Saturday Date Night at Hibiscus

Hibiscus is one of the newest addition to the Downtown Oakland scene.  http://www.hibiscusoakland.com/

Intimately dim. Tealights on every table. Converted loft with high ceilings and exposed beams. Pretty hibiscus paintings on brick walls. Contemporary high stools and table covered by stiff white linen. Lively music that would make you sway while sipping your cocktail. Toasts given and laughters everywhere.

Towered by old Oakland architectures from the 1800's, Hibiscus can put you in the mood for romance if you are looking for it. It reminded me of an evening in Manhattan.

We arrived at Hibiscus at past 9 PM. We were still full from our late lunch before the movie, we went straight for the main meal and skipped the appetizer.

For drinks, I chose a housemade GINGER LIMEADE which had a very nice kick to it because of the ginger. However, it was sooo syrupy that it was undrinkable! I had sneak in half a glass of water to make it less sweet but it just took away the flavor. ($3.50)

Fiance had the CORNISH JERK HEN WITH BEANS. The hen was on the spicy side that the had to get up couple of times to blow his nose. It was tender, according to him but it did not "wow" him. ($20)

I was excited to try the PEPPERPOT STEW which came with 1 oxtail, pork feet, a chicken drumstick and a slice of meat. I had to fight with the tough piece of meat which I was not sure if beef or pork. The oxtail was tender enough and the pork leg was bony which was expected. The dark broth was thin and once again, very sweet. I was very disappointed. This is a hard dish to eat because of the small bones that kept on geiing in the way and used my fingers to get the meat out. I reminded me of a similar Filipino dish of pork feet called "paksiw." So nothing exotic for me. ($22)

I had a side of RICE AND BEANS. Nothing special. Tasted like fried rice with black beans. ($4)

MY REGRETS:
I was so disappointed with meal and the sweetness started to get overpowering. While at the restaurant I started feeling really nauseated that I asked my fiance to just take care of the tab so we could leave. And I regret:
a) Not being able to try any of their desserts for $6.
b) Not being to try their rum flight for about $8 or other dessert wines.
c) Not being able to try the cheesey grits with crabmeat since they were not offering it as a main dish the night we were there.
d) Not being able to try the fried chicken.

We didn't have a great dining experience because of the underwhelming food but I might give Hibiscus another chance to settle my regrets. Closure is important, you know!

TAB: $68.32 including a bottled coke, sparkling water, tax and 20% tip.

FOODIE GIRL'S RANKINGS: 3 Stars (The flavors were not well-orchestrated.)

Ambiance/Decor: 4 Stars (Lively and festive)
Service:                4 Stars (Friendly and efficient)
Value:                   2.5 Stars (Pricey for food that left us disappointed.)

Steak and Seafood at Bobo's: Best of Both Worlds

YUMS! My parents taught me not to lick my fingers when eating at a restaurant. But being a Filipino and trained to eat with our hands came in handy at Bobo's. (You should at least know how to eat with your hands in theory even if you don't do it in practice if you are a Pinoy kid.)

Because at Bobo's, you'll get the best of both worlds: STEAK AND SEAFOOD.
And my Filipino seafood eating skills were put to the test. Who needs those metal thingy-s to crack crab claws? Bite into it and use your choppers!

Our dinner date started at 5:30 PM. We were seated at a super-tiny corner booth but the cuteness of the hanging colorful ribbons to give us privacy from the next booth made up for the feeling that we were being put on "time out" in the corner. Couples and groups of friends dressed to the nines started pouring in. They got the bigger, padded booths.

DRINK AND BREAD: And few minutes later, I was sipping a BOBOTINI (yummy but not strong enough) and devouring the half loaf of HOT, garlic bread oozing with butter that was served to us almost as soon as we sat down. (Note: I finished almost this half-loaf by myself with little help from fiance.) So addicting!!!

