Food Review: Rainbow Drive-In (Honolulu, HI)

One of the great staples in Honolulu "where to go" according to... 

DINERS, DRIVE-INs AND DIVES

Go right up and order and then the wait is fast.

What's a real Hawaiian kind of meal?

They've got enough seating in the front....

and the back =0)

We decided to do take out (what with the baby already asleep in the hotel)

We get:

Root Beer Float (just because)

Mixed plate (of meats)

The meat is very tender. Not overly salty and all around very good.

Mahi Mahi

What's not good about fried fish?! 

The Mahi Mahi was delicious. The fillets are big and filling, the fish wasn't dry, and the fish wasn't overly battered. All in all, they did good on this dish.

Loco Moco (Beef, Eggs, Gravy)

This is all around the tastiest and fattiest thing I've ever had. It's a rice version of a hamburger (without the veggies). Soooooooooooo good! It's a Hawaii favorite!

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This is the place to go if you're looking to go for the tasty and none of the health. It was a fun and tasty experience.... once in a while! =0)

Taste ................ 4.5/5

Service .............. super fast

Atmosphere ................ Lots of character/Hawaiian

Food Review: Pinkberry (L.A & Las Vegas)

Pinkberry

My very first time

Tried it... and the verdict: Pretty good!

And compared to Menchies & Yogurts, I like that the toppings are included but the yogurt choices are limited and not very unique. But the yogurt itself is very creamy and very tasty.

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The menu

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FOOOOOOOOOOD PHOTOS

We got one with vanilla bean yogurt and toppings of sliced almonds, cookie dough and granola bits

(photo below)

Second one: Half chocolate/vanilla yogurt and toppings of sliced almonds, chocolate bites, brownie crumbs

(photo below)

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And I had a partner in crime. My curious nephew joined me in a quest for satisfying my sweet tooth:

You can already see the drool appearing on his lower lip! hehe

Runyon Canyon (West Hollywood)

Gorgeous view of the city, eh?! 

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Where to see it and... maybe get a run in as well? ;p

RUNYON CANYON PARK

City of Los Angeles Recreation & Parks Department

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This is a great park for all walks of life & wherever you are in your fitness goals.

However, even the easy route (which I tried) still gives you quite the workout.

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The Good/The Bad:

Good --> You can bring your dog(s) and kids (increases your workout) 

Bad --> Limited parking

Good --> Parking is FREE

!!! Get a load of the HOLLYWOOD sign !!!

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And sometimes... you never know who's jogging next to you. 

*I thought I saw you smiling at me, Actor Sean Faris. ;p 

Product Review: Maracuja Oil by Tarte

Here goes............ This is my first product review on a skin product I got from Sephora. Please bear with me. I will only be reviewing the effects of Tarte's maracuja oil on my Asian skin.

My skin type:

At the time, my skin around my chin was horrifically dry to where it was peeling

Thinking that an oil might work fast/better than any moisturizer, I decided to try Tarte's maracuja oil because there was a free deluxe sample with my purchase. Before this, I knew nothing about oils (which ones are good etc) and I had never heard of maracuja oil before I saw the sample online.

What is maracuja oil?

Maracuja oil is a nutrient-rich oil that has vitamin C and essential fatty acids which help to hydrate skin types such as sensitive, dry, and acne prone skin. It helps the skin to instantly brighten and look more radiant. And its said to promote active skin recovery and deliver maximum hydration without any greasy or filmy feel.

What's true/What's false (on my skin)

True | It's not greasy at all. Light and and not filmy feel.

False | It did not hydrate my dry skin (chin and jaw area)

My review | The oil was much too thin and watery to really have an effect on my super dry skin. I used it consistently for 1 week (2x a day, morning & evening) and it did not help to hydrate my skin. However, a few weeks later, I started using it again on a acne scar on my nose and it has kept the scar from drying up. I am pretty happy that it was overly oily and I am starting to see some healing. 

Overall, the product is only okay. It's not very strong and I feel that the descriptions from Ulta and Sephora are both pretty exaggerated. But for the lighter things, it's good to have handy. But to spend $48 for this oil is expensive and not very effective. 

I hope this has helped! 

Comment if you have any more questions! 

Recipe: Smoothie Kick

If you're needing that little boost to get your day started and you don't want to crash and burn with coffee, then here's your healthy and tasty fix.

SMOOTHIE with Vitamix

I'm not an expert on what's the best smoothie. I only like to mix up anything blend-able in my fridge. Luckily, we went grocery shopping, so we had quite the variety. 

Ingredients in the Vitamix

Almond Milk

2-3 Blackberries

1 apple

1/2 Beet

7-8 Strawberries

1 tbsp Ginger

1 Mango

2 Carrots

A couple ice cubes

And la voila! 

