Class 302, Rowland Heights, CA

Once again I found myself attending class. Class 302 that is. No Mio or Mikan this time so the experience was a bit different. Hung out with a good friend Angela, she's been having a rough time lately and was craving some sweets, so I suggested going to class.

Mango Mochi Shaved Snow


Mango Pieces, Mochi, Condensed Milk, Mango-infused Snow.

Judgment: Again, I love this stuff. Today's was good as well, except I felt the mochi was a little bland this time around. Maybe because last time Mio ate the majority of the mochi, who knows. The snow is light and comes out in sheets rather than chunks of ice like most shaved ice. The Mango pieces were ripe and sweet and the addition of condensed milk gave it a slightly candy taste to it. 9 / 10

Conclusion: Parking is not a big deal if you're willing to park a little further away. It is a nice place to chill and hang out if you just want a simple night out. There were a couple tables of people who were solo-ing the shaved snow so if you wanted to pig out, you can definitely do so.

The restaurant gets an A-rank.

Balcony Grille & Bar, Irvine, CA

Randomly got a call from Taylor saying she wanted to meet up in the plaza with 85C Bakery. I had just finished bowling so I was down since it was on my way home. We met up with one of our ex-coworkers for a light meal. Well, it was a meal for them, for me it was a snack.

Lychee Mojito



Traditional Mojito with a Lychee Twist

Judgment: The drink is refreshing with fresh mint and Lychee flavors. The drink was pretty much what you would expect from a typical Mojito. 8 / 10

Taiwanese Sausage with Garlic Slices



Sliced Taiwanese Sausage with Garlic

Judgment: The sausage is mildly sweet and well prepared. The garlic is there to give you a break from the sweet flavors and gives you a slight kick from the flavor. The garlic is definitely fresh and aromatic. As a whole, it's a very traditional dish you'd find in a Taiwanese restaurant. Similar to Dolphin Bay and Class 302. 8 / 10

Strawberry Banana Shaved Snow



Milk Shaved Snow with Chocolate Sauce, Strawberries, Banana and Peanuts

Judgment: The dessert is a great end with all the bar food and drinks. The dish as a whole was pretty good. The sweet flavors were not overwhelming and the fresh fruits definitely mellowed out the sweetness quite a bit. The interesting part was that their snow while good, was pretty plain on its own when it didn't have the condensed milk or chocolate helping it along. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The bar is hidden in the corner of the plaza but it's a nice place to hang out and enjoy some Taiwanese food. Service is a little slow because there aren't too many waitstaff around but for the most part, they are pretty responsive. Parking does get crowded thanks to 85 C bakery and other local businesses so that might be an issue sometimes.

The restaurant gets a B.

Class 302, Rowland Heights, CA

Once again, I find myself back in school. Oh wait, it wasn't school, it was Class 302. Mio had told me she wanted to eat Shaved Snow again and I forgot that we were really close to a place that served it when we went to Kogi last time. So once again, I get to hang out with Mio and Mikan of AniMaid Cafe again.



Mikan & Mio rushing to class..er.. Restaurant.

The restaurants decor really reminded you of an elementary school in Taiwan, all the way down to the desks and the textbooks I found in them.

Popcorn Chicken



Seasoned Chicken fried to order with basil

Judgment: This dish was actually pretty good. It's hard to find places that will do a proper salt & pepper fried chicken nugget. Typical tapioca drink places will make some version that isn't really flavorful, but more like just something thrown together. The chicken they had here was cooked to order and it was quite delicious and well seasoned. 8 /10

Sweet Potato Fries with Plum



Sweet Potato Fries seasoned with salt, pepper and a hint of plum

Judgment: You can really taste the Asian style cuisine in these fries. They are definitely different from your typical sweet potato fries at a high end burger place like The Counter or Slater's 50/50. Both good places as well. This batch was lightly seasoned with a plum flavor that kind sneaks up on you. I felt it was pretty good. 8 / 10

Grilled BBQ Corn



Corn on the Cob grilled and basted with Bar Be Que Sauce

Judgment: The Corn was flame grilled and heavily basted with the sauce. The corn was ok. I might have enjoyed it more without the bbq sauce and just seasoned with salt but all in all it was alright. Mio asked me if I liked this one more or the one at Boiling Crab. I'd have to give it to Boiling Crab. 6 / 10

Taiwanese Sausage with Garlic



Sliced Grilled Taiwanese Sausage with Fresh Sliced Garlic

Judgment: The sausage here was great. It was sweet and slightly salty like how it should be and they didn't over cook it where it becomes super tough and chewy. The garlic was fresh and flavorful to eat by itself as well. All in all, one of my favorites. 9 / 10

Old School Lunch Box



Chicken Leg with Rice



Scrambled Egg with Scallions & Boiled Vegetables



Pork Leg with Peanuts

Judgment: This dish has so many components and I felt that it was a bit overwhelming. Especially with all the appetizers I already ordered and then was convinced by Mikan and Mio to order the lunch box. Then again, I love eating animals, so pigs and chickens look out! The Pork Leg portion was just OK. I wished it was a bit saltier and marinated in the soy sauce a bit longer. The chicken leg portion was pretty good. A tiny bit on the dry side, probably because I let it sit too long, but it was still good. The scrambled egg portion was over cooked. I did not like it at all. The vegetables in the dish just average, a little salt wouldn't have hurt. 6 / 10

Mango Mochi Shaved Snow



Mango infused snow with Condensed Milk, Fresh Mangoes, and Mochi

Judgment: This was superb. Mio made a great decision ordering this one. I like mango, and there was mango infused into the snow. I dug myself a nice tunnel and hid some mochi in there from Mio but she found them. The flavors might be a little overwhelming because it is condensed milk with mango and more mango. However, I'm a mango lover so this was great. 10 / 10

Strawberry Shaved Snow



Milk Infused Shaved Snow with Fresh Strawberry Slices, Condensed Milk

Judgment: Mikan chose this one because she loves strawberry shaved ice. The shaved snow is definitely a different experience than shaved ice. The milk was plentiful and the strawberry was there to add a slight tart bite to it. Very delicious. At this point, I had wondered what the Strawberry & Mango Shaved Snow tasted like. All in all another good dessert. 9 / 10

Conclusion: As you might have read from other popular food review blogs and sites, this place is very well known for their desserts and drinks. We didn't get any drinks but I can imagine them being good. The food I would call average to pretty good but I think there are better food places near by. The parking lot is a little bit steep so you might scrape a little bit if you're low like my car. Also, the closer spaces to it are all compact, so I ended up parking a bit further away so I could find a spot that there wouldn't be anyone knocking their doors into my car. In the end, Mikan commented that we chose the coldest day to go eat shaved snow, and we STILL had a great time. You know we'll be back.

Until next time



The lovely Mikan and Mio who joined me for this adventure

This restaurant gets an A