Feng Shui Delivers!

• Written by Anna Ing
• onSeptember 27, 2011

 

Photo by Anna Ing

Feng Shui’s motto is “Taste, Quality and Style” and they deliver it in spades. It is off Route 9 (west bound next to Chuck E Cheese) 801 Worcester St, Natick, MA with other locations in Cohasset and Chelmsford with fourth location in Tyngsboro on the way. Named after the study/science mix of Chinese Astronomy and Earth, Feng Shui diners are welcomed into a dining with soothing muted colors, various rooms and relaxing atmosphere. Plus there is an extensive menu with hibachi, sushi, mixing the best of Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

For starters, the Minced Chicken with Pine Nuts with hoisin sauce (Chinese glaze/dipping sauce) and lettuce leaves ($9) came out. The hoisin sauce mixed well with the chicken mixture and the crispy lettuce leaf gave a nice crunchy accent. The Rainbow Maki ($13) eel, avocado, cucumber & tobiko, spicy mayo wrapped with assorted sashimi and Snow Mountain ($13) has tempura shrimp, tobiko, with snow crab and mayo along with tempura ake (inside/out). Both rolls were fresh and delicious. Their version of General Gau’s ($12) has tender breaded bite sized chicken pieces in an orangey and slightly spicy sauce garnished with steamed broccoli crowns. Caterpillar Roll filled with unagi (eel) and covered with avocado is satisfying combo that is both rich and creamy.

A buffet is available during lunch time from Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday. Though the choices were a little limited, all the choices are very fresh, appealing with sashimi, hot entrees, dumplings – ha gor (shrimp) and shumai (pork and shrimp). Complimentary soup choices of miso, won ton and hot sour are included. For only $5 more, one stir fried lobster is available: with black bean sauce or ginger scallion style.

A perfect ending was the Flute Limoncello ($6), a parfait that was refreshing, light, tart and delicious. The meal satisfied used no MSG, and unlike other Chinese restaurants light handed on their use of oil. After a few repeated visits, the food is consistently fresh, delicious, with excellent hospitality and service. Feng Shui delivers an enjoyable dining experience eating quality Asian Fusion cuisine.

Hot Pot Buffet: A Fun and Active Dining Experience

• Written by Anna Ing
• onSeptember 13, 2011
• Filed under Restaurant Reviews

 

Joining other Hot Pot places in Chinatown (though more are of the Japanese shabu shabu style) is Hot Pot Buffet. In business for over a year, a constant flow of traffic has funneled right in this two level restaurant located [70 Beach Street, Boston, MA (617) 338-0808] adjacent to the welcoming Chinatown Gate. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday 11a.m.-4p.m. for lunch or 4p.m.-2a.m. for dinner and costs only $14.95 a person for lunch and $20.95 a person for dinner. Sundays and holiday lunches are not offered. Hot Pot Buffet offers fresh ingredients, no MSG and very little oil for a tasty and healthy dining experience.

Photo by Anna Ing

Hot Pot (aka steamboat) has a history of over 1,000 years and is enjoyed all over China with variations in other countries. It is a fun way to share a meal and eat with friends especially if you like to cook your own food.  It is very easy! First you choose your desired broth out of four options- Chinese Herbal, Mala (Spicy) Soup, Black Chicken Soup and the House Special Broth. Then you can pick your desired food to cook. The sheer variety of food options is amazing and there is something for everyone! Lobster is at market price ($8.95 each on a recent visit) along with 19 other seafood items to choose from ranging from salmon fillet, shrimp, clams, crab legs and fish tofu. Then there are six types of noodles, 33 items under vegetables (tofu and rice cake too), as well as four types of dumplings, six types of seafood and meat balls, and 11 choices of meats. A few exotic items that stand out are the Beef Tongue, Fried Pig Skin, Pig Blood, Quail Eggs, Pork Intestines, Fried Gluten Balls and Wood Ear Mushrooms.

Now comes the fun part! Once you get your broth and food, then you wait for the broth to boil and then you slowly put in your food. The items you choose will determine the cooking time, for example tofu and noodles take longer to cook. Veggies and the thinly sliced meats cook very quickly after a few swishes in the hot broth with your chopsticks. Sa cha sauce (made of chilies, shallots, garlic, soybean oil, dried shrimp and brill fish – which gives it a nice savory slightly spicy tinge found in Fujian, Chiu Chow and Taiwanese cooking) is offered for dipping.

