Just kidding, I’m no Homer. But I can simply tell you about all three. I’m nearing four months since moving to San Francisco, but at the rate things have been moving, it feels like I’ve been here well over a year. It was quite a decision leaving D.C., and one that sometimes felt hard to explain. It was a feat––arguably risky––but it felt right. I wanted to challenge myself, get outside my comfort zone, explore new sights, make new friends, hold onto old ones, and get inspired.

Anyways, this isn’t meant to be a monologue of my journey here. Like the other, albeit limited Substack posts, I want to show you guys what I’ve been eating lately––and share a recipe for something that takes me home, even out here on the great West Coast.

Before my departure from D.C., my friends Olivia, Teagan, Greg, and Parker gifted me a pretty hefty gift card to Williams Sonoma. I was eyeing a few things: a coffee grinder, a braiser, some aprons, or a new knife. But it all sat in my cart for a few weeks before finding inspiration from some targeted algorithmic magic by the Ooni headquarters themselves. I realized I had a backyard that, with some TLC, could be home to many new meals. I placed the order for my first Ooni pizza oven and got to work.

There’s still a lot to learn, but I’ve been slinging these pies like nobody’s business while I pick up on new skills and techniques. Right now, my go-to pizza dough recipe hails from the New York Times. I’ve used this recipe for years, making pizza in an indoor oven, and figured, how could it go wrong in a proper fire oven?

It’s foolproof. You can’t go wrong, other than not letting it rise and come to room temperature before building with it. And maybe not docking it. Or stretching it thin enough. Or—okay, yeah, some things can go wrong, but you’ll learn to work through all the kinks just after round 2.

To bring it all together, pizza dinners, grill dinners, and pizza and grill dinners take inspiration from what I find at the Civic Center farmers market Sunday mornings. It’s run by a non-profit that enables the stands to accept EBT––at a $2 for every $1 rate. Even if you’re not a recipient, you reap all the benefits. There’s variety, abundance, and reliable freshness at an extremely affordable cost. If anyone asks (my mom), it’s my church.

Combining my pizza oven knowledge I acquired over the weeks, I took inspiration from the literal fruits of my labor and put together the above meal over the weekend. I know what you might be thinking. Lettuce?? The diarrhea parasite!! Why are there bugs in your dipping sauce??!! Fear not, for this fire-roasted hamachi kama with assorted spring roll accoutrements and passionfruit nước chấm––or fish sauce for dipping triumphs over all your concerns. The lettuce, cucumber, and carrots came from the farmers’ market, and the passionfruit and mango came from my aunt’s garden and our neighbor’s yard back in Florida.

Spring rolls are just one of those meals that, with a bit of heavy lifting in the beginning, makes everything else stupidly simple and easy. And by heavy lifting, I mean chopping veggies and preparing a simple dipping sauce. The magical part about these rolls is that you can enjoy them in unlimited ways. The protein is typically shrimp or pork. I often use tofu, but back home, fish was a popular choice. So, having mango and passionfruit from FL on hand, fish it was.

There’s no need for fancy equipment, but I’ve been wanting to experiment with my pizza oven more, so I thought it’d be fun to try firing up something other than pizza. I ordered these kamas from Weee and tested my luck. I was scared the high temp would char the kama without cooking the inside, but by constantly rotating it and sliding the tray forward and back, I was able to achieve exactly what I wanted. Here are the deets:

Ingredients

• hamachi kama

• salt

• rice paper

• bánh hỏi

• Accoutrements

  • lettuce

  • carrot

  • cucumber

  • Optional: mango, cilantro, mint, etc.

• Passionfruit Nuoc Cham

  • 1 passionfruit

  • 1/4 cup fish sauce

  • 1/4 cup hot water

  • 1/4 sugar

  • 1-2 limes

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 bird's-eye chili

Instructions

1. Prepare the passionfruit fish sauce. Mix the hot water and sugar until dissolved. Add in fish sauce, garlic cloves, bird’s-eye chili, garlic, and contents of one passionfruit. Mix in the juice of 1 lime and taste. If the fish sauce is too overwhelming, adjust with the juice of another half lime and keep adding as needed. Refrigerate while you prepare the kama.

2. Prepare the hamachi kama. If frozen, allow the kama to thaw to room temp before handling. Once the kama comes to room temp, pat it dry and season with a generous sprinkling of salt on both sides.

3. Preheat your pizza oven to the lowest temp. If you’re using an indoor oven, follow the instructions in this recipe!

4. On a lightly oiled pan, place the kama skin-side up. Place the tray into the oven and rotate 90 degrees every 20 seconds for 7 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and flip the kama. Insert the tray back into the pizza oven and repeat step 4 until golden brown.

6. Remove the tray and allow the fish to cool. Build your spring rolls and enjoy with the passionfruit fish sauce.

Sundays are typically reserved for sleeping in, going out for brunch, and getting your life together before heading into the office for the week. But for me, any and all free Sundays are used for Linc’s Coffee Apartment! This week was extra special because it was the first one to take place in the new apartment! Payton and I decided to make it a housewarming and invited friends from all over to help warm our new home.

Most of my prep is done the day before to save me the stress of having to juggle forty different things before folks arrive. I made the Vietnamese iced coffee and ube milk, and steeped the Thai tea on Saturday. On Sunday, I was ready to craft drinks as needed.

In the pastry department, I baked the blueberry muffins, chocolate & walnut banana breads, and carrot cakes, and prepared the cream cheese frosting, as well as the doughs for the cinnamon rolls and focaccia on Saturday. All I had to do Sunday morning was take out both doughs from the fridge for a final rise and bake, and then top the carrot cake and cinnamon rolls with their respective frostings.

Here’s a closer look at the spread! I’ll link the recipes for each here:

• Blueberry Muffins

• Banana Bread

• Focaccia

• Cinnamon Rolls (I added black sesame powder in the mix and the cream cheese frosting)

From left to right, we have the ube latte, Thai iced tea, and strawberry matcha. Not pictured is the Vietnamese iced coffee and hojicha latte because I get in the zone and forget to take pictures all the time. This round, I underestimated how many folks would want the Vietnamese iced coffee and did not make nearly enough. I’ll have to double the amount next time.

Like I’ve mentioned many times before, it’s always a phenomenal and grounding experience being able to welcome friends, and friends of friends into my home for moments like these. This Coffee Apartment, we had appearances from a roommate’s mom, a best friend from home’s family, a friend from my time studying abroad in Prague (who happens to be visiting a friend who lives on the same floor of my apartment building), a (separate) best friend from home’s sister’s boyfriend, and many others! Having our home filled with laughter, piles of shoes, and caffeinated stomachs makes me so so so warm and grateful.

And just a few hours later, Payton, Bari, and I were back to work preparing a barbecue for dinner! Jen (previously referred to as the best friend from home) and her family were visiting for the weekend, and if you are familiar with the content that’s taken over my IG story, you know we had to throw it down on the grill.

Like all people who’ve gone to Japan, I needed an excuse to talk about it again. What better way than over yakitori? Bari and Payton helped me prepare skewers of pork belly, bacon, enoki and king mushrooms, okra, garlic scapes, and dates.

Jean (Jen’s dad) helped me brush the skewers with the sauce while I flipped them on the very strong, very moody grill. Many things were catching on fire, but I think we kept our cool enough to not raise any alarm from the folks sitting at the table. To accompany the yakitori, we also had an arugula salad, corn, carrots, hotdogs, and a (random) pack of TJs carne asada that Jen thought would be good to try. And yes, her curiosity served us well.

Having a little enclave of Floridians in town for the weekend eased a bit of the homesickness I was experiencing as summer peeks through the skies here in D.C. My U Street apartment is no beach, but with a full stomach and heart, I couldn’t ask for a more perfect Sunday.

Before we start, I need to confess this post has been sitting in my drafts for about a month, so indulge me and pretend we’re still in April when I started writing this in real time…

I’m writing to you all ten minutes into my 3 hour train ride from Busan to Seoul. I had just spent a phenomenal two and a half three days with Juhon who is on leave from the Korean military. Just one more year Juhon, hang in there. Like every trip, we ate a bunch and walked a bunch, Each meal resulted in bulging bellies and a few episodes of lactose intolerance, but more on that later.

Now back to Japan. My entire trip was about a week and a half. Starting with one short night in Tokyo, one day trip to Nara, three nights in Osaka, one day trip to Kyoto, two nights in Beppu, one day trip to Yufuin, and two nights in Fukuoka. It was a jam packed trip to say the least, but looking back, there is absolutely nothing I would change.

So let’s get to what you came here for. Food. Endless food. If you haven’t had breakfast yet, maybe save the scrolling for later. FYI, this list of items is NOT a ranking. They’re just fun things I ate that I think are worth sharing.

1. Custard Filled Coin Bread

My parents arrived in Tokyo two days prior to me following a two-month vacation across Asia. Anna arrived the day after and Ailin was unfortunately abandoned in D.C. to finish her sophomore year at Georgetown. This little pastry was the first piece of food I had since landing in Tokyo.

My dad was waiting for me at the Airbnb while everyone else was out shopping and walking around. I wanted to save my stomach for dinner but he he didn’t want to wait. He said he saw a line for this coin pastry earlier in the day and was curious to try. Who am I to deny a man’s curiosity and hunger? I got him the cheese and I got the custard. For about a dollar, it was scrumptious.

2. Katsudon and Udon

The first morning. 5 a.m. Jetlagged. Me, Anna, and my dad. Delicious. Nothing else to be said.

3. Mentaiko Toast

   

   I mean just look at this thing. I picked this up at a small bakery in Osaka and walked maybe ten feet away before chowing this down on the side of the road. It was a smidget away from being too salty, but I guess that’s what you ask for when receiving this beautiful slice of milk bread covered in warm, illuminating fish roe.

4. Vegan Tan Tan Noodles

What was I thinking? Vegan? Why?!! Well, leave it to the Japanese to perfect a vegan broth. If you told me I was slurping up a concoction of pork bones simmered over an open fire for 12 hours, I would not bat an eye. This bowl of tan tan noodles was deliciously umami in incomprehensible ways. Nutty, flavorful, and extremely comforting. I ate this with Florian, a French friend I made on the ferry the night before. We were bunk buddies and spent the entire first day in Beppu exploring the city, and boy do we have stories to tell.

5. Latte w/ Hand Roasted Beans and Homemade Cheesecake

This morning stop was one of best highlights of my entire trip! I was supposed to catch a 9:20 a.m. train to Yufuin, a small fairy-like town about an hour away from Beppu. By the time I left my hostel, I had 15 minutes to find coffee and make my way to the train station. Instead, I decided to just take the later train at 10:30 a.m. and grab breakfast somewhere. I cam across an unassuming coffee shop called Tumugu Coffee Stand hidden underneath the train tracks.

There. I met a college student named Hiro who shared that he had just opened up Tumugu about three months prior and was operating it in his free time three days out of the week when he doesn’t have classes. When he’s not working at Tumugu or attending class, he’s a barista at Starbucks. When he’s not doing either of those three, Hiro is hand roasting the coffee beans in his apartment. Of course, the only sensible thing to do after hearing all this was to buy myself a bag of his best beans.

