This week on Check, Please!

South Florida, we will make your wish come true at this Middle Eastern gem in Kendall.

They know how to dish out that olive oil, spectacular.

[michelle] Authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine hidden among the high rises in downtown.

I felt like I literally went to Hong Kong.

[michelle] And follow the sounds of flamenco to the Spanish Taberna in Coral Gables.

Very authentic, is the same from Barcelona.

[announcer] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.

[announcer] Additional funding for Check, Please!

South Florida is provided by George and Helen Weaver and the Friends of South Florida PBS.

I was actually really surprised by how tasty it was.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

It was nothing like I've ever had before.

It feels like a taste of Florida.

It was the size of a bathtub.

Hello, I'm Michelle Bernstein, and welcome to Check, Please!

South Florida, the show where regular people from all over South Florida recommend and review their favorite restaurants.

So this is how the show works.

Every week we have three guests.

Each recommends his or her favorite spot, and then the other two go to check them out and see what they think.

This week, college student Xiaohui Liu says her hidden gem always makes the grade for traditional Hong Kong-style cuisine and Japanese yakitori.

She loves the simple decor and the attentive service offered up at this downtown Miami spot, but she says they really excel in serving up diverse flavors that will take your taste buds on an adventure.

And retired math teacher Francis Gomez says the authentic Spanish cuisine coupled with the live entertainment at her Coral Gables pick add up to the perfect night out.

You can impress your date at this celebratory spot where the selection of Spanish wines will have you dancing flamenco in no time.

But first, home inspector Franco Interian will guarantee that you will get a great meal at his choice for handcrafted Middle Eastern fair.

He says this no-frills mom and pop market and cafe will surprise you with their menu filled with tasty Mediterranean specialties served up at an incredible price.

It's in Miami, and it's called Aladdin Market and Grill.

My name is Salim Mabjish.

I'm the Owner/Manager here.

My name is Lisa Mabjish.

I am the Owner/Manager with my husband.

We decided to open the place here in Kendall because first of all, we live here, and Kendall is a classy area with people that appreciate fine dining at affordable prices.

We've created a modern menu that came from traditions from an old world, from thousands of years ago.

For dessert, we have different mix of baklava and our specialty, which is my favorite, the kenafeh.

Aladdin came from One Thousand and One Nights.

What did the genie say?

Your wish is my command.

So we wanted to create the same feeling to the customer, that your wish is my command, as far as food goes.

Aladdin Market and Grill is a family friendly environment.

We serve you delicious food with a smile.

When you walk in, it just feels like you're somewhere else, right?

Driving up to the place, you feel like this is eclectic.

You're gonna go through an adventure, because there's a horse feed spot right next to it.

You walk in and it's literally a market.

You see all the spices and goods in the middle of the area.

So what did you have this last time you went?

So I brought my father-in-law, which by the way, is a huge fan of yours and the show, so shout out to Tommy.

First thing we started with was grape leaves, which the taste of it is just phenomenal.

I think there's a lot of takeout, right?

A bunch of takeout.

Actually, we first experienced them through one of those food delivery services.

I was poolside eating that hummus and meat, and I was like what is this?

I would like to be poolside and eating hummus and meat.

[franco] You're always welcome.

Everyone here is welcome.

Thank you, I love this idea of Middle Eastern by the pool.

It's phenomenal.

Xiaohui, we was this your first taste of Mediterranean food?

I came from China, so I don't know too much about the culture from the Mediterranean country, but the food was really good.

The owner is Lisa.

She was super nice.

I'm like a friend there.

It's not like guest.

I'm like in my home.

You started out with something called labneh, which is my favorite yogurt.

It's a thick yogurt.

[xiaohui] I really love that one.

It's a little sweet and sour because they have the lemon put on the top, so it tastes very good because they have some pita bread.

Oh, I love their pita bread.

I don't know if it was homemade.

One thing I will say that I enjoyed, the name Aladdin.

