Discovery Weekends: Sweet Taste of the Tropics At Plumeria Flours

I finally had a chance to redeem a gift certificate from Plumeria Flours. It was a gift from a friend of mine (Thanks Sengita Warich!) and after a long hard work week, I felt it was about time to redeem it.

Plumeria Flours has a cozy shop tucked away in a strip mall near Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza.  One of their specialties is square tropical-flavored cupcake, which is what my gift certificate was good for – six of them! OMG, I do not think I can finish six cupcakes!

They had four flavors available that day: Mango, Papaya, Guava, and Kona Coffee. Since my favorite fruit is mango, I got two mango cupcakes. Also, two Kona Coffees, and one each of the papaya and guava. I think of the bunch, Kona Coffee is my favorite: good coffee flavor complemented by a mocha frosting. Yummy. My next favorite: you guessed it – mango. The cupcakes were topped with a thin layer of whipped cream frosting, appropriately flavored of course. This ratio was okay for me, since I usually do not like too much frosting. However, I felt it could use just a tad more. The frosting may not be enough for most people though, but there was more than enough cake, which I think is the most important part.

I was disappointed that they did not have Haupia cupcake that day. Haupia is a traditional coconut-milk based dessert or snack. It has a similar consistency to gelatin, but richer. Haupia is one of my favorite snacks while I am in Hawaii and reminds me of being in Hawaii.

Another specialty item is their chocolate covered and plumeria decorated Oreos. I did not see any while I was there, perhaps because it was late on a Friday afternoon. If you check out Plumeria Flour’s website, you can see how gorgeous these cookies are (The website did say that it is Out-of-Stock).

However, the caramel popcorn was very tempting and quite inexpensive too. I think $6 per bag. The popcorn had names like “Kalua Pig”, “100% Hapa”, “Humuhumunukuapua’a”. The names reflect the flavor: “Kalua Pig” was Bacon Caramel and “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” (the Hawaiian state fish, a type of triggerfish) was Seaweed infused, if I remember. I don’t remember what “100% Hapa” was made out of… but I did remember discussing the contradiction in the name (“Hapa” is a pidgin Hawaiian word derived from the word “Half” … so, go figure, 100% = Half?).  Anyway, with six cupcakes, I decided it maybe prudent to save popcorn for a later trip.

For the fall, Plumeria Flours have limited hours: only Wednesday – Friday, 10 am – 5:30 pm. You can catch them at different Polynesian events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check them out at PlumeriaFlours.com.

Discovery Weekends: Celebrating 12 years with my Hubby at Sasa

My husband and I recently celebrated our 12^th anniversary dinner. We usually either go out of town or select a good restaurant to enjoy an evening out. This year, we opted to do the latter. We revisited one of our favorite restaurants: Sasa in Walnut Creek, California.

We’ve probably have been to Sasa numerous times.  We love the classy Asian-inspired decor.  We were there on a Monday, so a lot of people were taking advantage of their extended Happy Hour, Getsuyobi Monday’s. I found the happy hour name somewhat funny since "Getsuyobi" literally is Monday (so it’s Monday Monday’s). A lot of people were taking advantage of the $5 and $10 sushi rolls and special priced appetizers. Sasa also offers an extensive sake menu and a good selection of wine and cocktails, which makes it a great happy hour choice.

We never had a bad experience at Sasa. This evening was no different. We arrived a bit early, so we sat at the bar while we waited for our table.  The bartender was very attentive, in spite of the crowd that evening. I tried one of their non-alcoholic pomegranate mojito since I was designated driver (actually refreshing and hydrating especially in a hot summer day), and we shared an order of root chips and aioli. We’re not sure what roots were included, but it was delicious. The chips were very savory, and not too salty. To be honest, it was quite addicting.

Sasa specializes on small plates: Asian tapas-style. For dinner, instead of our usual share an appetizer, entree, and dessert strategy, we decided to share a few small plates... and dessert, of course.

The pork belly skewers were a good start. It reminded me of a Filipino Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried Pork Belly) on a stick. The only thing missing was the crispy skin (and lechon sauce) – the way it is traditionally served. Maybe if it was served the Filipino way, it will exceed the cholesterol limits of the dish. This went way too fast to photograph (My fault, lechon kawali is one of my favorites).

My duck confit on steamed buns had more a Chinese inspiration – like a duck confit bao. It reminded me of dimsum lunches, but elevated to a different level. Using a duck confit gave a good crispiness and the hoisin sauce and plum wine vinaigrette reminded me of its Asian roots.

The roasted spiced lamb chops was equally delicious. It was perfectly cooked and spiced and quite succulent.  The green pistachio sauce on it was different than what we expected, but had a refreshing twist.

We ended dinner with a Banana and Macadamia Cream Tart. I usually end an evening like this with a light sorbet, but I am a bit sorbet-ed out. The tart had the right combination of creaminess yet freshness. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

The food was plated and presented beautifully, it was inviting and you just want to dive into it. We had excellent service all through the evening. We’ve been there for lunch on a weekend and had the same experience. We love Sasa and will most likely return... soon. Hope you will also enjoy this Walnut Creek find.