Gochi, Gochi, Gochi Coo

Our friend L invited us to go to Gochi with her on Saturday night. We had 2 wait to weeks for this event because you have to make a reservation in advance. The reservation was originally for 6 people…but it ended up being J, L, and me. Oh well…it was still a nice experience. Gochi’s tag line is Japanese fusion tapas and that’s what it basically is. All the dishes range between $6-$14. Nothing was overpriced at all. When you get to the restaurant, you wouldn’t even think twice that such a nice place exists in such a dumpy strip mall…but I’ve been fooled before (refer to Bleu Ginger restaurant which is also in a strip mall). Once you get over the fact that the restaurant is in a strip mall and you enter the restaurant — it’s a whole new ball game. We were seated in the dining room with the raised platform where we had to sit shoeless in tatami-style seating. This was very interesting indeed. This is the first time I’ve been somewhere that you are required to take your shoes off. It was neat.

According to an article I found, Gochi is Japanese slang for “good food.” — In my opinion – very true. It is also a globally inspired izakaya restaurant — meaning these types of restaurants serve small, elegant plates of grilled and fried food (just like tapas plates you get at Spanish restaurants.) Since Gochi claims to be Japanes fusion tapas (there are some hints of French and Korean inspired plates), we decided to try a little of everything.

Since Gochi doesn’t provide their menu online…I will have to remember what we ordered from my memory. We had:

• Crab Croquettes – Cream cheese and crab quickly fast fried in a batter
• Steamed Cod with a plum soy sauce
• Chicken thighs chopped and topped with a house teriyaki sauce
• Shrimp balls in a broth
• Pork and Tofu Clay Pot (a traditional style of Japanese cooking, ingredients cooked in a clay pot, when the waiter brings it out, they have to mix it up and dish it out for the patrons)

We were all pleased with our options. We got plenty of food and when we left there, we didn’t feel overly stuffed. It’d be fun to go there again with a bigger group — that way we can order more dishes to share. They have an extensive menu offering some simple dishes, but at the same time some eclectic dishes (like pork innards, cow tongue….)

I definitely will go there again…except I might ask to sit at a table next time instead of on the tatami mats. I need my back support.

Banana Leaf Is Too Crowded

Friday night, J and I met up with our friends M&N for dinner at this joint called Banana Leaf, which is a Malaysian, Indian, and Thai restaurant. Overall, the food was pretty tasty….but I wasn’t too impressed with the service and the atmosphere at the restaurant. It was too crowded in there and all the tables are about an inch apart. It’s just too crowded. I didn’t like the layout of the restaurant at all. Besides how bad everything else was….at least the food was good. We decided to order a few dishes and share with everyone.

We started off with the Roti Prata, which is a multi-layered home made Indian bread dipped in curry sauce and the chicken satay. Both were excellent.

For our entrees, we decided on 4 dishes:

• Mango Chicken (with green & red peppers in a spicy mango sauce served in a mango shell )
• Malay Sizzling Black Pepper Prawns (with onions in a pepper sauce)
• Penang Sizzling Prawns (with onion, green & red pepper with chef’s special sauce)
• Belachan KangKung (Ong Choy) -with Malay special shrimp paste sauce

We had the Hainan Seasoned Rice with turmeric to accompany our dishes.

The Mango Chicken had very nice flavors and the sauce accented the chicken very well. The presentation of the dish was very nice.

Both the prawn dishes were very good. The vegetables and sauces went very well with everything. It was very tasty.

The KangKung is similar to baby broccoli. I found a new vegetable that I like. It was good…not bitter at all like I thought it would be. Very satisfying.

For dessert, J and I ordered the Deep Fried Banana a la mode. The waitress told us it came with mango ice cream. I asked her if there was another kind of ice cream we could get instead — she told us yes, vanilla. So I tell her I want the vanilla instead. She repeated my order back to me….but when they bring the dessert out, it’s got mango ice cream. I didn’t want to be picky, but didn’t I specify I wanted vanilla? I had to remind them, so they took it back and brought the dessert out with the right ice cream. It’s not that complicated, is it?

Anyway…the dessert was decent — it doesn’t compare to the other banana desserts I’ve had at other Asian restaurants. To be honest, I was kind of scary. The bananas were dipped in this really red-orange breading, because the dessert came out and there were 2 crescent shaped objects in the weirdest orange color. It was kind of scary. After the first few bites, it isn’t too bad.

I say I would go back there….but during the week when it’s less crowded.

Bleu Ginger Review

On Saturday night, my husband J and I met up with our friends L & S for dinner at Bleu Ginger Restaurant, which is classified as Asian Fusion. The funny thing about this place is that it’s in some strip mall and when you’re inside the restaurant, you’d never believe it was in a strip mall. The decor is very chic and beautiful. The ambiance is very intimate and tables are set far enough from other diners so that you can just relax and enjoy yourself without feeling crowded.

