Category Archives: Food

A True Gem – Simple, Elegant

04 Tuesday Dec 2018

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Not that I do not enjoy eating raw fish – I had actually worked in a very nice Japanese restaurant many sushi ago. Yet, over the years, due to increasing amount of phobias, I have lessen my consumption of raw fish.

Nevertheless, I do ocassionally indulge myself just a tiny bit in what I believe to be higher quality sushi/sashimi. Just like the time I had dinner with my boss and the uni in her platter of sashimi was just too tempting to resist. And of course, during my recent trip to Japan, it would be regretable if I did not try the raw delicacy there.

What prompted the visit to this gem in the old town in Torrance was started with a conversation about finding fresh uni. Someone had mentioned that a restaurant in this part of town offers fresh uni and quality raw fish. So I began to search, and found the restaurant in this very quiet part of town.

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I was instantly impressed with the simple, airy and minimalist look of the interior, and that the Japanese sushi chefs gave the impression of seriousness about their craft. There is no turning back now, there is no doubt that I will be eating raw fish today.

 

 

I also realized that day, that I will not be having fresh uni in shell as I cannot bare eating them while the flesh would be still moving. We did order the “Uni Aglio e Olio” (Garlic, olive oil and red chili spaghetti with uni – cooked). The dish was simply and elegantly prepared with just the right flavor.

Between the two of us, we ordered the “Lunch Miyabi Kaisen” and “Chef’s Select Sushi”. I don’t recall having tasted such fresh fish and such exqusitely prepared sushi in recent years, even better than what I had in Japan near Tokyo’s famous Tsukji fish market.

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As I looked wishfully above our table where there was a menu displaying their “Prix Fixe Six Course Dinner with Pairings” on certain nights during each month, I realized that I can indeed truly enjoy great sushi when quality, freshness, and excellent preparation are part of the key ingredients.

Miyabi Uni – 1231 Cabrillo Ave, Suite 101, Torrance, CA 90501  Phone: 424-376-5135

 

Patina

08 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by in American Food, Food, French Food

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Have read some good reviews about this restaurant,  so finally decided to visit since it was DineLA few weeks ago. The five courses that the menu offered seemed enticing enough, especially the course with the maine lobster.

We chose Sunday for the dinner because of the lighter traffic to downtown, and partly because I was determined to find street parking there. I did circled around a few times before landing one of best spot about 1/2 block from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Was early, got seated at a table near the window. The decor is very simple and casual. I asked for some bread and an elder gentleman came with a tray of about 5 different types of bread. The brioche bread tasted decent even though they were not warm.

The amuse bouche was an artistically presented smoked salmon cone, very light and tasty. The first of 5 courses was a Dungeness crab, delicious. Followed by Hamachi, scallop, octopus crudo which were all extremely fresh and had just the right flavor. Then came a pasta course which was not on the menu, probably one of the best I’ve had. The maine lobster was delightfull. Finally the Wagyu beef, oxtail, potato were all excellently prepared. The oxtail was tender, the beef was just the right size for me, even though some might feel that it was a tad small. The potato looked more like a dessert than a side of potato.

 

The dessert was an “Ivory Chocolate” with persimmon. Again, presentation was exquisite, but because I personally prefer dark chocolate, I found the white chocolate to be bit too sweet.

A tray with some candies came with the bill, however, I found that the candy had the taste of the raw rice since they were sitting on a bed of rice.

Patina – 141 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012  Phone: 213-972-3331

 

 

 

 

Pastries Galore

22 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by in Bakery, Food

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I had wanted to get together with a friend over tea or coffee and perhaps some pastries as well. I suggested a place that I have been to for years, but my friend came up with a place in Hermosa Beach that has opened recently called Kirari West Bake Shop. 

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I must say I was just a tad unsure whether I wanted to go because I wanted something that I will definitely like. My friend said the place has very good reviews, so as much as I was skeptical, I decided to give it a try.

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The shop is located inside a somewhat unremarkable looking strip mall, close to a Vegetarian restaurant that I had been to long time ago. The decor inside is very simple and  yet cozy and inviting. There are a few tables outside as well. There is a big black board with drawings of different types of coffees and teas. The Matcha Latte grabbed my attention. The latte, though good, had a bit too much milk in it, thus diluted the taste of the matcha. On the subsequent visit, I requested less milk, and the Matcha Latte was perfect.

