UYE : Fat Choy and Fluff Ice!

I wasn’t able to make the group UYE so I decided to investigate this Fluff Ice for myself today. The UYE states the dates are June 17 to today June 23 so I hope it is apropos that I write a review.
WOW, now I see what all the hub-​bub is about. It is known far and wide that I love frozen treats… thanks Mom and Dad for providing me with good metabolism «genes». This Fluff Ice was like nothing I’ve ever experienced; it’s, you know, FLUFFY! I equate it to frozen, and light as air, cotton candy in your choice of about a dozen flavors. I don’t know how they make it, nor do I care, but this stuff is fan-​freaking-​tastic. I had the coffee flavored fluff ice with oreo cookies. BAM! one of my favorite combinations served up in a big cup of fluffy goodness. Here’s to hoping these guys setup a permanent installment in Fat Choy!

I had never been the Fat Choy and I was very excited to meet a group of Unilocalers that I hadn’t met in person. I am glad I came. It felt like eating at someones house, everyone gathered around talking, eating, and children playing. I appreciated all the hard work the people at Fat Choy did to accommodate our large group. Thank you to Shawn H for hosting.

Thanks to Shawn, Cathy, and Soul for a wonderful evening. I can never give anything less than the 5 stars for UYE’s. For me it’s not about the food or drinks, although they were great too. But, that’s for my actual review of Fat Choy. These UYE’s are about the company. And, the company is always 5 star worthy.
So, thanks again for setting this up.

I finally got to try Fat Choy! Thanks to Shawn H. and Cathy C. for hosting this UYE. I came with Eric R. and David S. (the new David S. who came with me to the Japanese potluck hosted by the original David S.) — the casino was smoky but not as bad as I expected. Nothing laundry and a shower couldn’t fix. The restaurant had a funky diner vibe, and it was packed. By the time everyone showed we had 11 at our table, Roger T.‘s fam at another, and Nelson & Sylvia Q. at a nearby booth. Go us! Jenny W. took great care of us throughout the evening so we appreciate the great service.
I got the roasted marrow and the «this week only» 3 bao combo: Peking duck, chicken, and soft shell crab with iced tea. Eric R. ordered the crispy duck leg rice and 3 bao also, and David S. got 3 bao. I really enjoyed all of them, but the soft shell crab was quite delicious. MMm Mmm good! The marrow was roasting for awhile so it came out after everyone was finished with their first round of food, but then Tony T. ordered more so I didn’t feel so weird :)
The marrow came out split in half with its fatty goodness topped with onion jam, scallions, and cilantro, accompanied by a side of grilled crustless bread squares and a demitasse spoon. I enjoyed my marrow immensely. I also tried Eric’s rice and liked it too — anything with duck fat, green onions, and rice is pretty much a winner, and it had crispy garlic too.
For dessert we fluffed it up pretty well, as I ordered the SaWatDee (Thai tea fluff with lychee jelly and egg pudding) and like Cathy C. said, it was LEGIT! Eric R. got the candy-​themed one with Strawberry fluff, gummy bears, and some other sugary stuff. David S. got Halo Halo ice with taro fluff and red beans. After all of that, the fluffmaster himself brought 2 medium coffee fluffs with graham cracker crumbs to each side of our table to try. The flavor was like the café au lait granitas I loved at the beignet places in Houston, and the graham cracker crumbs added the perfect texture accompaniment. Good fluff! I know we will be back to Fat Choy because Eric R. wants to try the Fat Choy burger that many ordered and also the short rib rice. I would return for the 2 bao for $ 7, which means tofu or duck for me!

Wow! this evening was full of firsts for me…
First time stepping foot inside the Eureka Casino after being a 9-​year resident… Now I have a reason to come back!
First time being the last ones to the party… The Sonoma Foie Gras Affair at Artisinal Foods made me do it!
First time trying the famous Fat Choy Burger… One of the tastiest burgers out there for sure!
First time having a drink creation from a cool Freestyle Coke Machine-​I kept it simple and got a Vanilla Root Beer. Wifey got a Peach Mello Yello… Ask Jenny to make you a Gummy Bear!
First time (and most definitely not the last!) accepting a straw sword fight challenge from little Soul… Yeah, he whooped my okole, that’s why I need to redeem myself!
First time coming across a CRISPY SOFTSHELL CRAB BAO!!! I’ve Bao’d well over
100 times, and this is a limited one, so hurry up and GET SOME!!!
First time trying Matt’s 26-​hour cold steeped LAMILL COFFEE FLUFF, (Coffee lovers, this is the one to get!) and we also got to try one of their most popular drinks–
Frosted Milk with Caramel, Egg Pudding, and Pink Honey Boba. Loved the taste and the temperature contrast in this delicious creation!
Great hanging out with the Unilocal 702 Peeps as always, and big mahalo to Team Fat Choy, Team Fluff Ice, and Shawn H. for hosting… ALOHA!!!

