Food-Trips and My Kitty Aiko!!
Sunday night, err morning!! It's past 1Am and I have work tomorrow XD
I've been re-watching movies all day with my sister^^
Livejournal is still under attack too XD
Because I'm bored and not sleepy I'll post pix of my recent food-trips and my kitty Aiko^^
MALBEC
Argentinian Bistro
Nice ambiance. As the name suggests, they serve Malbec wine. Don't forget to order it!! It goes really well with their meat dishes^^ I wanted to try the desserts but we only have a 2 hour reservation and with all the chit-chatting (I went with my family/cousins) we forgot about the time XD Total for the evening was close to $400.00 including the gratuity and extra tip.
Hands down the BEST DAMN THING on their menu!!
The steak was juicy and extremely flavorful.
The veggies that came with this dish was also nicely grilled.
The tomatoes ....were amazing!!
Breaded beef cutlet topped with cheese, tomato sauce and salami.
Sides: Mashed Potato and Steamed Veggies
The sauce and the cheese was really yummy^^
As for the breaded beef cutlet I think I prefer the Japanese and Korean kind more XD
I fell in love with it when I first saw it....but after eating it I was disappointed XD The pasta and the sauce itself was great but the seafood toppings....specially the mussels were awful!! I do not know how mussels can taste that awful!! I would have sent this back to the kitchen but everyone was having a good time and I didn't want to make a fuss.
5 Minute Bowl
Cheap Eats -- Galleria Market
When I first ate at this place I thought the prices were ridiculously low. It might be because I usually eat around DTLA that's why I'm used to having $16 pasta but the dishes here were below $10! Huge servings too^^ They were also extremely delicious...much better than some other more expensive Korean restaurants I've been to...and it's a food-court!! My gosh, now I eat there whenever I'm there getting groceries XD
Zion Food Court
Cheap Eats -- Zion Market
Bigger selection than Galleria Market's^^
Servings are huge!! I cannot finish everything!!
I love how they have Japanese and Chinese food there too.
You probably can't tell but they serve 2 pork cutlets that are about the size of someones face or bigger. I had to get a take-out box because I cannot finish more than half of it XD The katsu was fried to perfection. Crispy outside and juicy inside^^ The sauce that came along was slightly sweet yet spicy.
Basically, Korean style spicy beef soup!!
My sister usually gets this and it's really flavorful^^
It's spicy but it's so yummy that you can't put down your chopsticks XD
Mom tried this for a change cause she usually gets Korean soup jelly from another place. She was craving short-ribs that night and this hit the spot^^ It came with tempura too and Korean style noodles so there was a lot of variety.
A couple pics from when I went there with my aunt's and my cousin cause they wanted to get groceries from Zion too XD There's Squid Bokum, Bibimbap and a lot of other things^^ It felt like we were having a banchan matsuri of some sort because of all the side dishes that came with each order. Hahaha!!!
Hwa Sun Ji
Tea House (LA's Korea Town)
After taking them to Zion for groceries and dinner we headed to this place. 6 People: My mom, my younger sister, my cousin + 2 Aunt's and myself. Instead of taking them to a cutesy cafe I figured they'd appreciate a more laid-back place with a calm and peaceful atmosphere. The place serves lots of teas. We all got different ones. I got lotus that night.
Out of all the "patbingsoo" I have ever eaten, this is probably the most gentle tasting one I have ever eaten. I do not know if it's because of the ambiance of the place or something else but that's what it felt like. It had watermeon, honey-dew, red bean, green tea ice cream, etc. I felt like I was eating a yummy yet extremely healthy dessert. I'm the type who likes sweet stuff a lot so this was a sudden shock and change to me. I think people who prefer desserts that aren't too sweet like pastries and cakes will appreciate this a lot more than I did.
It goes well with any tea XD By this I mean that you can add this tea to any tea and it would smell better and taste yummier!! It's very pretty and it smells really great too. I kept adding it to my lotus tea XD
I know what jujube's are. I've eaten them before mostly in Korean and Chinese dishes. My mom and one of my aunt's tried this tea and it was just "Wow!" It's a very rich and surprisingly sweet tea. If I could I would have tried to put milk on it too. I'm definitely getting this one the next time I go there^^
FREE!!
When you ask for your bill at this establishment they will serve you this before giving you the bill.
It's roasted so it smells great^^
Great place to just relax and unwind. You can buy tea and cups too. They have a private room so you can request for that if you need to. There's a lot of teas to choose from!! Take note that this place is Asian/Korean, it's not English style High-Tea so there are no scones and sandwiches on the menu. They do have traditional sweets like biscuits with green tea and such.
