork style broth is my favorite. Holllerrrr.  

Our 2nd time experiencing ramen was at Ichiran in Shibuya (they have multiple locations throughout Japan).

Ordering at the vending machines outside the restaurant.

Our individual booths.

Peeling your own soft boiled egg. 

My noodles customized to be cooked “hard.” Love. 

There was no way we’d leave Japan without trying the hubs’ favorite: tonkatsu. We went to Genkatsu (original is Kimkatsu) to get our fix. Instead of one whole piece of pork, they thinly slice it into layers and offer 6 different flavor options. 

We ordered the plain, green onion, garlic, and black pepper. 

It was delicious and didn’t taste heavy at all. Light, flaky, and super tender :)

The black pepper flavor was my favorite (I hear the chain is coming to LA? NY?). 

Didn’t run into many street vendors in Japan, but did try some yakoyaki (octopus balls).

A chain of filled with curry, noodles, and katsu. Not the best food, but it was good comfort food!

Our first sushi restaurant in Japan was at the chain Lady Gaga dined at. 

The meal comes with this incredibly thinly sliced seaweed noodles in a vinegar based sauce which I loved!

The proper way to enjoy your wasabi, atop your nigiri. 

First time trying giant eel and flounder tail. Really tasty. 

My usual spread. The greyish looking piece on the far right is crab paste. It’s like taking all the crab brains from a steamed crab and then dreaming that into a piece of nigiri. Absolutely genius. 

Now for the grand finale. We started off by waiting in the line for Sushi Dai, but it was a bit ridiculous even at 6am. At the rate it was moving, we would have waited 3+ hours, and I wasn’t having that. 

We got tipped off that Daiwa was 2 restaurants down, and since I heard great things about this place too, decided to ditch our place in line and walk over. 

I’m not sure how many times I can say this was the best sushi I’ve ever had, but it was the best sushi I’ve ever had. Food this good has to be illegal. 

The tamago was insane. I mean, it’s just egg, but I’ve never had it this good. 

The uni was sugary. 

Abalone was my final piece. 

All of this was only 3,500 yen = $44 dollars. I couldn’t believe my eyes. 

Have you booked your tickets to Japan yet? Hehe. I’ll be back for you my sweet little uni! 

japan: people & places

It seems like I’ve been gone for ages! We left off at 50 Shades of Grey (will discuss that at a later time) then went to Japan for 3 days before heading off to the motherland. I haven’t been back to Japan since I toured with my youth orchestra in high school (I know I know…uber cool), so though it was a short trip - it was an entirely different experience and much more fun. We arrived Saturday late afternoon and met up with Robin’s old co-worker Teppei who showed us around. 

Saturday: First night was spent in Roppongi. I had heard mixed things about Roppongi (basically do not visit because it’s a big tourist trap) but we had tons of fun (maybe b/c we had a tour guide who lived there?) Anyway, Roppongi is definitely where the night life is and houses lots of expat’s like Teppei. 

Had dinner in Roppongi (food post coming separately!) and started with sake there. 

Then to another bar that had Yamazaki on tap (the hubs’ fave).

Next in line was a bar called “Agave” that only carries tequila, and 400 different kinds of it! (Esther Chang did you faint?) We of course ordered the 1800…I swear I should be their spokesperson :)

Last but not least…karaoke!

Yup, definitely the last stop for Merry Robin. 

Sunday: Went to Ginza where they close off the streets on Sundays so people can walk freely from shop to shop. Ginza is great for upscale shopping, and it was crazy to see major brands having their own entire buildings! Hermes, Chanel, Zara, you name it and an entire building is dedicated to it. Oh, and how is Japan the cleanest city ever with NO TRASH CANS?!? It’s customary for you to hold onto your trash until you get home. Cray. 

Giving away free coke at Uniqlo? Smart advertising :)

Went to the subway station where Jiro’s restaurant is located. Since it was Sunday it was closed, but took a pic anyway. 

After Ginza headed to Shibuya. Probably my least favorite city in Japan as the shopping here is for a much younger audience. After seeing about three floors of the 109 shopping mall, I was done. The loud music, the flashy lights - what can I say…I’m an ajuma : l 

Shibuya wasn’t a complete disappointment. Since it boasts the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, it also boasts the world’s busiest Starbucks. 

Because…because Starbucks needed us to throw more money at them. We had to go in :)

Oh, and talk about walking driving advertisements! These trucks were BLARING whatever music they were branded. 

Ended the night at Harajuku at the famed Takeshita Street. I had a ton of fun people watching here since it was street fashion at its best. 

Free hugs in Harajuku! 

Japanese street performers in Yoyogi Park. They weren’t doing much…just bouncing from side to side with their crazy Elvis hair, but there were hoards of people. 

Oh, because a 2nd group of Elvis impersonators, right next to the first group of Elvis impersonators is totally necessary. 

Monday: Woke up at 5am to head to the Tsukiji fish market. We briefly contemplated waking up at 3am to catch the auction, but those thoughts didn’t last for long. Heh heh. 

