Lunch at Ra

Tink and I went to go see a movie at Movie Studio Grill in Houston's new City Centre but we were there really early so we decided to have lunch instead. We decided to try the new Ra sushi restaurant. It is a very beautiful and modernly designed restaurant. It is a pretty popular night hangout spot. So for lunch I had a bento box and Tink had Unagi (fresh water eel). We wanted to order some sea urchin (because we are now uni addicts) but they didn't get there shipment in yet. So here's lunch:

My bento box. It was very good. The salmon was perfectly done.

Tink's unagi (eel). It was also really good. The presentation was simple but different than many other places that serve the same thing.

My miso soup. I don't know why I don't like miso soup. I like tofu and seaweed a lot, but I can never eat this soup. As you can see, it's starting to separate, which looks pretty cool.

So, right in the middle of us eating our lunch our waiter informed us that they just got there sea urchin in. So we got 2 orders, which is there weeks worth of sea urchin. :P It was nice and fresh. You can tell cause it looks like a dry tongue and doesn't look like it's melting! Some places have really bad sea urchin, so this is an example of good sea urchin:

... I wasn't hungry when I started this post... but now Im starving!!!

Dining at Kaneyama

Last night my friends and I ate at a Japanese restaurant in Houston, TX called Kaneyama. I just wanted to share some pictures of the yummy food we had! Hope your mouth doesn't water too much! ;D

Unagi - fresh water eel, its very good.

One of the rolls we got with soft shelled crayfish, also very tasty.

... another roll with soft-shelled crab.

...this roll has king crab inside.

Black Cod fillet

Salmon sashimi... my favorite

...this is another one of my favorites, Uni or Sea Urchin, it is very soft like custard and melt in your mouth good.

Pinguicula gigantea x moctezumae blooming

Hi! Just wanted to post some pics of my Pinguicula gigantea x moctezumae that is blooming now. I was surprised how long the spur and scape is.

Fruit Cake

Hello! Happy Friday! This week I made cakes for two of my friends. They were both the same just different shapes; one circle and one square. Both were vanilla cakes with whipped cream frosting, almond slices, and various fruits (mandarin oranges, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries) and each cake had one layer in the middle with more whipped cream and fruits. Here is a picture of the square cake. It makes me hungry just writing about it... ;D

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Swiss-Meringue Frosting

Hello! Just wanted to post some pics of the cupcakes I baked! I made vanilla cupcakes, which are always good; but have you ever had swiss-meringue buttercream frosting? It is the best icing! It is more challenging to make than other icings, but this was my first time making it and I think it turned out perfect. I used the recipe and directions from Martha Stewart's Cooking School new cookbook. The icing is so soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet.

The vanilla cupcakes.

One of the first stages of the icing.

One of the final stages of the icing after the butter is added.

Finished product! Icing tinted with a little bit of blue gel food coloring.

They were yummy! Don't worry I didn't eat them all! The icing matches my china! :D

HK Iced Milk Tea

I wish I had one of these right now...

Hong Kong style Iced Milk Tea! This one is from one of my favorite restaurants, House of Bowls in Houston. It's so delicious and creamy... perfect for this stifling hot weather!

Pinguicula moranensis

My Pinguicula moranensis a.k.a. a Butterwort is blooming! This specimen was bought from California Carnivores and has a nice bright flower. Pinguicula moranensis and other Central American Pinguicula are very easy to grow. This group of carnivorous plants is definitely one that you should try if you cant keep your beloved Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula alive! Its great for a sunny windowsill and you can even go without watering for quite a while... well, I should say when it is dormant. :D