Monthly Archives: July 2006

My domain is up and running!

My domain and website are finally up and running. It's hosted at a free private hosting service and the website itself is just a couple of handwritten asp.net scripts that take my MSN spaces and Flickr RSS feeds and render them on the same page. I've just signed up for google adsense and analytics to get an idea of what the traffic to the site's gonna be like.
Ideas/Thoughts on how to make the site better? Add comments here or send me mail at my domainname@domainname.com.
Check it out: http://www.umeshunni.com/

Sushiman of Issaquah

It’s been a while since I did a restaurant rant. It’s certainly not been due to a lack of opportunity, but more due to lack of time and enthu to write something up. So, here goes…

Yesterday, the Wife & I decided to try out Sushiman of Issaquah. Located in a nondescript strip mall in Issaquah’s Gilman Village, we went there expecting to find a run of the mill teriyaki/sushi place; So, we were pretty surprised by the modern ambiance and decor inside.

Name: Sushiman of Issaquah

Location:  670 NW Gilman BLVD, Issaquah, WA 98027

Our Order: The Sake Sampler, Sushi Platter w/ the Miso soup. Beef Sukiyaki w/ the Crisp Green Salad.

Pros:

1. The Ambiance: We were pleasantly surprised by the restaurant’s modern decor and warm ambiance. We chose to sit at a table rather than at the Sushi Bar but the tables were a bit too wide for two people to comfortably sit and have a conversation at.

2. The Sake Sampler: At 3 Sakes for $10, this was a pretty good deal. At the time we visited, they had only 3 of their 4 Sakes available, but these three were pretty varied, both in flavor and consistency. I don’t recall their names, but the coconut flavored one was certainly different from anything I had ever tasted before.

3. Fresh Sushi: The sushi platter was fresh and filling. I think they had 6 rolls and 6 nigiri’s.

4. The Miso Soup: The soup was hot and excellent. The only places I had Miso soup before were at local Teriyaki joints and Sushiman’s miso was a cut about the rest. Not to mention the fact that it was served in lacquer bowl and drunk directly from the bowl.

Cons:

1. The salad was lousy and the Sukiyaki was average at best. I didn’t mind the Sukiyaki, but the Wife found it too mild and sweet.

2. The price: The prices were definitely higher than I expected, but not too bad. Not the most expensive sushi I’ve had, but not the best either.

Overall, the food was good , the decor was interesting and it was worth the time. I’d give it ‘B’, will probably visit again.

DC

DC was so freaking hot! It was 93F on Saturday and we spent the whole day walking from the Union Station/Capitol Hill end of the DC Mall to the Monument/Lincoln Memorial end. Some observations:

  • DC was a lot cleaner, neater and prettier than I expected. Somehow I was expecting a smaller version on Downtown LA there.
  • Everything in DC is Free! All the attractions, all the museums… everything. Quite a contrast from other towns where you pay 30 bucks a pop to go up a freaking mountain or walk on a bridge.
  • DC gets pretty hot in Summer.
  • Lots n lots of fountains along the mall.. I saw down at them with my feet in the water to cool down:

Dipping into a fountain

  • The White House is lame. All you can do there is to take photos from outside the gate:

White House

  • Indique: Great mango lassis! They had a stall at the Smithsonian folk life festival.

Indique

  • The Smithsonian Museum(s) rock! I’ll probably spend a day or two visiting them the next time I’m in DC. This time, I got to see only the Museum of Natural History.

Ichysaurus ?

  • What’s with the goat? One of those ‘what were they thinking when they put this exhibit up’ moments…

Taming a goat

  • That’s some pretty exclusing parking spots they’ve got here…

Pretty exclusive parking

  • Did I mention that it was HOT! It’s good to be back in the Northwest where it’s (at least slightly) cooler.