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Visiting & Living in North Texas and Beyond, 12934 Bellaire Blvd., #104, Houston, TX (2026)

12/08/2025

Nhân Quán Phá Lấu Houston
13255 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77083

This Vietnamese restaurant makes the best version of Hột Vịt Lộn Xào Me. I do not recommend the BBH though because beef noodle soup lacks the lemongrass flavor.

12/07/2025

Bún Mắm Miền Tây
12934 Bellaire Blvd #104
Houston, TX 77072

I love bún mắm (fermented fish noodle soup). Instead of finding he best places for phở, I always have to find a place to satisfy my cravings for bún mắm. For the lovers of bún mắm and especially for those who love the color purple too, gotta make a trip to Bún Mắm Miền Tây when you are in Houston!
We ordered the hot pot bún mắm instead of individual bowls and a plate of Cơm Chiên Miền Tây (Vietnamese southern fried rice).
I will return for sure.

The lady owner loves the color purple and shows her love well. 😁

10/24/2025

Edible flowering plant:
This is the marshmallow plant that you can grow from seeds in Texas when temperatures are at least in the 60sF range and is frost hardy. Native of Africa, the plants and flowers are used in tea to treat sore throat. The sap, called mucilage, in the roots are used to make the original marshmallow. Modern marshmallows now substitute the mucilage with gelatin.

07/15/2025

Okaeri Cafe
312 N Greenville Ave Suite 100 Richardson, TX 75081
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PLXKy27bBn9fogXJ7

7/1/25:
Thank you Michelle Vi Le, owner of Okaeri Cafe in Richardson, for treating us a special treat after our lunch meetup at Canton.

My foodie folks said this place is known their soft serve ice cream. There is pineapple, swirl, and matcha. My sister and I got the swirl while my husband got the matcha.

If you are not a fan of anything with tartness, then get the matcha soft serve. I like to try both so I got the swirl. The tartness of pineapple dominated the matcha to me but I still like the swirl because it balance out with the sweetness well. The matcha soft serve alone has a strong green tea flavor and subtle sweetness.

I will have to come back with my kids next time. My daughter would love the matcha soft serve here. My little man doesn't like anything with pineapple, doesn't like matcha because his sister likes it, he just likes anything chocolate.

07/15/2025

Reviewing "Samantha Roselily"

Ideal for climate zones 7A through 9A.

I ordered some "Samantha Roselily" bulbs from a bulb online company. I kept two bulbs to test in my Florida garden which rotted away. But the bulb I sent to Mom to plant in her Richardson, Texas garden took off and bloomed beautifully.
It doesn't look like as shown on the magazine advertisement but the flower still looks pretty.
Seller: https://www.edenbrothers.com/products/roselily-samantha

Note: Mom planted the bulb in a 12-inch high pot. If you plant the bulbs in the ground, it can clump and produce more bulbs. Dug out the hard compacted rocky dirt in Texas and replace it with 12-inch deep rich organic soil for at least a 15x15-inch perimeter or more.

07/10/2025

7/10/25 : About the Page Master
I am an Asian foodie, a Google Maps reviewer, teacher, blogger, recipe creator, gardener, seed seller, food photographer, and a mama of two picky little foodies.

See what I've posted to Google Maps
Level 8 Local Guide
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pBF6bKHU5run8BWM6

If I am not actively sharing on this page, then I am probably back home in Florida busy working in my garden, cooking, or eating out with my friends and family.

I am an avid promoter of edible landscaping. I love inspiring non-gardeners to become gardeners.

I am specific about the varieties, and cultivars of all the vegetables we commonly eat. There are more than 2000 tomato and pepper varieties. There are more than 100 carrot varieties, over 20 basil varieties, etc. It is never too late to learn, never too late to grow an edible plant, never too late to try something new. Taste something you never tasted before, and explore places you have never been. Learn to cook and grow with me at https://www.MamaSnowCooks.com.

07/10/2025

Tokyo One Sushi & Grill
3945 Central Expy
Plano, TX 75023
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2oxjfwE1c3scfuGC7

6/30/25: My girlfriend and her husband treated me dinner here.
Highlights:
1. I like the baked oysters with mayonnaise. Although I wish the oysters were big like the ones over at Osaka AYCE in Addison.
2. teppani steak- tender, cooked to medium pink
3. Mango Panna Cotta - I love it to the power of ten!
4. Creme brulee - I like that too.

Notes: I am not a fan of rolls with rice in it when I go to an AYCE restaurant so I do not have any reviews on those.
I go for the expensive items to eat. Most other hot food items look like it's been sitting on the tray for too long with dry edges around the meat and shrimp.
Restaurant seems slow during peak dinner rush hour on a weekday.

