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During this trip, the name of the blog should've been temporarily renamed "Sherman's mediocre chain restaurant adventures". Yup, after a long day at Universal, we didn't travel very far for dinner. In fact, similar to Downtown Disney, we took a walk through Citywalk and ended up eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Yup, a whole restaurant chain spawned from the success of Forrest Gump. But at the very least, Viv and I have tried the restaurant before, albeit Ala Moana Center in Honolulu.
And much like the last time I dined at Bubba Gump in Hawaii, I had the Shrimp Heaven featuring tempura shrimp, peel n' eat shrimp and coconut shrimp. Sadly, this was mostly a disaster with raw batter on the tempura shrimp while the coconut shrimp was inconsistent as many of the pieces had not much coconut. The peel n' eat was okay but not with enough coldwater snap texture. Even the fries were kinda soggy. They did offer up a 10% discount for the uncooked batter though. Viv had the Seafood Pasta that featured sautéed shrimp, mussels & clams in Bubba’s favorite garlic butter wine sauce, served on penne pasta, tossed in a homemade marinara sauce. The al dente penne was doused in a spicy tomato sauce which lingered. This was actually not bad with a notable spice and well-prepared seafood. Portion size was large where Viv could not even finish it.
Elaine went for the Dixie Fishwich with
Louisiana special sauce and Pepper Jack cheese. Unfortunately, the batter was undercooked as well. Hence, it was slightly crispy yielding to a mushy doughy interior. The fish was flaky and moist though. With the small amount of sauce, the sandwich lacked zip as well (although the sauce itself was quite good). Costanza went for the Shrimp Scampi with capers and lemon garlic-butter. Faithful to its description, it was very buttery, garlicky and in particular, tart. For me, that was good since it meant plenty of flavor for the al dente pasta and crunchy shrimp. I personally liked it due to the right balance of bold flavors, but he thought it was too acidic for his tastes.
My daughter had a bowl of the Old Fashioned New England Clam Chowder which was only moderately creamy. The flavor profile was dominated by celery and onions rather than the taste of the sea. However, it wasn't a bad soup per se with lots of buttery tender clams. And as you can probably figure out, the size of the bowl was rather large. My daughter couldn't finish it. My son had the kid's Popcorn Shrimp and it was slightly underdone as well. Hence, it wasn't crunchy. Rather, it was a bit crisp with plenty of soggy portions. The shrimp were okay though with a light cold-water snap. And just like the fries in my meal, these were soggy as well.
There was also the kid's Fish n' Chips at the table and I thought it was okay with crunchy batter and flaky fish. For some odd reason, the batter here was cooked all-the-way through unlike the other fried dishes as our table. But then again, the fries were consistent, being soggy. Yet, did we expect any better? Yes and no. I distinctly remember that the food was better the last time I had it, however, that was awhile ago and a 5-hour plane ride away. It was quite apparent that they rushed the preparation of the fried items, which resulted in underdone food. Ultimately, we were fed, but at the prices we paid, we expected a little better execution on all items.
The Good:
- Pastas were surprisingly well-executed
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- Underdone fried items
- Service was okay, but our server was a bit indifferent after some people didn't order the expensive drinks
Remember how I had to relegate our eating adventures to mediocre, overpriced food of Downtown Disney? Well, it took another dive as we were stuck at Universal Studios for lunch. You see, we only had one day at Universal and it didn't make sense to leave for food. Besides, we wanted to take advantage of our "Front-of-the-Line" pass (so worth it IMO if you got impatient kids or more realistically, impatient dads...). Trying to be a bit more original, Costanza suggested we try out Pink's (serving up hot dogs since 1939).
Viv and I ended up sharing the Chili Dog which was bordering on disgusting. The bun was overly soggy from all the moisture, but worst of all, the chili was not very good. It had a mealy mushy texture rather than meaty (the crunch from the onions did help the cause though). It did taste relatively okay with a noticeable chili powder aftertaste. The snap casing on the wiener was a positive though. Costanza and Elaine tried the Mulholland which featured a spicy liquid nacho cheese sauce. There was too much of it and it wasn't all that appetizing as it reminded us of 7-11. Again, what saved the whole thing was the snap casing on the meaty wiener (and the crispy bacon).
