Tag Archive for: ramen

Bonsai Pensacola Beach

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 6/6/21

Bonsai Pensacola Beach

Luxurious delicacies from the sea are on beautiful display at Bonsai Pensacola Beach! Located in the Hilton Pensacola Beach, we were treated to their amazing Omakase experience with wine and sake pairings. This waiter guided 6-course experience was top notch and you could go at your own pace. The best part is the food is just as delicious as it is looks! Get ready for the Omakase Experience.

Kicking-off our Omakase Experience was with course 1, the A5 Wagyu Striploin paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the best piece of meat I (Liz) have ever had with an almost buttery like feel on the tongue that literally melts in your mouth. It is the right amount of meat and fat then the addition of the salt from the Himalayan salt block underneath adds an element of saltiness that elevates the flavor. Would NOT change one thing about this bite.

Moving on to course 2, the Nama paired with Asahi Shuzo Kubota Sparkling Dew. This was my (Liz’s) personal favorite sake with the perfect body and finish for a fish pairing. Plus, course 3 was the Nigiri and Sashimi paired with, Kikusui Shuzo Perfect Snow, an unfiltered sake. All being the same mix of fish, one being without rice and the other with, the fish they provided was all very VERY fresh and tender. We got a sampling including Steelhead trout, tuna, salmon, and Hamachi to name a few. Of the fish a few highlights included the salmon that was actually creamy, while the Hamachi is lighter and paired with the caviar added the right amount of salt. The favorite was the Steelhouse trout, it literally melted in your mouth and had an amazing flavor. Once you pair all of them with a little bit of real wasabi root and rice, you’ve got an amazing bite.

On to Course 4 that was the Pork Ramen perfectly paired with Chardonnay. A ramen lover, this one didn’t disappoint with a flavorful pork broth and tender pork belly. The noodles had the right tenderness, while the tang of the green onion and savory of the egg comes in at the end for a great bite.

One of the best courses was course 5 with the Hickory Smoked Tuna and Florida Citrus roll paired with Kikusui Shuzo Chrysanthemum Water. This was the best experience of the entire dinner as they smoke the salmon and bring it in a dome of hickory smoke. Once at the table, they open the dome and the smoke billows out, while leaving a slight smokiness on the tuna itself. As for taste of the roll, the tuna is light and pairs well with the creamy avocado and savory rice, then on the back you get the smoked flavor. Divine. The Florida Citrus roll is also very light but has tons of fresh fish flavors mixed with lemon. Lemon is really the best pairing with fish!

To end the night, course 6 is the Anmitzu dessert with Optimia Port Wine. The Anmitzu is a hodgepodge of ingredients like ice cream, passion fruit, matcha, gelatin, and other fruits. Each element brings a different flavor and all together is an amazing bite. Paired with the port wine, that is brown sugar forward, yet boozy, you’re in for a treat.

Beyond the meal, some of the authentic touches make this meal one-of-a-kind. One of these is the wasabi. They literally grind the wasabi root at your table and it’s so mild and doesn’t give you that nose feeling that typical wasabi would give you. Did you know that what you get at most restaurants is horseradish? Another of these was the soy sauce in both whiskey barrel aged and mushroom. They were less salty and more earthy than a typical soy sauce. Preferred the whiskey barrel aged as it was even more savory and a little bit boozy on the end. I’d take that home with me and use it on everything. The final touch was the white glove, server guided experience that gave the whole night an intimate feeling.

If you’re on the beach in Pensacola, we’d highly recommend getting to Bonsai for the Omakase Experience. What course speaks to you?

Ph’East: Stamp Your Passport to Eastern Flavors

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 7/5/20

Being a hot day in Summer, we opted for the little bit of shade on a patio around the corner from Truist Park. Far to our right, there’s a guy with his guitar singing the greatest 80s and 90s rock and pop hits. As he sings, people tap their toes, sip on bowls, dig into poke, and try new beers and cocktails at the recently opened Ph’East. Just outside Atlanta in the Battery complex, Ph’East has several hawker stalls that includes our new friends at Poke Burri and Lifting Noodles Ramen, as well as the Tap at Ph’East. We sipped, slurped, and noshed our way to an international journey outside American, right from Atlanta. These days, we could all use a little vacation, so join us on a little trip to Asian flavor and tiki islands. Do you have your passport?