It's the first time I ate so much dessert at a sushi AYCE restaurant. 😂 My girlfriend gave her husband "the look" for eating three pieces of dessert. His respond to his wife, "Well, don't look at me. Blame Snow! Look at her three plates of dessert full of creme brulee and mango panna cotta. I only got one plate!"

Of all the restaurants I have been to the past two years, this is the only restaurant that served the stinky UNFILTERED TAP WATER! It stinks. And when a restaurant serves unfiltered water, that same unfiltered water is what is added to iced tea too. Unfiltered tap water reminds me of sewage water or the swampy ponds in Florida and gives me stomach problems every time.

(I have a whole house water filtering system and a double filtering system by the sink for drinking at home. It makes a major difference! )

I don't mind coming back here if someone pays for my dinner so I can indulge myself with all the mango panna cotta, but I wouldn't pay $30 myself to dine here. I would make sure to bring my own water bottle for sure.

07/09/2025

Bros Korean BBQ Sushi Shabu
2625 Old Denton Rd Apt 700 Carrollton, TX 75007
Website: https://www.broskbbq.com/
Map:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/E6c3D9xUtV1Fcny39

6/30/25:
My two girlfriends and I came here for lunch after a visit to Spa Castle since it was just across the street.

We tried the hot pot and the BBQ AYCE. We three all agree that the BBQ was worth the money, but not so much for the hot pot.

Highlights:
1. Clean space
2. It's my first time I saw a Korean BBQ grill with three smaller sections for other side items to be cooked like the corn with mayonnaise and eggs. I thought it was cool.
3. I really like the side dishes that came with the hot pot. My favorite is the salad dressing. My friends like the cheesy corn with mayonnaise while I was visualizing how it would be nice if that was Mexican elote style instead.
4. My friends and I all love the meat marinades. There seem to be more meat choices for BBQ.
5. My girlfriends probably think I am weird but I ate a lot of the sweet corn on the cobs! I don't get to eat sweet corn like that back in Florida for years now. Writing this review reminded me that I have forgotten to buy the Texas sweet corn to take back home to Florida with me. 😭

Notes:
For the folks who like the hot pot AYCE at Seapot, I can't recommend the hot pot AYCE here compared to Seapot if you like a lot of selections of assorted vegetables, mushrooms, and seafood. The sauce bar for the hot pot has limited ingredients and selections as well. What really disappointed me is their lack of knowledge on prepping taro. The raw taro here is beyond the edible stage what Vietnamese refer it as (khoai môn bị sượng) is when the taro root is getting ready to develop a node to sprout. The taro is no longer edible. Cooking it 30 minutes long won't even soften it and it will not get that soft starchy taro taste. Whoever cut the taro should learn to identify when the taro is still edible or if it's time to compost or throw it out.

Overall, I would come back here for the BBQ but will stick to Seapot for the hot pot option because I love the herbal fragrance of Seapot's Tom Yum broth and the wide selections of vegetables and mushrooms.

07/08/2025

Pinned: Places I want to visit/eat out/meetup in 2026

Note: I do not accept any request to review any particular restaurant.

Lunch/Dinner Meetups in Summer 2026:
1. Kirin Court, Richardson (family style dinner - I never get to try the cuisines from the menu, only their dim sum. Gotta try their lobster dish.)

2. Canton Chinese Restaurant, Richardson (family style lunch meet up)

3. Awesome Chinese Cuisine, Plano (family-style lunch meetup and I must try that Peking duck)

5. Đông Hải Chinese Restaurant, Garland
(family style dinner meet up, got to make sure to order that Dungeness crab fried rice)

6. Holy Khao Lao Thai Cuisine, Garland (Family style lunch or dinner meet up)

7. Jeng Chi, Richardson (family style lunch meet up - Xiao Long Bao and sweet and sour tiger shrimp are my favorite cuisines here)

8. China Pearl Restaurant, Plano (family style dinner meet up - I want that $208 "Fresh Lobster Set Menu for 6-8 people deal)

9.

10.