For the kiddies, we got them a simple Bacon Dog and it was probably the best of the bunch. Due to its simplicity, it was not wet nor was it overly salty from radioactive cheese sauce. The wiener on its own was able to do its thing while the meaty bacon didn't hurt things. The sides of Fries were your standard starch-coated variety that ensured its crispiness and plenty of flavour due to the seasoning. However, they ate like crisps more than fries as any starchiness as obliterated by the deep-fry. Okay, I sound pretty harsh in my opinions about a hot dog joint in a theme park. But really, they weren't very good and cost us a pretty penny. If I were you, I'd steer clear of this location.
The Good:
- Convenient
- Kids will eat it
The Bad:
- Expensive
- Food sucks
After enduring LA rush hour traffic and abandoning our original dinner plans, we were left with a bit of extra time to kill. Since we were heading back to our hotel in El Segundo, it wasn't too much of a detour to make our way to an iconic LA landmark. Yes, we're talking about that big donut at the corner of W. Manchester and S. La Sienega. Scratch another off my bucket list as we finally got to visit Randy's Donuts. And to head off the haters at the pass, I realize these are not the greatest donuts on Earth... But the novelty of it all, well, I couldn't resist.
With a lineup at the front and the drive-thru, we weren't the only ones with a donut wish. We sampled the Jelly Glazed Donut first and there was a tonne of strawberry filling. So much so, it couldn't stop squirting out. It wasn't too sweet though which was a good thing due to the glaze on the outside. The donut itself was not overly heavy. As for the cake donuts, in particular, the Sprinkle Chocolate Glaze, it was a bit dry and dense. The glaze was pretty sweet and with the sprinkles, it further amped the sugar quotient. In this case, less was more as the more basic donuts worked better.
Moving onto the Apple Fritter, it was huge and very sweet due to the ample amount of glaze that nestled within all the nooks and crannies. There was a smattering of apple here in there within the firm donut. Interestingly, the Chocolate Crueler was not as sweet as it looked. Naturally, it was eggy and lighter than the other cake donuts. Overall, we didn't mind the donuts, especially for the price. Sure, they ain't gourmet and ultimately weren't super special, but it was cool to try them at least.
The Good:
- Look at that big donut on the roof!
- Cheap
The Bad:
- They're okay, but nothing that special
Originally, we had reservations to try out Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza, but due to being stuck on I10 aka "the parking lot", we had to call the restaurant to cancel. Let's just say the lady at the other end of the phone was not impressed with our cancellation (talk about attitude). Anyways, with the interchange of the I405 approaching, I remembered that we had missed eating at ROC a week ago. So off the freeway onto surface streets we went...
Seeing how many have boasted about their Xiao Long Bao, we got an order to start. These featured a thin, yet firm skin not unlike Din Tai Fung. There was a decent amount of soup which was sweet while not displaying any real distinctive flavours. The meat filling was moist and not overly fatty. Not as good as DTF, but pretty good nonetheless. Next up was the Ox Tail & Beef Noodle Soup. We thought this was pretty good with a spicy soup that was fairly flavourful and wide noodles that were chewy. There was a significant hit of star anise which was probably due to the big ox-tail (residual stewing liquid). As much as the slices of beef were sufficiently tender, the ox-tail was pretty stringy.
We got an order of the Stir-Fried Rice Cake for the kiddies and it was pretty interesting as we've never had it prepared in such a "light" manner. It was as if there was not enough wok heat that the flavours didn't have a chance to caramelize. Furthermore, there was an overabundance of veggies which probably led to the lack of rich flavours. The rice cake itself was soft and chewy though. On the other hand, the 3 Cup Chicken was full of impact, in particular, the level of sweetness. There was some tang and aromatics to go with it though. The chicken itself was a touch dry, but went well with the complimentary bowl of rice.
