On My Plate

SHRIMPS IN A BLANKET

Marinated ground pork on shrimps wrapped in wonton skin, deep fried and served with sweet and sour sauce.

A beautiful presentation. I loved that the shrimps were big. Good amount of ground pork, letting the shrimps to be the star of the dish. :) The wontons were crispy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. The sauce was light and overall it was a great appetizer. 

Type of cuisine: Thai.

Location: Baan Thai, a Thai restaurant, located on SW Broadway St, between Hall and College. 

Price: $9.00

SESAME SPINACH

Cold blanched spinach, served with roasted sesame paste.

I was surprised to find that this dish actually quite delicious on its own way. It was simple, but yet has a complex flavor. It reminded me of a dish from Indonesia called pecel. The difference was that pecel used homemade peanut sauce instead of roasted sesame paste.

Type of cuisine: Japanese.

Location: Shigezo, an izakaya style Japanese restaurant, located on SW Salmon St and 9th.

Price: $4.00

TRUMAN CAPOTE

On it: brown sugar, brie, thin slices of fresh apples, walnuts, and powdered sugar.

I like the simple sweetness that came from the brown sugar. The walnuts made this crepe a little nutty, and the brie blends smoothly between the crepe and the brown sugar. Lastly, I liked the thin fresh apples.

Type of cuisine: French.

Location: Press Club, an espresso lounge located on SE Clinton St, between 26th and 27th.

Price: $8.00

SPICY BRAISED OCTOPUS AND BEEF TRIPE

On it: braised octopus, beef tripe, in slightly thick tomato sauce, topped with haricots verts (thin green beans), and mint aïoli.

I like spicy food, and this was not spicy at all. It was rather a bit sweet, but just right. I was amazed by the softness of the octopus and the beef tripe. It was not chewy at all, instead it was soft and full of flavor. The tomato sauce was a refreshing way of serving the beef tripe. And, the thin green beans was a nice touch.

Type of cuisine: Argentinean.

Location: Ox Restaurant, located on NE MLK Jr Blvd, between Thompson & Sacramento.

Price: $11.00.

*Note that they only open for dinner: 5pm - close, Tuesday - Sunday only.

SALMON ONIGIRI

On it: rice ball, salmon filling, wrapped with seaweed, and served with edamame.

I liked the type of rice that they used: mixed of brown rice and other grains. I was  impressed that the presentation of the onigiri were authentic. I kept coming back for this because it was a really nice snack in the afternoon. And, the edamame was a great pair.

Type of cuisine: Japanese.

Location: Behind the Museum Cafe, a tea house located on SW 10th Ave, between Main and Jefferson.

Price: $3.00.

UNAJU DONBURI

On it: 6 unagi (BBQ eel), unagi sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and served with rice.

It came in a medium size box, and I thought it was adorable. If you like unagi, then this donburi is for you. The unagi were tasty and it didn’t have any bone in it. The sauce was not too sweet, and there were enough sauce to eat with the rest of the rice. I liked how the dish had a good proportion between the eel and the rice.

Type of cuisine: Japanese.

Location: Mika Sushi, a restaurant located on SW 2nd Ave, between Clay and Columbia.

Price: $13.95

BBQ PORK BAHN MI

On it: slices of BBQ pork, homemade garlic mayo, liver paté, soy sauce, onions, pickled carrots, jalapeño, cilantro, cucumber, salt, pepper, in a fresh baked baguette.

The paté, salt, and pepper definitely added a nice flavor to the cucumber and carrots. The baguette was crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside, therefore it made it easy to eat. I liked how the jalapeño and onion were not overwhelming, it was great for lunch.

Type of cuisine: Vietnamese.

Location: Fat Straw, a boba tea shop located between NW 23rd Ave and Johnson.

Price: $4.00