Honey Pig

7212 Orangethorpe Ave
Buena Park, CA 90621

Occasion: After Coachella, we hung out in LA for a day.  04/23/12

I love coming here!! I've tried this place on a previous trip down to LA a few years ago...and it's so freaking delicious.Check out my previous post here!  It's one of my favorite Korean places in Socal and I wish they had it up north! It's definitely a place to try when you're down in the LA area. So good!!

Brodard Restaurant

9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Occasion: Our last stop before we head back to LA to catch our flight before we head to Beijing! We had to come here for Henry to try their infamous Spring Rolls. 12.07.11

Nem Nuong 

See previous entry here for a better review.

Their spring rolls are definitely memorable.  It's stuffed with a sausage of some sort and fried egg roll skin for extra flavor and an extra crunch.  He liked it, but thought it was over hyped.  We bought an extra order to go to eat on the plane and let me tell you, it wasn't nearly as good because the skin was all dried up.  Next time we'll know not to bring it on the plane and eat it over 6 hours after it's been purchased.  Now I wonder how people buy it and bring it back up to the bay...

Quan Hy

15640 Brookhurst Street
Westminister, CA 92683

Occasion: Early dinner in Westminister before we drive back up to LAX to catch our flight to China! 12.07.11

Banh Beo

steamed rice cakes with shredded shrimp eaten with a special sweet nuc mam (fish) sauce

I must admit these were pretty good.  They're little steamed rice cakes sprinkled with goodness.  Very easy to slurp up once you've loosened it from the plate.  One order comes with 8 and you one person can easily slurp these all up.  Since we've already had quite a bit to eat before, we only got one order of this.  The rice cakes and a jello consistency and was pretty flavorless.  It's the other ingredients you eat it with that makes it so good.  It's definitely a must if you're ever in this Irvine/LA area.

An upclose shot!

Banh Out thit nuong

steamed rice paper stuffed with grilled beef (seemed to have been grilled with lemon grass) filled with basil

The noodles were super soft and you can easily finish one roll in a few bites.  It's almost like cheurng fun from dim sum. Very tasty!

Up close

Goi hit

jack fruit salad mixed with shrimps and pork

I decided to order something else that seemed like a light dish and this appealed to me.  I've never had a jack fruit salad before, so I wanted to give it a try.  To my surprise it was delicious refreshing. The texture of the jackfruit reminded me of the texture of artichoke hearts. Fried onions and fried garlic not only added flavor to the dish but also a nice crunchy texture. Included in the salad were also peanuts, sesame, chopped up basil and mint leaves. You can eat it alone as a salad or on vietnamese rice crackers with black sesame seed for extra flavor and texture. So good and so different!

Porto's Cafe and Bakery

8233 Firestone Blvd
Downey, CA 90241

Occasion: And after Din Tai Fung, we were on our way to another LA hotspot! We came here for some bakery goods! YUM! 12.07.11

Fresh squeezed OJ and Chai Latte

I guess oranges weren't in season, but I needed my vitamin-C so I didn't complain.  Someone apparently thought a drink with the term "latte" meant some kind of coffee drink. Wrong.  Both of us felt our drinks were mediocre.  I had a sip of the Chai and didn't think it was too bad.  My favorite is still the one from Ambrosia Bakery in the city.

 Left: Raspberry and Dulce de Leche kiss cookies.  Right: Guava and cheese roll

Cookies were super sweet and buttery filled with goodness while the guava and cheese roll was more of my kind of sweets.  Flaky crust filled with guava and cheesy (sweet) goodness.  I loved it.  It almost reminded me of a napoleon cake except in a pastry form.  Definitely a fan!

Potato Roll

So amazingly good.  I had no idea what to expect of this thing, but when I cut it open and saw the goodness in it I was ecstatic to try it.  As soon as I tried it, I fell in love.  The potato ball was soft and potatoey while the inside was filled with meaty goodness. I am definitely a fan! Must try when you're down there.

Din Tai Fung

108 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

Occasion: On the quest to find the best Xiaolong bao. We came here almost right after brunch so that Henry could try their XLB's. Our second meal of the day. 12. 07.11

 Green Tea Tapioca

Best I've ever had.  Chewy tapioca balls that tasted super fresh and green tea that was made to the perfect amount of sweetness. I think I'm in love.

Noodle with minced pork sauce

The fresh chewy and springy noodles mixed with the minced pork sauce was just perfect.  It wasn't overly done and the portion was a decent size considering the fact that we'd already had a pretty big breakfast.  I was full, but I couldn't stop eating it.  It was just so delicious!

 Pork Xiao Long Baos

I've had the crab one here before and was not a big fan of it, so we decided to order the pork.  I think they make really good XLBs with the perfect skin that's not too thick.  The XLBs are filled with flavorful pork meat that's filled with it's juicy soup.  Henry became a fan!

Jack N Joe

2498 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Occasion: Breakfast after we checked out. David had recommended this place to us to try.  Since brunch is practically my favorite meal that I don't often have the opportunity to have, I had to come here for some good ol' brunch.  We were also starving. 12. 07.11

Red velvet pancakes (their monthly special)

It was topped with cream cheese instead of the usual butter.

The name of the pancakes sounds very appealing and the fact that it was a monthly special definitely helped in deciding to order this as my breakfast entree.  It came in a generous serving and the pancakes were airy and kind of fluffy.  It wasn't as good as I had thought it would be and overhyped.  I've had better.

French toast Combo with hawaiian bread toast, scrambled eggs and Portuguese sausage

So delicious!  The french toast was made with hawaiian bread which was super fluffy and had a natural sweetness.  It's nice to have something sweet and savory on the same plate.  I'm not usually a fan of spice, but the heat on the portuguese sausage was bearable and actually quite tasty! Loved this!

Animal

435 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Occasion: Dinner with Ele! I guess you can call it a pre birthday celebration. 12.06.11

Chicken liver toast

It reminded me of pate in Vietnamese sandwiches, but in a creamier form.  It was topped with what seemed to be caviar and chopped up green onions.  I thought it was pretty tasty!  If you're not a fan of pate, you may not enjoy this.

Pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg

Delicious!! Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night.  The chili-lime sauce added a nice kick to it that almost reminded me of chicharonnes. The pig ears seemed to be deep fried and were crunchy.  We all enjoyed this dish very much!

Veal sweetbreads, finger lime aioli, cumin and shallot

So good! The veal cheeks were battered and what seemed to have been deep fried creating a slightly crispy skin with a soft and tender inside.  It was so soft, it almost reminded me of fish meat.  I loved dipping it into the lime aioli.  The acid really complemented the meat very well.  Ele on the other hand thought the meat was too gamey. Really? I don't think so.  It's all in the head.  We shouldn't have told her what sweetbreads were.

 Marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions

Another great dish.  I think the chimichurri sauce really helped take away the rich flavor of the bone marrow and can even hide the fatty texture of it.  I've never had bone marrow made like this before and I'm not sure which I like better.  I can usually taste and feel the texture of the bone marrow, where in this case I feel that the chimichurri sauce almost takes over.  I don't mind the fatty texture and rich taste of roasted bone marrow and I guess some people may.  Anyhow, caramelized onions added a touch of delightful sweetness to it, which we also all enjoyed.

Barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw

One order came with two.  The pork belly wasn't as tender and more on the dry side, but the flavor was great: sweet and tangy with some crunchy slaw. While everything else seemed to be out of Ele's comfort zone, this stayed true to flavors and ingredients she was a bit more familiar with.

Foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger

Ever since my first loco moco in Hawaii, I was craving for something comparable.  This definitely had a fusion twist to it and not your authentic loco moco, but it was good.  The foie gras was flavorful and seriously melted in your mouth.  This was a very very rich dish that I'm glad was shared between three of us.

Balsamic pork ribs, delicata squash, arugula, pecan

It was just mediocre, but the walnuts squash salad that came on the side was amazing! The squash was sweet and mushy and the walnuts were roasted.  The meat was tender, but not fall of the bone tender and the sour taste of the balsamic sauce didn't work too well for my taste buds.  

WP24- Ritz Carlton

900 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Occasion: Drinks before dinner! Once right after we checked in and once with Ele! 12.06.11

Ginger Crisp and Pearfect Asian

Ginger Crisp, Apple Cloudy and I don't know what Ele ordered!

