Seattle Dog from Dog in the Park | Seattle Center

It's most likely that you've heard of New York Pizza and Chicago Dog, but I doubt if you're familiar with "Seattle Dog." If you're looking for that one place to try near the Space Needle for lunch, head over to the Dog in the Park food stand before or after the Space Needle.

What is a "Seattle Dog"? It starts with your usual hotdog sandwich of, well, a hotdog in a bun but topped with grilled veggies and cream cheese. Yes, CREAM CHEESE on a hotdog sandwich. It sounds outrageous.

Seattle Dog from Dog in the Park near the Space Needle
The grilled hot dog is served in a toasted bun topped with cream cheese and grilled veggies.

How did it taste like? The hot dog is perfectly cooked, which is always a good start. I surprisingly love the slight char and bitterness from the grilled vegetables. The cream cheese did add creaminess like cheese would, but the smoothness and slight tanginess were offputting for me. I prefer my cream cheese as a dip and on top of a toasted bagel.

My First Crumpet from The Crumpet Shop | Pike Place Market

We need to talk. Why have I never heard of crumpets before researching places to try in Pike Place Market?! What's wrong with me and my limited knowledge of food? Honestly, there's still so much to eat!

Let's start with what's a crumpet. It is a British tea-time treat with round, fluffy, and slightly dense bread-like cakes with a distinctive bubble texture. It is made from a batter of flour, yeast, and milk cooked on a griddle or stovetop in special circular moulds.

Egg, English cheese, & Ham Breakfast Egg Crumpets from The Crumpet Shop
Organic eggs served on a hot & toasty crumpet

My younger sister ordered the Egg, English cheese & Ham while I chose an Egg on Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese on top of a hot & toasty crumpet.

Egg, English cheese, & Ham Breakfast Egg Crumpets from The Crumpet Shop
Organic eggs served on a hot & toasty crumpet

It's soft, and the eggs are perfectly cooked. While the smoked salmon cream cheese provided a creamy and salty topping.

Egg on Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Breakfast Egg Crumpets from The Crumpet Shop
Local smoked salmon blended in house with cream cheese.

I love it! My younger sister said she prefers English muffins since she eats them at work. The difference between the two is in texture and taste: crumpets have a spongy, porous texture with a mild flavour, while English muffins have a denser texture with a more pronounced bread-like taste.

Egg on Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Breakfast Egg Crumpets from The Crumpet Shop
Local smoked salmon blended in house with cream cheese.

Do you have any suggestions on the best place for crumpets in Vancouver? I'm also heading to London, UK, on October and want to try crumpets there. Let me know of the best places to try it in London.

Maple Bacon Mini Doughnut from Daily Doughnut Company | Pike Place Market

My mom is celebrating her birthday on the same weekend as Father's Day, so we decided to take a road trip to Seattle, WA.

We arrived at Pike Place Market shortly before 10:00 AM, and I lined up for the Daily Doughnut Company. You can totally spend a day in Pike Place Market lining up for the many good places here.

I ordered a half dozen of the Plain Doughnut and another half dozen of Maple Bacon.

Plain Mini Doughnuts from Daily Doughnut Company inside Pike Place Market

My younger sister, the baker in the family, loved the doughnut. She accurately described it as a savoury deep-fried doughnut that's not sweet. I got the plain because I always worry about doughnuts being too sweet, but not in this case. I think adding the sweet topping is the way to go.

Maple Bacon Mini Doughnut from Daily Doughnut Company inside Pike Place Market

I enjoyed the crispy exterior of the plain mini goodness while I loved the balance of sweet and salty of the Maple Bacon mini doughnut.

This is the best way to start in Seattle.

Catch of the Day: Why Lucky Louie Fish Shack is a Must-Try at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

When I booked our flight for this vacation, I knew we would have a layover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). I was searching for one-must try food stall or food item inside the airport and couldn't find anything quite useful.

If you're like me and have a layover at SEA, don't miss out on trying Lucky Louie Fish Shack. Located in the central terminal, this seafood spot serves up some of the airport's freshest and most delicious fish.

During our two hours layover, we started with Pallino pizza. Then, I was craving fries and was looking for McDonald's, but it was temporarily closed, so we ended up at Lucky Louie Fish Shack.

3 Piece Fish & Chips Pub-Style Wild Alaska Salmon served with crinkle fries and Rock the Boat Tartar from Lucky Louie Fish Shack

I was apprehensive of their fish & chips because we have a handful of great joints in Vancouver, so my expectations could be unfairly high. Plus, when we visited in 2016, all the fish & chips we tried in Seattle could be better.

