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Asana Easter Buffet @ The Mandarin Oriental Boston

 

I used to be the one who loved holiday buffets at nice hotels, but I think that Peter is now hooked too.  Our favorite go-to place is Asana, at the Mandarin Oriental in the Back Bay.  We loved our experience there for the Thanksgiving Buffet back in Fall 2010 so much that we had just been itching for an excuse to go again.  

 

Here are pics of the Asana Easter Brunch Buffet with our friend Mike ;)

 

**Oh btw, if you ever go to Asana or actually, any Mandarin Oriental buffet, you can always ask for a bowl of white rice.  I've had that every time I've been to Asana!!  I just love rice with everything, even my turkey!

 

Despite not being able to see Peter's face here, I kind of like this shot, it's like a "Petah Silhouette" hehe

 

 

Peter at the Smoothie Bar--yes, they make fresh fruit smoothies, any way you like it!

 

 

 

Butternut Squash Bisque--with creme fraiche!!

 

 

Raw Bar Selection--Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail and Lobster!

 

 

 

Italian Meats and Cheeses Selection--so yah, this is probably not the strongest point of the Asana buffet, but still yummy!

 

 

 

Dim Sum and Fruits--yes, isn't it so cool they have dumplings and shui mai here?

 

 

 

Peter at the carving station...

 

 

 

Whole Roasted Suckling Pig--yum yum, hello piggy!!

 

 

 

Asana Dessert Room (with Mike)--I've always found it pretty cool that the room is adjacent to the kitchen and the large windows allow you to look inside and see the chefs at work :)

 

 

 

Peter and me being silly ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dessert Plate Selection!!

 

 

 

Me--Dolce & Gabbana Green Satin Dress with Black Satin Belt, Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay Pumps in Beige Patent, Bottega Veneta Woven Clutch in Curry Specchio (glazed goatskin)!

 

 

Bottega Veneta Woven Clutch in Curry Specchio (glazed goatskin)--love this bag and love that I got it on sale too!!! (with Cartier Love Bracelets in YG and WG)

 

 

Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay Pumps in Beige Patent--though it really looks more like a nude patent than beige I think...

 

And when we got home, this is what we found:

 

Bow Wow looking like he's mad at us and turning away from us...maybe he heard about all the yummy food we just ate at Asana and was upset we didn't bring home any leftovers!! hehe

 

 

 

Fish Market Allston and Random at Home Piccies ;)

 

 

We checked out Fish Market, a small Japanese restaurant, in Allston last Spring thanks to a tip from one of Peter's fellow HBS buddies.  It's such a tiny place, we must have driven past it multiple times but never even noticed it!  Though it seemed like many others had since we waited a good 20 minutes or so before getting a table...which was okay since it was pretty yummy.

 

 

 

House Salad with Ginger Dressing--I have a thing for Japanese salad dressings, I find them sooooo yummy!!

 

 

 

Avocado Ball--one of Fish Market's "special creations" with tuna, white tuna, flying fish roe, wasabi flying fish roe, mixed with lemony mayo dressing.

 

 

Top: Spicy Salmon Maki--one of our favorite rolls

Bottom: Truffling Tuna--another specialty here that we heard we had to try, with Tuna and black flying fish roe swimming in truffle butter (and you know how Peter and I feel about truffle anything hehe)

 

 

 

Suzuki Carpaccio--with ponzu sauce and tobiko

 

 

 

Hamachi Kama--grilled yellowtail neck with ponzu sauce

 

 

 

Black Cod with Sweet Miso--probably the only thing we didn't love, we were surprised to see it come out so "yellow" looking, unlike any other miso fish we've had in the past...the cod was still delicious, but the flavoring was just off.

 

And then back home, like the little fatties that we are, here I've captured Peter happily carrying his favorite snacks (Maltesers and Lindt White Chocolates) over to the T.V.

 

Oh...did you think we worked out or something after eating?  Oops hehe...

