Rocksugar rocked my Soul!!

            While I was thinking I had seen everything exciting and eaten everything enticing in LA, we discovered a new place that sky rocketed to my top favorite restaurants list as soon as I sipped my drink!! That is what prompted me to open my blog again after months!! Rocksugar is a Pan Asian Kitchen ( as they call themselves), that offers enormous variety in their food and drinks and probably the most captivating ambience you can find in a restaurant. The first few minutes after I entered, I couldn’t lay my eye on one single wall without saying Wow!!! It’s the most inviting, interesting and invigorating feelings you get when you step into a restaurant famished!! Yes, we were extremely hungry on that day. The place I am sure is packed for dinner, cause the waiting area was huge!! Beyond are 6 booths with coal to keep you warm and then comes the hostesses’ desk. The Asian theme is evident from the entry, with wood carvings, antique stuff, lanterns, whoever did this place deserves compliments. They do have indoor and patio seating.

Entry of the restaurant, Picture coutesy www.enlightermagazine.com

A look at their menu online got us both confused and intrigued. Being Pan Asian, they do have all kinds of Asian cuisines included in their menu but the first glance may not give you a taste of what you are going to experience. The genius here is that all the ingredients are a mixture of Asian cuisines, but the flavors, ooohhh the flavors are absolutely fleeting, taking you to places you wouldn’t imagine! I mean, even though you may not be familiar with all the ingredients, the flavors are a little familiar, but also a little fresh and new! The price range for this place on Yelp is $$$, so we were prepared for the slight prick, but nothing told us how good we would feel when we finally left the place.

                So coming to what we had. I apologize I wasn’t able to get great pictures for you cause one, we didn’t have our DSLR with us, and two, our table was not exactly in the best lighting for the food.

Lime-Mint Squash

                So the complimentary inviting snack was saggu biyyam vadiyalu! Well you would know what I just said if you are Telugu, but to translate, it’s basically Tapioca crackers, also called Saabu daana in Hindi. Its was served with a sweet and spicy tomato based sauce, that really surpized us considering the way we ate these crackers as kids, just plain or with rice and dal! We tried their non-alcoholic drinks that gave us a sample of the uniqueness of this place. Pineapple Tamarindo is a crushed ice drink Made to cool you down thoroughly! A good balance of the sweet and tangy with a dash of lime is always the best way to relax. Lime-mint Squash, which is basically lime juice with mint is flavored with Calamansi limes, was made to perfection. Even though it was just a virgin form of Mojito, I would pick this glass up instead of my fav drink!! Looking at these perfectly made drinks, we were pretty sure we would like what we ordered next, the Crispy Imperial Rolls.

                The rolls come with minced pork or chicken. We went with chicken. They are again basically spring rolls, but with a twist. The meat is minced, has Indian flavor, and is combined with cellophane noodles and shiitake mushrooms! Add to this a smash hit sauce to dip into and leaves of basil, cilantro and lettuce to wrap and/dip with. I must say, each ingredient gives you a unique ride. Just the rolls, very good!, dipped in sauce, spicy/sweet and great!! Wrap roll in basil and lettuce and dip them, superb!!! Do it again with cilantro, and you have a completely different feeling!! Now I really cant explain enough. You need to try it to believe me.

Crispy Imperial Rolls

                Our main course included Festive rice and Thai Basil Cashew Chicken. So the waiter arrives, with the chicken on one plate looking almost burnt! And an inverted cone of, I think a banana leaf covering yellow rice! Now, by first glance, this meal portrays nothing unusual. But one morsel of the rice with a piece of chicken, proves to you again, its well worth it!! Festive rice is Jasmine rice with coconut, lemongrass and cashews. It’s the perfect balance really. Just a hint of the coconut and lemongrass and jasmine rice is like pulao! Now the Chicken, it was special because of its sauce that contained caramelized onion, and a wonderful combination of Red chillies and garlic. Caramelizing is not easy to do. And to find it done so well is amazing! We were full to the neck. Not that the portions were too much also. But some how, we did get quite stuffed. The flavors did everything I guess…

Caramelized Banana Custard Cake

                For dessert we tried their famous Caramelized Banana Custard Cake. They give you 2 slices of banana cake with a layer of Malted Crème Anglaise (custard caramelized on the surface) and milk chocolate ice cream. Also sprinkled on top was Nut Brittle. I must confess, the Brittle was my favorite!! I just can’t describe Brittle to you. Its basically ‘Chikki’ as we call it in India, made with all kind of nuts including pistachios. It was yummy! I found the dessert too overratedthough. Firstly the combo of milk chocolate ice cream and banana cake didn’t strike me as the best. The cake itself seemed a little dry, probably to compensate for the custard on top, but still it needed more moisture. Custard on its own was good enough. I would rate it a 2.5/5.

