Month: January 2021

Pita’s Mediterranean Grill – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Pita’s Mediterranean Grill is a modern-style cafe that serves classic mediterranean food including falafel, kabobs, and gyro, (also known as shawarma.) About a month ago, we decided to check it out! Our dad ordered a mediterranean salad and a lamb shawarma sandwich. He thought it was appetizing and packed with flavor. We also ordered 4 chicken kabob plates which came with rice, pita bread, hummus, salad, and the chicken kabobs. The plates were shared amongst the rest of us, and we all enjoyed it. It wasn’t very flavorful and was bland, but was ok. Lastly, we ordered 2 side orders of shawarma. Shawarma, (gyro,) has always been one of our favorite Mediterranean dishes, so we loved it!

We are used to eating Mediterranean food from Daphne’s Greek Cafe, which is essentially the Americanized type of Mediterranean food, so this style of food was a little bit different for us. While we aren’t the biggest fans of this restaurant, it will probably appeal to many. Our family might not try Pita’s Mediterranean Grill again, but it is a popular restaurant that serves good food, and we recommend trying it out!

Sushi Huku – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Sushi Huku is a Japanese food restaurant that is located in San Marcos, and for Kiran’s and Simran’s birthday in December, we decided to try it out for the first time!

California rolls (image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

We got 2 orders of the California rolls, 1 order of the Crunch roll, 1 order Spicy Tuna roll, and 1 order of the Baked Salmon roll. All of the rolls we ordered at Sushi Huku were great, but some were better than others.

The California rolls, (a personal favorite of ours,) were ok. They were a bit plain, and not the most flavorful, but they were still tasty. We loved the Crunch rolls! They were filled with scrumptious ingredients and had a satisfying crunch to them. The Spicy Tuna rolls were delicious! While they were a little spicy, they weren’t too hot, and were filled with flavor. The Baked Salmon roll was also amazing, and was our mom’s personal favorite.

Crunch rolls (image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

Compared to all the other sushi places we have tried, the rolls from Sushi Huku were more fresh and also seemed larger. We enjoyed every single roll we tried from Sushi Huku, and recommend checking it out!

IHOP – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

IHOP, (which is an acronym for the International House of Pancakes,) is an American restaurant chain that is known for its breakfast foods. In August, my family had a little staycation at home, which meant no cooking. For breakfast one day we decided to order from IHOP. Kiran ordered the French Crème Brûlée Pancakes. There were 4 pancakes included that were covered with brûlée creme and sweet vanilla cream. There were also caramel sugar crystals to top it off. She says they weren’t very sweet, but were still delicious.

Double Blueberry Pancakes (image by ihop.com)

Simran ordered the Double Blueberry Pancakes. These buttermilk pancakes have blueberries hidden inside them, as well as a delicious blueberry compote (blueberry sauce,) coating the top. Simran loves these pancakes! She says these pancakes are extremely scrumptious. They are very rich, but are a must order item if you are a fan of blueberries. I ordered the Strawberries & Creme Crepes. This order includes four crepes garnished with strawberries with vanilla cream drizzle glazed on the top. I thought that these were ok. They were pretty good, but they were very plain, and there was a strong egg flavor as well, which wasn’t the most delicious. Overall, they were good, but they could’ve been better. My dad ordered the Spicy Poblano Omelette. Inside the omelette is shredded beef, onions, bell peppers, cheese, avocado, Serrano and Poblano peppers, and more. He loved it! Dad says that the spiciness and sharp flavor added to the deliciousness.

Spinach & Mushroom Omelette (image taken by ihop.com)

Lastly, our mom ordered the Spinach & Mushroom Omelette. This omelette is stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, onions, spinach, mushrooms, and more. Mom found this scrumptious! It was very flavorful and cheese-y, which she liked.

We love IHOP! The food is always delicious and tasteful, and there are many options to chose from as well. This a great breakfast/lunch/brunch place that we highly recommend.

Which Wich – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

The Meatball Hero (image by seamless.com)

Some time ago my family and I went to Which Wich for lunch. Which Wich is a restaurant chain that mainly specializes in sandwiches and salads. The restaurant is known for its ordering system where customers use a Sharpie to place their order on a menu printed on a brown paper sandwich bag. First you choose a sandwich, then the bread, toppings, cheese, and sauce. Kiran and I both ordered the Meatball Hero. We both loved it! It was delicious and flavorful. It was a little messy, but it was totally worth it.

The Philly Cheesesteak (image by whichwich.com)

Simran ordered the Pepperoni Pizzawich. She thought it was very enjoyable and said it was both flavorsome and tasty. Our mom ordered the Philly Cheesesteak and our dad ordered the Gyro Sandwich. Both of them thought their sandwiches were tasteful and delicious. All of them were a little bit messy, especially since we ate them in the car. I’m looking forward to the day where I can go peacefully enjoy a sandwich at the restaurant.

We absolutely loved Which Wich and definitely recommend trying it!

Brigantine – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

The Seasonal Salmon (image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Back in September my family and I ate at the Brigantine in Escondido to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Brigantine is a restaurant mainly known for its wide range of seafood. For appetizers we ordered calamari, crab cakes, and two oyster shots. Only Kiran and I ate the oysters, and we quickly figured out we are not the biggest fans of oysters. To us, the oysters didn’t have much taste and were too slimy for our liking. For our meals, my mom and my grandparents ordered the Seasonal Salmon. All three of them really enjoyed their food, and thought the salmon was really flavorful and delicious. Kiran and I both ordered the Seasonal Shrimp & Grits. While some people might be a fan of this dish, it was definitely not our favorite. It lacked flavor, and was overall a little bland.

The Seasonal Chops (image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Simran ordered the Macadamia Crusted Mahi. She thought it was delicious, but it didn’t exactly satisfy a swimmer’s appetite. Lastly, my dad ordered the Seasonal Chops. Along with the chops it came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and steamed carrots. It was a large dish, and he didn’t end up finishing the whole thing, but he really enjoyed it.

For dessert Kiran ordered a Classic Creme Brulee, and the rest of us got two Mud Pies both with vanilla ice cream on the side. One for our parents to share, and one for Simran and I to share. Kiran thought the Creme Brulee was okay. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either. The Mud Pie was delicious! It was very rich and chocolate-y but the ice cream helped balance it out. They were both great desserts and we all loved them.

Mom’s birthday dinner (Image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Overall, Brigantine is a good restaurant! While I do not think it is on our list of top restaurants we enjoy, it might be the perfect place for seafood lovers. They have a great variety of delicious seafood and I recommend trying it.