Noodle Talk - Sunnyvale

Cold rainy days warrant hot noodle soup. Better if that soup is also spicy AF! I was in the mood for noodle soup the other week and was tired of the usual pho and ramen. I could use a ramen break after my last review of Myzen. I was actually craving QQ Noodle which is farish from me and remembered a random place I stumbled upon through Instagram. It was called Noodle Talk and then some Chinese characters after it. So let's talk noodles. All the menu descriptions were in Chinese so I'll do my best to guess all the ingredients.

($10.99) Spicy Beef Shank Noodle Soup - thinly sliced and overly cooked beef shank pieces. You don't get that many per bowl. Some tofu pieces, cilantro, thick noodles, and a spicy broth. This had two pepper symbols next to it on the menu which isn't even the max but I was struggling with the intensity. It hurts so good. I wish the beef shank slices

($4.99) Spicy pig ear - cut too thick to my liking but not so bad. Ive had better though.

($3.99) Tofu skin salad - these bean curd sheets with sliced red onions and chili oil were very addicting. I love cold salads like this. 

($8.99) Spicy ground pork with sour beans noodle soup - this one had three pepper symbols next to it and it was less spicy than the beef shank soup. The sour beans balanced out the spice and gave it more variety of flavor than just one note chili oil.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

The restaurant is decently sized but the tables are squished close together giving it the feeling of dining at a smaller place. I'm not much of a fan of this type of food. I can handle spicy food but i prefer it to be layered with ither flavors such as sour, salty, or sweet. This was just spicy and it seemed like from one type of pepper or oil. I suggest passing on the beef shank noodles and getting te sour bean one along wit the variety of cold salads.

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Myzen Ramen - Sunnyvale

My fellow food reviewer at Metro News has once touted Myzen Ramen as a place where long lines aren't required for tasty ramen (sanjose.com). That's a rare find in the South Bay where our options are scant. Front runners include Orenchi Ramen, Kotetsu Ramen, and Santouka Ramen at the food court in Mitsuwa. I have eaten a lot of ramen in my time as a food blogger. 

Imagine my delight when Myzen Ramen invited me to try their fare for myself. Let's see how they stack up to the other ramen shops?

*This meal was complimentary to me in exchange for this review. The portions are tasting size except for ramen and agedashi tofu which are regular size.*

Myzen does much with its small space. The wood paneled walls bring an authentic feel to the decor. The waiting area is separated by a single wooden panel that shields diners from the outside hustle bustle. The tables are arrange so as to make the best use of the space and there was plenty of room to maneuver around the restaurant.

($3.99) Cold Spinach - sample size
The cold marinated spinach appetizer was a great snack to start. It also goes well if you put it into the ramen.

($4.99) Soy Sauce Daikon - sample size
Even though this appetizer sounds simple, we were really impressed with the flavor of this house made snack. The light soy sauce on the soft daikon slices made an umami filled taste and texture combo. I definitely recommend noshing on these. 

($6.99) Takoyaki with octopus inside
The flavor of the dough and seasoning of the filling was very tasty. However it was a bit wet and doughy.

($4.99) Agedashi tofu 
The agedashi tofu was standard. I prefer a crispier coating and larger flakes of bonito on top.

($5.99) Chicken Karaage
The chicken had a nice crunch to it. More of a flakey KFC skin than the usual clumpy karaage coating. It comes with a tangy dipping sauce which was interesting but not my style. The karaage was very flavorful on its own. I would recommend this dish too.

I had a quick chat with the owner of Myzen to find out his inspiration for building the restaurant's menu. He was going for some traditional dishes and some modern takes on the classics. The dipping sauce for the karaage is apparently a traditional version. So are the cold pickled items which we loved. Two non-traditional dishes are the Wasabi Shrimp and Curry Ramen which he says is a big hit with Westerners.

($7.99) Wasabi Shrimp

These shrimp were similar to the Chinese walnut prawns except the coating of mayonaise had a subtle wasabi flavor. It reminded me of Morimoto Napa's wasabi aioli shrimp. I don't mind wasabi at all so I thought these shrimp were really good. It is just a tad stronger in wasabi flavor than expected though. A very interesting dish that is definitely worth a try.

($12.95) Curry Ramen
The curry ramen does very well with the Sunnyvale demographic. There is a high population of Indian people here who would really appreciate this flavor. The curry flavor is really mild and not spicy. I could even taste the curry flavor and tonkotsu base separately. Also an interesting take on ramen that's worth a taste.

