 Kitayama’s Amberjack Nigiri |
Phew! After intensively studying for the MCAT for the past few months, it’s finally over & I can finally move onwards with my life. I felt as though studying for this dreaded standardized test was equivalent to pausing everything I really wanted to do & not so much a step closer to getting to where I need to be for my career. It’s not as though I’ve lost interest or passion in a career in the health field – the MCAT has just been a pesky splinter in-between my toes. I put nearly everything else on pause while I focused all my brain power into pushing through the pain & plucking out that minuscule fragment causing my misfortune.
To numb the pain a bit with ice, Josh & I had dinner at Kitayama, a beautiful Japanese restaurant with a crew of friendly staff including gorgeous servers–hollah at my girl Vy–, nice hosts, & entertaining sushi chefs. We ordered the omakase, which grants the chefs liberty to be creative with the fish they had. It’s always a wonderful experience to see what new mouthwatering dishes sushi chefs come up with right in front of you. Having been able to consume such wonderful meals in the past few weeks, I decided to compile a post of mouthwatering Asian dishes from various countries–realistically, I just posted three, but whatever just go with it.
Japan (fusion): Omakase at Kitayama
Many thanks to the staff at Kitayama for providing us with a one-of-a-kind dinner. Josh has never had sushi quite like this before & his tastebuds were having a joyous celebration in his mouth.
Japan: Matsuri Bara Chirashi from Sushi Koto
This lunch combination was less than $20 & it was the second meal I had after having returned from a family vacation in the Bahamas. It was a magnificent lunch, which had me licking the bottom of the plastic bowl like I was some starving Homo habilis! If you’re in the OC area, Sushi Koto is one of the best restaurants for chirashi.
Japan: Cucumber & Enoki Salad with Sesame Dressing
The recipe for this salad is simple enough: sliced cucumbers, sautéed enoki in hot sesame chili oil, scallions, & sesame seeds. I used a recipe from Japanese Cooking 101 for the sesame dressing, but I wasn’t really satisfied with it so I tweaked it quite heavily. I’m not 100% sold on the recipe, so when I concoct a better sesame dressing recipe, I’ll post it.
South Korea: Mul-Naengmyeon (Korean Cold Noodles in broth)
I didn’t make this delicious Korean cold noodle dish from scratch so I don’t have a recipe for you, however I wanted to show you the tiny tweaks you could add because a hard-boiled egg, tobiko, or both make a huge difference! The noodles, broth, & sauce were from a huge frozen package – amazing nevertheless.
China: Shrimp Wontons in Spicy Garlic Sauce
New recipe for delicious shrimp wontons in spicy garlic sauce that’ll have you slurping every last drop. Well, at least I was gulping every last drop!
Tasty Clicks
Hope all of you are having a wonderful first week of April. TB’s first giveaway will be held sometime by the end of this week or next week! To end this post on an uplifting note, here’s one of my favorite quotes:
“When we are able to recognize & forgive ignorant actions done in one’s past, we strengthen ourselves & can solve the problems of the present constructively.” -The Dalai Lama
The food looks delicious! By the way I found a sesame seed dressing recipe on youtube. I haven’t tried it yet, but BenjimanTV on youtube was trying it the other day, and I just had to look it up. It looks really good though. I will be trying this out this upcoming weekend. Here’s the link in case you want to check it out:
Thanks for sharing, Denysia. I think a major factor is the type of mayo you use & I used an eggless one instead of the Kewpie one because I couldn’t find my bottle of Kewpie! I’ll try it out next time.
The food looks absolutely delicious! I’ve been craving sushi for the LONGEST time! When I was at my apartment, I could never afford it. Now I can, and have yet to go eat at one. Maybe one day we’ll get to go to a Sushi restaurant and I’ll finally kill my craving :). Pictures look stunning by the way.
Jamie! What happened to your website? I was going to visit it today.
Thanks! I just took these pictures not too long ago & looking back on them has made me crave sushi again too. Hope you get to go to a restaurant to have some again!
Hey Tiff!
I know you stated to me once before that I should wait until my domain registration was up. It will be up in June, and decided to get a domain that was geared towards books and my poetry. My new domain can be found here http://booksandpoetryohmy.com . :).
I hope I can get to go to a restaurant soon! Last month, I decided to save the restaurant money and bought more books. So last month was kind of stay in doors type of thing. This month, I want to go out lol. What restaurant would you recommend out here?
