eating like locals

we checked off three more places off of our list the next day.  up first:  liliha bakery, which popped up on the list with a recommendation for their specialty:  coco puffs, a combination of light pastry with chocolate pudding and chantilly cream piped inside.  they've got a full-service diner inside too, and so that's where we headed for breakfast.

i think we got lucky visiting a lot of these places during the week because we didn't have to wait to get in to most of them.  checking yelp reviews for all of the places on the list told us that a good number of them are popular with locals, which usually translates to long waits to get seated.  liliha was nice and quiet when we got there, and we were seated almost immediately.

watching plates go from the kitchen to tables helped us decide what to order from the menu.

as recommended, we ordered fluffy butter rolls split and grilled.  it was served with a bright red jelly that the bean said reminded her of hawaiian punch.  and she was right...that's exactly what it tasted like.  so, so, so good.

the old lady and i had decided to split an order of french toast to go with our eggs and spam.  it was super buttery and extra tasty.

the hub had opted for their special "waffard" - a crisp waffle served with dollops of custard, whipped cream and berries plus mixed nuts on the side.

we were all super stuffed by the end of the meal, but that didn't stop us from making a pitstop in the bakery on our way out.  heh.

and of course, the famous coco puffs.

as much as we were tempted by the wide variety of baked goodness, we managed to stick mostly to what we'd come for.

while we were having breakfast, we were looking at the list again and realized that another spot was just a mile away.  and so we plugged the address into the GPS and after a little confusion, we found nisshodo candy shop tucked away behind a little strip mall:

the lady at the counter was super duper grumpy, and didn't tolerate too many questions.  we decided to stick mostly to what we recognized and their specialty, little pieces of mochi called chichi dango.  it was all freshly made, chewy and soft, and just lightly sweetened.  yum.

later that evening, we hit up one more on the list - kyung's seafood, somewhat of a hole in the wall with pretty limited seating and lots of folks bustling in and out with take-out orders.

here they're known for super fresh and cheap sashimi platters, poke, tasty korean dishes and a strawberry soju that they served by the pitcher:

 
the old lady opted for bulgogi:

i went with a combo of poke (which is what the bean ordered) and meat jun:

and the hub ordered one of the sashimi platters.

the owner was really funny - friendly, a little liquored up and happy to buy rounds of drinks for various tables.  the food was all just as delicious and fresh as we'd read, and i think this was the hub's favorite spot on the whole list.

mmmm.  i love eating our way through cities.  best part of traveling!