Kirirom Restaurant - Lynnwood, Washington

The first time I ate at Kirirom, I was with cousins (Khelman, Heidi, and her hubby and my cousin-in-law [cos we tight like that], Ulysses). We just came from the outlet mall in Tulalip and we were famished. They asked me what I wanted to eat. I looked at Dix. She is preggy. I wanna make sure I cater to her tummy before mine. Let's ask Dix. She can't decide. So, I said, "something we haven't eaten before, like a Cambodian food". Khelman said, "maybe Kirirom is open, we can go there". After a few minutes of brainstorming, we agreed.

Kirirom is hidden in a corner in a not so busy part of Lynnwood. You probably won't see it unless you're a Cambodian who has eaten there before. Or maybe if you went to yelp.com and searched "Cambodian food, Lynnwood, Washington". They got good reviews. Someone's even naming their kid after their version of Banh Mi sandwich. Yeah, that good. We got there around 5 pm. The restaurant is small enough to hold less than 20 groups (average of 2-4 people and 2 large round tables for big groups).

Let's talk about the foods.

This was Ulysses' order. Their version of Crispy Chicken. It looked oily and not crispy at all but don't let it deceive you. The skin has just the right crisp but not oily at all. The meat was so soft. It does not taste bland so I believe they marinated it in a light sauce or herbs before frying. Actually, let me assure you, they did. The egg roll consisted mostly of ground pork and some, not a whole lot, of carrots. We had egg rolls before. Same.


Dix and I had the famous Lemongrass Beef Shortrib Sandwich. This is both simple and complex because if you think about it, it just consists of French bread, a light spread of mayo and cut up carrots, cucumber, and cabbage. But the beef itself (you have to let the waiter know if you want it well-done) is just so tender and filled with spices. The whole sandwich is easy to eat because the bread is soft too. I have a confession to make. I have eaten their sandwich three different times in a span of less than two weeks. And I'm not even a big sandwich-eater.


This was Khelman's order. I didn't get the exact name but it is prepared like a Vietnamese Vermicelli noodle [soup](but with no soup, and I still don't know why they call it soup). The taste reminded me of the noodle I had when I took the bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The sauce tasted the same. The ingredients were almost the same except the one I had in Cambodia didn't have carrots, cilantro and bean sprouts and the meat I had, well, now that I think about it, they said it was chicken, but it might have been something else. Like cat, rabbit, or field mice. Who knows. Khelman ordered beef, which definitely was beef. The beef was soft as well. I have issues with "rubber beefs". I should talk about the taste. A mix of sweet, sour and spicy. A hint of fish sauce, don't let it scare you. If you had Vietnamese vermicelli noodle [soup] or their rice dishes, the sauce they give you has fish sauce in it. Surprise! You've had it before!


Overall, the food was absolutely good, the place was as clean as a normal Asian restaurant (whatever that means), the owners were nice, and most of the people who were eating there that I had eye contact with, gave me a smile. You just can't beat that! If you want numbers, a 4.5 out of 5.

Palm's Thai Food in Hollywood

Welcome to Palm's Thai in Hollywood, CA. Where the celebrities dine (at least in my case), the normals mingle, and the tourists flock (I think).

Centered in the heart of Hollywood at Hollywood and Bronson 5900 Hollywood Blvd, Suite D, this haven for genuine Americanized Thai food has always been a specialty amongst us, uhm... Magsino's.

Upon entering its parking garage, which offers valet (an unnecessary but interesting fact), you'll notice that set up in front of its dining area is a stage. What is this stage for you ask? Well, Palm's Thai is known for putting on elaborate (read: funny) shows featuring the one and only Elvis!!

Well, his name is Kevin, but that's besides the point, he's still Elvis in my eyes.

The decor is amazing, filled with bright lights, some fish tanks here and there, a full-stocked bar (which I can't get to for another 2 years?.. oh my...), and a large dining area consisting of several tables all contained in one giant room. This place is aesthetically pleasing, if you ask me. Nothing beats the bright lights of Hollywood!


So.. on to the drinks. Well, after meeting up with an old friend (not mine.. I'm not that old), we decided to order a grip-load of yummy goodness. Let me think let me think, well... we ordered of course
1. Thai Tea/Coffee with Boba
2. Chrysanthemum Tea *Frikkin' good*
3. Some Diet Coke *Yum*
4. Water *Bleh*.

Woo-hoo for drinks!

Now that the drinks are over, lets' move on to the food. The amazing.. scrumptious.. mouth-watering... delectable... FOOD. We ordered, and I'm recalling this out of memory so if I don't remember, bear with it.
1. Deep fried Calamari
2. Catfish with Curry (I believe)
3. Larb (NOT Lard, Larb! It's some ground beef/pork simmered with chili sauces)
4. Deep fried Wontons
5. Thai Panang
6. Some vegetables which I can't recall the name of
7. Deep Fried Trout with Mango Sauce (Which in my humble opinion, was the BEST dish on the table/s)
8. Rice
9. ... and other goodness.