Drinks with great company and a nice view and a beautiful venue!

Mendocino Farms

4724 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292

*Killing time waiting for our flight at the airport*

Occasion: Right after we got off the plane and got our rental car, we came here to meet my friend David for some lunch! 12.06.11

Pork Belly Banh Mi

Had all the ingredients of a viet sandwich, cucumber, carrots, pickled diakon and big chunks of pork belly that was sweet and tender with some chili aoli on grilled ciabatta bread.  This was Henry's choice and of course he liked his better than mine.

Three little piggies

My choice: with pork belly, carnitas and bacon bits with an avocado spread bits of bacon, pork and carnitas. It's a lot of meat and i'm not usually the one to order such a heavy hearty meaty sandwich, but i must admit it was good. I was really happy that there was avocado spread because it made the sandwich that much better.

Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles- Long Beach

730 E. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802

Occasion: Lunch before we leave socal!

Arnold Palmer
I love ordering this. Lemonade with iced tea. Very refreshing especially with all this unhealthy fried chicken.

#2 Chicken(with gravy on the side) and Waffles (not pictured)
Chicken breast was moist, which I liked. I usually don't like ordering chicken breast because it tends to be on the dry side, but not this breast. This usually comes with the gravy smothered, but we asked for it on the side, which I liked better. That way we can dip the chicken into the sauce and smother as much as we'd like.

Mac and Cheese
I got to try a bit of this. I didn't think it was that great. It was kind of dry. I usually have a problem with the mac and cheese being too cheesy, but this one was too dry. I've had better.

Country Boy
3 pieces of chicken wings and a waffle.

I ordered this because it's smaller than the #1 and #2. Our waiter suggested I order this, since there's only one waffle and smaller chicken pieces. I loved the waffle drenched in their syrup. There was nothing special about the waffle,but it just tasted original and simple. After a bite of savory chicken I'd switch to a bite of the waffle that's been drenched in syrup. Sweet, savory, sweet, savory...it went back and forth like that.

Din Tai Fung

1108 S Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007

Occasion: Lunch after a rough partying night and before we hit up disneyland!

Braised Beef Noodle Soup
After a night of partying this is just what we needed! I've never had taiwanese Beef noodle soup and in my opinion, since I have nothing to compare to I think it's pretty good. I love home made noodles because it has a bounce to it when you bite into it. The meat was very tender. Overall a satisfying dish.

Noodles with minced meat sauce and ground pork

It was pretty simple and reminded me of something I've had before. The noodles went well with the sauce. I love noodles so I was definitely a fan of this noodle dish.

Shanghai Rice Cakes

I love rice cakes and though the portion was kind of small compared to other places where I've had it, it was still pretty good. Another dish I enjoyed.
Pork Soup Dumplings
It's good, but it still doesn't compare to New York's: Joe's Shanghai. Maybe I was just expecting a lot because I've heard a lot of good stuff about their dumplings. It's definitely way better than their crab soup dumplings. I guess because it was in such high demand, only 1 out of our 3 trays came out. By the time our last trays came out we were so full we had to cancel one. I like how there is a good amount of soup in it. I wish the skin was just a little thinner. As for the taste it was pretty good but not as good as I had expected it to be.

Shrimp and pork xiao mai

I've never seen or had anything that looked like this. When I bit into it, it actually found that it resembled the xiao mai's that chinese restaurants serve at dim sum. What I didn't like about it was the skin. It was too thick and too dry.

Crab soup dumplings
They were able to decipher between the pork and the crab with a little carrot in the middle. This was not good to me at all. I would have so much rather gotten three more trays of the pork than to have these crabs. I was expecting it to have a similar taste, texture and ingredients as Joe's Shanghai in New York. It did not taste anything like joe's shanghai. I was really disappointed after my first bite. The crab meat itself as well as the flavor...did not do it for me.


Pork and glutinous rice xiao mai
It reminded me of sticky rice you can get at dimsum, but less flavorful. I don't like the skin at all because it's too thick. It was kind of bland. We did not like it at all.

Katsuya

6300 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Occasion: Our fancy dinner while in LA, where we sat right behind Dave Navarro (Carmen Electra's Ex-husband)! I ordered the...

