Taqueria Los Pericos

Originally, we were planning to visit the Gilroy Outlets while in the Bay Area, but we were unaware of a new location that was closer.  Staying at my cousin's house in Union City, it was only a short 30 minute drive to the Livermore Premium Outlets.  We ended up going right when it opened to score a parking spot and to escape the craziness (much like all of the other premium outlets).   After a snack at one of the food trucks, we were still hungry from the shopping, so we headed over to nearby Dublin for some Mexican eats at Taqueria Los Pericos.

Before we got our eats, we helped ourselves (a few times, LOL) to the complimentary Tortilla Chips and the accompanying condiment bar.  Although somewhat greasy, the chips were light and crispy.  It went well with the fresh and bright salsa which was only mildly spicy due to the conservative amount of finely diced chili peppers.  I personally loved the tomatillo sauce as it was also bright with a light level of spice and tartness.  For my daughter, she had the small Quesadilla with chicken, sour cream, guacamole and salsa.  Normally, she doesn't finish her food, but she dusted this one off quickly due to the generous amount of tender chicken, bright salsa and fresh guacamole.

My son had some of the Tacos consisting of chicken, beef and beef tongue.  We were not impressed with any of them since they sauced them for us.  Not sure why they did that since all of them became mushy and wet.  The chicken and beef were okay since they were dry enough to accept the sauces, but the overly wet lengua combined with the sauce became very messy and impossible to eat in one piece.  I wished they had finished off the tongue on the flattop.  Viv and I shared the Wet Super Burrito consisting of chicken, beans, rice, sour cream, cheese and salsa topped with more cheese and salsa roja.  This was good since the amount of meat was also generous while the ingredients were fresh.  Loved the bright, tangy and mildly spicy sauce as well.  This was probably the best item we had and it was definitely worth the money.  However, the tacos were sub-par.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Good burrito

The Bad:
- Sloppy tacos

Mingala Restaurant

Usually, when one thinks of Burmese food and the Bay Area, the name Burma Superstar is always the obvious choice.  Make no mistake, I really do want to visit the place and maybe one day I will.  It just hasn't been convenient for us to do so.  But back to my point, no one thinks of Mingala Restaurant located in Fremont (except those who live there...).  It was somewhat of a random choice by my uncle when we all met up for dinner.  Looking over the menu, it seemed more like a mish mash of Burmese, Thai and Malay dishes.  

As such, we got a little of everything to start including the Laphat Thoke (Burmese Tea Leaf Salad) consisting of tea leaves, fried lentils, peanuts, chili, tomatoes, cabbage, sesame seeds and dried shrimp.  Okay, I'm not a tea leaf salad expert, but I found this one a bit bland and lacking in crunch.  With that being said, it wasn't bad though.  There was still some tea leaf essence to go with the brininess of the dried shrimp.  Next, I sampled the Pork Rib Soup which was lightly seasoned, but was meaty due to the tender pork ribs and also Earthy due to the shiitake mushrooms.

Moving onto the Roti Pratha, I found it to be a little dense, but this type of roti tends to be that way.  Maybe, they could've spun it looser or with more space between sections.  It could've been crispier and less greasy as well.  The side of curry sauce was mild, yet aromatic and successfully flavored the roti.  One of my favourite dishes was the Belachan Ong Choy with dried shrimp paste, garlic and ginger.  There was plenty of wok heat that lead to the caramelization of the ingredients.  This meant the brininess of the shrimp paste was super impactful as well as the garlic and ginger.  Furthermore, there was a smoky sweetness from the stir-fry.

For the kiddies and carb-lovers, we had the Pad Thai prepared with shrimp.  This was average in my books due to the omission of pickled turnip and pressed tofu.  I found the flavours to be one note with a slight tang and mostly sweetness.  There was a lack of smokiness from intense wok heat and the aggressive tartness from tamarind.  Textures were on point though with chewy noodles and crunchy sprouts and meaty shrimp.  Looking rather dark, the Hokkien Noodles were doused in an alarming amount of dark soy.  However, the dish ate a lot better than it appeared with muted sweetness and surprisingly mild saltiness.  The dish was a bit wet where the noodles were soft though.

