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Our original plan was to visit Katsu Burger for lunch on our way down to Southcenter 3 days prior. However, due to the usual rush-hour traffic, we decided to go straight to Southcenter and avoid the height of gridlock. So on our day of departure, we decided to hit up Katsu Burger in Lynnwood to make up for its omission from our initial schedule. For those unfamiliar, Katsu Burger fuses Japanese beef and pork cutlets with a hamburger bun. Great for the kiddies as they love burgers and katsu!
My son didn't stray far from the regular and stuck with the Tokyo Classic sporting a beef katsu, tonkatsu sauce, cabbage and Japanese mayo. On their website, they promised American sizes and it didn't disappoint. The beef cutlet was thick and large in diameter. It sported a crunchy uniform exterior that gave way to a tender beef filling. There was enough sauce to keep things moist and tasty with the zing from the tonkatsu and creaminess from the mayo. The bun was robust enough to stand up to the ingredients while not being dense. Being the princess that she is, my daughter wanted something more and decided on the Ninja Deluxe featuring a pork loin katsu, cheddar, bacon, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Naturally, this was more complex with the addition of cheese and crispy bacon. Furthermore, the pork loin was lean and hence more firm than the beef katsu. It was still tender though with a crunchy coating.
Viv got something a bit different in the Katsu Curry with curry powdered pork loin katsu, cheddar, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Something as simple as adding curry powder created a whole new flavour profile. I thought the flavours really popped and were impactful. Although one would think that the curry and tonkatsu sauce would be competing for attention, both worked together with the aromatics for the curry still standing out amidst the tangy sweetness. For myself, I went big with the Tokyo Tower consisting of one beef and one pork loin katsu each, 2 slices of cheddar, pickles, tomato, onion, cabbage, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Yah, this was gigantic and very filling. I enjoyed the contrast between the leaner and denser pork katsu compared to the looser and meatier beef katsu. So as you can see, the food at Katsu Burger isn't complex. However, they do one thing and do it right. I'd eat this again.
The Good:
- Large, well-executed katsu
- Impactful flavours
- Fries are good too
The Bad:
- Not exactly cheap, but portions are large
- Personally I like a fluffier katsu, but this was still tender
Imagine that. Fresh off eating dinner at Harbor Buffet, I was already regretting not eating enough. Yes, I was trying to be conservative and eat about 90%, but that ended up biting me in the butt because I was hungry less than an hour later! We threw out some ideas, like going to McD's or Chick-fil-A. However, as we were pulling out of the parking lot (where Viv was shopping at), we stopped right in our tracks. 85°C Bakery Cafe! Let's go there instead! This was perfect, as we could pick up some pastries for next day's breakfast as well.
Of course one of first items we chose were the 85°C Egg Tarts. Boy these were buttery. When I say buttery, I mean like you can see, taste and have a complete mouth feel for it after taking one bite of the flaky and crispy tart shell. Although to some this might be a bit too much, I liked it. It was decadently sinful, but nutty and aromatic. There seemed to be more tart shell than filling though. I found that filling to be silky soft and light. It was sweet, but appealingly so. One of my favourite items was the simple Brioche Loaf. Think of it as most other Asian bakery's "Mexico Bun". The sweet topping on this one was actually rather mild-tasting and lightly sweet. What really made this stand out was the bun quality as it was soft with an appealing elasticity. There was a moistness to the bread without being wet which meant it was airy, but not dry either. What is essentially a pineapple bun, the Boroh Cream Danish featured a firmly crispy sugar topping giving way to a sweet cream center.
