kcchan's Profile
Type of tea in milk tea? (Wonderful Foods)
Just for clarification (and unfortunately I don't have any recipes... but perhaps someone out there does), are you looking for the standard black milk tea from bubble tea shops? It's an entirely different animal from HK style milk tea - probably different tea leaves. Perhaps someone from Taiwan or more familiar with Taiwanese style milk teas can enlighten us. And have you tried using powdered coffee-mate creamer? I've seen lots and lots of bubble tea shops use the powdered stuff as opposed to real cream or milk.
cooking for toddler / fussy one year old - cookbook recommendations?
We've really enjoyed Tyler Florence's /Start Fresh/ cookbook. The kids really enjoyed the butternut squash mac and cheese, roasted banana and blueberry puree, among other recipes. The one miss that was in there, though, was the lasagna.
Refuge Kid Friendly?
We've been to the Refuge a few times, and I've always seen toddlers in high chairs there. We've never taken our two little ones to the Refuge, but that's mostly because the Refuge was our date-night getaway place. We wouldn't hesitate to bring our kids there.
Where to buy plain steamed buns?
I've seen the plain folded buns (peking duck style) in the refrigerated case next to the noodles at 99 Ranch.
Teo Chow Noodle Shack, Fremont?
Sure, it's probably not worth driving out of the way for (especially if you have good noodle soups in your area). But if you're in the area and have a hankering for noodle soups or other "comfort" goodies, it's a safe bet.
Teo Chow Noodle Shack, Fremont?
We went for dinner today, and we'll most likely be back. The prices were reasonable, staff was friendly, and the food was good. When we arrived at around 5 or so, we were the only ones there, but people trickled in throughout the evening.
It's set up like a fast-food type restaurant; you order and pay at the counter, you seat yourself, and they'll call out your number to pick up your food when it's ready. There are lots of four-seater tables that you can move around for larger parties and one larger round table. Two high chairs. A couple of TV's mounted on the walls. One men's bathroom and one women's bathroom in the back. Staff speaks perfect English and are happy to answer your questions about the menu. Also noticed them speaking Cantonese to some of the customers. There's also an open kitchen so you can watch the chef prepare your food in front of you. There's also a soda fountain serving Pepsi products with unlimited refills. Both the open kitchen and the soda are rare in Chinese-ish restaurants, and the soda will definitely keep the soda-fiend in me coming back. Sometimes I want both Chinese food and unlimited soda, and it's rare to find that combination. But I digress...
The main thing on the menu is noodle soup. For $7.59, you choose the noodle and the topping. They have 5 types of noodles available - ho fun, kwai tiu (rice fettuccine), won ton noodles, yi mien ("thick ramen"), and rice vermicelli. Toppings available include ground pork, thin sliced pork, bean sprouts, pork kidney, fish balls, chicken, bbq pork, shrimp, fried fish cake, and "I want everything". I don't know how many toppings you can choose per bowl of noodle soup without an upcharge, since nobody in our party actually ordered from the "noodle bar". They also have some appetizers on the menu like potstickers, chicken wings, etc.
They had dinner specials available - from the dinner specials menu, our party ended up ordering roast duck won ton noodle soup, salt and pepper porkchops, and roast duck chow mein. We also ordered the potstickers. The dinner specials around $8-10 and include a soda - it was a pretty good deal, since the portions were very generous.
I ordered the roast duck won ton noodle soup. -Don't expect a HK style won ton noodle soup. The broth is very different - distinctively chickeny and not seafoody like a HK style broth. Yet it was still very good. (A couple hours later, I'm still a bit thirsty - unsure if it's an MSG effect or because I'm starting to catch a cold, which is what inspired my noodle soup outing in the first place.) The egg noodles were perfectly al dente, and the won tons were very very good. Not the huge golf ball sized ones, but a good size, filled with whole shrimp. Some of the best won tons I've had in the Fremont area. There were around 5 or 6 in the bowl. There were around 6 pieces of roast duck - good flavor, very moist, and a decent amount of meat. I'd definitely order it again.
The roast duck chow mein was pretty good - thick noodles with a generous portion of sliced roast duck. Husband thought the flavor was good, but remarked that it was very greasy and heavy.
Salt and pepper pork chops - very very generous portion of pork (we're talking entree sized portion here, instead of rice plate portion) and comes with a bowl of rice. I only had a couple bites, but it was pretty good. The batter wasn't too heavy, and the pork was moist and flavorful. Would definitely order again.
Potstickers - they were of the deep-fried variety, very large, filled with pork-cabbage mixture. I thought they were unremarkable; the 3 year old in the group who loves potstickers of all sorts ate them up.
The dinner special menu featured other rice plate-y items like (if memory serves me correctly) peking spareribs, lemon chicken, walnut prawns, roast duck fried rice, chicken chow mein/fried rice, etc. They also have some vegetarian options, but I forget what they are.
They have a noodle bowl challenge - though they haven't received the actual bowls yet, they said it's a 23" bowl filled with 2 lbs of meat, 2 lbs of noodles. If you eat all the meat and noodles and also drink all the soup, you get it for free. Otherwise it's $20.
The price is right, the food is good, we'll definitely be back.
Black Pepper Steak in HK?
Thanks for the rec! I've been told that every tourist needs to go to TPK at least once to try the wings in Swiss sauce and the souffle, so I'll be glad to comply.
Black Pepper Steak in HK?
