MARCH: La La Land Kind Cafe

So... I was actually a little worried on my pick for March. I have had some good food but nothing came to mind on what to feature. But then my friend told me about this coffee shop called La La Land Kind Cafe that was having their soft opening around the end of March. I was like "huh?" I've never heard of this place, but the day after, I saw an article out on it. Turns out this is the new business venture by Francois Reihani, one of the minds behind Pok the Raw Bar, my FAVORITE poke place. He also went on to open Bar Stellar. This guy just has the talent for business ideas. I DEF gotta check this place out!

Soft opening was on March 23rd. As I drove up this neighborhood road behind Lower Greenville, I see this bright white house. Incredibly cute and cheerful. With a white picket fence and everything! When you walk in, OMG, the cutest. The white and bright yellow accents, it just cheers you up. I remember it was kind of an overcast, meh day, but the colors at La La Land will make you smile. :) Oh.. and they have a doggy friendly area on the side of the house. D'awwww!

La La Land Kind Cafe
5626 Bell Ave.
Dallas, TX 75206
(214) 579-9550
https://lalalandkindcafe.com/
Price: $-$$

As soon as you enter, several people greet you. You order at the counter, they give you a number, and they bring the food and drinks out to you. Guess what, they have an entire menu section for MATCHA! Pok gets the best matcha, so they must have high grade matcha powder here as well. They have some very interesting combinations of flavors too. The other half of the menu are different coffee offerings. They also have a really interesting loose leaf tea section (which I discovered 3 visits later. haha.) Plus they have most of the available Alternative Milks (almond, oat, coconut, soy) +$0.75~

On our first visit, it was so hard to pick what to order. We went with what was prettiest. :P
Campfire Latte (toasted marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker, hot) $5.20~ The melted marshmallow over the edge of the cup is such a cute idea. My friend ordered this and I got to try it. It's really good!

French Toast Latte (cinnamon, maple syrup, hot or iced) $5.20~ This is the cutest!! They've really got the presentation down. Flavor wise, you can definitely taste the cinnamon but I'm not sure if I think french toast when I drink it... still tasty tho!

La La Avocado Toast (mashed avocado, lemon, red pepper flakes, cilantro garnish) $6.20~ I think the price has increased on this btw... but I forgot to snap a pic of the menu last time I was there. The bread they use for the toasts is really great with the avocado. I love the crispy edges, and it's a hearty toast. It's one of the only savory options on the menu right now. I'm hoping they'll add more food options soon!

Banana Brulee Toast (hazelnut spread, caramelized bananas) $5.50~ OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. I mean, just look at the picture. It tastes just as decadent as it looks. So simple... nutella and bruleed bananas, but just perfect.

Chocolate Chip Cookie $4~ And then I fell in love even more. This cookie, y'all. It's the best (and worst*) thing to happen to me in the past month. It is my dream cookie. HUGE, for one. Perfectly crispy on the outside with so many nooks and crannies. I have no idea how they make it that perfect on the outside. Inside is still soft, but NOT under baked. It's my idea of a perfectly textured cookie. And of course chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favorite. When it comes to you warm... ERMUHGUH! I can't contain my drool right now. *The reason I say it's the worst thing to happen to me is because, within 1 week of their opening... ONE... I had about 5 cookies. XD Bye bye, beach bod! Haha.

Thanks for the hat!! :D

At the end of our first visit, we each got a matcha drink to go.

Matcha Latte (iced) $3.50~ I felt like there wasn't enough matcha. But I have been informed that since the soft opening, they have increased the amount of matcha in the lattes. Gotta give it another try!

Strawberry Fields Matcha (matcha latte, strawberry, beetroot, hot or iced) $5.20~ Pretty! And really delicious. I'm kind of a matcha purist so I don't like to mix things with it, but this was a really good combo.

Here are some other menu items I've tried throughout my many visits. I think in the first 2 weeks I was there almost every other or every 2 days. :P

Flat Green $3.50~ This is matcha with milk, but the ratio is less than a latte so you get a stronger matcha flavor. Loved it.