Overall our lunch was a 4.5/5. Ambience was a hit and the food was absolute bliss! Looking forward to visit them for dinner some time!

Check them out at: http://www.rocksugarpanasiankitchen.com/
Westfield Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA-90067

San Diego Wilderness

   San Diego is world famous for its zoo and safari and the sea world. I believed it only when I experienced it! A wonderland for children, and no less for adults, these attractions make any aged person say 'amazing'!! Here are some interesting tips and guidelines for visiting these places, and loads of pictures with my favorites.

Macaw

     The San Diego Zoo is located in the area dense with trees inside Balboa park of San Diego. When you are visiting here, make time for a day for each park. Unless you slowly walk along and see all the animals you wouldn't cover all of them right? And its going to be quite an interesting walk so I am sure it will be slow too. We took advantage of the multi-day pass and got free visitor tickets for my sis in law. We could visit 2 parks in two days. And that was exactly what we planned to do! The ticket includes the bus ride in the zoo and he tram ride in the safari park for the two of us, but the third person needs to buy tickets for these rides. The first thing we did was take the bus tour. The map was very clear, but we needed to see what we were in for before we walked all the way to the other side to see something we thought we liked. The tickets for the bus tour are sold exactly opposite to the entrance. And the loading point, a little further. Quite a few buses were coming along to take all its passengers, but it did seem like we were wasting time But in the mean time, we were greeted by plenty of peacocks and peahens! I couldn't get a good picture of them but I did bring back a good pic of the macaw that welcomed us to the bus. A bright red bird watching all of us as though it were to keep us in order in the line. It was so beautiful.
     The sightseeing bus took us to all the major locations of the zoo, slowly explaining about the animals, and the stops that they have along the path. So once we were done, I knew where I wanted to go. The two aviaries. The Scripps and Owens Aviaries are at the heart of the zoo, amongst all the chimps in the place. One useful this about the map and the sign boards along the pathways was that they are not only named they also tell you how long it takes to hike along to finish it, and whether it is moderate or easy or steep terrain.

Golden breasted Starling

Victoria crowned pigeon

     One thing I loved about this zoo compared to the ones I have seen before was the way the animals were free. Certain animals like say the birds of certain kind were free in the aviary and sometimes could fly to you. Kids could interact with them. Amazing birds they were. A paradise for me and my husband with our camera!

Skyfari

    Once we were done with the birds and the chimps, we wanted to go to the other side of the zoo to catch a glimpse of the polar bears. at the Polar Rim. To do that, we could either walk all the way, or take the Skyfari. It is an aerial tram that runs all day long. The line is very long so you need to be very patient. At the other end, the polar bears were sun bathing. It is interesting to know the names of all the animals, and they also have descriptions of what each bear is like. Active, or lazy, their favorite thing to play with , etc everything is written on the walls. We were told that the best time to see them would be earlier in the day. We were hoping to see some in the water, but no luck.

Polar Bear

     Next it was time for Panda Canyon!! A sweet family of Pandas resides in the zoo. A cub was born 6 months ago, and they were having lunch when we visited them. Sorry I cannot recollect their names but I brought you pictures!!

Baby Panda

    It was now time for the elephants. They have both african and indian elephants spread across a large area. But before that, We saw the most spectacular Lion ever. A lion and a lioness were having their meal. Chewing and gnawing at a chunk of meat on a bone. He was so majestic, they dont call him the King of the jungle for nothing!

Lunch time!

     The elephants were calm strolling in their spacious courtyard. A baby elephant was hopping along the mother eating straw. it was a pleasant sight. There is also a show sometime in the afternoon that introduces visitors to the elephants and their life.

Indian Elephant

     After watching many other cats like snow leopards, black leopard, hyenas, I stepped into my favorite place in the zoo. The reptile house has about a hundred kinds of reptiles and I loved the various kinds of snakes they had. Each one so discreet, poised, watching through the other side of the glass.

Pit Viper

     My experience here was fun, amazing, and tiring with all the walking. We had a field day with taking pictures and admiring natures creations. It is a well kept zoo and I enjoyed it thoroughly. For more lovely pictures, go to, http://www.vijayram.net/

The Mediterranean break

    
    Have you ever eaten something that makes you feel renewed on your palate and so satisfying you want to try more? Thats what I felt when we went to eat at Ali Baba's Kitchen in Newbury Park, CA. After repeatedly eating Italian, American, India, and Chinese, it felt like I was basking in the sun on a warm morning!

