Kat's 9 Lives

As I have mentioned many times, WTF... no pictures again? Brian's Beach Sushi in Vegas is located WAY OFF the Strip. If you don't have a car, don't even bother. Even if you do have a car, don't know if it is really worth it. Sorry Roo! A friend recommended it and I was looking forward to trying this place out since he raved about it. There was only one single soul there when we arrived and barely any people there. They have AYCE for $27, I think or around there. You can basically order anything off of their menu which was not bad. It's a quaint little place and I was fine with everything until the server came by and said no photos. WTF! Seriously, a run down hovel like this should really just chill! With the surfer laid back theme seemed like they would be really chill but no.. anal!
Is this the best AYCE I have had.. nope, but it's aiight to be fair. I started off with a bunch of fried foods and they were all just so-so. Nothing special. I had the Fried Calamari, Fried Shrimp Tempura, and Dynamite. The batter was a little flat, but it's AYCE... whatever lol. I would definitely not come here to order and pay regular prices. Definitely stick to the AYCE if you are there but I'd rather go elsewhere for my sushi fix. At least I can say that I tried this place. The sushi was alright too.
Here is a quick break down of what we ordered: Deep Fried Oyster, Gyoza, Egg Roll, Green Mussel, Sesame Chicken, Teriyaki Beef, Brie & Grape Quesadilla, Sashimi Roll, Towering Tuna Poki, Seared Tuna Carpaccio, a bunch of sushi, Mochi Ice Cream, Green Tea Ice Cream, and Homemade Tofu Cheesecake. Don't be scared away, this was among 2 people lol. What I really liked or thought was unique were the Brie & Grape Quesadilla, Sashimi Roll, Towering Tuna Poki, and Seared Tuna Carpaccio. I should just make the Quesadilla at home lol. The Sashimi Roll was Tuna, Yellowtail, White Fish, Salmon, Shrimp, Avocado, and Asparagus wrapped in Daikon Radish. I snuck a picture in! haha
All in all mehhh... not great but not bad... but I am still mad about the photos! It soured the mood of the meal. The Tofu Cheesecake was bad I must say, stick with the regular ice creams or mochi. This place was really far off the strip. Maybe I had too high of an expectation or they just soured my mood but it was just alright to be honest. I still like food better in California. Or I would rather pay more at Ichiza to be honest. =P

Brian's Beach Sushi

Just as I got to the store, it started to rain really hard and I had to snap the outside photo fast! It was not very nice to be rained on. Of course this was only when I was entering and exiting this place. Maybe it was a sign! The rain stopped shortly after that, but not whilst I was near French's Bakery. Ironically, I have been to the location closer to home! I thought this would be a new place to try out. Well I have never been to this location so it still counts as new! lol As soon as I walked in, I started taking pictures of course. Again, I was told that photos are not allowed. Sucks for them that I already shot a bunch before she said anything! Okay, dude... WTF! What's up with these anal places about photos! This is what brings you business and more appeal. In my book these days if you tell me this, you can take it and SHOVE IT! If you had a sign up I would respect that, but not you limiting my freedom after I walk in. I should really learn from what Ms. Lin advised me to do. Next time I am going to ask why and tell them this is an interview going up on my site! lol It's not like they are the freaking Louvre.. and even there you can still take photos in most rooms! >=P
Despite the negative beginnings, I will always give a fair review for the food. TP was with me and even she thought that it was dumb about the photos. Still I decided to pick some stuff up for myself and I needed something nice for Veggie Girl's Mom since they were making me dinner that night. I am a polite guest ^_-. P.S. Veggie Girl = MG... I have decided. The Chocolate Cupcake looked very tempting but it didn't taste that great. I can make better with my trust Betty Crocker mix! haha It looked very tasty and tempting but as we all know, the outer appearance is not everything.
What I really liked was the Chocolate Dipped Macaroon. It was huge and delicious! Maybe it's because I haven't had one in a long time but the taste and texture was perfect. I really enjoyed the outer layer where the Coconut is toasted and gives it that extra bite. Be sure to eat the chocolate evenly with the macaroon! lol Got to get the best of both worlds.
When I saw that they had a cookies called Princess Cookie, I had to get it. Fitting, no? haha Tofu once said that about me when I got a Princess Cake. Here is a shout out, I miss Tofu! =*( I should call him... eventually! haha The way this cookie looked I thought it would be more like Florentine, but I was wrong. After one bite, I gave it to my Aunt! haha Once again, the outer appearance didn't correctly reflect what was inside.
Their Custard Éclair looked very inviting, so I had to grab one. I think I made the mistake in letting this sit overnight because it was completely soggy the next day. To be fair, I think it was a good deal for the amount of custard you get. This thing weighed a TON! lol I would be inclined to give this another try since it was my fault that I didn't eat it the day of. It would have been much better if the éclair was fresh and still solid! lol
I chose a pretty small Strawberry Cake. It looked super cute and was not too tiny so I decided that this would be a good little gift to bring for Veggie Girl's Mom. Also, it didn't help having TP rushing me. lol The good thing was they did like the cake. ^_^
All in all.... s'alright... Like I said... I am fed up with the "You can't take photos" comment from these kind of crappy places, but to be fair... I did love the macaroon so I will probably be back for that but I am in no hurry to give them more money. =P They aren't all that and there were a lot of hit and misses. If they were better in customer service then they'd get some bonus *brownie* points. The prices are decent for what you get, but I'd take Porto's over them ANY DAY! They need to open one in OC soon so I can give them my money! haha