Mighty Mocha (cold brew, espresso, cacao, iced) $5.20~ I wanted to try this since I love mochas. But WHEW! Too much coffee for me. This is definitely not for weak hearted! There's a lotta coffee and caffeine in there, folks. For those of you that get 3+ shots of espresso in your drinks, this may be for you! They were nice and gave me a regular mocha instead.

Breakfast Empanada (baked egg, bacon, potato) $4~ I liked this. It went well with the salsa they gave me on the side. I just wanted more! It's definitely not enough to fill you up if you want it as a meal. Better order like 4+. haha.

Ice Blended Drink (espresso base, thin mint flavor) $5~ It was a warm day, so I wanted something cold. This was yummy! Wished it was a bit creamier though. Definitely tasted the chocolate mint flavors.

So... do you love it as much as I do yet? If not, this will get ya. La La Land Kind Cafe serves a much bigger purpose than just serving us great drinks and foods. It supports Reihani's nonprofit, We Are One Project, which "provides the right tools for businesses to come together and employ foster youth". "La La Land is a training ground for aging out foster youth. At La La Land they will learn the basic the fundamentals of job skills. Timeliness, cleanliness, customer relations, productivity, and teamwork." (from We Are One Project website). SO. FREAKING. GREAT. This is definitely a mission and business I can stand behind. And as long as they keep making those cookies... just TAKE ALL MY MONIES! :P

This place has been packed every single day since it's opened, so I'm sure a lot of you already know about it. But what great concept, purpose, and quality. The menu is 100% organic, btw. No big. Haha. Plus they're open early, and they close late. Perf.

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

FEBRUARY: The Henry

My favorite restaurant of February is The Henry! Very new to Dallas, it only opened in February, and it's already wowed me. This is another restaurant under Fox Restaurant Concepts, the restaurant group that brought us North Italia, True Food Kitchen, and Flower Child... some of my favorite places! So I can't say I was surprised that I loved this place.😄

The Henry
2301 N Akard St., Ste 250
Dallas, TX 75201
(972) 677-9560
Price (brunch): $$-$$$$

First of all, the decor is on point. Upon walking in, I already knew I loved it. They called this a "blend of Gatsby-era elegance and modern industrial cool". The color scheme is dark blues and deep wood. It automatically makes you wanna order an Old Fashioned and hang out. They also have a separate coffee and pastry counter. So if you didn't want to have a full sit down meal, you can just order there. And lemme tell you... their pastry selection looks GOOD! One of everything please!!

I've been to The Henry twice since they opened, both times for brunch (Sat & Sun 10AM-3PM). So I am combining the foods from both visits in this post. I highly recommend you reserve because they are slammed! There goes my idea of going there everyday to hang out/read and eat. Haha.

For those who go to brunch for the drinks :P they have a Bloody Mary Cart $13~. How fun is that? They also make mimosas at the cart too. Classic Mimosa $10~ They have various flavors for the mimosas.

Short Rib Potstickers (toasted sesame, yuzu ponzu) $14~ 

This was so tasty, I had it both times. The texture of the potsticker wrapper and meat were both great. The best thing though, that sauce! They need to use that sauce on more dishes! The only complaint... I want more than just 6! Ha!

Brussels Sprout Caesar (romaine hearts, toasted torn bread) $12~ 

Another one that was so good I ordered it the 2nd time. Perfectly dressed, not too heavy, the flavors were just right. I loved the mix of brussels sprouts in there. And you know what... dip those brussels in the potsticker sauce. Yeah! Takes it to another level. They should really do a side dish of brussels sprouts in the yuzu ponzu. *Hint Hint*

Bread Pudding French Toast (caramel apple, chantilly cream, pecan) $10~ 

This dish is Vegetarian btw. And holy crap, this plate for just 10 dollars?! I think this is the best bang for the buck on their brunch menu. We got it for the table to share. There are layers in the slices of bread... almost croissant like? The use of pecans in the bread is great too. It's like it was pressed into the bread. Freaking love this dish. Highly recommend!!

Smashed Avocado Toast (crushed egg, farmhouse cheddar, poppy seed, crispy onion) $9~

This is also Vegetarian. Beautiful toast, great flavors. I especially liked the crushed egg on top.

