Another month has gone by since the last time I did my “What I Ate This Month” series. Tom and I went to two or three more places than we did last month, but some of them are more like drinks, so does that still count? Anyway, let’s continue, shall we?

No Toro Cafe (Artesia, CA)

You really can’t go wrong with No Toro Cafe as it is a simple breakfast place in a small plaza in Artesia. What I enjoy about this restaurant is that they serve food to you the moment it is done cooking, which means the food is hot. The flavors here are pretty basic, but sometimes you just want a simple breakfast to move on with your day. This French toast combo with two eggs and two sausages (or bacon) hit the spot for me that day.

Bopomofo Cafe (Artesia, CA)

I chose the Hojicha Corn Latte whereas Tom chose the Ba-la Matcha. I never thought of having hojicha and corn juice together until Bopomofo decided to put them together, and you know what? It actually works! The roast-y notes of the hojicha pairs nicely with the corn. Don’t knock it until you try it.

Chun Yang Tea (San Gabriel, CA)

When I go back to the 626 area, I usually try to find a boba place I have not tried yet. This time I saw Chun Yang on Yelp, so Tom and I went. The plaza is such a small and tight space, but we got lucky to find parking right away. The drink I chose was not even on their regular menu. I think it was a mango smoothie with tea jelly. I really enjoyed their tea jelly because you can really taste the oolong tea flavors in it.

Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House (Cerritos, CA)

Tom had his membership to Mikiya since the beginning of this year, and we haven’t been back to it since then. We mentioned that to each other, so we decided to go there. The Yelp waitlist is such a nice feature since we did not have to wait outside for that long. All-you-can-eat premium meat was very nice with the hot pot. I ate a lot.

Mr. Champion (Arcadia, CA)

Tom and I often go to Mr. Champion to get a simple Cantonese breakfast, which includes three dishes of their cheung fun and a side of chicken wings. Sometimes we get a porridge, too, but we did not get any this time since we did not feel like anything hot. This honestly hits the spot for a simple and delicious breakfast.

Bafang Dumpling (Cerritos, CA)

We’re back to Bafang Dumpling, but this time we ordered wonton soup and green chili chicken cutlet. The wonton soup brings back memories of my mom makes soup since it is a very Taiwanese flavor with pork bone soup, fried shallots and cilantro. The green chili chicken cutlet was tender and slightly spicy.

Meccha Matcha (Artesia, CA)

Tom and I went to get Meccha Matcha as a detour since the restaurant we wanted to go to was overpacked, and we did not feel like eating. I decided to order the ube matcha latte whereas Tom ordered a black sesame ube latte. I went with ube since I saw that their ube series is going to be over soon. The ube flavors are very strong, and it was refreshing to have.

Tony’s Barbecue (Artesia, CA)

Tom and I decided to get Filipino food, and we might have over ordered, but that meant we had leftovers for our lunch the next day. We got plates of pork belly, pork ribs, lumpia and a bangus sisig. Unfortunately, the beef ribs sold out that day. The barbecue was super tasty, and you can really taste the grill flavor of the meats. I really wanted to try the sisig, and I chose bangus because I really enjoy the taste of milkfish.

Hodori BBQ (Arcadia, CA)

Summer is here. Tom and I couldn’t decide what to eat at the Arcadia mall, so we decided to go to Hodori, mainly because it had air conditioning in the restaurant. I didn’t get really good photos of the Korean BBQ, especially of the robot that came by with our food, since the server offered to cook for us. She just went for the grill right away, and we just continued eating as she cooked for us. It was refreshing to have such nice customer service at a restaurant, but I have to admit that it did take a bit to get used to that.

Tanakaya (Tustin, CA)

Tom and I decided to beat the heat by going to Micro Center in Tustin for a couple of hours before going out to eat. That way we did not have to stay at home and use our air conditioner. The air conditioning at Micro Center was just perfect, not too cold. I searched where to eat nearby, and I found this Japanese soba restaurant called Tanakaya. The photo of the soba sampler caught my eye. Tom ordered a Nabeyaki Udon with different things in it, like egg, oyster, pork and a side of shrimp tempura. We ended up sharing all of food, like he gave me some of his udon, and I gave him some of my soba. I enjoyed the broth of the udon since it was slightly smoky, but super flavorful. The soba was refreshing to eat in the summer heat. I liked the sampler since I was able to eat different kinds of soba they offered. I enjoyed the matcha one the most since the matcha flavor was really strong.

Polly’s Pies (Cerritos, CA)

I was not sure what to cook on a Thursday night, also because I didn’t have groceries left in the refrigerator, so Tom and I went to Polly’s Pies to have dinner. I ordered a meatloaf and cornbread as my bread. It was a nice and simple dinner. No complaints here.

Soup Shop (Cerritos, CA)

I’ve heard good things about Soup Shop’s pho. When I heard they reopened again in Cerritos, Tom and I went to give it a try. I ordered the sea salt cream with jasmine tea, and it was so refreshing. Tom ordered a cucumber limeade that he seemed to enjoy as well. We also ordered chicken wings since Tom likes chicken wings, and they were seasoned just nicely. I decided to get the combination pho to give everything a try, and Tom ordered an oxtail pho. Everything tasted so good. The tendon was seasoned and soft; the brisket was not too rough on the mouthfeel, and the meatball had good texture, too. I was not a fan of tripe, but I was surprised to see it since many places do not provide tripe anymore. Tom’s oxtails were so tender and fall of the bone, though. Definitely worth getting.

Ipoh Kopitiam (Alhambra, CA)

My mom was asking me what I wanted to go eat, and I suggested we go out to eat at Ipoh Kopitiam since I really enjoyed the food once before. I thought it would be fun to bring my mom and brother to an authentic Malaysian restaurant, too. My mom ordered the herbal soup since she wanted to see how it compares to how she makes it, and she seemed to enjoy it. My brother ordered the beef rendang, which he said it tasted familiar. Tom ordered the Hainan chicken, which you can’t go wrong with. I had the roti canai with chicken curry. It did not seem like a lot of food for me, but I had some of my mom’s soup, and I was full. I think my family enjoyed the food, but they did admit it was a little one note on flavor.