Overworked. Underfed.

Sushi Noguchi

Sushi Noguchi 18507 Yorba Linda Blvd Yorba Linda, CA 92886 Yelp I would give the sushi options in OC two thumbs up. From Nana San to Ohshima to San Shi Go, the sushi is top notch and not crazy expensive (San Shi Go excluded). Now I can add Sushi Noguchi to that list of excellent…

Taco Mesa

Taco Mesa 647 W 9th St. Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Yelp Being from Korea, Area Codes can get some of the best Asian food. So when he came to visit SoCal, he wanted things he couldn’t get back home. A great steak. Some BBQ ribs. Maybe a taco or two? He was one of the…

Sidecar Doughnuts

Sidecar Doughnuts 270 E. 17th St. #18 Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Yelp It seems like today’s food trends are all about novel mashups. Take your classic ice cream sandwich and use churros or donuts as a base. Cookies and a glass of milk? Why not meld the two into a cookie shaped cup filled with milk….

Otium

Otium 222 S. Hope St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Yelp When the ex chef de cuisine of The French Laundry, Tim Hollingsworth, moves to LA to open shop people pay attention. It’s not too often the fine dining chops of a Michelin caliber restaurant lands in a city better known for its great ethnic eats and taco…

Kiyomizu

Kiyomizu 305 E. 4th St. #105 Santa Ana, CA 92701 Yelp I’ve heard so many great things about SUGARFISH’s sister restaurant, KazuNori, in DTLA. The hand rolls at SUGARFISH are some of the best I’ve ever tasted, so I assume KazuNori is the same. The perfectly roasted and deeply flavored nori is what really makes makes…

Koi Palace

Koi Palace 365 Gellert Blvd. Daly City, CA 94015 Yelp When you talk about dim sum in San Francisco, Koi Palace is sure to make its way into the conversation. Interestingly, Koi Palace isn’t even located in San Francisco. It’s in the neighboring suburb of Daly City, more known for its Filipino predominant demographics and…

Lab Made

Lab Made 6 Brown Street Tai Hang Hong Kong Since we spent most of our waking hours eating, it was a challenge to ever fit in any superfluous snacks or sweets. We had a lot of time to kill on our last day in Hong Kong, so we took a bit of a detour to…

Crystal Jade

Crystal Jade Multiple Locations Hong Kong When it comes to xiao long bao aka XLB aka soup dumplings, Din Tai Fung aka DTF reigns supreme. Many may argue whether DTF truly makes the best XLB out there, considering it is a Shanghainese specialty made famous by a Taiwanese chain. Few will deny that is probably the…

Mott 32

Mott 32 Standard Chartered Bank Building 4-4a Des Voex Road Central Hong Kong Perpetually Underwhelmed recommended Mott 32 for its modern and sophisticated take on Cantonese cuisine. As a lunch spot, people come for the dim sum. One of The Annoyer’s friends, HK Baller, comes here quite frequently for business lunches. The novelty and luster of the…

The Lounge & Bar @ The Ritz-Carlton

The Lounge & Bar The Ritz-Carlton International Commerce Center 1 Austin Road Kowloon Hong Kong The footprint of British colonial rule has not faded with time since Hong Kong’s return to China. Excluding the cab drivers, English is widespread and spoken well. They still drive on the wrong side of the road. Milk tea was practically…

Robuchon Au Dome

Robuchon Au Dome Grand Lisboa Hotel Avenida de Lisboa Macau Peninsula The Robuchon empire spans multiple countries and continents. I have been fortunate enough to visit his Las Vegas outpost. Turning a blind eye to the heavy price tag, I found it to be outstanding. The 3 Michelin stars Joël Robuchon earned in 2010 was well deserved,…

Margaret’s Cafe e Nata

Margaret’s Cafe e Nata Macau Peninsula I had some amazing egg tarts in Hong Kong. Being Portuguese in origin, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try egg tarts in the former Portuguese colony of Macau. I figured this would be my chance to decide, once and for all, which egg tart style reigns supreme:…