Catching the sunrise is always one of my favorite things, and I never realized how the rising sun creates an aura of somberness & petulant optimism until seeing the sun rise in such a metropolis. Waking up earlier has led me to healthier habits, which include a more regular meditation habit or doing at least a few yoga moves in the morning. Waking up earlier is also helping me focus on what I need to do, and has helped me find more reasons to live for. Have you tried to catch dawn at least once in your life? If not, you totally should. 

Over the weekend, boyfriend and I hiked to Griffith Park. We've decided to hike more regularly, especially since it's less hot in the winter. It's more difficult for me to work out in the winter just because it's colder and it's so much more tempting to cozy in with a soft comforter & sip hot chocolate. Hopefully, our regular hiking treks will help me stay in shape throughout the season of food.

I've posted about Moto Sushi before but when we came back this Sunday to celebrate being together for 26 months now but DAMN. As two, self-appointed sushi snobs, every single piece of nigiri blew us away. We ordered salmon (both regular & New Zealand salmon), yellow tail, two different preparations of red snapper, monkfish liver, uni, unagi & bluefin tuna. ALL OF THEM HAD FRESH WASABI AND I DIED.

I reiterate - every.single.nigiri.was.AMAZING. First world problems, we had difficulty choosing the last piece of sushi to imbibe upon. It's been our tradition to choose the best sushi as the last thing to eat in order to make the flavor in our mouth last longer.

For the most part, we've both chosen uni. Last Sunday was an exception because we chose the bluefin tuna. Fitting, I know, especially since the bluefin tuna had gold flakes on it. Yep, you read that right. It was such a satisfying dinner and while it was pricier than our usual sushi restaurants, it was oh-so-worth it. Rest assured, this is our monthly go-to now.

I know you might be feeling rather compelled to throw a rotten tomato towards my general direction after that hideous pun but I am nothing without my my love-hate relationship with puns so you'd have to suffer through that, unfortunately. I haven't written a monthly favorites in a while because I'm a lazy little prick having the time of my life. Seeing as to July is ending and I did have a lot of favorites this month, I thought it was high time I made another monthly favorites post. So, without further ado, here are my July favorites:

Every self-respecting Filipino will tell you that the best Filpino meal is homecooked. In other words,  if I'm going to a restaurant to pay for Filipino food, it better be damn well take me to the moon and back. With that said, EagleRock.Kitchen is a favorite go-to for when I have a hankering for Filipino breakfast food. We usually order the BangSiLog (Fried milkfish, garlic fried rice and fried egg) but we loved the ERK fries and ginataang bilo bilo. Their vinegar is amazing! It tastes just like the vinegar served with "silog" dishes in the Philippines, and it satisfies my palate in more ways than one. If you're interested in trying Filipino cuisines, I highly recommend this place.

An unassuming treasure in Glendale, Gam Tu Bop serves delectable rice balls with reasonable prices. We ordered the Gam Tu Bop #2, which came with free edamame and miso soup. We ordered the spicy shrimp, tuna, unagi (made from sushi grade unagi, you guys!) and salmon rice balls. Our favorite was definitely the unagi rice ball followed by the salmon. The spicy shrimp and tuna were both just 'eh'. I also found the cashier, who is also possibly the owner, absolutely adorable! If you're in the area and in dire need of carb overloading, head over to this place. It's worth it. Trust me.

A coworker gave me this stainless steel bracelet recently and I haven't taken it off yet (even if it clashes with the accessories I'm wearing). It's just too adorable to take off.

My boyfriend introduced me to Star Trek: The Next Generation recently, and suffice to say, I'm obsessed! It has 7 seasons and we just started watching season 2, but if you ask me why I love this show, I wouldn't know how or where to start. The characters are endearing & brilliant (except for the occasional underdeveloped caricature characters but who doesn't have them, right?), the plot lines are so cerebral and ponderous, it's so visually entertaining and I desperately wish I had a replicator and a holodeck. Yup. I'm a Star Trek girl now.

