Food . Fun . Favorites

A journal of places and moments.

"Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind." -- Anthony Bourdain

25Jan
2025
25 Jan 2025

Lunch at Mikiya Wagyu Shabu

San Francisco — ayce, japanese food, san mateo, shabu shabu, wagyu
Lunch at Mikiya Wagyu Shabu

I love hot pot so this was always going to be a must try. My only hesitation going in was the sole focus on wagyu. Hot pot works because of variety, mixing meats, seafood, vegetables, tofu, all of it going in together, and I wasn’t sure a single protein could carry the whole experience. It...

02Dec
2024
02 Dec 2024

A Treat at Hiyama

Hong Kong — japanese food, sukiyaki, tsim sha tsui
A Treat at Hiyama

Harbour City is a mall, but Hiyama doesn’t feel like a mall restaurant. It’s on the third floor of Ocean Terminal. When you enter, you can instantly feel you’re being transported from the mall. Where you end up is the dining area where you have a clear view across the water to Hong Kong Island....

26Nov
2024
26 Nov 2024

Grilling at Kuromon Aquatic

Hong Kong — japanese food, seafood, tsim sha tsui
Grilling at Kuromon Aquatic

A grilled seafood spot with one difference from what you might not expect — they take the seafood away to a prep station rather than preparing it table side. There are portable stoves at the bar, but I think it’s more for hot pot cooking. Sorta a disappointment. However, we didn’t need to have smoke...

13Nov
2024
13 Nov 2024

My Favorite Conveyor Belt Sushi

Hong Kong — japanese food, shatin, sushi
My Favorite Conveyor Belt Sushi

Sushiro Sha Tin (Wo Che) One of the few chains I’m always happy to return to. This may have been my fifth time before deciding to write about it. This place does conveyor belt sushi at a price point that’s hard to argue with, and the quality has been consistent every time I’ve been. The...

05Nov
2024
05 Nov 2024

Don’t Judge the Spaceship

Hong Kong — japanese food, shatin, wagyu, yakiniku
Don’t Judge the Spaceship

When the food gets delivered to your table via a spaceship-shaped capsule on a rail, you’d be forgiven for not taking the place too seriously. I didn’t at first. But once the meat hit the grill I changed my mind pretty quickly. The setup is simple. You order from your phone, the food comes to...

07May
2024
07 May 2024

Revisiting Rintaro

San Francisco · United States — food, japanese food, mission
Revisiting Rintaro

I’m not sure why I haven’t been back to Rintaro more often than I have. I’ve been twice now, years apart, and both times left me thinking I should make this more of a habit. The first visit was years ago with a couple of friends, lots of food and drinks involved, and of course...

03Mar
2023
03 Mar 2023

Moritaya Kiyamachi

Japan · Kyoto — food, japanese food, sukiyaki
Moritaya Kiyamachi

We walked in without a reservation, which I wouldn’t recommend. The host had to check her book pretty carefully before finding us a spot, and I’m glad she did. We ended up in a small room overlooking the interior entrance, not the river view some of the other rooms offer, but it had a quiet,...

25Feb
2023
25 Feb 2023

Kobe Beef Genkichi

Japan · Osaka — food, japanese food, kobe
Kobe Beef Genkichi

We got reservations here and took the train out from Osaka. The place was easy to find. Upon entering, we immediately noticed only 10 counter seats arranged around a single teppan grill. The setup felt immediately familiar — like sitting at a sushi bar, except instead of watching a chef work through fish, you’re watching...

Page 1 of 33Next →