Since we were a bit peckish, we chose a few savoury items including the Cheese Dog and Bacon & Cheese Bun. Once again, the best part of both was the bun quality as it was soft with an equal amount of elasticity. Hence, there was good mouth feel with each chew that was moist, not dry. Being topped with a considerable amount of cheese, the cheese dog was flavourful and nutty. Of course with a wiener in the middle, this ate like a hot dog. As for the bacon bun, it was also quite flavourful with the fairly lean bacon on top being salty and meaty. One of more surprising buns was the simplest of all in the Garlic Cheese Bread. This was truly garlicky and full-flavoured. Plenty of cheese on top of the same quality bun. Continuing with soft buns... The Raisin Milk Butter was not as sweet as it sounded. Of course, the best part was the bun again. This was true for all of the pastries and buns we had. Moreover, the slight twist on all of the Asian buns made for something rather interesting as well.
The Good:
- Excellent bun quality
- Familiar Asian buns, but different at the same time
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- A little pricey
My original idea for our quick visit to Seattle was to dine at Feast Buffet once again. Viv wasn't too hot on the idea despite the kiddies wanting to go. I consider Feast to be one of the better, if not the best, Asian-style buffets in the Seattle area. However, as Viv stated, and I do agree, Feast is one of the more pricier options as well. So we didn't end up visiting Feast despite staying nearby. Instead, we tried a new Asian buffet in Lynnwood at a location that once housed an Old Country Buffet (those are closing shop fast!). Let's get this out of the way first - Harbor Buffet is no feast, yet the pricing is a whole lot cheaper.
Similar to Mandarin Buffet in Redmond, Harbor sports a Mongolian-type grill where you can pick your ingredients including noodles, veggies, protein (shrimp, beef, chicken, tofu, egg or even beef steak) and sauces. I only modestly stacked my plate in anticipation I would be eating many other things. One more note, be careful of how many items you put on your plate, it is deceiving and suddenly becomes too much for one person to eat. Once passed onto the cooks, the food was prepared quite well. The shrimp was cooked just enough while the noodles stayed chewy. They didn't overdo it with the teriyaki sauce and since I added a tonne of garlic, the plate of food tasted great. Plenty of caramelization without moisture sitting at the bottom of the plate.
Right next to the Mongolian grill, there was the Sushi Bar which included the usual condiments including 2 types of pickled ginger and wasabi. In terms of rolls, there were 10 to choose from and many were California roll-based. They were pretty average, but not terrible except for the Spider Roll. I appreciated the fact they were generous enough to use soft-shell crab, but they were fried so excessively, the texture was somewhere between shoe leather and velcro. As for the selection of Nigiri, it was pretty standard stuff except for the addition of unagi and red tuna. Although some fish were pretty thin and small, the amount of somewhat dryish rice was not overbearing. As evidenced in the picture, the unagi was actually well-portioned and on point.
Off to the hot food, I started with some of the Seafood first in the fried Blue Crab, Honey Shrimp, Fried Breaded Shrimp and Fried Whole Shrimp. Most of the time, I avoid blue crab because there isn't much to eat since they are so small. But these were fairly decent in size and plump. Hence, there was plenty of fluffy body meat which was cooked just right. Nothing special about the shrimp, other than being a bit overdone. I then loaded up a plate with a selection of food including Stir-Fried Green Beans, Tripe, Chicken Feet, Crawfish, Clams, Mongolie Beef and Chili Chicken. Clams were pretty solid being cooked just enough while the chicken feet was surprisingly plump and on point. Even the crawfish were decent. Green beans were not overcooked and mildly seasoned. Hey, this wasn't awesome, but it was still pretty solid.
There was a pretty decent Dessert station complete with Cotton Candy, Chocolate Fountain and little treats. It wasn't anything Earth-shattering, but provided sweet options after a filling meal. Nearby, there was small selection of fruit and salad, but that was almost a courtesy addition rather than anything substantial. Overall, the selection at Harbor Buffet is fairly large considering the reasonable-pricing. Quality of the food is fine for what it is. Naturally, it isn't Feast, but it also doesn't cost nearly as much either.