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The signature pastry would be the Almond Butter Brioche. It seemed like everyone was getting this particular pastry. My friend got one, and I tried it. It was really, really good! Somewhat crunchy on the outside and soft inside,  especially since they had warmed it up for her.

I was so impressed with this place that I had been back about 3 times in a just a few weeks. I managed to try a very fresh tasting and not-too-sweet Mango Tarte, and a Sweet Butter Brioche. Everything were delicious and top quality.

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I found out later that their products are gluten free. The original Kirari was opened in Japan in 2011 by the father and the older brother. This new “Kirari West” is a collaboration between the younger brother who has been living in the US, and the family.

Kirari West Bake Shop – 707 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277   Phone: 310-376-5313 Continue reading →

“That little restaurant”- Bistro Na’s

07 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by in Chinese dessert, Chinese food, Food

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“That little restaurant” was what I originally thought is the English translation of the name of this fairly new Peking restaurant in Temple City. However, I read somewhere  that “Na” is actually a Manchu surname, so therefore, literally, the name translates to “Na’s little restaurant”.

Enough about the name. I stumbled across this place after finishing dessert at “Meet Fresh”, which is just a few doors down. The outside does not reflect what one would expect to find inside. It is actually quite a large restaurant. The decor is very elegant, since the cuisine is focusing on Chinese “Imperial court” cuisine.

I was told that I would need to make a reservation even for lunch. I did some research at home regarding the menu and its prices. The price did not seem too extravagant, so we made a reservation for lunch on a weekday.

I arrived when the restaurant just opened, so I was pretty much the only one there. So I had a chance to inquire about the food with the waitress. The main dining room was open and comfortable, while the decor is classy and not overly opulent.

We ordered the highly recommended “Crispy Shrimp”, the “Stewed Fish Combo”, “Traditional Beijing Noodle”, the “Vegetable in the Box”, “Dry Cooked Stuffed Mushroom”, and “Stuffed Lotus Root”.

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Originally, I did not want to order the shrimp, but it turned out that the shrimp dish was the best overall dish. The flavor was very distinctive, and the shell was fried to perfection, and I ended up eating a lot of it.

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However, all the rest of the dishes did not impress me. I did like the “Stuffed Lotus Root”, it is more like a dessert since it was a bit sweet.

I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. While I really enjoy the atmosphere of this place, I wish the dishes can be as good as one would expect given that it is supposed to be “Imperial Court” cuisine.

Bistro Na’s: 9055 E. Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City, CA 91780  Phone: 626-286-1999

 

 

 

 

 

 

Din Tai Fung – Chinese Food at its Best

23 Monday Jan 2017

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wp_20161215_004While this is not the first time I have eaten at Din Tai Fung,  it is, however, at this Torrance location, that I finally gave more attention to the food. I was able to truly appreciate how well the food is being executed at this famous eatery.

This particular Din Tai Fung has just recently opened at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, The decor and atmosphere is outstandingly different than the one that I had been to in Arcadia.

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The interior is modern and airy, which is rather different than the traditional Chinese restaurant. Perhaps somehow that enabled me to appreciate the food even more.

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The dish that started my appreciation for this restaurant was the Sauteed String Beans with Garlic.  I had ordered it because they did not have the Bok Choy that I had wanted on that particular day. I am not a big fan of string beans, but the plate of string beans was perfection at its best. Every single strand of bean was cooked evenly and impeccably. Not one of them was charred, as it is with most of the string beans that one gets in other Chinese restaurants. Not one of them had a black spot on them. To me, that is the mark of attention to details that distinguishes itself as a great restaurant.

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Another detail that I noticed at this particular Din Tai Fung is that the food is not salty, as most restaurant food tends to be. To be honest, the food hinges being a tad blander than what one would expect from a restaurant. However, it is precisely because of this, that I find so appealing about this place.