You walk in and instead of flowers, you had the Aladdin lamp.

That and the pita bread just won me over.

I had the tabouli.

[michelle] Tabouli salad.

It usually has bulgur, a lot of parsley.

It's almost more parsley than anything else.

Yes, I had to check my teeth.

Yeah, as you should.

Little tiny bits of maybe tomato or pepper or onion and a lot of lemon and olive oil.

They know how to dish out that olive oil.

It was spectacular.

The ingredients that you're talking about, all these ingredients, it's like literally right there, and actually my wife picked out a few things from the market while we were in our table.

So what else did you have?

You must have had more than tabouli.

I had eggplant.

[michelle] Baba ghannouj?

[francis] Yes, wonderful.

I had a kebab, chicken kebab.

[michelle] Oh, nice.

Very moist, tender.

I really enjoyed the chicken, delicious.

And wait, the dessert.

Did you all go in for the dessert?

Yeah.

[francis] That is, that was a seller.

It's called kenafeh.

Kanafeh, yes.

That dessert, I posted on Instagram and I said if God was a dessert, it would be this.

[francis] With honey, pistachio.

Amazing, cheese, I think it was cheese, and then it has a phyllo dough.

[francis] That dessert is good for at least four people.

Whoa, not in my household.

It's only good for me.

Depending on who you are.

Because that was a big dessert.

You also had a different dessert.

[xiaohui] It starts with N. Namoura, yeah.

It's funny.

She said, you know what, on the house I'm gonna give you this fresh dessert, and it was exactly that dessert, and again, poolside, phenomenal.

Would you stop with your poolside?

That's just not fair.

That's why it tastes so good, because it comes with honey instead of sugar, so that's very good.

Now the two of you had coffee.

Is it Turkish coffee that you had?

Yes.

Yes, it was very good.

The way they serve it, how regal.

[xiaohui] The cups and the teapot was so cute.

It came with element.

Can I tell you something funny?

When you are in the Middle East, especially places like Turkey and Morocco, when you drink a coffee like this, you actually finish drinking it and you turn it over, and a few minutes later, someone comes around and reads your future.

I didn't know that.

My daughters ordered a lemonade with some herbs.

[michelle] Minty lemonade, all pureed together and green.

[franco] They were blown away.

Well Franco, Aladdin Market was your pick.

Sum it up for us, please.

It's a night to sit down with your family and the family that you make with the staff and the food that you eat.

Xiaohui?

The food's amazing and the price is reasonable, because everybody can't afford, so I really recommend it.

Francis, tell us your summary.

Very family friendly.

They definitely are welcoming you, and there is parking.

Well, you can discover a whole new world at Aladdin Market and Grill, located at 7600 SW 117th Avenue in Miami.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for breakfast and lunch on Sundays.

Reservations are accepted, and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $30.

Now student Xiaohui Liu says this little downtown spot offers a course in Chinese culture and cuisine.

It's a quiet oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city, offering classic Asian dishes that are tasty and accessible on a college/student budget.

And she can't resist ordering the dessert that she calls the best she's ever had, wow.

It's in Miami and it's called Foodies LLC.

My name is Yu Bi.

I'm the owner of the restaurant Foodies LLC.

The concept of the restaurant is we serve some Hong Kong-style Chinese cuisine, which is the most famous and popular south part of China.

Beside of that, we bring one of the most popular Chinese dish, which is called Peking duck.

Here we use a lot of red color, because in China we think red means lucky, happiness.

We like this area, and we think this location is very convenient.

It's close to the South Beach, it's close to the Brickell area, and it's close to the Wingwood, also the Design District, and here everywhere is through the construction.

We have a lot of residential buildings here, so that's why we choose this location.

Here in Foodies LLC, it's a restaurant for foodies.

So how did you find this restaurant?

My friend told me, because she starting the UM, so because it is very close to Coral Gables and downtown.