The Good:
- Reasonable-pricing
- Good selection for the price
- Decent
The Bad:
- Is not as good as the best in the Seattle-area, but it is also one of the least expensive
- Decor is a little tired looking
The last time I was in Seattle, which was in August 2018, I had planned to visit one of the hottest restaurants in JuneBaby. The reason? Head chef Edouardo Jordan picked up 2 James Beard awards in 2018 - Best Chef Northwest and Best New Restaurant in the country. Yes, those are some pretty big accolades! I never got around to JuneBaby, but this time around I would not be denied, even if it meant going on a Friday night. The plan was to arrive as it opened for dinner service at 5:00pm. It worked, we got a table right away, but there was a lineup and the room pretty much filled up instantly.
We got things started with the Nashville Hot Chicken Livers and the Fried Pig Ears. Looking pretty wicked, the livers were served on a Nancy Lee roll, pickles & coleslaw. Fairly crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, the livers were fried beautifully. Each moist nugget was flavorful and of course with a kick. They weren't overly spicy which meant we could enjoy them without asking for milk. The pickles were not merely a garnish as they added a nice crunch and acidity. We only wished there were more. Light and almost airy, the pig ears were crunchy and exuded plenty of "porkiness". This was amped by the spicy honey and cooled slightly by the pecan butter. Pickled grapes added both sweetness and tang while the Asian pear added a light crunch. This was a great snack with my Standard Sour.
Something that they are known for is their Buttermilk Biscuits with pure cane syrup. These were indeed good with fluffy and buttery internals surrounded by a firmly crunchy exterior. Although the crunch was super appealing and texturally on point, some parts were actually hard which made for a tough mouth feel. Loved dipping it into the pure cane syrup as the sweetness was a nice compliment while the depth of sweetness was somewhat complex. For our side, we chose the Southern Rice of the Day with Fried Shrimp. This was plenty flavorful with red and green peppers, onions and little nuggets of shrimp. There was a minor brininess that went with the sweetness of the peppers. The rice itself was tender while retaining a bite. I found the fried shrimp to be perfectly cooked with a meaty snap. Unfortunately, they were a tad salty.
For our mains, I went for Momma Jordan's Oxtails with root veggies and king trumpet mushrooms. Plated with 3 large oxtails, this dish looked fantastic and appetizing. I would say most of the oxtail was fork tender and fatty. As usual, the softened tendon of the oxtails were silky and delicious. However, some parts were rather dry. I know this will upset Momma Jordan, but I'll have to say it - the oxtails were far too salty. If it were served with white rice, I think it would've worked, but this was not the case. With the same salty oxtail, my daughter's Burgoo was quite tasty. When we mixed the oxtail with the rice, broth, veggies and chicken, it added both depth and impact to a relatively mild dish. Loved how it was hearty and full of meat. Definitely a meal in itself despite being moderately priced.
Viv had the Smoked Turkey Breast with golden chanterelle, squash and kale which was completely different than what we had in our minds. This was actually a good thing because the dish had some good surprises. First, the turkey was moist, tender and smoky with a well-rendered crispy skin. Second, the broth/sauce was rather acidic which brightened up an otherwise mild-tasting dish. The play on smoky and tangy was an unexpected, but tasty combination. Unfortunately, the kale (like the shrimp and oxtails) was too salty. My son ended up with the most impressive dish with the Brisket Dinner featuring white bread, BBQ sauce, home fries and sautéed cauliflower. The large slices of brisket were reminiscent of the one we had at Franklin (according to him). I tried it and it was smoky, peppery and melt-in-mouth tender. Yes, I would have to agree with him. The BBQ sauce was more on the vinegary side though, went well with the home fries.
