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Rockwall recently got a new cupcake place and I'm super psyched!! They opened a little before Thanksgiving, and I didn't get to go check it out until December. Not only do they make cupcakes, they also make their own breads, fruit bars, muffins, granola, and more. AND... everything is gluten and soy free. They also have items that are corn-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (to name a few). And they have vegan and paleo friendly options. They also use the purest and whole ingredients: organic and non-GMO flours, sugars, fats, dried fruits, nuts, eggs... This makes them healthy right?!?! :P
Unrefined Bakery
557 E I-30
Rockwall, TX 75087
(972) 948-2414
http://unrefinedbakery.com
Price: $
They started off in Dallas, I believe, but now they have a total of 5 locations across DFW. That's amazing! My reviews are only on the Rockwall location.
They offer a Cupcake of the Week "COW", every Friday at noon and sell it for the following week until they run out. I follow them on Instagram and Facebook so I usually find out what flavors are coming soon. Could be a dangerous thing. haha.
The first time I went in was for the new COW which was Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Sounds amazing... Walking in, the store is pretty bare. They have some tables and chair set up and some shelves on the side for the breads and granola. I wonder if they're going to do more with the decor. Looks quite unfinished compared to their other locations. It also smells a little weird, not like how a bakery normally smells. Not sure if that's got to do with the different ingredients?? But the people were super friendly. One person immediately came up to greet me, and gave me a general blurb about what they do and what they offer. I liked that. I think it's important to inform the public about what makes their products unique. I've gone into other gluten free bakeries before where the employees offered no info whatsoever. Why would I spend extra money buying your stuff, when I can get a cupcake elsewhere for a few bucks less? Right??
I proceeded to try a whole bunch of samples. Haha.. I wanted to try them all! But didn't want to be greedy. :P
Peppermint Hot Cocoa (chocolate cake with chocolate mint creme, peppermint unbuttercream, cocoa dust, shaved chocolate) $5~
I'm so shocked that their cupcakes are gluten free or vegan...it's so moist! I remember having my first gluten free cake years and years ago and it was like eating dry cardboard. The gluten free desserts have certainly improved tremendously! They always have samples in the store too. I tried regular gluten free versions as well as vegan, and honestly, I can't tell the difference. They're all really moist. I mostly got the peppermint for my fiance since he likes mint. I'm usually not a huge fan. But I liked this one, just enough hint of the peppermint without overpowering everything else. I also enjoy their unbuttercream. They don't use butter, hence the name. Always smooth and creamy. I've never minded the texture. In fact, I like it more than most super sugary frostings.
Loaded Monkey (peanut butter, banana, nuts) $5~ Can't go wrong with this combination of flavors. Really enjoyed this one.
Brownie. They told me this is like crack, cuz it's so good. I can't say it's THAT good, but I did like it. Popped it into the microwave for a few and devoured it. Couldn't tell that this was gluten free.
All their COWs are $5, as well as the Loaded Monkey which is a Specialty cupcake. A little pricey, but I understand the ingredients they use, and the dietary restrictions are more expensive.
I've gone back a few times after that. Usually the COW is what brings me to the shop. I like to try new and limited time items.
Black Forest (chocolate cake, dark cherry chocolate ganache filling, dark cherry unbuttercream) $5~
Super moist, as always. I actually wished there were more chunks of cherries. I think they chopped them too small. But other than that, yum.
Salted Caramel Pistachio (pistachio cake, salted pistachio cream filling, vanilla unbuttercream, caramel, salted pistachios) $5~
This was the previous week's COW. They only had a few left. I really liked this one. Normally not much of a caramel fan, but the texture and saltiness from the pistachio was great. My fiance didn't like it much so it was all mine!! For some reason he has an issue with the unbuttercream texture. I have no problems with it.
They also gave me a couple cookies for free! The cookies were super hard. But were pretty good once I warmed them up in the microwave. Nothing spectacular though. I'll stick to their cupcakes.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Aside from our EPIC feasting at the Austin Food + Wine Festival at the end of April. We also had regular meals and snacks! Duh! :P
My fiance really wanted to try Gourdough's. Last time in Austin we went to their restaurant and it was awesome. But the original is still their trailer with made-to-order donuts.
