dekaphobe.com | Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Blog

Staying home for months and not traveling provided us the opportunity to get creative in planning for a quick getaway to take advantage of what was left of the summer heat before cold autumn takes over. Because I haven't really gone to the area for non-work reasons, we decided to drive down to Virginia Beach. Driving from Northern Virginia to Virginia takes around three hours or more, depending on the traffic.  Our first stop as when we arrived is Orion's Roof located on the 23rd floor of Marriott Resort Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The restaurant, headed by ex-Nobu chef Hisashi Araki, just opened last May and has been attracting sushi fanatics both visiting and living in the Virginia Beach area.  We reserved for late dinner at least a week prior and we got seated at our table as soon as we arrived. While enjoying our bottle of wine, we had these starters: Edamame ($6), Local Oysters on the Half Shell ($14), Hamachi Carpaccio ($16), and Conch Ceviche ($14).  Conch Ceviche Local O

During the past few months, a lot of places in my area started to reopen and attempt to return to the normal, somehow. One of the places that I was able to visit recently is Trummer's located in Clifton, Virginia. Trummer's (formerly called Trummer's on Main) was  recently awarded as the winner of Upscale Brunch of the Year  by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.  I was able to visit this place for brunch prior to the pandemic and enjoyed my experience and decided that it would a good idea to revisit to try their new brunch menu.  Currently, Trummer's brunch schedule is only every Saturday but is otherwise open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. Reservations are not required but are highly recommended.  As a foodie, I enjoy visiting restaurants with classic menus but I have an appreciation for restaurants such as Trummer's that regularly change their menu items, so the dishes that we have tried during this visit may not be available if you visit

I was fortunate to be able to travel to several cities in the U.S. last year and see places that I haven't been to before. Since I wasn't able to travel anywhere this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I thought that sharing the places that I visited last year would be a good way to motivate myself that things will get better and hopefully get to revisit these places when things return to normal (or normal-ish).  New Orleans was the most memorable city that I visited last year. New Orleans, a city in the state of Louisiana, is known for its multicultural heritage, historical architecture, the Mardi Gras, and of course, their food! Like any serious foodie, I created a list of restaurants that I wanted to try during my visit. One of those places that my fellow travelers recommended is The Ruby Slipper Cafe.  The Ruby Slipper Cafe is a popular breakfast and brunch restaurant founded in New Orleans and currently has several locations within and outside the city. We went to the dow

  It's been a while since I shared a recipe - or basically anything at all, but here I go again and hopefully I get to be more consistent with blogging.  The past few years have made me more comfortable in the kitchen and have accumulated amazing kitchen gadgets that make my life a lot easier. One of the newest kitchen equipment that I'm crazy about is the INSTANT POT! For those who are not familiar, Instant Pot is a multicooker that allows you to do basically all types of food preparations - pressure cook, slow cook, saute and bake in one pot.  I had an Arroz Caldo craving a few days ago and decided to use Instant Pot to cook it. Prior to this, I use a Dutch oven to cook Arroz Caldo.  This recipe is pretty flexible - feel free to use any cut of chicken meat you prefer and using kasubha (or safflower) is optional. Ingredients: 2 tbsp canola oil 3-5 pcs garlic, minced 2 tbsp ginger, sliced (or julienned) 1 onion, chopped 1 cup short-grain sweet rice or glutinous rice (or malagk

The past week has been tumultuous as communities here in the United States have come together to protest the injustices in the system. At the same time, we are also fighting a pandemic, COVID-19, which has affected the entire globe.  As many food businesses have been affected by the state orders, I would like to help in my own little way by creating a list of black-owned food businesses in NoVA - with recommendations from myself and my fellow foodies.  If you live or work in the Northern Virginia area, it would be great if you can show your support by buying or ordering from these businesses.  This is a growing list and I will keep updating this as I receive more suggestions. Feel free to comment if you have a personal recommendation.  1. Jirani Coffeehouse 9425 West St, Manassas, VA 20110 https://jiranicoffeehouse.com/ Jirani is my go-to spot for coffee, meetups, and even desserts. Jirani is also a venue for workshops, meetings, and events related to arts and culture.  Aside from coff

Hello! I know it's been a long while but I'm blogging again! A lot has happened in the past few months that it felt like I had to return to doing things that I love, and blogging is one of them.  I've been doing some changes on the backend so you may notice a simpler layout.  I hope you are staying safe and healthy, wherever you are.  -Michy