Stockton, CA

Travel Dates: July 11th to 17th & December 24th to January 1st

10 YEARS & I’M BACK!

If you don’t reside or have family in California, you probably have no clue or have heard of a place called Stockton. And its STOCKTON not Stockholm! I’m the latter. I have my Dad’s family living in Stockton. There were only two occurrences when someone I knew had any idea or have heard of Stockton. A friend who watches UFC and knew the Diaz brothers, Nick and Nate were born in Stockton and a colleague in his late 50s, whom as a child watched a 60’s sitcom called Big Valley. Where in the world is Stockton? Stockton, California is the county seat of San Joaquin County which is situated in the Central Valley of the United States. It is the 13th largest city in California. When explaining where Stockton is located in California, I use big cities as reference points. For example, Stockton to San Francisco is approximately an hour and twenty minutes drive. Stockton to Sacramento, approximately 50 minutes and if you were to drive to Los Angeles, it would take you about 5 hours. Please note, this is not during rush hour!!!

My first visit to Stockton was in 1998 when I was eleven years old. My siblings and I travelled to Stockton with our dad while my mom stayed behind. We loved our dad’s side so much, we visited several times without our Dad! Our last visit was in 2009. I think we stopped visiting because my siblings and I wanted to see more of the world, especially my sister and I. The hiatus came to a halt when my aunts and their kids came to visit us in 2017. From their visit, we learned there were a lot of changes. Family dynamics changed, little cousins grew into adult men and women, and family members were going through the ebbs and flow of life. A decade is a lot! It was only right to return and re-connect with our family. 10 YEARS AND I’M BACK!!!!! What a better way to return to Stockton, California and celebrate our cousin’s wedding.

You will see in the year 2019, we went down to Stockton, two times! WE LOVE STOCKTON!!! Our first visit for my cousin’s wedding and the second visit was to celebrate the Christmas holiday and New Years. DAMN! My Stockton family knows how to party!!! The second time around we brought our mom along which would be her first visit to Stockton. The timing may seem off for my mom’s visit to Stockton because my mom and dad are no longer together. They’ve been separated for more than a decade now. Funny right?! My mom visiting her ex-husband’s side of the family! While I was in Stockton, I texted my dad a picture of my mom with his cousins on Christmas day. He didn’t mind at all! See that’s the thing though. Even though they have been separated for over a decade, his side of the family wanted my mom to come through. That’s love right there. People thought it would be awkward for my mom and I asked her about it after the trip. Not once did she feel uncomfortable. Real talk, I have never seen my mom laugh so hard with tears rolling down her eyes! You can see why I love my dad’s side of the family. No hate, no judgement just LOVE.. My mom will always be a part of the family in Stockton.

I will always have mad love for California. Coming back to Stockton, I felt the love all around me. I never laughed and loved so much with these beautiful souls. I felt the abundance of love when I was there at a young age and it’s still present. The love has grown even larger with the addition of new family members.

There are some really impressive spots in Stockton for incredible food! Trust me, I was surprised myself with the diverse selections! I thought I would be eating fast food for the entire trip! Memorable spots such as Green Papaya for authentic Laos cuisine and El Mayita, a taco truck serving delicious tacos and burritos were my top favourites! These two places and the ones mentioned here were so good, we had to re-visit them once more on our second visit! And yes, we ordered the same things!!!

Khmer Wedding Ceremony

A traditional Khmer Wedding is comprised of many ceremonies to provide blessings to the bride and groom whom vow to commit to one another. There are Master of Ceremonies (usually a man and woman) whom are there to guide and entertain the guests in attendance through the many ceremonies. A traditional Cambodian wedding consists of monk’s prayers, chanting, traditional Cambodian instrumentals, entertainment by the MCs, guests parading with fruit platters in hand and providing offerings to the monks.

It’s up to the family but a traditional wedding can go on for three days or it can be compressed and completed in one day. An example of a ceremony completed in a Khmer wedding is the hair-cutting (cleansing) ceremony. The hair-cutting ceremony is to cleanse the bride and groom of their past so they can start fresh on their new beginnings as a married couple. The MCs sing and dance around the bride and groom and pretend to cut their hair. Of all the ceremonies (I believe there’s 7 or more), I enjoy the Knot-Tying ceremony. This is the part where family members and guests in attendance tie a red string bracelet around the bride and groom’s wrist to bless them with success, happiness, good health and a long-lasting union. As well, the bride and groom is gifted with either jewelries or money. Usually, when gifted with jewelries it is from the immediate family and money is given by the guests. The best part of the knot-tying ceremony is the part when the guests can throw rice at the married couple! Please note, it is not cooked rice!!!! Finally, for all your hard work of enduring the heat, sitting cross-legged during prayers and pretending to follow along the monk’s chanting you are rewarded with delicious Khmer food!