Gourdough's
1503 S 1st St.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 707-1050
http://gourdoughs.com/
Price: $
Like I said, it's sold out of a trailer, so all the seating is outdoors. So on a day like we went... 90+ degrees, it got hot quick! We ate a few bites and took the rest to go.
Naughty and Nice (rolled in cinnamon and sugar; served with honey butter) $4.75~ I tried to go a little "lighter" with this one since all their other ones are usually piled high with stuff. NOt sure if I succeeded since we poured honey butter on top. haha. They still have the best donuts. First of all, gigantic! And always warm and fluffy and fresh. And the dough is just the perfect texture.
Black Out (chocolate icing, brownie batter filling, brownie bites, with chocolate chips) $4.75~ My fiance wanted one with chocolate so I recommended this one. I had it over 10 years ago and I still dream about it. It is insane!! Talk about getting chocolate wasted!! It's phenomenal. Be sure you get a large glass of milk or something. It's over the top and glorious.
Needless to say, we did not finish these. haha. Gourdough's - 1, Us - 0. It lasted us a good 2 more days. Serious noms! If you haven't been there in Austin, I dunno where you've been. Definitely my favorite donuts ever!
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On the drive back towards Dallas, I realized that Baked by Amy's was a short detour from our route. Remember at the Austin Food + Wine Festival, they had given me a pair of coupons for free baked goods? Well... they ain't going to waste! :P
Baked by Amy's
13265 N Hwy 183
Austin, TX 78750
(512) 918-2253
http://www.bakedbyamys.com/
Price: $
The coupons were for a cupcake or bar from Amy's. We each chose a cupcake. Mexican Vanilla (left), Oreo (right)
They were pretty huge. Everything in there looked amazing. Too bad they were still baking the macarons when we were there otherwise we would've gotten some of those too. But yay to free food! Thanks Baked by Amy's!!! They made it all the way back to Dallas with us. We cracked them open that night. Nommy!!
Overall:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
I was finally able to go check out Trinity Groves a few weeks ago. It's been on my radar since forever and just never made it out there. I had planned to meet up with 2 friends for dinner on a Friday night. My fiance was busy so I was on my own to do some damage. :P
I tried to get to that area earlier so I could bypass the nightmare that is Dallas rush hour. And on a Friday... Unfortunately I didn't leave work early enough! Took me a little over an hour to make it down there. I was still quite early for dinner so I had planned to go check out Cake Bar. This is probably one of the places I was most excited about. I mean... it's a freaking cake shop, what could be better?
I did walk around Trinity Groves before going to Cake Bar, just to get an idea of the area. It's much smaller than I had expected, but it's still growing. Lots of patio seating, and cool places to chill with friends. Although, after the sun went down, there were more issues with flies and mosquitoes... you'd think they would have some lamps or torches for a place that has a ton of outdoor seating. Maybe they should look into that! *hint*hint*
Cake Bar
3011 Gulden Lane, Suite 117
Dallas, Texas 75212
(972) 684-5801
http://cakebardallas.com/
Price: $
Walking in, I was a little overwhelmed. You immediately see all the cakes on display. In front you have the refrigerated display case with all cakes of difference sizes. To the left is a bunch of cakes displayed at the window. I thought the layout of the shop was a bit confusing, with the displays wrapped around the middle area and the register is facing the inside wall of the store. I dunno, it would be better if it was more open.
I was the only customer in there... it was around 5:15PM. I wasn't really greeted when I walked in. There were a few employees in the shop. A couple were talking to each other and some were in the back prepping. I didn't really feel welcomed....
All the cakes look amazing, but I've read some reviews saying their cakes are really dry. :-/ But a friend recommended the red velvet, saying it's really good. I do like red velvet! So I decided to be safe since it was my first time there to get something I know will be good.
Their cakes are all made from scratch. They have 15+ flavors. They also sell a variety of pound cakes, quick breads, cookies, ice cream, and drinks. I had to resist the temptation of getting more than one thing. I was by myself and I was going to eat dinner in an hour! XP
Red Velvet Cake (moist red cake with a mild chocolate flavor, iced with cream cheese frosting) - 1 slice $4.50~ It was a pretty big slice. Although I wouldn't mind it being bigger. hehe. My friend was right. It's really good! Probably one of the better red velvets I've had in a long time. The cake was super moist. It was super red but didn't taste artificial at all. The best part was the frosting to cake ratio. It was perfect. I hate it when cakes have too much frosting. This was just enough and not overly sweet. I liked the addition of pecan bits in the frosting for some added texture. I enjoyed it a lot. If all their cakes are as good as this... this place will be around for a long time! It was so hard not to eat the whole slice too... Ackk! haha.
