Tag: Hoover

With the temperatures rising outside, the best way to cool off is with a popsicle. Urban Pops satisfies with an assortment of homemade popsicles. They offer creamy and juice styles. They are made fresh and it’s possible they will be sold out of a flavor when you visit because of their popularity.

     

     

I visited them on three separate occasions so  I could try three different flavors.

For my first visit I went for the Cookies and Cream.

The ice cream was super creamy. The flavor of Oreo was throughout the ice cream.

They also included a full size Oreo cookie in the middle. It was like dunking the cookie in an ice cold glass of milk.

On my second visit I went for one of their juice popsicles, Strawberry.

There was a great sweetness and there were fresh slices of strawberries throughout. This version was extremely refreshing.

For my third visit I chose the Banana Pudding.

The ice cream was even creamier than the cookies and cream. The banana flavor was exactly what you would find in an actually banana pudding dessert.

They even included full size vanilla wafers in the pop.

They really captured the essences of the dessert.

There are so many more flavors I want to try. This place is great. The owners are extremely friendly. They really remember their customers as soon as you walk in. Definitely check them out either at their shop or find out where their food truck will be.

http://urbanpopsbham2.wixsite.com/pops

Enjoy!

T

There is a Japanese restaurant that I had passed by for a while but never tried. Well, I finally decided to check out Yuki in Hoover, Alabama.

The majority of the restaurant is filled with hibachi tables. It is perfect if you are going with a big group. I was not there for hibachi. I wanted something off their regular menu. Luckily they had a few tables I could sit at.

I started off with their ginger salad. This has become a tradition for me to always start with this. Their fresh lettuce was covered in a creamy ginger dressing. It reminded me of a yum yum sauce I usually get with the grilled vegetables at the hibachi table.

Since I was there by myself I knew that whatever I ordered there would be leftovers. But Asian food leftovers are my favorite and are always perfect for lunch the next day.

The chicken lettuce wraps are diced up into bite size pieces, along with water chestnuts, onions, and pine nuts. The sauce had the flavor of sesame oil which added a slight nutty taste. They served it alongside large leaves of iceberg lettuce. The lettuce added extra crunch and helped cut down on the saltiness.

There were a few noodle dishes on the menu. I went for the Yaki Udon. The udon noodles were thick and cooked perfectly. They were stir fried with carrots, onions, broccoli, and mushrooms.

The chicken they used was all white meat that was thinly sliced. The meat had a smoky taste from the wok it was cooked in. The sauce tied it all together by being both salty and sweet.

I am glad I finally stopped into Yuki. It is a good place and all the families that were there seemed to really enjoy the hibachi tables.

Check them out at http://yuki-japanese-restaurant.business.site/

Enjoy!

T

Once again I found myself craving sushi. I started thinking about it at work and decided that was going to be my dinner. It was just going to be me so I was excited that I could make the choice of where to go. I decided to try a little family owned local place called O Sushi.

It is a cute place at the corner of a shopping center. I was greeted by the wonderfully friendly staff as soon as I walked in. They have a beautiful bamboo wall that separates the entrance from the main dining area.

Rather than sit at the sushi bar, I went for a small table so I could spread out a little more and just relax. It felt so private with the ornate screens in the window.

They were running a happy hour special on sake while I was there. I decided to get a small hot sake to start my relaxing evening.

 

Their menu had great options to choose from. There was hot and cold appetizers, classic rolls, specialty rolls, homemade ramen noodle soup, and bento boxes. I was really hungry and everything sounded delicious. However, since I was there by myself I knew I could not order too much.

I started with a bowl of miso soup. It was a classic broth with a few slices of seaweed wrapper and tofu. It acted as a great palate cleanser before my sushi came out.

I ordered the tuna tartare off the cold appetizer menu. This had spicy tuna, avocado, a seaweed salad, and fried wonton chips. The presentation was beautiful. The avocado slices lined the bottom of the plate and the finely chopped tuna was placed on top. Decorating the top of the tuna was the seaweed salad.

The tuna was tender and soft. The avocado added a creamy texture and the seaweed salad added crunch. It was the perfect combination. I really liked the seaweed salad. I was expecting it to be salty but it was not. It had a neutral taste that had great crunch but did not take away from the flavor of the tuna. The fried wontons were a great way to eat this dish. I wish I had gotten more of these because they were a great snack.

For my choice of roll, I went for a specialty one called the Caterpillar Roll. It was an eel roll wrapped on top with avocado and drizzled with eel sauce. This roll also had a beautiful presentation on the plate. I was very excited to take a picture of it. If you love avocado, then this is a roll that will make you happy.

The eel itself was fresh and tender. It was paired with a chunk of avocado and wrapped with seaweed and rice. Tightly rolled around the outside of the rice was more slices of avocado. This was the creamiest roll I have ever had. The eel sauce (which is one of my favorites) added sweet flavor to each bite. There was no reason to use any soy sauce with this roll because it was perfect just how the chef prepared it.

I really enjoyed my meal and I can’t wait to bring some friends and family here. There are so many other rolls I want to try. Plus, I want to try some homemade ramen on a cold day. Check out their menu at http://www.osushihoover.com/

Enjoy!

T

 

It had been a while since I had sushi and I was hungry for it. A friend of mine at work recommended I try her favorite sushi restaurant, Rock n Roll Sushi.

Just by the name I could tell that the theme of the restaurant would be music. Sure enough, when I walked in I saw guitars and posters decorating the walls.

  

I sat at the bar so I could watch them make all the different rolls. They have a large menu of creative rolls named after different bands and artists, like the KISS Roll or the Elvis Roll.

I started off with their ginger salad. It’s the typical style salad that I get at other Japanese restaurants. The difference here is they make their own ginger dressing. It was a creamy dressing that was similar to a yum-yum sauce.

I also shared some mini eggrolls. These had chicken in them and were served with a great sweet chili sauce. They were the perfect size appetizer.

The roll I went with was the RNR roll. It’s eel and avocado topped with eel sauce. I love eel sauce. It is sweet and tastes good on so many things. The eel was fresh and tender. I liked he creamy texture of the avocado paired with the eel.

Since that one roll was not filling enough I ordered their tuna twister. It is spicy tuna wrapped with sliced avocado and drizzled with their sweet chili sauce. They were also topped with crunchy flakes. The presentation was beautiful.

The avocado was sliced so thin that it just melted in my mouth. The tuna naturally was the star of the dish. It was so fresh I would have thought it was just pulled from the ocean. They chopped it up into small bite size pieces. It too just melted in my mouth. The sweet chili sauce was fantastic on the tuna. It enhanced the flavor of the tuna.

I loved everything that I ordered and I cannot wait to go back for more. I highly recommend Rock n Roll Sushi. Visit their website at: www.rnrsushi.com

Enjoy!

T