SinBala: A Taste of Taiwan

We had to replenish our personal armory of Chinese goodies at 99 Ranch today--we were out of soy sauce, kecap manis, hoisin, sesame oil, and shouxing cooking wine. It was bad and the woman who checked us out laughed at us. Possibly because we are gringos, possibly because it looked like we were about to open a Chinese restaurant. On the way, we decided to swing by the nearby SinBala, the Yelp-declared mecca of Taiwanese market food in Arcadia. 

 

When in Roma...

We've been excited to write this one for awhile. Pasadena isn't exactly a hotbed of Italian deliciousness, but there is one fantastic exception. In an unassuming little strip mall north of the 210 (or NoTwo, as we call it) is Roma Italian Market, home to the best sandwiches in town (and anywhere, ever).  Roma has a produce section with seasonal fresh fruits and veggies, a selection of Italian wines that I cannot tell you more about because I know nothing about wine, and a thousand different kinds of delightful little cookies that you could blow a whole paycheck on. They also carry a bunch of dried and fresh pastas, fancy canned and jarred things you need for Italian cooking (A pint of capers! Anchovies!), and the deli.