I got to get this story out before I start the post. I was so shaken this morning because an elderly man almost hit my car. I was driving straight on a road that had two lanes going in both directions. Suddenly as I’m driving, this silver corolla comes out of nowhere into my lane about to hit me. He must have drove out of a lot from the other side, cut two lanes and trying to get into my lane. I had to swerve and hit my brakes HARD. I kept beeping him and he didn’t even seem to realize what he did and even hear my beeping. That really shook me up, I hate slamming on my brakes, I feel like I am breaking my car. Then as we’re driving, I change into the right lane and guess what? HE DECIDES TO LANE CHANGE INTO MY CAR AGAIN. I couldn’t believe it. I was hopping mad and I just kept beeping like a mad woman and he finally realizes it and goes back into his own lane. God, I just sped up like a devil to get away from this man.

I know this sounds terrible but I feel like when people get to a certain age, they shouldn’t be allowed to drive. I know I’ll want to drive as long as I can but he was making a lot of poor decisions and didn’t even hear my loud beeps. It was crazy and I still feel shaken up right now from what happened. Sorry for the rant, I am just super bothered.

My real post today is sharing a meal we had at Lucky Belly recently. We were celebrating Administrative Professionals Day and our secretary wanted to eat here so there we were! The food was good but I would recommend going during their dinner service. Their lunch menu is extremely limited. I have a funny story about this. So we had one person pay the entire bill and collected from everyone afterwards. As we were calculating afterwards, we realized we totally jipped them on tip. Felt terrible so I offered to drive out to give them the rest of the tip. Ummm…the guy who got received the tip had a very whatever reaction to it. Why do I allow my morals to dictate my actions?? Oh yeah, because it’s the right thing to do. Monotone reactions aside, I am fine because it was the right thing to do. Well, let’s get to the pictures!

Lucky Bowl ($9) – bean sprouts, soft egg, wakame, sesame seeds, green onion & ginger

Belly Bowl ($14) – Lucky bowl contents plus belly, bacon & sausage

I got the belly bowl. It was not great. I think the pork made the entire bowl too rich. The soup itself is already pretty strong so adding all this sausage, bacon AND pork belly is just too much. I wouldn’t get this one again.

Karaage Chicken Sandwich ($11) – Served with jalapeño namasu slaw & cilantro mustard. What a deal! My coworker enjoyed it!

Shrimp Gyoza ($11) – comes with edamame avocado puree & ponzu. This dish was okay, nothing special. The avocado puree is….interesting. I wouldn’t get it again.

Pork Belly Bao ($9) – comes with sake hoisin & pickled cucumber. I’m pretty sure $9 was only for two of them, our tables ordered two orders. This was good! Good buns which makes a big difference!

All in all, I think Lucky Belly is more for the young crowd after work. Definitely recommend coming for dinner over lunch. They also don’t take reservations for lunch so I suggest going right when they open if you have a big party. We came with our list of orders ready to go which they appreciated.

Have you been to Izakaya Naru? They’ve been around for a few years but exist in a bit of a non-descript location. They are located in the same building as Sushi King but when they first opened, they had like no signage. I didn’t even know they were a restaurant until I noticed customers inside as the door opened and closed. I seriously thought it was some kind of secret society, lol. This is a sweet place run by sweet Japanese people. Their crowd is a mix of locals and Japanese tourists, they are very artistic. Their menu is handwritten by the staff and if you make a reservation, they hand write your name on a sign. Very nice and personalized touch. The lighting in the place is a bit dim so I apologize in advance for the dark pictures!

Garlic Fried Rice with Squid – $9.50

The rice was definitely tasty and I liked the little crispy rice on top. Just a bit of a small portion for $10.

Salmon Carpaccio – I think this was a special for the day. It was good but not something I would order again.

Gyoza Pizza – $8.50

This is one of their signature dishes. Very interesting concept. It’s pretty much the gyoza skin as the crust, topped with gyoza filling and cheese and baked. I think this dish is okay but not great. Definitely something to try once to say you tried it but not something I would want again.

Shoyu Pork Belly – $9.75

First of all, what’s up with the egg?! Japanese restaurants are the very place I expect the egg to be cooked on point. The gray ring was disappointing, not that it stops me from eating it. The pork belly was not great, it definitely could have been more tender than it was. Felt very dry, good thing had the fat to help out the dryness. I wouldn’t order this again.

Okinawan Sweet Potato & Mochi Ice Cream Parfait – $7.00

Very interesting dessert. I was not a fan at first but I really did enjoy the sweet potato mochi. The title of the dish was a bit deceiving, it’s actually sweet potato mochi so don’t be like me and start looking for separate mochi. They added frosted flakes cereal on the side which really threw me off. It did not go with the dessert and the dessert did not need that. I do actually want the mochi again so that’s a plus.

This is definitely not one of my favorite izakayas. I guess I should try some other dishes next time because the staff are really nice! I had a really nice and refreshing drink and I can’t remember it! Maybe that’s a good excuse to give them one more try…