First time at Fat Choy… second time having Fluff Ice!
Both were great, and the company was even better. I think we had almost 20 people show up counting the little ones, so it was a big success! We took up almost half of Fat Choy while we were here LOL.
On to the food!
Fat Choy Burger: ½ lb Certified Angus Beef Patty, Brioche bun from La Brea Bakery, Aged Cheddar Cheese, 6 hour Braised Beef Short Ribs, Onion Jam, Grilled Tomato and Iceberg Lettuce, Sunny Side Up Egg, Bacon, and Secret Sauce! This was a solid, all around burger with great flavors! My only complaint would be that I requested medium rare, and received an almost Medium Well burger. Didn’t care enough to send it back, since I was so hungry and it still tasted good!
I also shared the Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich on Sourdough, Onion Jam, Provolone and Cheddar Cheese. I also liked this sandwich… all the flavor was definitely in the short ribs, just like the burger. I’d recommend the burger over the grilled cheese!
And to finish, Fluff Ice of course!
The Thai Tea Fluff Ice is always good. I wanted to try something new, so I went with the Strawberry on Strawberry one. sorry, forgot the name right now. I do like the texture here, and the toppings and condensed milk are a great combination. I really hope they do something more permanent here with Fat Choy… would give us a good reason to come back!
Since this was a temporary pop up, it was a little confusing with the dual checks, and we had a small misunderstanding at first with the Fluff Ice side, but overall I think we all had a good time tonight!

We got to Fat Choy on time and was surprised early birds were already there: Tom F, Loren F, Anthony M and LJ. Other Unilocalers showed up just a few minutes after we got there: Tony T, Lisa R and Eric R. Followed by Roger T, Riah T and their boys, Nelson Q and Sylvia Q.
Most of us ordered the Fat Choy burger but I wanted to be different so I got the Shortrib Grilled Cheese which was tasty. Soul finished a large cup of Thai Boba Tea from Fluff Ice. After noshing on burgers, grilled cheese, shortribs, baos and bone marrow — we had treats from Fluff Ice. Some had halo-​halo, Pretty in Pink (strawberry)…Lisa and I got Thai Tea fluff ice… my favorite! Then we got 2 cups of coffee fluff ice to try for free!
The smoke/​ventilation issue is still there but not as bad as the last time I went to Fat Choy.
PS: LJ, it’s not stealing if you ask for permission to «steal» my pictures! LOL

If you make it, they will come. Well, in this case, UYE’s anyway. It’s an awesome feeling when you walk in to a venue seeing a bunch of your fellow Unilocalers gathered around having fun.
I brought my wifey and two kids because what is dessert without kids? Speaking of kids, Shawn’s cute son Soul kept us entertained! My kids had fun hanging out with him.
As for my fellow Unilocalers, well you had the usual suspects and some new faces I haven’t met in person yet. As much as I wanna give shout outs, there were too many to mention which I think is a good thing because that means more and more peeps are motivated to hang out! You know who you are and im glad I got to greet each one of you individually!
Special thanks goes out to the folks at Fat Choy and Fluff Ice for handling the « Unilocal Posse» to the best of their ability. Im pretty sure that we are the biggest group that they have ever dealt with. Im also sure that once our individual reviews of their venue come out, they will have to start dealing with even more customers.
In closing, im glad I went to another awesome UYE and for those that are reading this and could of went, YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON THE FUN! The next event I go to and you guys decide to go, you can be sure I will greet you with open arms! A super thanks goes out to Shawn H for setting this up, Cathy C for supporting him, and Soul H for the entertainment! Always good to see you guys and the rest of the Unilocal fam!