new home.

new home.

http://fumipuriri.blogspot.com/

Kiss My Bundt

Randomly drove by Kiss My Bundt on 3rd St.

With 30 minutes to kill before dinner reservations,

we tried 2 mini bundt cakes which were just perfect.

Not overly sweet (even the frosting), moist & dense yet fluffy.

The generous-sized mini bundts were also reasonable at $2.50.

I have long been a fan of bundt cakes,

but didn't know there was a bakery that specialized in it.

Such a great find!

Exterior.

Interior.


Mini German Chocolate Bundt.

Mini Carrot Bundt.

Daiwa Sushi

Everytime I go to Tsukiji,

eating at Daiwa Sushi (大和寿司) is a must.

For 3,500 yen, you can get the Omakase set.

Which is the BEST deal for high-quality & fresh sushi.

(NOTE: Get there early, they close at 1:30PM)

Got there when they opened, 5:30AM.

Heaven.

Tsukiji Fish Market

One of my most favorite places to visit in Tokyo is Tsukiji.

It is the largest fish & seafood wholesale market in the world.

Most of the action takes place in the early morning

(like 4 to 5AM early).

Inner Market.

Freshest fish and seafood.

Tuna.

If you're there before 5:30AM, you can catch the tuna auctions.

Where the public buys their seafood. (Outer market)

Tsukiji is a MUST VISIT when in Tokyo!

JR

Who is Zion rushing to meet?

Its his best friend, JR!

Tackling.

Getting tired...

Too cute!

Bumbu Bali

In Bali, we ate at Bumbu Bali two nights in a row.

Sates, Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, Ayam Betutu...

authentic Balinese cuisine in a beautiful outdoor setting.

Bali

Went to Bali for the first time in May.
Bali statues.

Local streets of Bali.

Stayed at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua.

Nusa Dua Beach.

We were blessed with beautiful weather & blue skies.

Lots of pretty flowers.

Relaxed at the pool and did nothing. Fab.

Tropical.

Fed squirrels.

The beaches were pretty empty.

I miss it!

August

Finally feels like summer in Southern CA!

Pate-Ya & Engawa Cafe

Pate-Ya (Pate屋) in Denenchoufu

is a small shop that specializes in homemade pâtés and cheeses.

It opened in 1973 in the chef's home.

The house is surrounded by beautiful greenery and is so peaceful.

Next to the store is a cafe called Engawa (えんがわ)

where you can eat their pâtés.

Entrance to the shop.

Two pâtés and a fresh chesse lunch plate.

Loved the retro interior.

Doremi of Tokyo

I was never a fan of teppanyaki,

until Doremi (どれ味オブ東京) in Ginza.

This is the 'Captain' or the owner, Mr. Hirano.

He is super entertaining and so is his blog.

This is the Panko Garlic Buttered Scallops. YUM.

(帆立のパン粉焼ガーリック風味)

This is like a Bruschetta, except with White Fish.

(白身魚のプロヴァンス風)

Beef Steak with Foie Gras and Dried Mango Slices.

(牛フィレ肉とフォアグラの蒲焼ソース仕立て)

One of my favorite dishes. Genious.

This one... is hard to explain but a MUST eat.

Oyster, Pork Cheek, Monja Flakes with Truffle Oil.

(魂のワンスプーン)

Never had anything like it...

Herbed Lobster.

(オマール海老のアクアパッツァ)

Skilled Mayo-squirter.

Supposedly, they were the first to do this.

Doremi-Yaki (どれ味焼き), what they are known for.
Its their version of the Okonomiyaki,
except they don't use any flour in the batter.
Instead they only use Yamaimo. Delicious.

One of the best I've had!

Restaurant Sant Pau Tokyo

Since I first read about Chef Carme Ruscalleda

and seeing her amazing culinary creations,

her restaurant Sant Pau has long been on my to-go list.

The original Sant Pau is located in Catalonia, Spain

which received 3 Michelin stars in 2006.

(Spain's 5th 3-Michelin star restaurant)

Sant Pau Tokyo opened in 2004 and has 2-Michelin stars.

She became a chef in her 30's, which is very rare.

Finally got a chance to eat at Sant Pau Tokyo

for my birthday lunch date.

Interior.

The Micro-Menu changes every month.
(June's monthly theme was "flowers")
Hand-drawn menus are placed at each seat.

Dessert menu with descriptions.

