Katsuya - Glendale

John's mom took us here for a quick birthday lunch. We were at the Americana to take her shopping and she decided to might as well take me to a belated birthday meal. I've only been to Katsuya for Happy Hour which was pretty fun. All Happy Hours should be fun. If it's not fun, the truth is probably you aren't a fun person. Just saying...

For $19, you can order their sushi lunch

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Sushi top to bottom: tuna, yellowtail, salmon, albacore, shrimp, scallop, and unagi

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You get 7 pieces of sushi, a spicy tuna handroll, and a freaking 10 piece California cut roll. Everything was pretty good and definitely worth the $19 lunch deal.

You just have to make sure to eat the handroll first, or the Nori will start to moisten and turns chewy.

We also ordered a Spider Roll to share:

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I didn't mention that we all ordered our own sushi lunch special. It was more than enough. We had trouble to finish our spider roll and California rolls. There's normally no wait to be seated which was also a reason for us to check it out. Outdoor seating is preferred though I haven't sat inside before.

Enjoy.

CHIM! Thai Street Food - Pasadena

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines to eat. I love the varieties of chili and spices used in the dishes that can really make me sweat in the hot summer heat or to comfort me during winter chills. Either way, Thai food is craveable during any season.

CHIMS! Thai street food is a newer restaurant here in Pasadena, CA. When my colleagues and I think about where to eat for lunch, CHIMS always get a unanimous yes (Not even kidding). So with that said, I've been here many times. And I've tried many things on their menu which I am highly fond of. Delicious green curry to spicy eggplant. They also have this delicious grilled beef that was marinated in chili and lime juice with sticky rice (heavenly).

Tucked away in a small plaza on 910 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91106

I'll share more of these items with you as the days go by, but I just want to show you something I had lately.

Su Ko Thai

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A soup based noodle dish. Rice noodles, ground chicken, fish balls, shrimp, imitation crab, fish cakes, green bean, sprouts, peanut and chili lime juice. The soup was perfectly balanced from salty to the tartness of the lime juice. This was something to sweat over and compliments well with an iced Thai tea or a young coconut.
Extra spices are served at the condiments bar if you would like to help yourself like I did. I love my food spicy. Eating it up while I still can.

Mango Stick Rice

This mango sticky rice is one of the best I've ever had. Sweet ripened mango with delicious steamed sticky rice. The sticky rice has the most exotic floral fume that I've never tasted in mango sticky rice. If you have room, I highly recommend you ordering this. If not, order it for the table to share. A definite dish to order when mangoes are in season.

You can find CHIMS! Thai Street food on 910 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91106.

Sushi Roku - Pasadena

I've been dining at Sushi Roku for over 6 years now. Sushi Roku is not just a place for food, but also a great place to have parties, celebrations, dinners, brunch, or whatever you want to call it. I've sat at this place for hours. With drinks. And friends. I'm not a weirdo, I swear.

I went to Sushi Roku last week to try a new item on their menu. Well, it's not really a new item, but something that is enhanced for the true connoisseur. Their executive chirashi. This was made, because not everyone wants the regular plain oh chirashi bowl. Don't get me wrong. It's still good. But if I can get a larger variety of premium fishes for lunch prices, I would jump all over this like you know, fat kid love cake kind of deal.

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First things first, wine, DUH. I want all of you to know that I am a red wine drinker. I just had a bad night of white wine and it just kind of ruined it for me. Kind of like Grey Goose. Drank that thing back in the day with warm Sunny D that ended up NOT a great night to remember.

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Butter edamame

Turning a healthy snack into a not so healthy snack. I chuckled a little with that line.

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I like to think of the executive chirashi as a mashup of whatever fresh fishes the chef wants to present. Doesn't that look stunning? I got more heads turned looking at this thing than me. I mean I get it. There's no way I can compete, but the wine does help me feel better about myself.

Some of the fishes features were Amaebi (sweet shrimp with fried head), Hon Hon Maguro, Kanpachi, toro, Uni, tai, hirame, & Kinmedai. Of course fish varies from time to time, so don't expect the same. I wouldn't expect the same executive chirashi everytime. This was well worth the $36. The quality was great, presentation was exquisite (of course the gold flakes helped), and it was just an overall really tasty dish.

Sushi Roku is located in Miller Alley. The restaurant is next to Crate and Barrel if you are really lost. If you are really lost, find a security that are floating all over Old Town Pasadena. They are in the yellow polos. And if you can't find them, just go home and cry because you failed in life.

33 Miller Alley, Pasadena, CA 91103, United States