Lastly, we had the Gai Lan and it was downright terrible. It was older than an 80's one-hit wonder featuring discolored leaves and super chewy dynamics. We were not sure why they even served it as it was pretty clear from the visuals that it was past its prime. But other than that, the food was pretty acceptable and the XLBs offered up respectability. Not the cache as a Mario Batali restaurant, but it served to satisfy our Chinese food cravings while we escaped traffic purgatory (Elaine was still stuck on the I405 after we got back to the hotel!).
The Good:
- Respectable XLBs
- Friendly service
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Smallish portions
- What's up with the crappy gai lan?
Normally, when one is in LA and yearning for Dim Sum (yes, we were yearning), the best place to go would be Monterey Park. Since we were pressed for time, moving from our hotel in Cypress over to El Sugundo, we weren't really in the vicinity. The solution? Drive all the way up to West Hollywood and try out Bao Dim Sum House. In reality, that wasn't really that close either, but at least we had Dim Sum. Since Costanza was under-the-weather, we were only down to 3 adults, but that didn't prevent us from ordering lots!
The first dish to hit the table was the House Fried Rice with BBQ pork, egg, lettuce, peas, carrots and large shrimp. Nutty and chewy with a caramelized smokiness, the dish was definitely hit with enough wok heat. The other components exhibited the right textures including the crunch from the carrots, pop from the peas and snap from the shrimp. There was adequate seasoning as well with a good amount of soy. Next up, we had the Pan Fried Radish Cake with Chinese sausage. With a sufficient sear on both sides, there was a slight crispiness as well as smokiness. The cake itself was soft and sweet with a good amount of natural daikon flavour. There could've been more sausage which would added some more balance.
Onto some dumplings, we had the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). Appearance
-wise, these looked legit and aesthetically-pleasing from the ample tobiko on top. Texturally, these were meaty and chewy (while not fatty), rather than having a rebound texture. There was a natural pork flavor which was accented nicely by the shiitake mushrooms and meaty shrimp. As for the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings), they were large and featured a fairly thick dumpling skin. Inside, the whole pieces of shrimp exhibited a buttery moist snap. They were mildly seasoned where we could get some sweetness and the faint hint of bamboo shoots.
So far on our trip, the sight of something green has been a rarity, so we decided to get the Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic. Yes, this one small plate would make up for lack of veggies in our diet... It was decent though with crunchy green beans that were coated with a starch-thicken seasoning that was somewhat garlicky. It appeared that they only lightly oil-blanched the green beans before wok-frying which meant they weren't shriveled up and overcooked. Since we got an order of fried rice, we thought of trying the House Chow Fun as well. The flat rice noodle were soft while keeping a certain chewiness. It wasn't as greasy as some other versions, yet still exhibiting good carmelization through proper wok heat. Again, much like the fried rice, the components were good including the large shrimp.
Steamed in little aluminum tart tins, the Xiao Long Bao were surprisingly acceptable. Generally, these turn out for the worse at Cantonese Dim Sum restaurants because they are specifically Shanghainese. It featured a thin, chewy skin that revealed a soft and somewhat mushy filling that emanated xiao shing wine and a certain sweetness. However, there wasn't a whole lot of soup which was a shame since they were sitting in tins (no threat of spillage). Large, but flat, the Mushroom Dumplings suffered from an overly thick wrapper. It was somewhat dense and chewy, however, the woodsy mushroom filling was moist enough to make up for it. The filling wasn't particularly seasoned aggressively though, mainly relying on the mushroom's natural flavor.
Moving along, we got 2 orders of the Shrimp Spring Rolls because my son could devour one plate himself. These arrived in a deep shade of golden brown where it was ultimately pretty greasy. Yet, that didn't affect the crispiness of the exterior. Inside, it was packed with shrimp that had a meaty snap. The shrimp was well-seasoned with a good balance of salty and sweetness. Continuing with the fried items, we tried the Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant next. With just the right thickness, the eggplant was nicely textured where it was fully cooked while not completely mushy either. The ample amount of shrimp mousse on top offered up a moist snap with a good balance of flavors. Interestingly, we couldn't figure out what type of sauce was on the plate. It didn't taste like much of anything.