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The chef has enough confidence, control, and belief in the freshness of his food that he does not feel it necessary to add extra seasoning. It allows people like me to feel that I am eating somewhat healthier, instead of the usual heavy tasting restaurant food.

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I tried the Sticky Rice & Pork Shao Mai for the first time. It was well executed and quite filling. The Fish Dumpling, though good, did not have much fish taste. The Noodles with Sesame Sauce was extremely flavorful, but the serving size was rather small. The Wonton with Spicy Sauce was quite good as well.

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I like anything made with sticky rice, so I ordered the Eight Treasure Sticky Rice. Being that my friend does not care too much for sticky rice, I ended up eating the whole dessert. Fortunately, it was not too sweet.

Din Tai Fung:  21540 Hawthrone Blvd.Unit 519, Torrance, CA 90503  Phone: 310-214-1175

 

 

Wonton Noodle and a Day in Downtown

16 Saturday Jul 2016

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My son had a project in downtown LA, so I got to be the chauffeur and tourist for the day. I thought it would be a good idea to have lunch in Chinatown beforehand since the sights were very closed by.

I remember that there was a Sam Woo BBQ in Chinatown from way back, and I figured that my son might enjoy a nice bowl of Wonton Noodle. We found parking not too far from the restaurant.

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The place was not too busy, and service was brisk. I did not see Wonton Noodle on the menu, so I asked the waiter whether they serve that. He said that the Wonton Noodle is their signature dish. Great!

It must have been less than 3 minutes from ordering to getting the 2 huge bowls of noodles to arrive at our table –  that was the fastest delivery of food that I had ever encountered from a sit down restaurant (probably even faster than any fast food order)!

What was even better was the fact that these wontons were BIG, and there were at least seven of them in the large bowl, with very thin noodles at the bottom. My son commented that the noodle tasted a lot like his favorite place in Milpitas, so he was quite happy about that. And I was delighted that there were ample fresh Chinese vegetables floating on top.

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Afterwards, we visited Olvera Street, the Chinese America Museum, and Union Station. I had never even known about the existence of Union Station – such a grand structure.

I did not realize the amount of walking I was going to be doing after years of minimal walking in Los Angeles. I did not have the right type of shoes and there was a blister at the back of my foot when I got home.

Sam Woo BBQ: 803 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90012  Phone: 213-687-7238

 

Sunday Bistro

30 Monday May 2016

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Hong Kong style cafes have always been one of my favorites because one can order both the western style dishes as well as tradition Chinese favorites, in addition to a wide selection of drinks such as the popular Hong Kong Milk Tea, YuanYang (HK style milk tea with coffee), Red Bean Drink, …

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Instead of going to the same ones over and over again, I decided to visit Sunday Bistro, one that I have not been to for years. It is situated in a strip mall on Valley Blvd in Alhambra. The restaurant is fairly roomy inside with comfortable booths on one side.

The menu is quite extensive just like many of the HK cafes. But the one dish that caught my attention was the Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushroom at the price of $10.95. Sea Cucumber has always been one of my favorites, and the dish is usually rather pricey in restaurants. I did not hesitate at all in ordering that.

I was ready to accept a small plate with just a few thinly slices of sea cucumber at that price. Needless to say that I was totally, pleasantly surprised when the plate came with more than 10 good size pieces of sea cucumber and ample mushrooms and very fresh mustard greens at the bottom. Both my companion and I were incredulous as to how they could serve so much of the sea cucumber at such as price, and the dish was executed really well with everything cooked perfectly.

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The other simple dishes that we had ordered such as the Wonton Noodles and Porridge were all fairly decent. Despite some criticism of poor service at Yelp, I thought the staff was quite attentive, and the waitress actually listened to my request of not adding extra salt to the food.

The only complaint for me would be that the patrons are allowed to smoke in the front outdoor patio area, and the smoke can be smelled even inside the restaurant.

Sunday Bistro: 1032 E. Valley Blvd. Alhambra, CA 91801   Phone: 626-282-0238

 

Marmalade Cafe

08 Sunday May 2016

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Somehow I have managed to visit this eatery three times already in the past month. Once with my son when they sent us an email for a free entree for his birthday. And the two other times with the Groupon deals that were too good to pass up.

