Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Hi, Friends! Looks like it's been almost a year again since the last time I tried to update my blog! I have so much to catch up on, and it's overwhelming to think about all of the 2018 Japan/Taiwan posts, let alone the past few years. My last two posts were an attempt to catch up on the trip out to Hawaii January of 2020, while this and the upcoming ones are dining during a pandemic. At the time, we were torn on going out to eat (selfish), and if we should just keep staying home (paranoid). We really couldn't win. In the end, we decided that we should try to eat out and support the restaurants we want to see come out of the pandemic. To do this, we wore masks, and actually kept them on when we were not actively eating. In following various restaurants on Instagram, it is disheartening to see how people refuse to be considerate of others.   In deciding where to go, I took into account how much risk we were willing to take (this was just after having the first dose of Moderna...

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...