McFlurry International - Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups in the United States

McDonald's at SouthCoast Plaza has two additional flavors along with its standard Oreo and M&Ms: Snickers and Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups.

The Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups McFlurry is still $1.99 at a fun size. The flavoring mix is made up of ground up peanut butter cups. The server put a couple big spoonfuls of the peanut butter cup mix in the soft serve before whirling it through the McFlurry machine.

Most of the Reese's® mix is pulverized so there were not a lot of big chunks of chocolate or the peanut butter center, probably to ensure that it will be distributed evenly throughout the soft serve after mixing. When you look closely, it seems that most of the mix was its peanut butter center instead of the chocolate shell. Otherwise it may have tasted more like chocolate than peanut butter. I was slightly relieved they did not add chocolate syrup, which would then definitely overwhelm the peanut butter flavor. There were a few larger pieces of Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups in the McFlurry giving the overall result a varied texture.

Kale Mango Banana Smoothie

A morning or mid-afternoon smoothie is one of my go-to healthy treats. It is pretty easy to dump a bunch of fruit in the blender with a splash of juice or soy milk and give it a whirl.

Banana is my favorite smoothie base because it gives the smoothie a creamy and luscious texture so you can almost fool yourself into thinking that it is in fact ice cream-based. Frozen fruits are also great since you do not have to cool your smoothie with ice, which also waters it down. It is also cheaper to buy than fresh fruits and is of high quality since the fruit is frozen at its peak.

I wanted to switch up my traditional smoothie combinations for further healthy goodness. Removing milk and sugar upped the good-for-you factors. Starting with one ripe banana and unsweetened soy milk (to aid with the blending), I added the equivalent of one large mango cheek and a big handful of kale. Why not? You can ingest raw greens without having to eat it in a salad. By relying on the natural sweetness of the ripe banana and mango, no additional sugar is necessary. However, make yours to taste and feel free to add a squeeze of honey or your favorite natural sweetener.

After a good whirl, the smoothie turns a vibrant green color with a nice and thick texture. You can taste the slight tartness of the mango, sweetness from the banana, and a hint of bitterness from the kale. It was pleasingly very yummy.


Kale Mango Banana Smoothie
1 ripe banana
1 large mango cheek or about 1/3 cup frozen chunks*
1 big handful of washed kale or about a cup and a half
Cold unsweetened soy milk

Put ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into big glass and enjoy.

*To be honest, I do not really take exact measurements and usually eyeball it

Crayfish Boil at The Public [Shanghai]

On Shouning Road in Shanghai, mountains of shells litter the streets as people come out in flocks during warm weather to enjoy the crayfish or 小龙虾 xiǎolóngxiā by the kilo. It is one delicious mess that even disposable plastic gloves cannot stop.

The Public is jumping on this warm weather treat by offering Wednesday night crayfish boils. 180RMB gets you 2kg of crayfish and the equivalent of one corn on the cob (cut into 4 pieces), 1-2 sausages cut into medallions, and a sprinkling of new potatoes. Butcher paper is laid out and it all comes out together on one big platter along with lemon water and wipes for cleaning. The source of the crayfish is unknown and very, very small. The corn was not the freshest with its deflated kernels and the sausage was so dry and chewy. The potatoes seemed to be the only item in this boil that was cooked properly. It was not overly impressive and not worth the trip for 180RMB since the boil did not include any other sides or beverages. It just makes you nostalgic for the trips to Shouning Lu with the beer you brought, fresh corn on the cob, and other barbecued vegetables. The crayfish boil at the Public is a bad deal, especially considering there are other establishments in Shanghai that specialize in xiǎolóngxiā for at least half the price. Well, unless you like to dish out for modern atmosphere.

Stick to the Public's fried chicken offered on Sunday and Monday nights. A half-chicken, 2 biscuits, a dollop of mashed potatoes, and a dollop of slaw is only 125RMB.

The Public. Sinan Mansions Bldg 2, 4/F, Lane 507 Fuxing Zhong Lu (复兴中路507弄思南公馆2号楼4楼)

McFlurry International - China 2 Part II

Yes! The "blackberry jam flavor" McDonald's McFlurry sampled in Harbin is back on the McDonald's China menu in Shanghai. My Chinese character recognition improved significantly at this point. Please allow me to correct that entry in that this 麦旋风 (mài xuànfēng) is in fact 黑加仑 (hēijiālún) or black currant. The price has gone up from 10RMB to 11RMB since last year.

The servers pulled down the lever and filled the cup with soft-serve and topped it with what looked like black currant puree or syrup and crushed Oreo cookies. All this went in the special McFlurry machine and mixed with the McFlurry spoon. The server must be well-trained because the ice cream was completely mixed with the fruit sauce, as shown by a fairly even color. The resulting mix filled at most 2/3 of the cup, but it was still more like halfway full, which is a tease considering it is obvious how full the cup could be. The Oreo provided nice texture, though it would be nice if there were some larger chunks in it. The black currant flavor also was good and refreshing, though reminiscent of the really good berry or grape candies you would get as a child (not grape Bubbleicious).

