Bronwyn | German Sausages and Beer/Wine | Somerville, MA Boston

highly anticipated Bronwyn opened up in Union Square last night. we were lucky enough to get a reservation. i am a huge fan of t.w. food in cambridge. bronwyn is wiechmann and her husband’s new venture. i was super excited for the german wurst and bier meaning sausage and beer in german.

the bar opens til 1am

we sat in the back room, a european feel.

i like the chairs

couple beers were sold out already by the time we got there around 830pm

Ayiner – hefeweizen

i was in love with this grapefruit beer. i usually dont like fruit beers, but this one was really good.

house made sausages: not overly salty and very well flavored.

Bierwurst – pork, egg, spice.

Kielbasa – coriander, garlic, pork

Smoked Soft Shell Crab grilled chestnut, red onion relish, cucumber sauce

Knödel bacon bread dumpling, fiddlehead purée – i didnt really taste the bacon tho

Biernudeln dark beer pasta, artichoke, mustard, blue cheese
somehow i misread the dark beer pasta as deer pasta, so i was expecting deer meat at the entire time. -_-

Jagerschnitzel thin veal schnitzel, foraged mushrooms, walnuts, honey
i really liked this dish.

Oat-honey Challah, Rye Roggenbrot, Bauernbrot, juniper-sesame crisp, butter, sea salt

chocolate cake – i liked the richness of the chocolate, but i found the cake was a lil bit too floury

since it was our first time there, we wanted to sample a variety of dishes. although everything we had was FANTASTIC, i would probably skip the pasta, desserts and some of the starters next time. they have an extensive list of german beer and wine. i would come in for drinks and order bunch of their house made sausages and maybe a pretzel if im super hungry. just now as im writing up this post, i realized i didnt try any of the rieslings!!! i freaking love german riesling. ughhhhhhhhhhhhh how could i not try any?! service was awesome, fast, and accommodating! cant wait to return to try their riseling and more beer!

Bronwyn
255 Washington St
Somerville, MA 02143

http://www.bronwynrestaurant.com/

like my facebook page please! https://www.facebook.com/BunnyandPorkBelly

Asta | Back Bay Boston, MA

it was pork belly’s birfuday last thursday so we decided to celebrate it at Asta.
Asta, standing for Alex & Shish’s Taste Adventure, is Alex Crabb’s first restaurant after serving as sous chef at L’espalier for over five years.

parking wouldve been a pain, but fortunately they share the valet at Deuxave next door.

we sat at the ‘bar’ overlooking the kitchen. i loved the setup. it felt very cozy like i was dining at someone’s kitchen.

asta only offers tasting menus available in three, five and eight courses. they allow everyone at the table get different tasting menus which was awesome. ive read good reviews on the 5 course tasting and someone mentioned the 8 course was ‘overly conceptual’, so i was curious about that as well.

2008 Schoenheitz riesling ‘lisenberg’ alsace

duck heart, green almond milk, carpaccio

8-course tasting #1. oyster smoked and raw with celery juice

5-course tasting #1. peas with sheep’s milk cheese from vermont and mushrooms.

8-course tasting #2. after the storm: seaweed pasta, salmon roe, lemon mussel foam.
this was probably one of the ‘conceptual’ dishes. i loved it! when chef alex brought the dish, it smelled like the ocean. i was a fan of the lemon mussel foam, the whole dish tasted like ocean it was awesome. i loved it how it incorporated visual, smell, and taste.

the chefs were super friendly

8-course tasting #3. poached arctic char with ramps and cheeries.

5-course tasting #2. asparagus with egg and ajoblanco

8-course tasting #4. quail – escagot was stuffed in the quail, green garlic, and fava leaves. this was another one of our faves.

5-course tasting #3. scallop with farro, blueberries, and coriander. the scallop was fabulous
‘

8-course tasting #5. sweetbreads – cepes & shimeji mushrooms, sugar snap peas.

2012 ch. d’Or et de Gueules ‘les cimels’ rose rhone – i wasnt a fan of it

5-course tasting #4. beef ribeye with chopped herbs, stinging nettles, and baby radish.
i thought this was a lil underwhelming and bland. the ribeye was very well executed, but i was looking for a kick to the flavor that it’s lacking.

8-course tasting #6. lamb with beets & scallions – same thing with the lamb: very well executed but a lil bland.

8-course tasting #7. campari stewed rhubarb with ricotta, pink peppercorns and white chocolate. im not a fan of rhubarb, but the flavors worked well together.

coconut cream pie. super dericious. the sweetness was just right.

