Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai (aka chu chu)

Pho Xe Lua Viet Thai (907 Race Street) is one of my go to and favorite restaurants in Philadelphia. It is delicious and reasonably priced. The only thing is that it might not be the cleanest restaurant but it is not the dirtiest either. Recently, when I went there it appears they have upgraded their tables and walls so it a looks a little cleaner and nicer now. On their menu, they have a vegetarian section. My two favorite dishes were the vegetable rice noodle soup and vegetable pad thai.

Vegetable Rice Noodle Soup

On that specific day, I got the vegetable rice noodles. It was delicious as usual. The broth was flavorful. I added some hot sauce to make the noodle soup spicy which completed the dish for me. The vegetable were fresh, not over cooked, and had a crunch which is exactly how I like my vegetables. There was more than ample amounts of noodles, vegetables, and tofu for the price I paid. It was a hearty meal that I would recommend especially during cold days. But no matter what the weather is like, this is a great meal nonetheless.

Dining with friends at 1518 Bar and Grill

I never ate at 1518 Bar and Grill (1518 Samsom Street) My friends suggested we come here for dinner one day after work. The establishment's name was really appropriate- 1) Their building number was 1518. 2) They had a bar 3) Some items on their menu were grills. The atmosphere was nice and quiet when we went. We did an early dinner at 5PM so the place was might still be a little slow. It would probably get busier later.

Heaven's Garden

I got the Heaven's Garden.It came with  grilled zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomato sauce, and swiss cheese.  I thought the name was well suited because it was a veggie sandwich after all. In addition,  I can totally see zucchinis, eggplants, and peppers growing together at a garden. With the sandwich, you can choose to get it with fries or a side salad. I chose the unhealthy route that day and got fries. The fries were good. They were somewhat thick and crispy. The sandwich remind me of eggplant parm inside bread except there were swiss cheese instead of parmesan, the eggplant was not breaded and fried, and there were additions of grilled zucchini and peppers. I thought the sandwich was overall tasty and would consider ordering it again. 

T- Swirl

T-Swirl (150 N. 10th Street) is a newly opened Japanese Crepe place in Philadelphia Chinatown. I would admit at first I underestimate how awesome this place was going to be. This place might be a chain because on the receipt it has it's Flushing, NY address listed. The selections were great. There were both sweet and savory crepes. I felt like there was something for everyone on the menu. The crepes were also made with rice flour and gluten free.

Green Matcha Red Bean and Chocolate Nut Patty

I got the Green Matcha and Red Bean crepe. Inside the crepe was basically red bean paste, matcha custard cream, and whipped yogurt. It was topped with matcha gelato, sliced almonds, sliced strawberries, and chocolate pocky sticks. The gelato was creamy and rich in matcha tea flavor and tasted really good with the thin and somewhat crispy crepe. I enjoyed the crepe alot. Next time I think I am going to try one of the savory crepes.

I also got a chance to taste my friend's Chocolate Nut Patty. It came with almond, crushed pistachio, chocolate gelato, chocolate truffles, chocolate sauce, whipped yogurt, chocolate custard cream, chocolate pearl, and chocolate pocky sticks,. It was very chocolaty. According to my friend, each bite was full of chocolate which can be a little overwhelming after eating about half of the crepe. This crepe is definitely for people who are avid chocolate lovers.

Ray's Cafe & Tea House

Vegetable Dumplings

Ray's Cafe & Tea House (141 N. 9th Street) Vegetable dumplings were definitely homemade and tasty. I thought it was kind of pricey but worth it. They appeared streamed but the bottom appeared to be pan fried. I cannot differentiate what was inside the dumplings but nonetheless there delicious and kind of additive. It came with dumpling soy sauce and hot sauce. 

Iced House Blend Coffee

The House Blend Coffee was good. It came with milk and sugar liquid on the side and of course i added both in. Not sure, if it was the coffee itself or if it was the sugar water that really made this coffee delicious for me. The coffee even came with a cookie on the house.

Brunch Again- Little Spoon Cafe

We wanted brunch and Little Spoon Cafe (1500 South Street) was nearby. So guess where we went to eat? I got the Avocado Toast and I also shared the Carrot Cake Waffle with my friend. I enjoyed both of them very much. 

Avocado Toast

The Avocado Toast was very simple. The mixed green salad had a very light dressing that you can barely taste which I am okay with. The avocado on the toast was creamy and might have only been lightly seasoned with salt. The duck egg was cooked sunny sided up. I never had duck egg before but it just tasted like a regular chicken egg to me.The bread was somewhat well toasted. I thought the components of the avocado toast were very simple but went really well together. I might try to make this one day but maybe with a regular egg. 

Carrot Cake Waffles

The Carrot Cake Waffle was delicious. It came with ginger syrup, topped with whipped cream cheese, and candied carrot pieces. I thought the cream cheese and ginger syrup completed the carrot cake waffles well. The waffle were not crispy as I hoped it would be but nonetheless it was still good. It was not too sweet or overbearing with spices that are usually in carrot cake (eg. cinnamon, clove, etc.) and it had raisins in it which was a plus. I am glad we tried this waffle. It makes me wonder how good the other waffles are at this place are. 

Veggie Skillet at National Mechanics

After working out one day, we decided to head to National Mechanics (22 S. 3rd Street) to try their skillets. I got the veggie skillet and it was delicious. The ingredients were so simple yet it was made so good. I am definitely going to come back for more or I am going to try make it myself. 

Veggie Skillet

The veggie skillet came with two poached eggs, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, oaxaca cheese, and potatoes. When you break the poached eggs, the yolk oozes over the potatoes and veggies. The way the potatoes were cooked were delicious and addictive. It tasted like little cube French fries. I never had oaxaca cheese before. I thought it was chewy and good. The vegetables were tendered and well flavored. I just love how everything went so well together in the dish. And the egg yolk from the poached egg really added to the dish. This was very satisfying. 

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Cooling my black bean burgers

So I have been buying too much lunch lately and it's been burning holes in my pockets as well as taking a toll on my body (figure). I decided I will try my best to make and bring lunch. This week I have decided to make my own bean veggie burgers. Check out my recipe below. This actually produced about 12 patties.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz canned of black beans (I got the no salt added from Whole Foods)
2 cups of raw brown rice
Water to cook the brown rice
a cup of diced red pepper
a cup diced small onion
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
chilli powder
2 eggs
3 tablespoons of flour
salt to taste

Instructions:
1) Wash the brown rice and cook it in the rice cooker.
2) Mix the beans, cooked rice, red peppers, onions, garlic, and chilli powder together and put in the food processor. I actually had to divide the ingredients up in equal portions to put in the food processor because my food processor was too small. Grind everything together until you get a thick paste-like consistency.
3) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add in the eggs into the mixture and stir.
4) Add the flour and salt and mix together until everything looks well incorporated.
5) Add some oil to a frying pan and heat up the pan and oil on medium to high heat.
6) Once the pan is hot, use a spoon to scoop two good size chunks to make a pattie. Use the spatula to help shape the patties. I was able to cook 4 patties a time on my pan.
7) Cook each side for a few minutes until the patties appear a little darker.
8) Once cooked transfer to a plate. Eat it by itself or eat it will bread or freeze them for later. I actually waited until they cooled and individually wrapped each on with saran wrap and placed them in a large freezer bag to freeze.

Eating my black bean burger with an English muffin