Category: Food

Sweet Adventures Around Thailand

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Here is a peek of some of the yummy treats we experienced in Thailand.  During the trip we were able to try green tea ice cream and cookies, chocolate rum balls, luk chup, guava juice, and banana fritters, among other things.  Everything was delicious!  From the green tea ice cream to the sesame seed cookies, most deserts were light and not to sweet. My favorite desert by far was the mango sticky rice, a traditional Thai desert served with coconut milk and garnished with sesame seeds. Hope you enjoy! ☺️

Green tea ice creamMango sticky riceThai cokeRum ballInside rum ballJam pizzaLuk chupGuava juiceCakes and cookiesBanana Fritters

Foodie Adventures in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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Chiang Mai is not just a beautiful city but it has amazing culture and food.  Some of the best Thai food I had on my trip was from this province. Everything was just so full of flavor and spice.

We visited Chiang Mai on a whim, but now I regret not having spent more time there. We only spent two nights but managed to try some great dishes including Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Tom Yum, and Khao Soi. The food in Chiang Mai was hands down the best out of the three cities we visited.

The flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is only an hour and can cost as cheap as $30. Here are a few photos of the food we tried. Enjoy!

Khao SoiPad see ewTom YumCurryPad ThaiMango sticky rice Yogurt with fruit Thai coffee

The Purple Pig: Adventurous Eats in Chicago, IL

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Does eating roasted bone marrow, pig ears, pork belly, and squid sound exciting to you?! Yes? No?? 😋 I wasn’t exactly too thrilled to see all of those items on a menu for a restaurant my coworker suggested. But, he had his heart set on trying it out and it had over 3,000 reviews on Yelp, so I figured why not…  I can always just order a salad! 😉

The Purple Pig Entrance

The location

Upon arriving to the Purple Pig, the ambience completely sets the tone, and I started to get a little excited for what was ahead.  The entrance to the restaurant is off an alleyway on an overhead street.  If you are not familiar with Chicago, let me first explain.  The downtown Chicago area is made up of a series of multilevel streets.  Very similar in a sense to San Antonio.  Now the history behind it I’m not very familiar with, but I do remember that they explained on a tour that during the boom of the city, when construction was on the rise, everything was very concentrated in one area, so what people started to do was to literally sell air space rights above the land.  For example, lets say you owned a parcel of land, constitutional rights stated that not only did you own the land, but you also legally owned the airspace above your land as well.  So what occurred was that people would purchase the air rights to your land and build buildings at a level above, basically establishing whole streets built on top of another.  This can be very confusing at times, especially when you are not familiar with a street and are looking for an address.  Now circling back to the location of the Purple Pig, the entrance is located off of Magnificent Mile on an overhead pass of what would be considered an alleyway that looks down to the street below.  It is easy to miss if you are not looking for the restaurant.  And even if you do notice the sign, because the building itself sits in the back of the alleyway, you wouldn’t be able to tell what it was.  However, when you do find it, you will be pleasantly surprised.  The restaurant is very small and makes great use of communal seating.  Inside, there is a wrap around bar which faces the open kitchen, so you can only imagine how loud everything can get.  The night we went, the ambience was bustling.  But from what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to be like that every night!

The Purple Pig Food Collage

THE FOOD

My coworker is a big time foodie, so I have to credit him for making the restaurant selection.  I have to say, I am very glad that we tried it.  The Purple Pig specializes in small shareable plates with an international influence.

“Located at 500 North Michigan Avenue, the restaurant offers cheese, swine and wine, among other standout dishes, showcasing the flavors of Italy, Greece and Spain.” – The Purple Pig

When ordering dishes, we opted to order one plate per person to share.  Sharing in this style proved to be a little challenging as some dishes came in small portions than others and we were a rather large group.  If you are considering doing the same, I would suggest that you order at least two plates of the smaller dishes to share; or try not to go hungry… but who wants to do that? 😜

Click on the photos below to get a more detailed description.  Enjoy!

My favorite entree. The pork shoulder was nice and juicy.
The sausage was so delicious!
Much smaller than it appears.
Delicious flavors. Shrimp, Mussels, Sepia, Bass, Tomato and Feta
This was my favorite desert. Expresso custard, creme fraiche, and chocolate hazelnut syrup.
The sauce was full of flavor.
To eat the salad you break up and mix in the egg.
Just the right amount of sweet. Ricotta and Chocolate Chip filled Brioche.
I thought the fried pig ears were onion straws!
Very buttery texture and taste. Served with Herb Salad and Sicilian Sea Salt.

