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

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: IN-N-OUT (L.A)

Franchise or no franchise, 

IN-N-OUT 

is a burger joint that serves up delicious burgers.

You might yourself, why is this place so famous/popular? Is it just the hype? Are their burgers REALLY the best? Well.... to native Angelenos, YES! But for people like me, who are just visiting, YES!

Why?

It's not your typical fast food joint that works like a fast food joint.

Their stuff is FRESH TASTING. I love that you can see how the make everything through their open concept kitchen and windows (photo below). 

Their burgers aren't frozen and pre-made and they taste that way.

"Double Double"

Double meat patty and two slices of cheese (photo above)

Cheeseburger (photo above)

Different meals, I've tried the single and the double, and I've got to admit, the single cheeseburger is already very filling. The double is only for when you're hungry-enough-to-eat-a-horse.

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When I had my first bite, I was expecting "fast food" burgers... i.e. flat burger patty, very weak looking lettuce and tiny circles of tomatoes. But that's not the case. It was like I ate a burger at a friends' bbq. And the bun isn't flimpsy but tough enough to hold the burger until the last couple of bites.

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Aside from a great burger, I love how they package it for you. It's snuggled into a pouch so you can easily take it out of the bag and just go at it. And cute, but not as necessary, they have a reading section on the burger pouch about how they began and what's In-N-Out about!

And it doesn't hurt that the prices are fast-food BEST!

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Double-Double - $3.30

Cheeseburger - $2.25

Hamburger - $1.95

French Fries - $1.60

Shakes - $2.05

For me, the best thing about coming is on a Cheat Day! Then I get to order a well-deserved regular milkshake (and only costs $2)! And it's sooooooo great! It's thick and creamy and all the bad-good stuff you love!

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This hyped up spot actually was true to its gossip. I loved it and I would come back every Cheat Day I can get!

Thanks for the love In-N-Out!

Food Review: 208 Rodeo (Beverly Hills, CA)

It was a very special treat from my sister. We had a girls day out! We ate breakfast at a very classical and trendy looking restaurant called 208 Rodeo on Rodeo Drive.

This quaint restaurant had a jammed packed patio. This is the perfect location for people watching while enjoying your meal. 

Today, we went to 208 Rodeo for breakfast. It's a typical breakfast menu with your fruits, pancakes/waffles and eggs -made different ways.

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Our table ordered a variety of items

208 Benedict - on a toasted croissant, Canadian bacon, marinated grilled tomato, poached egg, tarragon hollandaise sauce & a side of cut fruits ($13)

My Eggs Benny dish: I loved how decadent this dish was with the croissant. The hollandaise sauce was pretty creamy -not the best I've had but pretty close. Since I've had my share of Eggs bennys' I thought the chef did a good job.

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El Huevos Rancheros - black bean puree, roasted tomato salsa, corn tortilla, sunny side up eggs, melted cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado ($12)

I had a taste of this and this was VERY GOOD! It wasn't overly salted and it was super filling. The black bean puree was smooth and very tasty.

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Shakshuka on a skillet - broiled sunny side up eggs served over a Mediterranean roasted tomato & bell pepper confit with whole wheat toast ($12) 

The sauce reminder of a red sauce for pasta. It looked really good and appetizing, but it was too tomato-y. Overall, it was a so-so dish. 

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The whole experience, especially my first time in L.A let alone 90210, this restaurant was a lot of fun. There's a walkway that runs past it and flows down a very elegant (and wide) walkway where you can watch passerby shopping. Surrounding this little niche of restaurants are many other that are just as nice, but only 208 Rodeo gives you the high-rise corner view that really makes it great to sit and enjoy from.

My first time was very good. Only complaint, an automatic charge of 15.5% taxes added to your bill if under a party of 6 (over 6 they charge 18%). I wonder if all Beverly Hills restaurant do the same thing?!

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Food Review: Mama Lu's Dumpling House (L.A)

Mama Lu's is one of the first places I went to while exploring Monterey Park, CA.

It's a small chain restaurant with 3 Mama Lu's on the same street, not too far from each other. But it was BIG difference when we checked out 2 of them. The decorum and style were complete opposites. The new one that we went to is very spacious and modern looking.

New Mama Lu's (left) | Older-looking Mama Lu's (right)

A look inside their menu:

It was a good size menu. =0) 

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Our food list for the night....

You can't go to a dumpling house and NOT have Shao Long Bao

Taste: It was pretty good. The soup inside tasted good, but it wasn't hot enough. It was luke warm.

Shanghai Style Chow Mein (photo below)

Quite honestly, this was a bust. Being from Toronto, Canada where Chinese food is ALWAYS great (especially in Scarborough, Ontario). The dish lacked all taste. It was bland and very oily. 

Our last dish, did not save the day. An order of the Seaweed Fried Fish. It was over battered and not cripsy. 

Overall, it was quite disappointing in every dish. But I was told that, same dishes, were made better at the older Mama Lu's down the street.

Give it another chance? We'll see.

1/5 stars