Gracchae: Panda Dough

So I have to blog about the other "panda" in my life, and this "panda" is not my love, but a really good friend of mine. She too loves pandas, and she too blogs. Today she blogged about "Panda Dough" or "Panda Bread" recipe she came across a few days ago. She made it! I aspire to make it one day for my Panda, and perhaps we can swap differences or little tweaks here and there. The Panda Bread looks really difficult to make because you actually assemble pieces so when you slice the bread a panda picture is there, but she's amazing and she did it! Find her blog here.

Here is a picture of what the original website that had the recipe featured:

Marketplace @ Atlantis

Since being on the meal plan, we learned that "breakfast" can easily translate to "lunch," and what I mean by this is that "breakfast" ends at 12pm :) Our first breakfast at Atlantis was at Marketplace Buffet which is conveniently located in the Royal Towers, where we stayed. A buffet for breakfast cost $25 dollars, and remember we were on a meal plan that was $69/person per day, so there goes about half the cost of the meal plan. The buffet was AMAZING, so much variety, and the food was so fresh. There were four omelet stations, and you could have: bacon, ham, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and more! The omelet station also translated to a "fried egg" station where you could request over-easy or medium eggs, which Panda and I did. There was a fresh griddle where they were making pancakes and french toasts continuously. I do have to say that the pancakes were good because not only were there buttermilk pancakes, there was blueberry and chocolate chip. To top it off there was HOT syrup, and powdered sugar. There was a wide selection of breads: toast, bagel, croissant, english muffins. There was smoked salmon where you can make lox and bagel (capers - which i don't like, tomatoes and red onions). There was your typical breakfast items such as scrambled eggs, amazing, bacon and sausage links, there was corned beef and hash, quiche...and some other things I wasn't too keen on, so I don't remember. There were so many pastries! Chocolate chip muffins, banana muffins, cranberry muffins, bear claws, donuts, chocolate chip cookies, bread pudding, waffles...and so much more...because I really don't remember. There was fresh fruit, yogurt and cereal. Gosh...so much food. Needless to say we ate there everyday for breakfast during our stay.

To top it off, to stage off our hunger until dinner, and of course being good asians, and learning tons from my dorm years at UCLA, we packed things "to-go" as well. I brought back cereal, yogurt, cookies and pastries back to our room. It was all very handy when we were starved after a full day at the pool, and dinner was still a few hours away (late reservations.)

I only took pictures on my first day at the buffet, after that I just went straight into eating because I was really excited.

Panda's favorite concotion at the Buffet was: toast and fried egg, he would have a side of bacon and sausage links, and biscuits and gravy.

Penguin's favorite concotion, and I have to give credit to my uncle was: toasted english muffin til really TOASTY, cream cheese, smoked salmon, tomato and red onions. My uncle eventually went further and added a fried egg to it...it looked good, but I wasn't that daring ;)

One of 3 seating areas

Quiche, Corned Beef & Hash, Bacon, Sausage Links

Lox and Bagel Station

Giant Griddle for pancakes and french toast

Partial View of Pastries Station

My First Plate
[eggs benedic, scrambled eggs, sausage link, and bacon]
i am the type of buffet eater that does not believe in loading my plate like there's no tomorrow. i believe that buffets are made so that i can eat as much as i can fit, but that doesn't mean that the foods need to touch in an uncomfortable way. this is my first plate on the first day, i was simply "sampling." i soon learned that the eggs benedict sucked, so i never got it again, but the scrambled eggs were really good, because it tasted like they used real eggs not the imitation stuff out of a bag (remember the dorms?) and the bacon and sausage was to DIE for. i believe this was my first of 4 plates of that morning? yes i can GRUB!

