Spicy Sour Calamari from Lao Sze Chuan - $5.95

1331 West Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL - 630.663.0303

I ate this back in December so I kind of took a stab at the name of the dish. I also don't clearly remember the taste. I know, I know, this is a really useful post.

However, I think my sister and I thought it was the best dish we ordered that day. Hope that counts for something.

Pinang Satay Beef from Pinang Asian Cuisine - $8.00

218 Louviers Drive, Newark, DE - 302.368.2298

The online description is "Marinated chicken or beef skewers, jicama and bean sprouts with shrimp pancake, sliced tofu, hardboiled eggs and chef's special sauce."

Obviously, that description doesn't match up with the picture because it's missing a lot of items (basically, everything listed between the beef skewers and the chef's special sauce). I ordered this dish about six months ago, so either they changed the item since then, or they completely messed up my order. I really hope I didn't pay $8.00 for this measly appetizer, even if it did taste very good, but I WOULD reconsider paying that much if I received everything on that list.

Anyway, the beef has a peanut-buttery taste to it, of which I am very fond, hence, my love for Thai food. So if I were taking only the food quality into account, I would rate this as a very good appetizer.

Nasi Lemak from Pinang Asian Cuisine - $7.00

218 Louviers Drive, Newark, DE - 302.368.2298

I posted the environmentally friendly version of this dish here. If I'm not mistaken, this is basically the staple dish of Malaysia. Just as the Thai have their Pad Thai or how the Americans have their burgers, the Malaysians have their Nasi Lemak.

My favorite portion of this dish, believe it or not, is the anchovies (upper left corner). They're coated with some sweet syrupy sauce that pretty much hides the anchovy stench with which you might be familiar.

I don't know what to say about the vegetable concoction on the left, except that it compliments the dish favorably. And I'm a die hard fan of both beef (upper-right) and eggs, so those work for me. That brings me to my least favorite part - the cucumbers. They really feel out of place in this dish. But if you think about it, this dish is a strange assortment anyway.

All in all, it's something I would order again, especially if I was getting them at these prices.

Cedar-Seared Salmon Pasta from TGI Friday's - $9.39

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

"Succulent pan–seared salmon fillet, coated with cedar smoke seasoning, served over al dente fettuccine ribbons tossed with golden brown zucchini and a blend of creamy Alfredo, bruschetta marinara and tangy lemon sauce."

I had this dish months ago and I can still recall loving its silky, creamy texture. In fact, that memory is so pleasant that I'm going to order another one right now.

Shrimp Toast from Lao Sze Chuan - $5.95

1331 West Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL - 630.663.0303

Here's a yummy little Chinese appetizer. It's essentially a fried dumpling with shrimp inside. I liken it to a Chinese shrimp-flavored version of Burger King's French toast sticks - probably because of the texture. Nothing particularly fancy about this item.

Salad Bar from Soup Plantation & Sweet Tomatoes

986 North Route 59, Aurora, IL - 630.978.4017

Okay, I know I'm going to get yelled at for the crappy lighting in this picture, but oh well - I thought I'd go for a different kind of post that isn't seen often on here - an almost healthy meal.

This place goes by the name of either Soup Plantation or Sweet Tomatoes (I went to Sweet Tomatoes). Everyone with which I went was really disappointed in the selection of the salad bar because they had all gone to another from the same chain and it had a much larger variety.

There's not really much to describe taste-wise because most of the food was raw vegetables so it tastes like what it is. I remember I mostly stuck to the clam chowder, cheese bread and the strawberry kiwi juice.

Hong Kong Chee Cheong Fun from Ming Chu – ~$1

Chinese Hawker Stalls all over Malaysia.

Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun is what I sometimes have for supper when at work. Normally you only get it when you “yum cha” (literally drink tea, it means to have dim sum for breakfast/brunch as per Hong Kong customs – they call it “drink tea” because they usually sit there after dim sum and just chat over continuous refills of chinese tea for many hours…… or so I’ve been told), but this is Malaysia so we get it at hawker stalls that open till late, 3am even.

It’s not a very filling dish so I normally have 2 helpings. It’s very thin rice erm….. I don’t even know what you call it but it’s made of rice and  stretched out very thinly and then steamed, when stretched out it is slightly translucent. It looks like a very thin wet cloth when they move it around. Then ingredients are put in the middle, re-steamed and the whole thing is rolled into a strip and cut into pieces. I MAY have gotten the order of events wrong, I don’t actually remember when they re-steam it. Your choice of ingredients are either “char siew” (barbecued pork) or shrimp, or both. Served with soy sauce and dried chilli oil, left of picture.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A - $???

1101 Quintilio Drive, Bear, DE - 302.843.4816

I can't really say that I'm too fond of tomato on chicken sandwiches, but they found a way to make it work with TWO of them. I'm pretty sure the juiciness of the chicken made me forget all about it. Oh, and waffle fries for the side in the meal deal? That's money.

Pizza from Papa John's - $???

1162 Pulaski Highway, Bear, DE - (302)832-2600

My usual order for pizza is sausage & mushroom, but they happened to have a deal for three toppings so I added jalapeno so that the last topping wouldn't go to waste. I like that Papa John's throws in a little tub of garlic butter with each pizza. It really makes the crust more fun to eat.

Anyway, Papa John's is pretty reliable with their pizza - it's pretty standard fare. Don't know what else to say about it.

Bacon Cheese Dog from Five Guys - $???

1249 Quintilio Drive, Bear, DE - 302.832.7555

Here's the bacon cheese dog to follow up the bacon cheeseburger. I gotta say, not really much difference.

Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys - $???

1249 Quintilio Drive, Bear, DE - 302.832.7555

As soon as you step in the front door, you'll realize Five Guys seems very proud of their numerous accolades. That was reassuring because it was actually word of mouth that brought me there.

I asked the cashier to order me his favorite item(s) on the menu and he introduced me to their bacon cheeseburger (and the bacon cheese dog, to be discussed in another post). Now, even with all the hype behind this burger, I can happily say I wasn't disappointed.... buuuuuuuuuuut I still think it's overrated. I mean, sure, the burger was mouthwatering, but I couldn't distinguish anything special about it. It was a while ago that I ate that burger, but I remember thinking that that was what I'd expect from the amount of money I paid. So yea, if you're looking for a solid, greasy meal, then this will hit the spot.

Oh, and one more note. Their fries were WAAAAAAAAAAAY too salty. Maybe I got a bad batch. I don't know. But it was definitely a bad first impression.