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The atmosphere of this place is casual and relaxed. The outside of the restaurant actually looks more modern than the inside. My son, as well as my dinner companion all had the Filet Mignon and Shrimp all three times that I was there. The filet mignon was executed really well every time, tender and flavorful.  I tried the Lobster and Shrimp Linguine during the first visit, but found the portion size to be small and without much lobster. For the subsequent visit, I had the Braised Petrale Sole which was served in a deep elongated dish covered with a pear tomato sauce. This dish had so much sole inside that I was not able to finish the entire serving.

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The Roasted Mushroom and Bacon Flat bread that we ordered as appetizer was a tad salty for our taste, but quite ample in portion size. We tried the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes during our third visit, and found that to be moist, tasty and not too heavy. Our dinner came with cocktails of our choice so I tried the Cadillac Margarita, and Raspberry Lemon Drop during two of the visits. Being that I am not a frequent drinker, I felt buzzed after just a few sips, and did not finish the drinks.

Marmalade Cafe: 2014 East Park Place, El Segundo, CA 90245  Phone: 310-648-7676

 

 

A Very Filling Afternoon – Ganache and Coffee Zone

25 Monday Apr 2016

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Had a pretty good lunch at Tasty Garden in Alhambra before going to a job.

The job finished quite a bit earlier than expected so I had some time before my other assignment in Chinatown. So I decided to have some coffee at the Coffee Zone in Monterey Park. I wanted a quiet place to sit and relax, and I remembered that Coffee Zone offers such an option. I ordered the Cappuccino while my friend ordered an Americano.

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The cappuccino came with a little frozen cream puff on the side. I must say that the cappuccino was one of the best that I have had for a long time. Even though the espresso was not very strong, I found that the overall presentation and taste to be excellent, especially with the fine chocolate powder sprinkled on top.

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Although the time was around 5:00pm, we decided that perhaps we should have an early dinner. We chose a place called Ganache Patisserie and Cafe by Nicol on Atlantic since it was close by, and one that I have not tried before.

The restaurant is small and empty since it was not quite dinner time yet. The menu has numerous pasta options. The wall had photos of delicious looking desserts even though the waitress said that some of the desserts were not available, and that some did not really look like the photos.

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I chose the Vegetarian Pasta with a tomato base sauce, while my companion ordered the Seafood Pasta. The servings of the pasta were not huge, but given that I was not that hungry, it was just the right size.

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The chef did a good job on the pasta itself since it was still al dente. The taste was a tad sweeter than I would have preferred. The pasta came with sun dried tomatoes and mushroom, but I did not get too many mushrooms.

I wanted to try the desserts but was too full to do so. Overall, it was a decent place to try if one is not in the mood for Chinese food in that area.

Coffee Zone: 328 S. Atlantic Blvd. Ste. 107, Monterery Park, CA 91754  Phone: 626-521-5880

Ganache Patisserie and Cafe by Nicol:  141 N. Atlantic Blvd. Ste 102, Monterey Park, CA 91754  Phone: 626-943-8688

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Special Brunch at Tres

16 Tuesday Feb 2016

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Last year on New Year’s Day, there was a special brunch at Tres with the best roasted pig. I was so looking forward to that at the beginning of this year. To my dismay, there was nothing special on New Year’s Day, in fact, there was not even a brunch, just a regular breakfast buffet.

So when it was suggested that we go to Tres for V-Day, I was really ready for a special brunch buffet.

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Tres did not disappoint on this occasion, there was a special Roasted Lamb in addition to the regular Roasted Prime Rib. The Smoked Salmon was great as usual, and I enjoyed the small, but fine selection of cheeses, and caviar.

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I finally tried their Aguas Frescas, which was truly refreshing and tasty, and not too sweet. I especially liked the little plates of salads with beets and varieties of root vegetables. The Greek Yogurt Parfait was my number one favorite of everything in the buffet – so creamy, and amazingly delicious.

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There were also the freshest shrimp and crab claws in addition to the regular items. The croissants were not as incredible as I remembered them to be, but the desserts were still the best among all the buffets that I had tried in the LA area.

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Tres:  465 S. La Cienaga Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048   Phone:310-247-0400