Visit The Purple Pig in person at 500 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611 or online at their website. 😘

Kona Cafe: Breakfast at the Polynesian Village Resort, Disney World, Orlando, Florida

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Kona Cafe is my favorite breakfast place when visiting Walt Disney World.  Located across from the Magic Kingdom theme park, it is easily accessible by monorail, boat, or car.  Kona Cafe is probably best known for their Tonga Toast, a banana-stuffed sourdough french toast rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with a strawberry compote.  Yum!  Now that I have your attention let’s talk breakfast. Kona Cafe offers lunch and dinner options, but breakfast is really what they do best.  During this visit we ordered a variety of items and shared.  The portions are not huge so if you go with a large appetite I would recommend that you order one dish per person to share.  The breakfast menu consists of various island flavors. The Liliko’i Juice Is fantastic.  It is a subtle and sweet blend of orange, passion fruit, and guava juice.  Guava and passion fruit complement each other so well and have the ability to transport you back to Hawaii.  The Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes are served with a delicious macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce. The Tonga Toast is amazing, but it’s the strawberry compote that really takes it to the next level.  It tastes almost like a strawberry smoothie.  When you taste it, you’ll want to just drink it up. 😉  Check out this recipe from the official Disney blog if you want to try to make your own: Tonga Toast.  Here are some photos from the trip.  Enjoy!

Kona Cafe Menu

Kona Cafe Menu

Liliko'i Juice

Lilikoi Juice, $4.49

condiments

Condiments: Strawberry Compote, Maple Syrup, Butter, and Ketchup

egg white omlette

Egg White Omelet: Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese with a side of Fruit, $10.99

macadamia pineapple pancakes

Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes: Served with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage, $10.49

tonga toast

Tonga Toast: Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry Compote and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage, $12.99

ham and cheese omlet

Ham and Cheese Omelet: Served with Home-fried Potatoes, $11.49

sausage

Pork Sausage

omlette

Portion view

tonga toast

Tonga Toast Inside View

Here’s an insider tip: If you don’t have time to have a sit down breakfast or don’t want to spend that much money, checkout Capt. Cook, a casual quick service cafe located downstairs at the Polynesian Resort.  While they may not have all of the same breakfast offerings as Kona, they do offer the Tonga Toast at a cheaper price, which is definitely worth a try!

Tasty treats from the Pineapple Promenade at the 2015 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in Orlando, Florida

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Here’s a look at some pineapple themed treats from the Pineapple Promenade at the 2015 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. The pineapple sriracha hot dog was A M A Z I N G. 😍 My only complaint would be the price for what seemed to be only a 1/4 of a hot dog.  The pineapple dog was a new addition to the menu this year, which I hope they bring back for future events. It was an all beef spicy frank topped with a pineapple slaw and drizzled with a creamy sriracha. It definitely has a bit of a kick to it, but it’s quite delicious. At the promenade, they also sell a violet lemonade, which at first glance may seem out-of-place since it is not necessarily pineapple themed. I first tried this frozen treat last year and was curious as to what it would taste like since I had never tried anything that was “violet flavored” before.  I actually really enjoyed it. It’s hard to describe the flavor but I can tell you it is quite refreshing and pairs nicely with the spicy flavors of the pineapple dog. Another new addition to the menu this year was the sparkling pineapple wine. While the name of the wine enticed me, the flavor was a bit disappointing. I probably should have thought twice before ordering this since I’m not a big fan of wine. Maybe it’s just me, but this wine tasted like a semi-dry champagne with no real hint of pineapple. Perhaps this is considered a delicacy among wine connoisseurs, but I probably won’t be running out any time soon to purchase a bottle. I think I was expecting more of a sweeter flavor that you would get with a Riesling, and perhaps I cut the flavor by pairing it with the hot dog, but I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the other items. Overall, my experience with the treats at the Pineapple Promenade was good and I’m looking forward to the pineapple dog for next year. Or maybe I’ll just try to recreate it if I can’t wait and will let you know how it goes. Oh, and who can forget about the Dole Whips! They even sell them spiked with rum during the festival. Make sure to add those to your list for next year. 😉

Pineapple baby

Baby Pineapple!

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Pineapple Dog – Spicy Hot Dog with Pineapple Chutney and Sriracha Mayo, $4

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Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade (non-alcoholic), $3

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Sparkling Pineapple Wine – Florida Orange Groves Winery, St. Petersburg, FL, $6.25

Dole whip

Dole Whip – Pineapple soft-serve, $4.25

Check out my previous Disney World Post for all of my sweet frozen adventures around the parks!  🙂