Category Archives: Asian

Old Town Cafe

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Day 208

We went to visit my parents and have lunch together at Old Town Cafe in Dublin for some Singaporean food. Simon had a little nap in the car, he’s giving me the finger…

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Singaporean food. Delicious and almost like the real deal. This is tahu goreng (fried tofu with peanut sauce and cucumbers with added jicama which was yummy).

This is roti prata with accompanying curry sauce. Fresh and piping hot!

Hainanese chicken with rice. The chicken was really tender and the hot sauce was oh so good.

Beef rendang. The meat was very tender and the sauce yummy, very thick and creamy.

Sambal kang kong. Almost like the way we remember it, just not as spicy.

I forgot to take a picture of the laksa noodles before we dug into it. The noodles were a bit soft and we told one of the staff and he said he would be sure to check on it since he says it is supposed to be more al dente. Next time I’ll ask them for more spice since it wasn’t hot enough for me.

Simon and Grandpa Tam outside of the restaurant. Check out those smiles!

Simon had his first taste of fresh watermelon. He was really getting into it and using his lower teeth to try to bite off a piece. I was afraid he was going to choke on it though so didn’t let him eat too much. If you click on the photo, It should bring you to the video.

First Pool Experience

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Day 193

So this afternoon we went to Fairfield for our friends’ housewarming party. Along the way, we stopped for Taiwanese brunch at 168 Restaurant in Richmond. Simon waiting patiently for our food.

It’s been years since we’ve come this way and were pleasantly surprised by the food. They had some new brunch menu items but we were totally sad when we realized we forgot to order the stinky tofu! Oh well, next time, since I think we’ll be back again.

They have sweet soy bean milk. This is the hot version. They also have the savory type on their menu..

Ba wan. The bamboo shoots in this were cut a little too big for my taste but Ron says this is the traditional way. I just don’t like how it can get stuck in your teeth with the large pieces.

Rice roll with pork sung, fried dough stick, and preserved vegetables.

Dried noodles with ground pork and a boiled egg.

Green onion crepe with egg. This was made well. The egg was perfect and the green onion crepe thin and a bit crispy.

After brunch, we headed out to Fairfield to see our friends’ house and enjoy their BBQ and outdoor space. They have a pool and jacuzzi and also had this inflatable pool for Simon! Ron had to blow it up and they filled it with water from the big pool. We borrowed a waterproof diaper and let Simon sit in the pool and splash the water and play with some of the pool toys.

He didn’t know quite what to make of the whole situation at first so was a little cranky.

But then he started to really enjoy it. I took him out when his feet started to get prune-y and when the weather started to cool down.

Thanks to Linda, Daniel, and Ariana for having us over! Now Simon will be more prepared when we go to Hawaii next month. I need to find him some swimming trunks!

A note to our blog followers:
It’s been a busy summer so I apologize for the inconsistency of the updates on our blog. Thank you for being patient and always coming to visit! Ron has been doing a great job of taking photos and videos everyday (thanks honey!) but it just takes me some time to upload them and write about Simon’s day. Summer is winding down so I hope we’ll be less busy. Thank you all again for reading!

Fascination with light

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Day 191

Simon checking himself out in the mirror. I hope he’s not getting vain.

Among his friends.

My parents came to visit us so we went to dinner at Akiko’s Sushi Bar near our apartment. The restaurant is small but very accommodating. Well, at least the other customers were accommodating since a couple moved to the bar so that we could sit at the table. I ordered the chirashi which was pretty delicious. The rice and salad were well seasoned and the tuna and salmon were very fresh. The yellow tail had a weird texture which I couldn’t figure out but it tasted fine, just kind of mushy or something. Overall the food was good but the service was pretty slow and disjointed. My mom got her hot chicken donburi first then there was a large gap of time before we got our sushi and sashimi dishes, maybe 20-30 minutes. It’s probably best not to go here in big groups.

Simon in the spotlight!

Actually, Simon is fascinated with my LED book light. Either he wants to eat it…. or “phone home”…

Pho Garden Challenge

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Day 176

*nom nom* Simon has learned to grab his toys with both hands so he can bring his toy straight into his mouth.

Simon went with Ron to Chinatown.

Ron tried out Simon’s regular sized stroller without the car seat so that Simon could face forward. He seemed to enjoy it. At least he was relaxed enough to fall asleep.

For dinner this evening, we went to Pho Garden, home of the pho challenge. It was my co-worker’s last day with us so we went to commemorate the day by having a fun dinner out. We were hoping that one of the guys would try the pho challenge but they all wimped out! Well, everyone wanted to get an individual bowl and enjoy their pho, not overstuff themselves… so instead, we got the super pho to share between 3 girls.

It was impressive as it was brought to us.

2 lbs of noodles, 2 lbs of combination beef. The bowl is $25 to share but you don’t get to keep it if you finish it. (The challenge is $22 and you get to keep the bowl if you finish.)

We asked the waitress if we could borrow a bowl for a photo. She said the bowls cost $85! So we were careful not to break it.

I hope next time we go, someone will try the challenge. It was a lot of food and we almost finished… three girls plus Ron had some and Patsy’s husband also had some. Good thing their pho is really tasty.

Pooped after a long day:

Update on poop:
So I think prunes really work. Simon needed a diaper change early this morning. He started fussing and Ron went to check on him and said Simon was stinky. Simon had quietly had a bowel movement sometime in the early morning. Then, he also had another dirty diaper during the day. So his system must be clear now and now we know what to do if he hasn’t pooped for a few days.

Visit to CAL

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Day 172

Dressed up with shades on, ready to head out for the day.

It was move-in day at UC Berkeley so it was tough finding parking. But once we did find a spot, our first stop was Caffe Strada for a bianca mocha. A fresh dollop of whipped cream makes the drink, otherwise, it would be way too sweet to drink.

Next, The Campanile for a photo opportunity. We were last here in December 2009 when Simon was still in my belly. Now he’s all decked out in his CAL gear with a big smile.

Simon sitting up by himself near the plaque declaring the campus a historic landmark. He’s concentrated on reading (which is even harder because it is upside down).

Then to Sather Gate with a view of Sproul Plaza.

This Daily Cal newspaper stand in Sproul Plaza is where Ron and I met for the first time face-to-face. If that coincidence had not happened, Simon may not be here today.

It may look like we’re grooming Simon to go to CAL but he really is free to go wherever he wants. We will go to Stanford at some time too to take photos.

After our visit to Berkeley, we met up with my parents in Oakland Chinatown for lunch. First stop at the pharmacy to say hi. Check out his protruding stomach!

We went to Restaurant Peony for lunch. They have very delicious Portuguese egg tarts. Flaky crust (lots of lard…) and egg-y creamy custard.

It was fun to walk around campus again. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since my graduation. I hope it won’t be too long before we go back for a visit. I have a craving for chili cheese fries from IB Hoagies.