Little Next Door
French Brasserie/Gourmet Artisan Marketplace -- A few blocks away from "The Grove"
One of my fave brunch spots in LA and also a celebrity hot-spot^^ Eggs, croquettes, and whatever else...I have never been disaappointed!! They serve my fave french style lemonade too!! Wine and cocktails are also served in this restaurant. They do not take reservations!! The restaurant next to them is the famed LITTLE DOOR (takes reservations) -- perfect for dates and comes with a steep price tag!! (They are sister stores. Valet Parking!!)
I had dinner there with my cousin Karen after a busy day at work on a Friday night. I must be lucky or something because I never wait at this place even though there are no reservations. I heard other people wait for an hour or more. I've had brunch there plenty of times but it was my first time having dinner there with Karen that night so I was certain that we'll wait but when the garcon/monsieur saw us after we got off the car he just let us in right away XD
Service was prompt. We ordered about 10 minutes after we were seated. Before our orders arrived we were served the usual warm french bread with dipping sauce (olive oil/balsamic vinegar/herbs). The food we ordered was served about 10 minutes later. Everything is made fresh the moment that you order it. They use organic ingredients and they get their produce from local farmers/growers. The staff (as always) are polite and knowledgeable about the menu items and the wines.
Crunchy thin salted french-fries with herbs and a delicious grilled skirt steak with green peppercorn sauce on a Friday night!! It was exactly what I needed as a reward for week of hard-work in the office^^ In this LJ entry it's a great rival to Malbec's skirt steak. The fries were done just the way I like them and they're real potatoes too!!! Instead of some french red wine I paired this with Lorina's French Lemonade^^
Shrimp and scallops on a bed of organic hand-made fettuccine^^
Huge pieces of shrimp and chopped scallops in red sauce.
Super delish with a glass of white whine^^
Beats out Malbec's "Tallarines Gulfo Nuevo" anytime!!
Yellow House Cafe
LA's Korea Town (Oxford)
True to it's name...it's a Yellow House near the corner of Third and Oxford (near Western). You have two seating options...indoor and outdoor. Indoor seating are mostly for people who came there to study. They are in the main building inside a brightly lit room with plenty of tables and chairs. Outdoor seating is well, obviously outside XD It's an open area decorated with a lot of foliage and pretty lights. They also have firepits to keep customers warm during fall and winter. Karen and I chose to sit outdoors right next to a firepit and a stove^^
Karen and I started laughing when we saw this because the "heart" was extremely faint XD
I burned my tounge when I drank this XD Hahaha! It was yummy though^^
Compared to other places in Korea Town the fruit patbingoo here uses flavored shaved ice. It reminded me a bit of "Ice Kiss" because of the colorful fruity cereal flakes. They use strawberry ice cream and theirs have kiwi, banana, strawberry, peach, watermelon, etc.
I don't have pics of how the place looks like so I grabbed these off google:
Arashi Sushi
DTLA (Near Staples Center)
The first time I tried this place it was solely because of the name XD I went there for lunch before when I had some work near Staples Center. Anyway, I ended up visiting this place a second time with my cousins Michael, Karen and my younger sister. It was raining that night so the restaurant wasn't very busy. I made reservations so we were seated promptly. Our orders arrived quickly too. I brought my camera with me that night but for some unknown reason everything I took that night came out blurry so I gave up. I should have just used my phone but I was low on battery already!! The place was dimly lit except for the sushi counter.
Shrimp and Scallop Dynamite (Mayo)
Flavorful, creamy, nice texture!!
Can't remember what this one is but it had scallops.
I remember that it was yummy.
Nigiri with Gold Leaf Gold leaf....not needed XD
I think it tastes so much better without it!!
Compared to Sushi-Go and Sushi-Gen, they're nigiri just doesn't hit the spot.
Can't remember what this is called either but as you can see from the pic it has avocados and salmon on top. Inside there's crunchy shrimp tempura. We ordered a few more things that night but since my camera was acting-up I gave up taking pics. Since their sushi wasn't as good compared to other places I've been to we stuck with their robata-yaki's. It felt a lot like we were at an Izakaya.....made me wish that we went to Fu-Ga instead. One good thing that I really liked was their yougurt-sake...it's also only $3!! Prices are decent and food is decent. I'd come back again but I'd avoid their nigiri sushi.
SYRUP
DTLA (6th/Spring)
I wish they are open til 2-3AM. They close at 12AM. I always come to this place a few times in a week because they have desserts, coffee and plenty of games. It's fun even if I go by myself because there's a lot of people to talk to. This adorable place is right across "The Los Angeles Exchange", "The Falls" and "Spring Street". All clubby and drinking joints basically. It's a couple blocks away from my office too^^
My usual^^ Heck! No one can resist nutella with some banana and strawberries!! Even more when it comes with a crispy yet soft liege waffle and a scoop of creamy and sinfully delicious french vanilla ice cream!!
I love "Harajuku Crepe" over at Beverly Hills but in DTLA this crepe is just extremely awesome!! Inside is nutella with plenty of mixed berries drizzled with chocolate sauce and a scoop of french vanilla ice cream.
Hard to tell but there's green tea and rocky road ice cream under.
This is my quick go-to place when I'm craving for something sweet at work. Besides this one my other go-to place is "Bottega Louie". I wish they had more floor space though. They're popular at night so it gets crowded extremely fast.
Antique Cafe
LA's Korea Town
Their fruit patbingsoo is a little close to "Yellow House Cafe" except for the ice cream flavor and the flavored shaved ice. Huge serving so about 2-3 people can share^^
I ate a ton of stuff that night so I thought I'd give my tummy something gentle before I head home so I settled for this. It's really delicious. I'll order this again when I come back^^
Hae Jang Chon
LA's Korea Town
Korea Town's Top AYCE BBQ restaurant. Went there with my BFF Medz and we just ate, ate, and ate!! We ate so many different types of meat. Not pictured are the honey-comb, beef tounge, squid, octopus, etc. I love eating them wrapped in thin radish slices with some veggies and sauce!! Will definitely come back here again soon!! They serve kimchi fried rice at the end of the meal^^
IOTA Cafe
LA's Korea Town -- along Western Avenue
They have hand-drip-coffee...and it takes a while for them to serve it. By the time you get your coffee you will be done with the dessert/pastry/cake you ordered XD I've been here a few times and I honestly think that this place is over-hyped. It's popular because the interior is well lit and nicely decorated. It's an open space with indoor/outdoor seating sorrounded by glass. Also, there's a lot of pastries to choose from. The downside is that most items taste about average. It's not bad but it's not really very yummy either. The servers are very nice but they do not understand the menu very well. Prices are of your typical Korean cafe. Coffee is about $2-$3 more than Starbucks.
Novel Cafe
Near LA's Wilshire/Western Subway Station
Went there for brunch. The clam linguini was only $14!!
They also have breakfast burritos and they're fun to eat^^
Mazatlan (DTLA)
I've never gone there to actually sit down and eat. I only order delivery from them once in a while and I always get the one pictured above. The pork-chops are super yummy!! I love how it's tender in the middle yet the edges are somewhat crunchy^^ Great to eat with the diced tomatoes!!
At Burbank with my Family/Relatives^^
Grandma cooking and Grandpa pretending to watch (while stealing food).
This is what grandma was cooking on the picture above.
The best kare-kare in the whole world!!
This tastes so much better than the ones I get from the restaurants.
Pan-fried noodles called "Pancit"
Veggie Stir-Fry XD
I have no idea what this is called.
No clue what this one is either.
I love this!! Grilled Squid^^
I love Salmon!! Uncle Peter made this one and the one below^^ The one on top has ginger and herbs while the one below has mayo and some other stuff. Both are extremely delicious!! I wish I can cook as well as he does^^
Mom went to a filipino restaurant and bought these. They are called "Puto Bumbong" (I hope I'm right) and they are eaten with "niyog" (grated coconut). They are sold when it's almost Chritmas time...I think XD I'm sorry, I don't eat much filipino food other than when we have family gatherings and someone in my family cooks them specially my grandma and uncle Peter^^ I do love pork sinigang and beef nilaga!!
Thanksgiving at Burbank
Simple Traditional American Fare
This year we had a no frill Thanksgiving dinner. Compared to the other years we didn't run around as much. We decided to keep it simple. Everything was cooked by my uncle Peter except for the elbow pasta with meat sauce, my aunt Lyn made it.
Gone after 60 seconds!!
We had 2 turkeys this year^^ It would have been three if Michae and Daniel were with us but both are off in different countries doing their own thing XD
My uncle Joseph messing around with the turkey heads.
He kept photobombing with the turkey heads the entire night XD
There is something strange about this picture.....
My plate^^
Random Eats
I love the bottle!! It's so adorable XD
I use both Gom and VLC to play videos^^
Taiyaki Ice-cream!! Vanilla Ice-Cream and Red-Bean Filling!!
ODEN!! My sister made it^^
NABE!! My sister made it too^^
Something that I can make XD I'm talking about the yakisoba.
It's one of those few things that I don't really fail at making^^
I always eat it with french pastries from "Paris Baguette" or "Cake House".
My Kitty -- Aiko-chan!!
Glasses and Mustache Aiko!! LOL.
Sleepy Aiko <3
Sleeping Aiko!!
Haha!! Her pose amuses me XD
I bought her a toothbrush to play with^^ She really likes it!!
I dunno but she does that pose lately when I take pictures of her XD
I was trying to take a picture of her but she keeps going to the side of my phone and staring at me XD
Her nose is so cute!! Her eyes are so cute too!!
That's about it for tonight!! I am going to try to get some sleep because it will soon be 2AM and I still need to wake-up early tomorrow and get a few things ready before heading to work. I wish everyone a Happy Monday!! Bye-Bye^^
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