French's Bakery
1170 Baker St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 546-6386

The time has finally come that I put up this post. HW has been raving about Jack's Bakery since I met her and I never had the time to check this place out. So on a Saturday afternoon, just for HW, I got up to meet her there. Later on that day I had plans with PK for sushi, so I phoned her up to see if she would like to join us and I'd pick her up. So it turned out to be a girl's day out. HW was already there and in the kitchen! She took this really awesome video of how their Kuftes are made. Once she loads it, I will link it on my site too ^_-.
Since this is like a second home to HW, we were all given a nice piping hot cup of tea. As many of you know, I am not a big fan of teas nor hot drinks. Still, I can't be rude and I am always willing to try new things out so I kindly drank the whole thing. Of course I added tons of sugar, but the tea was very flavorful and packed a heavy cinnamon flavor. Jack was very sweet and didn't charge any of us for the tea since we were guests with HW. =)
They have very colorful menus allowing you to see which dish looks most appealing to you. HW knew what she wanted and has been there many times, it is like a second home to her. lol She chose to order 2 Kuftes. You can order them by the piece. Inside was well-seasoned ground meat and other ingredients. They make the dough into a hollow shell, fill it, and then fried. It goes great with fresh limes.
Another favorite of HW was the Lahmajun, which was like an Armenian Pizza. PK and I tried a bite and we both really enjoyed it. The crust was very thin and had just the right texture. Everything was very well-seasoned and covered the entire crust. The best part was that it only costs $1.50! So of course I added an order after we tried it. Why not!? lol
Last but not least, HW ordered the Spicy Cheese Boyreg. It's a nice thing layer of dough folded to envelop the spicy homemade cheese. This was nice and flavorful. It was much better than the cheese bread we ordered because there were more levels to taste. I also liked that it wasn't as buttery. Did I mention that I love cheese! lol
For our cheese bread, we got the Cheese Manaish. When I saw the photo I had to get it because it seemed like there would be a ton of cheese on it. The dough was a lot thicker on this and there was a good amount of cheese. It was more of a buttery taste that overpowered all else. I wished it was a little more saltier or spicy to give it that extra kick. Still, it was good.
PK and I shared the Shawarma Sandwich. This was different from the regular shawarmas I have had in the best. There are a lot of pickled vegetables inside that give it a different texture and a bite to the whole thing. The meat was flavorful and well-seasoned.
As a pair we tend to try almost everything, haha. We also decided to share the Adana and Chicken Combo. This comes with their homemade Hummus that was very flavorful and packs a great kick. Adana reminded me of a Beef Koobideh, but with a slight different taste since this is Armenian cuisine. The chicken was very tender and flavorful. Everything went great with the Armenian Rice. I mixed in the fresh slices of Purple Onions and roasted Tomato to give every bite a special kick. They give you bread on top that goes great with the hummus.
All in all the food was delicious and Jack is very sweet. He gave all of us free Baklava at the end and asked if we wanted more. I wished they were made with pistachio but they were made with Walnuts. Still, they were flaky and good. Did I mention that they photograph beautifully! ^_- The prices are very reasonable and so much more to try. It's a very cozy and warming environment. Jack is always fun to talk to and I love coming with friends. Did I mention that I have been back another 2x already with HW? haha Keep checking for more about those trips! lol

Jack's Bakery
10515 McFadden Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 775-6773