Our last 2 dishes were the Hainanese Chicken and Ying Yang Noodles.  The chicken was a bit more firm that I would've liked, but it was still tender and succulent.  It was mildly seasoned where the condiments did their thing.  As for the noodles, they were saucy as expected with creamy egg sauce along with shrimp, squid, chicken and choy sum.  Despite the mess of moisture, the noodles were still fine while the ingredients were properly prepared.  In general, the meal as a whole was pleasant, yet could've used some tweaks here and there.  Whatever the case, Mingala does the job as a neighbourhood restaurant.

The Good:
- Lots of choice on the menu
- Fairly good service
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- A bit disjointed without a focus

Hyack Sushi

Suffice to say, it isn't very hard to find a Japanese restaurant whether it be in Downtown Vancouver or a suburb like New West.  So when Hyack Sushi opened up across from the New West Skytrain station, I wasn't even aware of it.  However, with a tasting, I was about to find out if there was anything different.  I mention this as it has become increasingly clear that there needs to be something special for a Japanese restaurant to stand out among the sea of choices in the Lower Mainland.

Our first bite was a Deep Fried Poached Egg sauced with some spicy mayo.  This delicate creation was coated with panko and fried perfectly.  It was crispy and surprisingly not greasy on the outside.  Once past the crunchy shell, the egg in the middle was still appealingly runny and soft.  This was a textural delight where everything was done right.  The spicy mayo added just enough creamy punch for the silky egg.  Next up, we sampled some Aburi Nigiri consisting of salmon bomb (in the middle), ika, ebi, salmon, tuna and hotategai.  These were neatly-prepared and lightly torched.  Ingredients were fresh and textures were on point as well.  The rice was nicely chewy, but for me at least, the aburi could've been more caramelized (especially when there was sauce).

As a bonus, we also had the Aburi Salmon Oshi (which seems to be all the rage ever since Miku/Minami started the trend awhile back).  This was also neatly arranged and prepared.  There was a smoky flavour in addition to the natural essence of the activated salmon fat due to the torching.  The sauces were a bit much, but it certainly didn't eat as such.  Since the rice was served warm, it was softer and more moist.  Resembling a seafood salad, the Spicy Chirashi Don would be as such if one opted not to eat the side of rice.  For me, it isn't a charashi don without it, so after mixing the sweet gochujang dressing with the greens and slices of salmon and tuna (along with diced tako), it was a pleasant concoction.  The rice was nicely chewy and stood up to the sauce.

Probably the most interesting dish was the Gyu-Katsu featuring a panko coated and fried piece of rare beef.  One could technically eat it the way it was served, but ideally, we were supplied a small grill where we could cook it to our liking.  Even after the sear on both sides, the panko coating remained crispy.  Inside, the beef was meaty and tender.  Also on the plate was yam fries and pickled cabbage.  On the side, we were served house-made tonkatsu sauce, sesame and teriyaki sauce.  Lastly, we tried their Christmas Special consisting of Miso Sablefish atop lentils and mint yogurt, Chawan Mushi, Sablefish Miso and rice.  This was my favourite dish where the sablefish was prepared masterfully.  It was marinated just enough without compromising the buttery flakiness of the fish.  The chawan mushi was silky and not watery.  In a sea of Japanese restaurants, Hyack Sushi attempts to be a little bit different mixed in with the familiar.  Not bad for the burbs.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Beyond the ordinary dishes
- Fairly solid eats
- Spacious

The Bad:
- A little pricey

BBQ Pete's Wood Pit Barbecue (Kent)

Last May, I traveled down to Kent, Wa (let's just say Seattle since Kent is in the Metro area) so that I could take the BBQ Judge certification course (PNWBA).  I've always loved BBQ and to actually be able to judge it at PNWBA (and sometimes other associations) events was a bucket list item.  We ended up taking the course at the nearby BBQ Pete's just a bit past Southcenter Mall.  I never did get to eat there, but since we were out there again before our flight to San Francisco, it was as good as any.