Hi Hounds - we're goinig on a 11-night trip to HK in a few days, at which point I'm hoping to go back and introduce the husband and kids to the childhood favorites I had when I used to visit HK as a kid. One thing on the list is steak on sizzling platter with black pepper sauce - you know, where the make a show of pouring the sauce on the sizzling platter and kids freak out about getting burned. I know that Boston's is famous for theirs, but are there any other recommendations? Relatively kid-friendly is a major plus, as we'll have a 3-year-old and a baby in tow. We're staying in Causeway Bay, but as long as the restaurant is easily accessible via MTR, we're open to going whereever.
Does anyone know were to buy fresh beef tongue?
I've seen beef tongue at some Costcos.
Any local outlets for Penzey's whole peppercorns?
How about the Penzey's store in Menlo Park...?
Grocery Outlet, October 2011
At the Newark location:
Prarie Grove Farms all-natural peppered bacon (no nitrates or nitrites) - $2.49
5-oz. tub of grated parmesan - $.50 (the tag was priced differently, though it rang up for $.50)
2-pk English cucumbers - $.79 (the tag was priced differently, though rang up for $.79)
best local price on parchment paper?
Costco carried parchment paper last year during the holiday season.
Caterer Who Makes Crepes at Events
Brittany Crepes & Galettes (the truck) does catering, according to their website.
Frozen Guava Juice Concentrate - Where can I buy it?
I've seen it at the Grocery Outlet in Fremont. Perhaps other Grocery Outlets have it?
Duck Gizzards
99 Ranch and other Asian supermarkets likely have them, though not organic.
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99 Ranch
4299 Rosewood Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588
Buffet dinner in Bay Area.
Along the lines of Kome, there's also Moonstar Buffet in Daly City. Never been there for dinner, but I thought their lunch was pretty good, particularly for an Asian buffet. I hear it gets really crowded at night though, so you might have to suffer lots of elbowing from other diners.
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Moonstar Restaurant
383 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
I have almond paste!
This cake is amazing and my husband is obsessed with it. We actually like it better without the glaze, however... it's certainly sweet enough without the added sugar.
baking soda as a tenderizer - has ruined my food twice now....
I've definitely heard of baking soda used as a tenderizer. I've also heard of the velveting technique, which is completely different. Using baking soda as a tenderizer (even a small amount) can impart a different taste to the meat that some find utterly repulsive (even when washed out of the meat), and the texture of the meat can be a bit gummy.
Favorite Pioneer Woman Recipes
My husband has made these cinnamon rolls, and they really are quite delicious. The recipe is incredibly simple. I like cinnamon rolls that aren't too bready, and the dough is just perfect if you like moister, gooier doughs. We never made the glaze - the cinnamon rolls are great and sweet enough without the glaze (though one of these days I'll try the glaze...)
Bay Area Shamrock Shake sightings?
The location on Fremont Blvd. (at Mowry) in Fremont has them; the one by Newpark Mall in Newark does not.
Almond Roca
Costco has Almond Roca (though either in boxes or bags, not in cans)....
best bet in Fremont?
Salang Pass is a great, kid-friendly Afghan restaurant. There are numerous mentions of the restaurant on these boards. I think they might still be on restaurant.com too.
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Salang Pass
37462 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA 94536
Suggestions for renting/borrowing/swapping Thanksgiving day kitchen/dining space
Agreed - food prep beforehand in your own kitchen will make things so much easier, if you decide to go this route. However, we had stayed recently in a TownePlace Suites in Phoenix and successfully roasted a turkey in the small oven - so it's doable, if you're really committed to it.
Suggestions for renting/borrowing/swapping Thanksgiving day kitchen/dining space
Where are you located? If you're really up for renting an apartment or something like that, you can rent hotel studio suites or 1-2 bedroom suites. It won't be festively decorated, but most have full-size kitchens that you can use to cook or reheat. Think Homestead Suites, Towne Place Suites, etc. I don't know where you're located, but if you're in the South Bay, St. Francis Arms in Sunnyvale has full-size kitchens - they're corporate apartments that are available for rent on a nightly basis, but of course lack the festive decor. Check tripadvisor.com for condition of kitchens, whether there's a full-size oven or not, etc.
Or if you want to mix it up with a little vacation, look for vacation rentals within driving distance. Since it's a holiday weekend, some vacation rentals might have a minimum stay requirement, but look around.
Need an Egg Nog Recipe without raw eggs
I was just looking at this recipe earlier today - Alton Brown has a "cooked" version of egg nog (I'm sure you can omit the whipped egg whites if you want...): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/eggnog-recipe2/index.html
looking for "Po Gok Gai" recipe (葡國雞)
I usually use coconut milk only, and I haven't noted too pronounced of a coconut flavor. That being said, however, my recipe is far from traditional. It's just what my grandma and mom made for a quick and simple dinner, and it doesn't have anything like the traditional olives, sausage, or coconut flakes, and is certainly not baked. They just brown the potatoes and the chicken, add a can of curry sauce (it's a yellow smallish can, the brand is Yeo's, and I believe it's from Singapore), simmer until chicken is cooked, add the coconut milk and stir, and top with cilantro. Like I said, it's not at all traditional, but it's what I grew up with.
A quick google search yields the following recipe that doesn't use evap milk: http://graciegrace.org/?p=326
looking for "Po Gok Gai" recipe (葡國雞)
Instead of evaporated milk, I usually use coconut milk, which works fabulously (and might even be the traditional "cream" used, for all I know).
