March 9th 2014: Brunch at Jean and Lee Restaurant, Newton

After a late night last night,  I woke up really late today, and decided to laze around at home till it was time to head to Newton for a Taiwanese brunch at Jean and Lee Restaurant, a new place that just opened recently.

I got there a little early, but the place was already packed. Even after all my friends arrived, we still had to wait a bit to sit all 10 of us. However, our large group meant we ordered a lot of stuff, although a few things we wanted were already sold out.

Tofu Skin (left) and Little Dried Anchovies with Peanuts

Pan Fried Daikon Cake

Oyster Pancake with Eggs

Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice

Jelly Fish

Pan Fried Pork Buns

Taiwanese Stinky Tofu

Steamed Mini Juicy Pork Buns

Sticky Rice with Bamboo

Shredded Pork Ears

Taiwanese Sausage

Sweet Soy Milk

Gyoza

Sliced Beef Wrapped in Scallion Pancake

Most of the dishes were really good, especially the oyster pancakes, which were really crispy and reminded me of home. The anchovies were a little on the salty side, and the tofu were stinky as always. The soy milke had no flavor, but that was because all the sugar was still at the bottom of the bowl. I never was a fan of pork buns either.

After lunch, we went our separate ways, and I headed to Milton

Milton Hill Sport and Spa

to check out the Neponset River Trail, the start line being at the Central Avenue T-Station.

The trail heads into Boston,

passing by Neponset Marshes

and Neponset II Park, which has beautiful views of the Neponset River.

I followed the trail all the way to Pope John Paul II Park, then turned back as I have already visited that part before.

After finally reaching back to my car, I still had some time before the sun set, so I headed to Quincy to spend the rest of the daylight there,

Freedom Park, 8 Thomas Burgin Parkway

Adams National Historical Park

With the sun gone, there was only one thing left to do, eat.

For that, I headed to Villa Rosa Restaurant in town, a family style Italian restaurant with that cozy feeling. The menu was pretty uninteresting, although the Veal Nantucket (Veal and Shrimp sauteed in marsala wine with artichoke hearts and mushrooms) I got was actually pretty good, and the sides were actually more substantial than the main dish itself.

Overall, I'm just a little disappointed at how little I accomplished today, although lunch with friends was fun as always.