Locanda Positano

J was visiting from Hong Kong so JA and I met up with him for dinner at Locanda Positano in Marina Del Rey... thanks J for the treat :)

When we got there at 6:30 it was still kinda quiet... very charming interior, like you are transported to a village in Italy...

except right outside is busy Lincoln Blvd lined with ugly strip malls and there were some homeless people sleeping on the side walk, so sad :(

Bread was so good...

My entree, linguine with clams. They gave you tons of clams. It was however, a bit salty for my taste.

I am a wimp when it comes to dessert, I always order either tiramisu or creme brulee... so I took this picture of JA's pretty fruit tart as my tiramisu was not photogenic.

Restaurant got crowded later in the evening...

Baby Catmobile Wears Jimmy Choos

Scene Setting: Beverly Hills BMW
Service Adviser Chris: you've got nails, bubbles, etc etc in all four tires and new shoes for Baby Catmobile would cost $1,800
Cat: Wha?! Faint. Baby Catmobile wears Jimmy Choos?
Btw, this is not Baby Catmobile, this is her boyfriend Barney "Purple" Porsche in Xiamen China... see all these fancy cars they drive over there? Questionable choice of color for outfit tho.

What else did I do this wkd? Went to C and D's for a BBQ... picked some organic apricots in their backyard. Delicious.

Here is D making a Chinese style biscuit.

It was so good, I ate three in a row... although when it came to the last one I was like I need to save some room for bbq, but the golden biscuit was so tempting, I couldn't help but go MUNCH CHOMP MUNCH... oh well, I still had five minutes to digest until the kalbi was ready, keke :P

Piglet in Kitty Cat's Clothing

When I was in Xiamen, we visited a popular seafood restaurant favored by locals called Lotus Garden Fried Crab Restaurant (蓮花公園煎蟹).

Here is what we ordered, in no particular order, oyster pancake (蚵仔煎), the Xiamen version of this Fujianese dish is quite different from its Taiwanese cousin. The batter is virtually all egg, instead of a mixture of egg and tapioca starch, and it is topped with a ton of oysters, rather than a few oysters and A veggies as in the Taiwanese version... Oh the sauteed bitter melon was terrific too, had a slightly sweet after taste, very palate refreshing...

Sauteed A veggies and a type of very very soft fish... the texture is almost like a plush toy fish. As you can see, I wasted no time diggin' in...

Steamed live scallops... pretty much the same style as all steamed live scallops in every Chinese restaurant, topped with some vermicilli noodles and spring onions and drizzled with a light soy sauce.

Sauteed sea watermelon seeds... oh this was so good. The sea water melon seeds in Xiamen taste more like mini oysters mussels rather than mini clams like sea watermelon seeds in Shanghai... here the main flavor ingredient is sauteed garlic which made the dish so fragrant... I am drooling as I write...

Now, here is the star of the evening, fried crabs. These are salt water crabs, the meat is not salty at all, rather slightly sweet... mmmmmm.

Jaws, look at those teeth... actually these fish were itty bitty, maybe four or five inches long.

Razor clams...so so dish, def not as good as the Shanghainese version my aunt cooked for me.

Afteramth. Btw, we also ordered gali (similar to manilla clams), and another green leafy dish... for a total of 11 dishes for three, and I ate like 70% :P Yeah, it's pretty obvious which plate is mine, and that's after the cleaning lady had cleaned up once! How did I eat so much? As I was chowing down clams and oysters and crabs, I pondered, am I a piglet in kitty cat's clothing? am I oink oink or meow meow? Identity crisis :P

As our delicious 11 course, $60 meal came to an end, the restaurant employees began their dinner...

Leaving the restaurant, good bye Lotus Fried Crab.

Sushi Porn

Mmmmmm...Raawrrrr... Ok, I'll make it PG-13. Sushi King on Wilshire is one sushi-licious establishment fit for a Princess. Meow! Yellow Tail...

Monkfish Liver

Japanese Mackerel

Giant Clam

Scallop Roll

Halibut

Aftermath...So Good.

Cat v. Sumo Wrestlers

The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena kicked off its Fusion Friday, eh last Friday, and yours truly joined F and J for a night out at the museum... I got there a bit late so the sumo demonstration had just started and the host was taking questions from the audience... and suddenly I spotted F and J and waved...

Host: I saw a hand over there, do you have a question, did you raise your hand?
Cat: eh, I was waving at my friends, but I could ask a question, blahblahblah bs bs bs, blah...
Host frowns a bit: that's a loaded question, but blahblahblah... there are girl sumo wrestlers.
Cat: So do girl sumo wrestlers also wear diapers?
Audience: Gasp.
F and J: we don't know her.

*Blush* Guess Cat says the darndest things. I somehow managed to dishonor one of the most time honored sports in Japan where tradition is everything... you know in the past people commit harakiri just because they trip on the sumo master's robe or something... glad they didn't make me do that :P

I didn't know sumo wrestling could be so exciting. They are incredible athletes underneath all that blubber. They have all my respect.

Also highly recommended is the museum itself, it's small, intimate and just beautiful. Woo, nice fat koi fishies, sushi? Keke :P

Picnic des Chefs

Meow! The French sure know how to host a fabulous event... Picnic des Chefs hosted by the Club Culinaire of French Cuisine was so much fun!

Beautiful afternoon for the picnic...

Look at all the food. Pate, cured salmon,grilled chicken, quiche, beef bourguignon, thank goodness for google :) I would've never been able to spell it...

Dessert... mmmm. Strawberries and marshmallows dipped in chocolate...

Here is what happens when you mix kids and chocolate fondue... lol. L and A are so cute!

Perfect weather!  Ahhh, what a relaxing Sunday.

To lords and ladies of Shanghai, of what is past, or passing, or to come...

Entry to The Shanghai Custom House built in 1927 ... notice the architectural details?

Beautiful art deco stained glass entry way at the Peace Hotel, built in 1929.

YongAn (Forever Peace) Department Store, one of the oldest department stores in Shanghai, founded in 1918 in this 6 story building. In 1966, during the height of the Cultural Revolution, it was renamed East is Red Department Store and fortunately in 2005 it changed back to its original name.

Tree lined street of Shanghai. These British Planes trees are know as French Oak in Shanghai because they populate most of the streets in the French Concession.

Grandma dance troupe practicing at the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Shopping Street... good for them!

An Apple growing on a tree branch in Shanghai :)

Pudong Business District Skyline.