Hot Pot is a great group meal. You can take your time and eat whatever you want. But the best part is the broth at the end of the meal. The soup will have garnered an abundance of flavors from all the food that was put into it and it is the highlight of the meal! It is the best part for me!  To top it off, sliced oranges were offered with the bill at the end. So if you are hungry and want something healthy, check out Hot Pot Buffet.

So I have been behind on Mainland Drama's alot. My mom was over and watched a few. I decided to ask her for the DVD and let me borrow it.

I caught up and finished all 27 episodes of it. It is called 杜拉拉升职记 or Do La La's Promotion. It was a big runaway hit in Mainland China last fall (I am told.) The director of the drama is from Taiwan who did "Fated to Love You." (No wonder it seemed different.) She epitomized the working woman and you notice the disparities between working in USA and China while watching it. I appreciated the Chinese Subs (though in simplified-I prefer traditional) helped me alot. Made me realize, I still remember alot of my College Level Mandarin.

This popular 2010 TV series is based on a successful 2007 trilogy book series of the same name by Li Ke. Chronicles Du La La as she lives life as a young career woman trying to get a job, handle love and the office politics. SPOILERS (just highlight): Nothing is smooth sailing, her roomie and close friend ends up marrying her college friend. Later the man she end up loving is not easy as he has baggage--- ex wife who wants him back, pressures from her parents-her father is sick, while trying to do well at an international company and not get fired and survive.].

At first I could not warm up to the lead actress, but I did warm up to her over time. (Not to be confused with the MOVIE VERSION.)

CAST:

Wang Luodan as Du Lala
Li Guangjie as Wang Wei
Rain Li as Daisy
Flora Chan as Rose
Cecilia Yip as Vivian
Shang Yubo as Li Haoming
Chen Yanfei as Helen
Tu Liman as Xia Hong

Trailer

OTHER

Review: SPCNET.TV

Good Article on the drama/book : The La La Phenomenon in China Today (OCT 2010)

Since I bought them a few weeks ago. I have slowly eating them. I want to be healthier but I ADORE cheese but not the calories. But the LITE Laughing Cow wedges are creamy and addictive! Only 35 calories a wedge and the creamy goodness is amazing with a few flavors. I got the Lite wedge flavors of Queso Fresco Chipotle, Mozzerella Sun Dried Tomato Basil, French Onion, Garlic and Herb. These have been keeping me sane!

Thanks Laughing Cow!

Photo credit: Laughing Cow

For the last few years, I have avoided buying internet access. Now I am breaking down and I got it last month. Since then, I have had not stalling when watching video streaming and I can download songs/shows/software at a fairly decent speed than before which was one bar. Yes it was the cheap xss way before. Now we have gone to the big leagues and paying for our access. My sis is not splitting with me. Oh well I guess that comes with the terroritory I am older and I wanted it.

How did I survive without SKYPE, good streaming speed etc? I note my internet activity has definitely spiked! I tweet more, watch dramas more (eeks less time to organize) and write more emails. I have sorted my pics more often and have done more projects thanks to the internet access.

The first time I used SKYPE to did video call was fun! My pal TL will always that person. Whereas JT in Taiwan will be the first international video call with moi. I like that the VOIP calls are cheaper than 2 minutes with Verizon $10 USD while SKYPE I chatted for 30 minutes for about $2.70 USD (awesome!). It was great reconnecting with my South Korean pal  혜진 on that call!

So grateful!

So I stumbled upon the news that this year is a special year. So at Randall Island at this years New York Korean Festival celebrating Chuseok (I missed last year actually being in Korea with my folks). I read that there is going to be a SPECIAL performances unlike headliners last year Son Dam Bi and Brian Joo (Fly to Sky fame). There are going to be more acts and emcee (one of them) is Lee Hyori (Korean Kpop Diva herself)! I am excited and it is FREE and will be a 3 hour long concert. Granted it is on a Sunday so I am going to have to head to work (stagger/stumble so be it) to attend! I am worried I will have to sit for a long time til the performance time. Or just be fine with standing VERY far away.