5-course tasting #5. swiss roll – chcolate, passion fruit, tobacco. im a sucker for passion fruit, this def hit the spot. rich and creamy dark chocolate with passion fruit filling. ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

8-course tasting #8. almond and apricot – rosemary milk. this was served warm. super dericious and satisfying as well.

bunny cookies )))))))) hehehehehehe

i had a great meal at asta. food was light, dericious, creative, and unique in terms of the ingredients, smell, presentation, and taste. the unfamiliar ingredients connected surprisingly well together. the presentation was beautiful. i dont think they were ‘overly conceptual’ either. its like alinea in chicago, they combine food with art. i totally dig it.
like i mentioned before, i totally love the ambience and kitchen setup. very cozy, relaxing, and entertaining. staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating. although i wish couple dishes had more flavors, the overall experience was excellent. i will def be back.

Asta
Category: Restaurants American (New) American (New)
47 Massachusetts Ave
(at Marlborough St)
Boston, MA 02115
Neighborhood: Back Bay

(617) 585-9575

http://www.astaboston.com

Acoustic Sunday Brunch | Mooo…. | Boston, MA

Mooo… is a steakhouse located in downtown boston. their new ‘acoustic sunday brunch’ is every sunday from 10am to 2pm. you can enjoy live acoustic music while enjoying their new menu and creative bloody mary options.

their ambience and decor are def my fave kind: classy yet comfortable, high ceilings, and i love these chairs!

these high back chairs gave us a sense of seclusion and intimacy which i really enjoyed.

Honey-Bee – hendrick’s, house made thyme, honey syrup, and st. germaine 14
sweet, citrusy, refreshing, great for summertime

cinnamon rolls with butter – super soft and fluffy.

blueberry beignet – the beignet was very well fried while still remained an airy texture and the blueberry def complemented it.

extremely fresh fruits with very light whipped ricotta and a hint of honey.

bloody mary flight – bloody caprese, caper Mary and hot Mary
caper mary – ketel one citroen, lemon, caper juice, with caper berry, cocktail onion & Lemon
bloody caprese – van gogh blue vodka, balsamic with basil, and cherry tomato
hot marry – van gogh blue vodka, jalapeno, cilantro
we liked caper mary the best. it was the lightest among the three.

buttery smoked salmon and soft potato latke with sour cream and caviar
my fave thing of all

french toast with caramelized banana – there’s banana inside the french toast as well. perfectly cooked french toast: a crisp outside and soft, fluffy center without a soggy texture. the banana gives a tint of sweetness without being overwhelming.

the frech toast was served with gingered maple. the bottle was even warm when it was brought to us.

umm umm umm this was some official french toast

check out this small Tabasco that pork belly found amusing

steak & eggs wellington – filet mignon, mushroom duxelle, foie gras, spinach in in puff pastry

this pic is pretty self-explanatory. everything was perfectly executed. i love mushrooms, so i wish the flavor of the mushroom could stand out a lil more.

Baked Alaska
lemon vanilla ice cream, passion fruit syrup

ive had this at oleana before. it’s their signature dessert at oleana and i usually love anything passion fruit, but i hated it the one at oleana. extremely huge and sweet, meringue was super thick, couldve been another meal on its own. huge and overly sweet desserts jus cheapen the entire meal. never again!

however, we enjoyed this baked alaska at Mooo…. the size and the sweetness were just right. meringue wasnt as thick.

we had an excellent brunch at Mooo…. not only the food itself was outstanding, the service and overall experience were exceptional! our waiter Brennan did a fantastic job. extremely friendly, informative, accommodating, attentive, and professional without being pretentious. they have some of the BEST grade steaks in town if not the best! their kobe steak is grade A5 which is the highest grade you can get. they have plenty of seafood options for dinner as well. their seafood is always fresh and never frozen.

mother’s day is coming next weekend! i highly recommend this place if you are still looking for a place to take your mom for brunch. they will be serving their REGULAR menu not some generic prix fixe mother day menu that most restaurants are doing which is a big plus!!! cant go wrong with great food and service with awesome acoustic live music! take your mom for a walk after the brunch and enjoy some beautiful scenery around boston common!

Mooo….
Category: Steakhouses
15 Beacon St
(between Tremont Pl & Somerset St)
Boston, MA 02108
Neighborhood: Downtown
(617) 670-2515

http://www.mooorestaurant.com/

disclaimer: i did not pay for this meal nor was obligated to write a review.