Hot Tea $2.50~ I also got a tea, which pairs well with desserts. They use Mighty Tea leaves which I really like. But I thought the size of their cups was almost comical. It was tiny! For $2.50?!? Damn... It's almost like the size of those cups you get at the water cooler. At least they let me get a refill on the hot water so I was able to get 2 cups out of it.
After I sat down, business picked up. There was a steady stream of people coming in. Most people got cakes to go though. Only a few stayed to eat it. I'm assuming they get more dine-in customers AFTER dinner time.
Service wasn't that great. There were only 3-4 tables and I was the only one sitting there for a while. No one asked how I was doing or how I'm liking the cake. They're lucky that the cake was good! Otherwise I would probably never go back again.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Last weekend I went to the OC for my cousin's wedding at Tustin Ranch. It was a beautiful wedding on a beautiful day and they are such a cute couple! Best wishes to them!
But being in a different city means trying new foods! :P I was traveling with family so didn't do the usual food fest like I normally would, but still got some yummy stuff.
Lunch on Friday started with dim sum. My parents and I were walking around this Asian shopping center and decided to go into this place.
Capital Seafood Restaurant
2700 Alton Pkwy #127
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 252-8188
http://irvine.capital-seafood.com
Price (lunch): $$
Turns out they were doing dim sum at the time. Sure! I haven't had it in a while.
Chinese Broccoli $4.25~ We got 2 orders of these. Always a favorite of mine. Super tender... even the stalks. Better than Dallas.
Pork Shu Mai (4) $3.25~ Giant shu mai. My dad wanted them. My mom and I don't really care for it, but I have to say it had pretty good flavor.
Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings (3) $2.25~ My dim sum favorite. Theirs was good. The outside was crispy with chewy mochi-like texture and slightly sweet. With the savory shrimp on the inside. I approve!
We initially went in this restaurant because my dad wanted some Cantonese soup noodles. Unfortunately they didn't have any. So we got some Singapore Seafood Vermicelli (thin vermicelli noodles, shrimp, BBQ pork, onion, cilantro, curry powder) $12~ Pretty big portion for lunch. Good flavors. The shrimp was tender and plump. Not bad at all.
We also got Preserved Egg and Pork Congee $9~ It was a pretty big bowl. But too much soup/rice, too little egg and pork. We basically scooped out all the eggs and left the rest. The pork was super salty. Tender but too salty. I've had way better.
Good start to the trip. My parents took my sister and her bf there again on Sunday after I left for the airport.
Overall Experience:
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In the same shopping center was 85°C Bakery Cafe. The main reason we were there. haha. Love this place!!
85°C Bakery Cafe
2700 Alton Pkwy.
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 553-8585
http://85cafe.us/
Price: $
From bottom left. Mocha Walnut bread, Bolo, Bread with dried shredded pork, Red Bean bread, Taro filled bread, Baked Custard bread, and Milk Custard bread (top right)
All together under $11.40~
The place was packed. Not a lot of different selection but good enough. You can't find most of these in Dallas. All delicious. The milk custard bread was my favorite.
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My sister and her bf flew in Friday night. She had specifically requested Japanese ramen while we're in Cali... so I wanted to take her to my favorite place in the whole world for ramen! I picked them up and went straight to Mitsuwa Marketplace. Can you believe that my favorite place is in the food court of a Japanese supermarket? It is amazing.
Mitsuwa Marketplace
665 Paularino Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-1101
http://www.mitsuwa.com/locations/costa-mesa/
Santouka Ramen
Shio Ramen (Salt ramen with special pork; Large) $11.40~
The pork is Toroniku, which is pork cheek. It is so tender with just the right amount of fat. It's like buttah!! The pork makes this my favorite. But the flavor of the broth and the texture of the noodles are also spot on. I went to the Santouka in Osaka, Japan and had the same thing and the ones in Cali were pretty damn close. Talk about consistency! So jealous of people who have access to a Mitsuwa. My sister approved. She can be quite picky sometimes. So yay! Win for me.
