Stories of MBPaulo

Food. Lifestyle. Product Review.

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  • One of my favorite luxurious American restaurants: Houston’s in Pasadena

    Houston’s is a gem. It serves the best upscale, variety of gourmet American food to me. Im very grateful I stumbled on to this place few years ago. 

    Here’s some of the dishes I ordered:

    Spinach and artichoke dip

    I love Houston’s spinach and artichoke dip. When I come here, I always order this. The chips are crispy and hot. The spinach dip is unlike any other dip, it’s sensational. It comes with a salsa and sour cream, so you don’t get tired of one dip flavor due to the variety. Sometimes I dip in a fusion of all 3 dips together. Don’t worry if you eat all the chips, it’s unlimited, so you have have enough chips to finish all the spinach dip and salsa. Perfect for sharing and as an appetizer to start off. 

    This is a Hiramasa roll:

    These are one of my favorite rolls of all time. I always wish I can order more when I eat this. It’s that good. It goes down very easy because it’s chews so softly. The colors on the rolls is dazzling. 

    Soup of the day: Clam Chowder

    Lucky the soup of the day was one of my favorites: clam chowder. Clam chowder has a mixture of blissful ingredients: clam, bacon pieces, and crunchy croutons. The clam  chowder is really chowdery and I only mention this because I’ve tried watery clam chowder at other restaurants in the past. It has the perfect creamy texture and getting bites of any of the ingredients taste delicious. The clam chowder comes out at good hot temperature, but not too hot where you have to wait for it to cool down to eat. I ate it to the very end. It’s delectable.

    Houston’s has a parking lot, but it can get crowded depending which hours you go. I’ve waited as little as 5 minutes and got seats at a lofty bar seating, and waited as long as 1 hour before when it was busy. I didn’t mind waiting 1 hour with my best friend talking together and looking at their tranquil Koi fish pond outside of their entrance. They have seats so you can wait comfortably. Love stoping by here when I’m in Pasadena. 

  • My favorite Middle Eastern restaurant: Raffi’s Place in Glendale


    Raffi’s place is the most delicious chicken Kabobs you can get anywhere. I tried many Kabob places, but this place the restaurant itself and the food is spectacular. Their chicken Kabob is most superb. The color of the orange slight reddish chicken is the best. It has perfect size cuts of the chicken and the saffron rice is so appealing it. I thought saffron rice was cheese on top of white rice long time ago when I first tried it, and my best friend corrected me saying it’s called saffron rice. I was like wow, thank you. I squeeze the lemon on the chicken for more zest. I eat the tomato with extreme satisfaction. When I first tried their tomato I was blown away. It’s like juicy and bursts. The first bite of the tomatoe is always the best. The pepper is great. The servers were very cordial. Love Raffi’s place! I chant, “Raffi’s place! Raffi’s place! Raffi’s place!” before I go to the restaurant. 

  • The delicious Bone Kettle located in Pasadena


    Bone Kettle is a South East Asian restaurant. I never had South East Asian food before in my life; I never tried Indonesian, Philippine, or Malaysian food. My best friend discovered this restaurant and said we should expand our taste buds, so we tried it. Bone Kettle is located in Pasadena. There’s parking on the street. It opens at 4:30pm, so my best friend and I have a gym session, then, build up an appetite, and headed over there right when it opens, and beat the wait. 


    These are some of the delicious dishes I tried:


    Chicken wings with slight zest to it. 


    The chicken wings are a must here. It’s crispy and it’s accompanied with a slice of lime you can squeeze over the chicken wings creating a slight zest to it that I never experienced from another chicken wing. Each bite was a delight. I tried many many chicken wing places and these are my favorite all time. The wings are somehow all perfect size and not big and unappealing. It’s a perfect dish to share and it’s actually very budget friendly because it’s served also on happy hour menu. 


    Nasi Goreng. Indonesian fried rice with egg.


    I have to say that the Nasi Goreng is amazing. As of right now, this is the best fried rice I tried. It has a nice sunny side up egg on top of the rice. The taste is phenomenal. The sauce that comes with is so good I just layer it over the fried rice. 


    Oxtail dumpings


    I have to say this I love oxtail a lot, and was skeptical if it would be meeting my standards, but it exceeded my expectations. The oxtail dumpling is soft and and tender. The oxtail is made just right. Some people mentioned it’s salty in a review I seen, but in my opinion it’s not salty. It’s rich, flavorful, and savory.