In a traditional Khmer ceremony, family members and guests give white or red string bracelet to the couple and offer money for their union.

Wedding Ceremony

Address: Micke Grove Park - 11793 Micke Grove Rd.

Celebrating the union of Ben and Malkiel Kishi!

The beautiful Japanese Garden in Micke Grove Park

Restaurants / Food Trucks in Stockton

El Mayita

Address: 2701 W March Ln, Stockton, CA 95207

No one does tacos better than the restaurants and taco trucks found in California!!! I’m not too sure if it’s best to go off on this but I try to assess good food by the majority of ethnic groups residing in a place. For example, there is a dense population of Mexican people whom reside in the state of California, therefore, it’s a great place to find authentic Mexican food besides traveling to Mexico. In Los Angeles, there’s a great population of Koreans. It has been said, restaurants in LA serving Korean cuisine and Korean BBQ taste better than South Korea. I have to experience South Korea once again before I can vow for it. But I must say, the best Korean BBQ I have ever had was definitely in Koreatown in Los Angeles.

In Edmonton, where I reside, there is not a big community of Mexican compared to Stockton. When it comes to the presence of Mexican restaurants and food trucks in our city, there is a handful but nothing spectacular. So when we were here in July for my cousin’s wedding, the first thing we wanted to get our hands on were some authentic Mexican food. “Where’s the best place for tacos?!!!” Thankfully, I had my cousin the “taco connoisseur” guide us to the right spot! He definitely delivered and brought us to the best spot which is the El Mayita taco truck! HANDS DOWN! Best tacos and burritos I have ever had!!! Damn!!! That shrimp burrito tho’! Everything we ordered were pretty spectacular! My sister loved the Al pastor tacos and I was a not only a big fan of the shrimp burrito but I loved the lengua tacos. I believe we came back to El Mayita four times during our two trips combined! And yes, we ordered the same thing!!! The only new item we tried off their menu were the suadero tacos. It’s something I have never tried or have ever seen offered back home. I knew I had to try it! Suadero, in Mexican cuisine, is a thin cut of meat from the intermediate part of the cow located in between the belly and the leg of the animal. The texture and appearance of the meat looked pretty similar as a carne asada. I tried it and it tasted like any other meat I had before. Suadero tacos were pretty delicious and it’s something I would definitely order in the future!

What we ordered: Burrito Regular (al pastor - pork), Burrito Camaron (shrimp), Lengua (beef tongue) tacos, Al Pastor tacos, Suadero Tacos, and Horchatas.

Happy Customers @ El Mayita’s Taco Truck for late-night tacos and burritos!

El Grullito

Address: Hammer Ln & Holman Rd, Stockton, CA 95212

El Grullito is another gem for authentic tacos introduced by my cousin. This time we came to the El Grullito’s taco truck for late-night tacos and when I say late-night, we were here at around 11:00 pm. We wanted to try their Al pastor tacos and compare it to El Mayita’s but the time we arrived, the Al pastors were already sold out! All good because we ordered lengua tacos and carne asada tacos and they were pretty darn good! Especially the carne asada tacos were outstanding! The thing I love about Mexican foods is even though it can be greasy at times due to the meat, the addition of limes, cilantro, pickled vegetables helps cuts the greasiness but it definitely adds additional flavours! I can’t forget about the salsa verde which I love to put on my tacos for extra kick and it definitely adds another dimension to the tacos! Next time, I’ll have to come back and visit El Grullito at an earlier time to order their Al pastor tacos. I have to see if it’s comparable to or better than El Mayita’s. El Grullito is definitely a taco truck you have to visit for your taco cravings!