($10.95) Myzen Ramen - the traditional tonkotsu broth

The tonkotsu broth ramen is an important test of a ramen shop's legitimacy. This is the classic pork broth that a good shop must master. Myzen did very well with theirs. The broth was creamy colored though it tasted very light. The restaurant prides itself on using no chemicals and no MSG which seemed to show in the lightness of their broth. It was still very flavorful though. The noodles were springy. The chashu was very tender. The soft boiled egg had a yolk with more of a gel consistency and not as runny as I wanted. I really liked how the extra bamboo shoots, cloud ear mushrooms, and green onions came in separate plates. You could share the extras with the rest of your table as there is plenty to go around. I preferred if the garlic was a standard condiment at the table rather than an extra that needs to be ordered but this is a minor thing. I am also not a fan of corn in ramen but that's just me. It certainly doesn't detract from the already stellar broth. 

Overall, the Myzen Ramen is one of the best bowls I've had in the South Bay. It wins with it's light tasting flavor and texture. Everything else we had was also good, particularly the cold vegetables. There are a number of katsu rice bowls for those who don't want ramen. Draft beers are also imported. Must note that there is no line (yet). I would gladly be back. 

Mom's Fit and Well Event at Sunnyvale Sports Basement

In 2010, I wrote a post sharing my tips for exercising and weight loss and it is still one of the top performing posts of this blog. Check it here. In the years since then, I lost more weight and got more toned by running half marathons, lifting weights, and going to the gym 7 days a week. Pretty much if I saw it on Instagram, I did it. When I got pregnant, I only walked, took some Zumba classes, and did light hand weights as my exercise.

Having such a large belly made me feel like my arms and legs were still skinny in comparison. Now that baby is out, everything just sags and looks chubby. At 7 weeks postpartum I started swimming which is actually the perfect exercise to get back into losing weight. It's low impact and stretches out all the muscles. I didn't lose too much weight from a month of regular swimming but I definitely felt my muscles get back into balance. The pool is closing soon so I joined a gym. As eager as I am to get back into distance running and lots of crunches, when I work out, my hip joint hurts and my muscles spasm. Everything just feels so misaligned and rusty.

Shari from my blogger group posted this Fit and Well event aimed towards moms so I went last week and learned so much that will help me with my work outs. I need to be patient with my body's ability to recover. Healing is much more than how skinny I look. For me, it will be about
Running without having this loose hip joint feeling.
Doing ab work without feeling like a turtle on it's back.
Ending a workout without my leg muscles going into spasms.
Improving the posture of my upper back which is constantly hunched from holding my son.

I stopped doing exercises that target the ab muscle specifically and started doing more things for my back, arms, thighs, and hips. Many of these exercises will also engage the abs but at least they won't directly strain them.

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The first class of the fitness event was Bombay Jam Dance Class, which was like Zumba with Indian belly dancing. It was very fun. The moves are easier to learn than Zumba and gives just as much of a workout. (Photos by Shari)

The event was sponsored by Smarty Pants vitamins. They make naturally sweetened gummy versions of daily vitamins. 

The prenatal vitamins were good. Not very sweet or sticky and easy to eat. It takes about 6 gummies to equal the amount of vitamins usually found in a pill. Prenatal vitamins can be very large and hard to swallow. Some women have difficulty with this and the gummy vitamins are a good alternative.

We got this nice goodie bag and I am making my way through some of the snacks.

There was a bounty of Hint Water at the event. It tastes as natural as infusing water with fruit. These are some of the best flavored water I've tasted.

I haven't had a chance to try the Big Slice apple packets yet.

I just finished eating the Smart Candy vitamin gummies in the top right corner. It's a bit too sour and sticky for my preference in gummies. Smarty Pants prenatal vitamins tasted much better. It doesn't look like these two companies are related despite the similar names.

Those Beanfields bean and rice chips have a good flavor although the texture gets mushy in your mouth quickly. It definitely gives me gas. I still feel healthier eating it versus potato chips though. I also tried the peanut butter Dynamos in the middle and they're really good. Not super sweet. Just enough bites to fuel a short workout.

I have not had a chance to try these products yet but I can't wait to try the chemical free WaterWipes and Goddess Garden Sunny Kids Organic sunblock on my son when he's older. Mommy Nearest is an app to find family friendly places near your location.

I already devoured all 4 of the Krave Jerky packs and they were yummy!

Gomacro bars were available at the event. The are smaller, healthier versions of energy bars. It's less dense, not as sweet, and tastes lighter.

Dishcrawl Sunnyvale

 

Last week I attended my first Dishcrawl event. The group visited Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale. Dishcrawl is a San Jose based company hosting group dinners at mystery locations all across the nation. Diners only know what neighborhood the event will take place in but not the participating restaurants until 48 hours in advance. For a $45 ticket, we hopped to four different restaurants, one of which served buffet style. Drinks not included.

We started our night at Robertos Cantina.