 

 

 

 

I think our lazy tendencies have also somehow rubbed off on Bow Wow, here he is about to fall asleep with the towel pulled over him like a comforter.  Sometimes we think Bow Wow is very human-like...he will sit on his butt with his arms hanging out front sometimes (just like a person does!! hehe).

 

 

 

Shiki Japanese Izakaya

 

 

We had heard some great things about Shiki, a Japanese Izakaya (small plates tapa style) restaurant near Brookline, MA.  The fact that the Japanese players from the Red Sox eat here regularly AND that our friends from Japan recommended it made us all the more excited to try it out finally.

 

Somehow we forgot to capture any pics with our friends Monica and Yosuke, I guess we just got too busy eating and talking haha...

 

 

 

Ankimo with Radish and Seaweed Garnish--Peter and I LOVE ankimo (monkfish liver)!!  This was delish and very well-flavored!!

 

 

 

Halibut Yusuzukuri--basically halibut sashimi carpaccio with ponzu sauce!

 

 

 

I forget what dish this was but it was something yummy too I'm sure haha!

 

 

 

Beef Tataki--thinly sliced seared beef with house sauce (usually something with ponzu in it)

 

 

Avocado Salad--with chopped avocado, snow crab, cucumber, dried cranberries marinated with       light mayonnaise and tobiko on top.

 

 

 

Vegetable Tempura--as you can see, very nice and light on the batter!!  My favorite veggie tempura is japanese yam/sweet potato!

 

 

Sashimi Assortment Appetizer--octopus, salmon, tuna and possibly mackerel?

 

 

Broiled Yellowtail Kama--the nice fatty juicy tasty part of the fish (the collar bone area)

 

 

 

Ika Natto--i think this is what it is, raw squid sashimi with natto beans and a quail egg on top (Peter didn't love this but I found it quite tasty!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pikaichi Ramen by Super 88 Allston, MA

 

In addition to Boston being one of my least favorite cities to live in, (the weather, the "Boston is a walking city" PR line I always hear when I'm at Logan--which actually means Boston is a horrible city to drive in and can make you go nuts just trying to get 3 miles..., and the lack of very good Korean and Japanese cuisine), it also has no really nice Chinese supermarkets.  The best Asian one is out in Burlington, MA (H Mart) but it's quite a trek if you want to just grab some fresh fruit and veggies and meat.

 

Anyhow, we go to Super 88 in Allston a bunch just out of convenience, but I have to say, it's really quite dirty and crummy.  I actually would never buy any meat or fish there, unless it's to throw into a soup or something.

 

One thing the Super 88 does have is a little food court with a bunch of Korean, Chinese, and Indian cafes.  None of them are very good, but it suffices if you need a quick ethnic lunch.  Outside the Super 88 food court though is Pikaichi.  It used to be Ken's Ramen up until sometime in Fall/Winter 2010 and it shut down and re-opened as Pikaichi. 

 

I'd like to say Pikaichi delivers airport quality ramen and food, but I couldn't since I was just in Tokyo last summer and had several meals (due to layovers and multiple stops at Narita Airport) there which were DELICIOUS!!

 

Anyhow, Pikaichi IS clean and the food is very okay-good...as in you won't get sick and it doesn't make you go "eww what is that weird taste/flavor," but it also isn't like "wow this is sooo amazing."  With the exception of one dish---Spicy Oyako Don.  I've given up on the ramen there and the Pork Cutlet Curry is nothing compared to Hurry Curry on Sawtelle in L.A., but I always try to get the Spicy Oyako Don there when they have it.  Sadly this was one of the times they didn't...so we got the ramen and pork cutlet curry LOL.

 

 

 

Me--Gucci Black Quilted Nylon Jacket with Gold accents (found this at Saks Beverly Hills ages ago, love it since it's so classic but also comfy and casual!)

