Low End Theory's L.A. Restaurants

How To Use This Guide

2005-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Low End Theory's LA Restaurant guide. This blog was run by Low End Theory until June 2006. Now it is in custody of his friend MJ.

Restaurants are organized by neighbourhood and by cuisine. In the cuisine guide, favourites are listed first.

L.A. Neighbourhood Eating Guide
L.A. Eating Guide by Cuisine

Please leave a comment if you know a place worth trying! In that spirit, try these links for other restaurant recommendations. Our other blog details recent additionz. No responsibility is taken for closure, change of ownership or simple bad taste on our part. We hope you enjoy these restaurants!

When I moved to L.A., the chef at San Francisco's fabulous Hulu House made this Mickey Mouse-styled pulut hitam (black rice with coconut milk) for my farewell dinner. How I miss that restaurant!

Krua Thai

2005-10-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

Once I discovered the great Thai neighbourhood on Sherman Way in North Hollywood, I knew there would be many happy meals in the vicinity. Krua Thai [13130 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, (818) 759-7998] is the latest bombshell in my culinary universe, a noodle-centric Thai restaurant to set one's tastebuds aglow with the characteristic vibrancy missing from non-Thai neighbourhoods. As usual, there's a long menu with your favourite Thai classics. I'm sure many of these are tremendous, but this place is the North Hollywood noodle motherlode that puts Sanamluang in the shade. I would follow your Thai fellow-diners and hew to the noodle sections.

Pad kee mao. Back in my San Francisco days, frequent King of Thai visits centred on the eternal question, #14 or #15? One was the pad see eew with meat of your choice (ground chicken or pork are my favourites), fat rice noodles/fun stir-fried with the sweet black soy sauce called kecap manis in Indonesia. Pad kee mao was the other unvarying choice, the same noodles cooked with copious amounts of chilli, garlic and basil for a hotter and more fragrant dish. Krua Thai's pad kee mao is the best I've had. You'll want to tuck in as soon as it arrives, piping hot from the wok. With noodles this great, etiquette must take a back seat - worst comes to worst you'll have to share with your salivating table companions.

Pad thai. The exemplar of the Thai dish that loses it's stinky funk when rendered in bland Westside Thai emporia. But this is Krua Thai, so fear not, the dish is saturated in tiny dried shrimp and fish sauce, and is good and hot like it should be. Without over-egging, the sour flavours are more prominent and a squeeze of lime plus spoonful of preserved green chillis from the condiments jar perfects the dish.

General's Noodle. Sanamluang makes a famous and tasty version of this dish, but I can attest that Krua Thai's is even better. First of all, you can choose soup or dry. The waitress recommended dry with soup on the side which turned out perfect. A large deep bowl is filled with a plenitude of meats and fixin's plus thin egg noodles that one mixes together bibimbap style. Fatty roast duck, fine char siu/roast pork, ground chicken and sliced pork meet bean sprouts, ground peanuts, green onions, fried garlic in a fabulous fermented-fish-rich sauce. There is glory and variety in each bite, and like the greatest of noodle dishes the noodles themselves are an equal partner; I felt sad when I finished mine too soon and had to eat the remaining meats. If you had to order one thing off the menu, I think this would be it.

Salted blue crab salad. LA street food mavens are familiar with the green papaya salad from the Thai temple, and generally have their favourite stall and chef. This is where I discovered the salted blue crab, an ingredient that screams "stinky authentic Thai food". It's a small little crab generally broken into quarters or so and eaten as a crunchy whole. The flavour is very salty but tastes almost exactly like seawater, with a long and pleasant aftertaste. The salted crab salad at Krua Thai is made of green papaya but the crab is the star. Ask for it spicy and savour the greatness of North Hollywood!

Las Quenas

2005-10-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves Peruvian food. Not only because Peru is the original home of the potato, but its cuisine is a beguiling mixture of Spanish, indigenous and sometimes Chinese influences. I was thus thrilled to discover Las Quenas [(818) 764-3962, 12708 Sherman Way, North Hollywood] around the corner from the incandescent Thai restaurant Swan. Las Quenas passes the ethnic restaurant test - it's full of Peruvians and the food is predictably great. Here's what my friend Alvaro and I enjoyed:

Ceviche - I'm pretty sure that raw fish in an acidic (often citrus) marinade has evolved more than once - in fact I sampled a tremendous version at my Tongan friend's 21st birthday party. That said, Peruvians are justifiably famed as the perfecters of the dish, as the ceviche pescado here demonstrates. The fish is impeccably fresh and the dressing has a nice amount of raw onion bite.

Causa rellena - Here the Peruvian potato staple is mashed and layered with mayonnaisy, lime-scented tuna. According to Alvaro, the number and composition of the layers can differ, but we both liked this version as a potato alternative to the classic papas ala huancaina that I normally order.

