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'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. 

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?

Woah! You guys, can you believe it's May already??? Don't get me wrong - April has been beyond fantastic, so much so that I didn't want the month to end. But I'm writing this in MAY??? I read an article about a psychological explanation as to why time seems to fly faster as we grow older, and I realized that as long as I focus more on creating memories instead of just the destination, time shouldn't leave any pangs of regret.

So to kick off May, I'll leave you my favorite things in April:

This darling boy who acts like a human sometimes, and it is so utterly adorable. I recently read a study that discusses how cats think of us as bigger, clumsier cats. I mean, I guess?? XD

This is a photo I took while boyfriend was driving - it looked so much like a gargantuan bird flying over the freeway. I knew I had to take a photo!

This Raspberry & Chocolate opera cake from The Park Restaurant was divine. Also, how cute are those intricate meringues?????

Yea, I'm kind of obsessed with this show. If you're into crime & legal drama, this might be your jam.

Pretty sunsets.

Gorgeous flowers! I always buy flowers for my apartment because it makes me happy.

This collection handbook given to me by my coworker/friend, Josh. It's super cool, and I always love thoughtful gifts. He knows how much I am into the arts, and this was such a wonderful gift.

Source: Ron Cogswell

Gabriel Dawe's art installations are my current obsession. I discovered his work sometime around early April and they make me so excited and blissful. Look at how gorgeous and rainbow-reminiscent his artworks are! I can only hope to see them in person sooner rather than later.

Aside from the above, I also can't forget to mention my recent birthday celebrations (1,2&3) because this year's birthday is definitely my favorite so far. Do you have any April favorites?