    We chose to eat the small family combo which consisted of everything Medi food is essentially made of. The most popular Medi food people most often like is Falafel. Made of Chickpeas and some seasoning, this fried pattie/ball is eaten with pita bread or just plain.At Baba's, it is served with a tasty tangy dip. Its filling, its tasty, and has a great taste! As part of the meal they served us some fresh salad too, which had a very distinct flavour to it. I am sure there is something special in the dressing used cause it had a sharp flavour and freshness of cucumber!

Falafel, Baba's salad and Pita bread

     Now the next favourite in this food is Hummus! Of course you have eaten it in many places, and in many flavours but it is amazingly fresh with chili powder drizzled on top and olive oil along the edges. The meal does not include the hummus so you will have to order extra to eat with the warm pita bread that is included though. Believe me, there is nothing like fresh hummus!

     Next course is the Chicken Shawarma with rice and Chicken Kabab. Shawarma is shredded meat that is grilled. and mostly served in the form of a sandwich. Now in this meal its served with flavoured rice. And the Kababs are diced chicken marinated in lemon juice olive oil and vinegar and skewed. Its the most delicious kabab I have had in ages(in US)!!

   Hey, I almost forgot, for dessert, try their Baklava. Its a puff pastry with a layer of nuts, spices and honey. It is yum yumm yummm...
    So if you want to fill your tummy with happiness, do check this place out. In the mean time, I am gonna try some more of their yummy dishes and fill you in! babyee!!

Ali Baba's Kitchen
2110-B Newbury Road
Newbury Park CA-91320

http://alibabarestaurant.com/
 

Sunny City San Diego

                San Diego is most famous for its animals. The zoo, safari and seaworld are the most popular, but there much much more to San Diego. That is what we decided to explore when we were there last time. I am going to share with you everything other than just the animals. I will fill you in with the amazing animals at the zoo but for now lets take a look at the other side of this seemingly small but second largest city in CA.

Hotel del Coronado

                Within a small radius, San Diego offers all kinds of entertainment and activities. Lets take a look at the two most famous beaches here- Coronado and mission beaches. Coronado beach is in Coronado on North Island. It is this vast stretch of sand silent, pleasant, quite a lot of activity going on too. We were there at sunset and there weren’t many people in the water, and the wet sand under the waves were forming these beautiful ripples that glistened in the setting sun. Along the beach is the famous Hotel del Coronado.  One of the oldest hotels in America, and host to many celebrities. While you relax here you may also spot airplanes taking off from the adjacent North Island Navy Base.

Sunset at Coronado beach

After sunset at Coronado Beach

                Mission beach reminded me much of the Orange county beaches in CA. The colouful houses along the sand and the waves trying to wash the beach away, and bikers and walkers enjoying the fresh breeze while sweating it out! (watching it makes me feel light and healthy too!)

Mission beach

                Another spot you have to see in San Diego is La Jolla. Along the Coast Blvd of La Jolla town are the tide pools, sea lions, sea gulls and Pelicans. The place is great for just a quiet walk, healthy jog, or even a picnic with your kids along at Scripps Park. A famous activity here is Kayaking, which you can take to the La Jolla coves nearby. A lovely place for sea animal photography, and a happy place to just relax. So bring your blankets, sandwiches, and lemon juice, and enjoy this beautiful stretch of ocean blue!

La Jolla

Tide pools at La Jolla

Sea Lions at La Jolla

The Whisky Girl

                Now for the nightlife. The place to hang out in San Diego in the evenings is Gaslamp Quarter. It is a very popular place for all kinds of ages to just chill and have an evening dinner, with their buddies in the numerous sports bars, or if you want to have a romantic dinner with your partner. Most places have specials on game nights, and you could go bar hopping all you want and have a blast! We tried the Whisky Girl. It was full of people, activity, we got raffles tickets (but didn’t win!) got some specials for drinks and some great fried beans too! A loud bar as it should be for a game night, on the whole a nice place to see the locals having fun drinking eating and winning!

Pepperoni pizza at Sammy's

                We had dinner at Sammy’s Woodfired Piza. A neat place, pizza was expensive for its size! But it was definitely good! I would give a 4 star rating for this place. We had a simple Pepperoni pizza and enjoyed it a lot! The piping hot cheese and dripping juices!! Yummm….

