MuLan @ Kendall Square/MIT Cambridge Boston, MA

mulan is a taiwanese joint in cambridge. i know a lot of my friends come here but this was actually my 1st time there. i was craving mad dumplings.

京酱肉丝 this is a popular pork dish from beijing, yea i made a wrong choice ordering it i guess.
pork was too thin and dry. you are supposed to eat it with bean curd wraps but they didnt provide it.

pork dumplings – was ok. handmade dumplings, cant compare with what my family makes.

beef wrap – wasnt what i expected.

pork and shrimp dumplings – again, cant compare to what my family makes, but this was better than the pork one.

sauce for dumplings

my meal at mulan was rather disappointing. i dunno if we ordered the wrong items or the food is just average.

Category: Taiwanese
228 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139
Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 441-8812

http://www.mulan.4t.com/

Garden at the Cellar @ Cambridge, MA Boston

tomato soup with grilled cheese

taco

foie gras and cheddar doughnuts – quince, cranapple compote, pecans

foie gras was surprisingly good!

sea urchin risotto – parsnips, miso, summer truffle

this was ok

animal-style burger – caramelized onions, chicharrones, foie gras cognac pate

spicy lamb gnocchi – golden raisins, crispy chestnuts, pecorino
wasnt spicy, but very flavorful, lamb was well executed. fave thing of the night

i enjoyed garden at the cellar. i would def return in the future.

Categories: Pubs, American (New), Breakfast & Brunch
991 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Neighborhood: Central Square
(617) 475-0045

http://www.gardenatthecellar.com

Hungry Mother & Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes @ Kendall Square/MIT Cambridge, MA Boston

a friend of mine recently moved to kendall square area so we decided to explore the dinning scene around the area. i picked hungry mother for din din last sunday; was able to get a same day reservation on opentable.

parking wasnt too hard to find, but they do offer validated parking at kendall square cinema garage.

hungry mother consists of three dinning rooms. the room we dined in didnt have much decorations, but i did like the ambience: quiet, intimate.

hungry mother does change their menu a lot. they get the ingredients from farms in and around new english. everything is pretty much made in house.

crispy antebellum grits, beets, wild mushrooms, pickled ramps, sorrel & leek soubise

smoked beef tongue on toast, robinson swiss cheese, dijon, gremolata – bbq flavor, super tender beef tongue, very yum!

pickled florida gulf shrimp, avocado spread – delish

fried chicken

sausage

french gnocchi – flavorful, awesome texture, but a bit salty.

i basically loved/liked everything we ordered. everything was very flavorful and well executed; did live up to the hype! we were pretty full after dinner, but next time i ll def try their desserts! one year it was rated as ’10 best american restaurants in the america’. they offer $8 tickets to kendal square cinema if you dine at hungry mother. would be a great date night.

Category: Southern
233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave
Cambridge, MA 02142
Neighborhood: Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 499-0090

http://www.hungrymothercambridge.com

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my friend bought me a tiramisu from Tatte Fine Cookies & Cakes. pretty good.

Categories: Bakeries, Cafes
318 3rd St
Mid-Cambridge, MA 02142
Neighborhoods: East Cambridge, Kendall Square/MIT
(617) 354-4200

http://www.tattecookies.com/

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ive been getting a lot questions about my camera and my secrets of taking photos in restaurant/low light settings. yes it is super hard to take good photos at low light settings. most of the time lighting is even nonexistent. this is when a dslr would really make a difference. a decent dslr + low aperture will allow you to take sharp photos at low light settings, but most importantly it’s the magic of photoshop!!!

below is a comparison of two photos, left one straight from the camera and right one after photoshopped. wow i know hehe

shot with canon 5d mark II with a 50mm 1.8f

i am no where close to professional and ive never taken any photography or photoshop classes, but feel free to ask me any questions about my pix. i’d be more than happy to answer with the very little knowledge i have.

dont forget to like my facebook page and follow me on twitter! thanks!

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Oleana Restaurant @ Inman Square Cambridge, MA Boston

today we went to oleana to see what the hype is all about.

they serve mediterranean dishes. when i think about mediterranean food i think of exotic spices with richness, depth, and bold flavors.

they have a wine list with an emphasis on riesling that i was super excited about. pork belly did not want to drink so i only got a glass by myself :’(
i believe i had -> 10 Riesling Spätlese, Selbach-Oster ‘Zeltinger Schlossberg,’ Mosel, Germany
it was disappointing, not smooth enough.

i loved the fresh olive oil and the bread below this pic.

Warm Buttered Hummus with Basturma & Tomato – this was good. the hummus tasted buttery

scallops- cucumber and cantaloupe. this was one of the specials of the night. my fave dish of the night. the spices were nice without being overwhelming. refreshingly delish.

another special of the night. duck breast with eggplant. the duck had really strong ducky taste that im not a big fan of and it was not tender enough. the flavor of eggplant was good.

Tamarack Tunis Lamb with Turkish Spices, Pita & Everything Green with Garlic and Yogurt
the lamb wasnt real lamb meat, it’s like ground meat. i thought it was only ok.

Baked Alaska; Coconut Ice Cream & Passion Fruit Caramel
this is their popular dessert that everyone raves about. i liked the first a few bites, but the sweetness become too overwhelming after the first bites. we could not finish it.

although i did enjoy the two appetizers, the two entrees were disappointing. i think if i ever come back again i will get nothing but all appetizers. they are also famous for their vegetarian tasting menu, but i love meat too much to have that.

overall it was a good meal but nothing really to rave about.

i can see why this place is so popular. americans like exotic spices and flavors that this restaurant offers since american food is so lame, but i was raised eating chinese food which also has bold flavors and tons spices so this did not wow me. the entrees were not well executed. like the duck didnt carry out the flavors of the spices they used. they could work more on the texture and the tenderness of the meat or maybe overall simplicity of the flavors and basics of the food itself. (i know i do not make sense at all. never mind)

service was professional and atmosphere was nothing too special.

this place gets 3/5 bunny belly.

anyways, have a great weekend everyone.
this is exactly how i feel at the moment.
night.

