Hiccups Teahouse Heading to Inland Empire

Take a huge breath and hold for as long as you can until you realize that another tasty Hiccups Teahouse and Restaurant opens in Loma Linda, California on Monday, November 18.

If you’ve heard of and have eaten at this Asian fusion order-by-counter restaurant before, do 1 of 3 things for me. One: leave this page if you already know your go-to dishes and drinks (by the way, thank you for checking my post!). Two: get your curious eyes wander by looking at my food-tastic photos. Or three: read up on both my experience and recommendations during my visit on Hiccups’ most recent opening: in Santa Ana located close to South Coast Plaza and Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

When I’d visit a Hiccups, I personally like to order either a sweet drink or — depending on the location — a looped churro coated with their saccharine toppings. So on the former I crazily sipped (because I was drastically thirsty during that visit) on their Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Hazelnut, which was more mildly flavored on the nutty side than I expected. As far as my recommendation I’d automatically order their Taro Milk Tea — whether iced or hot — or the refreshing Horchata Milk Tea.

For appetizers my Man and I dived into their Popcorn Chicken and their Crispy Tofu Bites with their signature vegetarian sauce. The former showed off its perfectly juicy morsels, though I prefer a verdant dash of that fried Thai basil if Hiccups could provide them. Providing their red spicy sprinkles on the side was definitely appreciated. The latter item wonderfully returned from Hiccups’ old menu; garlicky was a prominent adjective describing these bites.

Onto the main courses: let’s first delve into their Pho, particularly their flank, tendon, and tripe Vietnamese soup. I enjoyed mostly on their flavorfully comforting broth and their impressively tender and exceptionally tasty yet atypical proteins –i.e. the tendon and the tripe. Their flank steak and thin noodles weren’t our personal faves, but what struck our taste buds the most was the insanely welcoming hotness from their freshly sliced jalapeno that unabashedly swam all over the broth.

Pad See Ew drew the most attention to me when it comes to main dishes. When I finally had that perfect opportunity to ravage this generously portioned platter, I became blissful eating a piece of beef, a piece of broccoli, and a slither of pan fried rice noodle all grabbed from my pair of chopsticks. That continued per every chopstick hold until my stomach waved a white flag towards this plentiful plate. In other words, more than 1/2 of it were destined to the leftover to-go carton.

If you need a friendly reminder of recommendations, certainly have a foodie partner or 2 help devour those 2 said main courses and/or their Kimchi Fried Pork Belly Rice, or anything smothered in Shaken Beef.

When visiting the Loma Linda location, make sure to gather your foodie crew and drink up your teas or coffees of choice without the presence of the literal hiccups.

25805 Barton Road
Loma Linda, CA, 92354
Phone: 909-478-9586

http://hiccupsteahouse.com/

#sponsored #hiccupsteahouse #lunch #lomalinda #inlandempire #sanbernardino #foodblogger #fiathe5footer

Andrei’s Restaurant’s 10th Anniversary Featuring 10 Items for $10

July 3, 2019Fia La Rose Leave a comment

Coming into a restaurant that serves fabulously delicious cuisines, and gives all of its net profits to charitable organizations is one of the most awesome feats I’ve ever attended.

It’s been 10 years since Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails has opened, located in Irvine surrounded by business centers and situated near the 405 freeway and the John Wayne Airport. This venerable restaurant is and always will be dedicated to the Olenicoff family’s late member Andrei and his love for the culinary stage.

To bolster his legacy and the restaurant’s mission of serving customers local, organic, and delicious foods — as well as contributing to those with disabilities — the whole month of July will put in 20% of total sales from all of Andrei’s menu items to Miracles for Kids.

This includes the alluring libations, such as the powerful Mother of Dragons vodka mix, the mellow Bee’s Knees gin concoction, and the bubbly and rosy Bastille Day champagne.

Also participating with the organization is their amazing (and convincing to revisit asap) California Ceviche, which is presented during Happy Hour on Monday to Friday from 3pm to 6:30pm. If fancy and friendship-gathering are calling, the Charcuterie and Cheese platter will do the trick — and this is served for both lunch and dinner.