    Bone Kettle noodles with fatty brisket before the broth is put in


    Bone Kettle noodles with fatty brisket after they put in broth

    This is the main course. I’m a big fan of brisket. To have it in a soup was fantastic. The noodles are soft, but slightly firm. The broth is tasty and clean. It’s not spicy. It has these little carrot pieces I love eating. It taste so good when I get a spoonful of soup and small piece of carrot. I felt so rude to my best friend because the noodles were so good, I wasn’t even talking for a long duration. I was basically breathing in the soup because it’s so good. The fatty brisket is soft and tender. I ate the whole noodles and soup and didn’t leave a drop of soup. Ate it all. 

    I have so much respect for South East Asian cuisine now. I never knew it was so good and wished I tried earlier in life. It was beyond good, it was magnificent meal. Hoping to try again in near future if I’m in the area. 

  • A feast at Niku X


    Niku X is a premium seafood and A5 wagyu buffet. Yes, that’s why I was looking forward to this special feast for so long. I finally got to try it.

    I couldn’t believe the king crab and lobster tails and A5 wagyu is all you can eat with a plenty of time to eat and get full. My 2 close friends and I drove 1 hour in traffic to downtown to get this which was well worth it. 

    It’s opens at 5pm. When we got there and entered the restaurant, you can immediately see the food station or buffet line, and it’s packed in long row of all sorts of goodies. 

    To name some items that they were offering were: lobster tail, king crab legs, a variety of wagyu meat, shrimps, sashimi of different kinds of fish, sushi that’s out of this world, fruits, chicken wings, salad, and all this is at the buffet line or food station. Then, there’s foods or side dishes you can order separately that’s made from the chefs kitchen. I love their potatoes, oxtail dumpling, and miso soups that’s made from chefs kitchen. It’s a fantastic and amazing buffet. It has the one of the highest quality food and vast variety of food you can get for reasonable price. They got everything you want. 


    If you look, you can see that there’s steak knives and a long scissor. What I want to say about that is the steak knives are gold because the A5 wagyu meat comes in good cut, but it would be hard to eat some pieces with 1 bite, so I used the steak knife to cut up the A5 wagyu into smaller slices and it feels so good to eat like that. I feel civilized using a knife and fork when I cut up meat. The long scissors are for to cut up the king crab legs, or you can cut up the meat with it too. You cut the shell with it and take a large piece of king crab out and dip in butter if you want. My friend was trying to pop the king crab leg with his hands and eat it without using the scissors and was having difficulty eating it, so I passed him the long scissors and told him to cut the shell and get a big piece. He ate so many king crab legs after that. We ate the lobster tail with butter. The lobster tail is already cooked and ready to eat, same for the king crab, so you don’t have to grill the lobster. The lobster tail in the back of the shell is already cut open so you can take out the lobster meat with ease and dip in butter and sear it for extra heat. Since the lobster tails are already cut open in the back, it makes it less messier to eat.


    I got a very spacious high ceiling room to eat with. I’ve been here twice, once with only 1 friend and other time with 2 friends, but when I came here with 1 other friend, they still offered a spacious room for 2 of us. I thought that’s great service. The servers were all very kind both times I went. Maybe, I got lucky getting a room for 2 people, but I’m sure they can make arrangements if that’s what you desire. 

    This is a yuzu cheesecake which was dessert. I asked what a “yuzu” is to the server, and she said it’s a type of Asian citrus. Wow! It’s one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ate. It’s like a traditional cheesecake with a really nice tart flavor from the yuzu. 

    I’m not going to lie, this is the best buffet I’ve been to. One of my friends were worried he wouldn’t get full with the time limit because he’s a big guy, but we actually all 3 of us got extremely full and had to tap out before the time limit. Don’t worry about if you’re trying to get your moneys worth. You’ll get full at the buffet. 

    Everything was beyond delicious, you have enough time to try out everything, and it’s perfect way to celebrate. To be able to get all these variety of highest quality food in abundance is a true blessing. 

  • King Taco, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants

    King Taco was a go to spot for me for many years. 

    I love their tacos because it’s so simple, but delicious. I love their red and green sauce. Sometimes I combine both sauces to put on one taco or burrito. I get it with everything on it with onions and cilantro. 