The Point Restaurant & Bar @ Atlantis

If you haven't figured out from my last post, things at Atlantis are extremely expensive. We were told before our arrival, or rather it was recommended, that we should purchase a meal plan because meals can easily become $40-$50 a person, and a meal plan was $69/person per day, and it included breakfast and dinner. At each meal, each person is allowed an appetizer, soup or salad, entree, sometimes a side, and dessert. (honestly how do Americans manage to eat so much in one meal? because trying it for one week was really hard...and fattening). The meal plan sounded like a good idea, and well when we had our first meal at The Point Restaurant & Bar, which is located at Harbor Side Resort (where the timeshares are located), we soon found out how amazing the meal plan really was. We each ordered what we were allotted: appetizer, entree and dessert - we didn't want soup or salad. Well...let me do some math for you, appetizers range from $10-$15, entree ranged from $15-$30, and dessert $7-$10, and all of it added together...was way more than the $69 we spent per person per day, which included both BREAKFAST AND DINNER. We ate like kings, we really did...and as a foodie...i LOVED it. I loved it even more when we ate at Carmines the following night :) We soon learned that it wasn't necessary for everyone to get a meal plan. However the policy at the resort was that everyone in the room were required to get a meal plan, and to get the same one. However, we didn't all stay in one room, because Panda and I had our own room, so it could have just been us with meal plans and the rest could have eaten off what we could order, or Ash, Goo and Unc could have had meal plans and Panda and I didn't need them. Anyways, lesson learned. We ate lots! Another thing I have to add is that the Bahamas, or rather Atlantis, has a mandatory 15% gratuity on food, and that percentage is the cost of the actual bill, not the cost of the meal plan, so if the bill ends up $300 with all the food added up, the gratuity would be $45, but you wouldn't pay the $300, just the gratuity and the cost of the meal plan.

We got the Casual Dining Meal Plan, and it included a full American breakfast at Water’s Edge, Murray’s Delicatessen or Marketplace and dinner daily in Marketplace, Atlas, Murray’s Delicatessen, Carmine’s, Chop Stix, Bimini Road or The Pointe Restaurant & Bar. CHOICES!

Enjoy the food...it was delish!

Kalik - local beer
actually pretty good, it was a light beer. apparently it has some viagra-like effects when eating conch with it

Conch Fritters
definitely not a fav at all...was too battery...

BBQ Pork over Potato Skins
didn't like this at all...not good bbq sauce...and i don't even like bbq sauce

Chicken Tenders
sub par chicken tenders...ick

Tuna Salad
again i don't like this again...i know it looks like a common trend that i'm not a fan of the apetizer, but the rib eye that is soon to come was AMAZING, surprisingly

Rib Eye Steak
this was surprisingly really good, and full of flavor. only downside was that panda's was more cooked than the medium rare he wanted

Fried Fish
gross!!! ICKY GROSS!!! it was actually very fishy and i had to send it back. i ended up eating lox and bagel

time for DESSERTS!

Blueberry Cheesecake
apparently this was good, but i don't like cheesecake, so i can't honestly tell you how i felt about it

Lava Cake
it's chocolate, so it was good...but...the upcoming one was way better!

Key Lime Pie (?)
this was SO GOOD! i loved it...and i honestly think this was the best dessert of the entire trip. loved it all, and as you can see i couldn't wait to take a picture before i ate massive portions

Apple Cobbler w/ Ice Cream
i didn't like this...why did we order this? oh yea cause we could, because our meal plan. there was vanilla ice cream, but ashleigh claimed it...

Water @ Atlantis

We learned immediately that water in the bahamas was an ABSURD price, and water is a MUST! I'm sure all of you are wondering how expensive can water really be. Well! for the average bottle of water, Crystal Geyser (which tastes really bad) was $4!!! Wow...back at home $4 can buy a case of water that contained 24 bottles. That wasn't even the WORSE, for a 1.5 liters of water, it was $10. Yes TEN DOLLARS. Water was EXPENSIVE.

The one day we went swimming with the dolphins, apparently the $200/person to swim with dolphins included refreshments and your own snorkel gear. So I did what any good asian would do, i grabbed 10 bottles of water (gratis) and soda, and put them all in my bag. Hey! I had $40 of merchandise...for free!

I would also like to add, that they charge an arm and a leg for a bag of chips too. A bag of ruffles sour cream and cheddar, normally would cost $2 at most, right? Well they charge $8!!!! And yes i bought it...i had a craving...and i needed it..haha

Atlas Bar & Grill @ Atlantis, Bahamas

I know...a must need to update all my eating adventures, especially those in the Bahamas.

We arrived in the Bahamas at 9am, after a terrible red eye flight. 9am translated to 6am for cali time, and we weren't hungry yet, however when 12pm hit...we were STARVED! breakfast right? We scoped out the grounds, and noticed that no one was around, and in fact the entire resort looked kind of empty. We walked into the casino and saw that there was a little restaurant within it, and decided to eat there - Atlas Bar & Grill. Trust me this place did not look as great as it does on the site. The picture on the site makes it look so bright and inviting, but it really wasn't and we were famished. More on the important aspect, the food. I was not a fan, and I think I can speak for the rest of my clan that they weren't either. We did not go back to this place during the rest of the trip.

Seafood Jambalaya
[rice, andouille sausage, shrimp, tomatoes and bell peppers]
does this look good? i don't know...you tell me. the first bite was good, but after that there was too much of something. sausage was HUGE and definitely not bite size (no pun intended). goo must have been starving because she ate most of it

Conch Chowder
ok so apparently the "seafood" of choice in the bahamas is conch...that is what they have a plethora of and the conch chowder is suppose to be amazing. let me tell you, it really wasn't because i didn't finish it. it was gritty, too much tomato base and just too salty. i was expecting giant or sizable pieces of conch, but none whatsoever. I was utterly disappointed. I also think it has to do with the fact that it's a tomato base, and i don't even like manhattan clam chowder, i would have liked the cream base version.

side note...it's been said on the island that conch has some kind of viagra effects..who knows!?!

Monte Cristo
[ham and cheese sandiwch, dipped into batter and fried]
panda ordered this, and he wasn't impressed either. he said something was off with the batter...not enough egg? i took a bite...and it certainly wasn't that tasty...

sadness that our first meal in the bahamas wasn't that great...but wait...dinner is JUST around the corner, and when we finally start our meal plan - explained more in next post

Dolcissimo @ Chino Hills

Another cupcake place!!!!! I've already come to terms with not ever finding a cupcake place as amazing as Sprinkles, but that doesn't mean I can't try if I see one. Dolcissimo is another one of these cupcake places that sprang into action when cupcakes became the latest thing. They charge the same price as sprinkles, and it still isn't as great. HOWEVER, yes I know there is a however, I ate the tirimisu and I do have to say that it was AMAZING, not necessarily a "moist" moment if you know what I mean, but it was actually pretty good. Fugung tried the red velvet, because no matter where she goes, she tries the red velvet, and that was not good at all. I'm sure if Sprinkles made a tirimisu cupcake, it would be better than Dolcissimo, but for now...if you want tirimisu cupcake, venture over to Chino Hills...or another location if they have more than one.

Display of Cupcakes



Mini Cupcakes 3 for $5

Tirimisu Cupcake
taste just like the italian dessert with "lady fingers" and everything else in a bite size morsel

Red Velvet
not up to par

Yardhouse @ Chino Hills

As much as I try to be unique, and try to go eat a mom and pop places, I do live in the United States, and in California where I do go eat chain restaurants from time to time, ESPECIALLY when I'm in a suburban area. Yardhouse is definitely a chain, and the food is not too shabby. ENJOY!