This is why I am pleasantly surprised that the Salmon Fish & Chips from Lucky Louie Fish Shack inside SEA lived up to my expectations. The fish & chips offer the flavours of the Pacific Northwest. The fish is perfectly cooked, with crispy, light and tender, flaky flesh. Their Rock the Boar Tartar sauce is so delicious. It has a creamy, tangy, slightly sweet flavour that compliments fried fish and fries.

3 Piece Fish & Chips Pub-Style Wild Alaska Salmon served with crinkle fries and Rock the Boat Tartar from Lucky Louie Fish Shack

My sweet-tooth husband asked that we get the Sweet Waffle Fish (I guess that's more descriptive than calling it tiny Taiyaki). It was soft and perfect on its own.

Sweet Waffle Fish from Lucky Louie Fish Shack
Creamy cheesecake filled with salted caramel dip

Boarding for our flight is about to start. Can't wait to come home!

Pallino | Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

We're almost back home! But, before that, I will give you a detailed account of how the day went before the pizza in Pallino at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

I woke up at 4:00 AM to take a quick shower and finish packing. Then, at around 5:30 AM, my Auntie (I don't put names of people in my blog) toasted pandesal and prepared hot chocolate and coffee for a quick breakfast. Then, at precisely 6:00 AM, we left their beautiful home in Murrieta, CA.

We arrived at Ontario International Airport (ONT) minutes before 7:00 AM. I was slightly worried because I didn't do a web check-in. Thankfully, the Alaska Airlines counter person was accommodating and pleasant. After checking in, we hugged Auntie and Uncle before proceeding to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and security checks.

We walked around ONT to see food options, but I was still full from breakfast. However, our flight felt delayed, so I got a Ham & Cheese Sandwich from the Hudson store and gobbled half. My husband decided to eat his half on the plane.

As soon as I fastened my seatbelt, I fell asleep. It's a skill. I slept most of the flight from ONT to SEA. However, I woke up when we took off because the turbulence was quite bad. According to the weather forecast, strong winds were expected in Southern California that day, so I did expect some shaking but not as much as we experienced.

We arrived in Seattle shortly after 12:00 NN. We exited at Gate N and had to take a minute train ride to the Central Terminal because our departing flight was at Gate C. We walked around to check the food scene. They have a good size food court in the Central Terminal. There are a lot of stores focusing on locally-produced products like coffee and chocolates.

We can't decide on what to get and go for pizza. I wanted pasta too, but it seems like a lot.

Pallino Pizza

Pallino Veggie
Eggplant, zucchini, red & yellow bell peppers, and roasted tomatoes

We ordered the namesake Pallino Veggie pizza. It's Neopolitan-style pizza, and they have an oven behind the counter. There was quite a wait. The bottom of the pizza was soft, while the crust was crispy. It's a good, relatively healthy pizza choice with all the vegetables on top.

A slice of Pallino Veggie inside Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

I also ordered Ivar's Clam Chowder. Ivar's is an institution in Seattle, so if you didn't have a chance to visit the city but want to have a taste of Ivar's, this is the best. I actually love Ivar's Clam Chowder over their fish and chips.

Ivar's Clam Chowder
Northwest-style white clam chowder with bacon, 8 oz serving

I am craving fries, so we'll walk around and see where I can get some near our gate.

Chicken Fried Steak and Egg at Pike Place Bar & Grill

My parents and I drove to Seattle, Washington, today. Our first stop is the iconic Pike Place Market. I had planned for us to have breakfast at Lowell's, but they're packed at 10:00 AM, so we ended up at Pike Place Bar & Grill, where I ordered the Country Fried Steak and Egg.

Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs
Served with home fries and biscuit

My mom ordered the French Toast with a side of ham.

French Toast
Brioche French toast with fresh fruit and banana caramel sauce

Lunch at Armory on Seattle Center

It's our second day in Seattle! We had lunch inside the Armory at Seattle Center. We tried Chicken BBQ with Mac and Cheese from Bigford and Garlic Parmesan Fries from Cool Guys Fry Bar.

Chicken BBQ Sandwich

Garlic Parmesan Fries

Mac and Cheese

Dinner at Lowell's Restaurant

Early dinner at Lowell's Restaurant inside the world-famous Pike Place Market. We watched the sunset from their window overlooking Elliot Bay.

Fish Tacos

Fish & Chips

Lunch at Ivar's Acres of Clams

My first trip outside of Canada! Hubby and I took a bus going to Seattle. Our first meal is lunch from Ivar's Acres of Clams, specifically salmon fish & chips AND clam chowder.

Chowder for the cold day

Salmon Fish & Chips