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Thai Food Festival in Miami

July 1, 2018 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

If you live in Miami, you have to experience The Thai Food Festival at least once in your lifetime! The sounds, smells and hubbub is quite the experience. Wat Buddharangsi Thai Temple was celebrating their 36th anniversary and every Thai person in Miami seemed to be there either selling food or eating it. Just a note if you intend to go to a future one…

BE THERE EARLY CAUSE THE FOOD GOES!
Nearly everything was $5, so bring CASH!

Do check out my foodie buddy, Brenda’s blog and video as well. We missed seeing each other at the Thai Food Festival, so it’ll be interesting to see what caught her eye. I may put together short video snippets from the Festival.

This station was a good way to try some Thai food. Smaller portions, all at $5 and comes with rice.

Look how nicely dressed this lady is. My friend, Mary recognized her. She came all the way from West Palm Beach. She was making Thai Noodle Soup.

Recognize Chef Baz, owner of Lung Yai Thai Tapas? He had to put his name down for those Thai pancakes.

This was the only stand with BBQ protein as far as I could see and had the LONGEST LINE!

Looks like hard work splitting the bamboo stick open to fill with Red Bean and Sticky Rice. Notice pile of Galangal, Thai ginger.

The most popular were Thai desserts mostly with coconut milk and a little too sweet for me.

Mango and Sticky Rice seemed to be everywhere.

My fav Thai dessert is this one, reminds me of Kuih, a Malaysian layered dessert, slightly chewy and of course with coconut milk.

My favorite dish at this festival is Ho Mok, steamed fish and scallops with coconut milk and curry. The flavor was good but no seafood detected, ha, ha!

The NEXT LONGEST LINE EVER was Bubble Tea, KACHING!

Khanom Krot is a rice and coconut milk pancake. Someone ordered the whole lot so she sold out. I don’t think that should be allowed because we didn’t get a chance to try this, boo!

Notice the beautifully carved papayas behind the Money Tree.

There were a few shade trees with tables and chairs.

And a HUGE tent where there was live music. Crowded and only 11am.

After a peek into the Thai Temple, we headed to sit in the side area for our lunch.

So happy this Thai Temple got built. They have provided so many wonderful community festivals for us to enjoy!

Love the monks’ orange outfits! The Thai community brings them cooked food.

The Thai community brings cooked food for the general public to share, so sweet. By the time we were invited to try, the best were gone, so GO EARLY.

Khanya and I, so good to reconnect. She was instrumental in helping bring in money to get the Temple built. Thanks to Mary for getting this shot, so fun hanging with her.

Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club at Gaijin Izakaya (Updated)

January 30, 2018 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Extracted from Gaijin’s Eventbrite page written by food journalist & Gaijin staffer, Korakot “gabby” suriya-arporn. I added my two cents…
My Wok Star Supper Club will be celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Dog at Chef Cake’s newish Japanese gastropub, Gaijin Izakaya in midtown, Sunday, February 25, 5:30pm. A $50 per person scrumptious 5 course menu starts with a welcome cocktail and passed hors d’oeuvre that’ll get the New Year off with a bang. My main goal in these gatherings is to support and showcase mostly chef owned restaurants and introduce you to good Asian inspired food. All ticket sales go to Gaijin Izakaya. My Wok Star Supper Club, an event held periodically throughout the year, is about celebrating Asian culture and cuisine in South Florida.
Please don’t leave till last minute and be disappointed you can’t get in!
Please view MENU below PRIOR to reservations. NO exceptions, substitutions or deviations, we want to make it easy for Chef Cake and staff. Please understand, it’s difficult to deal with 70 people already so if you have any food allergies or diet restrictions, please visit on another occasion and order what you want.

Some fun rules you should know…
1) Get cozy – EVERYONE will mix and mingle at the bar as they enter and meet new friends.

2) Get even more cozy – seats and dish portions will be arranged in 2 and 4, so guests will be sitting with new friends and sharing dishes family style.

The lucky folks who’ll get first dibs into this popular event are subscribers to my newsletter. You can subscribe in the right sidebar of my site to gain priority access to this and future events plus get the latest food ideas, resources and beyond.

Yes, they are real washing machines where you can put your bag and personal belongings, how cute is that!

Bar area as you enter where we’ll meet and mingle over a special surprise welcome cocktail with passed hors d’oeuvre of tuna rice rolls which have a little kick to them, yummy!

