More cute stuff from Marukai

After reading this post and my other market-find posts, you may think I'm a junk/snack food obsessed fiend and that I eat snacks all day long. The truth it, I AM a FOREIGN junk/snack food obsessed fiend. Our snacks are shared in the family and they are not hoarded solely by me although I am tempted at times. I was surprised at first to see Hawaiian Sun brand drinks at Marukai Living. Never having tried this flavor, I bought pack of the Strawberry-Lilikoi (Passion Fruit). It was overly sweet (42 grams of sugar) - thank goodness I'm not a diabetic. There were also various brands of canned coffee at Marukai. I liked the design on this one and it was only $.79. Very groovy. We still haven't tried this yet.

My most recent visit was a disappointment because I couldn't find more of these (see below) sweet potato snacks with black sesame. They are hard, crunchy and syrupy sweet sticks of fried sweet potatoes. I love the black sesame seeds.

This was another snack (well, it's actually a candy) that I've always seen but never tried until now. I normally see the individual packs of this candy - they are tiny cookies shaped liked pinecones and dipped in chocolate. There is another version that are mushroom shaped cookies, also dipped in chocolate.

One of my coworkers eats this on his salad and he said he got it at Vons. I thought these were kind of gross. They are green pea shaped (complete with fake pea bumps) pieces of sawdust flavored crap. The shape cracks me up because they are supposed to look like the real thing but taste quite awful. A few more items of nutritional nothingness...Wasabi flavored Pretz , Salad flavored Pretz and a Crunky chocolate bar! We haven't (yes, I'm saying we, even though I really mean "I", ha ha) tried the Wasabi Pretz yet. The Salad Pretz is one of my favorites. There are ten mini packs in there and they taste just like vegetable crackers, not like "salad". The Crunky bar is way better than a Nestle Crunch Bar - the rice crispies are tinier, more numerous and for some reason, more crunchy, or shall I say, crunky!
This is Ramune. Here's more info on it here and an interesting link here on how to get out the marble inside. I read through it and thought the guy must have been pretty desperate to get a damn marble out of a glass bottle. You could buy a marble in less time than it takes to get the marble out, but some people find this process fun and intriguing I suppose.Of course, at Marukai Daiso (this is the $1.50 store next door to the Marukai Living Store), I picked up some really cute note pads with large eyed animals and funny Engrish inscriptions.

Here's another pad that I bought

and here's the other side!

Here's a mini package from the pinecone/mushroom chocolate cookie snack.

Only in Japan...
Yeah, I'm a sucker for cute packaging. Too bad Filipino snack items aren't the same way. I love the flavors but their candy doesn't nearly look as good or taste as good.

Parol Festival

I'm actually posting this one week later...TC performed for the 10th Annual PASACAT Parol Festival at St. Rita's Church Auditorium on 12/1. It was her third year performing for this event so Bert and I were pretty relaxed about it. Unlike the first year where we weren't sure she would remember the steps for the dances. I was a nervous wreck. Now it's..."Eh, if she makes a was at Saint Rita's Church Auditorium...
Maligayang Pasko means "Merry Christmas" in Tagalog. Here are a few of the beautiful capiz shell parols on display at the festival...These parols are from the Philippines and are quite pricey (over $250 for one this size).

Some of the costumes from the cultural exhibits from PASACAT's collection over the past 30 years... These are from the Spanish influenced Maria Clara suite dances.

A peasant hat, a pair of zapatillas (heeled slippers) and a bandurria, one of the stringed instruments used in the rondalla. PASACAT is the same Philippine dance company (the first one established in San Diego in 1969) that we hired to perform at our wedding along with a live rondalla.

Decorative hair combs used for the Maria Clara dance suite.

Woven textile from Mindanao as well as beaded belt.

The skeleton of a bamboo parol. The kids were still practicing. It wasn't showtime just yet.

The pabitin, which is a lattice strung with toys and candies. It is much like a pinata where the pabitin is lowered and raised from the ceiling. The main difference is except instead of hitting the pinata with a stick to release the candies, the kids jump up to grab one of the hanging goodies...

