Loy Krathong at Wat Monkolratanaram Thai Temple in Tampa, Florida

This past weekend, on a rainy and cold Saturday night, was the Loy Krathong event at the Wat Monkolratanaram Thai Temple in Tampa, Florida.  Parking was backed up all the way to the highway on the west side of Palm River Road, but luckily I was able to create my own parking space once in the temple parking lot.  Attendees were inside the beautiful temple, feeding on the amazing food assortment that the vending area, and lining up along the bridge to watch as the floating flower boats were released into the Palm River.

Loy Karthong is celebrated annually in Thailand and a few other countries.  The festivities take place on the full moon in November where baskets are floated into the water with a wish or prayer given to each basket.  Some sources say that this ritual evolved from an ancient offering to the river spirits.

Me being the curious adventurer that I am, I decided to take a walk over the bridge onto the dock where the boats were being released from to get a better video.  The bridgecollapsed under my feet and dumped myself and about a dozen other folks intothe saltwater river.  The video camera was totally ruined, filled with saltwater.  And, so were my high-top sneakers that I paid a pretty penny for.  Thankfully, no one was hurt that badly.  But, I managed to save the data disc from the inside to bring you this footage. 

It took about fifteen minutes before some of the staff at the temple put down a ladder of some sort and then put plywood boards across that.  Everyone on the dock walked over one by one until we were all safe on shore.  As we were pulling out of the parking lot, the fire trucks showed up. 

The next time I return to The Wat, it will be for their Sunday Market and I will not be going back out on the docks anytime soon.

FASD Filipiniana Philippine Café Halo Halo, Bubble Tea, Ube Cake in Tampa FL

It has not rained for days, and the temperature is up to 90 degrees now. When the weather is sweltering hot, I cannot help but fiendishly crave shaved ice desserts. When I heard Filipiniana Philippine Café just opened in a newly built mini strip mall off of Waters Avenue, and claims to have the best Halo Halo shaved ice dessert, I drove an hour from Bradenton just to give them a try.

Halo Halo is a shaved ice dessert, covered in various toppings, all floating in milk. Toppings vary from maker to maker, and at Filipiniana are; mung bean, kidney bean, cubed flan, green pandan crispies, coconut meat shavings, ube (taro) mash, and a scoop of custardy vanilla ice cream. At Filipiniana, they have the best Halo Halo I have ever eaten.

Since the location is brand spankin’ new, the space is immaculate and has a Halo Halo theme. The walls are brightly colored. In the back seating area, the walls are dark purple imitating ube extract coloring, often the color of ube ice cream or cake. The pictures on the walls are of different toppings used in Halo Halo. The staff is super sweet and asked me over and over again, “How do you know about Halo Halo?”

Filipiniana also serves coffee, smoothies, and bubble tea. I love bubble tea, and tried the Green Apple Tea with Tapioca. It was fine, but not my favorite bubble tea in Tampa.

The pastry case varies daily. Luckily, when we visited there were large slices of Ube Cake in the case, the deep violet hue of the sponge cake and the soft fluffy princess frosting stark against the purple palette calling my name. This Ube Cake is spectacular, and I ate it slowly as I watched crowds of customers arrive from the restaurant next door to quickly buy up the supply.

I’m really excited that they serve Taho, tofu custard in browned sugar sauce. Sometimes flavored with ginger in the syrup, and often served with sago (white tapioca) pearls. Next time, I’ll definitely check it out, because it is my favorite served the Chinese way at the local dim sum place.

It is great that they are a dessert only shop, but we are definitely missing some decent Filipino savory foods in the bay area.

Filipiniana Philippine Café
3848 W Waters Ave
Tampa, FL 33614

Monthly Korean Food Meet-up

Kimchi Pajeon (김치 파전)

Once a month, Lisa from Let's Cook Tampa, hosts a Korean food meet up group on a Friday night.  The usual venue is Rice Restaurant in Tampa, FL- which is a yummy dining destination at any time, and I'll post a review in the future of just the restaurant.  The night is called "Monthly Korean Barbeque and Karaoke," but I have not witnessed the karaoke portion yet. 

The stars aligned and my friends and I were not only in town, but available to try out one of these amazing meet ups!  Lisa does an excellent job explaining all of the dishes and checking to make sure that everyone is having a blast.  She works hard cooking and taking photos at the same time!  The entire meet up is completely fascinating- the food is explained, placed on the tables, and then you dine and ask questions.

