Dong Thap Noodles.

Posted on December 18, 2015 by lazeofdays

Dong Thap Noodles opened on a modest corner near 12^th Ave. and Jackson St., just a few blocks before one of my favorite restaurants in the city (Sichuanese Cuisine) and where the International District begins. Because of this, we’ve walked by it’s bright and clean storefront a countless number of times, but without any intention of visiting. Admittedly, we have our go to for Vietnamese food, and I’m all about limiting any type of decisions related to food when possible (just ask David). It wasn’t until we started to hear buzz about Dong Thap from multiple sources that we realized we may have been missing out on a new gem. So at last, we went in for dinner on a quiet Sunday and were thoroughly impressed.

When you google Dong Thap Noodles, the most popular mention that comes up is their fresh made noodles. In my pho, the noodles were thick, chewy and surprisingly unique to each bite, which really highlighted how homemade they were. The meat was noteworthy as well. When there’s nothing “wrong” that I can remember – “too tough, chewy, dry…” – I consider it good.

I liked it so much that I proudly inaugurate Dong Thap to my list of best Seattle pho alongside Ba Bar and Than Brothers (insert “hand clapping” emoji here).

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Fried spring rolls.

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Coconut juice.

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Medium combination pho.

Monsoon East.

Posted on October 6, 2015 by lazeofdays

I have been meaning to try the dim sum brunch at Monsoon (Monsoon East) ever since I realized there was such a thing. Dim sum and brunch? Yes, dare to dream.

After a failed attempt at getting a seat at Gilbert’s on Main, a Bellevue family favorite, we passed Monsoon East by chance.

Monsoon is the sister (well, parent, really) restaurant to Ba Bar, which is one of my favorite local restaurants in Seattle. Ba Bar’s congee is not the best congee in the world, but it’s Vietnamese style and fresh ingredients make it a great breakfast dish if you ever have the chance to try it. With that in mind, I figured that the pork belly congee at Monsoon would be similar, but it was quite different and incredibly flavorful. I’ve had the pork belly congee at both restaurants and they are each unique: Ba Bar’s has hearty chunks of salty pork belly, reminiscent of Cantonese BBQ, and Monsoon’s version has diced and sweetened pork belly slices sprinkled on silky congee that makes for an smooth and easy bite every time.

David ordered the Drunken Chicken, and it was reminiscent of General Tso’s chicken. Like, really, really good General Tso’s chicken. This dish is fit for two: a massive dome of sweet and crispy chicken protects a bed of sautéed mustard greens, and to the side, a perfectly fried egg covers a generous portion of rice. For the first time in a while, we couldn’t finish the dish. There was just too much. As for dim sum, my all time favorite is pan fried radish cake. Monsoon’s take was a bit too pan fried and covered in a bit too much sauce. The ingredients were very fresh and despite this version being too sweet for my taste, I’m excited to try their other dim sum dishes like their lotus leaf sticky rice.

will go back

Delicious Apple and Ginger drink.

Fusion pan fried radish cake.

Might not be a looker, but this congee was amazing.

The spread. Drunken chicken on the bottom right. I didn’t get a close up shot because.. I mean, look at it. We dug right in.

Breakfast.

Posted on September 22, 2015 by lazeofdays

The Corner Cafe on First Hill Seattle is a completely underrated neighborhood spot for breakfast. The spacious cafe sits on the “corner” across from the historic Sorento Hotel, joining Madison St. and Terry Ave. Based on photos from the Owner/Chef geotagged on Instagram, it’s apparent that they take pride in their food and service to patrons. If you’re ever in the area, you know what to do.