"Gyu Kandou It!"

Oh - we had a faaabulous time celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday at Gyu-Kaku in Huntington Beach. Older brother-in-law hooked us up with a private room reservation and we went crazy! There was sake and "beeeru" flyin' all over the place and we were all having a great time. But let me tell you about the meat. The meat was fantastic! We ordered at the most, 4 kinds...yes, yes, doesn't sound like a lot but I was so full by the end of the night! Of the meats, we ordered the Misuji Flat Iron (21-day aged Black Angus Flat Iron Steak w/Garlic), the Kalbi Short Rib (21-day aged boneless Black Angus Short Rib w/Tare Sweet Soy) and the Rosu Sliced Ribeye (Lean sliced Rib Eye s/Ponzu Citrus Soy). My favorite was the Misuji Flat Iron, it was really really tender! We did order another meat - but it wasn't considered so by some of the more conservative family, haha. I enjoyed with older brother-in-law slices of the Atsu Tan (Thick cut of Beef Tongue). It...was...GOOD! I loved it, so much in fact, we ordered another order.


Now don't just order the regular beef tongue (Gyu-Tan)...if you're going to order this, it's better to order the thicker slice to really enjoy the texture of it. (I know that sounds gross, but I don't mean the bumpy part of the tongue kind of texture, I mean the toughness of the meat) If you get it thin, kind of just tastes like any other meat really. But what the heck, order both and you tell me what you think. :)

But I have to tell you - the most interesting thing I had was a vegetable and the reason why only makes sense because the taste of that vegetable closely resembled something I had been craving for YEARS and have not been able to find again...that elusive something is breadfruit. The vegetable that we ordered at Gyu-Kaku which totally brought back memories of breadfruit in an instant was the order of Japanese Sweet Potato. Steamed in butter (just like Grandma used to do with the breadfruit), it had a texture similar to that of breadfruit when it's steamed. Very starchy and I LOVED IT! Thanks to my husband's sister-in-law for the recommendation! (following all the "in-law" references? still with me?)


Anyway - loved the place. It's still as good as it was when we first tried it on Kapiolani Blvd. back on Oahu, Hawaii. If you get a chance, try it out! And they're on Opentable.com's website also for your convenience (click on icon to your top-right for a quick re-direction).

If you try the Atsu-Tan, let me know what you think!

More on cereal!

No way! Girlfriend just hooked us up with a visit to Juju's Cereal Bar in Westwood, CA!

Check out the picutre she took of the place here. Or even better, read her recap here.

Thanks J!

Happy New Years!

We spent ours at a friend's and enjoyed a New Year's FEAST that included traditional Japanese New Years dishes. Not pictured in the picture I believe is my favorite, the traditional Ozoni soup. Oh I could eat that soup all year round!

The chef nearly died making it all - seriously... There is not enough words to express our thankfulness for her gracious hospitality.

We had a blast and ate to the fullest. How did you spend your New Years?

Cereal on the brain...

Wow - this is the most awesome place ever! Okay - maybe I'm just a little excited because they actually let you put CONDENSED MILK on your cereal as a topping - but you gotta admit, if not ever, it is still awesome. My crafty culinary buddy just sent me a link to the menu from this place and it is jam packed with so many of my favorites! Frosted Flakes, Fruity Pebbles, Malt Balls (yeah!) and of course...Condensed Milk (oh-ho-ho). And what rock have I been under that I did not know there was an Eggo Cereal?!!! Oh, and check it out - they've even got Banana Milk! I'd really like to try the strawberry milk;reminds me of my Strawberry Nesquik days, yum-e. I've never been to this place but that doesn't stop you from trying it out! (& coming back here to tell us all about it!) Thank goodness I don't live near this place, I'd be eating there everyday...