Mizu 212

MM was in town so we went to Mizu 212 on Sawtelle for a light refreshing Japanese shabu shabu dinner. Value wise, Mizu 212 may disappoint you, don't expect huge portions here. But I am glad they did not overfeed us, my tummy felt just right afterwards. Hehe. Don't you just love the blue of the blue sake glasses :-)

Mo Soaked in Lamb Soup (羊肉泡饃)

Thanksgiving is coming up, so thought I'd share more of my food adventures in the ancient city of Xian with you... Here is Xian's most famous dish -- Mo Soaked in Lamb Soup or 羊肉泡饃 in Chinese. Usually this is how the dish is served: you are given a pancake or mo (饃), then you rip it into little pieces with your bare hands. You then hand the broke mo to the server, they pour hot lamb and soup base over it, and you let it soak up all the lamb-y goodness, then voila, 羊肉泡饃 is ready. Perfect for a winter cold day.

The dish is usually accomplished by sweet and sour preserved garlic and cold appetizer dishes.

The kitchen staff waiting for the next order.

They make it clear that it is a halal restaurant. The green sign to the left says: this is a halal restaurant, Miss Piggy ist vorboten!

Home

I am home now, Manhattan Beach home, that is. But I thought I'd share a few pics of my trip to my maternal aunt's home in Xian, China. When I arrived, she was preparing for dinner...

Dried pancake, a common zhushi (or main meal which refers to rice, noodles, buns type of foods)

Stove, in case you don't know what this is :-)

Aerial shot...very homey meal, and incredibly delicious.

Muslim Quarters, Xian, China

China is a much more culturally and religiously diverse country than many people realize... here are a few pictures of the Muslim Quarter in Xian, China. Xian used to be the end point of the Silk Road and the Muslim influence is evident in its food culture. The Drum Tower at the entrance to the Muslim Quarter.

The sign at the entrance to the tower means heavenly sound.

The main thoroughfare in the Muslim Quarter.

Lamb feet, you'll never find any pig's feet here.

Notice the pancakes to the right in the previous pic? Here is a close up and it is called -- Nang! Yes same as the Indian word for pancake.

Muslims selling spicy snacks

Cold skin noodles -- native Shaanxi people do not use the thick sesame sauce, but other parts of China use lots of sesame sauce for cold noodles.

Dried Jujubes, like the vibrant color

Muslims making pancakes...

Small stir fried dishes (small stir fry usually connotes casual family style foods)...If you see a person wearing this type of hat in China, it means they are Muslim.

This is my favorite! It's called persimmon pancake. They mix persimmon with flour then make it into a persimmon shaped pancake. You have all sorts of choices for fillings -- sesame paste, bean paste, walnut paste, etc. etc... so so good.

Here is mine. Oh got a manicure earlier in the day. Persimmon pancake is so so good, got a second one on the way back.

Xi'an's official soft drink, a type of orangy soda.

This is a typical Shaanxi hot pot -- non-pork meatballs, vermicilli, veggies, seaweed, tofu noodles, tofu, very very good for a cold day. My tummy felt so happy afterwards, giggles :)

This is a famous Xian dessert place, it is called East Ocean Jing Pancake, long long line.

They make a huge pot of Jing Pancake then sell it by the piece.

Side street in Muslim Quarter

Lamb and beef kabob place!

Lao Mi Jia (or Old Rice Family) is a famous Lamb Soaked in Mo place. Mo means flour bun in Shaanxi dialect. What they do is they give you a huge bowl of mutton soup, then you shred the Mos and let the pieces soak up the soup, then eat it as a noodle soup kind of dish.

Pirates of Victoria Harbour

The Bounty in its full glory...

Blocks and blocks of apartments... millions of people live in there.

Rear of the Bounty... it was a little chilly so we hid out there.

Little ship in the harbor, hm, maybe we should ship-jack it! Time to put on my pirate's eye patch.

Back in Central...

I love "愛LOVE."

On my looooong flight from LA to Beijing, I saw a Taiwanese movie called "愛LOVE" starring Vicki Zhao, Ethan Ruan, Mark Chao... I am usually not a super chickie flickie kinda person, but this movie was a lot of fun to watch and really heart warming. Check it out when you get a chance :) Below is the Chinese character for love, I like that the character for heart (心) is in the middle. Aw.

Although "愛LOVE" is pretty good, my all time favorite movie is still "Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties", an epic autographical account of the formative years of yours truly :P

A Crab-licious Singaporean Blowout

Thanks J for being the best party organizer. Dinner at Palm Beach Restaurant was so much fun. Where else can we wine and dine surrounded by the Merlion, the over the top Marina Sands Hotel and Singapore's beautiful skyline.

Thailand coconut juice to start the night... sip sip sip, mmmm.

Satay skewers, munch munch munch, mmmm.

Giant prawns topped with shredded almonds, I want them all. So yummy.

And then it was the crabs... Black pepper crab, a la Claude Monet Impressionist Style... fine fine, camera didn't focus well. I know it looks ugly, but it was so so delicious. Don't judge a crab by its cover, K? :P

Singapore Chilli Crab...

Da Claw, but it's no match for Cat's Paw. Hey, it rhymes :)

After crabs, Cat gingerly dabs the corners of her mouth... and orders a papaya dessert to cleanse her palette.

Roar Merlion Roar... though beware of the hordes of Japanese tourists, they may make you into sushi :P