Category Archives: Travel

I like to travel, especially to the cities with great food and unique culture. Among all the great cities I’ve been to, I especially enjoy visiting Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, San Diego, Las Vegas, Taipei, and Shanghai.

This Travel category has a collection of posts on my travel experiences and my favorite hotel properties.

All Posts, Food, Travel

Sunday Brunch at St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel at Dana Point

During the past weekend I visited my family in California. We went to St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point for Sunday brunch. Dana Point is known for its beautiful beach view and the St. Regis is always a nice hotel to visit (regardless of location). The opportunity of eating at the St. Regis at Dana Point was too good to pass up.

The restaurant we went to in the St. Regis Monarch Beach hotel is called Motif. It was named the best brunch place in Orange County, California. I booked the reservation a few weeks before my trip. Being a Seattle person, I got tired of the rain and cold. I was longing for the Sunday brunch in the sunny Dana Point.

We arrived at the St. Regis Monarch Beach a bit early before our brunch reservation. We walked around the hotel and enjoyed the stunning view as well as the hotel’s interior and exterior designs. I’ve stayed in the St. Regis in San Francisco before, but the hotel design completely different from the St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point.

The Sunday brunch at Motif was great. There was a variety of food options, including international dishes, and a dedicated dessert bar. In addition to the typical brunch items, such as made-to-order omelets, pancakes, classic eggs benedict, and French toast, Motif also offers sushi, Korean beef BBQ, dim sum, salad, fresh seafood, desserts, etc.

One especially nice thing about Motif’s omelet and pancakes/French toast bar was that they offer about sixty toppings. My three-year old niece was excited to order her ideal pancakes with chocolate M&Ms and sprinkles, with fresh berries on the side. I even added Macaroons to her plate from the dessert bar. I ordered French toast with Grand Manier and fresh berries. The combination was perfect for me.

Another thing I like about having Sunday brunch at Motif is its intimacy. Unlike typical brunch buffet places where they were too crowded with too many tables, Motif is just about the right size. I didn’t have to worry about running into people while I was getting food.

Motif Sunday brunch is more about quality than quantity. They might not offer as many items as other brunch buffet places, but their dishes are freshly made in small quantity. They replenish their items continuously.

The service at the Motif was excellent. I have to say no matter how delicious the food a restaurant offers, the dining experience wouldn’t be as memorable without great service. I really enjoyed my Motif Sunday brunch at the St. Regis Monarch Beach at Dona Point. When I return to CA to visit my family in a few months, we will definitely visit Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach again!

Some people said that Motif offers the most extravagant Sunday brunch in Orange County. After my first-hand experience, I can’t agree more. The beach scenery, the quality of the food and the services made Motif stand out!

  • The price for an adult is $69 ($79 with unlimited Champagne) and $39 per child (age 5-12).
St Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point, CA
St Regis Monarch Beach at Dana Point, CA
St. Regis Monrach Beach at Dana Point, CA
St. Regis Monrach Beach at Dana Point, CA
Sunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach
Sunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach
Sunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach
Sunday Brunch at Motif at St. Regis Monarch Beach
Sushi Boat at Motif
Sushi Boat at Motif
Oversized Omelet and Korean QQK at Motif
Oversized Omelet and Korean BBQ at Motif
Desserts at Motif
Desserts at Motif
Desserts at Motif
Desserts at Motif
Pastry at Motif
Pastry at Motif
Pancakes with fresh berries and macaros
Pancakes with fresh berries and macaros
French toast with Grand Manier and fresh berries
French toast with Grand Manier and fresh berries
Fresh Berry Crepe with Coconut & Berry Sorbet
Fresh Berry Crepe with Coconut & Berry Sorbet
All Posts, Food, Travel

Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas

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Joel Robuchon is one of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas. It is located inside the MGM Grand Hotel. The last time I was there I had one of their preconfigured four-course meals. The food was very good and the experience was great!

Before my meal began, the server pulled up a cart full of freshly baked bread for us to pick. There were about twenty options and each of them looked very tasty. I wished I could just sit there and sample the bread the entire night. I had to stop myself from eating the bread, so I could leave some room for my meal.