Additionally, between July 1st to July 13th there are 10 tasty and substantial items that cost $10 dedicating to a full, loyal decade of the restaurant. I became enthralled with the $10 Calamari skewers that I didn’t think they needed creamy sauce at all. Other sensational platters were the deceitfully simple-looking $10 Black Angus Spring Rolls and the Market Fish Tacos. When it comes to the dessert item, the best morsel from the Andrei’s Dessert Tasting was the warm and luscious Andrei’s beignets.

Definitely dine in to this worthy, benevolent OC restaurant. Andrei would certainly be utterly content to watch his guests enjoy their meals. Regardless of the July deal, or the fact that it’s a nonprofit and charitable ordeal, I would love to return especially for little or big celebrations.

Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails, 2607 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614

andreisrestaurant.com

#irvine #foodblogger #mediaevent #nonprofit

Afternoon Tea in Banff National Park

June 7, 2019Fia La Rose Leave a comment

When tea can be sipped with best friends –and their babies — surrounded by culmination of a mountainous, arboreal, and river view inside a luxurious lounge in the 2nd floor of the Fairmont Banff Springs, the Rocky Mountain Afternoon Tea is the place to be and to make a calculated reservation.

Upon entering the Rundle Lounge in the 2nd floor of this luxurious Banff resort inside Banff National Park, the hostess and server amiably welcomed my group and me, openly offering their knowledge and arms about enjoying the high quality teas and glorious nibbles while gazing at the lovely view of this expansive nature. Featured in our afternoon tea were a multitude of loose leaf teas all tightly encased in glass jars for sniffing enjoyment before ultimately choosing which tea we would individually choose.

After perusing through different tiers of afternoon enjoyment, such as adding a bubbly sensation called the Champagne Tea, we stuck to the classic ($55 CAD as of 5.7.2019) . Plus, out of numerous distinct loose leaf teas sniffed from those jars I opted for my Canadian-residing friend’s favorite: the Organic Creamy Earl Grey.

Our classic choice comprised of a 3-tiered wooden tower showcasing fanciful bites from the savory section, sweet section, and in-between.

The top tier exposed these cutesy yet scrumptious and soft scones that immediately I wished for 5 times the amount we were offered. I’m still in disbelief that I would drool for these carbs regardless if generously smothered with their citrus cream or encompassing their gooey cranberry jam.

Since the middle section contained items that I preferred to eat last, I grabbed 5 morsels straight from the bottom tier. The Gravlax Bagel, BLT miniscule Slider, and Coronation Chicken Cone delightfully pleased my taste buds, but that diminutive Quiche (with Lindsay Bandaged Goat’s Cheddar) and Mushroom Barquette struck a lot of euphoria other than my palate. A 6th nibble, the Pistachio Pinwheel, didn’t participate in this gallery because this swirly, colorful vegan piece unfortunately was one of the most tasteless I’ve ever eaten.

Traditionally saving those adorable desserts for last, my surprisingly full mood felt okay with the Lemon and Anise Shortbread, Crunchy Matcha Profiterole, and Fruit Tart. However, the Opera Slice (Cake) and Lemon Macaron quickly elevated my mood back into bliss especially when I was finishing up that wondrously flavorful Earl Grey tea.

Afternoon tea was one of my Banff adventures — big and small — that engraved deeply in memory, even more so when accompanied with non-blood sisters and extended families. One final note: this tea interval can also be enjoyed at the Fairmont Lake Louise location, though they may be offering different leaves and different tidbits.

#Banff #afternoontea #Fairmont #Alberta #tea

Rocky Mountain Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Banff Springs, 405 Spray Avenue
Banff, Alberta, Canada T1L1J4

https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/dining/afternoontea/

Lazy Dog Cafe’s Spring 2018 Menu

March 29, 2018Fia La Rose Leave a comment

I had the greatest pleasure of eating and photo-shooting the newest Lazy Dog Cafe dishes for Spring 2018, which has 25 locations throughout the USA. These courses are available to order starting March 28, 2018.

More than sampling or most likely gorging on the featured foods, Co-Founder Gabriel Caliendo spent valuable time chatting and describing to us guests how these foods came into fruition and eventually be set for this season.

