Udon & Plum Wine

That was a quick, delicious meal for a lazy dinner! I bought a couple packets of Udon Instant Noodles from the local grocery store the other day and cooked them for dinner. I added some fishcakes, shrimp and baby bok choy into the noodles to make it a more “complete” meal. The best part of that meal was enjoying a glass of my favorite wine; Japanese Plum Wine.

Let me just do a brief intro of the Udon Noodles first. If' you're not familiar with Udon; it is a thick Japanese wheat noodle often served in a light broth. This is widely served in Japanese restaurants or you can get instant ones which aren’t bad at all. The ones I got were Myojo Udon noodles, and this brand is quite readily available in many grocery stores! It’s just like cooking any instant noodles and by adding a few ingredients of your own, it brings the instant Udon up a notch. =) I’ve not tried any other brands, and I don’t see a reason to try other brands coz I’m happy with this one! =)

 

So, dinner that night was totally Japanese. I opened my bottle of favorite wine. Choya Umeshu (Plum Wine) is available at most liquor store and does cost a bit. Well, it cost more than what I usually pay for a bottle of wine. I bought this bottle (750ml) of plum wine for $18 (excluding tax). The wine is sweet, slightly sour with hints of sour plum. It also comes with about wine infused green plums. If you’ve not had this wine before, it’s sweetness can be compared to a sweet Riesling or Muscat, I guess. It’s definitely one of my favorite wine and something I would order at a Japanese restaurant. Try it, I think if you like sweet wine, you’ll enjoy this Plum Wine! If you don’t, I’ll gladly finish it for you!!

Mmmmmm…..writing about it makes me want to pour myself and enjoy another glass of yummy plum wine. =)

Sightseeing Baltimore, MD – April 2, 2010

Here’re some pictures from my weekend getaway to see the spectacular Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC. We made a stop in Baltimore and stayed at a hotel in Fells Point; a historical waterfront area in Baltimore, MD.

All these pictures are taken during our walk from Fells Point to the Inner Harbor.

1) Tug Boat (Bottom Left) docked at the harbor across from the Admiral Fells Inn, where we stayed for a night. While the hotel is nice and charming,it is not a great place if you treasure your sleep. =)

2) Yacht Club (Bottom Right) with boats docked nicely in rows.

3) Sneak peak of Cherry Blossoms (Bottom). The husband said that there’s no point going to DC if we can see the Cherry Blossoms in Baltimore.

4) And more Cherry Blossoms (Bottom Left)

5) Some other kind of Blossom (Bottom Right). Not sure if they are also cherry blossoms?

6) Saw this magnificent (gold?) statue/monument (Bottom Left) on our random walk around Baltimore. It was majestically placed in the center of a rotary, and surrounded by tall buildings.

7) Hard Rock Cafe (Bottom Right). I think the cafe is located in an old mill perhaps? I used to make it a point to stop by any Hard Rock Cafe store at every city I visit to get souvenir t-shirts for either myself, my now hubby and/or my brother. That expensive habit died a couple years ago. =) Now, I’m just collecting fridge magnets. =)

8) Lightship Chesapeake (Bottom Left). This ship was completed in 1930 and was once in use with the US lighthouse system.

9) USS Constellation (Bottom Right). This war ship is over 200 years old and now sits permanently at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.

Baltimore, MD is a nice little charming city rich with maritime history. This was my fourth visit here, second in one year. This is a nice place for a short getaway.By the way, parts of the city still have cobblestone roads, so make sure you wear comfortable SNEAKERS!

Revisited : The Pongal @ Billerica, MA

Unlike my many other restaurant review postings, this post will not contain pictures. Read about (and view pictures) my first visit to The Pongal HERE. My first experience wasn’t that pleasant; both food and management weren’t at their best.

We were there again over the weekend for some reunion with hubby’s ex co-workers. There were 11 of us and 8 were Indian (that’s why we chose this place). Food this time was MUCH better than the first. At least the food were not overly salty or bland this time. All seasoned quite perfectly unlike the first time we ate there. The dish I enjoyed the most there was the Manchurian Okra and the Cilantro Rice.

However, I do want to rant about the spotty service we received. The service we got from the management to be exact. Service from the wait staff was excellent. They never gave us a chance to empty the water glasses; they were always topping it up to the rim. Empty plates were also cleared away very timely. Thumbs up to the wait staff for doing a great job.

With 11 in a group, one of our friend decided to call ahead to make a reservation. The husband and I was the first to arrive (unfortunately) and had to deal with the whole nonsense from the management who obviously don’t know what they are doing or just don’t appreciate their customers. In my opinion, they have zero to none customer service!

When we got there, there were 3 hosts (they might be the owners?) at the counter. One was quite friendly, the other two not so. The friendlier one tried to help us and we told her we have a reservation for 11 and she brought us to a table; the wrong table. They weren’t our friends. We walked back to the counter, the lady was obviously lost and confused coz there weren’t any records of a table for 11. And she did not apologize to us either. All she did was smile sheepishly. She asked the other not so friendly guy who then acknowledged that he know of such reservation, and proceeded to escort us to the “table” set for 8. Apparently, someone gave up our seats. And no we weren’t late. In fact we were 10 minutes early! With no apology, the (rude?) host said that he will place 8 of us at the same table and said he’ll place 4 people at another table, once that is cleared! WHAT THE HECK? SERIOUSLY? What’s the point of making a reservation if they are going to give up your seats when you’re not even late! 

I was getting impatient and really PISSED. This host never did apologize to us either. Thank goodness all of the husband’s friends showed up coz it would have been embarrassing that we make all the fuss and nobody showed up!! When our friends finally came, we waited about 5-10 minutes for the management scramble and make room for everyone. They had to move the customers (which happen to also be a big party) next to us, one table down to accommodate all of us at the same table.

After finally settling down, we went right ahead for the buffet.  The meal was good, the crowd better. It was funny how hubby first got to know his friends in Chicago and now work brought to everyone Massachusetts. It was a nice little reunion for the husband.

Will I go back? Most likely NO. With this crappy customer service we received from the management, I rather spend my money elsewhere. Lunch buffet was $14.95, quite high for a lunch buffet. I think the price went up by a dollar since our last visit almost a year ago. 

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars…Lemon Squares…whatever you call it, this is one yummilicious Lemon Bar! I’ve always enjoyed Lemon bars/squares usually from catered events. I have a thing for this tart and tangy dessert but have never made it from scratch. The first time I made some lemon bars, I used Krusteaz lemon bar mix and I remember not getting a great lemon bar. My bars did not look like the picture on the box. It was all messy I probably threw the not so great lemon bars away out of frustration.

I had some Lemon Bars at work recently and that sparked my inspiration to make my own Lemon Bars. I found a Lemon Bar recipe on www.allrecipes.com and decided to try it out with a little tweaking based on the reviews.

The result was some awesomely lemon bars. The  filling/ “curd” was SO GOOD! Tart and tangy just the way i like it. The sweet salty buttery crust was a great companion to the tart lemon filling. The bars were half crust, half filling. The lemon filling was definitely refreshing and you get “burstfuls” of fresh lemony goodness in your mouth. I brought it to work and I’m happy to say it was quite a hit!

Here’s the simple recipe. It takes just about an hour to bake the dessert, but you do need to let it cool down before cutting into it!

LEMON BARS RECIPE

Ingredients:

Part A (Crust)

• 1 Cup Butter, Softened
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Part B (Filling)

• 4 Large Eggs
• 1-1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 1/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
• 3 Medium Lemons, Juiced
• Zest from 1 to 1-1/2 Lemon

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup sugar. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden.

In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/12 cups sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Lightly and randomly poke crust with a skewer/fork. Pour over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven. The bars will firm up as they cool. Cut into squares.

June’s Comments: It took me about 30 minutes to bake the crust till golden. If you’re not a big fan of tartness, reduce the juice of lemon to 2 medium lemons. If you do reduce the juice, reduce the flour to about 1/3 Cup or slightly less.  Use fresh lemons for this recipe!

PS: Mom, I think you’ll enjoy this recipe! Try it and let me know!! =)

Hudson Super Buffer @ Hudson, MA

We’ve been told that there’s an awesome Chinese Buffet  with a variety of food and affordable in Hudson, MA. The husband and I finally went to the place 2 years later after we heard of how good the place was. Unfortunately, I beg to differ. Well, at least I don’t think it was worth the 40 minutes drive for us to get there just to get Chinese Buffet which wasn’t that spectacular. We have access to one which is just 10 minutes away and for about the same price. Good if not better.

Hudson Super Buffet does offer quite a huge selection of food. Like many buffer places; it’s usually quantity not quality. I did however, enjoyed the sushi selection they put out. For the battered fried seafood or chicken, it’s more batter than the actual stuff. Fried noodles were quite tasteless and oily. For the amount they are charging, patrons do get some raw oyster and clams on the half shell, some cocktail shrimp and crab legs. I never touch raw oysters in buffet places as I’m afraid of getting a tummy upset. =p.

The seafood soup was like starch with water and you’ll get some occasional bits of tiny chopped seafood, corn and swirls of egg drop. Soup was tasteless overall. =( It was almost like drinking water seriously.

Dessert selection is more or less the same stuff you get at every other Chinese buffet. I just ate some fresh fruits from the dessert line. =)

Overall, I find the place quite claustrophobic; low ceilings and quite tight dining area. I guess the low ceiling really makes things worse. In some dining area, you could literally reach the buffet line by just stretching your hands a little. Service is as good as it can get at a buffet place. Not terrible, but nothing to shout about either. I forgot how much we paid for the weekend lunch buffet. Figure something between $12.95 - $14.95. I somehow think it was more than that coz I remember telling the husband it wasn’t worth it.

I don’t think we’ll be back for another round of Chinese Buffet @ Hudson Super Buffet. Like I first mentioned, 40 minutes for a nothing to shout about buffet just isn’t worth it. If this is the only Chinese buffet in town, it’s not that bad I guess. =). Hudson Super Buffet is located across from a cemetery (Another reason for me not to go back! I don’t like cemeteries and the husband always had a great time teasing me about it) and have ample parking:

167 Broad St
Hudson, MA 01749
(978) 568-9889