Praline Patisserie's Lavender Caramel Sauce

My one impulse buy at the Little Italy Farmer's Market was a ten ounce jar of Praline Patisserie's Lavender Caramel Sauce for a whopping (for me) US$8.00. The vendor at the stand was waving caramel samples in my face and I am a big sucker for caramel. The lavender was fragrant and floral in my mouth so I had to have it. She said that the caramel sauce has a shelf-life of about 3 months unopened before it starts to separate.

I forgot about my guilty pleasure after sticking it in the back of my pantry to save for a good time. More than 3 months had passed and the caramel already started to separate. It was time to break it out. After opening, a good mix with a chopstick brought the suspension of pure cane sugar, cream, glucose, butter, dried organic lavender, and sea salt back together.

The jar states, "Each batch of our artisan caramel is watched closely as it develops the rich amber color & complex flavors we are known for. The perfect care for an aching sweet tooth, it is great on anything from apples to ice cream and you'll probably want to eat it straight from the jar!"

Opening the jar, the silky, sticky, gooey caramel was bursting with the aroma of lavender mingling with the sweet caramel. It tasted even more decadent and indulgent than it smelled. The texture was smooth and thick. The caramel flavors hit first and are equally balanced by the lavender, which lingers on your tongue. The lavender caramel was great with apples, but it was even better to eat out of the jar. Just pluge your finger in the soft goodness and roll it around your tongue making sure the flavors spread to every taste bud dotting your tongue. I think most of the jar disappeared this way. Oh yes, pour that sugar in me. That lavender caramel is so divine you cannot resist a lick of it.

Praline Patisserie. Find them at one of San Diego's farmer's markets. PralinePatisserie.com.

Now Open: CaliBurger ie "The Fake In N Out"

CaliBurger finally opened its doors near the end of Chinese New Year holidays in late January. All is right in the CaliBurger world post-settlement with In N Out with new signage, menu names, and revamped interior.

I am not sure who picked that brown color scheme for the dining area, but the original mockup on the CaliBurger website had shown a black and white scheme. It is now this unappetizing light brown reminiscent of a chocolate shake. The rendering is now updated on the CaliBurger website. The art in the wall alludes to the vibrancy of California. The speakers blared current hits, a welcomed change from Celine Dion.

The number of staff running the place is considerable. They are everywhere. One opens the door for you; one escorts you to the counter; a couple people take your order; and a kitchen team whips it up in viewing distance. The menu is still basic and kept to a minimum, which is characteristic of the In N Out menu. "Off-menu" requests are also granted like a mustard patty, whole grilled onions, and extra-crispy fries.

Staff ready and awaiting command to serve / Menu display
Not only is CaliBurger a fast-food restaurant, they also do table service. Instead of waiting by the counter for your order, you are given a number and a team member will deliver your cardboard box of food. Better yet, they tout table service for wine. The wine is imported from California and sells at 44RMB for a glass or 132RMB for a bottle. The label looks like Clint Eastwood, but Roy Newman claims it is an image of himself. To be honest, I did not see the resemblance (see for yourself). Edward, one of the CaliBurger team members, came over to the table with a white cloth napkin draped on his arm to uncork the wine and pour it into real wine glasses. He was very polite offering a tasting immediately after the uncorking before serving the rest of our table. This is fancy. You are at a fast-food joint and wine is being poured at your table with a white cloth napkin to clean up spills and breakable glasses. It makes me wonder a takeaway glass of wine is packaged. Loving this perk.

Roy Newman California Red Wine / Table service for wine by Edward
The "Wild Style" fries (38RMB) had melted American cheese, chopped grilled onions, and special sauce on top. Others who were better versed on the original "Animal Style" fries said that these were pretty good. CaliBurger does claim that their fries are always fresh, but we were informed that they were currently using a "high-quality" frozen fry. "Frozen" does not necessarily translate to "fresh," though "freshly frozen" or "frozen fresh" may ensure some bit of quality. In any case, the textures did not impart any qualities that freshly cut potatoes do. The sourcing team is waiting until spring for this year's crop of potatoes to see if they will match standards. So in the meantime, if you are thinking you are getting a freshly cut fry, do not be fooled. On top of that, Australian beef is still being used.

Set meals will soon be added to the menu as follows: Meal A = Hamburger + French Fries + Soda = 35RMB (a savings of 23RMB); Meal B = Cheeseburger + French Fries + Soda = 40RMB; Meal C = CaliDouble + French Fries + Soda = 55RMB. Now that is 5RMB extra for a bit of cheese or 15RMB for an extra burger patty with cheese. But Wild Style fries are 38RMB, so that may tack on another 20RMB to your meal set. Check out the set menu here.

There are still people skeptical if CaliBurger could even live up to the fraction of the greatness that is In N Out, which it is attempting to pay homage to. The only true test is the taste test, which is already subjective, but even then comparisons to those using California-grown produce would be difficult to make.

CaliBurger. 98 Yanping Lu (near Xinzha Lu), 新闸路98号(近新闸路), Shanghai, China. Caliburger.Asia