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My portions are good for 3-4 servings.

It's easy to make!

It's healthy!

It's nutritious!

Enjoy!

Now go and make one yourself!

Food Review: Fish House (Santa Barbara, CA)

(photograph from fishhousesb.com website)

FISH HOUSE IN SANTA BARBARA 

My first thought when I passed by this gorgeous restaurant was Pacey's restaurant in Capeside in the last episode of Dawsons' Creek. So chic yet filled with character.

This place is big and appropriate to have right by the ocean. =0)

(photograph from fishhousesb.com website)

Came here one weekend, and down the street we found this cozy "big" place.

Yelp had some good reviews and I liked that Yelp gave prices on certain items. After reading their reviews, we opted for take-out!

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The drive from our hotel was about.... one minute. =0)

Sorry for the lack of food photos (or any pleasing ones), but we were hungry!

No plates, so we made do with our take-out boxes.

Food we ordered:

Ahi Poke .......................... $12.95

(drizzled in sesame soy dressing, with ripe avocado, cilantro, cucumber salad, crispy wontons)

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese .............. $12.95

(Fresh Maine Lobster and macaroni pasta blended in a three cheese sauce, topped with panko bread crumbs and baked golden brown)

Sesame Wonton Crusted Mahi Mahi ........... $24.95

(Hawaiian mahi mahi rolled in sesame seeds and crispy wonton, served with pineapple-fried rice and sauteed seasonal vegetables, topped with roasted red pepper beurre blanc)

Everything tasted fresh and flavourful! I couldn't have enjoyed it more than I did. This was my first time trying Ahi Poke and I fell in love! It was soft and melted like butter! Surprisingly, the lobster mac and cheese took third place. It's not hard to see that since we are by the ocean and fresh fish is right there!

Overall, I absolutely loved this restaurant and would go again and again!

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5/5 stars

Price .............. $$$

Food Review: Diddy Riese (L.A)

How about a snack review!

Cookies anyone? Maybe.... Ice Cream Sandwiches too?!

Well, this is probably BETTER and CHEAPER than any Sprinkles cupcake or In-N-Out's' milkshake to satisfy ones sweet tooth.

Ice Cream Sandwich ........... $1.75

(Your choice of any 2 cookies, 1 scoop of ice cream)

A single Brownie ................... $0.75

A single cookie ..................... $0.35

3 Cookies .......................................$1.00

Ice Cream; 2 scoops ....................... $1.75

Ice Cream Sundae ................................... $1.75

Cookie Sundae ........................... $2.00

Hawaiian Shaved Iced ........................... $1.00 ($1.50 w/ scoop of ice cream)

Their cookies are soft and chewy! Just the way a cookie should be.

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But not only does the product and low cost lure one into the store, the store itself is old school (founded in 1983) and located in the heart of Westwood Village by UCLA. Perhaps, this is where the "Freshman 15" came about! ;O

And the choices are endless......

Ice Cream Flavours

Vanilla Bean

Cookie Dough

Rocky Road

Mint Chocolate Chip

Strawberry

Chocolate

Espresso Chip

Butter Pecan

Strawberry Cheesecake Chunk

Peanut Butter Cup

Chocolate Chip

 Cookies & Cream

Cookie Flavours

Chocolate Chip with Walnuts

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut

Peanut Butter

Double Chocolate Chip

White Chocolate Chip

Oatmeal Raisin Nut

Chocolate with White Chocolate

Sugar Cinnamon

Candy

Chocolate Chip

The ice cream comes from Dreyers. Very good! 

So what are you waiting for?! Make the trip and leave with a big and bright smile! =0)

Food Review: Five Star Seafood Restaurant 半島海鮮酒家 (San Gabriel, CA)

Heading down to San Gabriel for lunch, we go to a more familiar place.... DIM SUM, it's been a while.

Of course, being from Toronto, I didn't expect much from this place. hehe

We get to the top floor: big space!

The space is nice and pretty clean. 

The food is rolled out and lots of choices might I add.

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The plates are a good size and the food smells pretty good. Now... for the taste test:

The chicken feet: Just as good as any Scarborough (Toronto) restaurant

One of my favorite jelly cakes: Taste exactly like the one I had in Hong Kong... except it was a lot less sweet (not bad in my books).

But the taste test comes with a mouth full of "Egg Tarts"

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I like the flaky skin. It's not too oily and the filling tastes just like a real egg tart. hehe 

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the everything. 

Even the waitresses had a little "fun" in them while they were rolling their carts and making their dish items the best to buy.

So, if you're in L.A and looking for a good dim sum restaurant, look no further and head out to San Gabriels' FIVE STAR SEAFOOD RESTAURANT!

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