The FEAST of Korean style cooking started with Kimchi Pajeon (김치 파전) pictured above.  I absolutely loved it because the pancake was super crispy and the kimchi inside was cut into just the right size bits.  The pancake was also nice and thick, but not too greasy.  There are not many places that can make a pajeon this good.  If you have never had one before, it is a definite must-try for a savory item.  The flavor profile is completely different from a Chinese style scallion pancake or an Indian style bread.

Bulgogi Jongol just when it started to boil.

The main attraction of the evening was the Bulgogi Jongol (불고기), which is a beef based stew cooked in a pot on the table. As you can see from the photo, the dish has vegetables and glass noodles.  The diner is also encouraged to wrap pieces of the cooked beef in lettuce and add rice and ssamjang to make a lettuce wrap.  You can also eat the tasty soup in a bowl.

Bulgogi Jongol again, being cut up into bite size pieces.

All of my favorite foods need to be cut with scissors sometimes to make smaller pieces.  The host was kind enough to come to each table and assure that your food was cooked properly before you dive in.  The broth has a sweet "dashi" flavor that is slightly sweet, salty, and meaty. 

Kkang Pung Ki (깐풍기)

My favorite dish is Lisa's Famous Kkang Pung Ki (깐풍기), which is almost as much fun to say at it is to eat!  Luckily, she posted her recipe for the dish on her blog.  The dish is crispy sweet and spicy chicken, similar to General Tso's Chicken, but also very different.

Kkang Pung Ki is an addiction of mine... So whenever I dine at a restaurant that serves Korean-Chinese dishes, I have to order it.  Everyone makes it differently, some people put bell pepper, corn, jalapeno, and/or even ketchup.  No matter what, I have never had a disappointing version of this dish (*knock on wood*).  Anyways, the version from Rice freakin' rocks! 

Panchan (반찬) side dishes

Rice is also known for serving up to a dozen panchan (반찬) with their entrees.  That is twelve complimentary and totally refillable house-made side dishes.  There are so many panchan per table that the waitress must bring the dishes out on a cart, since there is absolutely no way to carry them all.

I highly recommend checking out the Lets Cook Tampa meet ups if you live in the Tampa area and are interesting in trying Korean cuisine.  We cannot wait to go back again!

Rice Restaurant and Lounge

7525 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33615

(813) 889-7766

http://www.ricekoreanrest.com

Pre-made Ho-ttok Cakes 호떡

 Ho-ttok are fairly difficult to make from scratch in small batches.  So, if you are really craving Ho-ttok and just want to eat a few cakes-  you will be left with about twenty more.  However, after searching high and low I was lucky enough to find pre-made frozen Ho-ttuk cakes at Kim Brothers Korean Market located in Tampa, Florida.  This brand is made by Wang Korea, come 8 to a bag, and are currently $6.99USD.  In my opinion, it is totally worth it!

They are really simple to prepare and already come frozen in patty form.  Sweet fluffy breading on the outside and cinnamon sugar and nut filling on the inside.  There are two flavors to choose from Regular Original flavor, or Green Tea flavor.  I chose the Green Tea flavor because I have never tried that flavor Ho-ttok before.  Just quickly fry them in some non-flavored oil or butter in a non-stick skillet until they are heat through, brown, and crispy on the outside.

Kim Bros Market

4021 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33614 United States

(813) 886-8989

Next Weekend: Asia Fest 2012 in Tampa, FL

Sadly, we missed this event last year.  But, we did make it to the year before and had fun.  The event takes place in the park directly in front of the TBT Forum.  We usually park in the parking garage next door.  There is a large stage set with some food vendor booths around it.  But, don't miss the other vendors that are further down by the water. 

The event can be quite hot, so bring your sunscreen and a hat.  Come early (11:00AM) to grab a bite to eat and a seat in front of the stage to watch the traditional dances and pageantry.  My favorite are the costumes from different countries and the more authentic snacks that are served by the vendors.  The Thai Sticky Rice and homemade Beef Jerky make a delicious snack.  You can also buy some Halo Halo to cool down.  Bring cash and your camera!

You can check out more info on the official website:
Asia Fest 2012