So that one actually is a very new restaurant.

They opened during pandemic, so we wanted to support the local family, local business and local restaurant.

I came from China.

The provinces is Szechuan, and they also provide Szechuan food.

It's really good.

The main course is like a Hong Kong-style food there.

So what did you have this last time you went?

The dim-sum platter is good for four to five people because you want to try the different type of dumplings.

They have a shrimp shumai, pork shumai, shrimp dumpling and then shrimp dumpling, mix them together.

So it is very good for the first time, because you don't know what you should eat.

And I also have the crispy shrimp bowl made with sunflower and deep fry first.

That one is amazing.

Okay.

So Francis, what was your first impression?

I wish I would've taken her, Xiaohui, with us, because I was not impressed.

I guess again, we didn't know what to order.

First of all, it's out of our comfort zone.

So you arrive there and yes, there are people walking their dogs and all that, but it's kind of a mixed neighborhood.

The gentleman and the lady who served us were wonderful.

They went above and beyond trying to please us.

I ordered vegetable spring rolls, which were pretty good.

I have to say the menu is extensive.

I did not know what to order.

Maybe it was overwhelming.

It was overwhelming, even though it had pictures and all, it's just overwhelming what I wanted to get.

You had a chicken chow fun.

Can you describe that a little bit?

A lot of chicken.

I found it a little bland.

Also the noodles were very thick.

There's different types of noodle, and the chow fun happens to be very cumbersome.

It takes up your whole mouth.

People that order it want that doughy feeling.

Yes, that was not my thing.

Otherwise, everything very clean, very nice.

But the food did not get to me.

You have to go with Xiaohui.

Yeah, you should go with me so I can introduce some, the really special one for you.

[francis] Yeah, and spicy.

Spicy, you like spicy.

That's the thing, like she was just saying, if they make Szechuan, which is the hottest, then we have to ask for Szechuan.

Honestly, when it comes to spicy, that's what I encountered in this restaurant.

[michelle] It was too spicy?

Good spicy.

Great spicy, but it was like unique spicy.

It was like the waiter even said, 'cause I had the chili beef, which by the way, I'm thinking.

he's like oh, it's very spicy.

Your lips will get numb.

And I'm thinking, nah.

[michelle] Did your lips get numb?

Yes, like weirdly so.

I was drinking water.

[michelle] Szechuan peppercorn can really do that.

[franco] That's what it was, Szechuan peppercorn, and I guess I haven't experienced it in my life.

The thing is that I thought it was just for one human.

It seems you could feed a village.

It's a big portion, yeah, you can share.

And the prices weren't bad.

The prices were good, very, very good.

Because it's in Miami downtown location, that's a reasonable price.

I love the authenticity about it.

That's the thing.

I go to certain Asian restaurants and it's like gimmicky.

I don't know if that makes sense.

Trendy, yeah.

Yeah, but this, I felt like I literally went to Hong Kong.

Drinks, sweets?

[franco] Sake, cold sake.

I believe it was Soto.

[xiaohui] The pink one?

I got the big one, 'cause we were no kids, so we definitely were celebrating.

You also had a sweet sour fish I believe, a snapper.

Oh, that's red snapper.

There's a whole red snapper.

[michelle] A whole fish?

Yeah, a whole fish.

That could be like for the family.

I go with my friend.

We're just two, but we finish everything and they put a tomato in the mouth, so it looks so cute.

[franco] It's like a pig lechon for us.

Do they have dessert?

I choose the French toast.

I had the W.O.W.

French toast.

[xiaohui] I choose that, and why, it comes with ice cream inside and it's deep fried with the egg and with some chocolate powder, and when I cut it and the ice cream.

[michelle] Melted out.

Aye, aye, aye, that sounds delicious.

I basically did the whole when Harry met Sally scene.

Oh my God.

That French toast blew me away.

My taste buds were just going crazy.

Francis, you're ready to go back.