 

 

 

Peter got the Pork Ramen--the broth and meat is definitely the weakest part...which I'd say is the 2 most important parts of ramen =X

 

 

Pork Cutlet Curry--the pork is never fatty or flavorful enough and they don't have the little onions!!  But the extra fried egg I got was yummy and at least it wasn't overcooked/dried out.  I've had fried eggs come out dry as a pancake and I'm like "umm...why would I want a dried out--not runny at all fried egg?"

 

 

Me--Sass & Bide Poet's Mask Tee (can't remember the name of this tee, but Sass & Bide is hands down one of my favorite clothing designers!!), Tiffany 18K YG Quatrefoil Key with diamonds, Tiffany Platinum Diamond Fleur de Lis Key, Penny Preville 18K WG Diamond Pendant Necklace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea at the Taj Boston with Monica

 

One of my favorite past times is having afternoon tea with friends.  It's a nice and relaxing way to catch up and a good reason to get dressed up!

 

Here are pics from my first afternoon tea outing in Boston with my pal Monica.  We decided to try The Taj Hotel Boston's Afternoon Tea.  I would say everything was quite good and the service was attentive as well...just too bad we went during the hotel's renovation of the afternoon tea room, so we were placed in what looked like a large conference room converted to temporarily house afternoon tea guests.  At least it had windows and we could kind of look out onto Newbury Street below!

 

 

One of my favorite parts of afternoon tea...The Finger Sandwiches!!! 

Here we had Smoked Salmon, Egg Salad, Crab Profiterole and Proscuitto Cucumber.

Loved loved all of them!!!  YUM YUM YUM!

 

Our afternoon tea Dessert Tier!  I usually can only make it down to the second tier on this thing...I am not really a chocolate fan, but I can't turn down Milk Chocolate Dipped Strawberries OR Scones with Devonshire Cream.  I could eat devonshire cream all day, though I'd imagine that I may have to give up fashion altogether if I did stuff my face with that 24/7 haha...come to think of it, Peter already says I "stuff my face" so much.  Yes, can you believe it, my own bf says that to me regularly! =X

 

 

Monica looking very lady like at our table :)

 

 

Us very happy but excited to dive in to the goodies before us :)

Me--Lanvin Embellished Tee (I can't seem to get enough of these)

 

 

 

 

HBS Charity Auction RC Year 2011

 

Here we are getting ready for the HBS Charity Auction back in RC (first) year, Spring 2011.

It ended up being a total success and I think all in all, Peter's section (Section D) raised over $10,000 USD or something.  All through Section D-mates putting up either items or offering their services and talents (some people offered to cook a cultural/traditional meal, or a stay at their condo in London for a week, etc).

 

 

 

PZ--Kid Robot Hot Pink tee, Christian Audigier Black and Gold hoodie with crystals...and a sailor hat? (that was the theme of the Section D charity auction...something "Nautical" haha)

 

 

Me--Chanel Dark Navy/White Checkered Jacket with Coco crystal emblem (this was a super sale find thanks to a Chanel SA in Beverly Hills back in the day, I somehow snagged the very last right before sale and she held it for me till sale came around), Disney Vintage Mickey Rhinestones tee (you can't see it here but Mickey is covered in multicolor swarovski crystals--I'd list this up there as one of my most prized possesions...also cos it's so rare and despite my attempts, have never been able to find another or more of these types of Official Disney embellished tees), Christian Louboutin Ron Rons in Navy Glitter (this was a super sale piece from Barneys in NYC) and of course, my much loved Hermes Birkin 35 in Blue Jean with Palladium Hardware!!

 

 

Christian Louboutin Ron Rons in Navy Glitter--love sparkles!!

 

 

 

Another shot up close of my Birkie!!  Really cannot wait to add more colors to my collection...something like

Rouge Garrance

Lagoon

Black

Rose Tyrien/Rose Shocking

 

 

 

 

The Fireplace in Brookline, MA

 

Before we moved to Boston, we went around looking at places with our real estate agent.  (BTW, we were shocked that in Boston, as the renter, you had to pay about 1 month rental fee to the real estate agent!!)  Totally not used to that in L.A. or even D.C.!!!

 

Anyhoo, our real estate agent loved pointing out places to eat to us (when she heard we were "foodies")...one place she loved a lot and seemed to know every location of was Finale, the dessert place.  And the other she mentioned whole heartedly was The Fireplace in Brookline, MA.

 

We love the Brookline area actually and considered living there since you can walk to a bunch of shops and restaurants easily, but finding an apartment there with TWO parking spots for our SUVs (Booey and Escapoo) was super challenging, I think I'd have had better luck looking for a Birkin at a consignment shop in the U.S.

 

We finally got to try out The Fireplace, and well, let's just say it was very "eh."

 

 

Pumpkin Bisque--this was actually the highlight of the meal.  We actually loved loved this and had we known how everything else to follow would turn out...we would have probably just ordered 3 bowls each of this LOL

 

Pear and Mandarin Orange Salad--this was okay too, but how can you mess up salad, right?  Or should I be giving them more credit for this hehe

 

Peter caught in action drinking the soup, love his reaction here, as if he was doing something bad haha...

PZ--Zanerobe Purple Tee (btw you may have already noticed a trend in Peter's wardrobe, once we like a brand/style/fit of an item, we kind of go over board and buy ever color in that item...ex: Lacoste shirts, Peter loved them so we ended up getting 1 in every color haha)

 

This is actually embarrassing but I thought it accurately captures how I felt about this Pumpkin Bisque haha!

Me--Cartier Love Bracelets in YG and WG, Mizuki Onyx Bead with diamond bracelet, Cartier Charity Bracelets in Cobalt Blue and Black Silk Cords, Free City Turquoise Tee, Tiffany Platinum Diamond Star earrings and Roberto Coin 18K WG diamond Heart earrings.

 

Bacon Cheeseburger--very average...

 

Salmon Pizza--I really had high hopes for this and got excited since I had an amazing salmon pizza when I was in Berlin years ago...and well, lets just say this was not so good, the crust tasted like cardboard pita bread...

 

 

So, lesson learned?--DO NOT just take anyone's advice on food recs...I think I trust mostly my fellow Chowhounders and some Yelp reviews.  After this, we kind of just avoided any place our realtor had said she LOVED haha...including Finale...

 

 

 

Turner Fisheries in Boston Back Bay with Petah :)

 

I am back and catching up...hope you all had a fab Christmas and New Years!!

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Peter and I had a Groupon or something to Turner Fisheries and had actually heard great things about it so we went in with high expectations, perhaps, too high LOL.

It was okay, nothing amazing but nothing terrible...reminded me of Legal Seafood in D.C. (I have heard that the Legal Seafoods in Boston are much much better, but only some locations...)

 

 

The bread was okay...I don't get why some restaurants think you'd like cold-ish bread and hard butter, who would like that? LOL

 

Peter's Crabcake Appetizer--he said it was yummy and filled with crab...as it should be! hehe

 

Ahi Tuna Sashimi Appetizer--I think I may refrain from ordering this in the future, usually non-Asian places don't deliver well on this.

 

 

 

Peter's Ahi Tuna Entree--can you tell we like tuna a lot?  He said it was yummy, thankfully they didn't overcook!!

 

Seafood Bouillabaisse--I always get this if its on the menu, the broth on this was actually a very nice mix between tomato broth and creamy soup...nicely flavored!

 

Me--Alexander McQueen Jeweled Neckline Black tee :)

 

I actually have no clue what this dessert was, but it was not anything memorable...

 

Me--Gucci Grey Car Coat, Chanel Black Cashmere CC with Gold turnlock Cardigan (you can kind of see one CC gold turnlock peeping out from under the coat), Alexander McQueen Black Jeweled Neckline tee, Miu Miu Black Glitter flats...