The items I’ve consumed (hugely or minutely) included:

The instantly addicting Onion Dip

The exciting Street Corn Wheels

The mellow Burrata + Heirloom Tomato Crisp flatbread

The invigorating Burrata + Roasted Beet Salad

The unexpectedly wholesome and delicious BBQ Veggie Burger, in which the patty is meshed with black beans and ancient grains

The deconstructed yet filling Veggie Burger Bowl (the chopped patty containing the same ingredients as the previous)

The delightful Grilled Lemon Chicken, hiding underneath this scrumptious cauliflower mash and tahini sauce on the side along with the sauteed green beans topped with unassuming almond-walnut crumble

The sinful Peach Raspberry Hand Pie, which was consumed the quickest out of all of the presented dishes

And the gluten-sensitive yet proudly tasty Lemon Cake, with almond flour as one of the main ingredients and surrounded by a velvety huckleberry moat

I could not forget mentioning some of the cocktails introduced to the menu, such as this virgin Watermelon Margarita. If I didn’t head straight to my day job right after, the virginity would have disappeared. The adult version has a punch of Azul Reposada Tequila.

But I took a small, curious sip of the Honey Thyme Old Fashioned, with this quality-oriented and smooth Buffalo Trace Bourbon which I became quite infatuated — since bourbon or its “father” whiskey normally does not fall under Fia’s favorite alcoholic drinks.

Yet when I sipped into something like a certain favorite cocktail of Fia’s, such as the Huckleberry Mule, the more temptation pinched me harder. Don’t worry, folks: I kicked it away.

Though temptation followed me back with this Pineapple Mojito, and yet again I kicked it further into the kitchen.

Frankly these foods and drinks satisfied my taste buds that I’m anticipating a revisit and happily introducing my good friends to these colorfully enticing items. Of course their fluffy fur children are welcome to join us.

*Huge thank you to C-Squared PR for this amazing #mediatasting at Lazy Dog Cafe

Lazy Dog Cafe

Various locations

Media tasting at the Brea location: 240 S State College Blvd, Brea, CA 92821

OC Restaurant Week’s 10-Year Anniversary

March 8, 2018Fia La Rose Leave a comment

For a solid decade Orange County Restaurant Week unleashed on Sunday, March 4. Over 100 restaurants dared to showcase their pre-fixe course menu items as their way to commemorate this 7-day eating spectacle.

The day before Sunday brought in OC Restaurant Week’s Launch Party inside the Marriott Irvine Spectrum. My boyfriend and I appreciatively attended the VIP 1st hour, which we savored minute by minute for just that 1 hour right before leaving for a family member’s baby shower.

That seemingly short visitation resulted in feeling physiologically full and gluttonously satisfied from the myriad bites and samples from 20 (of about 25) different vendors, including these personal favorites of mine:

The Veggie Puff Pastry from Skyloft in Laguna Beach

The Esquite from Puesto in Irvine

The fantastic Artichoke Beignets, Seared Salmon Filet, and Salted Caramel Pudding from Del Frisco’s Grille (also) in Irvine

The Jalapeno Mac & Cheese from JT Schmidt’s in Tustin

The consistently delicious Buffalo Cauliflower from Tackle Box in Corona Del Mar

And the scrumptious Fresh Atlantic Salmon Filet from Sundried Tomato (that, like last year’s event, have seemed to consistently wowed my palate) in southern San Juan Capistrano

Other vendors not necessarily presenting their food items strictly for OCRW but contently participating for the event included Blackmarket Bakery, Melissa’s Produce (which by the way has supplied their fresh produce to several restaurants representing OCRW), and San Pellegrino.

These morsels certainly left such a lasting fullness in my tummy that I felt guilty of barely consuming the foods served at that family member’s baby shower. Most of those samples indeed brought out the flavors needed to wow guests when ordering from the OCRW menu in these participating eateries.

In spite of munching indulgently from various vendors within one hour I am eager to dine particularly at this Costa Mesa restaurant before catching the new Cirque Du Soleil show. Thank you, OC Restaurant Week, for the incredibly fun and super eventful VIP launch party to celebrate your 10 years! And special thank you to my boyfriend, Simon, for assisting me to photograph some of the items posted in this entry.