The course was simply amazing.
Definitely one of the best culinary experiences I've had.
Each dish was presented beautifully and
the taste was unpredictable, unique and pleasantly surprising.
Thank you D!

Salton Sea

On the drive home from Sedona,

we took a detour to the Salton Sea.

Didn't even know of its existance until then.

It was an interesting stop.

WBC Finals

WBC Finals 2009: JAPAN vs KOREA

Japan wins 5-3!!!

SO worth sitting through major traffic,

a 10 inning 4 hour game

and losing my voice.

おめでとう！

March 16

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

"Soul Search"

Went to Sedona, Arizona last month on a

so-called "soul search" road trip.

Woke up early to see the sunrise from Airport Mesa.

Got lost. Asked a kind old man for directions.
He recommended us to visit the Palatki Ruins.
Drove through miles of road-less desert.
Totally worth the trip.

Blue sky.

Blue and Red contrast.

View from inside the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Chapel built between the rocks.

On a side note,

the only McDonald's in Sedona had a turquoise arch.

Looked it up to find, its the only one in the world.

Aloha Oahu

A brief recap of my Hawaii trip from December.

Besides being in pain from the marathon,

Woke up to this every morning.

Heaven.

Sipped on Pineapple and Guava Juice.
Asked the waiter if it was fresh squeezed... to hear
"Actually, its from Dole!"

Saw some amazing, old trees.

Played tourist and visited the Dole Plantation.

Learned that Pineapples grew like this.

Got ripped off for paying $5 for this Pineapple ice cream.

Dole Plantation is highly over-rated.

Ate the "#1 Loco-Moco on Waikiki"

... not too sure about that.

Waikiki Beach.

I miss it...

1/4 into 2009

LONG time no blog... and already March.
Quick update on 2009.

Zion turned 1. Yay!

Successfully baked cookies for Valentines.
First time ever in 25 years.

Went to Sin City.
A whopping three times in 2 months... Viva.

Finally welcomed back my bestest.
Celebrated with a burger in Laguna Beach.

Enjoyed beautiful sunsets on my drive home.

I should update more often...

Honolulu Marathon

Completed my first full marathon.
(Probably my last...)

Although it was a rainy and extremely painful 26 miles,

it was all worth it. Great experience.

(atleast once in a lifetime!)

CHANGE

Voted for the first time.

Witnessed history.

Yes, We Can

Dry Sunset

Cheese

I love cheese. I love specialty shops.

So I loved The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.

They also have a variety of cured meats,

oils, salts and wines.

Laguna Beach Sunday

Beautiful

LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy vs DC United.

Won 5-2!

Its crazy how FULL the stadium gets post-Beckham...

and how parking can increase from $5 to $15.

Angels

Angels vs Mariners.

Won 5-2.

Growing up in Orange County,

they will always be the ANAHEIM Angels.

Sat right behind the always streching Ichiro.

Musha

Musha in Torrance

serves Japanese-style Tapas (Izakaya).

Since its always packed,

its best to make reservations.

Cheese Risotto.

(Served in a huge Parmigiano-Reggiano)

French bread Seafood Gratin.

Cheese Tofu & Honey.

(My favorite!)

Ebi-Mayo.

Negi Toro (tuna) Cutlet.

Ei-hire (Stingray Fins).

Sushi Shibucho

Sushi Shibucho in Costa Mesa

is a traditional Sushi Bar that is family operated.

Out of the fresh selection of fish,

the Uni (Sea Urchin) was especially delicious.

Outisde.

mmm...

Aji (Spanish Mackeral) & Uni (Sea Urchin)
are probably my top two favorites.

Tamago (Egg Omelet).

Happy Zion

Enjoying his daily walks.

Summer Sky

Southern California has been blessed with

perfect weather this summer.

Pasta Genovese

Pasta Genovese & Asparagus Potage.

Added tomatoes & buffalo mozzarella.
Caprese-style.

Sky

Dazzle

Restaurant Dazzle inside the Mikimoto Ginza Building.

They have an amazing 4-story wine cellar.

Ordered the summer dinner course.

Both the atmosphere & food was excellent.

My favorite dish was the risotto... and dessert!

Interior.

Wine Cellar.

Kumamoto Oyster.

Appetizer: Lobster Rolls.

Beet Risotto with Asparagus & Uni.

Main: White Fish in a Vegetable Soup.

Fondant Chocolat.