What we ordered: Carne Asada and Lengua Tacos

Carne Asada & Lengua Tacos at El Grullito

Green Papaya

Address: 7840 West Ln D4, Stockton, CA 95210

When we came to Stockton at a very young age, I remember my cousin for being a rather picky eater. He knew what he liked and trust me, it was very limited. And when I say limited, I mean the boy only liked his burritos and fast food! Our cousin is a reliable source when it comes to pointing out the best spots for tacos, burritos and he can definitely tell you the closest In & Out Burger joint from any location! I love me some good tacos and burgers but I cannot eat it for a whole week! I need variety!!! I need me some ethnic food! So when he told me he had been going to a spot called Green Papaya for authentic Laos cuisine, I was rather reluctant to trust him.

Green Papaya started as a food truck in 2013 and has been popular ever since due to a great following from family and local supporters. The food truck continued to grow in popularity gaining much attention which allowed the food truck an appearance on Guy Fiery’s Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. Hearing this, I was less reluctant to try Green Papaya since it’s Guy Fiery approved! I will admit, my cousin does have great taste! Green Papaya is one of my top favourite places to eat in Stockton! Everything we ordered were fantastic! We tried his favourite dish on the menu, a soup called kao piak sien which I have never heard of. Kao Piak Sien is a Laos-styled version of a chicken noodle soup. At Green Papaya, the kao piak sien is served in a flavourful chicken broth and includes handmade tapioca rice flour, shredded chicken, topped with green onions, cilantro and fried garlic. Add in some hot chilli oil for an extra punch and squeeze in some lime to merry all the flavours. After trying the Laos version of a chicken noodle soup, it will definitely replace the classic chicken noodle soup when I’m under the weather. Other note-worthy items found on Green Papaya’s menu are the spicy Lao sausage with sticky rice, Laos-style papaya salad and the boat noodle with pork blood. We love the Spicy Lao Sausage, something we don’t see back home. The spicy sausage is made with ground pork seasoned with Thai chilli, lemon grass, shallots, kaffir lime leaves, oyster sauce, fish sauce, fermented fish sauce, soy sauce and shrimp paste. The abundance of flavour in the sausage is incredible! Have it with sticky rice and papaya salad and guaranteed, you will enjoy every bite! Order anything and everything and you will be thoroughly satisfied with Green Papaya!

What we ordered: Kao Piak Sien, Spicy Lao Sausage w/ sticky rice, Laap Chicken w/ sticky rice, Laos Style Papaya Salad, Boat Noodle w/ pork blood (new menu item) and Thai Ice Tea.

Kao Piak Sien - Laos Chicken Noodle Soup

Manila Express LLC

Address: 7840 West Ln # D3, Stockton, CA 95210

Our second time around, we knew we had to revisit Manila Express for three things! Halo Halo, turon and deep-fried shrimps! There’s probably more outstanding things to try from their menu but because this is our second stop after Green Papaya (they are right next door to each other), we always come here for desserts. Halo halo is a popular Filipino cold dessert enjoyed in the summer. It is a layered dessert consisting of sweetened mung or red beans, coloured gelatin, fruits such as jackfruit and coconut, shaved ice drizzled with evaporated milk, caramel flan and ice cream. At Manila Express, you can select 2 different flavours of ice cream and for both times we always went with ube (tarot) and mango ice cream. Halo Halo reminds me of the three-coloured red bean dessert you can order at Vietnamese restaurants or bingsu from a Korean cafe. We have a Khmer dessert reminiscent of halo-halo which consists of shaved ice, flavoured palm sugar syrup, red beans, basil seed, grass jelly and coloured gelatin. What’s rather addicting and my favourite from Manila Express is the turon also known as lumpiang saging. It is made of thinly sliced bananas (sometimes jackfruits are included), dusted with brown sugar and wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and fried in hot oil. I’ve had turon before but nothing beats the one at Manila Express! I love that the turons are thin which makes it easy to eat and its very crispy! I tried turon at a Filipino restaurant in Edmonton and was rather disappointed. It lacked crispiness because the turon were large in size and the bananas weren’t ripened therefore it lacked sweetness. The turons at Manila Express had a fine balance of sweetness, sourness and I love how crispy the rolls were! The extra glaze of brown sugar coating the wrapper had me licking my fingers and wanting more! They are so addicting!

What we ordered: Halo Halo w/ ube and mango ice cream, turon and deep-fried shrimp.