Katsuya’s Tasting Menu
Best of the best signature dishes. All of the items that Chef Katsuya is famous for in one tasting menu.

Katsuya Ceviche

a blend of sashimi and citrus ponzu

This was the first dish that came out from my tasting menu. The sashimi were fresh and the citrus ponzu added to it and made it a very refreshing first dish. A delightful start!

Then a Platter with 4 mini plates came out...

Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna
This is supposedly one of their more popular dishes and I can see why. I liked this and it reminded me of something I've had in San Francisco's: Blowfish Sushi to Die For. I am feeling this whole crispy rice thing. The rice was both crispy and chewy. It's like eating rice from the bottom of the pot after it's been cooked til its tried. Like the korean stone pot bibimbop. I just loved the usage of texture. Really beautifully presented and delicious.



Spicy Albacore Sashimi with Crispy Onion
This was the second little plate on the platter.
Fortunately, it wasn't too spicy. There were thin slices of the albacore sashimi buried under a layer of crispy onion. The crispy onions were very aromatic in flavor and the texture of it added to it. Kind of reminded me of vietnamese beef carpaccio. It was light and refreshing.

Creamy Rock Shrimp
creamy rock shrimp tossed in chef's spicy creamy sauce
Third dish on the platter as part of my tasting menu
It's look reminds me of walnut prawns at a chinese restaurant, but the taste is completely different. Unlike walnut prawns, it's not overpowering in the mayo taste. The cream is nice and sweet with a kick of spice to it. I loved how it's small enough I could just pop it in my mouth

Yellowtail sashimi with jalepeno
fresh yellowtail, ponzu and jalepeno
Fourth little plate on my platter
Another popular dish, which was tasty and refreshing

Kiwi Scallops
Jumbo scallops on top of sliced kiwi with yuzu vinaigrette

Not part of my tasting menu, but I also got to try this. Yes it sounds weird, kiwi and scallops, but it compliments each other well. The kiwi's tangy sweet taste brings out the flavor of the scallop. A very unique dish!

Salmon Sashimi with Caviar

Salmon sashimi slightly rolled with Japanese onion chutney, topped with tasty caviar on a slice of cucumber

Also not a part of my tasting menu, but was able to give it a try. Like everyhting else delicious. I was really amazed by the presentation and the combination of ingredients used. Salmon has a natural buttery taste to it, while the caviar has a slight overpowering taste, but the cucumber is bland. All three mixed together went very well and was nice and refreshing.

Kobe Tobanyaki

with wild mushrooms served sizzling hot

Another item not on my tasting menu that I got to try. Mushrooms were delicious and buttery. The meat could have been a little bit more rare, but still very good. Meat was hot, tender and had a very buttery taste to it. Because it's meat, I thought it was kind of filling...maybe the butter added to it. Good meat choice.

Baked Crab Handroll (to the left)

baked snow crab lightly kissed with Chef's signature sauce wrapped with rice in soy paper

Tuna roll and yellow tail roll

This was also part of my tasting menu. At first sight the baked crab handroll didn't look too appetizing, probably because it was in soy paper. It was tasty and full of flavors, but it was nothing spectacular. As for the tuna roll and the yellow tail roll, it was good and fresh but again nothing special because you can get it at any other Japanese restaurant.

Kobe Filet with Foie Gras

medallions of foie gras served on top of tender kobe beef. Smothered in Chef's plum wine reduction

Part of my tasting menu, but in mine there were only two pieces instead of three. Filet was nice and tender. Loved this dish more than the other meat dish. Went very well the the foie gras and the plum wine sauce. Very enjoyable and addicting.

Dessert

with green tea mochi, some fresh fruits and puff pastry drizzled with chocolate.

I love mochi so I attacked half of it and it was delicious.

I thought it was really worth it to get the tasting menu. I like variety and that is exactly what the tasting menu does. It's great because it gives you a little taste of most of the signature dishes on the menu. I had a little bit of a lot of things and it really did fill me up. I am so glad I got it. Portion here are not extremely big and its more like Tapa styles where one person would get about 2 or 3 items to be able to fill themselves. Good experience. Not somewhere I'd always try to dine, but it was a nice little dinner on our weekend out of town.