Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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Banana & Leaf: Grab & Go

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Banana & Leaf (Fusion & Fancy Sushi)

OPENS TODAY!  Wed, 19 October 2011, 11 am to midnight
$2 Grab and Go for just this week!
This gorgeous hip, modern and very cool Sushi Fusion Indonesian is in downtown Miami. From the same owners at Little Lotus Tapas.  Perfect lunchbox for busy lifestyles and the freshest sushi and sashimi at a great price!
There are a few bar seats and cozy couches with incredibly rich colors that immediately make you think of Indonesia! It’s inside a very posh building called The Loft.
Their concept is Grab and Go Lunch box for busy professionals, students and anyone who loves Asian food. All healthy and freshly made with everything priced around $5.  How can you beat that?  I didn’t have the menu at the time I was posting this but by the look of the photos Andi sent, they look like just what I’d enjoy eating for my lunch!
My husband and I were honored to be invited to their private party a couple of weeks prior to the opening. Wow, they made the BIGGEST sushi boat that was the length of the whole bar!  Their eel was very fresh, so tender and tasty and quickly disappeared.  There were mounds of seaweed salad, mayo seafood sticks that was very addictive, summer rolls, a very yummy seafood salad and mountains of salmon and tuna sushi. Funnily enough, I was the only Asian guest there apart from the seafood distributor, hmm.  All the guests were loyal regulars at Little Lotus Tapas.  I really enjoyed meeting these foodies.
I’ll leave you with a teeny secret, they’re expanding, can’t tell you where yet but Sari is a little empire builder.  I so admire her passion for bringing good Asian food, especially Indonesian food to Miami in a clean, modern environment that you want to hang out at.
Grab & Go and tell them Wok Star sent you!  And spread the word, share on Facebook, twitter, you know the drill. They deserve to be noticed.
Grab & Go, Dine In, Take Out & Delivery
234 NE 3rd Street Unit CU-1A, Miami, FL 33132
7 days a week from 11 am to midnight
photo credit: Tabgha Photography (Interior bar and food shots at top and bottom, all the good ones!)
 

Yardbird: Top Chef Jeff McInnis new restaurant

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I think Yardbird is going to be a huge success.  The whole cozy feel of Southern cooking and atmosphere is just what’s needed in the heart of South Beach! There’s even a wood deck with outdoor seating for people watching.
Chef Jeff McInnis looking very calm on his first night’s opening at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar.  I so enjoyed hanging with my foodie friends and thanks to Gretchen for inviting me. We sat at the high table with comfy bar stools so you can watch the chefs cook! Best seats in the house. Even though it was ridiculously busy, the wait staff were all very well trained and friendly. I can’t wait to try Cast Iron Chicken because as you know, I’m a HUGE cast iron wok advocate. Produce and meat are all sourced locally here and proudly stated on their website here.
I remember watching Jeff as a contestant on Top Chef.  Soon after, I went to see him “grill” Chef Tom Colicchio in an amusing interview session at Arsht Center in Miami. Next, Jeff was the chef who helped open up popular Gigi’s and asked if I wanted to ‘work’ one of the wok stations there when he found out I teach wok cooking!  He actually remembered our conversation last night.

Left: Meatloaf Slow Braised Short Ribs, melt-in-your-mouth tender & tasty bite!
Right: Ham wrapped peach, didn’t get to try this.

Very fresh & perfectly fried Catfish.  Deviled Eggs

Left: Smores, cupcakes, cookies. Right: Smoked Drumsticks were juicy, yummy!

Left: the crowd didn’t slow down at the bar!
Right: Paul Newman, Cool Hand Luke photo slides to go with theme of Southern cooking!

Left: Chef plating my fav: Meatloaf made of Slow Braised Short Ribs!
Right: Mama’s Fried Chicken Biscuit (ID by Yardbird, thx!) with pepper jelly.
Didn’t get to try this.

All the details at the bar with the fixings were beautiful.  Showing all the wonderful food canning along the wall.

Goodie bag of Moon pie, pickled onions, bourbon and a calculator?

I love Jeff’s mission and what he’s trying to do with his restaurant!  You can read more about Yardbird here, here and here.  And here’s Gretchen’s writeup. Last but not least from one of my fav writers.

Well, good luck to Jeff’s first night (yeah, I got this up before he opens to the public tonight.) I’m all about supporting chefs who have the guts to open their own restaurant, it’s a tough business.

I was very honored Jeff’s mom emailed to say, “It was great to live it through your eyes!”

Like to hear what you ate?
Yardbird Southern Table & Bar on Urbanspoon

Singapore Restaurant Recommendations

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Here’s my list of recommendations for good eats in Singapore!

One thing I hate when traveling is wasting time testing out restaurants and getting frustrated. Since my mom was born in S’pore and was such a fabulous cook, we were spoiled. So, I’m pretty picky about eating in Asia.

I was in Spore 2009, so please call prior to going in case anything changes. I didn’t take too many photos in those days, so sorry I have nothing to show.

This is Nyonya cuisine which is Chinese/Malay/Indonesian mix. I personally think this was the most enjoyable meal I had in S’pore…
House of Peranakan Cuisine (they have 4 but think we went to:
Baba Inn
#01-103 Frankel Ave (S) 458225
tel: 6445-2404

This Thai restaurant put on an incredibly, beautiful and yummy lunch buffet spread. There’s 2 of them, we were taken by an Indian friend who lived there. I think I have photos of this, have to find them!
Patara (Fine Thai Cuisine)
2 Stamford Road,
Level 3 Swissotel The Stamford
Raffles City S.C.
Singapore 17882
tel: 6339 1488

This was our FAVORITE, it’s Chinese banquet style, top notch. It’s inside a high end mall if I remember correctly. You can order from a set menu which is VERY REASONABLE. We ate there many times because we were so addicted. Also beautiful setting, fantastic service and the food is EXQUISITE:
Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant
391 Orchard Road,
#05-12/13 Ngee Ann City
S’pore 238872
tel (65) 6738 1238