Can't Stop Thinking About Sushi Ran

107 Caledonia St

Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 332-3620
http://www.sushiran.com/

It was a pouring night, but it did not stop my friends and I from coming to Sushi Ran. We parked our car, ran through the rain; and luckily, once we entered for our reservation, we got seated right away at the sushi bar (my favorite place in a gourmet sushi restaurant). We also got lucky because the executive chef was the one making our sushi for the night!
I ordered the omakase, which by the way is very worth it--chef's choice of 7 pieces of quality and beautifully-prepared sushi made with Japanese fishes for $36...oh yes, and toro was one of it. The omakase was such a teaser; we got excited and ordered more and asked the chef to make us whatever he liked for us to try. I felt like we tried almost everything on the nigiri menu, and all tasted delicious! Everything was so tasty and entertaining because all the fish were specially prepared and pair with condiments to bring out their flavors.

I recommend:

**Katsuo--lightly cherrywood smoked bonito. It has this very unique smoked flavor that's to die for!

Katsuo--cherry smoked bonito

**Kaisui uni--deep sea urchin from Hokkaido. I usually don't eat sea urchin because it's so fishy, but this kaisui uni is soooooo sweet and creamy!

Kaisui Uni--deep sea sea urchin

**Kamasu--seared barracuda. This is my first time having barracuda, and I must say, I love it! The ginger adds a nice touch visually and tastefully.

Kamasu-seared barracuda

**Kanburi-wild winter yellowtail. I love yellowtail, and this yellowtail is no exception. It is so rich and flavorful. You get the normal yellowtail flavor but timse ten!

Kanburi--wild winter yellowtail

**Hon tarabagani-fresh steamed king crab with miso butter. The crab is so fresh and so creamy. The miso butter is so good!

Hon tarabagani--fresh steamed king crab

Remember to save room for dessert, I recommend the Mascapone ice cream with berries. The ice cream was so creamy and rich in flavor.

mascapone ice cream with fresh berries

Very satisfying dinner, and great service! I cannot stop thinking about it for a week now! I am so going back.

Raspberry Macaron

I started making macaron at end of December. I was a little intimated with making macaron because it consists of so few ingredients, but the technique involves is complicated. To my surprise, my first batch turned out pretty good! The cookies have feet and are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside.
Today I decided to make a raspberry one. This would be the fourth flavor I've made, along with vanilla, matcha and coffee.

Macaron contains almond flour, powder sugar, granuated sugar and egg whites. There are the French style macaron and Italian style. Both are simliar except that the granulated sugar is melted in the Italian one.

Weighing and sifting the dry ingredients are as important as the way to incorporate all the ingredients together by hand...yup, by hand! That step cannot be replaced by machine since it's very delicate.

The consistency has to be correct. Running batter leads to flat and airy macaron. Hard macaron will lead to cracks on exterior of the cookie.

Baking time also play a role. If the macaron is under-bake, the cookie is going to be stained. If it's over baked, it is going to be hard and non-chewy at all.

Last but not least...the fillings! The filling is what gives the macaron the intense flavor of what it is supposes to taste like.

For the raspberry macaron, I just made a simple buttercream and added couple tablespoons of raspberry perserves.

These cookies are to die for! They are so small and colorful, which make great gifts!

A few for myself, and some to share at work's potluck.

Yummy! I can eat them all in one day if I want to...guilty pleasure!

Yuzu Sushi & Grill

54 37th Ave
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 358-0298

Yuzu is located on the more quiet side of San Mateo. The street was dim, and so was the outside of this shop. Yuzu is a small sushi shop that only consists of about 6 tables and a small sushi bar. The place smells like grill and grease, which was a bit turn off for me.

My friends and I came right on time before happy hour ends. We ordered oysters and shrimp tempura that costs a dollar each. We also ordered a scallop salad, which was very delicious.

Scallop Salad

I ordered the sushi combo B with chef's choice of 10 pieces of sushi and shrimp head soup for $28. The restaurant is at the pricer side. I should have told the waitress what not to give me. I love raw fish, but I just cannot stand the texture of  raw shrimp and raw "fish" that has tenacles, which includes octopus, squid and cuttlefish. Sadly, my order came with raw shrimp (amaebi) and squid.

Chef's Choice B

The fish here is mediocore. The fishes are fresh but lack colors. Also the cuts of the fish are a little sloppy.

My friend ordered the stone pot fried rice, which sounded very good. But to our surprise, it was super fishy. We didn't really enjoy it.

I think I would definitely come back for the happy hour shrimp tempura and maybe some soju with it. I'm not sure about ordering the combo again though.

Mango Sticky Rice

I always crave for something hot and creamy during the winter, like porridge, soup and mango sticky rice. I like my mango sticky rice served hot with fresh cold slices or cubes of mangoes. The hot and cold, sweet and creamy combo make this desert simply irresistible.

Mango Sticky Rice

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups uncooked white glutinous rice

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 mangos, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 
  
• Instruction:
• 1. In a bowl, wash and then soak the rice in 1 1/2 cup of water for at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours. 
  2. Meanwhile, slice or dice the mangoes. Refrigerate. 
  3. Fill rice cooker with about 3 cups of water (a pot can also be used). Place a cheesecloth or a clean towel in a steamer, and place it in the rice cooker. 
  4. Pour the bowl of soaked rice and the water into the steamer. Let the rice steam for 45 minutes.
  5. While the rice cooks, mix together 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; remove from heat.
  6. Pour the thin coconut milk mixture in a bowl and reserve 1/2 cup in the sauce pan. Add cornstarch to the saucepan and allow the remaining mixture to thicken. Set aside. 
  7. When the rice is done, place it in a bowl. Drizzle the thin coconut milk over it, mix, and let the rice soak the coconut milk. Add more of the thin mixture until the rice no longer soaks. 
  8. Place the sticky rice on a serving dish. Arrange the mangos around it. Spoon a few tablespoon of thickened coconut mixture on top of the rice and mangoes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Momofuku Compost Cookie At Home

After I had a taste of Momofuku's compost cookies in New York City, I was in love with it! It's one of my favorite cookies along with Teacake's chocolate hazelnuts. So while shopping for christmas presents at William Sonoma, I came upon Momofuku's cookie mixes. I did not see the flavor I want, but a few weeks later, my boyfriend brought home my favorite one! Lo and behold...he bought the compost cookie one.

I highly recommend this box of goodie goodness. It's also available online at Momofuku Milkbar website. It's simple to do, and it tastes exactly like the store bought ones.

Everything is nicely separated into packets. The package has all the main component. I just had to add my own butter, an egg, pretzels and potato chips.

The mixture smells so good. The instruction said to separate the dough and roll it into 9 balls, but I rolled it into 10 instead.

The cookie turned out thin, soft and super chewy. The reason I really like this cookie is because it's sweet and salty, and it's chewy and crunchy. It's the perfect balance of flavor and mouth-feel.