       




              

            We also visited the USS Midway Museum. Amongst the many naval attractions in this city, we made time for this Vietnam war air ship turned into a museum. It took us nearly 3 hours to see the whole place. And considering our speed, if you had kids whom you would want to educate, make time for atleast 6 hours. This is a great place for youngsters (5-15years) to learn and appreciate the work of the navy and their apparatus. The entry is $18 for adults and it opens at 10am. There is a lot of walking to do and steps to climb at times so it is better if people avoid it if they have some difficulty. They give you a free audio tour with ear phones etc which you can carry all over the ship. Directions are clear, and there are guides all over the place to give you more information whenever you need it. The main attraction of the place is the Upper deck. There is a display of their aircrafts with veterans to explain about how they work. We can also step into a couple of them to see what it is like to be in them. I do not have very good vocabulary in these things, but I must say, I was very excited to see these aircrafts that were actually used once in real war! One that really got my attention was the SH-3 Anti-submarine helicopter that rescued crews from Apollo 11, 13, etc. The most interesting thing was when I saw a veteran explaining to his 15 year old son about his experiences on that ship! The man must be so proud of himself, and the son amazed!

F-14A predecessor of the present used jets

SH-3 Sea King that recovered the Apollos

                Old Town is a restored town as it was in the 1800's of Spanish settlement. Personally I didn't find it to be so amazing. But there were a few buildings that intrigued me, like the Wells Fargo building with displays of mail sorting and a real carriage. I believe they used to have horsemen that carried mail across the country in just 10 days! Then there were stores like the cigar store for instance. This place was reeking of cigar odour, but, It had pipes from years ago, hundreds of kinds of lighters, apart from thousands of varieties in cigarettes and tobacco. At the courtyard of Casa de Reyes, dance troups perform  on a stage for all the guests interested. Catchy music and bright colours are very attractive. The shops here are typical to the spanish and unique too. Most of them are souvenir shops some food stalls, and there is one eye catching one. That is the Casa de Furco. Its got all kinds of hot sauces, with a whole section for habanero sauces. The pics will show you what exactly I mean.

                The last place we saw was the Cabrillo monument. Passing by the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetry, we reached Point Loma that houses the Cabrillo Monument. Parking was very difficult to find and after going around 3 times, we finally were able to enjoy the view of San Diego. On one side is the North Island Naval Complex near Coronado, with the down town as the background. Little boats sail into the bay all around you. On the other side is of course the ocean! Cabrillo came to San Diego Bay in the 16^th century from Mexico. A statue of him is the monument that marks his landing. There is also a light house that has been used since 1800s.

The bay view from Point Loma

The Cabrillo Monument

The lighthouse at Point Loma

                 As dessert for this post, why not taste some yummy ghirardelli ice cream!! You cannot miss this place in San Diego right? Anything and everything is lip smacking, no introductions needed, Here are the two treats we had!

Hot Fudge Sundae in a Waffle bowl!! YUMMMM!!!

Butterscotch Sundae!!

                Another dessert that we enjoyed was at Old Town Mexican Cafe. We also had Chicken Quesedilla, enchiladas and fish tacos, but this dessert was the best. The fried tortilla with ice cream. I never imagined it would be so good!! Do check it out next time!!

Useful Links:

http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors
http://whiskeygirl.com/
midway museum: http://www.midway.org/
http://www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com/
cabrillo monument @Point Loma: http://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm

Filippi's flips you over!

    Famished after a day long stroll in the San diego zoo, we were hunting for some good italian food in Little Italy. We picked Filippi's Pizza Grotto. We are fanatics of italian food, so we were ready to dine in this famous italian deli cum restaurant. We were there on monday evening at 8:30pm, and we had to wait 25min to be seated! So you can imagine how popular it must be! They have other locations all around San diego, and stretching upto Napa too!

   Waiting in line, and observing the deli around me, I counted more than 20 kinds of EVOO(Extra virgin Olive Oil), Wines from all over the world, including their own home brew France ca Chile Flippis. And cheese?? Dont ask me! I couldnt count them....Displayed in the counter, hanging on the counter, there was cheese everywhere! Of course, no italian store can not have pasta! There was loads and loads of pasta everywhere... It was a delight to see almost everything italian in the store.

    

Once you pass the deli and enter the restaurant you know they have been around for  a long long time. The place was full! Tables all over, waiters running all over, 'bottles' hanging from the ceiling everywhere! I later got to know they were bottles of Bell'agio Chianti dry red wine, ordered and autographed by their customers. This place was screaming, 'You are here for SOME experience'!! 

    

We ordered some fresh garlic bread, and then binged into this cheezy, pizza surprise. It was the Vegetarian Special, with loads of cheese smothered all over, mushrooms, onions, tomato and black olives. Ingredients are not so appealing I know!( there was no chicken on the menu) But the pizza was certainly a mouthful. 

     After the pizza, we were ready for more. So we tried their Eggplant Parmigiana in the a la carte (smaller portion) with some lasagna. Yummm... it was perfecto! The pictures may not completely tell you how it tasted, but... neither can I! But if you are any where close to Little Italy in San Diego, do make sure you check out this place. The ambiance itself will bowl you over!

Useful Links:

http://www.realcheesepizza.com/