New places I want to try:
1. Elevated Coffee & Tea, Richardson
2. Meccha Matcha, Grand Prairie (order the Matcha Dubai Drop)
3. Unmi Buffet, Arlington
4. Dalgochang, Carrollton
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Quick Fix:
1. Bánh xèo from Kim Lan Food to Go
2. Tofu pudding from Đoàn
3. Shrimp with Kung Pao sauce from Zhang's Kitchen
4. Too Thai Street Eats, Carrollton
5. Mì Vịt Tiềm - ?
6. Tiramisu Souffle Pancake - Cafe 360, McKinney
7. Giò Heo Giả Cầy - ? (Thèm muốn chết mà chẳng thấy ai bán)
8. Crepe - Mr. Paul's Crepe For U
9. Check out the tofu shop near Hiep Thai
10. Check out the Vietnamese buffet restaurant if open
11. Galbi and tofu soup - Joy Kitchen, Garland
12. Lobster and crawfish fondue and grilled Chilean seabass from Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
13. Buddhist Thai temple, Dallas - need to try that "Boat Noodle" and get me that juicy ribeye steak on a stick

Fun places to take my kids to:
1. Hapik, Firewheel Mall
2. Boulder Adventure Park, Grand Prairie
3. PlayGrand Adventures, Grand Prairie

Self reminders:

1. Reserve a day to cook vịt nấu chao and make mango salad with shrimp for my family and friends.

2. Reserve a day with Catherine so she can teach me how to make bánh ít lá g*i from scratch using fresh lá g*i in Frisco.

3. Reserve a day with kids to eat and play in Grand Prairie.

4. Reserve a day with kids to eat and play in Arlington.

5. Reserve time for and with mom before she gets jealous. 😂

6. Treat my friend Trey Birkhead to a Vietnamese restaurant that serves pescatarian and or vegetarian food.

7. Sign up for Bikram Yoga 14-days unlimited classes

07/08/2025

Pinned: Foodie Places I Have Been To
Updated 7/8/25

Places I would like to come back list:
Canton Chinese Restaurant, Richardson (I love all their authentic cuisines!)

Ốc Saigon, Garland (bún ốc)

Zhang's Kitchen (anything with kung pow sauce)

Buddhist Temple of Dallas (ribeye skewers and chicken skewers)

East Gourmet Kitchen (roast duck)

Crepe for U, Plano (Mr. Paul)

Escape 360, McKinney (tiramisu souffle pancake)

Kim Lan To Go, Garland (bánh xèo)

Joy Kitchen, Garland (Galbi & tofu soup)

Kirin Court, Richardson (dim sum)

Jeng Chi, Richardson (Xiao Long Bao, sweet and sour tiger shrimp)

289 Noodle House (hủ tiếu)

Takumi, Dallas (AYCE sushi)

Seasons 52, Plano (best juicy flavorful tender pork chop, perfectly grilled scallops on a bed of risotto, chicken flat bread are my favorites)

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Plano (oyster season, vanilla bean creme brulee, lobster and crawfish fondue, grilled chilean seabass are my favorites)

Meet Fresh (I love all their sweet tofu pudding!)

Neutral list:
One One - Malaysian restaurant (flat noodle)
Cá Nướng Miền Tây, Richardson (baked fish)
Noodle Wave, Garland (green curry and curry puffs)
Bros Korean BBQ Sushi Shabu, Carrollton (BBQ only)
Seapot (hot pot only)
Saigon Mall food court, Garland
Maria's Bakery (egg custard)
Nub It, Carrollton (home baker)
Genroku, Richardson (basil chicken)

-
Places I would not come back:
Tokyo One Sushi and Buffet (I love their mango panna cotta though)
Harutaka
Petit Four, Carrollton
Kin's Restaurant, Carrollton
Bushi Bushi, Carrollton
Mỹ Cảnh, Garland
Chef Sun's Noodle & Dumpling, McKinney
Asian Buffet, Carrollton
Tang (Plano H-Mart)

07/08/2025

Đức Hương Giò Chả
3347 W Walnut St
Garland, TX 75042
Located to the right of Hiệp Thái Market.
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HW4hBnGnsKTkQJVk6

7/7/25: The is a Vietnamese speciality shop that specializes in traditional pork nem chua, chả ốc (pork sausage with eacargot), chả lụa (pork sausage), several chè (dessert), etc.

My favorites:
1. Nem chua - I have tasted many versions of nem chua in many states, from deli to homemade, made with beef and pork, but this place is my favorite place that makes nem chua.

2. Chả Ốc - The escargot pork sausage here has a pleasant herbal fragrant of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, hint with a spicy kick of black peppercorn. I can taste the bits of escargot in every bite.

3. Chè khoai môn is a dessert made with sweet glutinous rice, coconut milk, and taro.

07/08/2025

Kim Lan Food to Go
3347 W Walnut St # 117
Garland, TX 75042
Located in Hiep Thai shopping center

Lunch 7/7/25:
This is where I go for Vietnamese nêm nướng. The bánh xèo here is crunchy thin with a decent amount of pork and shrimp too.

The down side is that this place is a to-go only food service. The bánh xèo can be reheated to crispness in an air fryer though. My mom would just buy the lettuce and herbs to eat with the bánh xèo at the market there.

Visiting & Living in North Texas and Beyond

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