prenatal dining out | Newton

We had nested all we could nest. The nursery was ready. We were ready. My induction was scheduled. We worked hard wrapping up at the office. We also worked hard putting together all the baby gear. And then, we felt like dining out all the time. These were not planned "we must eat out everywhere before baby comes!!" dinners, they were actually somewhat spontaneous outings that happened to mark special prenatal events. 

Also posting the February occasions: Valentine's Day // my 35th Birthday // Bob's birthday // [how cool that our sons birthday is right in between ours? Pisces Fam!]

I'm glad we took advantage. Postpartum, I've never been so content to be at home 24/7. It has all been so lovely. We're lucky!

Little Big Diner - Newton Centre

When you have a Ramen craving LBD is the best of the best. I enjoyed the very filling Miso Ramen topped with chashu pork, bean sprouts, sweet corn, scallions, nori + an ajitama egg

Sweet Tomatoes Pizza - West Newton 

Lunch Date before my Non Stress Test @ NWH MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine).
This pizza is some of my favorite around. We had Garlic Spinach + Hawaiian.

COOK - Newtonville

Dinner date after getting the car seat inspected at the Newton City Police Dept.

Cook is an awesome neighborhood spot for an upscale casual meal. We shared Charred Broccoli with chimmichuri + Sticky Wings in a spicy soy glaze. A classic Burger with cheddar, LTO and crispy french fries hit the spot.

Rice Valley - Newtonville

The classic "lets go for spicy food" meal 

This was the night before my scheduled induction (Saturday 2/23). A little spicy never hurt the chances of going into labor naturally, right? 

We don't eat American Chinese food often. Rice Valley has a nice atmosphere to dine out in and the food is average. The Hot and Sour Soup was nice and spicy. We asked for the General Gao's Chicken (labeled as spicy) to actually come extra spicy. It did not, even though she assured it would, but it was still a tasty meal. The actual night of my induction (Sunday 2/24) we went for Spicy Buffalo Wings at Buffs Pub right before heading to NWH to get admitted. Talk about going all out. My water broke after one dose of the oral meds (which is considered lucky) so I honestly think the spicy wings helped me out!

West on Centre - West Roxbury

[I am postpartum now!]

Cam was still in the NICU and we were really not up for hanging out at home without him. This was another nice meal out that proved a welcome distraction. I had Pan Seared Sea Scallops in a citrus reduction over butternut squash puree + sautéed garlic spinach with roasted cauliflower. 

This neighborhood restaurant provided a terrific meal and swiftly paced (but not rushed) service. This was perfect for us as we did not want to linger, we were either eager to head back to NWH for Cam's bedtime feeding, or home to get that extra, much needed sleep! 

Saturday 3/2 ended up being Camden's last night in the hospital. On our way home we received a call from his nurse that he would likely be discharged the next day. He came home with us on his actual due date, Sunday, March 3rd! He is now 3 weeks old and I've never been happier! Being his Mom is the absolute best. 

H O N G K O N G

 

We have departed Bali. 

Now onto the final 21 hours in Hong Kong!

A night out in Lan Kwai Fong! Late night eats at Tsui Wah, a traditional Hong Kong tea cafe for dumplings and spicy chicken soup.

A good night sleep on the 25th floor at hotel 2 MacDonnel Road located in Central - Western HK. 

A walk through the Botanical Gardens. Breakfast at a local coffee shop. No real plan, just wandering! Through Hong Kong Park, then into a luxury mall. Malls are outstanding here, I was in awe of the restaurants, food stalls, shopping etc. Taxi to the harbor where we took the Star Ferry to Kowloon. Gorgeous city views from the water, then more aimless, happy wandering in Tsim Sha Tsui - a shopping and nightlife district with neon lit streets and more of those fascinating luxury malls. Tsing Tao beers and ground pork + seaweed soup for lunch at Chuan Po Po. A couple more beers in the neighborhood. Train to Hong Kong International Airport. 14 hours back to Boston on Cathay Pacific. 3 movies (Lion, Why Him and Snatched) and a lot of sleep!

Hei La Moon | Chinatown

Co-workers and I have been frequenting Hei La Moon for Dim Sum lunches for as long as our company building has been downtown (three years now!) We'll introduce newbies, bid farewell to those moving on, or we'll straight up satisfy a craving for the insanely good Chinese food only those rolling carts can deliver. I've actually never photographed a Dim Sum lunch! But I felt the need to preface my first dinner here with the background for my deep running affections.

Last Friday four of us gathered at my favorite wine bar, Les Zygomates. We lingered over funky glasses of wine, $1 oysters and live Jazz at before wandering over to Chinatown and deciding on Hei La Moon. Dinner at this Dim Sum emporium is just as fantastic as the aforementioned midday feast. There's no carts rolling at the later hours, but they continue to offer the dim sum menu in addition to the classic Chinese dishes you crave. There was crab Rangoon, scallion pancakes, steamed roast pork buns, general Gao's, pork fried rice and sizzling chicken in black bean sauce, washed down with magic tea and TsingTaos. This is what my perfect Friday-after-work evening in Boston looks like.

Hei La Moon

88 Beach Street

Boston, MA 02111