Some other vendor...
Her bf got a Katsudon (fried pork cutlet on rice) $7.50?~ It usually comes with egg on top but he said he didn't want it. Not very good... The pork cutlet was not crispy at all, and it was just over rice and some onions. Not very satisfying.
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After dinner, we decided to go check out the OC Night Market. A friend of mine told me about it right before I flew to Cali. We love night markets, so definitely wanted to go check it out.
OC Night Market
OC Fair and Event Center
88 Fair Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
http://www.626nightmarket.com/OCnightmarket/home.php
Parking $7~
Admission $5~
It sucks that we have to pay for parking and admission. Normal nightmarkets are free in Asia. But since this is more of a special festival.... AND we're on vacation. Let's do it!
We were all kinda full but I had a few places I wanted to check out. I had done some research online before going. Duh! :P
The main one I wanted to go to was Crunchy Boy. I wanted the Ube Lumpia (with green tea creme fraiche) $2.50~
Ube is basically purple yam. And lumpia is like a Filipino egg roll. It was so freaking amazing. Best thing ever!! Well maybe not ever, but definitely the best thing I had in the night market. I should've just given them all my money instead of trying other stuff. Still regretting it now. The green tea creme fraiche made the dish. It was like a mix between whipped cream and melted ice cream. It paired fantabulously with the crispy lumpia and sweet ube. Don't judge, but I totally licked the container to get the rest of the sauce... Just take all my money and gimme more!!!!!!!!
My sister wanted grilled squid. It's one of her favorite night market foods when we go back to Taiwan. We found Calvin's BBQ.
Grilled Squid on Skewer. Looked good and smelled even better. But the taste was meh. The seasoning wasn't what we expected. It was disappointing...
Hugo Foods
Fried Stinky Tofu (with sweet pickled cabbage) $5~
It sure smelled stinky! But good stinky tofu can be really tasty. My sister and I wanted to give it a shot. While waiting we heard someone say it's not as stinky as it should be. After trying it, we both agreed. Neither the smell or the taste was strong enough. I think the pickled cabbage should've been more sour than sweet. It was also meh.
The other place I was looking for was Belly Up because they had listed a green tea ice cream. Turns out it was a Coconut Slushy with Green Tea Ice Cream $6~
It sounded pretty cool so I gave it a shot still. It was an actual coconut with shaved ice and coconut water and then topped with green tea ice cream. They were packing up shop when we found them because they were pretty much sold out, but they were able to get one out for me. Presentation is great. A little messy to hold since the water down the sides of the coconut. The green tea ice cream was good. I wanted more tho. The ratio of the coconut water to the ice cream was off, and once I've mixed it all inside the coconut, it didn't have enough flavor.
I really should've just taken all the money I spent and gotten a bunch of the ube lumpias. [sad face] But oh well, at least I tried different things.
Overall Experience:
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Saturday night, after the wedding we had a big family dinner since a lot of my aunts, uncles, cousins are also in town. We also wanted to celebrate another cousin of mine who recently go married too but didn't have a reception.
Shanghailander Palace
1695 S Azusa Ave.
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 839-7777
We had 2 large round tables. The food came family style on a lazy susan. My dad was the one that ordered for everyone. The food was pretty tasty! We all liked it. But according to my mom, it was laced with MSG. She's allergic so she really couldn't eat much of anything...
Shanghai Style Braised Pork. Supa fatty pork. No other way is better! :P
Eggplant in Clay Pot
Black Pepper Beef
Sweet and Sour Short Ribs
Tofu and Seafood Soup
Crispy Chicken
Xiao Long Bao (pork soup dumplings)
Mixed Veggies and Rice
Sauteed Eel
Tempura Fish. The tempura batter had seaweed in it. Added some unique flavoring. It was good!
Black Sesame Ball in Wine Soup
Overall Experience:
We were all stuffed after the meal. It was really great to see all my relatives. Most of whom I haven't seen in over 6 years!
Overall a good trip! Just too short! I flew home Sunday morning...
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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