Mobile blog - Tokens :-)

Rin showcasing some precious tokens I got for my 'birfday'.

All of which I'll treasure very much.

Again, it's the quality that counts here. Each token was given with all heart and sincerity. And that is really priceless. :-)

Arigato gozaimasu!!

Mobile blog - More cake!

And on the morning of my day, yet another cake from my love!

This time, a special concoction made with mocha and dark chocolate. Mmm, oishii desu!!

Cake from St. Honore at NW Thurman in the Portland uptown area.

Itadakimasu!!

Mobile blog - Cake days

Mmmm, birthday cake from my sweetie!! Thanks love!

Gotta love the Beaverton Bakery cakes. They make it just right ;-)

Omedetou gozaimasu!!!

Mobile blog - 26

A special and romantic evening courtesy of my sweetie.

Trees is a nice and cozy restaurant along Sw 5th in downtown Portland.

She personally picked the place as a surprise for my birthday. And I loved every minute of it.

She could've just packed two Nutella sandwiches and eat them at a park and I'd be ecstatic! But she went the extra mile and looked for a nice place to have a quiet and personal 'two-gether' for my birthday.

And we'll come back here for sure. Food and service is good, and I like the ambience a lot too.

Thanks very much, my love! :-) 'Til the next event :-*

Mobile blog - Custard Heart

Literally, a heart-shaped custard/ flan.

It was too good to break up and eat so I took a pic of it before everyone 'dug in'.

It was a 'flan' to remember. And flan works great with sweet coconut (macapuno) ice cream!

Happy Eatster everyone!!

Mobile blog - Voodoo Doughnuts

When Vooodoo Doughnuts opened their store, most didn't really mind it too much. Then someone got a taste of their bacon maple bar and word spread out. Not only about the bacon maple bar, but of the 'odd' and 'weird' doughnut combinations that Voodoo Doughnuts has to offer.

Now Voodoo Doughnuts is part of the mainstream 'places to try' in Oregon.

People line up for a long time to get their doughnut fix. It's amazing to see folks really stick around despite the long queue. Last time we went, we were lined up for 30 minutes!

So you ask, 'is it worth it?' For just a piece or a dozen? I guess normally one would say 'no, not worth it'. But there are the fans - as there are for each and every novelty on Earth - and they'd say 'yes it's worth it indeed!'

I guess the owners were able to carve a niche here and managed to make a good name. And good timing too!

Again, not really a healthy choice (but they have 'vegan' doughnuts!), but one or two won't hurt from time to time. And by that I meant pieces... not one or two truckloads!

So go get your Voodoo doughnuts while they're hot!

As their slogan says... "good things come in pink boxes" ;-)

Mobile blog - Unagi!

Now one the faves of my sweetie too, the Unagi (eel) Nigiri.

Specially the freshly prepped ones - and at $1.25 for any sushi plate, hey that's definitely something to be 'eel'-ated about! :-D

I Love Sushi along SW Hall in Beaverton.

Itadakimasu!

Mobile blog - For the love of bread...

A cold and rainy Friday evening...

A bread bowl with clam chowder and a cafe mocha...

Just right!

More at the Panera Bread Cafe. Look 'em up ;-)

To get banned from buffet restaurants...

...arm yourselves with the utensils in the picture!

You won't only get banned from buffets but practically in any gathering where food is involved.

On the bright side, the fork serves also as a rake and a defensive weapon. The spoon can double as a shovel. The knife can be a paddle!

Now go get a set! (I think they are at least 3'- 4' long).

And no, we did not see a Swiss army knife version of it, sorry.

But will let the store owners know. ;-)

Indian cuisine

Last week I was teasing my Indian co-workers on how they should be buying me lunch since India won the Cricket World tournament. And to my surprise, they agreed!

We went to an Indian buffet restaurant called Mayura. When we got there, there was a big group of Indians already there and the place was a bit packed. I honestly felt that I was in India for a moment there!

So with some guidance, I trudged along the buffet line and got food. They only serve chicken for the meat and most of the food is veggie-based. And lots of curry.

I got some yellow curry, this 'Indian pancake' deal, some rice, butter chicken (really good and tasty!), and this grilled chicken (forgot the name).

The food is really good, and when I asked my colleagues how close the food was to the real thing, they said very close.

Overall a very good experience. And yes, I'll be coming to Mayura again and bring sweetie there to try out some good Indian cuisine!

If you're along Nw 23rd in downtown Portland and want to try some Indian food, do check Mayura out.

Cheers!

Mobile blog - Lobster-tilapia feast!

Mmmm... this is really a good combo we got at Red Lobster.

I forgot to take a pic of my dish which was sirloin steak and lobster tail with veggies! So seafood vs. 'landfood' on the same plate. Interesting indeed ;-)

Mobile blog - 54.4?

So... is that the time or temperature showing in the info gauge?

Well... both ;-) 5:44 and 54.4 F. Good timing for the shot!

Mobile blog - Sakura...

It is Cherry Blossom season once again, and my sweetie and I decided to swing by the state capitol and marvel at the Cherry Blossom trees in the park.

It does not rival in any way the blossoms in Seattle, but nevertheless shines on its own. The trees are indeed very nice, specially when in full bloom.

Too bad they don't stay too long in such a state and in a few weeks, their petals will start falling. Which is also another event that is worth seeing - whenever the wind bloes and the soft whitish-pink petals fall. It's like a scene from a Japanese film.

Will be visiting the blossoms again once the petals start falling in 2-3 weeks.

In memoriam...

Our good friend's long time pet and companion just passed away the other day...

It is a sad day for us too, as his pet is not just 'only a dog', but is family. I guess that goes for all animal lovers, regardless.

But as sad as this event is, it also highlights the 'humanity' of people.

That quality of humans to love and care, not only for fellow humans, but for other living things alike. It exemplifies how strong a bond one can have and that we are indeed capable of such, if we really put our minds to it.

But for now... we offer a prayer and moment of silence... *pray*

Mobile blog - Canned Kraft?

There was a small discussion about cheese in a can during one get together with friends.

And it centered on whether there is Kraft cheese in a can. One of our friends swears there is one and I backed her up on it.

I knew it existed since I've seen it personally. And I knew a particular store had it, so we scooted on there, took a pic of the thing, and sent it via mms to my friends.

Proof is served. :-)

Mobile blog - Mizu...

Hai... ;-)