I don’t recall telling you that, but I do recall telling you to stick to a domain that you’d keep for the rest of your life! I think of my domains in a strategic marketing way:
1. unique
2. short & simple
3. memorable
4. represent who you are
5. not tacky
I failed with my first domain to keep it short & simple, which made it less memorable, however my current domain is easy to remember & I can shout it across the street at someone & they’d remember it because it’s my name. You want to make sure that everyone that stumbles across your domain can remember it, spell it, & associate it with you. When you constantly change your domain names, it gets confusing & you’ll find it harder to make a name for yourself out there.
I would’ve suggested that you purchased a domain name of well, your own name. The main domain being for your blog & whatever else, while your subdomain books.jamiejones.com would serve the purpose of your current book blog. That way you can have a domain for life that you’ll want to renew & love every year. I can’t recall any of your previous domains if you asked me because you changed it so often, which isn’t good. You want to be memorable so you know, stick with one domain name or domain names that you don’t change every 6 months, woman!
Also, I have no idea where you live other than the fact that you live north & inward from the coast so I wouldn’t be able to give you a recommendation in your area. That’s why Yelp! was created though so I’d start by browsing on there for more affordable sushi that’s palatable. There are lots of sushi restaurants that don’t cost a fortune & may be within your budget, but if you’re really craving it, your best bet is to just make it at home because it’s cheaper. Hope that was useful!
I honestly thought of different variations towards the domain booksandpoetryohmy.com . However, people seemed to like this one so I went ahead and registered it. I know I change my domain every year, but believe me you, this one will stay. I like books, and I also write poetry. But thank you for the suggestion otherwise :).
I actually liked your first domain aestheticintoxication. I can remember that as it is a challenge to spell it. Booksandpoetryohmy represents…well; books and poetry lol. I’ve had many domains in my life since the year 1998. I even got grounded one time for 3 months because I had purchased a 2nd domain with my money. Ah well.
I live somewhere in Temecula. But you’re right Yelp! Does help in some cases. I looked on there for reviews on Great Clips. However, it was all mixed up with emotions. I went in there, made the stylist laugh (my hair was a mess), and got a good cut. $13.00 isn’t bad. So next time, I think I’ll trust the reviews for books more.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a discussion on my blog before that was this threaded hahaa, so no wonder it stopped threading. Anyway, well I still have that domain & it’s still functioning. I’m glad you still remember it. I think the problem with it was mostly that people don’t use the word “aesthetic” very often. Intoxication, sure, especially when describing a drunk person, but aesthetic, not so much.
I do hope that your current domain will stick. I feel like I’m chasing you around the interwebs figuring out what your domain name is. Build a brand for yourself with a solid domain name that you’ll keep for a long time!
As for Yelp!, it’s best for restaurants more than for hair salons unless there were lots of reviews. For ratings on books, I refer to Goodreads. Otherwise, when it comes to sushi, filter out the restaurants in your area on Yelp! to find the highest rated establishments with great prices ($-$$). Or you can just go drive to a Japanese market to find some ingredients–I’d recommend buying avocados & cucumbers at your local grocery store because they’re really expensive at a Japanese store–& make your own sushi at home. I recommend starting off with hand rolls because you don’t need a bamboo mat to roll it.
My mouth is watering from all of these pictures! Are the ingredients for all of these recipes expensive? I’ve never shopped for things like masago, enoki or korean cold noodles. But all of them look so good!
Out of curiosity since I know you’re pursuing a medical degree at the moment, are you currently working in addition to school/this blog? I applaud you for having time to cook/take pictures of all these dishes! And I know from personal experience that the time that goes into photo-heavy blogs/ blogs in general in addition to school/work is a lot because it takes a lot of effort to put out high-quality stuff. I’m just really interested what the process for bloggers such as yourself, who have been around for a long time, really looks like 😀
The frozen Mul-Naengmyeon was really cheap & it was a big package including 3 kits. The frozen shrimp can be expensive if you live in the Bahamas or a place that generally has a significantly higher cost of living. Frozen shrimp can cost anywhere from $10.99 to $15.99 to $20 or more. The trick is to just go to an Asian market & get them fresh & cheap rather than buying the pre-packaged ones from big brand name companies. Enoki mushroom are incredibly cheap as the only real mushrooms that are up your butt expensive are black truffles, which I do not mess with in my cooking! Enoki mushroom are anywhere from $0.50 to $1.99 per bundle. They’re realllllly cheap & they’re one of my favorites.