These are all the drinks in my refrigerator. However, the star of the show is definitely GT's Synergy organic kombucha in Trilogy flavor. I stopped drinking soda almost three years ago, and I've never looked back. However, on hot, humid days like all of the sweltering Los Angeles summers, I miss the fizzy feeling that only comes with carbonated drinks. I'm not a big fan of fizzy water *coughs* Perrier *coughs* because I personally think it's kind of gross. Enter my summer year round must-have: KOMBUCHA

I discovered kombucha three years ago and have loved it since. It has probiotics, less calories and sugar content than soda and it tastes great! We love kombucha so much we actually started making our own from the scoby of a Trilogy kombucha. I can't wait to give it a try!

If you follow me on instagram & twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, you're well aware that I've been playing Pokemon GO since its release almost three weeks ago. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with the game so much as my inner 90s kid liking the idea of catching all 151 pokemons and having a viable reason to sing the Pokemon theme song in the shower more than twice. It also gives me a better motivation to be more active because evolving a charmander to a charizard trumps health and general wellness y'all. As of writing, I am level 16 and have 66 pokemons stashed in my pokedex.

These smile-inducing flowers I got from my boss for working so hard on the first week of July. I did 10 hours worth of overtime and managed not to die. I consider that as one of my greatest personal accomplishments in life right next to not accidentally killing Mac & Kiki (my succulents!) yet.

Inasmuch as July gave me a lot of wonderful memories, I'm excited for August! What are your favorite moments of July?

I'm not entirely sure how I came across Ba on yelp (I think I might have been looking for new brunch places as I tend to complain about the scant amount of brunch-worthy restaurants near Glendale) but I'm glad I found it. Situated in a nondescript building in Highland Park, Ba is a hidden jewel offering French cuisines. The fact that it was so close to a Scoops, probably one of my favorite ice cream shoppes ever, was an additional bonus as well.

Ambiance: Ba's aesthetic reminded me of Victorian mansions with its baroque patterned wallpaper juxtaposed with whitewashed brick walls and ornaments in dark wood. Fortunately, it leaned towards luxe instead of gauche. While we were waiting for food, they were having issues with the pipeline. One of the pipes on the ceiling was dripping on the table next to us. After requesting to be moved to an adjacent table, all was well.

Service: The service, overall, was okay. We had a short conversation with the male waiter with regards to the menu and he seemed knowledgeable and was altogether nice.

Food: Ba's menu was seasonal and tended to rotate depending on what's in season to ensure you have the freshest, most high-quality ingredients. We had ordered mushroom brulee and the Lemon infused halibut to share. The mushroom brulee was topped with brie cheese and came with toasted bread. It absolutely delicious! I've never had anything quite like it before and the flavors were bursting inside my mouth. We praised the dish a lot and the waiter told us that it was an old French dish, which came as a surprise to both of us. We both thought it was an innovative twist to a classic dish but hey, good to know! We also ordered a lemon infused halibut with spring beans, which turned out to be just 'eh'. It had very little flavor, if any. Don't get me wrong, it was well-cooked and the texture was great but we've paid for half the price for more flavorful fish.

Will you recommend Ba to friends? I'm not too sure on this one. I guess it depends on the friend. If it's a friend who's always down to try new things, then I'd recommend Ba for sure. Personally, I don't think I'd be back anytime soon, unless I get a hankering for another mushroom brulee. 

A restaurant originally established in New York City, By Chloe recently opened a restaurant in Los Angeles close to the new 365 Whole Foods store in Silverlake (a very fitting location, if you ask me). Unsurprisingly enough, it quickly became every vegan bruncher's dream.

They accidentally put our food in to-go boxes even though we ordered it for eating inside the vicinity.

Ambiance: Everything in this place was adorable and so instagram-worthy - from the dainty tables and swinging chairs to the cute napkins and to-go packages. The decor is just so endearing and suffice to say, I'm completely in love with the  place's aesthetic.