I can see you're like getting up out of your chair.

She got me on fish.

When she said the whole fish, I'm ready to go back.

We'll go next time, okay?

Together.

Well Xiaohui, Foodies LLC was your pick.

Sum it up for us, please.

Excellent service and amazing food.

Francis?

Definitely authentic.

I know about the fish, but the dessert interests me and so do some of the appetizers.

Oh, and I gotta have that saki, too.

[franco] Yeah.

Franco?

If you want authentic Hong Kong cuisine, this is the place.

Well, you can fill up on the unique Asian flavors of Foodies LLC, located at 1371 NE Miami Court in Miami.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Reservations are accepted for larger parties, and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $40.

The one thing I've never made is a good Chinese sweet and sour fish.

First thing we're doing obviously is cooking the fish.

This is some bass, but you can use any fish you want to.

So let me heat up my burner on kind of low heat.

I'm gonna use a little neutral oil, like a canola or grape seed.

We've got some minced ginger and minced garlic, and we're gonna let it cook and soften a little bit.

Next, let's go ahead and mix a little chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, plain old ketchup, which is by the way, really great for thickening things, some sugar.

This is Chinese sherry.

It's called shaoxing.

We've got some corn starch, which is obviously gonna be another thickener.

And then finally, a little bit of chili garlic sauce, also really, really delicious.

So I'm just gonna use a little whisk.

Once the garlic and ginger is fragrant, which it is, go ahead and add all of these ingredients to the pot.

Stir a little bit and just let her boil.

All right, so the fish is cooked.

I got a really beautiful golden color.

The sauce is definitely thickening and coming together.

You always know a sauce is done if it coats the spoon.

All right, there we go.

We have a nice thick sauce.

This to me is gorgeous.

See how it just glazes the fish beautifully?

Yum, beautiful.

And there you have it, sweet and sour fish a la Check, Please!

Retired math teacher Francis Gomez assigns you to visit her favorite spot for Spanish tapas and sangria.

She can't get enough of the authentic flavors served up with a side of flamenco.

She says it's a night you won't forget.

It's in Coral Gables, and it's called Taberna Giralda.

My name is Karen Pino, and I'm the Owner of La Taberna Giralda.

I've never owned a restaurant.

I'm a counselor during the day.

I work with kids.

I do like people, so I thought that this was a great idea to do something with my father that was more exciting and fun, and that's how we ended up.

I came to this restaurant as a guest many times, and I fell in love with this place.

And then there was an opportunity at one point to purchase it, and that's when we jumped in and got it.

La Taberna Giralda is located in Coral Gables, and it's an area that's very historical and it has a lot of Spanish heritage.

Being that it is a Spanish restaurant, one of the most popular dishes is the seafood paella.

Obviously we have a lot of classic tapas that a lot of our guests like, and we also have the Thursday and Saturday flamenco shows, which brings a lot of vibrance to the night.

La Taberna Giralda is, it's cozy, it's authentic, it's rustic, and I think it's very family oriented.

I mean, Giralda for Giralda Avenue, I'm guessing.

Yes, it's also on Giralda, but definitely because of Spain.

I've learned to drink kava there.

No more Prosecco, it's all about kava now.

It's such a friendly and wonderful atmosphere.

Lovely.

Xiaohui, what did you think?

Oh, I'm so lucky because I really love the Spanish food, because last year before the pandemic, I got a chance, went to Barcelona with my school.

So the food was amazing.

Everything is original, authentic.

So I choose the appetizer first, ensaladilla rusa with mashed potato and carrots with the green peas on the top and with tuna salad.

That's lovely.

What else did you have after the enseladilla?

Patata a la Giralda?

Yeah, that one.

That's my favorite.

[michelle] Angry potatoes.

Yeah, potato, and comes with a signature sauce.

That one is mostly important element for that one.

And then I order arroz mariscos.

Look at you, you speak beautiful Spanish.

