The warm wafting smell of jasmine, the chilling sweetness of cold hibiscus, the oozing sinful joy of fig and port butter... my afternoon this Saturday was all that and more.
A group of us girls met up at The Steeping Room (specialty tea shop, restaurant and lounge) at The Domain. The menu takes a bit of getting used to and I have in the past tried everything from the warm teas to the mediterranean plate.... but this time, given that Austin weather was back to the high 80s today, I decided to try a Tea-Tail (mocktail). And of course, who can resist the lure of a prettily cut up tea sandwich? So along with my Kasbah Cooler (iced hibiscus tea mocktail with mint, pomegranate syrup and rose water) I ordered a plate of the Lemon Edamame sandwich - a tea sandwich with a lemony edamame spread and with a sprinkling of scallions and thinly sliced cucumbers. Yumm. As I slaked my thirst with the most refreshing beverage I've had (after just plain water and coconut water :)), I couldn't resist the smells from Surbhi's tea pot - the enticing aroma of warm jasmine tea that she was sipping on with her cold napa rolls. The perfect finish came when we ordered the cupcakes (double chocolate, vanilla chocolate, carrot, etc...) and sank our teeth into the soft cakes... pure sinful bliss...
The verdict after 3-4 afternoons at The Steeping Room: It is the prefect place for a girl's get-together, afternoon tea, after-shopping snacking or just plain lunch and dinner. http://thesteepingroom.com/
P.S: As for the scones at The Steeping Room, my personal preference is to order one of the spreads so it's not too dry.
P.P.S: Oh and if you buy one of the massage packages that include food at the Spa Reveil close by, the food comes from The Steeping Room as well.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
My love affair with Uchi...
... began about 1.5-2 years ago when we first went there, waited in line without reservations and got in for dinner within 30 minutes! Little did we realize that it would probably be one of those fluke situations and that getting a table at Uchi would never be so easy again. Yes, it's thaaaat popular, yes it's thaaaat good too! It's easily the best restaurant I've eaten at in the US. And we travel a lot, eat out a lot...
Uchi boasts Japanese fusion food but many of our meat-loving, sushi-rejecting friends have been there, loved it as well. And as for the vegetarians out there, this place is equally heavenly!
I love the atmosphere, it's very South Austin, not cloyingly snooty for the pricey-ness and reputation of the place. Word has it that the chef refused offers from Vegas casinos to open Uchis there (*unverified information*)... either ways, he seems to be passionate about food and boy, does that translate onto your plate or what!
For the vegetarians, here are some of my favorites, but unlike other restaurant reviews, I won't spoil the fun by describing the dishes. Suffice to say, you've got to eat it to believe it!
My favorites:
And oh the dessert.... we've never tried the dessert because we always order so much and eat so much at Uchi, that we have no more room left. But on our 5th wedding anniversary we decided to go for it. We ordered the "jizake crème caramel with brown butter sorbet & ginger consomme" Brown butter sorbet? Ginger consomme? But when we tasted it.... oh boy..... sigh... the memories of that amazingly simple yet delicious dessert! It turned out to be worthy of the occasion after all (wait, was the occasion as worthy of the dessert?;) Yes, it was that good...).
Keep in mind that portions at Uchi can be small and waiters will tell you so when they first serve you hot towels. However, after being there so often, we've realized that the appetizers and rolls are enough to fill you up and it's the entrees on their frequently updated portion of the menu that are really small - almost teaser-like - leaving you begging for more.
As for parking, it's in the same complex as Taurus Boarding and Training and you can park on the Taurus side after hours. Valet parking is available but never seems necessary.
http://www.uchiaustin.com/menu.html
Uchi boasts Japanese fusion food but many of our meat-loving, sushi-rejecting friends have been there, loved it as well. And as for the vegetarians out there, this place is equally heavenly!
I love the atmosphere, it's very South Austin, not cloyingly snooty for the pricey-ness and reputation of the place. Word has it that the chef refused offers from Vegas casinos to open Uchis there (*unverified information*)... either ways, he seems to be passionate about food and boy, does that translate onto your plate or what!
For the vegetarians, here are some of my favorites, but unlike other restaurant reviews, I won't spoil the fun by describing the dishes. Suffice to say, you've got to eat it to believe it!
My favorites:
- Age Dofu
- Tomato Katsu with spicy mayo
- Fried Brie (served in the flavor of the month - i.e. with fruit and chutney)
- All of the vegetarian rolls (there are 2-3)
- Miso soup with Tofu
And oh the dessert.... we've never tried the dessert because we always order so much and eat so much at Uchi, that we have no more room left. But on our 5th wedding anniversary we decided to go for it. We ordered the "jizake crème caramel with brown butter sorbet & ginger consomme" Brown butter sorbet? Ginger consomme? But when we tasted it.... oh boy..... sigh... the memories of that amazingly simple yet delicious dessert! It turned out to be worthy of the occasion after all (wait, was the occasion as worthy of the dessert?;) Yes, it was that good...). Note:
We've been back to Uchi four times in the last one year itself. On one occasion, a Saturday night, we waited for an hour and 30 minutes in the November chill, enjoying ourselves by the warm torches and thankful for the complimentary edamame sent out to those waiting... At other times we had made reservations weeks in advance!! So either make your reservations 3-4 weeks in advance or turn up there at 5:15 pm on a weekday for a "shorter" wait!
Keep in mind that portions at Uchi can be small and waiters will tell you so when they first serve you hot towels. However, after being there so often, we've realized that the appetizers and rolls are enough to fill you up and it's the entrees on their frequently updated portion of the menu that are really small - almost teaser-like - leaving you begging for more.
As for parking, it's in the same complex as Taurus Boarding and Training and you can park on the Taurus side after hours. Valet parking is available but never seems necessary.
http://www.uchiaustin.com/menu.html
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Home-made healthy dinners
Home-made slaw salad with raspberry vinaigrette spritzer, toasted nectarines and almonds
Cranberry-walnut bread topped with egg white omlette-ini and avocado
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