November 30th 2015: More Meals in Worcester

This morning, I stopped by La Reyna Express, a small Latin American takeout place in Worcester, getting a Beef Pastel, which was a pretty good start to my day.

Lunch was at Roti Boti, an Indian restaurant which has taken the place of New House of India, which I visited in the past.

The buffet was nothing much though.

For dessert, we went to Yoway Cafe in town, where we got a Strawberry Almond Crunch Crepe (strawberry, almonds, granola, sauce, with green tea ice cream) this time.

Really delicious stuff. Glad I came back here for this.

November 29th 2015: Dinner at Yummy Steakhouse, Worcester

Dinner today was at Yummy Steakhouse, a newly opened Japanese restaurant that has taken the place of Hirosaki Prime in Worcester, which I visited a long time ago. The decor is pretty much still the same though.

We got a Strawberry Colada,

the Soft Shell Crab (deeped fried, served with ponzu sauce),

the Tuna Dumplings (snow crab stick, lobster and mango wrapped with tuna, special sauce and tobiko on top),

the Volcano (california maki topped with mixture of shrimp, tako, kani, tamago, tobiko, scallion, enoki, spicy mayo and torched cheese).

and the Basil Roll (lobster avocado, crunch and almond inside, salmon on top with special sauce).

Not only were the presentations really good, they were fantastic tasting as well, especially the tuna dumplings and the basil roll, which was one of the best sushi rolls I have had to date, the disparate ingredients coming together really well.

Overall, definitely a better replacement for Hirosaki.

November 28th 2015: Shopping on a Rainy Day

While shopping on a rainy day at the Wrentham Premium Outlets in Wrentham, we stopped by the Godiva Chocolatier there, getting a Strawberry Trufflelata,

which was one of the highlights of this dreary day.

Lunch was at Cole's Tavern, a small bar in Franklin, where we got Buffalo Wings (oven roasted, deep fried then tossed in hot sauce. served with carrots celery and blue cheese for dipping),

Baked Stuffed Shrimp (tender black tiger shrimp served in a casserole dish covered with our seafood stuffing then baked to perfection and served with rice and vegetable),

and the French Dip (freshly sliced roast beef, served on our soft  roll with au-jus for dipping).

The wings were crispy, but pretty bland, while the shrimp were too salty. The sandwich was nothing extraordinary either. Definitely not coming back again.

Our final shopping stop for the day was at the Natick Mall in Natick, where we were lucky enough to get a parking spot, and the Christmas decor were all up.

We took a break at Melt Gelato, which I visited a long time ago, this time getting a Pineapple Paradise (pineapple, coconut and banana) drink,

which was a refreshing end to a long day of shopping.

November 27th 2015: Hiking in Central Western Massachusetts

I started out this morning with a quick bite at Mike's Donut Shoppe in Leicester. This place serves breakfast as well, but I decided to just go with a Honey Dipped Donut, which was just alright.

I was still hungry, so I stopped next at the Rise N Shine Diner, a small town diner in East Brookfield, getting the Meat Lovers Omelette (full of bacon, sausage, ham and cheddar cheese).

 Glad that hit the spot.

After these meals, it was on to my first hike at Quabbin Park, where the paths I took are shown below in pink.

I first went to get a glimpse of Pepper 's Mill Pond,

Then went on the Dike Trail to get to a view of the Goodnough Dike.

My next hike was at the Holland Glen area in Belchertown. I have been here in the past to find the Holland Glen Falls.

This time I went past it to try to find the Holland Glen Lookoff,  but could only get partial views at the top,  which was in private property as well.

My next hike was up Metacomet Hill nearby at 10 Orchard Road, the path I took shown below in pink,

but there were no views to be found here either.

At this point,  I decided it was time to to get Lunch,  which would be at Bread and Butter, a modern looking breakfast place in Amherst.

I went with the Pork Belly Benny (Poached eggs,  Maple sriracha Pork Belly, English muffin, hollandaise).

Really delicious stuff, a definite recommend from me.

From here,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

23 Brigham Lane

it was on to my next hike at the Podick Conservation Area, where the path I took from the junction of Sunderland Road and Route 116 is shown below in  pink.

The path to the pond Here was pretty overgrown, and I had a little trouble finding it, but it wasn't worth the effort in the end.

Next, I went up Pulpit Hill nearby, where the path I took from Pulpit Hill Road is shown below in pink.

Once again, nothing to see here.

My final short trek for the day was at the Upper Mill River area, located at 127 Bridge Street, where there were nice views of the rapids here

and from the power lines.

At least not all my hikes today were a waste of my time.

November 25th 2015: More New Places in Worcester

I started out this morning at the Pickle Barrel Restaurant and Deli in Worcester, which is more a big breakfast place in a seedy part of Worcester than a deli. I got the Pork Souvlaki  (on grilled pita bread, yogurt cucumber sauce, tomato and onion),

which was just alright I guess.

Lunch was at Pho Bowl, a new Vietnamese place that just opened up at 593 Park Avenue in town.

We got the Avocado Smoothie (Sinh To Trang Chau Bo),

the Grilled Mussels with Fried Onions and Peanuts (Chem Chep Nuong),

the Spring Rolls with Grilled Shrimp (Goi Cuon Tom Nuong)

and the Pho Dac Biet (Rare steak, brisket, flank, tendon, tripe and meatballs).

The smoothie was really good and creamy, but while the mussels were not bad, the measly 6 pieces we got was definite;y not worth the money we paid for it. The spring rolls were just alright, although the pho was not bad. I still think Pho Dakao is better.

After lunch, I stopped by Yoway Cafe for some froyo on my way back to work.

This place has much more stuff than your typical froyo place, with ice cream crepes even. The froyo was alright,  but I think I want to come back to try the crepes.

After work, I stopped by Palma's Bakery, and Italian place with a cafe, Cafe Sorrento attached to it, getting a Napoleon dessert,

which was pretty delicious.

My next stop was at Donut Express, where I got my first French Cruller.

Cheap and good.

Finally, it was time for dinner at Nancy Chang.

I was here several years ago for the dinner buffet with friends, and this time we wanted to check out the Asian Tapas menu, getting the Lavender Sapphire and Tonic (Bombay Sapphire Gin, Lavender Syrup, Tonic Water and Fresh Lemon Juice) for a drink,

the Lobster Cucumber Boat,

the Saigon Beef Lettuce Wraps (served with fresh peanuts and lettuce cups),

the Roast Duck Tacos (served with sour cream and cucumber)

and the Roast Pork Buns (served with a tangy sauce in a soft bun).

The drink was horrendous in my opinion. Lavender definitely does not taste good here.
The lobster dish was pretty bland as well, as was the duck. The lettuce wraps and pork buns were not too bad, but nothing special either, the pork being a little on the hard side as well. Overall, pretty disappointing.