Author: spark9109

Michelin Star ⭐️ Restaurant: Fiola Mare

Spring is here! The weather was a bit cloudy yesterday, but temperature wise it was great! I took advantage of this to head to the Georgetown Waterfront to get dinner with a friend.

We went to a 1-Michelin Star⭐️ Restaurant, Fiola Mare, an Italian restaurant that is right out on the Georgetown Waterfront. Food was tasty though the portions were a bit small for me, but all in all the seafood in both dishes were fresh!🤩

Gragnano Spaguetti Alla Chitarra
Roasted Icelandic Cod
Gragnano Spaguetti Alla Chitarra (Pasta with clams and tomatoes)-first photo

  • Roasted Icelandic Cod (Cod served with capers, taggiasca olives, cherry tomatoes, livornese jus, black trumpet mushrooms)-second photo

Restaurant website: https://www.fiolamaredc.com

FINE DINING: MOMOFUKU CCDC

There’s been one restaurant in DC that’s been on my bucket list for a while. Everyone probably heard about Momofuku, it’s a restaurant brand established by the chef David Chang, and it’s a well-known noodle bar place in New York.

I haven’t been to the restaurants in New York, but I definitely have heard about the name Momofuku quite often. Once I heard there is a Momofuku opened in CityCenter in DC, I’ve always wanted to check it out. The only thing was I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time because every other time I’ve tried to go and walk in, the place was always packed and the wait time would be over an hour.

When I went, I made a reservation ahead of time and I have to say for a Friday night, I was surprised it wasn’t super packed. The environment was somewhat elegant-looking, but casual and the inside was a lot bigger than I thought. The food was great though I have to say for the price, the portions a bit smaller than I expected.

Including myself we had two people and we got a bing bread plate, a large plate, and then 2 desserts to share. To start, we got the and the chicken liver mousse bing bread, which may sound weird, but it was creamy and sweet as it had some type of jam on top of it. Our large plate/main entree was the grilled chicken with cilantro yogurt sauce on top of it that came with pickled onions & olives and rice.

Chicken liver mousse Bing bread
Grilled chicken w/ cilantro yogurt sauce + rice & pickled onions & olives

One thing great about Momofuku CCDC is Milk Bar is right next to it so for dessert we got the cereal milk soft serve from Milk Bar and then from the dessert menu of Momofuku we got the Coconut Panna Cotta. I loved panna cotta cause personally I’m not a huge fun of coconut, but the coconut flavor wasn’t strong. I also loved the grapefruit and the frozen calamansi on top it. The frozen calamansi tasted like a fruit sherbet.

Cereal Milk Soft Serve
Coconut Panna Cotta w/ Grapefruit & Calamansi

I’ll definitely go back so I can try some of the other things on the menu.

For the full menu options, check out the restaurant’s website below. For reservations, you can make reservations through OpenTable.

Restaurant Website: https://ccdc.momofuku.com/

*Disclaimer: This post is based on personal opinion and is not sponsored. Photos are my own photos I took at the restaurant. The website above is an affiliate link.

Favorite Jewelry Store

A way to complete the perfect outfit is the perfect accessory! I love to accessorize, pretty simply with a necklace or earrings.

Thanks to a co-worker, I’ve fallen in love with a specific brand when it comes to purchasing earrings.

I’d like to introduce *dramatic drumroll* LOVODA.

The main reason why I love LOVODA is their earrings is their product is affordable and the quality is also good. I have sensitive skin especially when it comes to earrings that I can commonly buy sterling silver or gold earrings, but those can become pricey.

At LOVODA I have managed to find 14k earrings and sterling silver earrings that are under $30. It may seem really cheap, but the quality of these earrings are EXCELLENT. So far I haven’t had any allergic reactions nor infections from their earrings.

Most of all, I love how beautiful and simple their designs are.  Also one thing I love is how I can get to support a local brand. I found LOVODA is located in up in Baltimore, MD. I haven’t had a chance to visit the actual store yet, but their online experience is great.

If you are looking for some nice affordable jewelry, I suggest checking LOVODA out! Click here to visit!

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Recent Purchases

Other purchases from Lovoda

*Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by the brand mentioned. All content on post is personal opinion.  Link shared is an affiliate link.

 

Sightseeing in Korea: LINE Cafe

In July, I went to South Korea to visit my family and meet some friends. While I was there, I did some sightseeing to places I have never been before. One of the places I visited in Seoul is a place called Garosu-gil. This place is considered one of the trendiest places in Seoul, where there is a lot of upscale boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and cafes.

I met some friends here for lunch and the place we went for dessert is the LINE Store. If you haven’t heard of LINE, LINE is a communication app similar to What’s App. One of the things about LINE is it is known for its cute characters. The best way to describe the LINE Store in comparison with the U.S. is it reminded me of the Disney Store.

