Gastro Monkey // 美食家

If you haven't noticed by now, I like trying places that Bourdain recommends. While I don't take his word for gospel, he does recommend quite a few good places. If you're interested in watching the episode, it's from Season 3, episode 2 of Parts Unknown .  Raku is located in Chinatown in a tiny strip mall. The parking lot was pretty full when I got there (around 10:30-11pm). Also, there are two Raku restaurants in the plaza - one is a dessert bar, the other, further back, is the grill. It is super dark and warm in there. We had no reservation, but it didn't take long to get seated. The menu is simple, the way I like it. While perusing the menu, they also bring out the specials menu. They also let you know  break your heart with which items are already sold out for the evening. 俺の豆腐 Raku’s Tofu I would like to try coming back again earlier in the evening to try more things (the teba wings sounded delicious). But, as it were, some of these items pret...

For my very brief visit to Scottsdale, I ended up going to Roka Akor. It is yet another selection based on Instagram. The boyfriend follows  Kai Torcuato , the executive chef at said restaurant, and said if it's in the area that I'll be staying I should pop by. Looking through his Instagram pictures I could not help but salivate. Wide varieties of fresh fish, incredible knife work - of course I had to give it a try! Located in what looks like a strip mall, the interior of the restaurant looked almost like a night club. The sushi bar is immense compared to what I'm used to. I took a seat in the middle of the bar, and Kai introduced himself. He asked if I had any questions with the menu. I told him I trust him and that I would like to get the omakase. Note to those who are used to more traditional Japanese restaurants - the omakase here is very different. Since Roka Akor is a restaurant that specializes in sushi and steak, you'll get a combination of the two. Had I...

This was my first time attending a wedding in Taiwan, so I was pretty excited. I imagined that the food would be relatively the same, but hopefully much better. I guess it's always better when it's family though, right? I'm going to keep this one short and let the pictures do the talking. Appetizers Mochi with peanut powder   Chicken and abalone soup   Spiny lobster salad - the lobster meat was really sweet   Mud crab and "oil rice" - I always like this. Too bad the crabs are so much work since they are small. Steamed fish   Silkie chicken soup - one of my favorite soups. I love the taste of silkie chicken so much more than the "regular" chicken.   Scallops on a Taiwanese potato salad     I want to say sweet and sour prawns... Braised tofu and king oyster mushrooms   Dessert buns and pudding   Sweet tapioca dessert Address: 537號  岡山路 Gangshan District,  Kaohsiung Ci...

[Link to Part IV - Sapporo ] I f you know seafood, you'll know that Otaru is the seafood hotspot in Hokkaido. Otaru is a cute little seaside town that is easily accessible by train. Everything there is within walking distance, and if you don't feel like walking, there are always cabs with friendly drivers, or the bus. Oh, and pedicabs are still a thing. We went with walking, even though it was snowing. I think the snow really added to the magic of the experience though, so I was happy to be in the snow. Upon exiting the train station, just to the left and up about 10 stairs, you'll reach this: It's the senkaku market. Not large by any standards, but it has within its walls rows upon rows of fresh seafood and a few restaurants to choose from to have your own seafood don. It's pretty hard to choose poorly. You can also buy your seafood and take it to a restaurant to have them prepare it for you. We just went into one of the restaurants and ordered off the...