Tamarine Palo Alto, CA

We had dinner at Tamarine in Palo Alto last weekend for my friend's birthday . I was surprised to see that the place was not as packed as it was before when I first came there last year. As you can see from the pictures, we were definitely having carbs overloads! For some reason, we ordered so many carbs and few proteins. I don't usually drink alcoholic drinks, but I remembered last time they have a great Mango Mojito, so I ordered that and it's as delish as I remembered it :) The foods are pretty good overall! We were really full by the end of the meals and we didn't have a chance to order desserts. Here comes the good part...food pictures!

Sambal Chili Swordfish

Shaking Beef

Clay Pot Cod

Crab & Garlic Noodles

Sweet Potato Fries

Garlic Noodle

Garlic Fried Rice

Empress Rice

Salt & Pepper Calamari

Tamarine Taste(Taro Root Rolls, Tea Leaf Beef, Shrimp Spring Rolls & Papaya Salad)

My drink! Mango Mojito

Pink/Purple Glitter French Manicure :)

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Rockstar Pink

Miette Patisserie

This weekend we headed to the lovely San Francisco to ride Rocket Boat. We bought this voucher from Facebook deals 1-2 weeks ago and decided to go this weekend. What's better than sweets after getting soaked from Rocket Boat? We decided to try out Miette Patisserie in Ferry Building.

Parking is really tough to find, except if you want to pay the flat rate $12 parking in the parking lot. We finally made it to Miette 30 minutes before they close. Of course, most of the good stuffs were gone by then, but we were still able to buy some delicious treats!

I was having a hard time picking which cookies I want to buy since everything looks really good! They also have a good ice cream sandwich. They are supposed to have 4-5 flavors, but only 2 flavors left when we're there, Blueberry and Chocolate. I prefer the blueberry, but BF love the chocolate.

Here's our haul... We ended up getting a lot of things. My favorite is the chocolate sable. It's the dark chocolate biscuits with some salty finish. I found a recipe online from The Kitchn and I've decided to copy it here in case I lost it :)

Chocolate Sable Cookies

If ever you are in Paris, you must make a pilgrimage to the Pierre Hermé boutique on rue Bonaparte. I made such a pilgrimage during a trip to Paris the first year I was in business, joining the queue that wraps around the block. As I inched into the store, I filled my basket with one of everything off the shelf, including a canister of his chocolate sables – the inspiration for this cookie. The Miette version replicates the same experience of biting into a crisp lattice supporting bits of pure, soft chocolate. Like our Double Chocolate Cake, this recipe calls for both cocoa and chocolate. When you bring these two ingredients together, you get a resounding chocolate taste, much more complex than if you were to use just one or the other. Use a high-quality chocolate and feel free to venture into something more bittersweet. The sprinkling of sugar on top can carry the intensity of a dark chocolate.

Makes about thirty-six 1-inch square cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (4 1/2 ounces) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 ounces 70 percent cacao chocolate, grated

Directions:
1. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and grated chocolate and mix just to combine.

3. If the dough is soft, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (The dough will keep, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.) Otherwise, roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured work surface into a 6-by-7-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, square the edges as much as possible. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1-inch squares. Place them 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies until they are firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in airtight containers for up to 2 weeks.

Note:
We use natural cocoa powder not Dutch-processed, as the Dutch-processed cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent that heightens the color but gives it a milder flavor. For this recipe, it is important to use natural product such as Scharffen Berger to attain a deep, dark chocolate flavor.

Essie Hot Coco Swatch

My modern version of french manicure maybe?

I'm so in love with the color combo I did on my nails yesterday. What do you think?

Essie Splash of Grenadine
Essie Lapis of Luxury
Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening