Umaido and Mozart Bakery

So today was our visit to Umaido and it was *amazing* especially because there was also a Mozart Bakery right next door. I frequently go to the one on Buford Highway so I was happy to find another one - but more about that in a minute!

So we walked into Umaido were greeted, seated and placed our orders really quickly. The waitress was very sweet and made sure to let me know which items most Westerners find strange so I wouldn't order those. I assured her I loved Octopus and we moved on pretty quickly from there. My mum and I both ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen because I'd had it before and was dying for more and it just sounded good to her though we both plan to try other types next time we visit!

Our waitress asked if we wanted to make it a lunch set so we did, adding Curry Rice to my mum's meal and a few Gyoza to mine. Then she brought us some delicious edamame and hot tea while our orders were prepared.

While we waited we continued browsing the menu and planning our next trip. They had a Chicken Ramen that wasn't on their online menu my mum wants to try whereas I am definitely going for the Miso Ramen next time.


Finally it was time for Ramen! They brought me 2 eggs because my mum didn't want hers (long story but she doesn't eat any eggs other than scrambled). It was so much better this time then when I had it at Japan Fest - and it was great then! But the freshness of having it from the restaurants kitchen as opposed to the portable set up they had at Japan Fest made a big difference. We both ate rather quickly and my mum raved about it long after we left. Especially the broth which is the key to a good bowl of Ramen. Can't wait to have more!

The Gyoza were simple but tasty - I think next time I will try the Octopus Rice instead! Though I also didn't notice until later that you could order Shrimp Gyoza. I think I would have much preferred that but oh well! Now I know for next time.

The Curry Rice was *excellent* ! It had a great heat in the aftertaste but didn't burn your tongue while you were eating. I didn't get a lot of it because it was my mum's side dish but I would definitely order it again. Of course it's still not as good as my mum's Curry Rice but I might be biased there ;)

Dessert sounded good but I knew Mozart was close by so we simply paid and left. It was very reasonable though and I will definitely make a return visit soon!

On to Mozart! While I have gone to the one on Buford Hwy for years this one in Suwanee was *stunning* and had a bigger selection! I would have liked to take some pictures of the store itself but I didn't have time. Next time for sure! It is beautifully decorated. In addition to the bevy of goodies we bought to take home we stopped for some cakes! I had the Chocolate Ganache Cake and my mum had the Fresh Fruit Cream Cake. She also had a Cappucino and I had a White Hot Chocolate that was so good I bought a second one just to take home for later!

Now I think it's time to raid my bag of snacks for a late night treat! Knitting update coming asap! Gotta get to work!

Lunar New Year!

So I need to preface this entry with a quick warning: in a moment of complete and utter failure I did not take a SINGLE photograph the night of the Lunar New Year. I know, I know. I can hear you shaking your heads in disapproval. But trust me I'm upset with myself more than you are because I looked *fantastic* and didn't think to even take a selca before leaving. *sigh* So here is a rather wordy blog post about celebrating the New Year with my friends.

We went to my favorite (now 1 of 2!) Taiwanese place in Atlanta: Bento Cafe. If you go anytime this month you'll receive a cute little red envelope with a coupon of some kind in it as long as your order is over $15. For those of you who don't know children, or unmarried young people, receive red envelopes from elders on the New Year with money inside them. I thought it was a really cute idea from the restaurant and I got a 10% off coupon which I intend to use soon! We also had a new waiter who had only been there 1 day and I feel so sorry for him because we are rather a raucous group and we ordered quite a bit of food!

So as always you guys can check out the full menu at their website ! This is the rundown on what we ordered:

I had the wonton soup because it was *bitterly* cold out that night and their wontons are nice and spicy! Then I split an order of chicken curry and an order of braised pork with my friend Meg who couldn't decide between the two. Since I already knew I loved both I offered to share with her and get double the good food! It worked out great and I was stuffed! The braised pork also came with cabbage which I annihilated! I'm sorry Meg! I just go crazy for some yummy steamed cabbage.

Randi had an order of the Bento Nuggets because she admittedly is an extremely picky eater and will only eat McDonalds when traveling overseas. Note to self: Never bring Randi with me when traveling overseas. She got them with the hot seasoning which was *too* hot for me but very yummy and she loved it!

Tise had the Shrimp Fried Rice which I know sounds like a bit of a cop out but I can't stress enough how good their Fried Rice is. I am a self-proclaimed rice snob and refuse to ever eat Fried Rice at a restaurant. In fact until I tried the Fried Rice at Bento Cafe I don't think I ever willingly ate Fried Rice not made by either my grandmother or my mother (usually my grandmother because hers is the *best*). However Bento knows the value of rice and takes their cooking very seriously and their Fried Rice is well worth ordering. Not only is it delicious they definitely do not do the switcheroo most "Chinese" restaurants do of using old rice. It is fresh, flavorful and they give you a HEAPING portion of it. You'll eat it all and order more to take home - I promise!

In addition to food I of course had not 1, not 2 but 3 large orders of Jasmine Milk Tea. I seriously cannot imagine life without this drink. Just writing about it makes me with I had one in my hand right now. To be fair I only ordered 2 this time but I wound up inheriting Randi's 2nd drink - a warm Jasmine Milk Tea with no tapioca because she left it in the car! Thanks Randi!

Tise started the evening with a warm Honeydew Melon tea which we were all skeptical of but she really loved. She took home a cold Honeydew Melon with bubbles! If I recall correctly Meg also had the Jasmine Milk Tea because I would not shut up about it. Randi had a Coffee Milk Tea to start and a Jasmine Milk Tea to take home......for me!

I also made everyone little buttons with (poorly done) painted rabbits on them and New Years greetings in Mandarin. I was pretty proud of them but again (fail) didn't take any pictures. Thankfully Tise did and I'll upload it to the twitter feed after this posts!

Tomorrow I am super excited because I am taking my mum to Umaido ! I had some of their ramen at Japan Fest last fall and was so excited to know there was a real ramen shop here in Atlanta. Sadly I just haven't had the time to make it out there but tomorrow unless it snows I'm getting my ramen fix! I *will* post pictures too! I may even tweet some while there from my camera phone.

Also tomorrow is my day off and I'm hopeful to make a knitting update too because I have several projects going and want to update about them. So look forward to it! 恭喜发财!