Each part of my four-course meal was delicious, but especially the grilled spiny lobster wrapped in buckwheat frill. The dish was cooked perfectly; the lobster was tender and full of taste. So was my beef cheeks braised with red miso and ginger.

My last course was Joel Robuchon’s famous Le Soufflé. It was a freshly baked chocolate soufflé. The server put it right in front of me and placed the ice cream on it. Although I was already beyond being full, the anticipation of watching the ice cream been absorbed by the hot soufflé raised my appetite again!

Just when I though I was done with my meal for the night, the server pulled up another cart. This time, instead of variety of baked bread, it was chocolates and sweets. I am a weak person when it comes to desserts and chocolates. It was hard for me to limit my option to five treats, but I had to.

After my first time eating at the Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, I highly recommended it to anyone who is into food. Joel Robuchon is an upscale fancy restaurant. The food was delicious and the service was great. Although it was pricy (the four-course meal was $190 per person), the experience is priceless. After all, you are in Vegas, why not indulge yourself!

Joel Robuchon - Fresh Butter
Joel Robuchon – Fresh Butter

 

Joel Robuchon - Bread from the top of the cart
Joel Robuchon – Bread from the top of the cart
Joel Robuchon - Bread
Joel Robuchon – Bread
Joel Robuchon - La Langouste (girlled spiny lobsters)
Joel Robuchon – La Langouste (grilled spiny lobsters)
Joel Robuchon - Soup
Joel Robuchon – Soup
Joel Robuchon - Le Bceuf (beef cheeks braised with red miso and ginger)
Joel Robuchon – Le Bceuf (beef cheeks braised with red miso and ginger)
Joel Robuchon - Le Black Cod - semi smoked black code with eggplant puree
Joel Robuchon – Le Black Cod – semi smoked black code with eggplant puree
Joel Robuchon - Le Souffle - Chocolate Hot Souffle
Joel Robuchon – Le Souffle – Chocolate Hot Souffle
Joel Robuchon - Chocolate and Sweets
Joel Robuchon – Chocolate and Sweets

 

All Posts, Holidays, Travel

The Venetian Macao Hotel Light Show

Video

While I was in Macao visiting the famous Cotai Strip, I watched the light show presented outside of the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. The show was designed to celebrate the winter holiday. It included a Chinese dragon running across the screen, gold coins, fireworks, a snow storm, and a gondola (which reminded me of the Venetian in Las Vegas). The winter holiday theme of the show was perfect for the season. I think the light show was amazing!

Venetian Macao Winter Holiday Light Show

All Posts, Food, Travel

Bourbon Steak Restaurant in San Francisco

Recently I was in San Francisco for a wedding and I stayed at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. It’s an old hotel, originally built in the early 1900s and had a different feel from the hotels I frequently visit in Las Vegas and also different from the other Westin hotels I’ve stayed at elsewhere. On one evening, I ate dinner at the Bourbon Steak restaurant in the Westin St. Francis. Bourbon Steak is a Michael Mina restaurant. The restaurant is very woody — meaning somewhat dark and traditional. I really didn’t know exactly what to expect but let me get to the point and say I was very pleased with my dining experience.

Before dinner I had a drink at the small bar in the restaurant. I had a glass of Volver house red wine. It was good but nothing exceptional, but the bartender, Adam, was very personable and made the pre-meal drink very nice. Before being seated in the dining room I ordered the house specialty French fries. There were three types, with three distinct seasonings and three sauces. These French fries were really good.

After I was seated in the dining room, I ordered the pan roasted halibut with crab, almonds, and fennel. On a scale of 1 to 10 I’d give the meal a solid 8. Because my friends and I had side dishes of mashed potatoes, and Michael Mina’s special black truffle mac & cheese, and sauteed spinach, the meal was more than filling.

Overall, I give Bourbon Steak restaurant by Michael Mina a strong recommendation. The prices are a bit high but I felt the environment, the service, and food were well worth the price.