For dessert, we shared both the Chocolate Apricot Bread Pudding and the Spiced Apple Cranberry Betty. As the name suggested, nestled within the soft and slightly dense bread pudding, there were nuggets of dark chocolate and apricot. It wasn't overly sweet where we could taste the slight bitterness of the chocolate combined with the sweetness of the apricots. The orange Anglaise went really well with the bread pudding as it was lightly sweet and citrusy aromatic. For me, I loved the Betty as the crunchy bits were a lovely contrast to the soft, sweet and tart berries and apple. Again, this was not an overly sweet dessert despite the visuals which meant the ice cream could stand on its own where the end taste of bourbon really came through. To add another layer of sweet tang, the lemon curd did just that. These were 2 nice finishing touches on a pretty tasty meal. Yes, it wasn't perfect and some might even think that JuneBaby doesn't live up to the accolades, but I am more pragmatic. Considering the price point, it was still an enjoyable experience.
The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- It is soul food, it has a story
- Great service
The Bad:
- A little salty
- No reservations for smaller groups, you have to wait in line
As long as the Experience Music Project has been around since 2000, I've made it a point to visit whenever I was in Seattle. Fast forward 18 years and the place has already changed names a few times and now is known as the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP. With the Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibit there until March 3rd, 2019, we decided this was as good of a time to go. However, with anything in this blog, food is most important. So we had to eat prior to going in! We decided on casual Japanese and conveniently enough, Obasan was in the neighbourhood.
My son went for something simple in the Sake Don. If I had to directly compare, this was a bit smaller in terms of the amount of salmon than the one found at Fremont Bowl. However, there was much more rice (although you can refill at Fremont Bowl). Fish quality was quite good being buttery and fresh-tasting. Loved the amount of furikake underneath the fish and the small amount of wasabi. Good flavours and chewy rice. All around good bowl. My daughter ordered the Chicken Yakisoba and we were all a bit surprised as to the portion size. It was humungous! Not sure why there was a scoop of rice on the side, but she ate some of it. We found the noodles to be a bit clumpy and dry, but I guess the lack of oil made it healthier. The dish was rather bland though, in need of both salt and tang. There was a decent amount of tender chicken and plenty of veggies. Interestingly, there was sundried tomato too which added some kick.
For myself, I had the Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box which also included tempura, salad, rice, gyoza and California roll. Without the skin, the thin slices of chicken were a touch dry and lacking aroma, but there was more than enough sweet sauce to help counteract both issues. I thought the tempura was excellent with a crispy thin coating that wasn't greasy. Not sure if I really liked the gyoza as they were the steamed variety (without a crunchy sear). However, the dumpling skin was thin and the filling was tender. Viv went for the Chicken Katsu Teishoku served with rice and salad. Also featuring thin slices of chicken, the katsu was really crunchy, but lacking in meat texture. There was plenty of it, so she was pretty full in the end. Overall, Obasan did the job for our lunch with decent eats. Prices are on the higher end though.
The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- Friendly people
- Decent portions
The Bad:
- Slightly hit and miss
Normally, when one thinks of Chinese New Year dinner, a 10-course spread including soup, lobster or crab, fish, chicken, pork and beef come to mind. It represents many different things, in particular, prosperity and wealth. If one was to eat out for CNY, many restaurants offer such dinners. The usual suspects include Kirin, Red Star, Western Lake, Chef Tony and many more as the list is endless, especially in the GVRD. However, did you know that Kaya Malay Bistro offers up their own CNY 8-course dinner? Now you might think this sounds rather strange, but for the many ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, they celebrate CNY with similar dishes, but also ones that are unique. This is where Kaya comes in, giving the opportunity for us to experience a Chinese Malaysian CNY meal. I was invited recently, along with Jacqueline, to try it out.
We began with the Lotus Root Soup with chicken feet and peanuts. For us, this was a classic Chinese homemade soup that wasn't complex on the surface, but definitely good for the soul. It was lightly silky with the natural sweetness from the chicken feet coming through. Subtle aromatics all around where the salt content was restrained. Personally, I love lotus root and the ample slices were tender while retaining a sticky bite. Next up, we were presented with the Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng Salad consisting of julienned carrots, cucumber, daikon, scallions, red pepper, cilantro, marinated jellyfish, pickled ginger, wonton crisps and smoked salmon. The smoked salmon took the place of raw fish as Kaya isn't known for their sushi. To properly eat the salad, one must "Lo Hay" or mix the ingredients. That we did and yes, the textures were abundant as well as the combination of tangy, sweet, salty and the unmistakeable essence of cilantro.