For my son, he loves brisket, so it was by no surprise that he chose the Chopped Brisket Sandwich with Corn Bread Muffin and Fries.  They didn't skimp on the brisket as it was bursting at the seams.  It was tender while conservatively sauced.  There was a definite peppery slant while some tang and smokiness.  The bun was soft, but held together.  Crumbly with a balance between sweet and savoury, the corn bread muffin was delicious especially with the honey butter.  

Viv and my daughter shared the Sandwich with No Name featuring sliced brisket, crispy onions, provolone and BBQ sauce.  This was also tasty with tender smoky brisket and sweet fried onions.  However, the sides were the real star.  The Loaded Potato Salad was made with sour cream, bacon and onions.  It tasted great like a baked potato with a nice tang, smokiness and creaminess.  The BBQ Beans were also money with a rich sweet depth that wasn't overwhelming.  Again, the smokiness was there while the addition of sweet corn was genius.  It broke up the monotony.

For myself, I had the 3 Meats consisting of BBQ Pork Ribs, BBQ Pork and BBQ Chicken.  I found the ribs to be meaty and succulent with a hint of smokiness.  It wasn't sauced aggressively and that was fine since we could help ourselves to 6 different sauces.  The BBQ Pork (pulled pork) was fairly moist and came plain for us to sauce ourselves.  Usually, BBQ Chicken doubles as jerky, but not this one as the breast meat was moist and tender with rendered skin.  For my sides, I had the fries and Chipotle Coleslaw.  The slaw definitely had a kick to go with equal parts tang and creaminess.  Once done, we helped ourselves to the complimentary soft-serve ice cream (which was pretty average, but hey, it was free!).  As for the rest of the food, it was more than acceptable.

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Free ice cream!

The Bad:
- A touch pricey consider it is counter-service

Arashi Ramen (Southcenter)

It goes without saying that being on vacation is pretty sweet.  Away from the worries of real life and of course, immersing oneself in another culture and/or city rocks too.  But let's be serious here, the food has to do with at least 50% of it!  However, it can be a curse too (yah I know, first world problems) as one can often over indulge.  Thank goodness we started off with some Japanese food in Nanaimo!  However, after a few heavier meals, we had to do something a bit lighter in Arashi Ramen.  Sure, ramen may not be the healthiest of foods, yet it is relatively less heavy than say, fish & chips...  Even that would be up for debate.

We started with an order of Takoyaki which appeared to be fried rather than prepared in a mold.  However, that wasn't a negative since they were crispy with a thin exterior wall.  Inside, the mix was soft and featured veggies (it was actually okay) and a large piece of chewy, yet tender tako.  We only wished they let up on the sauce as the whole thing became too tangy and sweet.

Originally, we were just going to order the full-sized version for the kiddies, but they presented us with the kid's menu which featured a small appie, a kid's sized ramen and a yogurt drink.  As such, my daughter went for the Shio Ramen with a side of Gyoza.  Not too heavy, the silky broth was porky with a balanced amount of saltiness.  The noodles were al dente while the gyoza were pretty typical, but could've use more elasticity (with the wrapper).  My son had the Shoyu Ramen with Chicken Karaage.  This was lighter in the sense it was less meaty with the definite taste of soy.  Again, the noodles were al dente while the ajitama egg was nicely runny and well-seasoned.  The chicken karaage was crispy while succulent.

Viv decided on the Spicy Miso to change it up a bit.  This was rather impactful with a rich deep saltiness accented by a good amount of spice.  It wasn't overwhelming though.  The chunks of chasu were rather lean, but still tender.  This ramen featured a thicker yellow noodle which was even firmer.  For myself, I had the Black Garlic which was the richest tasting of the bunch.  There was an aromatic Earthiness supplemented by the rich meaty broth.  Noodles were like the other bowls and the bean sprouts were still crunchy.  Fatty and soft, the chasu melted-in-my-mouth.  So how does the ramen compare to say, Vanoucver?  Well, we enjoyed our meal at Arashi where they definitely represented ramen well.