Service: This place is basically self-service so you come up to the counter to place your order after which you'd be given a buzzer to signal that your food is ready to be picked up. The cashiers were friendly and smiled often. The food also came quicker than we expected it to take, which adds another kudos to this place.

Food: We ordered the ginger kombucha, pesto "meatball" sandwich for me, the guac burger for my boyfriend and the chlostess cupcake to share. I got samplings of their beet ketchup and chipotle aioli, which were dips for their fries. The fries from By Chloe were air baked, and as healthier as they are in comparison to deep fried fries, my Belgian boyfriend is all about the taste.  I figured we could use them for the sandwich and burger that we ordered (I was wrong). The beet ketchup was too sweet and too beet-y but the chipotle aioli was good!

The pesto "meatball" sandwich, which was made with portobello mushrooms and other vegetables (for the meatballs), marinara, sweet peppers, basil pesto, cashew mozz, potato sub roll and almond parmesan, was amazing in my mouth. I might have gasped a couple of times because of how good it was. Unlike a lot of vegan food we've had in the past, this was far from dry and tasteless. The flavors were just too good to be true. The guac burger, which boasted a black bean/quinoa/sweet potato patty as well as corn salsa, onion guac, tortilla strips, chipotle aioli and whole grain bun, had a good taste and texture. I still liked my sandwich better though whereas my boyfriend liked his burger better in comparison to mine. We didn't even get to use the beet ketchup and the chipotle aioli sauce because the flavors were too good that we didn't want to mess with it. The chlostess cupcake was also delicious! All dark chocolatey, gooey goodness that is not too sweet and hits just the right notes.

Will you recommend By Chloe to friends? Heck yea! We might even accompany them!

My boyfriend and I have never had Burmese food before so when I found out that a Burmese restaurant called Daw Yee Myanmar Corner was opening in my neighborhood, we had to give it a try. Burmese food hails from the scenic country of Burma, which is now officially known as Myanmar. Before I move on to my review, allow me to state that I am completely obsessed with this place. It opened three weeks ago, and we've been here four times. So yea, obsessed.

Dinner spread on our 3rd(?) visit here with Mohinga, Tea Leaf Salad & Myanmar Milk Tea. I also ordered Molasong for myself but it arrived a bit later after I took this photo.

Mohinga, Myanmar's national breakfast dish, though we usually get it for dinner. We both think this is SO MUCH BETTER than ramen or pho. Sorry, not sorry.

An empty Fish Cake Curry bowl and my glass of Molasong

Ambiance: The ambiance inside Daw Yee Myanmar Corner had an interesting and eclectic feel as it combined cultural ornaments and quite possibly, though not entirely sure, modern-vibe paper mache, animal heads. The wooden tables, coupled with brightly colored chairs, made it even more so.

Service: On our first visit, our waitress was actually Burmese, so she suggested several dishes that we may be interested in. She was amicable and made us feel at home. I never saw her again after that visit though. Nevertheless, we've had mostly efficient service from the waiters and waitresses here.

Food: Within all of our four visits, we ordered the Mohinga, Fish Cake Curry, Tea Leaf Salad, Molasong, Myanmar Milk Tea, Shwe Kyi Cake and Tapioca Cake. The Mohinga is, by far, our absolute favorite. Served with a couple slices of lime, chili flakes, cilantro, lentil fritters and (optional for additional $1) boiled egg with rice noodles and catfish soup base, it took my breath away. It's honestly so much better than any ramen or pho we've ever tried, though we're open to being proven wrong. You know where to find us during the harsh, biting cold of winter!

The Fish Cake Curry, which came with a side of rice with fried peanuts on top, was delicious as well.  I've had lots of curry cuisines - Indian, Thai, Filipino - but Burmese curry had a different taste altogether. I'm not a salad person (unless that salad contains arugula) but I actually liked the Tea Leaf Salad, which was made from Myanmar-imported tea leaves, steamed corn, yellow lentils, fried garlic and roasted peanuts. It was fresh and the texture was superb. The Molasong was a delicious and sweet drink that contained whole milk, coconut milk, pandan jelly and tapioca. I didn't like the Myanmar Milk Tea so much and I honestly thought it was unmemorable. For dessert, we ordered the Shwe Kyi Cake, a gluten-free cake made with semolina wheat and poppy seeds, and Tapioca Cake. Unfortunately, we both didn't really like them and found them underwhelming. They were just not the kind of desserts we were looking for, especially since my sweet tooth is bigger than my stomach.

However, everything else was so on point in this restaurant and you best believe I'm coming back again and again and again and again and - you know what I'm going to say.

Will you recommend Daw Yee Myanmar Corner to friends? 100% Yes. You might even catch us there!

I know, I know. I post too much about food. But you have to admit, food is one thing we're all obsessed with. In fact, I'm so lucky to be dating someone who not only has the same palate as I do (for the most part) but who also encourages me to be more food-venturous.

Moto Sushi
This place came with a recommendation from my boyfriend's friend. He has never let us down so far, and the places he recommends are places we usually end up becoming regulars to. We tried Moto once but found it only average and overpriced for the quality we got. They put a lot of fake wasabi, and while it was nice of them to upgrade our salmon cuts to salmon toro for free (even though I accidentally ended up eating both instead of sharing them with my boyfriend), there is no point to adding toppings to a good salmon cut. Let the fresh fish speak for itself.

On aforementioned friend's urging to try the place again, we went for a second time over the weekend. I've never been so happy for second chances as we were completely blown away by our second visit. We ordered two orders of salmon, two orders of yellowtail, one order of bluefin tuna, one order of monk fish liver, one order of unagi and one tuna roll. We saw that they had LIVE UNI and immediately added two orders of it as well. (Note: It was market fish price but when we went there, they were $20/order). Also, remember to state NO WASABI on your order sheet if you're not into the fake, powdery wasabi most sushi places serve.

The yellowtail, bluefin tuna and tuna rolls were both okay. Pretty standard taste, if not a bit below average. Both the salmon and unagi were fresh and delicious albeit not the best ones we've had. The monk fish liver, on the other hand, definitely won a place in my heart. I haven't had a lot of monk fish liver sushi but that was quite a gustatory experience.

The live uni came on top of an emptied out sea urchin, which made for a really cool-looking plate. I mean, how many people can say they've eaten on top of a sea urchin? This might be an important time to note that the first foodgasm I've had was when I tried uni for the first time. I didn't think anything else could top that. I was obviously wrong. It was usurped out of the throne by super fresh uni topped with real wasabi (because fake wasabi is gross and is a joke).

We ordered one more monk fish liver to share and ended our evening with a big smile and a full stomach. You best believe we'll be back.

Thai Me Upp
I think we found our new neighborhood Thai restaurant with this place and it's not because of the pretty dorky name. Situated in a plaza next to Paris Baguette, this tiny restaurant showcased a confused sense of interior decoration. When we stepped inside and sat down, the chef/owner exclaimed,"Awww you guys are so cute!". I mean, it could only go well from there right? We were given shrimp crackers with an enticing chili dip, which we scarfed down almost immediately. We then ordered the Eggplant Tofu Basil, Cha Cha Fish (one of their specials), a large bowl of garlic fried rice (we totally should have just gotten the small) and their homemade vinegar drink.

You guys, we're in love with their Cha Cha Fish Dish (ooh that rhymed). It was probably the best fish dish we've had in awhile (and trust me, we've had plenty in the last couple of months). The Eggplant Tofu Basil and the homemade vinegar drink were delicious as well, and we're definitely coming back to try out more dishes. My only complaint would be that our orders were served individually and not together, which I would have preferred. Their yelp reviews give them pretty low ratings for the slow service. Fortunately, my boyfriend and I are both willing to wait for good food.