Lomo Saltado - Certainly in anyone's list of most essential Peruvian dishes, this stir fry of beef steak strips, french fry-sliced potatoes, peppers and tomatoes is irresistable. Alvaro gave it a hearty thumbs up at Las Quenas.

Cau-cau - Leave it to the low end theorist to order tripe stew in face of delightful tallarins, saltados, chaufa and Peruvian whatnot. This was actually very good, with a greenish cilantro flavoured sauce and tender tripe.

Alfajor - The pumpkin doughnut-type thingies called picarones are available here, but we opted for alfajores, shortbread biscuits sandwiched around a supersweet layer of caramel. They were great, with a much thicker caramel layer than storebought ones.

As in other Peruvian restaurants I've enjoyed, the accoutrements are all here, from violent crimson chicha morada (corn drink) to crusty cardboard rolls and most importantly the wonderful green chilli and garlic sauce called aji. I have yet to find this a store in LA, but with Alvaro's recent arrival on the scene this lacuna in my pantry cannot last long. Give Las Quenas a try and satisfy your Peruvian jones!

Guatemalteca Bakery

2005-09-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

After a cheerful stroll through Pico-Union today (two "green card" vendor solicitations, one lost car of French tourists), Ian and I ended up at this tremendous Guatemalan bakery/restaurant/grocery store some ways away on Beverly [4032 Beverly Blvd, Downtown LA, 213-382-9451, 6am-9pm]. Lunchtime line is about ten deep, testifying to high quality of the baked goods and steam table fare, as well as the overwhelming Central American nature of the 'hood.

As Gold documents, there is a parallel universe of antojitos, but we didn't try the enchiladas (actually like a miniature clayuda), tostadas (crispy tortilla smeared with sauce) or tacos-that-looked-like-flautas. Instead, we opted for comidas, lunch plates with the hearty stew called carne guisada or in my case a kidney/intestine concoction, revolcado. These were awesome, big servings of tomato-ey goodness with excellent arroz and the pureed kind of black beans, go for the crusty roll instead of tortillas. Also on the menu are a frijoles blanco or white bean/beef stew, and the tasty looking sausage longaniza among others. Not bad for $4.50! The locals were bringing in their own plastic containers and filling them to the brim, now that's service. Woman in front of me spent $47 which can only mean she was feeding about 15 people for a week.

We also sampled a chuchito or tamale which was more in the Mexican style than full-on Nicaraguan/Honduran goodness. Guatemalteca dishes up the pan/roll with assorted fillings, and we scored a pan con chile to go - eggy chile relleno in a crusty tapered-at-the-ends pan. Judiciously reheated, this was terrific later at night. I love sandwiches made with stuffed items, and the relleno contained shredded beef, peas and carrots; a lusty whole when combined with crusty roll, mayonesa and lettuce. Lastly, the quesadilla here is not grilled tortillas and cheese, but a fabulously rich cake bread made with sour cream and sprinkled with sesame seeds (sold at the bakery counter). A small round one is 50 cents, and a giant slab $2. I foolishly went for the slab and will have to ration it carefully for the sake of my arteries.

Having sampled the higher-end at Paseo Chapin I can say that the more utilitarian Guatemalan fare is also a winner. The peeps are here and once again the quality is unmistakable, give it a try if you haven't had an authentically Los Angeles Centro-American meal before.

Yongsusan

2005-09-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Many Koreatown pleasures are centred on the one-dish restaurant, and even the more sophistimicated barbeque emporia feature copious quantities of grilled meat at the heart of one's meal. Thus Yongsusan [950 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 388-3042] is a most unusual Korean restaurant, serving a "Royal Kaesong" banquet style in which individual dishes are brought to one's table; the focus is on smaller portions of great delicacy and multiple course set menus. My friends and I tried the $28 set menu, which proved to be outstanding value:

Pumpkin porridge. Possibly the gluiest thing I've eaten all year, but with a sweet and rich pumpkin flavour. I finished every drop.
Mung bean jelly. A sesame oil-rich preparation of jelly strips.
Bean sprouts. With a chilli touch and even apricot slivers.
Jellyfish. Served with shredded cucumber, halved shrimp and the preserved eggs called peih dan in Cantonese. This trio of cold dishes were very good, a nice way to begin a large and filling banquet.
Steamed pork. Awesome fatty pork cut, cooked very simply.
Grilled sea scallops. On a skewer with mushroom and broccoli. This was perfectly grilled, just browned outside but still moist. Delectable.
Bosam kimchi. Something of a house specialty, this is a whole small cabbage head stuffed and pickled with the addition of Asian pears, onions and other things. I loved it, particularly with the thrill of discovering unusual things inside.
Beef stew. With radish and carrot, this was meltingly soft with a pure intensely beefy flavour. A great dish superior to the best niku jaga I have had in Japanese restaurants.
Anchovy, seaweed, radish panchan
Soup with rice balls. A really nice clear broth with small rice balls, deceptively delicious and a suitable plain dish to finish a meal of great extravagance.
Ginger and cinnamon soup with ginger cookie. A soup that might have been painfully sweet if not for it's powerful blast of ginger and spice. Ginger cookie is many-layered and crunchy, surprisingly delicious (where can I buy these?) and definitely not an afterthought - waitress pointed out that it is good for one's digestion.