The Good:
- Respectable ramen
- Acceptable pricing

The Bad:
- Service was friendly enough, but they didn't check on us enough

Fritz European Fry House

Having a late lunch at 2:30pm was not conducive for much of a dinner.  But having driven from Port Angeles and enduring some wait at the Hood Canal Bridge as well as finding out that Hi-Lo's was prematurely closed meant we couldn't eat any earlier.  Due to the scorching heat and the memories of an oven they call a restaurant in Kama'Aina, we decided to keep things close for the last meal of the day.  Therefore, we took the short stroll to Fritz European Fry House for some quick affordable eats.

For my son, the Chicken Strip and Fried Mozza Sticks caught his eye.  Something about fried food...  Anyways, this wasn't a complex dish since it consisted of a pretty standard chicken strips which were crispy and fairly moist.  The mozza sticks were crunchy and only a bit of cheese leaked out.  As for the fries, they ranged from crispy to some that were a bit soggy.  I didn't mind them, but I would've liked to see more uniformly crispy Belgian-style frites.  For his 2 dips, he had Marinara and BBQ which were pretty typical.  Viv and my daughter shared the Chicken Burger with Creamy Dill Ranch and Tartar sauce for the fries.  Consisting of the same chicken strips, the chicken burger was also pretty standard.  Both of the dips were solid, especially the creamy and tangy tartar.

For myself, I had the Cheeseburger with Curry Mayo and Wasabi Garlic Mayo for the fries.  Although the burger was also pretty typical, the patty was moist and somewhat smoky.  I thought the dips were also very good with a balanced amount of curry in the mayo.  My favorite was the wasabi garlic as it was exactly as advertised while being balanced as well.  Overall, we found Fritz to be serviceable yet unremarkable.  The dips were definitely the highlights as well as the reasonable prices.  Just wished the fries were more crispy.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- On point dips
- Generous 2 dips per order

The Bad:
- Fries were inconsistent, some crispy, some not

Kama'Aina Grill

Cross another bucket list item off my list - taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles.  Yes, it isn't Machu Picchu, but hey, I've always wanted to do it.  Other than some rough waters on a smaller ferry, the ride was pleasant and we spotted some Orcas too!  Once off the boat, we made a beeline to Bremerton since I've always wanted to see what was on the other side of Puget Sound.  Originally, we wanted to try Hi-Lo's, but they were closed due to hot weather.  So we decided to try Kama'Aina Grill instead, which to our discovery, didn't have any A/C!  Let's just say we felt like we were the food baking inside!

Of course, any visit to a Hawaiian restaurant would not be complete without some Spam Musubi.  We got 4 of these babies at $2.00 a pop.  When they arrived, we were rather taken aback at the size.  For me personally, I wasn't fond of all of the rice since it put the Spam-rice ratio off.  Secondly, the rice was not sushi rice where the texture was chewy and drier.  Whatever the case, it did the job and wasn't offensive.  Viv decided to order the 1/2 lb. Tuna Poke and if you are wondering why the food was in Styrofoam containers, it's because they didn't have actual plates nor cutlery.  As for the poke, it featured large cubes of Ahi tuna that were firm and fresh.  The light saltiness kept the natural flavours alive and the sesame oil provided aromatics.  On the side, the mac salad was too saucy and too soft for our liking.

My son has had his fair share of Hawaiian eats on our visit to the islands a few years ago and he chose his favorite being the Loco Moco.  This featured 2 large handmade beef patties which were aggressively seared.  Hence they were smoky and caramelized.  Despite this, the meat was still fairly moist while being lean.  The obscene amount of gravy was a bit salty, but really helped flavor both the meat and rice.  On top, we found 2 over-easy eggs that were still runny.  For myself, I went for the Sumo Mixed Plate consisting of Huli chicken, beef short rib, BBQ beef and Kalua pork.  On the menu, there was Portuguese sausage, but we didn't get any.  We thought the pork was delicious being moist and well-seasoned.  The short rib was too chewy while the chicken was tender and moist.   Overall, we thought the food at Kama'Aina serviceable, but with a few issues.  Yet, for the price, we weren't really complaining.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Inexpensive
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Rice for the musubi not right