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9211 Bolsa Ave Westminster, CA 92683. (714) 893-1976

My mom actually chose this restaurant to host the luncheon after my Tea Ceremony.  The restaurant was packed!  There was quite a line out the door even though there was a large amount of seating space inside.   I had been to this place a few times before and remembered it as being quite good.

We had two tables at the restaurant and about 22 people.  So, not all the food featured below was something I tasted.

This dish was a fried sushi dish.  It was nice and crispy on the outside but it bit too bland on the inside.  In fact, I’m not sure what was on the inside.  Possibly shrimp?

 I didn’t order this!

 Hmm, again, I think this was at the other table.

 Ah!  Something I recognize!  This is the standard Chinese broccoli typically seen most Chinese restaurants.  It has an oyster sauce on top.  This one was pretty average although as far as I’m concerned even the average ones a very good.

 This is my favorite!  Shrimp dim sum with some kind of rice noodle shell.  Very tasty.

 I didn’t get to try this one but it is a rice noodle wrapped around either pork or shrimp.

 I didn’t try this one either but it looks good!

 Bleh!  Looks like eggplant.

 Man, this looks good too!

 Aha, I did have some fried rice.  It was VERY good.  Not too oily like some Chinese restaurants.  t was nice and fluffy and flavorful, but not too dry or overspiced.

This dish was good too.  More salty than spicy but I enjoyed it.

 Overall, the restaurant was very good.  The service was just so-so and the ambiance was typical of a fast paced restaurant in that area.  It isn’t a place I would go to for a romantic evening but if you want good food and don’t mind waiting a little bit, this place is worth it.

Taste: 9/10
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Total: 14/20

219 North Center Street, Reno, NV 89501. (775) 786-3232

http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-reno/restaurants-dining/cafe-napa-detail.html

This restaurant is located in Harrah’s Casino. It’s open 24 hours and offers California cuisine as well as Asian specialties.

The rolls had a sweet, crunchy, sort of caramelized top.

The soup was a tasty blend of eggs, chicken, and corn.

I ordered a spicy chicken dish, which came with rice, veggies, and a few pieces of sushi.

This is the steak with veggies and a baked potato.

Add on a succulent lobster tail for $9.99. It’s a decent portion for this price.

Overall, it’s a fair place to have a meal, especially if you’re in the casino and you don’t want to gorge on the buffet.

Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 3/5
Service/Atmosphere: 4/5
Total: 14/20

Black and Green Tea (Photographed by Tim Doan)

9870 Hibert St. San Diego, CA 92131. (858) 549-7658

It’s been a while since I’ve written a review. There are too many things going on at home but I think I’ve gotten a handle on them. This review has been waiting in dormant for about a month now (has it been that long?!) and it is now ready for the public!

My friend Tim had recently purchased a new camera lens (Canon EF 50mm f/1.2) and had wanted to test it out with a couple of shots. But I was too hungry to go and find things to photograph and so I suggested for him to take pictures of food instead!

Sweet and Sour Shrimp ~$6.00 (Photographed by me!)

Theres a lunch special here that includes a meal with a free boba drink. Its your choice of either Black or Green Tea. (Drink upgrades at an additional cost.)

I was slightly disappointed with this entree. The shrimp was good and all; cooked just right, juicy, and tender, but it wasn’t perfect. It had sweetness but there was no sour!! Oh my. Nether less, the vegetables were good and the sprouts too. Overall, it was a decent meal and filled me up quite well.

Kung Pao Chicken ~$6.00 (Photographed by Tim Doan)

I tried a little bit of Tim’s entree, the Kung Pao Chicken. And damn, it was much better than what I ordered…

Taste:6/10
Service:3/5
Atmosphere:3/5
Total:12/20

9003 Mira Mesa Blvd. San Diego CA, 92126

I wanted to try the sichuan restaurant that reopened in mira mesa but they were freaken closed today! I’m not even sure what the reason was because the note on door was written in chinese. bah! i’ll try them another day. sigh…

well anyway, i was still in the mood for some kinda chinese meal and so Minh and i went to tea station. i havent been here in a long time and they’ve changed their menu items quite a bit. what i really wanted to get was this one kind of pork chop which was lightly fried and super tasty. but the waiter told me that they no longer had it and that i should try one of their new items…

Spiced Pork ($6.00) photographed by Minh Doan

err… im really disappointed in this. it looks good but the sauce on the meat was too strong. it was ridiculously salty and killed the flavor of the meat. i dont even know what the sauce tastes like but it doesnt taste like teriyaki sauce as the waiter claims.

taste: 5/10
service: 3/5
atmosphere: 3/5
total: 11/20

4600 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111

My dad is one of the chefs at Jasmine and he always brings us home new dim sum creations that they come up with. Sometimes the creations are bad (I’m sure those didn’t make it on the menu) and some are extraordinary. This time it was something unique and pretty tasty too!

They took the daan taat (egg custard… dan ta if you are mandarin, but daan tat for us Cantonese speakers) and put a twist on it. Instead of the normal flakey buttery crust, they changed it to a more crunchy chocolate crust. It was good, but I prefer the orginal version better.

My favorite would have to be the fried taro with a piece of scallop on top. It was a bit oily, but boy did that scallop hit the spot!

The little birdy was filled with a red bean paste and is a nice sweet little treat. I told my sister to break it in half for me (I didn’t want to be the one to kill it).