Left: ($7) Fresh mango maragarita? Don't mind if I do.

Right: Spicy margarita with even more spice on the rim. Fellow crawlers were drinking this and their mouths were on fire but it hurt so good.

The burn continued with this chicken mole, shrimp with tequila and capers, and halibut ceviche trio. All three of these were spicy, especially the ceviche. But it was so good. This is one of the dishes you pay for later that night, know what I mean? After finishing our plates, we were gently ushered on to the next restaurant down the street.

($8) Pinot Noir. I know the bottle on the left is a syrah but that's not what I ordered. I spent a good chunk of time here chatting it up with my table mates. When we had to leave I barely drank any of the wine. Not one to waste, I chugged it. Pinot Noir, my favorite red wine.

 

Tumeric served Indian food, buffet style. The most notable dish was this butter chicken and naan. There was also a cauliflower dish that was excellent.

House grown sprout salad

I finished most of this plate and was already super full before chugging the wine and moving on to the next place.

Taverna Bistro provided a sampler platter of their Turkish pizza which had the best bread ever, the Yaprak Sarma which are stuffed grape leaves, and a taste of their lamb kebab. All these bites and a basket of their freshly made bread were all we needed to wind down the eventful dinner.

Hold on, there's always room for dessert, especially when it's an Irish Car Bomb ice cream cone specially made for Fibbar MaGees pub. A blend of Guiness, Baileys, and caramel swirl. It was different for sure. A little too bitter but still interesting to try.

Lisa from Stella and Dot hosted a raffle giveaway at the end of the night and here are our lucky winners. I hope these men have matching outfits for their new jewelry!

OVERALL IMPRESSION
Dishcrawl is a hassle free and social way of trying multiple restaurants in one night. If you're concerned about being rushed from place to place and not finishing your food, the restaurants will gladly pack a to go bag for you. The people were friendly, the event was well organized, and all the foods were delicious. My top picks of the night were the halibut ceviche from Roberto's Cantina and the butter chicken from Tumeric. It starts at 7PM and ended around 9:30-10PM depending on how long you wanted to mingle afterwards. For the working professional, it's a great way to network and meet new people and the hours will conveniently fit into your weeknight schedule. I would attend a Dishcrawl event again in the future. For anyone interested, the next South Bay event will be on August 27, in downtown San Jose - bringing it back to Dishcrawl's hometown.

Robertos Cantina on Yelp

Tumeric on Yelp

Taverna Bistro on Yelp

Fibbar Magees on Yelp

Great Vegi Land - Sunnyvale

 Tomorrow I am off to the sun and tropics and drug cartels and gang violence....Yes this sentence sums up my feelings about going to Brazil. It will be fun but I must stay safe. Phil sent me off with a bon voyage meal of my choice, vegetarian food at Great Vegi Land. You know once in a while I crave really light food and I LOVE vegetarian food!

Goodbye delicious Singaporean style vegetarian noodles we had at Great Vegi Land. I will miss your light and silky strands coated in curry powder. Not too oily, not too dry. All for the price of $6.89

 Goodbye twice cooked vegetarian pork in hot and spicy sauce. Your were mild and subtle and not at all pork-like but still very good and packed a good kick of heat. ($9.89)

 Goodbye vegetarian sliced fish in black bean sauce. You were my favorite dish of the night. Tofu seasoned to taste slightly like fish but more like buttery coconutty tofu with a hint of ginger. I am glad I spent $9.89 for you over the sweet and sour chicken which was a dollar cheaper.

 Goodbye persian cucumbers which were doing well up until the last two weeks when its been ridiculously hot and your leaves are browning a little. I hope Phil doesn't kill you. I hope the weather stays a bit cooler. I hope you sprout more leaves.

Goodbye cherry tomatoes. It took you forever to turn from green to red and now I have to eat all of you tomorrow before the flight or else Phil won't care and you will drop to the ground to a neglected rotting death...Also I think you are on your last leg and this will be my only harvest from you because you seem to be very unhappy in our front yard.

Goodbye little green beans, my strongest growers of all. May you sprout more leaves and grow taller. Upon my return, I shall split you off into separate and deeper pots because it looks like 10's a crowd in there.

 Goodbye heirloom tomatoes, I had so much hope but you have shown no progress in the last 2 weeks. Our front yard sun is too harsh and your leaves are yellowing. I hope I have at least some plants to return to.

Goodbye to these guys...

Check out Great Vegi Land on Yelp. It was delicious. $1 or $2 higher than it should be but a satisfying meal nonetheless. 

Check out my class trip to Brazil on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. The first two will be partially updated by me! And of course it is not too late to sponsor, compete in, or spread the news about the business plan competition. We will be checking our email on the trip so please message us.