The char su pork buns at J-Pan are phenomenal: tender, melt-in-your-mouth pieces of pork are packed into house-made steamed buns with scallions and sliced cucumber. They come three to an order; have them with J-Pan's delicious sushi and you've got an amazing meal. Could these steamed buns be a hint of what's to come at the new J-Pan across from the Mall at University Town Center? If so, we're in for some fabulous dining!

Selva Grill’s pan con pato ($6) on its lounge menu is just the thing to tide you over during cocktail hour: three sliders on baguette bread, filled with super-juicy duck confit, doused in its own gravy and topped with criolla onion. Prepare to get messy, and you won’t even care. It’s like what Thanksgiving leftovers taste like in heaven.

When Chutney's owner Ash told us he'd included coconut flan--a new dessert--with our triple combo dinner, we did what any sane person would do: we ate the flan first. That was a good choice--the coconut flavor, along with the baked custard and sweet caramel sauce, are perfect partners, and the creamy, soothing texture would be especially divine after one of Chutney's signature spicy meals--if you can wait that long to dive in. 

We're huge fans of Curry Station, and we love starting any meal with an order of vegetable samosas (which, in all honesty, are big enough to be a meal in and of themselves). Flaky, triangle-shaped puff pastry is filled to the brim with fresh veggies and served with tamarind and yogurt chutneys. The whole thing is crispy, savory and totally delicious. $4.99

 Every Saturday, the back of Oriental Food & Gifts in Gulf Gate turns into a cafe, offering up a delicious menu of pan-Asian favorites that begin at $3.99. Our favorite? The bibimbap, a combo of rice, veggies, roasted seaweed, a fiery pepper paste and a fried egg whose gooey yolk coats everything in the bowl. We wish the cafe was open every day of the week.