At the heart of Ph’East is the Tap at Ph’East beer bar where you can grab a cocktail, an IPA, a stout, and even a glass of wine. They have something fun every day of the week, our favorite is Tiki Tuesday and they have the perfect drink for it: Scorpion. It’s Tiki Heaven! Marrying a taste of the islands with rum, cognac, orange, lemon, and more, it reminds us of a drink you would sip under at a beach bar on a hot Summer day. Don’t forget the little umbrella. Plus, we sampled some new local beers like John’s favorite the Nolan IPA from Reformation, which he describes as refreshing and slightly hoppy on the back! I (Liz) got a new stout, The Breury Bakery BA Stout with vanilla, cinnamon, and cherry. It’s a hefty and boozy stout! Overall, they have a great assortment of cocktails and beers for any drink lover!

We’ve been anticipating visiting Poke Burri ever since we had a sample at Atlanta Food & Wine Festival a few years ago. They won best of the fest and we remember why! From spicy tuna nachos, sushi donuts, poke burritos, poke bowls, and even dumplings, Poke Burri has some of the best poke and sushi in all of Atlanta. Everything in our feast was delicious, but our favorite has to be the spicy tuna nachos. It has to do with the addition of the fried wonton chips. The spiciness and richness of the tuna juxtaposed with the creaminess of the avocado and spicy mayo then comes in the crunch of the fried wonton chips all comes together to make a wonderfully complete bite. Something that we really wanted to try was the sushi donut. The delicate salmon and avocado wrapped around rice with hints of creamy mayo and spicy siracha. What really made this bite was the sriracha dollops. I added it to the top and dipped in soy sauce for one great mouthful. Tip: pick it up like a donut and dip in sauces! It’s so fun.

If you know us, Poke bowls have long been a favorite of mine (Liz) and this one didn’t disappoint! It was everything you’d imagine from the meatiness of the salmon and spiciness of the tuna to the avocado to the rice and soy base, it is a spicy, creamy bite. Add some soy sauce to complete it! Perfection. Going from sushi to traditional Asian fare: dumplings. These packed a punch with meaty and delicious pork middle, the perfectly fried crunch of the shell, and you add in soy sauce. That’s some fried goodness. Let’s not forget what Poke Burri does most: sushi burritos. We actually got the spicy fried chicken and it was perfectly spicy and crisp that mixed well with the crunch of the carrot and tender sushi rice. Yum.

Pivoting to ramen, we were floored by the ramen and brussels sprouts at Lifting Noodles Ramen. The build your own ramen bowl can be vegan, vegetarian, or as meaty as you want! The pork base is Tonkatsu style, which means the bone has been soaked in broth to give it an almost milk-like consistency. We opted for the pork base because of this cloudy, creamy base that’s perfect for the earthiness of the kale noodles and the meatiness of pork belly. Yes, we said kale noodles. Get them. Now. Noodles can just be an additive to the bowl, but the kale really brings a unique, earthy, and delicious flavor to the entire bite. We added almost everything you could to get as much flavor and textures to round out the experience. We called it everything and the kitchen sink. Plus, this bowl packs a ton of rich, deep, crunchy, earthy flavor without being salty. So smooth and delicious, you’ll slurp to the bottom. As far as the brussels sprouts are concerned, they were perfectly crispy and earthy topped with sweet and spicy chili sauce that was the right balance of both sweet and spicy. Overall, it was a wonderful side. Something fun we tried to put some of the brussels sprouts in the ramen. Do you think we liked it?

Now that you’ve stamped your passport, what’s the one thing you’d love to try from Ph’East? Where would you go first? Invite us, we could use another trip soon.