When you first walk into the restaurant, you see the hostess and a huge pot filled with white orchids. To the left is a fountain with a mosaic wall and a little stream of water if flowing down and it’s lit up with a pink light. There are 6 glass circles on the floor by where the hostess stands and each one is illuminated and with a different color or design. The rest of the restaurant is just as nice with beautiful light shades each with a different design. All along the walls are paintings. There are a 2 or 3 tables where diners can sit and relax on couches. The table we were seated at had very comfortable chairs. You sit in it and you don’t ever want to move. The chairs were great.

So, right away, I was impressed with the decor and the ambiance of the restaurant. Now comes the food….

We started off with a couple of appetizers:

• Fusion Rolls (Fried salmon, mango, avocado, cilantro, and lettuce wrapped in rice paper, served with sesame citrus soy)
• Pan Fried Dumplings (Handmade pot-stickers filled with scallops, shrimps, scallion and ginger served with sesame soy)

All I have to say is that they were both delicious. Very fresh flavors, especially in the rolls – the salmon and mango went perfectly together. I loved the dumplings because the mixture inside was blended well together.

Now the main courses. We each ordered a different dish (which is smart, that way we all get to sample a little bit of everything.

I ordered the Steamed Chilean Sea Bass (Chilean bass with glass noodles, shiitake mushroom and ginger wrapped and steamed in banana leaves)

J ordered Bo Luc Lac (Wok seared filet mignon steak cubes, (8oz) with soy black pepper sauce)

L ordered Atlantic Salmon (Fresh Atlantic salmon with sweet chili sauce, sauteed with oyster mushroom chayote, carrots, served with fried taro mashed potatoes)

S ordered Niman Steak with Sweet Potato Garlic Fries (Grilled Niman Rach NY steak with mushroom sauce) S substituted the fries for the fried taro mashed potatoes

Overall, everything was very good. I loved my sea bass wrapped in the banana leaf. It was very refreshing with the ginger and mushrooms. I got the chance to sample J’s Bo Luc Lac and boy, oh, boy was that delicious. Of all the dinners ordered, his had to be the best. The cubed filet mignon were so tender and the flavor and seasoning was excellent. The salmon was just as good – I usually have a hard time ordering salmon and enjoying it, but they did a good job at Bleu Ginger. I didn’t try S’s steak, but I did try the taro mashed potatoes and they were so creamy and rich. Entrees get 5 stars!

For dessert we all had the Fried Banana with Ice Cream. I’ve had this dessert at several places, but J and I agree that this is the 2nd best we’ve ever had. Whatever coating they had for the banana was extra tasty and the coconut ice cream that came with the dessert was just as good. The best part of dessert was the bottle of wine I ordered. I love moscatos so I was very pleased to see that they had one of my favorites: St. Supery Moscato. I can never find this bottle at any of the wine stores around town…so I told J that the only way I can stock up on this wine is if we went to Napa. I already did Napa two weekends in a row in March, so it might not be bad to go again soon.

The conclusion is that this is a great restaurant. I will definitely be heading back there in the future. Food was excellent, ambiance was wonderful — what more could I want. If any of my family or friends come out here, you know where I might take you…

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy in My Tummy

Today was a gorgeous day here in the Bay. My good friends (they’re sisters) – L&L and I went to Los Altos today for our friend S’s church fundraiser. The little festival was serving Mediterranean food. Everything was really good. Here is everything I sampled:

• dolma - grape leaves stuffed with rice and beef (although people use lamb as well)
• kibbe – minced lamb meat shaped into balls stuffed with spices and pine nuts
• kunefe – a dessert dish consisting of a soft cheese. The soft cheese is spread on the same type of pastry that is used for baklava and it’s baked. As it is done a thick syrup (of sugar, water, and drops of lemon) is poured on the top, so it hardens a bit
• shawarma sandwich – a wrap with chicken and beef, lettuce, red onion, and a spicy sauce, the special thing about these wraps are that the chicken and beef are cooking on a big spit, so the meat is really tender and delicious
• tabbouleh – a Lebanese dish made with bulgur (similar to couscous), finely chopped pasley, mint, tomato, scallion, and other herbs with lemon juice and various seasonings
• walnut mamool cookie – a Lebanese filled cookie, stuffed with chopped walnuts and pistachio
• spinach turnover – bread stuffed with spinach

Before we left the festival, I had to stock up on some dolma and kibbe to bring home so that J could try some. I really enjoy tasting different cuisines and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to get a little sun and good food today.