Review: Kosuke ★★★★

Gyoza was cheap only $150 for 3 pieces !

Their Signature Kuro Ramen

This is one of my favorite Ramen shops in the area. They're famous for their Kuro Ramen which has a unique black oil at top of the Tonkotsu Broth.  This visit the Ramen didn't turn out as flavorful as last time. I think the noodles were a bit overcooked and the Popcorn Chicken wasn't crispy or fried properly. The broth was still as good as the last time and was boiling hot!

They seem to rotate the server every once in a while. This last visit presented someone new who wasn't as responsive in terms of Customer Service. Many times people forget they have a restroom,  but it is located in the back of the kitchen where one can only access it via the parking lot. I like their $1 Gyoza which gives you 3 pieces.  This place can get quite busy at lunch time, so either come here very early or later afternoon.  Their Spicy Broth Ramen is also quite popular here.

Review: Copa Vida ★★★ 1/2

This is not your usual Coffee & Tea Shop; this one has style and they have one of the most fancy tea brewing machines out there. Only shame I guess would be the fact that they do not have any Organic Tea which would be a better option. I have not tried their coffee yet, but that would be on my to do a list for my next visit. 

[Location] -  Located in Old Town Pasadena, just across from the Raymond Public Garage Parking Lot.

[Parking] - Park in the Public Garage or on the street. There is no private lot parking.

[Déco] - Bigger than most Coffee & Tea Shops, it has both a nice and comfortable style that makes you feel relaxed.

[Service] - Friendly service, but the staff wasn't too knowledgeable about the tea.

[Drink]  -  I order the Naked Pue-rh Tea which is a fermented dark Teal which has a strong flavor that I ended adding more water to dilute the strong flavor.

2013 Red Bull Flugtag in Long Beach Rainbow Harbor

This event is basically about team building a home-made human-powered flying machine and attempting to fly 30 feet high into the ocean. This was a pretty fun idea; I saw a video clip and got a laugh from it. There was an event being hosted this past Saturday whereas the last one hosted in this area was 2010. Who knows when they will host it here again? The parking was not too bad since we arrived about an hour before it even started, however trying to find a good view proves to be a major obstacle but is manageable. There were estimated to be over 100,000 people in the crowd! 

There were about 20+ teams participating this year where all of them have a unique style and come from different walks of life.  Some travel from as far as Alaska and Hawaii, but most or the participants were from SoCal. Nearly all of the teams have a custom and perform some sort of dancing move prior to launching the craft. The crafts were hit and miss.  There is one team that is remarkable and managed to break the previous world record for longest record-setting flight by flying 258 feet. That team is Chicken Whisperers who have an interesting background and wear funky chicken costumes. Nobody takes them serious till the craft launches which makes many people scream and cheer as they witnessed a new world record being set.

Review: The Coolhaus Shop ★★★

Pistachio 

Mango - Non Milk

The first thing you will like about this place is the colder than usual air conditioning, which is great considering how the summer has been in Pasadena, hitting triple digits in September. It seems like they are open during construction and it looks like it is not closed, but has actually been open for some time already. This one has one restroom, which most ice cream shops don't. There's only one big table there. The staff was friendly and helpful and the ice cream claims to be organic which I can't taste the difference anyway. I picked the Pistachio and other Yelpers tend to choose the Mango one more regularly, but both are good flavors. The Pistachio appears to melt way too quickly. 

The price is definitely on the high side, $4 for one scoop, and I don't think it's worth that price unless you are actually in the area. I added $1 to make an ice cream sandwich which makes more sense. They also sell small containers to go and those cost $12. For that much I expect that ice cream to be made in-house, but this, just like most ice cream shops, came from a warehouse.

Review: Hello Gelato ★★★★

The first thing you will like about this place is the colder than usual air conditioning, which is great considering how the summer has been in Pasadena, hitting triple digits in September. It seems like they are open during construction and it looks like it is not closed, but has actually been open for some time already. This one has one restroom, which most ice cream shops don't. There's only one big table there. The staff was friendly and helpful and the ice cream claims to be organic which I can't taste the difference anyway. I picked the Pistachio and other Yelpers tend to choose the Mango one more regularly, but both are good flavors. The Pistachio appears to melt way too quickly. 

The price is definitely on the high side, $4 for one scoop, and I don't think it's worth that price unless you are actually in the area. I added $1 to make an ice cream sandwich which makes more sense. They also sell small containers to go and those cost $12. For that much I expect that ice cream to be made in-house, but this, just like most ice cream shops, came from a warehouse.

Review: Mr. Baguette ★★★ 3/4

Egg and Ham 8" Banh Mi $2.75

Many people like Subway, but not me.  I prefer a nice Vietnamese Sandwich otherwise known as Banh Mi. It costs less and you get a much better quality sandwich.  Mr. Baguette is one of the better Banh Mi peddlers around this area. They have their own private parking lot as well as security plus the addition of an outdoor seating area for smokers.  Their baguette is second to none and the price is about right.  I like that they have a Sesame Seed Baguette.  They don't give you a lot of meat here.

This one doesn't sell premade food like many other places as they mainly focus on baguettes and Vietnamese Iced Coffee similar to any Lee's Sandwich location. This is a great substitute to fast food which costs more or possibly the same.

Review: Minato Japaneese Seafood Buffet ★★ 2/3

Sushi were better than expected.

Chocolate moose looks good but too cold and sweet,

Didn't get sick after eating this.

This restaurant is just another Chinese knockoff to make people think that it is a Japanese Buffet like Ichiban.  The quality of the food is similar to Zen Buffet but, you get better than average Sashimi and Sushi for a buffet.  The food selection is quite limited though: 

[Good Part]

Sushi - This is their main strength as the Sushi had good presentation and tasted good.

Salmon Sashimi - Not bad quality. I like the presentation.

Snow Crab and most other Seafood - They were stocked most of the time and there was no need to keep waiting like some other places.  Other than the claims I found the quality is pretty good for a buffet

[Mediocre Part]

The dessert - Looks good, but is stored in freezing cold temperatures and some of the cakes have too much sugar.

Mongolian BBQ - Not bad at all. They cut the steaks very thin, but the vegetables aren't too fresh.

[Foods to Avoid]

Fruit - Almost all the fruit was no good except the melons; even the bananas were dark and looked inedible.

Tuna Sashimi- Way too cold and is a low quality.

[Missing]

Roast Beef - This is first time I didn't see this item on a Chinese Dinner Buffet.

Forks - There's none in the tray, so you must ask your server for one.