Slated to attend are 2PM, Insooni, Sistar, B2ST, TVXQ, and Shinee to name a few. With possibly more acts to be added, I would love MBLAQ,  GNa, 2AM, Miss A, Big Bang, Alex, IU and Infinite please!!! (Hehehe such a wish list!)

The SM Family concert is planning to be around in OCT right now (other than annual MAY concert) in LA and they brought it to Paris recently last month.

KPOP is overtaking the world! Heh my Korean pals laugh how I am into Kpop. (I am not Korean either!) I know so random.

But stoked for this upcoming concert! I already bought my bus tickets via Megabus for $18.50 round trip.

I don't usually follow Cantopop or HK movies as much as I did when I was younger. I was a big fan of Leslie Cheung and Andy Lau 劉德華. The both of them got me to love love HK entertainment and learn Cantonese! (I never formally learned it. Plus it was a step different from my mom's dialect of Toisanese too.) But in that rare occasion many moons ago early in his career, I caught Bishonen (his debut movie). Also I had Chinese friends say if you are a fan of Andy Lau you will like Daniel Wu 吳彥祖. You can read his official blog here.

Since then, I have slowly followed his career. Reading his blog, I like that he is candid and is not shy to express his views. Also I had stopped reading it and recently caught up on him. I just respect the guy more and more I read his blog. Just cool to see someone in the limelight know his roots, give back, and not pretentious at all. Someone I think it would be cool to have a conversation and just chill.

It is a plus he is an ABC! I just watched an old CNN interview and he admits not knowing how to read Chinese. He writes out long hand his own pronunciation (unlike Mandarin has Pinyin) there is nothing official for Cantonese. Wow! Props to a guy who is humble and doing well. Who knew that he was going to traverse Asia and then get a job after graduating with a degree in architecture. But the need for cash after spending it all in Japan caused him to "fall into" modeling then acting.

Just keep up the good work and I will continue to read about this actor, director, business man and foodie! (I loved his entry on Clinton Street Bakery---that place rocks!) I definitely need to write down the places he has eaten at!

I felt random today and wanted to write about Daniel.

Heartstrings 넌 내게 반했어 just ended in Korea with 15 episodes (originally slated for 16) but lead Park Shin Hye (Kyu Won) had a car accident. So the cut it by one. The leads Jung Yong Hwa (leads inger of CNBlue) and Park Shin Hye are reunited after gaining popularity from the drama You're Beautiful  미남이시네요 where Yong Hwa was the good guy second lead who did not get the girl. This time around, he has no one to interfere with his affections as a second lead in this drama set in a University. Both are studying music-Lee Shin (Yong Hwa) modern music and plays guitar for a very popular band called "Stupid." Plus it doesn't hurt he is handsome and has a big fan following. Kyu Won hails from a prestigious family and is studying tradition music and plays gayageum. She is the leader of the traditional music group "Windflowers."

I admit I like a fluffly drama and this one fits the bill.

I enjoyed 미남이시네요 and I admit I was on the camp to have Yong Hwa's character get the girl. (It was also his first big role acting too before debuting in Korea with his band.) I enjoyed that both got to sing. Shin Hye had to practice and learn to play the traditional instrument for her role (she got the calluses on her fingers to prove her dedication). I admit it took a bit of time to have Yong Hwa's acting catch up to Shin Hye. (Maybe because he is a natural kidder and in the early episodes showing his "cold side" was hard. He is the "handsome ice prince."

As the drama slowly evolved, it was good to see the developing relationship. I liked the Director of the anniversary show Song Chang Eui (Broadway director) who tries to nuture Kyu Won's talents and he finds it frustrating she doesn't see it herself.

Though I have the last two episodes to watch, I have enjoyed the run. Fluffy has been good to me as life outside of work and social has been stressful. Why not have a smile and something brainless?

I love Korean OSTs and this one doesn't disappoint. From the comfort song (not in OST thoug) when Shin singing to a sad and crying Kyuwon who is all alone on a rooftop to 그리워서... (Because I miss you), it was enjoyable.