Dim Sum is my favorite. My absolute favorite. And, let me tell you, I can eat. So when I've mustered up the appetite for several pounds of dumplings, I'd prefer that my wallet not drop a few pounds. Seattle is a great spot for classy dim sum (read: Din Tai Fung), but sometimes you just want more variety for a lower price. Even though Dough Zone may not have a Michelin star, it has 5 Mahak stars. Haha. I'm so funny. So grabbed one of my closest friends and prepared for the dinner of a lifetime.

For our first course, we ordered a bowl of congee. They serve a different type each day of the week, and today just happened to be yam. My friend is a big fan of oatmeal, so we figured she would enjoy the texture and overall feel of this rice porridge. The traditional flavor of congee is neutral and borderline bland, in which case, Dough Zone hit the nail on the head.

Rating: 2/5 Though it was made the way it should have been, I wasn't a fan

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These spicy beef rolls are my favorite item at Dough Zone. Wrapped in a crispy chive pancake that resembles an Indian paratha, the beef is perfectly tender and juicy. Each bite leaves a trail of saucy goodness dribbling down your chin. Unfortunately I had to share half the roll with my friend. But friendship is all about sacrifices, right?

Rating: 5/5

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These beef potstickers were delicious, albeit a little oily. I was impressed by the fact they had such clean, crisp bottoms, as I haven't been able to master that when I try to make these at home.

Rating: 4/5

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Chicken dumplings, pretty standard.

Rating: 3.5/5

Wontons in spicy sauce. This was an item worth trying, just for the sauce. Wish there was greater quantity, though. As always. But I always want more food. Sigh.

​Rating: 4/5

Ever since I discovered Maangchi on YouTube, I have become enamored by Korean food. Each dish is an adventure that's served with its own comrades, or side dishes. When I heard of the raved-about Stone Korean Restaurant, I decided to try it out for myself and see if it lived up to the hype! Everything on the menu looked so delicious, and since I was dining alone, it was hard to choose just one thing. So I ordered the #2 combo: Kalbi ribs and Bibimbap for a total of $25. It was a little steep price-wise, but I was so full by the end that this ended up being my only meal of the day.

I had heard of Korean Kalbi ribs, watched videos of how to made them, and even read recipes, but today was my first time tasting them. Served on a sizzling hot platter atop a bed of onions, these were the most tender pieces of beef I had ever had the pleasure of eating. The meat fell off the bone and the ribs were covered in a sweet and sticky sauce. One you ate one, it was hard not to eat five more.
Rating: 4/5 (a little too much fat for my liking)

Next was my usual go-to at Korean restaurants, bibimbap. The version served with the combo was only vegetables, but the helpful server added beef for free! When ordering bibimbap, ALWAYS go with dolsot, or stone bowl. (I see where the restaurant got it's name...) The rice, vegetables, and meat are served in a stone vessel that has been warming on the stove. This allows the rice to crisp up on the bottom, which adds a nice texture to the dish. But be careful not to touch the bowl, you'll get burned! Bibimbap is traditionally served with an egg on top. In other restaurants I've eaten at, the egg has been fried, but at Stone, you receive a raw egg yolk as garnish. Worry not. Immediately mix up the rice and vegetables with the egg, and the heat from the bowl and the rest of the dish will cook the egg. I ate several of my ribs in the meantime, allowing my egg to heat up and the rest of my dish to cool down.
Rating: 4/5

Perhaps the best part of Korean food is the banchan, or side dishes, it's served with. Stone rotates it's side dishes, so there's always variety. Today, I was served traditional cabbage kimchi, steamed broccoli, pickled onions, cucumber kimchi, potato, bean sprouts, and something that tasted like a sweet coleslaw. I really enjoyed everything except for the broccoli, since it was plain, and the bean sprouts, since they didn't seem to have much flavor. I was also served a spicy gochujang chili sauce that I squeezed all over my bibimbap. Delicious!

Today was the first weekend of my second summer interning at Microsoft. My love of Seattle has not diminished one bit in the last twelve months. One of the best parts of the city is the food, especially the abundance of Asian cuisine. After strolling around the Pike Place and EMP for most of the day, my friends and I retired to Bellevue for dinner. Thai Ginger was only a four minute drive from the Park & Ride, so it was the obvious choice to satisfy our hunger.

I was really excited when I saw chicken wings on the appetizer menu, as I have made it a tradition to order the deliciously sticky and crispy delicacies at every Thai restaurant I go to. Today, however, I was disappointed. Instead of receiving several sweet and spicy wings, we received two jumbo battered-and-fried pieces of chicken. The partially cooked chicken was stuffed with vegetables and was served alongside a generic sweet and sour sauce. This was not what I expected to receive, nor did it exceed expectations.
Rating: 2/5
​Price: $10

I ordered the Pad Kee Mao with chicken and was pleasantly satisfied. The flat, wide rice noodles were cooked perfectly, and the vegetables were crisp. The sauce was average. I ordered a 3.5/4 on the spicy scale and my tastebuds remained unchallenged. We were given chili sauce, chili powder, and chilies in vinegar, but it's always more convenient when the chefs season your food while it's being cooked, as opposed to you applying the seasoning as garnish.
Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $11

WARNING: You will need a glass of milk to scarf these down with. Or five.

So, I have this new found affinity towards refrigerator biscuits. Maybe it's the simplicity of prepackaged dough. Maybe it's the buttery, flaky goodness. Maybe it's the excitement of smashing the cardboard can against the counter until it pops open, filling the kitchen with a sound that rivals fireworks on the Fourth of July. Yeah, it's that reason.

On a serious note, refrigerator biscuits serve as a convenient and delicious vehicle for carrying delicious ingredients, sweet or savory. They're made without eggs, so more friends can enjoy! I made these Nutella bombs as a sort of pull-apart birthday dessert, and it seemed to be immensely enjoyed by the recipient and his friends. So much so that the lactose intolerant in the group inadvertently downed several glasses of lactose rich milk, as they were so enamored and distracted by the ooey-gooey chocolatey balls.

To make your own Nutella Bombs, you will need:

• 30 refrigerator biscuits 
• 2 jars of Nutella
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
  
  

Keep the Nutella in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until it is the texture of almost-firm ice cream and can hold its shape. Do not leave it in too long, as the chocolatey-hazlenutty spread can separate, leaving you with something not so delicious.
Remove the biscuits from the can and gently roll them out so they are slightly wider and flatter. The butter in the biscuits must remain cold and in chunks, so try not to work them too much or apply too much heat. I find it best to roll out a few and store them in the fridge while I roll out some more. 
Take the Nutella out of the freezer and using two spoons, scoop about a teaspoon into the center of each biscuit.
Fold the edges of the biscuit over the Nutella, to seal the ball. You can do what I did and pleat the edges like a dumpling!
Place the finished balls into a tray and cover in a mixture of melted butter and brown sugar. This will create a deliciously sweet, golden-brown top.
Store the tray in the fridge until you are ready to bake the bombs. Bake according to the instructions listed on the biscuit dough cans (I did 350F for about 20 minutes, or until the tops were golden-brown and the biscuits had risen significantly).
Serve with a glass of milk and a smile! This dessert is fun to share with friends, but be sure to let the dish cool slightly before digging in! Or, you could sacrifice your fingerprints, since being burned by Nutella would be an honorable way to go.

(Apologies for the Snapchat-quality video)