Sichuan Palace | Chelmsford, MA Boston

im trying mad hard to lose weight for my beach body, but having a roommate that always suggests to eat out isnt helping much.

sichuan spicy chicken

Chinese Water Spinach – this is my fave green veggie at all times. chinese name is empty heart veggie. badassss

as always, spicy fish

i enjoyed our meal at sichuan palace. i think its better than a few sichuan places in boston. relatively big portions. surprisingly we were super full after only 3 dishes. i am not too sure about the freshness of the ingredients. we all had mild diarrhea the second day and its not because the spiciness of the food, but that’s ok. help me to lose some weight! beach body or die trying baby!

Sichuan Palace
Category: Chinese
7 Summer St
Ste 17-18
Chelmsford, MA 01824
(978) 256-8545

http://www.chuanbawang.com

Taiwanese Brunch | Chung Shin Yuan | Newton, MA Boston

went to chung shin yuan for brunch with yesterday since my last visit from 2 years ago. very packed jus like i remembered.

house made sweet soy milk. chinese soy milk tastes diff from american soy milk that you can buy from grocery stores. it has a stronger soy bean taste.

you tiao – chinese fried dough – i like to dip this in the soy milk

soy bean noodle salad and seaweed salad – love the soy bean noodle. refreshing

shao bing with five spice beef sandwich – one of my fave thing to get. the shao bing has a crisp texture and the beef is flavorful. sandwich is nice and light.

taiwan vermicelli soup with chitlins.

pan fried white turnip cake – these have a diff texture and tasted more fried than you can get from dim sum places. i prefer ones at dim sum places.

steamed spiced spareribs with sticky rice? – another one of my fave!!!!!!!!!

xiao long bao – soup dumplings. no soup inside. fillings were dry. i wouldnt get it again.

had a great brunch at chung shin yuan overall. food was very solid. they only offer brunch on weekends and its a guaranteed a wait. Shangri-la in belmont also offers brunch but i prefer chung shin yuan at any time!

Chung Shin Yuan
Category: Chinese
183 California St
Newton, MA 02456
(617) 964-0111

1st Annual Taste of the Columbus Hospitality Group Cocktail Party | Boston

we attended 1st annual taste of the columbus hospitality group cocktail party tuesday night at mistral. the CHG consists of Mistral, Teatro, Sorellina, Mooo , L’Andana, The Inn at St. Botolph, and the XV Beacon Hotel. the event was featuring dericious small bites from each of CHG restaurants, custom designed cocktails, and wine.

the races- george dickel rye whiskey, mint, lemon, and prosecco
spring thyme – tito’s handmade vodka, rhubarb, thyme, lime & soda – this drink was super awesome. everyone at the event loved, just like the name, very springy, refreshing, light, a hint of sweetness. i couldnt stop drinking it!

swordfish from L’Andana – wood-roasted peppers, onions, cured tomato. loved the roasted flavors and tenderness/juiciness of the swordfish.

Beef tenderloin mashed potato pizza truffle oil

Tomato Marsala pizza

white pizza whipped ricotta jalapeno - i have to say their pizza blew me away, thin crust, fluffy ricotta cheese, i cant describe in words how excellent they were.

tuna tartare, crispy wontons, ginger and soy – from Mistral

one of my fave things of the night. i love tuna, the ginger and soy def complements it.

time for some more drinks ya?

i tried both the Domäne Wachau Weissenkirchen gruner veltliner and villa antinori toscana.
the toscana was def my fave, super light and smooth. easy to drink, too easy to drink i had like ….

beef sirloin sliders from Mooo… with caramelized onions, home made rolls. the beef was super tender and well flavored!

zuppa – chilled pea soup, lemon ricotta crema, chive blossoms – from sorellina

you could def taste the ricotta crema.

hand crafted fig and prosciutto sausage, spicy tomato brodo and shishito pepper from Teatro

tortilla chips from La Nina Tortilleria

http://laninatortilla.com/

sipping on more spring thyme

more wine please!

these ice cream cones were super creamy!!!!

i had a wonderful night at the 1st Annual Taste of the Columbus Hospitality Group Cocktail Party! every single bite and drink was amazing!