If you get masago from a Japanese market, they are more expensive than buying it from a Vietnamese or Korean market. I got these ingredients from H mart, a Korean market so the masago was around $4 for a large container! There’s a difference between masago & smelt egg/roe in taste, texture, & size. Masago is normally more expensive between the two, but $4 was a steal for the amount I got! Usually I find that they’d be twice the price at a Japanese market. Remember, the cold noodles are just noodles & packaged noodles are pretty affordable!
I’m currently applying for a postbac program (I thought I told you this via e-mail, girly!) so I’m focusing all of my energy on doing that. When the apps are done, I’ll be helping my parents out with their work because they need any help they can get.
Thanks for noticing the time & effort that goes into each blog, AnneMarie! I can’t tell you how many times I have a post filled with pictures only to get, “nice pics!” as a comment. It makes it feel as though my time was completely wasted, but then there are individuals like you who notice & say more than, “nice pics,” which makes it all worthwhile. Plus, this is for me too. I like keeping a log of all the things I did & cooked!
Honestly, I don’t try THAT hard when it comes to plating & styling, but I should because it’ll make a huge difference in the presentation of the photo. I never took a class on it, so I’m as noob as ever with it. I just do my best to try to compose my subject (tasty food) as best as I can within you know, the rule of thirds & what not. I actually put this post together the day before & just copy & pasted it into WordPress, tweaked it a bit, & posted it. Didn’t take too much effort, but editing the photos in LR & then in PS, then saving them in two different ways (JPG without watermark & JPG with watermark for Yelp) is annoying, but necessary. I can plow through post processing pretty quickly when I know there’s not much to edit because I’m satisfied with the lighting. Takes a lot longer when my photography skills turn into mashed potato though, which forces me to over edit until they look “okay”. It’s time consuming, but I generally try to just make a bunch of posts at a time & schedule them throughout the month so I don’t spend more unnecessary time on them throughout the month. Does that make sense? I feel like when I give myself a certain amount of time, let’s say 4 hours, to work on my website, I can plow through post-processing, uploading, & posting faster than when I space things out & update as I go. To each their own. Wow, long reply, whoooooops.
WHOOPS need to correct myself:
There’s a difference between masago & tobiko. Masago is the cheaper of the two & can either be from smelt or capelin. Tobiko is from flying fish. I prefer the tobiko because of the larger texture & stronger flavor, however I still love masago on nearly anything savory.
This post just made me hungry, Tiffany! hahaha Food photography ‘porn’ at its most glamorous! (I mean that with utmost respect and admiration) You just inspired me to study sushi/wanton making. I’ll try making some this weekend. Well done and good luck on your MCAT. I’m working in healthcare too. Hooray for health/blogger people! hahaha
Bahaha thank you! I try, I do love me some food porn. 🙂 Requesting pictures of the food you make some weekend of sushi/wontons!! You know me, I love me some good food porn!
Yay! I hope some electronic malfunction happens that will grant me a nice big fat score on my MCAT hehehe. What particular healthcare field do you work in?
I predict my sushi/wontons will not be as camera friendly! It will be a ‘big food wreck of asia!’ hahaha I will do my best to make it, at least- edible. Here’s hoping.
Oh, and I’m a paediatric nurse. 🙂
Congrats on your exam and welcome back! All these sushi pics makes me crave for some good Japanese food now 🙂 Your wonton wraps look great, I systematically fail at wrapping properly 🙂
When I’m making the wontons just for myself, I tend to just fold them into a triangle & be done with it. Feeding myself should not require so much fuss, but the more you wrap, the better you get!
Best of luck on your MCAT! 😀 Have you applied to any med schools? If so, you and my husband might get along. 😛 I was also pre-Med in college but I decided to pursue web development instead.
And wonderful pictures as always! I’ve been having a lot of Asian food but I always want more!
Right now I’m applying for post-bac programs so no medical schools yet. I tend to feel as though some students in medical school may not see eye to eye with me, but surely Michael isn’t someone who’s there just because his parents told him to be! I’ve met some very disingenuous individuals that are in the healthcare field not because they care, but because they want to make money. If they wanted to make money, they probably should’ve chosen a different profession that was much less painstakingly difficult to matriculate into! I’d rather be treated by a doctor who was at the bottom of his class, but is best with communication & treatment than one who graduates at the top of their class, but really doesn’t care about you unless you have a paycheck to give him for his services.