    My family used to eat this every time we’re stressed because the red sauce is hot and it makes you alert and feel good. 

    The red sauce can be a little too hot for some people, especially, if you drench the taco with it by putting a lot of sauce. In small amounts it’s not too hot. The green sauce is flavorful. 

    When I come here and don’t get the tacos, I get the combination burrito, or all meat burrito, depending on the mood. I like their combination burrito everything in it without beans, not that I don’t like beans, but I tried it like this by suggestion, and it was so good, I just never stopped. If you’r’e in the mood for meat, the all meat burrito is the way to go.

    My brother when he was dieting and had King Taco for a cheat meal he ate 3 burritos in 1 sitting. That’s a lot of food. There was a time when this meal seemed best for budget, so I would eat more frequently in a week. Sometimes even 2 to 3 times a week. 

    I love Mexican food and I love simple things, so these tacos and burritos are amazing and delicious. I get their horchata, or pineapple juice. Their horchata is the best hands down horchata with cinnamon in it. When I feel like using more red sauce, I get a horchata because the milkiness makes it more soothing from the heat of the red sauce. When I don’t want to use all red sauce and use green, I get the pineapple juice. Their pineapple juice is sweet but not too sweet, so I don’t feel like sugar heavy. It’s really refreshing after you eat meaty tacos, or burrito. 

  • The Royce Wood Fired Steakhouse located in Pasadena inside the Langham hotel

    This is a special dinner I had this year.

    Grilled Spanish Octopus


    Wow! I never saw an octopus look this nice. I’m actually not a big fan of octopus, but this is an exception. My best friend who I came with and ordered this doesn’t like octopus a lot because of the way an octopus looks, but he ate this octopus up. He was so happy and didn’t find the octopus unappealing. This was made perfect so it looks appetizing. I know what you’re thinking if both of you don’t like octopus that much, why did you order it? Because it was the servers recommendation and said it’s a must try. My best friend and I didn’t regret this order at all. As for the octopus itself, we shared it and cut it with a knife into bite size pieces. I thought that was the most shocking thing when I cut the octopus with a regular knife, not a steak knife, it just cuts up like butter, a slight press on the octopus with the knife and it’s cuts up. I didn’t expect that to happen. The tomato accompanied with the octopus is so good too. The octopus is firm in texture, yet soft, and chews very easily with a little firmness. 

    Grilled Wedge Salad


    This is a salad I haven’t seen before,  it’s a little different. I’m used to seeing a salad, or the lettuce cut up, but this a lettuce that’s not cut up which I’m not foreign to, but thought it was special because haven’t seen it presented this way in a while. I thought it was a great experience. It taste really good and it’s vibrant, crunchy, and topped with a nice dressing. I always have to order a salad for lunch or dinner if it’s available. It’s amazing how this salad looks because I could never make a salad look this good. 

    Main Course: Ribeye Prime and Five Cheese Mac & Cheese

    On to the main course which is a ribeye steak and five cheese mac & cheese. I get a ribeye at almost every restaurant I go to because I’m like a ribeye guy. The steak was spectacular. It’s tender, juicy, and charred perfectly. When I cut it with my steak knife, it cuts like butter. They offer other types of steak that are more expensive if that’s what you want to try. The five cheese mac & cheese is heavenly. I love mac & cheese in general. I never tried a mac & cheese with five cheeses in it. This is my first time. I tried mac & cheese with lobster in it in the past at other restaurants, but this one is five cheese. It’s just as good. The mac & cheese is creamy and cheesy, and pairs perfectly with the steak. When you get a bite of both the steak and mac & cheese together, it’s like heaven.

    I came here for my best friends birthday meal this year. 

    The Royce is awesome because if you tell them it’s your loved ones birthday, they will bring out a small slice of cake with 1 candle in it. The cake looks nice just like all their other dishes. Very special because I got to sing and wish my best friend happy birthday while he was blowing out the candle on the cake. You should’ve saw my best friends face when the cake came out. It was priceless seeing him light up with happiness. 

    The Royce is located in The Langham hotel and it offers valet parking. 

    This was an unforgettable experience. 

  • Chubby Cattle – an all-you-can-eat BBQ

    I’ve been to 2 Chubby Cattle locations and they differ in style. 