El Morfi Argentine Grill

My boyfriend had been to this place a couple of times before and he raved about their empanadas, which, of course, he wanted me to try. We went for dinner and were seated near the window, which I liked. Plenty of people watching and sunshine - yes please! We ordered a couple of spinach & jalapeno empanadas, a pitcher of sangria, seafood linguine and eggplant parmesan with spaghetti on the side.

As we waited for our order, we were given bread and an olive oil with pesto basil dip for appetizers that we both loved! We finished about two servings of bread before we decided that it was a bad idea to say yes to more. My boyfriend joked that that was the highlight of the meal. Between the spinach and jalapeno empanadas, we both liked the latter more. It was more flavorful and worth every penny.

By the time our entrees had arrived, we were finished with our pitcher of sangria, which was pretty concentrated and made me a bit tipsy after one glass. The eggplant parmesan I got was good albeit the texture wasn't to my liking and the flavor wasn't up to par with The Park's version of the same dish. My boyfriend wasn't particularly enamoured with his seafood linguine either. His joke turned out to be factual in this case. Aside from the pesto basil dip and the jalapeno empanada, there wasn't a lot to write home about.

Scarantino's Italian Inn

I found Scarantino's through a yelp search while I was craving for pasta, and because my boyfriend is awesome, he obliged. I don't think they have parking space as we accidentally parked at the parking space of the mental institution next door. We stepped inside and were immediately welcomed with the smell of melting parmesan cheese. After a 15 minute wait, the maitre d' showed us our table. We ordered the red snapper (his), eggplant parmesan with spaghetti on the side (mine), cannoli and tiramisu.

We both loved his red snapper. Meanwhile, my eggplant parmesan was only slightly better than El Morfi's. I would unfortunately report that neither version topped The Park's version of eggplant parmesan. We both liked the desserts  but he liked the cannoli more whereas I opted for the tiramisu. We had a really great time and the food was delicious but we'll probably be headed to El Morfi for my pasta fix (because empanadas & pesto basil dip, y'all).

Have you tried any of these restaurants? How was your experience?

One of the numerous things my boyfriend and I love in all mutuality and without question (aside from each other) is food. So it only makes sense that trying new places is also our favorite thing to do on our dates. Here are a few new places we've tried over the last couple of months:

Grilliant

This was a yelp search result while we were looking for food close to the Museum of Jurassic Technology (the visit of which I wrote about in detail here). Grilliant, despite its clean and precise aesthetic, was kind of a disaster for both of us. We had ordered two salmon kebab plate, eggplant mirza & sumac fries. Okay, first off, as I was about to take a sip from my glass of water, I noticed a lipstick mark on my glass. I immediately went up to the cashier and asked for a replacement. She had apologized profusely and offered free drinks, which I had declined. We rarely really drink anything but water. That was discomfiting but no harm, no foul as they say.

When our order came, the waitress only brought one salmon kebab plate, instead of two. It was merely a misunderstanding and we ordered another plate. The eggplant mirza came with pita slices and it was delicious! The sumac fries were 'eh' though, and weren't really all that memorable (I'm probably going to make a top 5 best french fries post soon given how much my boyfriend loves fries so keep a lookout!). We started eating one of the plates but when the second one finally came, we were starting to get irked. The cashier took our order wrong and brought us a chicken kebab plate - not a salmon one. Considering we are both paescetarian, it was getting on my nerves.

The eggplant mirza and pita slices. This was so good!

Sumac fries and salmon kebab plate. The former was 'eh' and the latter was delicious!

Chocolate covered strawberries

We decided to eat the chicken regardless (because throwing it away would have been a bigger travesty to the chicken who had to die for it). When we were finishing up on our meal, the manager came and gave us two chocolate covered strawberries to apologize for all the mix up. They were delicious, and given how we were enjoying ourselves regardless, it was easy to let all the mishaps go. Are we going to come back? Probably not, considering it's located in Culver City and we're rarely ever in the area. But if we come back, I'd give them a second chance. The food itself was good and hey, maybe they were having an off day.