Scottish Salmon (toasted grain risotto, roasted beet, marcona almond pesto, sherry pomegranate molasses) $27~

I believe this is also on the dinner menu. What a beautiful dish! Vibrant colors and flavors. I loved the roasted beats with the marcona almonds. The salmon was cooked perfectly. Quite filling without feeling too heavy.

Korean Prime Skirt Steak (double egg fried rice, bok choy, snow pea, pickled shiitake, spicy ginger butter) $32~ 

This dish is Gluten Free. Loved all the flavors in here, especially that spicy ginger butter. The skirt steak is a pretty lean cut of meat just FYI. This was like their most expensive dish on the brunch menu. I think that's pretty cool.

Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich (green chile slaw, dill pickle, pepper jack cheese) $14~ 

It also comes with a side, so we chose the Parmesan Truffle Fries which were so addicting! The sandwich looked incredible! I liked everything about it except that it was not spicy at all. Haha. But it was fried well and the flavors were good. And those fries! OMG... could not stop eating them.

Since I've been eyeing the coffee/pastry counter since we arrived, I had to try some stuff right?

Go North (espresso, cocoa, cream; served neat and cold) $5~ 

I got this on the first visit. Such a dainty drink. I felt really sophisticated drinking this. Haha. Also, loved it. My husband loved it too and ordered another for himself (AFTER he drank half of mine! LOL!) It's like a frothy dark chocolate/espresso milk. Yum!

The Dropout (espresso, colombian drip, chocolate, caramel, au lait) $5~ 

The second time I chose a hot drink. Surprisingly not too sweet, which is great. My coffee of choice are mochas so this is just like an elevated mocha. Stir it from time to time though, as the caramel sinks to the bottom.


Ham and Cheese Croissant, Almond Croissant, Nutella Rugelach, and Cream Cheese Danish? 

The first time we went was during their soft opening. As the brunch service was ending, the manager came by and asked us if we wanted any pastries since they were not open for dinner. Heck yea!! OMG, she gave us EACH a box of goodies. I really wanted to try the Almond Croissant and IT WAS TO DIE FOR! Best almond croissant I have ever had. You can quote me on that. Please don't EVER change the recipe!! The other pastries were good too. And apparently the almond croissant sells out fast! I was not able to get any the 2nd time I went. T_T

Sticky Caramel Roll. 

This was the last one when I went the 2nd time, so I snagged it! It definitely lives up to its name! Very sticky and caramel-y. I kinda wished it was warmed up a little... I think that would've made it better. I liked the flavor, but it really was quite sticky, making it a little hard to eat. But the inside has layers, like a fusion of a croissant and roll.

Loved it all! The service was also top notch. They had a few kinks during the soft opening, but all the servers and managers and anyone who's walking around and working were all SO nice and accommodating. It's no wonder they call this "The Greatest Neighborhood Restaurant". I really want to hang out there all day. Their rooftop area opens at 4PM btw... it seems cool but I haven't actually made it up there to scope it out. I also think the menu offers a variety of foods to appease everyone. They have many dishes that are vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free friendly. 

I love you, Fox Restaurant Concepts. My friend from Phoenix keeps saying we also need a Culinary Dropout! *HINT HINT* :D

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Whisk Crepe Cafe

If you love French crepes, you've gotta go check out Whisk Crepes Cafe at Sylvan Thirty. The owner, Julien, is French, and this is about as close to being in Paris as you can get. :)

*FYI: He's got a 2nd location, called Whisk & Eggs, opening in the new Legacy Food Hall (Legacy West) in Plano THIS WEEK!! Be sure to check that out too! He's gonna be serving up more than crepes there! I can't wait to try the egg sandwiches.*

Whisk Crepes Cafe
1888 Sylvan Ave. F120
Dallas, TX 75208
(469) 407-1899
www.whiskdallas.com
Price: $$

I had been to Whisk Crepes when they first opened and was very impressed with the quality and flavors of their crepes. I was very excited when I got invited to check them out again. I rarely go to Sylvan Thirty area so I haven't really been back. The place is really small. Intimate and quaint, I'd say. But I wouldn't take more than 2-3 people with you at a time. They also cook all crepes to order, so be prepared to wait a little bit. You're in France now... you have to learn to slow down, sit back, and relax. :P

I met Julien when we arrived. He actually remembered me from my previous visit. :) We sat down and got served some waters and waited for him to take care of the table that was there before us. When he came to us, he asked if we drank... I don't, but my friend did. But Julien insisted that I needed to try their French Cider. Sure... why not. :P He explained the cider to us a little bit. It's made from fermented apples. And it's gluten free btw.

