carb-loading dinner

trying to clean out the fridge as much as possible...

Until my boyfriend mentioned it, I didn't realize this dinner would be perfect, if it was a night before the race or something.  He usually tries to eat a lot of carb right before the race, but it was a Wednesday night... of course that was unnecessary lol.  Since I'm flying to SF immediately after work tonight, I was trying to clean out the fridge as much as possible. Eggplant dish came out really delic (as expected, how can it go wrong with eggplants, pasta, homemade meat sauce, cheese and tons of herbs?), and the risotto wasn't bad even though it was my first attempt on making it.  This may be the first time going away from my boyfriend for a few days since I moved to LA.  As much as feeling excited about this girls trip, I felt little sad as he was leaving for work this morning.  Only for the weekend, I'm sure it will fly!!!

a pairing of silk and denim

Little more formal today...

Michael Kors - silk top

Adriano Goldschmied - jeans

No brand - white top

Giuseppe Zanotti - pumps

Rebecca Minkoff - red bag

So I've been little lazy about my outfits lately, so I decided to little more formal today by digging out old clothes that I used to wear back in NY.  Even though I'm still a big believer in buying cheap for trendy clothes and Forever 21 and Target are fab, I still cannot deny the quality of some of the pricy clothing I've purchased over the years.  For example, this Michael Kors' silk top... you can't just get the same quality of fabric and design in these cheaper brands!

Now... I have to go pack for tomorrow... then I'm off to SF baby!!!

plain and simple

I like it simple...

 

It looks so plain and bland, but I like my Japanese food to be simple like this sometimes.  The daikon dish turned out to be pretty delic.  I sliced the daikon thinner than you would normally do for a dish like this, because I didn't really had enough time to make sure it's fully cooked if it's any thicker.  Although I was pretty satisfied with the dinner last night, maybe I could have made one more dish to make it complete.  There's always a room for improvement, ALWAYS! ugh.

So I'm going to SF this weekend to celebrate my friend's birthday/small pre-bacherlorette party.  Everyone's flying from everywhere (mainly NY) it's gonna be a very fun weekend!  So excited but must pack first...

floral prints and color

Nice and easy...

Forever 21 - floral dress

Jeffrey Campbell - short boots

Rachel Zoe - fringe bag

Michael Kors - gold watch

When I'm too busy (or lazy) to think of an outfit in the morning, I usually just put on a simple dress like this and I'm out the door.   I love this dress because even though it was not even $25, yet it's a pretty decent quality and everyone loves it! Today's outfit was perfect for the weather in Santa Monica, except for the conference room I was stuck in all day long.  Why do they have to make it so freezing?

late Sunday dinner

Sunday night dinner, made by my boyfriend...

This weekend was full of events, and although I loved the every moment of it we were exhausted by the time we got home on Sunday night from the concert (we went to see B'z, a famous Japanese rock band, playing in downtown LA).  While I was still in denial that I have to go back to work the next day, my boyfriend quickly prepared this dinner for both of us.  I typically cook these days because my work is so close from where we live, but he still is better and more efficient in cooking than I am.  This cold noodle wasn't an exception.  It was super delic!!!

caviar brunch

indulging in caviars @ West Hollywood...

One of the reasons why my boyfriend and I get along so well is that we have a very similar taste in food, and we both LOVE caviar!!!  If it isn't so expensive, we (at least I, for sure) would eat a lot more frequently.  This one is considered a cafe, but there's actually a formal restaurant Petrossian in NY too.  Since we love that place in NY so much, my boyfriend decided to take me out for a super decadent, fancy brunch in West Hollywood on Sunday :)  

We got there pretty early, so the place was empty at first, but soon it started to get more crowded.  Everything, including caviar appetizer, caviar soup, caviar scrambled eggs, and beef tartar with caviar, was simply amazing!!  I honestly can still taste them in my mouth lol.  The dessert was panna cotta with espresso toppings on it.  Isn't it cute that they make it look like it's caviar also?  OMG I already miss it. Thank you honey :)

Petrossian West Hollywood

321 North Robertson Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90048

(310) 271-6300

Obon festival

Japanese drums playing in West LA...

 

 

Quite frankly, I don't really miss the humid, VERY hot summer in Japan.  But I must admit, its summer festivals are awesome!  Great food, fireworks, and traditional "bon-odori" (dancing), it has many qualities that American festivals just cannot offer.  So after hearing about this "Obon" festival that was gonna be held in West LA, I had to convince my boyfriend and friends to go there with me in yukata (Japanese traditional summer dress) :)  Although it lacked fireworks and typical Japanese festival food like "takoyaki" (octopus ball) and "yakisoba" (fried noodles), there were many things I truly appreciated.  Plus, I got to wear my yukata!  Only if it didn't take 1 hour to put on (To be fair, I've never done it myself.  If you're good at it, it shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes), I would have been able to enjoy it longer, but nonetheless it was great!

completely inapproriate...

way too chilly to wear this outfit...

Target - dress

BCBG Maxzaria - vest

No brand - scarf

Jeffery Campbell - boots

Despite the heat wave affecting majority of the country, Santa Monica had a relatively chilly day.  As much as I love my cheap Target dress that receives non-stop compliments and chic Jeffery Campbell short boots, this was a complete mistake for this kind of weather.  I was freezing walking home!

This weekend started great by inviting my friend over at my place today after work.  Chatting with my girlfriends never get old.  Following by Japanese Obon festival in Sawtelle on Saturday and B'z concert on Sunday, this weekend is gonna be full of "Japanese"!!!  Have a great weekend everyone!

fresh veggies from farmers market

I've been craving for this...

As a typical Japanese, I love making Japanese styled curry.  So easy but so good!  I was originally gonna cook a different dish with my Japanese eggplants, but since no good bell peppers were found anywhere at the farmers market the other day, decided to buy fresh zucchini and squash instead and made this "summer veggie" curry.  Adding much needed ingredients like red wine, (Japanese) ketchup, rosemary, nutmeg, and many other herbs, this curry tastes AMAZING!!! So happy with how it turned out.  Of course, you need a glass of sparkling wine to pair it with, right? So happy.

Since it's the peak of season, I got these peaches and nectarines too. So sweet, reminding me how awesome farmers market is... :)

a little bit of bohemian...

I like this color combinations...

 

 

Forever 21 - top

Adriano Goldschmied - jeans

Dolce & Gabanna - sandals

Rebecca Minkoff - bag

Rimo - scarf

As you can see, my trend of wearing pants this week continued!  It's been pretty warm here in Santa Monica too, but compare to rest of the country, I'm pretty sure it's nice and breezy here.  I hope all my NY friends are surviving through the heat!  My outfit is always simple, so I tried to accessorize enough to make it more interesting.  My favorite, of course, is the leopard sandals from Dolce & Gabanna.  I get so many compliments even from strangers when I wear these, so people are so surprised when I tell them I got these babies from the consignment store in NY for $40!!!  Deal?  I think so :)

meaty dinner

We ate all our fish...

A few nights of fish in a row, last night was completely a meaty dinner with chicken and pork.  I had some daikon radish left in the fridge, so I made the chicken a bit sweet with mirin and sugar and finished off with daikon radish and scallions on top.  On the other hand, I made the pork dish little spicy using bean chili paste with asian cabbages.  With 2 meat dishes, I made the rest (salad and miso soup) very vegetarian :)