I couldn’t help but draw parallels from my experience running The Lincoln Experience and now Linc’s Coffee Apartment. Hiro uses stamps for his cups just like I do for my pastry bags and juggles academics, social life, and the coffee shop. As stressful as those days could be, the adrenaline felt great. We swapped a few stories and our Instagrams to stay in touch. Hiro, if you’re reading this, good luck with your final year in school and with the coffee stand!

6. Ginger Ale

And because Beppu wouldn’t stop throwing cool establishments at me, I came across this cool looking wine bar walking back to my hostel that same day I stopped at Tumugu. I had to Google translate if they had any non-alcoholic drink like the weird foreigner walking into a bar that I am. And that was the reason for Ginger Ale number 1.

Number two came from the kind stranger next to me that I’d later learn to be named Daiki. He’s a chef and according to his friend Yuta, owns the best sushi restaurant in Beppu. Unfortunately, it was my last night there and I had no more stomach to make an appearance. After some conversation and IG trading, I come to find out Yuta owns the building Tumugu is located in and is very well acquainted with Hiro. Small world.

7. Premium Japanese Honeydew

   

   Japan’s crown jewel: extremely juicy, sweet, and soft honeydew. My family and I spent our morning at a fish and fruit market near our Airbnb in Osaka and indulged on plenty of fish and uni before the clock hit 9 a.m. To settle our stomachs, I convinced everyone to chip in whatever cash they could muster out of their pockets to pick up this $35 honeydew. The owner cut the melon into slices on the spot and handed it to us in this ginormous box. Biting into it was like turning on the faucet. That’s how juicy it was.

8. Okonomiyaki

My parents had no idea what they signed up for when they chose this random restaurant in the middle of an indoor food hall. To be fair, neither did I. I’ve had okonomiyaki many times at restaurants, but I’ve never had it made on the grill in front of me. In the end, we all left very full and happy.

9. Matcha Milk Bread Toast

This little cafe was mere feet from our Airbnb in Osaka. It had weird hours and little customers, so we were hesitant to give it a try. On our last morning, we decided to bite the bullet and go for it. It was owned by the most adorable couple who had to be in their 70s. The wife took the orders and handled the customers while the husband made the drinks and food. We ordered a breakfast sandwich, this fluffy and soft matcha toast topped with matcha ice cream, and a matcha latte (the latte activated my previously sleeper lactose intolerance). My mom and I dined together but we just watched them work flawlessly in awe the entire time we were there.

10. Tonkatsu

A Japanese staple. Not much more to say except I would eat this every day if I could.

11. Japanese Curry & Samosas

I was in Beppu and looking for lunch, when I walked by this unassuming Japanese curry restaurant. There was no one inside and the door was hard to open, making me think it was closed. But the owner quickly ushered me inside and handed me her menu. It was entirely in Japanese handwriting but I was able to Google translate. When I prepared my order in Japanese on my phone, she proceeded to speak English and I felt like a fool. This curry had a tangy kick to it that I’ve never tasted before when making my own curry using the popular cubes you find at the Asian store. Soon, you’ll see me trying to recreate this.

12. Yakitori

This was one of my last meals in Japan. I was walking around Fukuoka and I remembered a friend advising me to try one of the little tented restaurants on the side of the road. I walked past a few before settling on this random one and ordering a few things to snack on. The owner asked me where I was from and surprised me with this DC in mustard to pair with my perfectly grilled cabbage wrapped in pork belly.

13. Uni

I can’t think about this or I’ll just sit in anger. Uni. So much. For so cheap. And so fresh.

14. Chirashi Galore

This was at the same restaurant as the uni, which you could see we mixed together at the top of the photo. The market where I bought the $35 melon was ten feet from the front door. Why can’t we have these awesome things in the U.S.?

15. Nigiri

I have to confess this was my last meal in Japan… immediately after the yakitori tent. Was I full? Yes. But who would I be if I didn’t have another taste of fresh fish for a quarter of the price I’d pay in America? These nigiri were the size of my palm and made right in front of me.

16. Unagidon

Yufuin. A small fairy-tale like town 45 minutes away from Beppu. Eating this was like being transported into a fairy tale. Can I be trapped next time?

17. Ichiran Ramen

Sorry, I’m saying it, but this is a must in Japan. Ichiran is a popular ramen chain, and many will argue it’s overhyped, but I’m here to squash the rumors and say they deserve all the money. I’ve tried it in NYC, in their store bought packs, and in their flagship store in Fukuoka, and none of them have ever missed.

18. Some honorable mentions…

I recognize I’m being a bit lackluster with the locations of these restaurants, but it’s not my fault! I learned very quickly that my favorite way to explore the food scene in any city I went to was to do everything on a whim. For some, that sounds like a nightmare, but trust me when I say this. Set a destination for a mile away, put on some comfortable shoes, and set off on a food tour adventure by stopping at any and every place that piques your interest. Not every restaurant, stall, and tent has a profile in Google maps, and that’s what makes finding them so fun.

My favorite eats were ones I stumbled upon from just taking a walk and letting chance decide what I’d be eating for that meal. If you’ve got a trip to Japan coming up, make the reservations for the restaurants you really want to try, but every once in a while I implore you to give chance… a chance.

But if this method still isn’t for you, message me and I’ll find the coordinates from my Apple photos :).

Prior to moving away from Florida, Vietnamese New Year (VNY) was a holiday I took for granted. It wasn’t until my first year in D.C. that I realized how much I held on to; the endless tables of traditional food and sweets, red envelopes from my elders, and dragon dances to watch from a distance (because the fat bald man was scary… iykyk). I remember always complaining about how late we’d have to stay at the church or someone’s house in our traditional wear. It was too loud and chaotic. But when I experienced my first VNY in silence, all I wanted was to be there again, celebrating with my family, despite the noise and the chaos.

It took some time, but eventually, I managed to find a community to celebrate VNY with. Last year’s VNY party was hosted in the (in)famous Trap Manor, or as I know it, my senior year home. Everyone pulled their weight and left with full stomachs and for the lucky few, thicker wallets. This year, I invited my friends to join me in my apartment. While it was a tighter squeeze than last year, it made it feel all the more loud and chaotic.

As mentioned in the caption, my kitchen counter was overflowing with food by the time everyone arrived. Just ten minutes after this photo, there was no more empty space and every spoon I had in my possession was in use. We were graced with home-made dumplings and siu mai, chili oil noodles, tomato and egg, egg rolls, braised chicken wings, cucumber salad, nian gao, Chè Thái and many other filling goodies. There was no disappoint and no empty plates. For my contribution, I decided to make a few traditional Vietnamese dishes served in the new year, as well as some of my personal party favorites.

If you know me, you know I love a fusion of different foods and cultures. As a result, I decided to pair the classic Vietnamese Chả Lụa Bánh Mì with the vibes of a classic peking duck. I made a quick pickled carrot and daikon to go alongside some hoisin sauce and cilantro to make a Chả Lụa Bánh Mì Bao Bun. And while placing my Weee! order earlier this week, I saw the frozen mussels were on sale. And if you’re going to have mussels at a party, they better by made into mussel dynamite. I used this recipe, but instead of cutting up the mussels, I left them on the shell.

And to make sure no one left my apartment hungry, I planned for some hefty dishes to keep folks weighed down. First was a big ole pot of classic Thịt Kho Trứng that simmered on the stove for over four hours this morning. When I FaceTimed my mom to show her the spread, she was most impressed with the color of this dish. It comes from step one; caramelizing the sugar, so make sure to take this part seriously. For the folks who don’t eat pork, I made a similar version but with chicken called Gà Kho Gừng. For today’s rendition, I threw in a bag of rice cakes in the last twenty minutes of simmering. The salad pictured above was nothing special, just thinly sliced cabbage topped with sesame dressing and sesame seeds.

For drinks, I made the Lychee Mocktails from The Lincoln Experience. As expected, it was an easy crowd pleaser. It reminded me how easy it is to make the syrup so I’ll be bringing it back more often. At some point, I found myself waddling around my apartment like a penguin because of how much food I consumed. Everything was extremely delicious and the plate above affirms that all of my friends are very talented and understood the assignment without fail.

After we all stuffed our faces, I cleared the coffee table and brought out my trusty Bầu Cua Cá Cọp board I have conveniently hanging in my bedroom. Essentially, it’s a game of chance where players bet on the image they think will face up on the set of die. Players get either really lucky or really unlucky. There’s no in between. And after a few rounds, I realized what I thought was the image for a gourd was actually the image for the deer. Let’s just say deer-gate was birthed and we’ll leave it at that.

It’s been a few hours since everyone left and while I’m sure my neighbors are relishing the quiet and calmness following deer-gate, the crazy and chaos that preceded was exactly what I needed. I’m fed, happy, and a few dollars richer. Thank you friends for celebrating the start of the new year with me. 🐍🧧

I’m aware it’s been a month and one day since my last newsletter. I’m also aware I’m probably the only person keeping count. Anywho, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow morning with the recipes for TLE’s course 2: Mushroom/Chicken Dumplings and Banh Mi Sando. Until then, I thought I’d do a little catch up to fill you in on the last week while I was home for Thanksgiving, and share the recipe for the first thing I made since coming back: Shakshuka!

When I'm home in Florida, I don't cook as much as I do in D.C. because there are bountiful opportunities for indulging without having to do any of the work. In DC, on the other hand, if I want good food, I either have to cook it myself or pay four times as much at a restaurant. The downside of this is that I get constantly questioned if I’ll be bringing TLE down to FL. The short answer: no. The long answer: I don’t have access to any of my kitchen and dining materials, and ultimately want to relax as much as I can while I can. But who knows? Maybe one day I’ll make it work.

The first opportunity I had of sitting at the dining table was for a cousins dinner with family from my dad’s side. My cousin Thanh volunteered to make us all Japanese ramen with chashu pork and soft boiled eggs he prepared himself. It was an incredible hit. Thanh started prep for the pork days before, with it sitting in a braising liquid for three days. Before serving, he cut into the delicious hunk of pork belly and seared the slices into perfection. As you can see in the picture above, the eggs were boiled at just the right consistently and left to rest in the remaining braising liquid. Together, it was a perfect meal to welcome the week.

Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving day and my family was out of the house at 6:30 a.m. for the Turkey Trot. That entire thing was a blur and all I remember was starving after coming back home. The first event was on my mom’s side hosted by my cousin Nina and her family. There was fresh sugar cane and kumquat juice, an array of Vietnamese dishes, drinks, desserts, as well as the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, and other sides. Not pictured is Nina’s homemade banana pudding ice cream which was the star dish in my opinion.

Immediately after this, we were off to Thanh’s house again to celebrate the holiday on my dad’s side. All the usual Thanksgiving goodies, Vietnamese classics, and more were served. As pictured on the right, my cousin Chi My made her classic prime rib with roasted garlic and herbs. It’s one of the dishes I look forward to every year and leave no trace on my plate. By 4 p.m., I was plump enough to roll down a hill.

My contribution to the Thanksgiving parties were sweet potato dinner rolls. While the intention for awesomeness was there, I failed to deliver. I didn’t have time to test the recipe, so everything I did was a bit of a shot in the dark. By ‘everything’ I mean tripling the recipe to make triple the amount of rolls. This meant I threw in three packets of active dry yeast. Now I’m no scientist but based on the results, I don’t think I should have done that. The dough rose really well, but as a consequence, they smelled and tasted extremely yeasty, almost like drinking a glass of beer. The taste wasn’t unsettling but it wasn’t very inviting either. Learn from my mistakes and think ahead before tripling the amount of active dry yeast when making dinner rolls.

After falling asleep at 8 p.m. I woke up early just in time to pack for my return to D.C. But before I headed to the airport, my friends Jen, Jenna, Anhthy, Marcello, and Zoe convened for our annual Friendsgiving. We’ve all been friends since my freshman year of high school and I love moments like these where we’re able to come together and remind ourselves why we choose to keep each other in our lives. The highlight of this celebration was Anhthy’s blueberry lemon loaf that she baked in a round cake pan and cut into slices to piece together horizontally. She was always good at geometry.

Soon after celebrating our friendship, I was off to D.C. It was a mediocre flight with a horrible landing, but I’m glad to be back in one piece with both my stomach and heart full. As a restart to my week and like any other Saturday, I headed to the Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market to pick up a few fresh goodies for the week. One vanilla latte, half a gallon of apple cider, a sourdough loaf, one dozen eggs, and one bunch of cilantro later, I was ready to head home for breakfast.

I had a bag of diced jalapenos and bell peppers in the freezer and a can of whole tomatoes in the pantry screaming my name so it made sense to get a Shakshuka on the stove. The first time I made it was after my coworker Hannah gifted me three ginormous cans of whole tomatoes. Since then, it’s been a repeat dish because of how delicious and easy it is to make. Check out the recipe here:

Ingredients

• 1 35 oz. canned whole tomatoes

• 1 bell pepper

• 1 small onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• One pinch salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1/2 tsp rosemary

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 5 large eggs

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro

• Optional: sourdough toast

Instructions

1. Dice the bell pepper and onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the cilantro and set aside.

2. On medium heat, coat a pan with the olive oil and throw in the onion and bell peppers to sweat. Mix and cook for three minutes.

3. Toss in the garlic and seasonings and mix well.

4. As soon as the spices are mixed in, slowly pour in the entire can of whole tomatoes. Mix well and cover.

5. Leave the sauce to simmer and tomatoes to soften and break down, about ten minutes. Use a wooden spoon to assist the breaking of the tomatoes as needed.

6. Using the wooden spoon, make five dimples in the sauce and carefully crack each egg into each. Cover and let simmer for three minutes or until the egg whites are cooked.

7. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with toasted bread. Enjoy!

I started the coffee apartment over the summer frankly because I missed having friends around all the time. The Lincoln Experience (TLE) was hosted in the living room of my senior year house, famously named Trap Manor. The origins of its name and Instagram page date back to before my time at Georgetown, but that’s a story for another time. Those who know of Trap Manor, know of its grand status among the other houses in Georgetown. I’m aware I may be biased, but I loved that dinghy old corner home.

By nature of having six people living under one roof, there was a lot of foot traffic everyday. Friends would come over to study, eat, drink, party, sleep, cook, box, dine and who knows what else. I wanted that feeling of having a great deal of friends over again, so I thought what better way to make that happen than over some delicious food and drink.

Since my one bedroom apartment can’t fit a restaurant the same way Trap Manor did, I had to pivot. A casual cafe with baked good and caffeinated drinks spoke to me, and just like that, Linc’s Coffee Apartment came to life. I try to change up the goodies served at these coffee apartments to keep my “customers” on their toes. In the past I’ve made various muffins, black sesame tiramisu and madeleines, Pandan honeycomb cake, and pate chaud, among other yummy baked goods. I love seeing bright, contrasting colors against my wooden cutting board, so tomatoes, pandan, and black sesame have been my favorite flavors to play around with.

More important than the baked goods are the drinks served at the coffee apartment. The menu changes slightly but these three have been a staple: Iced Matcha Latte, Vietnamese Egg Coffee, and Vietnamese Coconut Coffee. My friends Linh and Emily separately gifted me tins of matcha powder from their trips to Japan and the quality of these things are divine. Compared to the cheap powder I bought at the grocery store, drinking the Japanese matcha is like drinking gold. Topped with some salted milk froth, you’re in for a delicious treat.

The other drinks are inspired by my trip to Vietnam last year. Our mornings started at 5 AM (EVERYONE was up at this time) so coffee was a necessity. While I can never recreate the experience of drinking one of these in a hole in a wall beside a moving train, I’m glad I could recreate the taste for my friends here in D.C. Once mixed, the egg coffee offers a creamy, milky and bittersweet party, while the coconut coffee offers a dessert like slushy that kicks just the same. Both are perfect for a morning pick up.

As I teased in the title, I know many of you are here for the donuts. These delicacies were offered at my most recent coffee apartment, where after three different attempts at dough, I successfully make the fluffiest, lightest, and not-so-sweet-est donuts mankind has ever seen. Did it take me three days to figure out the dough? Yes. Do I regret it? Never. Paired with pandan, matcha, and black sesame custard, these donuts rival any other dessert I’ve made yet. If you want to experience this amount of greatness yourself, try out this recipe here:

P.S. The recipe to the custard follows the donuts, but I’d recommend making the custard beforehand and allowing it to cool in the fridge while you make the donuts!

Ingredients

For the Donuts

• 1 cup of warm milk

• 1 1/2 tbsp yeast

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 420 grams flour

• 2 eggs

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened & a little extra for coating

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Enough vegetable oil to fill a medium sized pot about 1 inch up

• 1/2 cup sugar

For the Custard

• 4 cups milk

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp butter

• 4 eggs

• 100 grams sugar

• 3 tbsp cornstarch

• 1/4 cup black sesame powder

• 1 tbsp matcha

• 1 tsp pandan paste

Instructions

For the Donuts

1. Proof the yeast by combining the warm milk, yeast, and sugar. Leave alone for 10 minutes or until doubled in size with bubbles. If the yeast does not activate, discard and start again with a new batch of yeast.

2. In a stand mixer, combine the proofed yeast, flour, eggs, butter, salt, and vanilla extract. Mix with a dough attachment on low speed until combined, then increase the speed slightly and mix until the dough becomes stretchy, about 10 minutes. It will be sticky and moist, but that’s what you want.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and coat with the little extra butter you set aside. Set it back into the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let it rise for about one hour, or until doubled in size.

4. After doubled, punch the dough to release the air. Move it to a floured surface and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a small bowl, cookie cutter, or any other round edged tool to cut out the donut shapes. Roll the excess dough back into a ball and repeat the process until you have all your donut circles.

5. Transfer the donut circles onto a floured baking sheet and cover with a towel for about thirty minutes, or until doubled in size.

6. Heat a pot of oil on medium low heat. Carefully place the donut circles in the oil. Work with a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry until each side is golden brown, about 45 seconds each.

7. Remove the donuts and cool on a cooling rack. Once cooled, toss in sugar.

8. Using a knife, cut a small slit into the side of the donut and make room by pushing it inside. Using a piping bag (or ziploc like I did), pipe the filling in the donut and overfill by about 1/2 a tbsp for decorative purposes.

9. Enjoy!

For the Custard

1. In a medium sized saucepan or pan, combine milk vanilla extract, and butter. Cook on medium heat until just before it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, throw in the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined.

3. Return the milk mixture back on the stove and heat on low. Carefully pour in the cornstarch mixture, making sure to whisk constantly. Whisk the combined mixture until it thickens enough to leave a clean train after scraping the bottom of the pan with a silicon spatula, about fifteen minutes.

4. Transfer the custard into three separate bowls. Throw in the black sesame powder, matcha powder, and pandan paste separately, and whisk each until well combined.

5. Cool the three custards in the fridge for at least 2 hours before piping.

THANK YOU for reading all this way! I know this recipe seems long and daunting but trust me when I say it’s worth it! However, if my word isn’t convincing enough and you’re in DC, let me know in the comments so you can try it effortlessly at my next coffee apartment…

My trip to New York City was originally supposed to be a few days, just the weekend leading into Indigenous Peoples Day. But of course, I was tempted with a good time and an offer I couldn’t resist. My friend Linh whom I’m sure you’re all acquainted with by now just moved to the city. She had a trip to Europe planned and offered her place to stay in exchange of me watching Kayla, her spirited cat with an ambitious attitude during the day and warm cuddly heart at night. We once spent a summer living together so Kayla and I have a love/hate relationship.

Thanks to Linh, I spent one whole week in the city, and when I wasn’t in the apartment taking work meetings with Kayla, I was frolicking through the city. I shopped, I hung out with friends, and boy, did I eat. Take a look at the top five things ate and drank… read until the end to see the recipe for my Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta!

5. Dirty Black Sesame Latte w/ Oat Milk | Kijitora

My friends Riya, Mia, Jenna, Zoe, and Payton were spending the afternoon in Williamsburg shopping around. Riya made us take a mandatory stop at Kijitora for their Strawberry Matcha, but when I saw the menu, I knew I needed to order the Dirty Black Sesame Latte. If you know me, you know my relationship with black sesame. It was nutty, creamy, and refreshing at the same time. If you find yourself in the area, this place is a must stop.

4. Classic Lox Sandwich on an Everything Bagel | Leons Bagels

As you can tell, I enjoyed it very much. I grabbed a catch up breakfast with my friend Sidh who lives and works in the city. We became friends studying abroad together in Prague, and since last seeing each other at graduation, we had a lot to catch up on. He recommended Leons and I don’t know if it was the sleep deprivation or happiness from catching up, but that bagel sandwich HIT. The salmon was nice and smoky, cream cheese soft, and onions and tomatoes sharp but not overpowering.

3. “Goi Neu” Spicy Beef Tartare | Lumlum

My friend Emily and I went to LumLum before attending a showing of Hadestown on Broadway. It was recommended by our friend Olivia who claims it as her favorite restaurant in the city. After eating a bunch of pizza and other yummy junk food, it was nice to have a sit down meal with familiar flavors. Not pictured, but would qualify as an honorary mention is the Pumpkin Curry and Soft Shell Crab. Both the tartare and the curry are flavor bombs in their own regard. If you end up coming here, these two dishes are must orders.

2. Scallop Hand Roll | KazuNori

KazuNori was recommended by my friends Lizzy and Francisco. I went for lunch in the middle of the week, and since I was by myself, it was easy to get a seat at the bar. I ordered 6 handrolls from their preset menu and loved every one. But if I had to choose one, I think I could easily eat ten of the scallop handrolls in one sitting. The fish and shellfish was fresh and top quality, seasoned well, and very inviting. If I could afford it, I’d be here every week.

1. Sea Salt Foam w/ Chocolate Dumplings | Din Tai Fung

My friend Ethan made the reservation to Din Tai Fund with the intention of us going together, but when the only options were seatings he couldn’t make, he still booked one so that I could go. Thanks to him, I was able to go with my friends Jenna, Zoe, and Payton. We ordered all the classics… Cucumber Salad, Garlic Green Beans, Xiao Long Bao, etc. But the star of the show was surprisingly the $1 sea salt foam paired with the chocolate dumplings. It was everything I didn’t know I needed. Not too sweet and just the right amount of salt that enhanced all the other cutting flavor profiles of the foam. I shamelessly finished the bowl after everyone had their dips. For something so simple, it’s occupied my mind quite a lot. You’ll be seeing this at the next Coffee Apartment…

1. (.1) Torched & Pressed | Planta

I wrote this entire article and scheduled it… only to wake up in a cold sweat because I realized I forgot about adding THIS phenomenal of a sushi roll from Planta. I ate here with my friend Elsa and was very skeptical coming in as the whole menu is vegetarian. I love my veggies, but I also love my meat so you’d imagine the reluctance. But to my surprise, they know exactly what they are doing here. This sushi roll was made with avocado, miso truffle glaze, and crack. I was inhaling these things like nobody’s business. Oftentimes I find truffle overpowering but paired with the miso and avocado, this creation was a match made in heaven.

Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

If I wrote about all of the other amazing and not so amazing restaurants I ate at, this newsletter would be miles long. In lieu of that miles long essay, I’m offering something delicious I made recently to make up for all of the spending I did in the big city.

So while I financially recover from the irresponsible spending, I’ll be eating cheap and delicious meals like this Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta for some time. I always have garlic, olive oil, and butter on hand, so I only had to purchase the tomatoes, onion, and pasta from the grocery store. All less than ten dollars! This recipe makes about four servings, so I was able to stretch the leftovers over two days.

P.S. one maybe not so fun fact about me is that I’m not a big fan of melted cheese, so I’m not afraid to skip out on it in meals like this. Instead, I used more of the starchy pasta water and butter to help bind the sauce and make it creamy. But if you don’t mind the cheese, go all in!

Ingredients

• 20 oz Cherry Tomatoes

• ½ Onion

• 3 Cloves of Garlic

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 4 oz Butter

• 8 oz Angel Hair Pasta

• Salt

• Pepper

• Basil, Dried or Fresh

• Parmesan Cheese, Optional

Instructions

1. Wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. Set aside.

2. Dice half an onion into uniform pieces and slice the garlic into thin strips. Set aside.

3. In a medium pan, heat up one tablespoon of olive oil and two ounces of the butter on medium heat. Toss in the garlic and onion and cook until translucent, about two minutes.

4. Throw in all of the cherry tomatoes and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat. Leave covered and simmering.

5. While the sauce simmers, in a medium pot with heavily salted water, cook the angel hair pasta until just under al dente. Reserve a quarter cup of the starchy, salty pasta water.

6. Before the pasta finishes, remove the lid of the sauce and pour in the reserved pasta water and remaining two tablespoons of butter. Mix well until butter is melted and sauce slightly thickens. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and basil. Fresh basil is always preferred, but I only had dry on hand.

7. Throw in the pasta directly from the pot and mix well, allowing the pasta to cook until al dente by soaking up some of the sauce.

8. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and basil as needed. Top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Everything from managing reservations to designing and making the social media graphics and prints, planning the menu, and putting together the music playlists was largely done alone in my free time. It was a full-time job in addition to my classes, internship, and social life.

On the days of the service, prep work was also done mostly alone. It started the night before, typically at 10 PM until about midnight, and continued in the morning, starting at 7 AM and into the evening when the dinners took place. When I started serving lunches, prep started even earlier the night before and took place before and after the 1 - 2:30 PM service on the actual day. Writing this all down for the first time, it’s hard to believe I was still standing by the night's end.

The help I did have was the highlight of each day. On a perfect day, I’d have one sous chef/dishwasher/busser, a server, and a photographer at each service. More often than not, I was missing a photographer; about half the time, the sous chef, dishwasher, busser, and server were the same person. It was a unique and taxing job, and I’m forever grateful for all the friends who were willing to help me do it.

So, the second dish customers at TLE and staff were served was the Agedashi Eggplant or Chili Oil Whipped Goat Cheese. There was a menu change about halfway through the seven months of TLE, but we’re getting to that in the next newsletter. Both of these dishes drew inspiration from outside my kitchen.

The eggplant was an interpretation of @madebymusashi’s making of the dish on Instagram, tied in with the love for my favorite Japanese restaurant, Hanabi Ramen’s Agedashi Tofu. Musashi is an incredible chef based in NY, and since following him, I’ve learned a ton of skills and tricks that I’ve implemented in my own cooking. As for Hanabi Ramen, I can’t put it into words. You have to try it for yourself.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chinese Eggplants

• Vegetable Oil

• ½ cup Dashi

• 2 tbsp Mirin

• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce

• 2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine or Sake

• 1 ¼ tbsp Sugar

• Green Onion

• Daikon Radish

Instructions

1. Peel and grate the green side of a daikon radish. Set aside.

2. Cut green onions into 1.5-inch sections and slice very thinly. Set aside in a bowl with ice and water to allow them to curl.

3. In a saucepan, combine dashi, mirin, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and 3 tbsp water. Bring to a simmer and sit uncovered for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, set aside to cool.

4. Cut Chinese eggplant into 2-inch sections, quarter lengthwise, and score skinside lightly.

5. Heat a pot with enough oil to cover the eggplant on medium heat. Fry eggplant pieces for about 2 minutes, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry in sections.

6. To serve, stack the fried eggplant in a bowl and spoon the dashi broth over it. Top with grated daikon and sliced green onions.

The whipped goat’s cheese was an adaptation of Barcelona Wine Bar’s whipped sheep cheese. My friends and I went to that restaurant every other week during my senior year, so I knew this was a party trick I had to learn. The restaurant serves the cheese with honey and bread, but having my dishes center Asian spices and flavors. I had to pair it with something a bit more exciting than honey.

I came up with the chili oil recipe about one week before I served it for the first time. And if I were to be honest about something, each time I’ve created the chili oil, it’s been different from the previous. When I’m prepping, I throw the same ingredients in a bowl, hoping for a familiar taste, and so far, it hasn’t failed me. For your sake, I made sure to record the measurements.

Ingredients:

• 7 oz Goat Cheese

• 3 oz Cream Cheese

• Salt

  1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce

• 1 tbsp Black Vinegar

• ½ tbsp Fish Sauce

• 1.5 tbsp Gochugaru

• ½ tbsp Sesame Seeds

• ½ tbsp Minced Garlic

Instructions

1. In a blender, pulse the goat cheese, cream cheese, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Scrape down the sides as you blend.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

3. In a heat-safe bowl, combine soy sauce, black vinegar, fish sauce, gochugaru, sesame seeds, and minced garlic.

4. Pour heated vegetable oil into the bowl and slowly mix. Set aside to cool.

5. Spread a generous amount of the whipped goat cheese onto a plate and spoon the chili oil over.

6. Serve with bread or crackers.

My sister Ailin was one of the first people I asked to help out at the pop-up. She’s three years younger than me, down to the same calendar day. She’s got an impressive knack for cooking and intuition when it comes to the kitchen.

Her personal essay on the Mailliard reaction got her into Georgetown in the first cycle, so there was no doubt in my mind that I should approach her with this project. The next person I asked was Linh. She was there since the inception of this idea so I knew I wanted her there with me. Ailin was behind the curtains with me as my sous chef and Linh was out front as server and photographer. I could not ask for a better team.

Now let’s get into the mocktails. Following the first TLE “friends and family” pop-up on November 1st, I left after a few days for my friend Lily’s Debutante Ball in Houston. There were a great number of us, but my friend Kirit and I were the only guys. Naturally, while the girls started their preparations with hair and make-up early in the morning, we set off to explore the city. We met up with a mutual friend of ours named Amber for lunch, and after catching up, we noticed an art market taking place nearby.

The first stand we stopped at was of a glassmith. He had a beautiful collection of vases, bowls, and GLASSES! I fell in love immediately but chose to take a lap because of their price before making a decision. After Kirit and I walked the length of the market, I dragged my feet back towards the glassmith and readied my haggling skills. Luckily, I didn’t have to do much because he was drunk off his behind. I ended up getting 25% off the initial price and returned home with treasure that day. To this day, these glasses are my favorite pieces of glassware, and I proudly display them in my kitchen.

Finally, before any food was served, customers at TLE received a Lychee Mocktail. I first came up with the recipe for my parents’ 25th-anniversary dinner that my sisters and I put together back home in Florida. Similar to the pop-up, I was the chef, Ailin the sous, and Anna, our oldest sister was the server. To this day, it’s one of my family’s favorite meals so I wanted to share that memory with as many people as I could.

I don’t drink alcohol so I knew I didn’t want to serve it at the pop-up, but I still wanted to offer a palette cleanser throughout the meal. Lychee wasn’t the immediate answer but eventually, I figured it’d be the most favorable of childhood fruits I grew up eating. With a touch of lightly bruised mint, it was the perfect choice to accompany the five courses to come.

This recipe calls for drinks with a few friends, but If you plan on serving 20 or more people in one go, multiply everything by five 😆.

Ingredients:

• 1 can whole lychee in syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar

• Seltzer water

• Mint

• Ice

Instructions

1. Set aside a few whole lychees for garnishing.

2. Combine the can of whole Lychee in Syrup in a blender with sugar.

3. Blend until the lychee is completely pulverized. This will take about one minute at medium speed.

4. Transfer the blended mixture to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower the heat and leave uncovered and simmering until the syrup reduces to half, about two hours.

5. When the syrup is reduced to half, strain the mixture and let it cool before refrigerating.

6. To serve, combine three tablespoons of syrup for every one cup of seltzer water in a glass with ice. Adjust to taste. Garnish with lightly bruised mint and whole lychee.

It all started in a car ride with my friend Linh. We were driving towards Eden Center, a plaza with Vietnamese grocers and restaurants in Falls Church, VA. I was behind the wheel and Linh was navigating in the passenger seat. As far as I can recall, it was a random week day. We go so regularly that I don’t remember why we went, if not just to eat banh mi and drink boba. “You should do one of these pop-ups,” said Linh as she played a TikTok of someone in New York City creating a meal for an intimate group of friends. I shrugged and laughed the idea off. “That would be fun, but there’s no way I could do something like that right now. I’d have to buy so much stuff, and I don’t have the money for it right now,” I said.

And that was the last of our conversation on that topic. But if you should know anything about me, it’s that conversations sit in my head for days at a time. I’m not an overthinker by any means necessary, but I like to let my thoughts ruminate before acting on them. With a project of this caliber, there was quite the rumination.

After that initial conversation in the car, it took me two weeks to put pen to paper. The first thing I wrote out was a list of items I’d need to buy to make something like those TikToks come to life: plates, bowls, cocktail glasses, water cups, napkins, chopsticks, tablecloths, posters, tables, chairs… the list went on without end.

The plan was to create a five-course prix-fixe dinner experience for eight people at a time. There would be one seating at 6 PM and another at 7:30 PM. It’d be hosted outside in my backyard to keep the living room area open to my five roommates whom I shared the house with.

And… I went for it. Naturally, almost nothing went as originally planned. The backyard was too dark and cold, and the heat lamps I acquired from my landlord wouldn’t suffice. The timing was too rushed, the music too loud, the dumplings too sticky, and many, many, many more problems. But over time, I learned a ton, adjusted, and successfully served over 200 customers across 24 seatings in seven months. If you stick around, I’d like to share these experiences with you.

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