Domaine Dupont Reserve. Cider from Normandie. Matured six months in Calvados Casks. 6.9% ABV. 

This was delicious. I was surprised I liked it since I don't like most wines, ciders, alcohol basically. haha. It wasn't even super sweet like the moscatos I drink. But there was no bite from the alcohol, no sour aftertaste like wine. Just smooth. And you get hints of the fermented flavor at the end... and in the smell. But I'm Chinese, I love fermented stuff. As does my friend, he's Vietnamese. It's seriously good stuff. Initially I only told him to pour me a little taster. I actually refilled my glass! He said the cider pairs really well to the buckwheat crepes. I started feeling it pretty quickly though. haha. I'm a super lightweight. Time to get some food in my belly!

They have "Wine Wednesday" specials FYI. When I was there it was $4 glass of wine, and $3 mimosas.

Julien started recommending some of their items. The first one he mentioned. The smoked brisket, was one of the ones we were looking at. Done!

Smoked Brisket (queso fresco, mozzarella, pickles, jalapenos, bbq cream; in a buckwheat crepe) $12~ 

Buckwheat has a more earthy flavor and is gluten free. It's great with savory crepes. He said the smoked brisket actually works with both types of crepes, the flour one just adds a sweet and savory combo. The brisket is sourced locally from Lockhart BBQ in Bishop Arts, one of my favorite BBQ places in town. You get the smokiness right off the bat. The pickles and jalapenos complimented well to the meat. We enjoyed this a lot.

He also mentioned their special that day. Which was also the other one we were looking at. haha.

Special of the Day: Monte Cristo (turkey, ham, gruyere, dijon mustard; served with a side of strawberry preserves; in a flour crepe) $11~ 

Flour crepes have a more sweet nature... reminicent of a thin pancake. It's great for sweet crepes, or if you want more of a sweet and savory combination. Since normal Monte Cristos are already sweet and savory, it makes sense to use the flour crepe for this. I never order Monte Cristos because they are like heart clogging monstrocities. haha. Typically they are ham and cheese, and sometimes turkey too, sandwiches that are battered, deep fried, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served with a side of jam. Whew... they're soooo heavy. But it wasn't the case with this. I LOVED it. One of the best crepes I've ever had. It had all the positives of a Monte Cristo with none of the heavy, heart-clogging parts. The crepe was much lighter than bread, and the flour crepe was perfect with the ham as well as the preserves. The strawberry preserves are a French brand, so staying with the theme. I can eat this every morning, noon, and night. I told him he MUST put this on the regular menu.

Of course we had to have dessert. I already had two options in my head when he mentioned their special of the day...

Special Sweet of the Day: Belgium Cookie Butter & Bananas (with coffee whipped cream, caramel, and Biscoff cookie crumble). Um. I'll take that. Yes. Thank you. 

I freaking love cookie butter. It was delicious. The coffee whipped cream made it. It wasn't too sweet so the bitterness from the coffee helped to balance the sweetness of the cookie butter and caramel. He said his inspiration is that when you're in Europe and you order coffee, they generally give you a little cookie or Biscoff on the side. I hope he puts this on the regular menu too. haha.

This visit was even better than the last! Not only did I get to try some amazing new crepes, I also discovered an alcohol that I enjoyed! Next time you go, I highly recommend you get the French Cider to go along with your crepes.

Thanks for having us, Whiske Crepes. I'll be back for that Monte Cristo! :)

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own.*

Quality of Food:

Service:

Ambiance: 

Value: (comped)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Vietnam Part I: Binh Duong: a Wedding, and Ho Chi Minh City

I went to Vietnam for the first time even in August to attend my bff's wedding. A group of us went so we decided to make a trip out of it. I'm splitting my post up in two otherwise there would be too much to scroll through!!