Halibut
SideDishes
Candy

All Posts, Beauty, Travel

How to Protect Your Skin from Dehydration Caused by Airplane Travel

Our skin can get really dry when we travel, especially by airplane. This dryness is partly due to the high altitude and the recycling of the air in the plane. After traveling for years, I have my own skin care routine to protect my face from dehydration throughout the trip. The routine consists of a three-part treatment: before, during, and after the trip. I will also show you the facial masks I use.

Before the trip:

The night before I travel I exfoliate my face after using a cleanser. The purpose of exfoliating your face is to get rid of any dead skin cells and help the skin to effectively absorb any products I apply. After cleansing and exfoliation, I gently pat my favorite toner onto my skin. Then I use a facial mask in place of my regular serums.

The facial mask is the key to my skin care routine before airplane travel. The facial mask is usually made of cotton or a silky sheet which is soaked with nutrients and hydrating ingredients that help to boost the moisture level in the skin. One of the common ingredients in many brands of facial masks is hyaluronic acid, which effectively enhances the hydration level of the skin.

By applying the facial mask and keeping it on my cleaned face for 15 to 25 minutes, I am “bathing” my skin in the highly concentrated serum. Once I remove the mask and massage the remaining serum into my skin, my face is visibly more radiant and healthy. The last step in the before-trip treatment is to use a regular moisturizer to lock in the moisture I just applied to my skin.

This part of the routine prepares and protects my skin from dehydration during the airplane travel.

During the trip:

On long trips, on the night before arrival to my destination, I will apply another facial mask to my face before I go to bed. This part of the routine goes like this: cleanser, toner, facial mask, and moisturizer. There’s no need to exfoliate my skin since I already did so the night before. The purpose of using a second facial mask is to replenish the hydration level in the skin. This part of the routine is important, especially if I was staying in hotels; the air conditioning usually make my skin dry.

After the trip:

After I arrive home from the trip, my skin gets tired and dry from the travel. I would repeat the same routine as the day before the trip – cleanser, toner, facial mask for 25 minutes, and moisture.

Facial masks are really popular and less expensive in Asia than in the U.S. Whenever I travel to Asia I generally buy a lot of the facial masks and bring them back home to the U.S. for later use. Here are some of the brands that are available oversee as well as in the U.S. — My Beauty Diary, Kanebo Sensai Collection, SK-II.

I hope this skin care routine will be helpful to you the next time you travel.

How to Protect Your Skin from Dehydration Caused by Airplane Travel

All Posts, Fashion, Travel

Louis Vuitton Neverfull Monogram for Summer 2013 with Articles de voyages Theme

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Louis Vuitton Neverfull Monogram in Grand BleuLouis Vuitton’s Neverfull bag has been very popular since it was launched many years ago. For Summer 2013, Louis Vuitton has reinvented the Neverfull bag with the “Articles de voyages” motif. The new Neverfull is different than traditional Neverfull Monogram. First, it comes with colored leather trim and handle. Second, it has ikat flowers design on the interior. Third, it has “Articles de voyages” text and motif on the outside of the bag.

The Neverfull Monogram for “Articles de voyages” is available in two sizes: Neverfull MM (medium) and Neverfull GM (large). And there are three hues to choose from: Rose Velours, Indian Rose, and Grand Bleu.

The Neverfull Monogram bag for “Articles de voyages” is very eye-catching. The first time I saw it was during a private styling event at a Louis Vuitton store. I love its design with colored trim and the print inside and outside of the bag. The three available shades are ideal for the warm weather, and the flower print inside of the bag complements the simple Article de voyages print outside of the bag well. My first impression of the bag was that it is delightful and refreshing.

The Neverfull is perfect for travelling and Summer. I have a Neverfull in Damier Ebene (bought when it was first launched in November 2008), which has been one of my travel essentials for overseas (such as Taipei, Beijing, and Shanghai). The bag is light and versatile. I can fit it in my suitcase easily. I can also carry my essential items when I am out and about. I also use the bag when I hit the beaches in California.

Several of my friends asked me if the thin straps of the bag are strong enough to hold the weight once you put all your items inside. I can say from my personal experience that the straps are very sturdy.

If you’ve never owned a Neverfull and are thinking about getting one, the Neverfull Monogram for “Articles de voyages” collection is a great way to start. Even if you already have a Neverfull in a different material, I think it would be worthwhile to invest in the new Article de voyages.