We kept going with the food in the Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce. Unlike the typical version, this was topped with green onions, cilantro and red peppers. Although they didn't ultimately affect the overall flavor profile much, it was a nice color contrast to the pale cooked pork color. The pork itself was chewy with a slight rebound while being peppery and garlicky. We didn't get a whole lot of black bean (not that salty), but there was a background spice. Also topped with greens, the Tofu Skin Roll with chicken and shrimp was a bit fishy tasting. Was it the shrimp? It wasn't unpleasant though as the the shrimp and chicken were sweet. Texturally, the filling was firm with some bounce. We liked the chewy skin, but it was quite greasy though.
Lastly, we ended off with the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns. These were large and fluffy with a good amount of BBQ pork filling. It was not overly sweet and easy on the fatty pieces. If you were wondering if we ordered too much food, the answer would be *burp* yes. Therefore, our bill was pretty high as a result. Yet, the menu prices weren't cheap either. We didn't mind it too much as the food was pretty decent. Although we've had better and for much cheaper (remember where they are located though), Bao did the job and quenched our thirst for Dim Sum.
The Good:
- Attentive service
- Decent eats
- Relaxed atmosphere
The Bad:
- Expensive (but okay considering the area)
- Food comes out a bit slow, but that is due to freshly made dumplings
*Sigh*. *Double Sigh*. *Triple Sigh*... Once again, we were relegated to eating at a restaurant in Downtown Disney. Other than Earl of Sandwich, the only 2 words that can describe eats here are expensive and mediocre. I wasn't sure what was more painful, waiting in line to see Elsa or eating "only-if-you-have-no-choice" food. This time around, we paid a visit to Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria which was at the very least something the kiddies would eat. Besides, we were seated outside in the shade where it was a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Disneyland.
After starting with some complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic, we moved onto more carbs in the large Popette Neapolitan pizza comprised of meatballs, roasted peppers and onions, tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. This featured a fairly thin crust that was soft in the middle and crispy along the edges. We would've liked to see more leoparding though. The tomato sauce was rather bland with some tail-end tartness (the peppers really helped add more zip). Ultimately, it was okay and served its purpose. We also tried the Lasagna consisting of eight layers. Even with the promise of creamy béchamel and Bolognese meat sauce, the whole thing was dry. It was like eating a cake made with noodles that tasted like Parm and nutmeg. A bit disappointing for $20.00.
For the kiddies, they tried the Penne with cream sauce. Believe it or not, this was better than the previous 2 dishes combined. At least the pasta had the right al dente texture and there was enough sauce to keep things moist. With that being said, the sauce was a bit watery and lacking in overall effectiveness. But with the sprinkle of Parm, there was at least enough saltiness to go around. Of course, the requisite Mac n' Cheese made its appearance at the table. Again, this was okay with not-overly-soft pasta and just enough sauce that clung onto each piece of macaroni. It was sufficiently cheesy, but again, it wasn't totally bursting with flavor either. Bottom line, the kids ate it willingly.
I added a side of Creamy Polenta with Parm just because I love polenta (no, I'm not turning vegetarian here). As much as the texture was fine, it wasn't creamy as advertised. Rather, it was more porridge like with very little seasoning and not enough cheese to make an impact. And really, this would probably best describe the food at Naples - acceptable but lacking in flavor. Naturally, they have the advantage of being located really close to the front gates of both theme parks, hence business will always be good. Don't get me wrong, it did the job and the kiddies enjoyed themselves, but the prices are really too high for what you get.
The Good:
- Convenient for those who don't want to eat inside Disneyland
- Good for the kiddies
The Bad:
- Food lacking impact for the price
- Service was okay, but somewhat snooty
Oh wow, has it been 6 years already??? (actually I jumped the gun last year... apparently I can't count). Once again, this couldn't be possible without the support of Viv (putting up with everything I do) and the loyal readership. What started out as a little diary of my gastronomical adventures has now morphed into something a bit more. It certainly takes up a lot of my time and really is another job. But at the very least, I still enjoy it enough to continue. Let's see what is in store for year 7! Oh and as per usual, if you leave a comment with your first name and last initial, I will put you in a draw for a $100 gift certificate for a restaurant of your choice!
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