Part I will be Binh Duong (where the wedding was), and Ho Chi Minh City (we stayed there for 3 nights, then back for 1 night before heading home). Part II is our 5 nights in Hanoi. Forgive me when I try to write out the food names. I really have no clue with the language. haha. And I've tried to include prices so you can see how cheap the food generally is in Vietnam. Most of our meals were $3 or less a person I think. The exchange rate when we were there was USD $1 to 22,670 VND. You do the math...


Wedding - Binh Duong

After the Morning Ceremony, tables were set up literally on the side walk in front of the bride's house for lunch. This is how people dine in Vietnam. A lot of eating outside.

A lot of things I've never had before...

Drunken Shrimp (steamed with beer). The shrimp are live in the pot. They're basically get drunk on the beer and get steamed til they're fully cooked. You kinda have to keep your hand on the lid. They like to jump!

Grilled Deer. First time having deer. It's quite good!

After the lunch we went back to the hotel. Tried to go to the pool, but it started raining. So more eating it is! :P

Snacks at Becamex Hotel
Fresh Coconut Juice
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Papaya Smoothie

Bánh Xèo

At the Wedding Reception we got a multi-course meal. Very typical to Asian dinner receptions.
Corn Soup
Appetizers. (Left) Mushroom filled, (Right) Pork on Sugarcane

Drunken Shrimp. They seem to really like this dish.

Fried Soft Shell Crab. Really yum. Quite a lot of meat in them.

Beef Curry (with bread). I loved this dish. The beef was so tender.

Chicken Soup/Hotpot

There were more courses after this, but we left to go take pictures then went back to the hotel. Apparently at Vietnamese receptions, people just come to eat, then go home. There's no dancing or party after. Which totally works for me cuz I was running on about 8 hours of total sleep in the past 3 days...

The day after wedding... walked around the hotel just to see what's around. Found a Gong Cha. It's funny that I haven't even been to the ones in Dallas, and I come to Vietnam to have it. haha.
Gong Cha. We had a lot of boba tea, y'all...
Probably the worse experience for boba this trip. My drink tasted like heavy cream, it was gross.

Snack. Some random cafe.
Sauteed Ramen Noodles (with beef). Surprisingly delicious, and it was like $2 USD!

-----------------------------------
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 


Tan Lap - Coffee & Juice
Oreo Coffee?

Pho. 65,000 VND

Stuffed Cuttlefish

Crispy Noodles

Beef Stew

Sauteed Water Spinach. 60,000 VND

Fried Rice

Sesame Chicken Wings

Fried Chicken Wings with Garlic 90,000VND

Hàng Dương Quán - quận 7. My friends' family friend owns this restaurant, and many more around town. They serve a lot of fresh seafood. You can see the tanks lined up at the front with all the fresh fish. He treated us to lunch which was so nice of him. :)

He asked if we were adventurous eaters. I said no bugs, otherwise I am. Same with the others. And what does he bring us?? Live Coconut Worms. (I posted a video on my CHOMP! Facebook page.) They feed on coconut trees. And apparently taste like cheese. Ugh. Ok... technically these aren't bugs... but I'd put them in the same group. And they're moving. BLECHHHH! I could barely look at them much less eat them. Yuck! XP We all chickened out, but I couldn't do it, so I won't make others do it. 

Grilled Shrimp on a Stick

Seafood Eggrolls

Sauteed Squash

Seafood wrapped in Tofu. This was my favorite.

Beef Rolls

450+ lb. Catfish. Yowza.

Geoduck. Teehee... they look funny. :P

We got a tour of the place. They have a lot of themed private dining rooms. Pretty impressive!

We found this next place because we were looking for a place to do Afternoon Tea, or High Tea. But we didn't realize we had to reserve in advance for the actual high tea. So we just ordered a la carte. Which turned out fantastic. This was such a great find! We loved it so much we came back again the morning we were flying out to Hanoi.