Neverfull Monogram in Rose Velours
Neverfull Monogram in Rose Velours
Neverfull Monogram India Rose
Neverfull Monogram India Rose
Neverfull Monogram in Grand Bleu
Neverfull Monogram in Grand Bleu
All Posts, Food, Travel

85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, California

I visit my family in Irvine, California several times a year. There are some favorite places that I go to frequently during each visit. One of them is the 85°C Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese bakery chain introduced to Southern California several years ago.

Why do I like the 85°C Bakery Cafe so much? I love to eat desserts, breads/pastry, and drink milk tea. And this bakery has everything I love. They make yummy cakes with fancy decorations. They also make a variety of breads/pastry (from my favorite marble taro to egg tart). And they have my favorite drinks (coffee jelly milk tea and sea salt coffee) which I can’t get from anywhere else. Their coffee jelly milk tea is the best! I can drink it EVERYDAY!

One amazing phenomena about the 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine is its long customer line in the morning, afternoon, and at night (right before they close at 10:00pm). Customers are willing to wait for more than 30 minutes just to get into the bakery to choose what they want. After they pick up their selection they have to get into another crowded line to pay and order their drinks. However, the long lines don’t seem to bother people who are determined to get their treats of the day.

It’s not a surprise to my friends how crazy I am about this bakery. Every time I go I would get several boxes/bags of goodies and eat them for breakfast, snacks between meals, and late night treats. But what surprises me is that most customers in that stores are like me. They get the items in large quantities that look like enough to feed a big family!

The new Travel Channel recently featured a video on the 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine. To hear more about it, go to 85°C Bakery in Irvine.

Cakes and Desserts from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Cakes and Desserts from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Breads from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Breads from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Breads from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Breads from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Breads from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
Cake by Slices from 85°C Bakery Cafe in Irvine, CA
All Posts, Food, Travel

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina in Vegas

Wolfgang Puck has several restaurants in Las Vegas, ranging from casual (Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in the MGM Grand) to fine dining (Cut at the Palazzo). On my most recent trip to Vegas I ate at the Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina located in the Crystals Shopping Center right next to the Aria Hotel. I’d classify WP Cucina as a mid-range restaurant, somewhere between casual and fine dining.

I was looking forward to ordering lasagna so I could compare it to other lasagnas I’ve had in Vegas. To be honest, the lasagna at WP Cucina was a mild disappointment. It wasn’t bad by all means but it clearly didn’t come close to the lasagnas I’ve had at Sinatra (Encore Hotel) or Allegro (Wynn). The WP Cucina lasagna’s cheese was a bit too mild and soft for my taste.

I also shared an Italian Sausage pizza with Rapini, Caramelized Garlic, and Pecorino Romano. The pecorino (sheep’s cheese) and rapini (a type of broccoli) gave the pizza a very different but good taste. And it is one of my traditions to always have at least one side order of meatballs every trip, so I ordered the Grilled Meatballs, Red Pepper-Olive Ragu, Pecorino Toscano. The meatballs’ taste was also different but interesting and good. My friend had Rigatoncini (pasta), Piedmontese Meat Sauce, Parmesan, which was the best dish of the evening, and Tuscan White Bean Soup, Prosciutto, Rigatoni Pasta, that was also excellent.

All in all, I highly recommend Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina at the Crystals Shopping Center if you’re in the mood for an medium-upscale Italian restaurant in Las Vegas.

Wolfgang Puck Bread
Wolfgang Puck Bread
Wolfgang Puck Grilled Meatballs
Grilled Meatballs, Red Pepper-Olive Ragu, Pecorino Toscano
Italian Sausage pizza with Rapini, Caramelized Garlic, and Pecorino Romano
Italian Sausage pizza with Rapini, Caramelized Garlic, and Pecorino Romano
Wolfgang Puck Lasagna
Wolfgang Puck Lasagna
Rigatoncini (pasta), Piedmontese Meat Sauce, Parmesan
Rigatoncini (pasta), Piedmontese Meat Sauce, Parmesan