At the LINE Store, you see this huge bear greeting you at the entry. Once you enter, you’re surrounded by accessories, electronics, clothing, stuffed animals, etc. all in the LINE characters.

Downstairs, there is a cafe, which where my friends and I got something to drink. The cafe drinks have your normal coffee and tea drinks, but some of the drinks and dessert items, such as the cakes and macarons are named after the LINE characters.

The store has a photo zone area where I saw a lot of tourists taking photos and obviously there was a lot of tourists purchasing items as well. I would say some of the items are on the pricey side, but if you want to purchase a cute and memorable souvenir as gift or for your personal memory, then why not buy one? 😉

Overall, I thought this place was pretty cute and is definitely a sightseeing worth because there isn’t anything like it in the U.S. Also if you’re going in the summer, it is a cool and air-conditioned place to be in and avoid the sun. ☀️

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Huge Bear (Ryan) greeting you at the store
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Inside LINE Store
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Drink menu at the cafe
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Drinks from the Cafe

Being in the Nation’s Capital

Being the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. is filled with tourists all year round. People from all over the world come to see the city. As I enter my fourth year living in the DMV area, I realize that I forget that living in the nation’s capital is a privilege and a blessing. 😊 It’s views like these that make me realize to be thankful of where I currently am and to enjoy the sights around me that people may see only once in their lifetime.

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Washington Monument
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Lincoln Memorial

My favorite food….

Hello from KOREA!! While being in Korea, this post seems the most appropriate to post while I am here.

In addition to trying new places to eat, I enjoy cooking as well. One of my favorite foods and the first thing I eat whenever I arrive in Korea is ddeokbokgi 떡볶이or Korean spicy rice cakes. It’s also something I make when I crave something spicy or just want some soul food.

Making ddeokbokgi isn’t hard so I thought I’ll share my recipe:

*Others may make it differently

Ingredients:

  • rice cakes
  • fish cakes
  • red pepper paste
  • soy sauce
  • sugar/honey
  • sesame oil
  • onions
  • carrot
  • garlic
  1. Chop onions, carrots, and fish cakes
  2. Add 3 tbsp of sesame oil in heated fry pan
  3. Cook onions, carrots, and 1/2 tbsp of chopped garlic in sesame oilIMG_2171.JPG
  4. Add fish cakes, rice cakes (ddeok), and add water to pan till it covers ingredients in pan

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5. Add 2 1/2 tbsp of red pepper paste (add more based on preference of spiciness), 1 tbsp of sugar/honey, and 1 tbsp of soy sauce *if it’s too spicy add more sugar/honey, if it’s too bland, add more soy sauce

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6. Boil and cook until rice cakes are done

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MEMORIAL DAY 🇺🇸 WEEKEND TRIP: BOSTON

This is long past due, but I finally got around to posting it! As mentioned in my About Me Post, I lived in Boston for 5 years before I moved to DC/MD for grad school. It’s not because I lived there for so long, but I loved living in Boston that as a first ever sister trip I went up during Memorial Day weekend.

I’ll admit there was more eating than sightseeing so it is mostly restaurants, but I will put sights to see in the area. I definitely recommend stopping by these places! I also put below other places I didn’t go on this trip, but are favorites as well.

Quincy Market

*Sights: Boston Harbor, Fanueil Hall, Boston Public Market

North End

  • Neptune Oyster (as mentioned in a previous Lobster Rolls, the wait time is on average 2-3hrs so I recommend going to put your name down on the waiting list before you plan on eating and then go shopping/sightseeing the area)
Lobster Rolls w/ Fries & Salad
Oysters
  • Mike’s Pastery (You need to get a cannoli!!)

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  • The Juicery
  • Gelateria (delicious gelato)

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Chinatown/Downtown

  • Gourmet Dumpling House (no reservations: first come first serve & make sure all the members of your party are there to be seated)
Soup Dumplings
Szechuan Style Fish
  • Hotpot Buffet (it’s ALL YOU CAN EAT)

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  • Tatte Bakery (favorite place to get a GREAT cheesecake and chai latte)
Regular & Blueberry cheesecake

*Sights: Boston Commons, Boston Public Garden (beautiful flowers in the spring/summer), Newbury Street (a whole street of different shops, restaurants, and cafes)

Other Favorite Restaurants:

*location is italicized

  • The Daily Catch (no reservations: first come, first serve) North End
  • Shabu Zen Chinatown
  • Pho Pasteur Chinatown
  • The Cafeteria Newbury Street
  • Joe’s American Bar & Grill Newbury Street
  • Pavement Newbury Street
  • Thinking Cup Newbury Street
  • Winsor Dim Sum Cafe (if you go on the weekend, it will be busy and the wait time can be from 30 min-1hr) Chinatown
  • Border Cafe Harvard Square
  • Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers Harvard Square