My favourite dish was the Fish Head Hot Pot featuring local salmon. Normally, one would find cod or basa in this, but the salmon gave the hot pot more body. With that being said, the salmon was not heavy nor overcooked. It was flaky and moist with almost a cod-like texture. Loved the tang in the sauce really helped brighten up the flavours of the sauce. Hidden within, we found the usual fried tofu, napa cabbage and roasted pork. Presented as a smaller portion (since it was only Jacqueline and myself), the Kumquat Chicken was full-flavoured. Yes, the sauce was essentially a sweet n' sour, but there was a unique sweetness from the kumquat. I found the chicken to be tender with a uniformly cooked exterior batter. The addition of Mandarin orange segments added pops of natural sweetness.
To get some veggies into the meal, we were served a Malaysian dish in the Wok-Fried Green Beans and Eggplant with tomatoes and shrimp. I've had this dish several times before at Kaya and it was as solid as usual with crunchy, yet cooked-all-the-way-through, green beans and tender eggplant. The version here, compared to other Malay restaurants in town, tends to be sweeter with less spice. There was good wok hay which meant there was proper carmelization with no moisture leakage from the veggies. Another favourite of mine was the Braised Lamb Shank. No joke, this was one of the best executed lamb shanks I've had in a while (including fine dining restaurants). This was perfectly and uniformly tender with the classic gelatinous texture from the lamb. Flavours were impactful without being salty.
Of course the meal ended off the main dishes with a carb being the Seafood Golden Fried Rice. This was chock full of tender baby scallops and large crunchy shrimp. There was good wok heat where the rice was chewy and fragrant. There was enough seasoning so that the rice could stand on its own without the need for any condiments. To finish, we were served the Malaysian Nian Goa with sweet yam and taro. These were deep fried with a thin crispy exterior giving way to a sticky and moderately sweet nian goa. I found the yam and taro a bit firm, but the flavours really worked. Moreover, there was quite the textural contrast. So that's the Malaysian Chinese New Year dinner one can find at Kaya. I would say this is pretty unique and ultimately tasty as well. It costs $38.00 per person for a minimum table of 4 (dish sizes will be bigger than what we had).
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Something a bit different
- Well executed proteins
- No absence of flavour
The Bad:
- Well, you'll need at least 4 people (is that a negative?)
- Taro and yam could've been softer
Continuing on the theme of "restaurants that we pass by but never ate at", we ended up at Jimmy Mac's Roadhouse. For all the times we have shopped at the Walmart in Renton and all the times we drove by on our way to Feast Buffet, it was about time we actually went inside Jimmy Mac's. After playing mindless games at the nearby Family Fun Center (trying to collect points for useless prizes), we made our way to Jimmy Mac's for a late dinner. The Texas-style diner encourages you to chuck your peanut shells onto the floor, so yes, the place looks like a mess, but has its charm.
Not to stand out and not fit in (although we looked like the Huangs from Fresh off the Boat at Cattleman's Ranch), we did gather a bowl of Peanuts and proceeded to throw them at each other and litter the floor. Wait, let me rephrase that, the kids and I chucked them at each other. Viv did her best Jessica Huang impression and played no-fun mom. Also complimentary, we were served their sweet and warm Yeast Buns with enough butter to rub onto Kramer (check the turkey episode). We couldn't stop eating them! Onto our first actual appie, we got the Hot Wings that were surprisingly served with skinny fries. I'm not sure where they get their wings from, but they were gigantic. Beyond the slightly thick batter, the meat was tender and juicy. We thought that the wings weren't hot enough where the glaze was more butter than hot sauce. Loved the ample amount of blue cheese dip on the side, they didn't skimp!