Villa Royale Downtown - Antiques & 

Tea Room

Pot of Tea for 1 - 95,000 VND
Pot of Tea for 2 - 175,000 VND
We tried many flavors of tea. They had so many selections so it satisfied all our different taste buds. And how cute are the teapots and cups? Pinkies up!

Between our 2 visits, I think we tried most of their desserts... definitely all the cheesecakes cuz they were phenomenal. All made by their in-house chefs, btw.

Hershey's PB and Chocolate Cheesecake - 100,000 VND

Wild Blueberry Ripple Cheesecake - 95,000 VND. This was one of the favorites, so we ordered this twice.

Short Bread Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Scones (with jam and chantilly cream)

Hazelnut Tart (with ganache)

Dalat Raspberry Cheesecake - 95,000 VND

Oreo Cheesecake

Australian Meat Pie. 

The owner of the tea house is from Australia, so this is probably pretty authentic. It was great chatting with her too. Since I don't spead Vietnamese, my conversations were usually limited to those in my travel group. Finally someone new that speaks English! hehe. Cheers!

Marukame Udon. One of the best udon places ever. I first had it in Hawaii and fell in love. I told my friends we had to go. They all loved it. They had some interesting flavors that I didn't see in Hawaii too.

Mi Udon Tantan Miso. Loved this.

Mi Udon Bo. This was my favorite. I always prefer dry over soup noodles.

Mi Udon Hai San Cay

Various Tempuras

We walked around the night market by the hotel a little. It was meh.... nothing like the night markets in Taiwan. Ben Thanh Street Food Market.
Fresh Lychee Juice

I told you we had a lot of boba... Basically hit up a tea house or cafe every day. One drink is typically more expensive than a meal tho...

Royal Tea
Fruit Teas. 39,000 VND Freaking loved these cups. How genius are they? There's a capped hole to drink from, a hole for the thick boba straws, and a hole for regular straws. We need them in Dallas.

Cream Cheese Green Tea. So rich, but done right! Not like my gross heavy cream tea from Gong Cha. It was creamy but still had a lot of matcha flavor.

Highlands Coffee
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Some sort of fruit tea with cream

Matcha Latte (with green tea jelly)

Peach Tea
Chocolate Freeze

This place uses too much ice. They basically fill the ice up to the top and just let the drink fill in the cracks. But at least the drinks are pretty tasty.

Bánh Xèo 46A. My friends wanted Banh Xeo so they did a search and this place was highly rated. Apparently celebrities come eat here when they visit Vietnam? I dunno.
Bánh Xèo (Vietnamese pancake) 80,000 VND. It was my first time having a legit Vietnamese pancake. It was huge! Good thing we didn't order one per person! Easily shareable among 3-4 people. The outside was perfectly crispy til the last bite. Loved it!

Pork Prawn Wrapped in Rice Paper (10 rolls) 150,000 VND
Shredded Pork and Vegetable Wrapped in Rice Paper (5 rolls) 50,000 VND. I have to say I like the spring rolls in Dallas better.

On our last night in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided to try Korean Fried chicken by our hotel. I actually saw a lot of Korean restaurants in Vietnam. Glad we got to try one.

Coco Dak

Deep Fried Chicken with Spicy Sauce 160,000 VND. Wasn't spicy much... but yummy.

Spicy Soy Sauce Chicken 160,000 VND. Also good. All the chicken was very tender.

Deep Fried Powder Chicken (cheese flavor) 210,000 VND. I didn't know what to expect with this powder thing. But It was really good!

Cheese Corn 80,000 VND. Disappointed. And I've never been disappointed by Korean cheese corn.

Mango, Strawberry, and Peach Smoothies

We had one night back in Ho Chi Minh City before flying back to the states. We weren't able to find broken rice in Hanoi so we found a place that only sells it in Ho Chi Minh. We didn't even look at the menu. Just ordered the loaded versions. haha.

Com Tam Ba Ghien
Broken Rice Plate - (with pork chop, meatball, shredded pork, egg loaf, and fried egg) 85,000 VND. This is a massive amount of food for $4. It was delicious. I love me some shredded pork.

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~