Eden on Brand
A new addition to the emerging nightlife of Glendale, my boyfriend wanted to try this place for the longest time but wanted to wait until I was raring to go.The ambiance is wonderful albeit it was a bit too rambunctious for my taste. We went for dinner and ordered the Mexican Pizza, the Truffle Burger, cannoli, a sour beer for me and an IPA for my boyfriend. The Mexican pizza was good taste-wise, except I did not pay $14 for pizza that tastes exactly like tacos. It was an interesting experience for sure but honestly not something I would do again. My boyfriend liked his burger though I personally found it ho-hum.

Probably one of the biggest let-down was the cannoli we ordered - they looked nothing like a cannoli. It was basically just donuts with caramel sauce and strawberry & pistachio ice cream. As a big fan of ice cream, I have to admit the ice cream was really good, but that doesn't legitimize the fraudulent advertising. It was good but it was no cannoli.

Personally, the food wasn't worth it for me and I'm not going back.

This is nowhere near what an actual cannoli looks like

Crab Boil (Brunch)
Crab Boil is a place we frequent for dinner. It's a good substitute to Boiling Crab and it's closer to our area in general. They recently added a brunch menu, and as people who yearn for new things, we went ahead and gave their brunch selections a try.

My boyfriend ordered shrimp & grits with roasted potatoes while I ordered Crab Benedict with hashbrowns. We also ordered nutella topped beignets for dessert. The verdict? We'll skip brunch and just go to Crab Boil for dinner like we always do. There was nothing specifically wrong with the dishes per se but cajun was just not a fitting meal for breakfast. It was heavy yet grating at the same time. The beignets weren't the right texture that we wanted and everything was just 'OK'. Our taste buds aren't particularly content with OK.

Any recent food trips you went on recently? What are you raring to try?

Since moving to my new neighborhood, trying out new restaurants in the area has been what R and I have been doing lately. I'm nothing if not for my love of good food, and there is no truer gem than finding the perfect neighborhood restaurant that's consistently bringing delicious food, impeccable service and a cozy atmosphere. With that said, The Park Restaurant has become one of my favorites in the neighborhood, and for lots of good reasons.

Situated rather vicariously on the edge of Sunset and Douglas, this charming restaurant looks tiny from the outside yet packs quite a roomy punch on the inside. You have the option to dine al fresco or indoors, and for the most part, I've preferred indoors. Don't get me wrong, their outdoor patio is adorable but given how cold it's been in Los Angeles recently, I'm doing my poor body a favor by dining indoors.

The servers are really amazing too - cordial and observant without being intrusive. In fact, we've gone here often enough that they recognize us by now, and can pretty much foretell what we're ordering.

One of the best things about The Park is their diverse menus. Pro-tip: Try out Park on Tuesday, Wednesday and Weekend evenings. Personally, Tuesday evenings are my favorites as they offer pre-fixed three course dinner for only $20. It's the perfect romantic evening for a third date or if you and your significant other just wants to dress up and enjoy a candlelight dinner.

Probably the best entree I've had in their pre-fixed menu - Mushroom farro cakes with bearnaise sauce. 

I've tried tiramisu in the Philippines, and I've never liked them. This tiramisu, however, was completely delicious. I wished there was more!

Banana split! Look at all the adorable and delectable colors!

Eggplant parmesan with side arugula. Honestly, I've never regarded arugula highly until I came to this place - they make the most delicious arugula salad and this side was just on point.

Halva tart with apricot compote and vanilla semifreddo

Their Wednesday evenings are burgers night, and while it was delicious, I've never really been a burger person so I might not have appreciated it as much as my boyfriend had. However, if you're a big burger fan then Wednesday night is the best night to try this place out.

As it is, The Park is currently a mainstay in my rotation of restaurants in Echo Park, and if you ever decide to give this place a try, I guarantee you won't regret it.