Toyo Sushi

Address: 4011 E Morada Ln, Stockton, CA 95212

My sister and I came here for dinner with our cousin because we wanted our sushi fix! We made no reservations so we did have to wait a couple of minutes to be seated. The menu at Toyo Sushi is pretty extensive. I swear there were literally three pages for sushi rolls!!! Guess we know what we’re ordering!!! I had a look around the restaurant and everyone were enjoying their orders of sushi rolls. We followed suit and we were not disappointed at all!

What we ordered: Incredible Roll - Spicy Tuna, deep-fried shrimp inside, tuna, white tuna, avocado on top, covered in unagi sauce, spicy sauce, tobiko and onion; Crunch Dragon - breaded deep-fried shrimp, cucumber, avocado, crispy flake, unagi, tobiko w/ spicy sauce; and, Happy Sushi which includes 9 piece Chef’s selected nigiri.

Left to Right: Crunch Dragon, Happy Sushi, and Incredible Roll

East Main Drive-IN

Address: 2041 E Main St, Stockton, CA 95205

It’s important for me to try out and support local restaurants which are popular with the locals wherever I travel to. After our photo-shoot in downtown Stockton, I was definitely craving for something greasy since I starved myself in the morning! I only starved myself due to the fact I was rocking a crop top for a style shoot. Got to get that stomach right when werkin’ a crop top! East Main Drive-In is definitely a popular spot and worth checking out! While dining outside, there were a lot of locals coming to place their orders. The burgers tasted like your home-made burgers which I thoroughly enjoyed. The charred taste you get on your burger patty because of the hot grill. Yes, please!!!

What we ordered: Cheese Burger Basket with onion rings & medium drink; Texas Bacon Burgers; Chilli Cheese Fries; and, Cheese Stick.

All smiles with a cheese stick in one hand and a delicious burger in the other.

IMG_0040(1).jpg — In-N-Out Burger

**Address:** Various Locations

The first time I had my hands on an In-N-Out Burger it was my first visit to Stockton. We didn’t dine inside the restaurant and placed our orders at the drive-thru. I was impressed that they had someone outside the drive-thru take our order which allowed the queue of cars to get their orders quickly. My first time having the burger I thought it was okay. I didn’t understand the hype on their burgers to be honest! And yes, I had it Animal Style! I had a feeling it might be because I didn’t have the burger fresh and ate it at home. By the time we got to our aunt’s house the burger and fries were cold. This time around, we decided to dine inside and give it another chance. Our aunts picked us up from the San Jose airport and since we already had Vietnamese pho for lunch, we decided to have In-N-Out Burger as a snack! I was already full from pho so I asked my sister to take a bite of her Combo #1 which included a double-double cheeseburger, fries and a drink. This time, it was hot, fresh and delicious! The burger patty was juicy, the buns were soft and the cascabella peppers which you can get in the condiment section… FIRE!!! Literally. My sister was rather upset with me that my one bite was more like finishing the whole damn burger to myself!!!! Yes, it’s that GOOD, GOOD!

What we ordered: Combo #1: Double-double cheeseburger with fries and a drink.

Popeye’s

Address: Various Locations

Now I understand why people line up for these things!!! It’s pretty BOMB! The thought of the spicy chicken sandwich makes my mouth water. I don’t think I really had something as good as this!!! What I love about the sandwich is definitely the brioche bun. Personally, I think the choice of bun makes or breaks a sandwich. At Popeye’s, the brioche buns were sweet and buttery which balances the saltiness of the chicken. As well, the thick cut of chicken breast was very crispy, tender and juicy! The classic chicken sandwich is spectacular but the spicy chicken sandwich is a MUST!!!

What we ordered: Spicy chicken sandwiches, fries and mash potatoes with gravy.

Wingstop

Address: Various Locations

I think I’m the only one in my family who doesn’t love chicken wings! Like I don’t hate it but it’s something I don’t normally order as an appetizer when I go out to eat. I’ll eat a couple but I rather eat the complimentary celery and carrot sticks! So when we ordered Wingstop for sure it was not my suggestion!! My brother, he had a list of places he wanted to eat and Wingstop was one of them. I sampled all the flavours we ordered and my favourite had to be the Mango Habanero. Apparently, my sister’s favourite NBA basketball player, Kawhi Leonard loves him some Mango Habanero wings! And guess who likes mango habanero wings?! My sister!!! I wonder if she likes it or she’s just copying Kawhi! I have to say, what was pretty stellar were the seasoned fries! The seasoned fries had to be my favourite item from Wingstop. The fries were lightly crispy and the signature seasoning on the fries are addictive! And yes, there complimentary celery and carrot sticks were good!