SEAFOOD APPETIZER: And not long after that, fiance and I got down and dirty. How could you not when you have a GIGANTIC SKILLET OF PRAWNS AND CRAB placed in front of you! Delicious seafood very seasoned in butter and herbs served with 3 flavored butter sauces for dipping. They were on the dry side and the prawns were not plump but they were delicious none the less. I have no mercy and took home the last 5 prawns left. And that's just for appetizer! ($40). 

STEAK: And the FILET MIGNON STEAK! Bone-in for fiance ($40), http://www.yelp.com/bi... petite for me ($30). http://www.yelp.com/bi... Bone-in Filet Mignon is the MAIN ATTRACTION. Bobo's signature steak. Both steaks were so tender. Melt.in.your.mouth. Period.

SIDE: As if we didn't have enough, we ordered a side dish of TWICE BAKED POTATO ($8). Big enough to share but ending up to be not our fave. We had two bites each and decided we did not like it. Tasted like a veggie quiche on top of the half-potato. Very untraditional.

DESSERT: And a CHOCOLATE BOMB ($8))! A mound of chocolate with truffle-like consistency drizzled with raspberry glaze. Even this lacto could not resist!

Our tab came out to be $180 (YIKES!!) including 2 diet cokes, tax and 20% tip. Definitely a pricey dinner but fit for a great dad like my guy. (Happy Father's Day!)

By the way, I licked my fingers all throughout dinner and I didn't care. My parents were not there to scold me!

http://www.boboquivaris.com/
1450 Lombard Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 441-8880

Conch Balls and Coconut Shrimps: Lovely Lunch on Grand Cayman

It was a beautiful day that will always be remembered.

We woke up early that morning to ride a boat out to the middle of the Carribean sea. When we got there, we stood on the shallow powder white sandbar in the middle of the very clear turqouise-green ocean. The sun was in our face and the water was warm while we played with stingrays. These floppy giants grew to be as big as 10 feet wide. They swam between our legs or brushed up against us. We were freaked out at first but we soon found out that they were as gentle as pussycats. After this experience, I learned that they were not the killing machines that the media portrayed them to be. They will defend themselves if you threaten or hurt them, otherwise, they were just happy to be fed.

We jumped back on our boat and sailed further out into the sea to go snorkeling. I found that the coral reefs in Mexico and the Philippines were more picturesque. The spot where we snorkeled at in Grand Cayman was not colorful enough or as teeming with sealife. The experience was nonetheless special.

When we got back to the shores of Grand Cayman in the mid-afternoon at almost 3 PM. Grand Cayman was very touristy with kitschy pirate themed stores and businesses selling rum, rumcakes and jewelry. Grand Cayman is well-known as direct importers of diamonds and tanzanites from Africa.




Tired, sunburned but happy, we were also starving. We walked into the first restaurant we saw. The restaurant was built in the Carribean architectural tradition: with long open patio, painted in warm colors and overlooking downtown Grand Cayman and the Carribean sea. It was laid back and casual. We sipped on a very good and strong MOJITO while taking in the view.

When visiting the Carribean I always make sure to try the conch dishes which are plentiful in this part of the world. We ordered CONCH BALLS for appetizer. Hot, deep-fried, not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, conch meat is like calamari. Firm, a little bit more intense in flavors but also sweet. Delicious!

BF ordered some random American meat sammie since he was ravenous. I had the COCONUT SHRIMP PLATTER W/ BLACK BEANS AND RICE. Let me just say that they were probably cooked the same way in the states but in the Carribean, they used fresh coconuts and real, AUTHENTIC carribean spices. These were the best coconut shrimps and carribean rice that I ever had. So different from the dehydrated coconut flakes that we use here in the states or that packaged "Carribean" rice.

The late lunch came out to be $60 with gratuity included and for a mojito, 1 app and 2 entrees. Probably priced for tourists or maybe Grand Cayman was just expensive but the delicious food and view were definitely worth it!

 It was a beautiful day that will always be remembered. Until next time, Carribean..........

BREEZES BY THE BAY
On The Waterfront
Georgetown, Grand Cayman
(345) 943-8439
http://www.breezesbythebay.com/assets/home/dining.htm