max see

Tried a relatively new boba tea place in our area, Max See.

This shop is so teeny!

There were several big orders in front of me, so I had to wait awhile for my drink.

I tried the Uji matcha kokuto tapioca milk tea...whew! say that 10x fast...

Uji matcha (green tea) milk mixture is layered with kokuto tapioca (black sugar tapioca) and milk tea (tea with milk in it).

Choose your drink size (M or L)...I chose M

Choose your sweetness (0-100%)...I chose 25%

Choose the amount of ice (0-100%)...I chose 25%

This was delicious and how cute is the plastic seal on top of the cup?!

I'm glad I tried this place and will be back whenever I am nearby.

Max See (UPDATE:2026 address changed)
7-1-9 Nishikamata
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.6874.9219
Hours: 11:00-23:00

ba-le

Lunch on Tuesday was from Ba-Le.

I love their banh mi sandwiches. If you search this site, you'll probably see several posts on Ba-Le.

This time around I tried their BBQ chicken sandwich...US$5.50 + tax (the tax in Hawaii, actually just Oahu, now is something I can't remember)

An Asian style barbecued chicken with a little mayo, the pickled daikon, carrots, cucumber and some cilantro on a toasted crusty baguette. (I love their baguette!)

I also got a sweet potato tapioca to try...US$1.65 + tax

Coconut pudding with tapioca and chunks of purple sweet potato, how can you go wrong with this?!

The tapioca pudding is on the firmer side, rich coconut milk and there are just enough pieces of sweet potato in there.

Life is good!

che chuoi

Another wonderful adventure with my "jotting"...

The said jotted recipe was for Che Chuoi, a Vietnamese treat with tapioca and banana.

Here is what I wrote down..."Che Chuoi...coconut pearls with banana....add banana + unsalted roasted peanuts"...That was it.

I didn't write down the magazine I got it from, though I have a feeling it may be from "Saveur".

And I sort of remembered that in the article they served this warm.

Anyway, after making these treats I had some leftover sweetened coconut milk and tapioca, so I added some sliced banana.

I didn't have any unsalted peanuts so I just chopped up some unsalted cashews.

Instead of having this warm, I ate this cold. Though this version probably wasn't authentic, it was a great snack and nice way to beat the awful humidity we're having.

Then on a rainy day, I made some vietnamese coffee and ate some che chuoi topped with chopped unsalted almonds.

While I loved the cashew topping, I think I like the chopped almonds on top of this dish a little more.

I think it was because the almonds added a roasted flavor.

I am definitely making this again...ooh and by the way, I am amazed that this is my 1500th post...I can't believe I have kept up with blogging for as long as I have.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

yano market, kumangai bakery & hanpa mart

Sharing more food finds....there was a major sale on beer...US$.85 a can for Asahi (regular price US$1.15 a can).

We found a tiny shop called Yano Market that had musubi...Satoshi bought these with ume (pickled apricot) US$1.25 for two and I got a l-o-n-g one with hot dog in the center US$1.50.

Red Rooster Beer...this is the local beer made by the Palau Brewing Company...it comes in light, amber and dark.

Made with 100% Palau rain water and other natural ingredients, they use no artifical preservatives or flavorings.

While we were there, Satoshi bought a six pack for US$9 (which he drank in 2 days, before lunchtime!!) and I bought 2 bottles (one of Amber and one of Dark) each for US$1.95 (I brought bubble wrap and brought these 2 bottles home and will post about it when we try them).

A tray of sashimi at Hanpa Mart, a Korean market, for US$6.95. Most sashimi in Palau is maguro (tuna/ahi), you will rarely see oilier/fattier grades of fish.

A local bakery, Kumangai Bakery had a display at a market. I picked up this banana bread for US$1.95 and it came in handy for breakfast with some fruits from a fruit platter we received from a hotel. (Thank you!)

During one of our tours, we had bento (boxed meal) by Island Yakiniku...the bento had karaage chicken, kinpira, lumpia, spam, salad and rice....yum!

At DFS (Duty Free Shoppers), there weren't many items "made in Palau", in fact most things were made in China or Hawaii. Luckily we found some locally made tapioca chips and coconut candies as omiyage for Satoshi's staff.

Also during one of our tours, our guide stopped at several roadside stands...there were many with fresh fruits, and also many with foods---like turron (a fried Filipino treat), this one had peanut butter and banana in it...US$.25.

We also found a stand selling homemade banana chips...US$1.50 a package.

One thing I noticed was that whenever they used cabbage or won bok, they served every part of it, including the hard ribbed areas. There weren't many opportunities for fresh leafy salads, only a lot of cooked veggies and not necessarily dark green veggies.

Everything we tried was delicious and portions were very generous. You definitely won't go hungry here.

Yano Market
next door to WCTC Shopping Center
Phone: 680.488.2331

Kumangai Bakery
located in back of WCTC Shopping Center, but sold in most markets
Phone: 680.488.2256

Hanpa Mart
located across from the Palau Hotel
didn't take down the phone number

Island Yakiniku
located across the street from Etpison Museum
Phone: 680.488.4690

what I did...

I wanted to share with you what I did with a can of coconut milk.

Earlier this year, I found some tri-colored tapioca at the gourmet supermarket. When I saw this, I immediately thought of coconut pearls, the dessert you get at some Chinese restaurants in Hawaii.

I love this dessert. It is sweet and coconutty. Most times when you get this at the Chinese restaurant, the bowl is ice cold and so is the "soup"...delicious.

I googled and found a recipe on the Internet. It sounded easy. It was, once I prepared the tapioca.

Get this, the package said I could boil the tapioca for an hour or soak the tapioca overnight then boil them to the softness that I wanted....I chose the boiling for one hour.

Doesn't the tapioca look like candy? I loved the colors. (This was my first time with tapioca, is it supposed to have a chewy center? It reminded me of mochi.)

So, with the can of Chaokoh coconut milk, I decided to be oinky and make two desserts out of them (because two is better than one!).

the first...coconut pearls...the second...haupia.

Haupia is a coconut pudding served in Hawaii. My favorite combination is haupia with chocolate, preferably with a flaky crust...yum!

Here's both recipes if you'd like to give them a try.

Coconut pearls adapted from the Internet (makes about 6: 1/2 cup servings)

1/2 cup tapioca, follow package directions
1-1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup coconut milk

After cooking your tapioca, get the "soup" ready.
In a pot, add the water and sugar and heat until sugar dissolves.
Add the milk and warm.
When warm, turn off heat and add coconut milk.
Chill mixture and tapioca separately for at least an hour.
Add tapioca just before serving, as it will turn mixture bitter.
Serve as is or with diced fruits like honeydew or cantaloupe.

Haupia adapted from "Sam Choy's Sampler" (2 "Sam" portions or 8-10 "Kat" portions (about 2 teaspoons each))

1 cup coconut milk
2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt

Mix everything in a pot until sugar is dissolved.
Heat on medium stirring constantly, use a whisk to make sure everything is incorporated without lumps.
When the mixture begins to thicken, turn off heat.
You can serve warm or chill for at least an hour.
Good with fruits too.

NOTES: For the coconut pearls, the original recipe states not to boil the coconut milk as it will make the "soup" very oily. The haupia is the real deal! beats those NOH haupia packets. Overall, both recipes were delicious, easy and fast!