Cherry Limeade
hmmm...tastes just like a cherry limeade but with alcohol

Spinach Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips

Mac & Cheese
[pasta, bacon, cheese and assortment of mushrooms]
not your average mac & cheese as you can tell from the ingredients. the pasta was cooked to perfection, al dente but more over it was chewy and definitely with a bite. bacon in the pasta was a pleaser for panda, and well the mushrooms were my fav...i think it's cause they didn't use ordinary mushroom must chanterelles..and something else

Pepperoni & Mushroom Pizza
how can you possibly go wrong? the answer is NOT, if you fail at making pizza you should just close up shop all together

Dumpling House @ Monterey Park

For a place that's called Dumpling House, the dumplings really weren't that great. I've definitely had better, and it seems that the trend in socal is that what is considered "amazing" asian/chinese food really isn't that great, especially comparing to San Francisco. I do have to say that the dishes were uber cheap, and for feeding a group of 5, the total was less than $30, and we were definitely full. So, if you want some dumplings and have less than $10 on you, you can definitely order 3 dishes and be full.

Chive Pancake
chewy...onion..salty...crispy...and oh yea...oh so delicious! you could press it between napkins to take some oil out, but why remove the flavor at the same time?

Shanghai Pan Fried Noodles
this was ok...not that great...needed some spice to it :P

Pan Fried Green Beans w/ salty veggies
this was GREAT! i kept munching on them like they were fries/chips...a healthy version too might i add

Pot Stickers
I've definitely have had better, and I'm sure you have too. Needed to be more crispy on the outside

Xiao Long Bao "Shanghai Steamed Dumplings"
this was ok...not the worse I've had, but definitely not the best. It was wrapped well where when you bit into the juices came out, but I still have to say the best dumplings are in New York @ Joe's Shanghai, a must I have to say if you're there. Will post pics from there the next time I'm in that part of the country

Maxim's Cafe @ Rowland Heights

Typical HK Style food, which basically comprises of chinese food mixed with american, hence the spaghetti dishes and club sandwiches. This is where Panda likes to get his Baked Pork Chop Over Rice when he's back home, and the food here is pretty decent. If you want authetic HK Style food and you're in the Diamond Bar/Rowland Heights area then this is a must. However, I do have my norcal taste buds, and I don't think this compares to what I can find in norcal. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if we didn't order so much food, ha!

There was TONS of food that night, and it just kept coming. I hope I can remember what each dish was, because it has been about over a week since we ate there, and this Penguin has had many meals after that.

HK Style Milk Tea

Chinese Corn Chowder
had about 5 corn kernels per bowl...ha

Stir Fried Beef w/ Onion and Tomato Rice
I think this is what it was called. all i remmeber was that the beef was uber tender

Baked Seafood over Spaghetti
[shirmp, scallops, fish, squid, and mushrooms]
this is one of those weird hk style dishes. too creamy for my taste

Baked Pork Chop over Rice
panda's favorite!!!!!

Chinese Broccoli with garlic
tres delicious

Salt & Pepper Fried Calamari
a little too chewy

Seafood Udon
too peppery...and udon was too mushy..hmmm

Wahoo Fish Tacos @ Huntington Beach

Best fish tacos are at Wahoo's Fish Tacos. Why? That's because their deliciousness stems from the fact that they don't fry their fish, and they use fresh ingredients! There's fresh napa cabbage, fresh tomato salsa, and fresh corn tortilla. Plus! It comes with yummy white rice! This place must have a legit asian chef, because the white rice is actually very fragrant and fluffy. Lastly, there is a side of black beans...and they are definitely not ick, and very healthy. The portions are huge, and they probably need to be because people who eat this need to hop back onto the beach and go surf for another 4 hours or so, so much energy is needed. I love the fish tacos here...I wish they were in nor cal....but no only so cal

Fish Taco Combo
[grilled fish with rice and beans]

Fish Sandwich
[grilled fish, cheese, lettuce and guacamole with french fries]
this is Panda's fav...he orders this all the time! something about the toasted bread and guacamole...he loves his avocadoes hehehe

look at the inside!