Bert and I volunteered for food serving duty but I had to leave once the show started so that I could be a "backstage mom" and help TC in and out of her costumes, etc...Merienda was served to all of the people who attended the Parol Festiva. We served pan de sal (bread rolls, not pictured) as well as lumpia,

pancit bihon...

and turron (banana fritters).

Although the sun was out for a tiny bit, it was raining pretty hard when I took this photo from the girls' makeshift dressing in the auditorium.

Here's the other side of the rainbow and the church you see is Saint Rita's on the corner of Churchward St and Euclid.

This was a new parol the PASACAT organizers bought from their trip to the Philippines this past Fall. The senior dancers did formations with it and each piece is attached to their arms.

Another show down...TC did four dances: Aray from the Maria Clara Suite, and Pasigin and Subli from the Countryside Suite. The other dance was one that she and the other girls learned that morning - the Parol dance in which they hold smaller parols and waltz in formation. She had a lot of fun and it was nice to see the kids' efforts pay off with a happy audience.

Greenbox #9

And this is located where?

Answer to post next week.

Easy Bake Oven Cookies

Again, another lost photo post. TC and Bert made sugar cookies with her Easy Bake Oven (a gift from Mulysa). She even had the chef's hat, apron and kitchen tools to go with the Easy Bake Oven. One small sugar cookie packet made 6 tiny cookies which she frosted with ready made pink frosting with an assortment of sprinkles. Fun to make and fun to eat!

Los Primos

I was going to post photos from this taco joint, but, like a doofus, accidentally erased my photos!!!! Fk! I can't believe I did that. Luckily I had most of my photos already uploaded into our computer at home, but still, I was bummed. I didn't care too much for the food photos, but more for the pictures of my daughter.

Well, I used my discount card to get a "BOGO" (Buy one, Get one Free) deal on a carne asada burrito. So, it was $4.99 for two instead of each. There seems to be an oversaturation of Los Primos in eastern Chula Vista. This particular location was in the San Miguel Ranch area - the same shopping center as the new Albertson's and Villa Capri (posted on this place in late September). The other location is in the new Eastlake Village Walk (near Trader Joe's, Henry's and Borders) behind Target.

Let's put it this way...(insert Latino male name here)-Berto's are better than this! While it was a good size, the heat from the meat melted the guacamole, making it too mushy for my taste. My husband liked his though, but I've had better.

The Answer to Greenbox #8

And this lovely orange "greenbox" is located...

on the Southwest corner of 13th and G Street in downtown San Diego.

The Guild

[Update - Closed]

I meant to post this earlier but am actually doing this on Sunday 11/25 (more than a week later). TC had a long dance practice that day so we decided to have lunch at the Guild while she learned her new dances for the upcoming Parol Festival. Here's the view under the bridge from the I-5 to Cesar Chavez Parkway.
Make a left on Cesar Chavez Parkway and a right on Newton...
where you will end up at 1805 Newton Ave - The Guild in the historic neighborhood of Barrio Logan . Here's the review from the local paper, and from yelp .

Their menu is folded in half around a wooden board. They have Brunch on Saturdays from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. The bottom half was their regular lunch menu and the left half (which is folded under) were the drinks menu.

Turns out that the owner of this place is also a furniture designer. He designed all of the ultra modern decor in the restaurant. Check out their chairs - you can see the "G" is incorpated in the design. While the chairs may look "cool", they are a bit heavy and hard to maneuver. Since we came for lunch, there was plenty of space and seating (mostly in tables that seat two, I noticed). We're not into the whole "going out at night" deal and I heard that you needed a reservation a week in advance just to eat here for dinner. Hunhhhh. There were a few other folks there at the same time but they were sitting in the back. The restaurant is small, but there is also an upstairs area (also small). The guy working at the bar who greeted us was pretty friendly. He looked like a young Filipino American dude (finally, brethren!) Our waiter was Daniel who was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the menu and each dish. He was friendly and not pushy at all.

The utensils lay atop a black napkin and were held together by a thick metal ring (cut off in the photo). Bert ordered the Soju Espresso ($9). Our waiter said that was the way he liked to start his mornings - a shot of Soju (which is Korean hard liquor/vodka) in his coffee. Seems like soju is the latest "it" mixer for these Yuppy/Urban Hipster places. You can get Soju, sometimes spelled 'shoju' at Zion pretty cheap. I didn't care for it, but Bert thought the bitterness of the espresso masked the alcohol flavor quite well.