Chef Cake will be bringing you the ultimate tasting experience with his unique Japanese-Chinese hybrid to celebrate Year of the Dog. The multi-course meal of prosperity and good wishes is a showcase of Cake’s culinary prowess as well as his imaginative flair. I love the ‘artsy’ and eclectic mix of furniture and furnishings from the previous owner who was an artist. Chef Cake has added hand picked Japanese posters and blends in well with the existing decor.
About Chef Cake, Phuket Thongsodchareondee:
Cake grew up in a resort island in Thailand, acquainting himself to cooking since early age at a family hotel business. After he moved to Miami, he soon found direction under Makoto Okuwa and trained under him at his namesake restaurant for four years. Cake then decided to venture out on his own, opening a little Thai haunt in MiMo neighborhood called Cake Thai Kitchen, which has gathered him many accolades, including Best Thai Restaurant 2015 from Miami New Times, One of Eater 38 (best restaurants in Miami), and StarChefs’ South Florida Rising Star. With lingering passion for Japanese cuisine, he finally opens Gaijin Izakaya in July 2017, fulfilling his dreams to own a fun, rigidity-free izakaya with high quality food and great selections of beverages.
About Eleanor Hoh, aka Wok Star:
Eleanor is a cooking teacher, entrepreneur, blogger and presenter. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and love of wok cooking she learned from her mom. After 17 years in the computer industry in London, she embarked on an entrepreneurial journey starting in Key West, FL, where her passion for teaching has evolved into a roadmap technique, eliminating recipes and encourages creativity and intuition. Currently, she teaches monthly cooking classes and produces corporate team building and wellness programs in upscale design showrooms in south Florida and also offers online classes on Udemy to reach a worldwide audience.

Passed hors d’oeuvre: tuna rice rolls has a good kick, very yummy.

Yusheng – a New Year dish with sashimi fish and shredded vegetables to toss and bring in the New Year! Light and refreshing.

1st course: Fried short ribs, very tasty. Eggy fried rice and Stir Fried Bok Choy with mushrooms (not shown.)

2nd Course: Amazing smoked duck with noodles and bok choy.

For this shot, we had Cake’s mom hold 2 of my hubby’s iphone lights, it was quite funny.

Join us for this memorable gathering, plus a chance to meet and mingle with Chef Cake, myself and fellow food lovers who enjoy Asian culture and cuisine.

2018 Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club Menu*

Welcome cocktail
Passed hors d’oeuvre:
Tuna crispy rice
szechuan peppercorn, yuzu butter, capelin roe
Appetizer:
Yusheng “Prosperity Toss”
local raw fish, cucumber, sesame seeds, salmon roe, umeboshi dressing
Mains:
Salt & pepper beef short ribs
Also garlic eggy fried rice, wok-fried bok choy and oyster mushroom
Applewood smoked duck breast
egg noodles, duck fat, bok choy
Dessert:
Jelly orange

SUBJECT TO CHANGE UPON SEASONAL AVAILABILITY
NO MODIFICATION OR ALTERATION

Here are the details, you know the drill…you’ll be paying directly to Gaijin Izakaya…
When: Sunday, February 25, 5:30-8:30pm
Where: Gaijin Izakaya, 3500 N. Miami Ave., Midtown Miami.
What: Eleanor Hoh and Cake Thai, Chinese New Year Wok Star Supper Club
Cost: $50 includes Welcome Cocktail, tips and tax and EXCLUDES other beverages.
Drinks: Special beverage and sake pairings is $25 and not part of dinner price.
Max: 70 seats
Parking: across at midtown shops parking or street parking
Reservations & payment: through Eventbrite from Gaijin or myself through newsletter.
Call Gaijin directly if you have any problems: 305-456-3207
We look forward to seeing you there!

Wok Star Supper Club

July 23, 2010 By Eleanor Hoh 3 Comments

WOK STAR SUPPER CLUB (previously HOH Wok Club) is a celebration of Asian culture and cuisine and a way for cooking students and I (Eleanor Hoh aka Wok Star) to socialize outside of my Wok Star cooking classes. These gatherings are also open to anyone who enjoys meeting people and exploring new flavors. Of course, students and subscribers to my newsletter get first dibs. Many who’ve attended have gone back to these restaurants to try other dishes and told friends about them, so win win for everyone. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of building wonderful relationships with many journalists, editors and foodies who all help to promote these events through social media and online sites. So, it’s a great promotion for the chefs and restaurants.

After a few years hiatus, I have resurrected my WOK STAR SUPPER CLUB gatherings. I’m thrilled to introduce numerous new restaurants focusing on modern Asian eats. I like supporting small restaurants that serve good food and have a nice ambience. For me, eating out has to be a complete experience and in Miami, unfortunately, not many Asian eateries have both. As a foodie friend, Joan says, ‘it’s like you’re giving your seal of approval’ when you review their restaurants or bring your Wok Star Supper Club there!

My aim is to create a tasting sampler at a great value. It’s an excellent way to be introduced to what the restaurant has to offer and gives the chef an opportunity to talk about his/her style of cooking (unless they’re shy of course, then I have to help them.) Starting off with a meet and mingle, drinks and snacks, then get down to the eats. There’ll also be giveaways for lucky raffle winners.

I hope to have these gatherings on a regular basis, well, depending of course with how many restaurants there are. It seems they close and open so quickly, so we have to be vigilant and act quickly.
If you want to be notified of future Wok Star Supper Club gatherings and other Asian related news, the best way is to subscribe to my newsletter in right sidebar ——>>>

Please note: If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don’t like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: these gatherings are probably not for you.
Here’s a list of Wok Star Supper Club gatherings we’ve had…

Gaijin, Chinese New Year 2018