It rolls off your tongue.

Yeah, arroz.

Because I also tried some seafood, the mini stream, the squid and the scallop and some fish.

Franco, what did you think?

I think there's a theme here tonight that it's authentic, and that's what it was.

I felt right when I walked in, the hospitality was amazing.

I love Spanish food.

What's not to love?

I mean, it's phenomenal.

La croqueta, I'm Cuban, so croquetas to me are very dear to my heart.

I started with the croqueta platter, so it had ham, I think cod and cheese, if I'm not mistaken.

[francis] With bechamel sauce, right?

Yes, oh my Lord, wow.

That was a great start to the evening.

And then we went on to the paella as well, but I did meat, because my wife is allergic to shellfish.

That was very nice of you.

Well, you know.

[michelle] So what types of meat come in a meat paella?

[franco] I think there was some chorizo.

[michelle] Chicken?

[franco] Chicken, and there was some steak.

So you haven't gotten into what you ate.

I ate the pork loin, Perfecto Solomillo, with a side of potato chips correctly fried.

The solomillo came atop of these caramelized onions, so the juices of the solomillo just blended in great with the white rice.

Did you have any starters?

Chips de Berenjena with honey on top.

[michelle] Take an eggplant and then you shave it very thin and you fry them, and it's great 'cause they're salty.

[francis] They're salty-sweet.

And what was the chickpea dish?

The garbanzo frito que alli.

The sofrito is well done, and then they put pieces of sausages and ham.

That is the best garbanzo frito in Miami, even at a Cuban restaurant.

You haven't had mine.

I need your recipe.

Did anybody have dessert?

Oh, I got dessert, too.

Crema.

Crema Catalana?

Yeah, that one.

Very authentic, is the same from Barcelona.

For one person, that was gutsy to order all that food.

I hope you enjoyed it the next day and the next day after that.

Yeah, of course.

What did you have for dessert, Francis?

The Tarta de Santiago.

Moist, the almonds were there.

I mean, it's basically like an almond cake, if you will, a slice.

What I loved about it was that this was a subtle sweetness that wasn't too sweet, and it helps you probably enjoy the kava.

The kava, yes.

How are the prices?

Because some of those things can get a little costly, especially paella.

From the three experiences that I had, I think this was the most.

[francis] The higher end.

[franco] The higher end.

But is it worth the price?

100%, yeah.

I know I'm going there for Spanish food.

Perfectly priced for what you get, definitely.

I think for being in Coral Gables, reasonable.

And you get entertainment on Thursdays and Saturday.

This is the place that I've been to celebrate many times and with friends because it's a wonderful gathering.

They treat you like family.

Yeah, and the flamenco show is, the singer and dancer are professional and they invite the customer to join with them.

Well Francis, Taberna Giralda was your choice.

Sum it up for us, please.

A wonderful place to enjoy your Spanish roots, and if you don't have Spanish roots, you can still be part Spanish.

Xiaohui?

So everybody enjoyed with them and I would really recommend for them.

Franco?

If you want authentic Spanish and great wine, that's the place.

You can immerse yourself in the fiesta at La Taberna Giralda located at 254 Giralda Avenue in Coral Gables.

Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for Sunday brunch.

Reservations are accepted, and the average price for dinner without drinks is about $45.

We've had such a wonderful time.

I want to thank my guests, Franco Interian, Francis Gomez and Xiaohui Liu.

For more about the restaurants and recipes featured in the show, or if you'd like to apply to be a guest reviewer, visit us at CheckPleaseFL.com, and as always, find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us next time for three new guests recommending three of their favorite restaurants right here on Check, Please!

South Florida.

I am Michelle Bernstein.

Salute, everybody.

[xiaohui] Salute.

Salute.

Cheers.

[michelle] A very distant, safe salute.

[announcer] Cultural culinary secrets and global flavors.

We have a passion for blending ingredients and seasonings from around the world.