I splurged on a Strawberry Lemonade ($4). Sorry for the crappy quality of the photo. Each table has a dangling pendant light with kind of screwed up my lighting, so I took this without a flash and it wasn't much better. This drink was quite refreshing. I normally don't drink a lot of liquid (yes, I know that is bad for me), but I nearly finished this glass during this lunch.

Some fancy ass water from some spring in Wales. We didn't drink it. The restaurant didn't offer tap water. We ended up drinking the melted ice (at the end of the meal). Yeah, we're cheap.

One thing about this place - don't expect huuge portions. I knew what to expect since I had read all the early press when this place opened midyear. I had been curious to try it but didn't have the opportunity until today. Anyways, the plates are meant to be shared (kind of like Bite's setup). Don't come here expecting chain restaurant portions. For starters, our waiter recommended a salad for us to share - the Pressato (forgot the price):

The salad was layered into a ring mold and consisted of arugula with an olive oil balsamic reduction, sauteed crimini mushrooms, toasted pine nuts (as well as pecans), and topped with aged asiago cheese. I normally eat my greens "dry" but the balsamic reduction was actually quite nice. I liked the different tastes and textures in this salad - with the crunchy nuts and the cheese and the bitter arugula. The portion was a bit on the tiny side, but it proved to be just right for a shared starter. This salad also had a bit of a kick to it and when asked if there was a spice, the waiter told us that it was "pimenton" or smoked Spanish paprika. There are threw types- mild, sweet and hot. This one was hot. Lucky for me, I have a small tin of pimenton ahumado (smoked paprika) when I checked out Pata Negra (the mini Spanish market next to Costa Brava) earlier this summer. I'm going to try to replicate this salad at home.

Bert had the Seared Sesame Yellowfin with microgreens ($12). His dish had six tiny squares of seared Yellowfin tuna with a sesame crust. The dipping sauce was a spicy chili/sesame mixture and the dish was scattered with microgreens. They even had a glob of wasabe shaped like a fish!

Here's a close up of that sweet and spicy chili sauce. Bert liked his yellowfin while I declined to taste it. I don't really like raw fish. Yeah, I'm a wimp like that.

My Mini Kobe Beef Sliders with Frites and dipping sauces ($11) . I wish this dish had more than just two mini "sliders". They were unwieldy to eat unless you hold the tiny burger with both hands and eat it in one bite. I was trying to hold it but was afraid the meat would shoot out so I ended up dissecting it on my plate. The meat was cooked pretty rare, which I did not like. They didn't ask how I wanted it done either. Instead of the conventional bun, the beef is served on buttered and toasted (grilled?) circles of artisan bread. Inside, there is a basil leaf, a slice of hothouse tomato and a bit of Humboldt fog cheese, which I hate. I knew the sliders came with this type of cheese, but no matter, I just scraped it off and gave it to Bert. I cannot stand any type of cheese that smells like feet (all blue cheese). The sauces were some sort of a pesto and housemade ketchup, which tasted like it also had pimenton in it. The frites, while nice and thin, were too thin. They were just crunchy sticks. I liked the frites at Modus better. They are a little thicker and you don't feel like you are eating a bagged snack food.

The mini sliders:

The deconstruction of the slider:

The cool sink in the unisex bathroom:

They even had their custom made chairs in here!

Our dessert - the Butterscotch Pot du Creme with Chocolate Sauce and a trio of Tempura fried Marshmallows:

This was quite good! I normally don't like pudding type desserts. Anything soft and gooey is normally avoided by me, but the other choice was a flan which to me, is ho hum. So, we went with this and I must say, the butterscotch flavor was really smooth. It was even better with the rich chocolate topping the glass. The marshallows were dipped in a tempura batter, fried and speared on sticks. The sugar from the marshmallow caramelizes to make a nice crust.

Gooey:

After lunch, we headed back to National City to pick up our daughter from practice...

We passed by the famous murals at Chicano Park to get back on the 1-5 South. Varrio si! Yonkes no!

Would we go again? Yes, for lunch, not dinner since we're not fans of the night scene. Lunchtime is more relaxed and less pretentious. There were a few other items I wanted to try on the menu. For the most part, we liked our dishes (except for my rare meat and gross ashy cheese). The portions could be a tiny bit bigger, but we're not talking about supersizing it or anything! Our service was great and we enjoyed the ambiance. They were playing a mix of 80's music. Man, I hadn't heard "Straight to Hell" by the Clash (from "Combat Rock) in a loooong time!

Fresh & Easy

Okay, here's a photo of the EXTERIOR of Fresh and Easy. I took this a few days before their grand opening on Friday, November 16th.

These photos were taken AFTER I got home. There's no rule against this, is there????! Ha. Anyways, you can see they have their own brand "Fresh & Easy" and I bought quite a few items of their brand: A frozen Indian Chicken (Methi Malai?) dinner, a dark chocolate and ginger bar, a 4-pack of Mango & Acai nectar, and 2% milk.

But wait, there's more! A 10-pack of hash browns ($1.65), carrots, string cheese (for TC's lunch snacks and mine) and lasagna. I didn't like that their produce was packaged like Trader Joe's. They are already in packages which to me, seems wasteful. Take, for example the carrots below. They are in a sealed plastic bag, not the ones that are closed with a plastic tie. That kinds of bugs me. I don't like getting my fruit pre-packaged - I liked choosing it myself. Hence, I did not buy fruit that day.

I also bought a small jar of Fig Spread ($4.65) from Croatia! Plus, ready made potato wedges (they were a bit spicy, but too mealy for me), Pistachio trail mix (Bert really liked this!), and a very cute and tiny wheel of Brie for only $2.00-something. I ended up using the Figgy spread on crackers with Brie and leftover prosciutto. Mmmmm!I'm actually writing this post on Sunday, November 25 and have since gone back for more items. Bert also went there earlier tonight to get some last minute cans of garbanzo beans so I could make hummus for him. He ended up looking through every aisle also and got more than just the beans.

Busted!

Fresh and Easy just had their grand opening today in their Chula Vista location. It's on East H Street right in front of K-Mart. Incidentally, there will also be a new food market NEXT to K-Mart called North Park Produce which is just a stone's throw away from Costco. Read about the opening here in today's paper.

Well folks, during my first visit there, I got BUS-FKNG-TED!

Why?

They saw me taking photos (I was trying to be discreet but probably their security cameras saw me too. Right after I checked out of their self-serve line, a security guy approached me and said, "You were taking pictures". Of course I said, "Yes". He said he was calling the manager. To appease them and also to avoid more trouble, I told them I would delete the photos which I did, in front of the guy who watched as I deleted the photos. The manager (a young lady in her 20's it appeared to be) came over and I showed her my camera's images to prove they were erased. She said that photos of the outside of the store was okay but not inside and no pictures of any of their products. It was all very low key. No one seemed to be paying attention to my transgression.

I didn't make a big stink of it and the store staff didn't either. It was just embarassing. I will be very wary from now on taking pictures in any store that has a camera inside. Maybe I'll need to wear a disguise next time I go here. Ha ha.

So let this be a caveat to all of you who plan to visit this place and perhaps sneak in a few shots for your food blogs...

This was my 2nd time I was told not to take photos in a store. The first time was at Dean and DeLuca in NYC.

My verdict of the store will be written up either in the next post or after a 2nd ofr 3rd visit (if it's warranted). I bought a few food items and one non food item. I also used my $5 coupon from a mailer sent last week. Every shopper also got a free large plastic shopping bag on the way out.

Recipes

I've neglected my other blog, J'ai Faim for awhile. Well, all three of us. We're all busy with either our families and work.

I just posted some new recipes (which I made a few weeks ago). Check out the new posts here. I also chose new colors for the template and am working on adding more food related links on the side bar. It's a work in progress. It's a start, but I usually get sidetracked at home. Little by little I guess.

Greenbox #8

Where is this greenbox located?

Any guesses?
Answer to post next week.