On Wednesday 5/1, Mistral, Teatro, Sorellina, Mooo, and L’Andana will be donating portions of profits to One Fund Boston for the Boston Marathon recovery! def check them out!!!!!!!

http://www.columbushospitalitygroup.com
http://www.mistralbistro.com
http://www.teatroboston.com
http://www.mooorestaurant.com
http://www.landanagrill.com
http://www.xvbeacon.com
http://www.innatstbotolph.com

Disclaimer: I did not pay for going to this event. All opinions are my own.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ | Brookline, MA Boston

ive been waiting for gyu-kaku boston to open since last june. the highly highly anticipated japanese bbq joint finally opened couple weeks ago. if you are not familiar with gyu kaku, its a japanese bbq chain that has locations all throughout the country as well as overseas. an interative bbq concept which you get to cook your own food at your own pace and however you’d like it.

gyu-kaku is still in their soft opening period. the reservation was hard to get. they dont accept reservations online at this moment; you ll have to call in to make a reservation. BUT there’s a perk to it during the soft opening period: you get a discount thats roughly 18% off.

pork belly and i got there an hour early so we waited for our friends at the bar.

Kirin Ichiban on tap

altho each meat they have a recommended sauce, but you can also choose a different sauce if you prefer.
here is a menu in pdf form: http://www.gyu-kaku.com/menu/ma_bs/bs_alacarte.pdf

we got a Kirin Ichiban pitcher for the whole group

we ordered 11 different kinds of meat, pretty much all the meat on the menu, ill try my best to match the names with the pix. i cant promise they are all correct tho

Beef Tongue
Thinly sliced beef tongue with delicious scallion sauce, salt & Pepper, and Lemon

Premium Sirloin- Lean & tender Sirloin Flap Steak with: Tare Sweet Soy

Kobe Style Flap Steak with: Ponzu

only grill your meat for 30-60 seconds depending on your preference. this is crucial because overcooked meat will not be as tender.

Bistro Hanger Steak with: Miso

Prime New York Steak with: Ponzu

they have four diff dipping sauces: sweet & spicy, tsuke, ponzu, and lemon.

i believe this one was my fave: Kobe Style Kalbi Short Rib: World renowned for its delicious flavor & remarkable tenderness

Kobe Style Kalbi Chuck with Garlic

Lamb Chop with: Miso Basil

Harami Skirt Steak with: Miso

Kalbi Short Rib
King of BBQ; juicy boneless short rib with: Tare Sweet Soy

Mushroom Medley

Toro Beef
Beef bacon in their special BBQ sauce with: Tare Sweet Soy

oops. i think i jus totally misplaced the names.

steak model: Jay Liu
i heard he got quite famous for modeling the banana in my yume wo katare post

here comes the bill. really cheap for the amount of food and drinks we ordered. even better, we got the soft opening discount!!!!!!!!
awesome deal!!!!!! i think all throughout april we probably can get roughly 18% off. they dont advertise it anywhere so im not sure how long the promo lasts

super satisfied with our meal. i cant remember specifically how each meat tasted, but I do like the meat with garlic sauce the best. Kobe Style Kalbi Short Rib was def my fave. Gyu kaku easily tops any of the Asian bbq places. Yes! Any Korean bbq joint in town. I have been to all of them unless there is an underground bbq place that im not aware of. Sitting by the hot grill and sipping on cold beer eating the best Asian bbq in town with friends, nothing can beat this. remember DO NOT overcook your meat!

Gyu-Kaku
Categories: Restaurants Japanese bbq
1002 Beacon St
Brookline, MA 02446
(617) 264-6190

http://gyu-kaku.com/index.htm

Daikaya | Washington, DC

we went to check out daikaya, a ramen and izakaya joint, last time we were in town. daikaya is located right next to the verizon center in DC and right in or on the border of chinatown. daikaya consists of 2 floors: ramen on the 1st floor and izakaya on the more intimate 2nd floor.

unfortunately the izakaya section doesnt open on sundays so we could only try out their ramen. they serve sapporo style ramen which is distinguished by its chintan stock. according to their website, their clear soup base is made out of chicken, beef, and pork which requires 16+ hours of prepping.

we sat at the bar.

the place wasnt packed on a sunday

DC Brau

gyoza – fresh, nicely fried

shio ramen with their chintan stock, topped with roast pork, bean sprouts, oinions, ground pork, garlic, nori, scallions, nitamago, menma (bamboos), seaweed. corns.

i asked for a million toppings. i have to say this was the only a few times i got full from 1 bowl of ramen. maybe im just a pig or maybe the portion is pretty big esp with all that toppings. i loved the bean sprouts which had a smoky flavor! the broth was relatively light while remaining flavorful.