Day 326

Rabbit Confit: After a less-than-stellar day, I wasn't in the mood to cook, so me and the GF decided to hit Top Flr in Midtown for dinner. I've had several great meals (and blog posts) there, and even though I wasn't anticipating any potential posts from tonight's dinner, I wound up finding one anyway. In addition to some tasty cocktails and a couple of small plates, I also had the pleasure of tasting something brand new to me: rabbit confit.

If you aren't familiar with confit, Wikipedia defines it as a "generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavor and preservation." Meats are usually cooked in fat then preserved in fat, but the fat can sometimes be from a different animal. Top Flr's version featured rabbit, which was served shredded in a hand-cut parpardelle pasta dish.

From first glance, it looked exactly like pieces of white meat chicken. I expected it to be much darker, but it wasn't at all. Once I tried it, I actually couldn't find much difference in flavor from chicken, which really surprised me. It was a little bit richer in flavor, but if presented in a blind taste test, I'd be hard-pressed to tell a difference. Don't get me wrong - it was extremely moist and tender, but it didn't offer the new experience that I was expecting.

We also had a hummus dish as well as the apple-orange tofu, which recently made Creative Loafing Atlanta's "100 Best Dishes" list. Good stuff.

Day 325

Soft Cookie with White Bean Paste: After doing some blog shopping at the Great Wall Market in Duluth this past Monday, I couldn't resist checking out the Mozart Bakery next door. I'd been to the one on Buford Highway once before, and I loved their Asian-style pastries and bubble tea. I was curious to see if this one offered the same inventory, and while it wasn't quite as extensive as the one on Bu-Hi, I didn't leave without finding something.

I've definitely eaten my fair share of Asian pastries during the blog, but I've never tried anything featuring white bean paste. Red bean paste seems to be the more popular choice with these desserts, so when I saw this cookie/pastry filled with sweetened white bean, I was interested. It looked to have been baked then sprinkled with sesame seeds, but I was curious to find out what the filling was all about.

Once I got the wrapper off, I discovered that it wasn't much different from the varieties filled with red bean. The pastry itself (made from flour, milk, sugar, salt, butter, eggs) was light and flaky, and the white bean filling was slightly grainy and a bit less sweet than the red bean type. If the idea of a sweetened, pureed bean filling doesn't sound like your cup of tea, you should try it before you make up your mind - it's actually good. The mild sweetness can be a welcome change from the sugar overload of most desserts.

 I liked this one, but it didn't offer much of anything new for me. Oh well - no big deal.

Day 324

Sweet Winter Melon: After previously finding so much great new food at the Great Wall Supermarket in Duluth, I figured it couldn't hurt to swing by there again yesterday while I was in the area. I also visited the nearby Assi Supermarket (more on that tomorrow), but I was able to find a few more interesting new at the Great Wall before moving on. I'm not gonna lie -shopping for this blog has become more and more difficult. While most of the ethnic markets used to thrill me every time, that's not so much the case anymore. Some days the shopping feels like a chore, and yesterday was definitely one of those days.

Despite all that, I still managed to find a few things, one of which is today's new food. The Great Wall has a really nice bulk dried food section, which has allowed me to buy small tastes of several new items. When I saw this "sweet winter melon," I couldn't decide if it was fruit or candy, so I grabbed a couple pieces to take home. Its bright green color didn't look natural, but then again, I'd never seen a winter melon.

I decided to give it a try tonight for what I assumed would be dessert. It looked like it was candied or coated in sugar, and when I bit into it, all I tasted was sweetness at first. However, once I chewed a couple of times, I definitely tasted the melon. It reminded me of what a candied piece of sweet honeydew would taste like, but considering I'm not a big honeydew fan, it didn't do much for me. The inside was moist and chewy, and I'm guessing this one is exactly what I thought it was - candied winter melon.

Unless you love melon or candied fruits, I'd pass on this one. I didn't think the melon worked well with the sweetness, but I'd still be up for trying it plain.

Day 323

Soup Dumplings: After an afternoon shopping trip up in the 'burbs today, me and the GF were hungry, so we detoured up 75 and decided to hit Tasty China for dinner. We'd been there once before and had a great meal, so we knew we couldn't go wrong. In addition to ordering a couple of favorites, we also found an item on the menu that I'd never tried: soup dumplings. I'd heard about them a million times but never had the chance to taste them, so I eagerly ordered. If they were as good as the rest of TC's food, I was in for a treat.

From what I'd heard, soup dumplings were much like other Chinese dumplings, but filled with a liquid "soup" as well as other fillings. These contained ground pork along with the soup, which sounded perfect to me. Once the server brought the dish, I noticed that they appeared to have been steamed, with a little twist and opening at the top. There was also a side dish of gyoza-style dipping sauce, but I wanted to taste one unadorned first.

My first bite reminded me instantly of a normal dumpling, and the outer skin was like many others I've tried. The real difference was in the filling. As I bit through the dough, I found that the interior was filled with a hot broth that spilled onto my plate - I'm glad we were at a table! It was really tasty, and when combined with the ground pork filling and dumpling skin, it resulted in a great flavor combination. I'm not sure if TC's are the best version of these in Atlanta (I've heard about others), but I enjoyed them a lot.

If you like filled dumplings at all, check these out if you see them at Tasty China (or anywhere else). Oh, and try TC's dry-fried eggplant - so good.

Day 322

Dried Tofu "Snack Bean": I'm finally down to my last item from my shopping trip to the Great Wall Supermarket in Duluth, and it's definitely a strange one. I wasn't sure what to think of it when I saw it on the shelf, and honestly, it looked like vacuum-sealed vomit. Not exactly appetizing, but looks can be deceiving. From what I could tell, it was tofu that had been dried, then marinated in soy sauce. I like both those ingredients independently, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

I opened the bag as a late-night snack tonight, and I expected the bizarre looking contents to somewhat change once the seal was broken. However, they didn't, and the dog food-like appearance didn't exactly make me want to go further. Anyway, I broke off a small piece and tried, and the results were actually much more palatable than I anticipated. Just like the name said, it tasted like dried, chewy tofu, marinated in a sweet soy sauce. I can't imagine this one being used in any sort of dish, so it's probably best consumed as a "snack bean," as advised by the packaging.

I'm glad it didn't taste like either of the things it looked like, but I doubt I'd seek this out again.

Day 321

Ginataang Ampalaya (Bitter Melon in Coconut Cream): After eating way too much good restaurant food over the past few days while my friend has been visiting, I knew I wasn't going to be in the mood to eat today, much less do a blog entry. However, the show must go on, so I looked through my stash of packaged foods for something new and palatable.

I opted for something I found at the Great Wall Supermarket in Duluth a couple weekends ago, and I'd been curious about it ever since I discovered it. I'd seen bitter melon in a few different stores before, but didn't buy since I had no idea how to prepare it. I knew it was popular in many Asian and Indian dishes, and this canned version from the Philippines sounded tasty. The dish was apparently called "ginataang ampalaya," and combined bitter melon with coconut cream and some spices (onion, salt, chili powder, garlic). It also contained something called "salted shrimp fry," which was a new one for me.

I opened the can and heated a small portion, and I was surprised with the results. It almost reminded me of a much saltier clam chowder at first, with a somewhat fishy taste that I assume was supplied by the "shrimp fry." I expected the coconut cream to provide a sweet, curry-like flavor, but it was much more subtle. As far as the bitter melon goes, it didn't taste like much. It was minced into much smaller pieces than the label portrayed, and aside from a faintly bitter, fruity taste, it didn't add much to the dish. Not bad, but I wouldn't seek it out again.

In case you were wondering, salted shrimp fry is actually a shrimp paste that's popular in the Philippines. It's apparently used as a seasoning agent and can be bought fairly easily in Asian groceries.

Day 320

Vietnamese Yogurt with Lime: Today's new food was somewhat unexpected, and contrary to what the picture looks like, was not a beverage! I had lunch today at Lee's Bakery on Buford Highway with my friend who's visiting from VA. He hadn't had Vietnamese cuisine in awhile, and I wanted to introduce him to Lee's banh mi, which is my fave in town. In addition to those and some pho, I also hoped to find something new there. Luckily I did, at the bottom of the dessert menu. I'd never heard of Vietnamese yogurt, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be like Yoplait.

I expected the dish to be served in a cup or bowl like any other yogurt, but when the server brought a pint glass filled with a creamy white liquid and ice, I was surprised. Was it supposed to be a beverage? Not exactly - there was also a spoon in the glass, accompanied by a sizable straw. The mixture seemed to be a little thinner than traditional yogurt, and it had a taste that was sweet and tart at the same time. I'm not sure what type of lime flavoring was used, but I think I tasted some actual pieces of fruit, which is good. Overall, I liked it, but it was rather rich and hard to finish after knocking out an entire banh mi.

It's funny to think about how difficult it is for me now to find something new at places like Lee's. Not sure if that's good or bad, but one thing's for sure - I've eaten a lot over the last 320 days.