Category: Mediterranean
134 Hampshire St
Cambridge, MA 02139
Neighborhood: Inman Square
(617) 661-0505

http://www.oleanarestaurant.com

Bondir @ Boston Cambridge, MA

bondir instantly becomes one of my fave restaurants in boston. i was not gonna write a review because i didnt take pictures, but this place is too good to not share with you!
i must say the meal was exquisite. the keyword of this restaurant is ‘details’. from every little decoration of the restaurant, to the food, service, and everything, you can tell they put a lot of heart to every detail.

food was well executed. loved the ambience, cozy, intimate. great service. waiters were extremely knowledgeable, professional, attentive, unpretentious, and friendly.

impressive wine list – 09 St. Urbans-hof, Oekonomierat Nic. Weis, Mosel, Germany / riesling
as good as it gets. smooth, sweet, delicious, superb.

it’s always a good night when the wine is delicious.

instead of appetizers, bondir offers half portions of the entrees. this allows you try more variaty of their dishes.

everything is homemade here and everything is excellent!
we had:

Breads
9 Grain, The Sea, Barley Flour with Hops and Summer Herbs
the sea was awesome, made of seaweed.

Roasted Shallot-Pistachio Tart
Summer Vegetable Mignardises, Rye Berries, Herbs, Sorrel,
Mustard Oil, Toasted Pistachio Powder

Buckwheat Rigatoni
Braised Chicken and Chanterelle Mushroom Ragu with Lavender,
Garlic Scapes, Smoked Scamorza
this was my fave dish. the chicken was amazingly tender.

Scituate Striped Bass
Wax Beans, Roasted Fresh Onion, Guinea Hog Prosciutto,
Burnt Tomato Purée, Bronze Fennel Seed Lavash

Red Wheat Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
Australian Perigord Truffle, Parmigiano, Fresh Pecorino,
Long Pepper

Lychee Sorbet

Chocolate Panna Cotta
Bitter Orange Mostarda, Angelica Gel,
Cocoa Nibs and Pistachio

i had an amazing night here. great food, great wine, and most importantly, great company. perfect for a date, she/he will be impressed. they do change their menu daily. i can’t wait to go back and take some pictures to share with you guys!

this place gets 5/5 bunny belly yay!

Bondir
Categories: French, American (New)
279 Broadway
Ste A
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 661-0009

http://www.bondircambridge.com/

Cheap Eats: Anna’s Taqueria @ Boston Davis Square Somerville, MA

unless you are a visitor, probably everyone in boston knows about anna’s taqueria. its a locally owned mexican ‘fast food’ place. they have serval locations in cambridge, somerville, brookline, boston, etc.

it can’t compare with the tacos from the west coast and meat could’ve been cooked better, but they do use fresh ingredients. very cheap! my 3 tacos only cost $8.

i got grilled chicken, al pastor, and steak tacos.

give it a try if you love mexican; you wont hate it.

check out their website for locations:

http://www.annastaqueria.com/

Sapporo Ramen Porter Square Cambridge, MA Boston

after a full night of fun @ royale last night, it’s time to cure some hangover. a bowl of warm ramen sounds so good.
ramen choices are so limited in boston, sapporo is one of the most popular places among all.

i havent seen the fat lady that used work here for the last two times.

pork gyoza - pretty good, fresh, better than the ones @ yoki

the house ramen – altho meat was tender, broth was thick and flavorful, a lil bit salty for my liking.

spicy miso ramen – thick and flavorful broth. the noodles were perfectly cook.

i do come here a lot, but i have had way better ramen outside boston area.

this place gets 4/5 bunny belly.

1815 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
Neighborhood: Porter Square
(617) 876-4805

Brunch @ Craigie on Main Boston Cambridge, MA

after hearing so many good things about craigie on main i was excited to come here. the bff and i decided to try out their brunch first since its rated “One of the ‘Hot 10’ Best Brunch Places in the USA” – Bon Appetit Magazine

the place wasnt packed. i made a reservation earlier this week and we were seated quickly upon arrival.

we both ordered freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

the bff

and we both ordered House-Smoked Scottish Salmon & Albacore Tuna Rillettes with bagel and traditional accompaniments
this was pretty good. onion cream cheese + bagel + salmon and tuna ummmmmmmm. i also had two caperberries in my dish which i thought it was intelligent. ive never had it before, it looks like a olive and taste kinda like a olive but sour like a pickle and it has orange seeds inside. it def goes perfectly with fish giving a refreshing taste. the smoked salmon wasnt super salty like most smoked salmon.

the thing i also wanted to mention about this restaurant is that their service is fantastic. at the end of the meal i wanted to ask for check, so i turned around to look for our waiter. a guy (dressed in a blue shirt and didnt look like he’s a waiter) saw me and approached me immediately and asked me if i needed for help. i thought that was pretty impressive. i wonder if he just stands there and observe if anyone needs help. i also had to go to the restroom and i asked a random waiter where the restroom was. instead of just pointing it to me which he totally could he actually walked me all the way to the restroom, it was very nice of him to do that.

the meal was pretty good and very well made but i dont think it wowed me. i def loved the friendly and professional service and the casual relaxed atmosphere. that’s how every restaurant should be cuz i would not like a restaurant if they have bad service NO MATTER how good their food is!!!! even it’s best food on earth or from heaven!!!!!

this place gets 4/5 pork belly!

853 Main St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 497-5511

http://www.craigieonmain.com

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