    This was one the first location I’ve been to. The box has a variety of Japanese A5 Wagyu beef and it comes out smoky, so the presentation is immaculate. Feels like I’m getting a box of treasure.


    This is the second location I’ve been to. The plate with the meat and different meats on different parts of the cow and the meat really matches the body part on the plate to the meat and where it’s cut from. That’s the best way I can describe it. It looks so cool how they organized the meats.


    Both locations are awesome. I love this place once again because its Japanese A5 wagyu and other wagyus all you can eat. . 

  • The most delicious burger: In-N-Out

    In-N-Out in Glendale

    In-N-Out has always been my favorite since child hood. I started liking a lot more when I turned into a teenager back then. I would eat 2 double double and fries and bunch soda in 1 sitting after I go to the gym. My dad would pick me up on Friday after I do a hour, or hour and half work out at gym and take me to In-N-Out on Hollywood. It used to be the best stress relief, chilling with my dad cruising to Hollywood at night, and eat 2 double doubles and fries and coke. 

    My close friend in high school saw me eat 2 double doubles and he said, “man you can eat”. My close friend can eat too, he eats a 4 by 4. I love In-N-Out even now. 

    I loved coming with my brother a few years ago. My brother would end off work at like 8pm and go to In-N-Out and get it drive thru. We would wait 30 minutes line because everyone knows the lines at In-N-Out can be long. That’s how badly we wanted the double double and fries and strawberry milkshake. Everyone wants a good cheeseburger.

    I remember going a time with my mom and it was near Oxnard near Camarillo. In-N-Out was before the destination so we stopped by quick to refuel and then we would either drive thru if its not long and go inside if theres parking. Once we get our burgers we eat it and go shopping at the Camarillo Outlets with food in our tummy, so we can walk around and look at all the cool stores at the outlet. In-N-Out is the perfect treat to rest and eat happy. One of the best times of my life.

  • Birthday meal this year at Cheesecake Factory


    Cheesecake Factory is my one of my all time favorite restaurants for years now. It is consistent and always taste good. This Cheesecake Factory is located at Americana at Brand. I’ve been to all the locations at Americana, The Grove, and Santa Anita mall. Never disappoints and they have a nice lunch special menu that offers cheaper and slightly smaller dishes. I come here and get a Louisiana Chicken Pasta or Spicy Chicken Chipotle pasta every week for take out. I like to come here for birthdays. It’s so festive. One time I came here for my birthday and heard the servers sing happy birthday to three different tables next to me.


    The ambiance, decor, the lights, and wood interior of the Cheesecake Factory automatically makes you feel cozy and at a special restaurant.


    I ordered 2 ribeye steaks cooked well done, Santa Fe salad, and a Coke. The ribeyes steaks aren’t extremely thick or big which I prefer and its the perfect size and you feel satisfied after eating it. The Santa Fe salad is my favorite salad here. It pairs well with the steaks. The steaks come with mashed potato, or fries, and with asparagus. So delicious.


    I love eating the tender steak that bursts with flavor. I love the fluffy mashed potatoes. I love the crispy and fresh asparagus. This is a magical meal. I love my birthdays when I get to come here and celebrate.

  • Thanksgiving meal takeout at Buca di Beppo


    I order from Buca di Beppo every Thanksgiving. It’s been a tradition in my family for years now. We used to go to the one located in The Grove, but it closed down, so I go to the one in Pasadena. I call a week before to place the order and schedule an appointment to pick it up on Thanksgiving day. The parking in Pasadena on Thanksgiving is awesome because its free meter parking they don’t charge on holidays, so finding parking is a breeze. I get the small feast which I believe is suppose to feed a family of 3. I don’t have a big family, so I order take out instead of making at home. My family knows how to make Thanksgiving dinner at home, but we like the convenience. It comes in a pretty large takeout box.


    The box consists of slices of turkey, savory stuffing, tangy cranberry sauce, velvety gravy, moist pumpkin cake slices, fluffy rolls, and fresh asparagus. It comes packaged like this.

    After setting it up, so we can have a Thanksgiving meal, the delicious late lunch, early dinner looks extravagant. What more can I ask for on Thanksgiving.

    I’m mentioning this because tomorrow will September and its about 2 and half months until Thanksgiving, so I’m looking forward to doing this again this year. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays throughout the year.