@blue_dolphin – your focaccia is absolutely gorgeous!
@robirdstx – those shrimp plates are amazing. I wish we could get a meal like that near us!
The 27th was Jessica’s 38th birthday. Mr. Kim had to work all day so she and I took a drive over to Norfolk/VA Beach area to sample some Filipino food. She has some friends who are either Filipino or married to a Filipino and live down there and she got recommendations. The first place we went to was Glory’s Bakery in VA Beach. We got lumpia and pizza bread:
The lumpia were delicious and the pizza bread was VERY cheesy:
Maybe a touch TOO cheesy. Jess felt a bit queasy after eating a few bites. We also got some pastries – a couple of turnovers (pineapple & cream cheese and a coconut) and a perfect elephant ear-type thing.
Next was Jollibee which is a multinational Filipino chain restaurant. We got a piece of fried chicken w/ gravy and spaghetti. The spaghetti was distinctly different looking, with chunks of ham and hot dogs in the sauce and what looked like American cheese on top:
The chicken was really good, as was the gravy that went with it. I’d rate the chicken just barely below Popeye’s and definitely above Bojangles. The spaghetti was just not to our liking at all. The sauce was decidedly sweet with, we found out, banana ketchup. Even Mr. Kim who hates waste and eats almost anything voted to chuck it when we got home. We also got a banana/jackfruit langka or hand pie (similar to McDonald’s apple pie, but with really good pastry):
Our next stop was Felynn Restaurant.
We opted for pancit, lumpia, and a BBQ pork skewer:
They have an amazing menu, and it would have been fun to be with one of her friends so that we could have had a description of everything. Jessica tried to ask and when we heard “pig’s face” we decided on something we knew. The pancit and the BBQ were both delicious. The lumpia was good, but not as good as the first place we went to. The desserts were NOT a success. The fried wrapped banana had a strong burnt taste:
It was wrapped in foil and stored in a hot case. I think that the sugary sauce must have dripped down the sides and burnt while sitting in the case. We also tried nilupak – cassava, milk, sugar, butter, and string coconut:
Not much flavor and not a good texture for us.
This is Jessica being polite:
😊
Next:
Notice Pan de Hot Dog on top!
Pan de coco (coconut filling):
Ube bread:
On Saturday, we continued to celebrate her birthday. The three of us went up to Wheaton MD to our favorite dim sum place, Hollywood East for brunch. Fried crab claw shrimp ball:
Just a giant ball of chopped and minced shrimp with a little crab in it. Inexplicably stuck with a tiny little crab claw.
Egg roll:
For old times’ sake. Best one I’ve had in many years! I’ve been yearning for the egg rolls of my youth – stuffed full of fairly dark cabbage, tiny shrimp and roast pork with a shatteringly crisp skin. Just about every Chinese restaurant we frequented in Arlington VA and Chinatown DC had them, but they are seemingly impossible to come by now in Richmond. Even at our favorite Chinese restaurant here, I’d almost bet they frozen. While not perfect (it needed pork and to be fuller of vegetables), this one was really good – super crisp vegetables, shrimp and a perfect skin:
Shrimp blossom rolls:
Nicely crunchy with a minced shrimp filling. We ended up ordering a LOT of things stuffed with minced shrimp😊.
Steamed pork and shrimp shu mai:
These had a distinctly burnt flavor. Mr. Kim didn’t mind, but Jessica and I were really put off and didn’t have more than a bite.
Golden Roast Pork buns:
These were lovely, as usual.
Baked roast pork croissants:
The flavor was good, but the pastry was tough and flabby.
Chicken and ginger dumplings:
Delicious. One of the best bites of the meal.
Bacon rolls stuffed with minced shrimp
Jessica thought that the bacon was overly smoky.
Shrimp toast:
Shrimp rice noodle crepes:
Perfectly tender and delicious.
Lunch after church on Sunday at a local deli. Mr. Kim’s eggs and bacon with home fries:
My eggs Benedict with hash browns:
