Off the Map

My Lonely Planet to Hidden Gems Off the Map

Since elementary school, I have always been assigned to select restaurants and hotels for family trips. Back then, Mom relied on two main sources: the few travel blogs available in the early 2000s and the thick, HEAVY Lonely Planet, which I flipped through so much that by the time we actually set off, the pages were practically falling out. My childhood dream (aside from becoming a translator) was to be a Lonely Planet editor. While LP may no longer be in print, I’ve decided to create my own little “Lonely Planet,” filled with my personal travel and food adventures.

Hanoi Food Diary | 河内美食”辣”评

Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg Foodprints

BROWSE BY REGIONS & CATEGORY

Food Map Across the Globe

Growing up in Canton (Southern China), my cooking has always been rooted in Cantonese cuisine, followed by other Chinese and Asian dishes. But with my partner Charles’ supervision and his occasional cravings for non-Asian foods, I’ve been slowly expanding my culinary horizons across continents—one dish at a time!

New Recipes (&Adventures)

Lab notebook documenting best practices, failure, reflection and resources just like a peer-reviewed paper (not really..)

潮州肉饼 | Teochew Meat Loaf

When I was growing up in Guangzhou, every now and then my mom and grandma would bring home Teochew (4hr drive from GZ) meat loaf from the market. These cylinder-shaped loaves would be sliced thin and pan-fried, or cut into strips and stir-fried with noodles or vermicelli. Simple, comforting, and very much a taste of home. The recipe turned out to be much easier than I expected and now I can recreate a beloved childhood delicacy anytime and share it with friends.
椒盐猪排 | Salt & Pepper Pork (Air-Fried!)

It genuinely hurts me when my partner orders a $20.99 salt-and-pepper pork rib dish at a restaurant and the plate arrives with… eight tiny pieces of ribs. Eight. Altogether barely the size of two palms. That disappointment, combined with my love for anything fried, salty, and peppery (pork ribs, chicken wings, you name it), pushed me to recreate this classic Cantonese dish at home.
Bossam | 보쌈

In the cold winter months, I always find myself craving bossam at Korean restaurants. But in the Bay Area, this dish often starts at $40 or more, which usually nudges me toward ordering something more affordable instead. Turns out, bossam is much more straightforward to make at home than I expected.
空气春卷 | Spring Roll with an Air Pocket

The spring roll with an air pocket is my favorite dish at Fuhuihua, the new and buzzworthy Chinese fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco. When I first saw Chef Ge serving a spring roll, I was skeptical, how different could it really be? But the moment I bit into it, the top layer cracked gently like flaky pastry. Beneath that dramatic air pocket, Chef Ge had hidden the ocean itself: crab leg, crab roe, fish maw, and fish fin.
Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake

If you’re staring at leftover Halloween pumpkins and feeling guilty about tossing them, while also thinking about what to bring to the Thanksgiving dessert table, I’m right there with you. That’s exactly how this easy Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake comes to rescue the day! It’s simple, cozy, and lets the pumpkin really shine.
Mulberry Jam Pound Cake

It’s mulberry picking season here in the Bay Area, and a friend generously gifted us a jar of homemade mulberry jam. While my partner experiments with mulberry-inspired cocktails, I went digging for baked goods recipes that could highlight the mulberry jam’s flavor.
Birria Tacos

After taco de lengua and carnitas, I’m taking on birria—one of Charles and Rick’s favorites from Tacos El Patron in SF—in preparation for another upcoming taco fiesta. Rich, flavorful, and deeply satisfying, this dish is slow-cooked perfection wrapped in crispy, cheesy tortillas.
[healthy] passionfruit pound cake – no cane sugar no butter

When you’ve got a big jar of passion fruit jam nearing its expiration date, and your partner can’t quite use it up in cocktails, it’s the perfect excuse to get creative in the kitchen. I couldn’t let that tropical, tangy delicacy go to waste. So I started experimenting: first with passion fruit triple chocolate cookies (a tasty idea, but the seeds hardened in the bake), and then with a passion fruit pound cake, which turned out to be a delicious success.
2025 SF Croissant Blind Test

Contestants: Arsicult, Juniper, Jina Bakes, Jane the Bakery, Neighbor Bakehouse, and… Safeway (yes, we need Costco in here next time!)