Oddly enough, we didn't get Pad See-Ew or Pad Thai, which is considered normal for us... hmmm, i guess we just wanted to spice things up. Right? Right?
*Shh* The only reason I recall these foods is because they were on my side of the table. hehe*

Anyways, the catfish was really good, it's what we get all the time....but unfortunately for our readers, I can't describe how it tastes... It's like describing the taste of water, or describing the taste of chicken, naw mean? Just believe me. If you like fish, and if you love cats, you'll LOVE catfish. It's the best of both worlds!

The Larb, with its hint of spices, made such a simply dish into something delicious.. who thought ground pork could be so delicious? Definiately worth a try (Courtesy of R and E, who exposed us to this wonderful treat)

Deep Fried Wontons and Calamari are the norm, but from what I heard (because I actually haven't tried it), was that the calamari was even better than what we're used to. Maybe it's the sauce, or maybe it's because we were starving.


How about some Panang with vegetables? Haha, believe it or not, no one made a comment about the panang, as for me, I myself have no words for it... why? Because I haven't tried it, but Palm's is Thai, Panang is Thai, therefore, it should be good right? Okay, skip. Oh wait, the vegetables were good too... according to Dad and J. I wish I tried it, I don't get my daily dose of greens.



Onto, the best dish ever.... Deep Fried Trout with Mango Sauce. I stumbled upon this heavenly dish by accident because I remember wanting to order some seafood one day, and I believe someone mentioned this to me. One bite and I was HOOKED (Get it? Seafood? Hooked? I am too funny). Well, this dish consists of deep fried trout so that it's crunchy, but what makes it special is the mango sauce. The mango sauce consists of well.. Mangos *Coulda missed that one, let me tell ya'!*, some chili bits, and some vegetables. The sauce was sweet with a hint of spice, and it... was... Amaz-er-ing! Don't pass this one up, I promise you won't regret it.


And finally, rice and "other goodness"... to tell you the truth I don't remember the rest of the food. Maybe it's because I was blind-sighted by the Celebrities!

Well, not really celebrity, but she's hot either way. Watch g4TV's Attack of the Show at 4PM Mon-Fri and you'll know what I'm talkin about. Also, she's #90-something on Maxim's Top 100 this Year, woo woo!

So... given all my raves, not rants, I can safely conclude that yes... Palms Thai is one of the best Thai food places in LA. Well.. if you're diggin' that
whole Americanized feel and the flashing-lights-lights-lights (Courtesy of Kanye). But hey, it may not be authentic, but it's good nonetheless. Tourists behold!!!

Decor: 5
Service: 5
Food: 4.5
Quality: 4.5
Overall: 4.5

Hey... it's THAT good. Try it one day, you won't regret it.

Puerto Nuevo Lobsters

I'm sure there are lobster restaurants here in California that I would go back to again and again but I haven't discovered them yet. Or maybe, I choose not to because of Puerto Nuevo, Mexico.

Part of going to another country and risking your life just to get a bite of a tender and mouth-watering deep-fried lobster is the journey and the company. Fortunately, I have the best food partners in the world. So, the (supposedly two hour but with a maniac driver who I won't name, turn it to an hour) drive there is filled with catching up, random conversations and barbarous jokes, which everyone seem to tolerate/enjoy by now.

We usually eat at PN I but they have been closed for renovation for a year now, so we eat at PN II, which is owned and managed by the same people of PN I. There is a menu, I believe, but I never really looked at it. Karempot might have even made up an entree which includes a lobster and a half, soup, garlic butter, rice, flour tortilla and a glass of margarita. Plus a side of chips and guacamole, cerveza, and more margaritas. $25 dollars, tips included.

Next time you feel like being crazy and hungry, go to Puerto Nuevo for lobsters. If you come back in one piece alive, you can brag to your friends how you walked around Tijuana belligerent and did not get your head cut off. Of course, we did not do that and we do not suggest you should. But in the eyes of your friends, you're one cool, determined person for crossing the border just to get some bomb-ass crustacean.

Evidence:

Lobster soup


Lobsters


These are some crazy, hungry mofo's:














The drive back is usually more laid back with everyone's tummy hanging out of their unbuttoned pants, until we get to the border where we wait for a decade. Then, everyone starts to get antsy and what else is there to do but pick on each other.

Dr Hogly Wogly's Tyler Texas BBQ

Huaraches

The Bucket

Cardiac (Arrest) Burger @ The Bucket in Eagle Rock

Note to self: bring camera and recorder.

Will be updating soon . . .

I need authors

Concept: blog authors can post reviews about restaurants, places, share stories about recent trips, give advice, etc. Anything and everything related to travel, food, and fun times.

Prefer pictures to not have our faces on it, but if it does then there are things that could be done to "anonymize" people in the picture like this:



If you've posted a review on your blog you can easily transfer it to this blog by copying/pasting the HTML codes here.

Only people I've given an invite to knows about this blog and I wanted to keep it accessible to authors only, but since there's only one author right now (me) I opted to keep it public until someone else signs up. If you want no part of this and just want to visit that's fine too. Any suggestions, contributions, comments, etc will be greatly appreciated.

Email me at rempot.tarana@gmail.com if you want an invite to be an author.

Thanks!