Fish, fish, everywhere!

The line to get into Sushi Dai. We arrived at 6am and waited for 25 min without the line moving an inch. The people at the front had waited 45 min without moving an inch. We decided to go to Daiwa instead, and did not regret it one bit (pics to come tomorrow!).

After the fish market, headed over to Times Square in Shinjuku. 

Shinjuku was my favorite city in terms of shopping and overall ambiance (Top Shop, hello! They had it all..). There were tons of alleys to wander about and cute restaurants. 

And that’s a wrap for people & places in Japan! Tomorrow’s post is gonna make you real hungry, so be sure to eat a hearty lunch beforehand :)

off to the motherland…

As you’re reading this, the hubs and I are jetsetting off to Japan and then the motherland. This is my first real vacation in 3 years (other than my honeymoon which I took unpaid…*grunt*)! Anyway, I’m uber excited to say the least. The main purpose of the trip is to see my grandparents who couldn’t make it to the wedding last year. They are pretty much the two most adorable people I know :) Also on the agenda is to start seeing what the big fuss is about the book above. I know nothing about Fifty Shades of Grey, just that it’s racy and that’s right up my alley! Anyway, the trip is a short one - so will report back soon! 

Happy Friday! 

japchae

I was busy working today, but still wanted to get in a post before the clock struck 12. I’ve been managing the MWF posts, and didn’t want the streak to end quite yet. 

This past March I made some jap chae for the Pak’s housewarming party. I love jap chae, but it is a pain in the behind to make because of how tedious it is. Prepping and cooking all the ingredients that go into this bad boy is enough for me to only make it once or twice a year at most. Anyway, as always you can find the recipe here and here. 

How pretty are my blanched carrots against my white colander? So pretty. (Btw, they are gargantuan in size because I didn’t have mandolin. Don’t hate.)

Tip: Do not wash your noodles after draining! I have no idea why some recipes ask you to do this, this only makes the noodles “watery” if that makes sense. When you don’t wash, the seasoning clings better to the noodle. Also, if you aren’t planning to stir-fry your noodles, cook them somewhere in the middle of your prepping because it takes quite awhile for them to cool down. 

Tip: When adding the soy sauce, corn syrup, sesame oil - I easily double the recipe if not triple. The measurements these recipes call out are a bit bland. What a bore. 

And voila! I do prefer to sautee the noodles in a saucepan for a more flavorful result, but either way works just fine. 

Happy Hump Day! 

weekend recap

What a doozy this weekend was! I got barely any sleep (no no, not from getting cray at the clubs…don’t be silly) and I pretty much circled the entire Bay Area twice. Wowzas. 

Friday night: Met up with my gals over at Santana Row. Oh. Em. Gee. It is a madhouse over there! Why is Santana Row so cray? There are literally people of all ages there, and absolutely no parking. Anyway, look at how ridic these pics are. As in, all were a FAIL. 

Saturday: Had to do wedding hair at 5:30am (Congrats Lindsey & Derek!) in Mountain View, then had to haul ass over to North Beach for a hair trial. It was 50 miles, it was Cinco de Mayo, there was a Giants game…sweet baby Jesus! 

Sunday: Explored the Alameda Antiques Fair with the lovely wives of the SLO gang. This fair ain’t no joke. Definitely comparable in size to the Rose Bowl, and possibly even better because they have food trucks! A repeat visit is happening real soon. 

Sunday: Went from Alameda ->SJ to visit this lil stinker. Had lunch, took him shopping for clothes and what not. Goodness, that all ends when he graduates college and gets a real job right??! I consider it an investment for all the Chanel bags he’ll buy me in the future:) 

And that my friends, is how I drove nearly 250 miles this past weekend : l

And now…it’s Monday : l 

post-it war

Happy Friday! It wasn’t until this week that I noticed the obvious post-it war that is happening between my building and the one across from us. It’s also very apparent that my building is losing this one by a landslide. Anyway, I thought it was pretty damn cool and wanted to share. 

Have a great weekend! 

Building across from me. 

My building. 

My building (we created this during HH last night).  

lucky me

I am lucky for many reasons, but wanted to highlight two most recent events. 

#1 I thought the new Bart seats were an urban legend until today. They have made their way into the Peninsula! Hallelujah!

#2 For those of you that wear contacts you understand the woes of vision insurance. Every year when it comes time for your eye exam, you have to choose whether you want glasses or contacts because insurance covers only one option. Now, the contacts option is always much more appealing because you basically pay nothing out of pocket, so that’s what I usually get. Glasses are always on the backburner for me, hence why I’ve been wearing mine for 7 years too long. 

Aaaaaanyway, I’m in an interesting predicament this year. I was on the hub’s insurance, but then switched over to my company’s. That means, I just ordered my contacts through his insurance, and now I have the freedom to get glasses with mine! Holllerrrrr!! I did a little shimmey when I realized this…ok it was a BIG shimmey :) 

This hump day is off to a great start!