For my main, I went for the Campfire Cheeseburger with Swiss, cheddar & Jack cheeses, bacon and a crispy onion ring slathered in BBQ sauce. Again, this was pretty large as well and even the amount of pickles and lettuce was excessive. No matter, I enjoyed the combination of ingredients as it was hearty and definitely not lacking flavour. The well-charred patty was a little dry though, but the rest of the stuff inside did help alleviate that. The bun was soft, but held everything together. I liked the steak fries as they were meaty with lots of potato texture. Oh and serving in on a hubcap was pure awesomeness! My son decided on the Pulled Pork Sandwich that was of course, large. He could only finish half of it. The pork was on the drier side though, but flavourful from their top secret pig pucker sauce. It was more of a sweet vinegar glaze rather than a BBQ sauce per se. It actually helped lighten up the heaviness of the pork.
For Viv, she was disgusted with all this gluttony and decided on the small size of the Boulder Grilled Chicken Salad. This sported greens tossed with cheese & chili-lime vinaigrette, tomato, avocado, onions, sliced chicken breast, black bean corn salsa and sour cream. She was shocked that this was a small as she didn't finish it either. It was definitely hearty while the flavours were a bit conflicting in her opinion. The sweet and vinegariness of the dressing was fine, but didn't seem to go with the random splashes of BBQ sauce. Otherwise, things were fresh and the chicken was tender. For my daughter, she wasn't very hungry and ended up with the Kid's Fish & Chips. This was not bad since the cod was fairly moist and flaky. However, the batter was a bit thick and parts of the fish touching that was a bit dry. Alright, the food ain't refined nor was it particularly healthy, but for me, the place has charm. Big portions and reasonable prices, I would go back.
The Good:
- Big portions
- Reasonable prices
- Peanut shells on the floor!
The Bad:
- Greasy
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Our original plan was to visit Katsu Burger for lunch on our way down to Southcenter 3 days prior. However, due to the usual rush-hour traffic, we decided to go straight to Southcenter and avoid the height of gridlock. So on our day of departure, we decided to hit up Katsu Burger in Lynnwood to make up for its omission from our initial schedule. For those unfamiliar, Katsu Burger fuses Japanese beef and pork cutlets with a hamburger bun. Great for the kiddies as they love burgers and katsu!
My son didn't stray far from the regular and stuck with the Tokyo Classic sporting a beef katsu, tonkatsu sauce, cabbage and Japanese mayo. On their website, they promised American sizes and it didn't disappoint. The beef cutlet was thick and large in diameter. It sported a crunchy uniform exterior that gave way to a tender beef filling. There was enough sauce to keep things moist and tasty with the zing from the tonkatsu and creaminess from the mayo. The bun was robust enough to stand up to the ingredients while not being dense. Being the princess that she is, my daughter wanted something more and decided on the Ninja Deluxe featuring a pork loin katsu, cheddar, bacon, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Naturally, this was more complex with the addition of cheese and crispy bacon. Furthermore, the pork loin was lean and hence more firm than the beef katsu. It was still tender though with a crunchy coating.
Viv got something a bit different in the Katsu Curry with curry powdered pork loin katsu, cheddar, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Something as simple as adding curry powder created a whole new flavour profile. I thought the flavours really popped and were impactful. Although one would think that the curry and tonkatsu sauce would be competing for attention, both worked together with the aromatics for the curry still standing out amidst the tangy sweetness. For myself, I went big with the Tokyo Tower consisting of one beef and one pork loin katsu each, 2 slices of cheddar, pickles, tomato, onion, cabbage, tonkatsu sauce and mayo. Yah, this was gigantic and very filling. I enjoyed the contrast between the leaner and denser pork katsu compared to the looser and meatier beef katsu. So as you can see, the food at Katsu Burger isn't complex. However, they do one thing and do it right. I'd eat this again.