Maybe you’ll try out some of my recipes one day to satisfy your Asian food craving? haha I can only hope. I can never satisfy my Asian food craving!
The thing with the book Cosmos is — there is so much information to take in!
When I read, I try to expand my horizons and read fiction at night and Science during the day. So that way, my vocabulary and my speech will become pristine. My speech wasn’t at all perfect (far from it still) growing up. Had a slight hearing problem.
Anyway, Cosmos is an actually good book. Carl Sagan, is an incredible writer for his time. I remember watching The Cosmos in Chemistry (High School) and having a crush on him. I really do need to get back into reading Science during the day. However, I’m tied up at the moment with reading “I Am Malala.” That book is so fascinating as to what this young woman went through and is going through. Incredible speaker as well poet. When she speaks — she speaks in a poetic way that just moves you. I highly recommend this book “I Am Malala.” On the way from Amazon, I am getting a book called “I Am Nujood – Aged 10 and divorced” to complete the set. After reading this I will definitely get back into reading Cosmos, and Neurology.
I have what you would call PhotoMyoClonic Activity (think rapidly blinking lights and/or strobe lights) or Stress Seizures. Since having them and receiving them in 2004, this condition has made me want to read up about Science and Neurology. I have “The Tale Tell Brain” by Ramachandran a professor at the school I think you’re going to? And others. Science to me is fascinating. I like to split my days with Science, and Fiction at night to give my brain a chance to relax with all the information I had sucked in. Fiction gives me a chance to use my imagination. :).
Sorry for the long overdrawn comment. But again — just giving you a brief insight as to what I do day in and out. :).
Hey Jamie, although I love reading follow-up comments, I feel they’re kind of inappropriate here because this comment has nothing to do with my post & belongs on your comments area on your post. It would make better sense there, right?
I meant nonfiction instead of fiction, my brain blanked. I graduated from UCLA so I’m not in college anymore, just trying to apply for a post-bac program at the moment.
I haven’t read this book, but I do have it: The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. He’s a proponent of the super string theory, which is quite fascinating. I hated physics in high school & I hated it in college. Trying to figure out how fast a box slides down an incline plane to me just didn’t translate to much importance of me. I would’ve much preferred studying astronomy, but physics can be a whole world of fascination. It’s definitely a book you read during the day & slowly.
I think if you just took a class on biology & chemistry to refresh your knowledge on the subjects, Cosmos shouldn’t be too difficult to read. I’ve always loved Carl Sagan. I have I Am Malala on my iPad so I’ll get around to reading it after I finish what’s already on my reading list.
Neurology is really quite interesting too. I do find child development to be a major topic of interest to me because honestly, some parents shouldn’t be allowed to be parents. They have no idea what they’re doing, they abuse their children, they are unsupportive of their children, & some even just have children to get money from the government. When you have a kid, you’re responsible for a whole other human being & that’s a huge responsibility to not eff up something you bring into this world!
I love places with an omakase option. It’s nice to just trust the chefs and be surprised as each dish comes out 🙂 The sushi looks so good!
All of your food photos look amazing and delicious as usual! I especially like all the colors in the chirashi bowl, and your wontons look perfectly folded. I like that you have those photos in steps 🙂
I hope your MCATs went well! It must feel nice to be done with that!
Yum! 😀 This all looks so delish! I’ve been craving sushi badly! Maybe I’ll have the chance to go after finals! 😛
Congratulations on finishing the MCAT exam! I’m sure with the dedication you put into studying, it will be worth it because it’ll give you that push into the health field!
Kitayama looks like a fancy place! I’d like to eat out at a legit Japanese restaurant some time in the future when I can afford it, haha. All of these dishes look so delicious and the sushi looks as if they will melt in your mouth. I need to get my hands on one of those bowls filled with all sorts of roe! I’m down to go for an hour drive for Homo habilis for that good stuff, haha.
Keep on going at it with the cucumber salad! I kind of feel you since I’m not satisfied with my homemade seaweed salad yet (without the seasoned packs) :/. The tweaks you can add on to anything packaged can make a huge difference like adding legit shrimp to instant ramen or something. Your wonton folds look cute too! 😀
Love all the pics! I’m a vegetarian but I still appreciate food pics, lol.
I’m planning on going back to school this summer (if they offer the classes I need) or in the fall. Glad you got that test out of the way & are on to bigger & better things! 😀