Crêpe Bar (5 Plates)

Brunch on a Tuesday???? Yup!!! We were around the Tempe area for an early appointment so we decided to have brunch around Tempe as well. We decided to have crêpes. If you want crêpes, you go to a place that specializes on Crêpes, right? If a place is called Crêpe Bar, I guess that means they do good crêpes.

We found the place off of S Rural. The place is small but can probably sit 50 people. The vibe of the place was upbeat. Music played in the background but it wasn't very loud. Just kept the place cozy and vibrant. The colors on the walls were appealing. Hues of blue and grey fill the place with accents of green, orange and pastel colors.

Let's talk about their food. It was AWESOME!!!! My first five star on Yelp. From the service, to the place and ofcourse the food... IT WAS AWESOME (it was so awesome I wrote it three times already). We had The Burro (savory), The Grand Prix (savory) and the Vanilla Bean Custard (sweet) crêpe. We also had the Maya tea and the Hot caramel latte for our drinks.

The Burro... this is your breakfast burrito on a crêpe. Crêpe was chipotle flavored with scrambled eggs, chorizo, avocado and pepper jack cheese. I would have wanted a little more of the sauce used for plating. I feel that it really complimented the dish. The little sauce on my plate did not make the experience less enjoyable though. There was a surprising kick on every bite with a hint of sweetness from the crêpe and savory delight from the chorizo. The avocado definitely completed that southwest flavor and added a refreshing flavor to the dish.

The Burro

The Grand Prix was my favorite. I love the creamyness of the fat from the pork belly that was cooked to perfection. It melts in your mouth. There was also the added crunch from the maple glazed pork jowl. The pork glory is placed on a bed of coffee Crêpe topped with a sunny side up egg. I would have loved it more if the egg was little runny but overall I would order it again and recommend it to everyone. 

The Grand Prix

We ended our meal with the vanilla bean custard with strawberries, almonds and salted caramel. It wasn't too sweet considering the salted caramel and vanilla custard. The perfect bite would be a piece of crepe, a bite of strawberry, a dash of candied almonds, topped with custard and salted caramel. Everything just goes well together.

We would definitely come back. Maybe we'll bring friends with us next time to share our new found favorite Crêpe bar in Arizona.

Certified yum for the buck!

Visit their site at http://www.crepebar.com/

Tiki Mon Hawaiian Ice Cream and Cafe (1 Plate)

Good Service is better than Good Food! Bad service will always... again, always... outweigh good food. 

The ice cream was Ok. The coffee was above average. If the service was only a little bit better, maybe I would recommend it to Yelp users. Since the service was as bad as the servers mood... I would say STAY AWAY!!!!

The attendant on may 10 2014 (Alexa), 8:43 pm was very rude. Smile is the easiest service you can offer. How expensive could a smile be? We got no smile from her at all. She threw the ice cream scoops in the sink like kid throwing a tantrum. Hmmm... maybe it's that time of month.

There were many ice cream choices. That's a pro for them. They let you taste and choose before you order. Another pro. The cons, that night... Alexa wasn't very accommodating. We wanted to try out some more samples but maybe she just wanted us to order and just leave. 

She did let us try some samples but also told us in an irrate manner if there is anyone else who knows what they want? In the first place, the reason why you try out samples so u could decide what u want. She also kept us waiting at the counter and did not serve us at once because we were still discussing what we want and we stood at the counter long. We were also in a line but another customer came in whom she knows and she served that first even if we were lined up.VERY RUDE!!!! Will not be coming back to this place again!!!!!ice cream is ok but not worth it with this service.

After a quick dessert and coffee, I left the place feeling disappointed with not just the service but also how different Alexa treated my race. No smiles for asians but all smiles and good service for everyone else???

Oh and I left her a tip... something far better than a few dollars... a tip she can bring with her everyday... SMILE =)

Yoshi Bento (3 Plates)

Spiderman! Spiderman! ... It was our Friday movie night with a friend. Since it was only a little over an hour before our movie schedule, we decided to grab our dinner near the movie house. We decided to try a bento restaurant beside our favorite phoa spot.

We got a patio table (seemed like everyone wanted to dine at the patio tables). There were 5 tables. When we arrived there were already 2 occupied tables. It didn't look very busy at that time.

I guess we got the rookie server. He just stood beside our table and did not ask us if we wanted to start with something to drink. We ask for a glass of water and he again waited for our order (I guess it really wasn't that busy. If he could wait and watch us drink water while we decide what to order, then he must really have some time to burn).

We started with dumplings and their crunch tofu. The dumplings were... hmmm... dumplings. For me, it was nothing special. Had a good combination of crunch and chewy dumpling wrap but it was just ok. The crunch tofu, now that's a different story. It was different. Good different. Correction, very good different. The wasabi mayo sauce on top of the lightly fried tofu was a perfect match. The sauce had enough of the wasabi flavor but not too much of the wasabi nose wrenching effect. It was sweet, spicy, tangy, soft and crunchy. All in one bite. Yum!

For our entree, we ordered chicken yakisoba, tempura roll and salmon/tuna sashimi which took a little over 30 minutes to get to our table (take note: there were only 5 full tables at that time. With 2 guests per table). Back to the food... well... ok... It was worth the wait! The yakisoba was very tasty and just had the right kick. Sweet, salty, spicy and yummy! It's worth coming back for another visit. Sashimi was fresh. Slices were generous. Plating was really clean as well.

Would I come back. Yes, when there is less people. When I have enough time. When I am craving for a good... correct that... very good tofu and tasy yakisoba.