What we ordered: 30 piece Crew Pack w/ up to 3 flavours, large seasoned fries, veggies sticks and 3 dips. Chosen flavours - Mango Habanero, Atomic, and Buffalo.

Left to Right: Mango Habanero, Buffalo, Atomic, Hickory BBQ and French Fries

Mangonada / Mexican Fruit Cup

Address: Morada Neveria Y Paleteria - 3008 E Hammer Ln, Stockton, CA 95212 / La Mangonada Sweet & Salty - 1172 E Yosemite Ave, Manteca, CA 95336

This is my first time ever hearing about Mangonada. Anything with fruits and spices, I’m down! Growing up, I always enjoyed eating crab apples and sour mangos with a concoction of red chilli pepper, salt and sugar. In Khmer, we call it puhl ma teh. I tell you, it’s mouth-watering and delicious! Mangonada which is also known as chamangos is a combination of mango sorbet, chopped fresh mangoes sprinkled with plentiful of salty, spicy and tangy flavours of Tajín and chamoy. If you don’t know what Tajín is, it is a chilli-lime salt and chamoy, is traditionally made from fermented fruit, salt, sugar and chiles. This is a perfect treat to enjoy on a hot, summer day or anytime you are craving something salty and sweet.

What we ordered: Mangonada at Morad Neveria Y Paleteria / Mexian Fruit Cup & Strawberry Mangonada at La Mangonada Sweet & Salty

Kuy Teav (Khmer Pho)

Low-key this isn’t a restaurant but I had to talk about it because it’s the best kuy teav my siblings and I have ever had!!! Better than my mom’s! My cousin told me he was going to bring me to a spot. He mentioned a house but I didn’t think he would literally bring me to a house! He brought me to someone’s house, a stranger’s house!!! Getting off the car and walking to the house, I was surprised to see the “restaurant” is located in the family’s garage! Also, there’s actual customers dining! INCREDIBLE! There’s a kitchen set-up, delivery packing area, folded tables and chairs for customers to dine-in and a cooler for beverages. What was astonishing for me is seeing not only Khmer customers but there were different races enjoying their bowl of kuy teav! Food does bring everyone together! I love it!!! There was a Mexican guy and an African American couple on my third visit. We came here four times! I was all smile when I saw that the African American couple brought their own chopstick donuts to the restaurant to dip into the kuy teav. They know what’s up!!!! We ordered 5 bowls for take-out and it only cost $25.00 USD. That’s pretty damn cheap! The portion size was good and it was loaded with raw beef, shrimp, ground pork, bean sprouts and cilantro. We packed some fried garlic, Sriracha sauce and hoisin sauce to go. I’m telling you, this is the most flavourful broth I have ever tasted! You don’t have to put any condiments at all. The broth is legit on its own! I was raving about it so much to my mom, she wanted to try it for herself. She loved it too!!! I wanted to share my incredible experience because I never had such a flavorful broth before. Nothing beats a home-cooked meal even if it’s not from your home! My cousin told me, the owner goes through four extra large pots of broth. She’s so popular and busy I can understand why! I hope she continues to be busy and successful and with time, decides to open up a restaurant for more people to enjoy! If not, I hope to visit the garage again for the best kuy teav ever!!!

Phnom Penh Noodles w/ beef, minced pork, and shrimp

There’s nothing more beautiful than spending time with this little bubba.

Sacramento, CA

Travel Dates: December 31, 2019

It’s not a complete trip for my siblings and I without catching a NBA game! This time we wanted to bring our cousin along with us to enjoy a New Year’s Eve game, Clippers vs Kings. Yup, the Clippers won!!! The seats were definitely nose-bleeds but I think it was because my sister was afraid Kawhi wouldn’t play. We have an ongoing joke that my sister is a curse. Last time we went to LA for a Lakers game, Kobe didn’t play. The time we were in Phoenix to catch the Suns play the Spurs, Kawhi wasn’t playing. And last year, we were in LA again, and Lebron wasn’t playing. My sister has no luck when it comes to watching a superstar! This time around, guess her luck changed! She got to see Kawhi, far in the nose-bleed section!!! Overall, we had a blast and it was more enjoyable because my cousin was there to enjoy it with us!