I've waited a long time to try Yongsusan, and it was truly exceptional. I don't know of any restaurant to compare in LA, and unlike Umenohana it doesn't show any signs of closing soon. For this price the attentive service, beautifully presented food and refined flavours are worth a try for any kind of celebration, however minor.

P.S. Yong Su San is literally Dragon Water Mountain, the latter two surprisingly similar to Cantonese.
P.P.S. During our meal we enjoyed the spectacle of some amazing balloon decorations being assembled for festivities later that night. $250 buys two palm trees, several monkeys, and multiple fish/octopi for some lucky child. Happy Birthday Andrew!

Uzbekistan

2005-08-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am proud to have discovered this splendid restaurant as a visitor to Los Angeles, prior to moving here and reading "Counter Intelligence". My friend Adam and I were driving toward Guitar Center on Sunset and the lookout was somewhat bleak. I spotted the minimall sign reading simply "Uzbekistan" [7077 Sunset Blvd. 323-464-3663 Hollywood] and we immediately pulled in for a delicious lunch special. More high end than most of the places in my website but still a great value, Uzbekistan delivers the goods with over-the-top Russian murals, a deafening violin trio on weekends, Russian language TV and most importantly the best Central Asian food I have eaten. I recently ate my tastiest meal ever there and can report some recommendations.

We ordered the plov (rice dish = pilaf = pollo) and karsky kabob (lamb chops), then paused for suggestions only to have the waiter reply that our requested items were the most quintessentially Uzbeki items. Unlike Persian pollo, plov is made with short grain rice and the spices are earthier with more cumin. Uzbekistan boasts that they are open from 11am until the last mouthfulu of plov, testifying to the popularity of the dish. Karsky kabob is lamb chops grilled to perfection, I generally prefer meat on the bone and these were even better than the regular lamb kabob we were generously given by some fellow diners (thanks, friendly Russian dudes!).

Chuchvara are fried meat dumplings, served with a mild tomato sauce. These were good but I suspect the boiled manti and pelmeni could be tastier. A good choice for the dumpling fanatic like me.

Pickled vegetables. Sounds prosaic? Not at a quality Russian restaurant where this stuff is essential. Juicy tomatoes, cucumbers and most essentially a half head of bright crimson cabbage that's vinegary and fermented. Maybe winters aren't so hard with treats like this to tide one over.

Eggplant and beef appetizer. I can't recall the name of this dish (begins with O) but the sliced roast beef and eggplant were a tasty combination. A nice change of pace from the eggplant-only stews common in the Balkans and Central Asia.

Blini with caviar. Louis Armstrong used to sign his letters "Red beans and ricely yours", and I've tried to think of other combinations with a similar ring. "Blini and borchstly yours" sort of works, except blini in my platonic ideal are paired with sour cream and caviar - in this case salmon caviar. One rolls the pancake into an irresistible Russian "burrito" - don't you love how Mexican food terms are used in this way, like "tamale" as a descriptor for Chinese jung/zongzi? Anyways, this dish reeked of delicate luxury as it should - figuratively because the caviar was high quality. Blini with caviar is one of the few foods I could stand to eat every single day.

Blini with strawberries. Much as I love blini and caviar, the dessert version is not half bad either. Blini are served with an amazingly thick and gooey strawberry syrup. Eat fast or it will solidify!

Uzbekistan really hit the spot for a celebration of my friend's move to Boston. Normally I would be suspicious of "the only X restaurant in town", but there are so many Russians in LA that this fear is allayed. At Uzbekistan, the food is prepared with care for people who know what they are coming for and that's a great recommendation.

Giang Nan

2005-08-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the finest Shanghai/"Jiangzhe"/eastern Chinese food I have tasted! Cuisine from cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces is famous for its deeply flavoured sauces, often featuring a lot of sugar and oil - quite dissimilar to the limpid Cantonese style. Giang Nan, [306 N Garfield #A12, Monterey Park; 626-573-3421] whose name means "south of the [Yangtze] river", is a comparatively new entrant into the scene. The other Chinese name is something like "building that chases the moon" as diagrammed on the takeout menu where a full moon rises above a pagoda-like structure. I went with my Chowhound friend Yimster, his sons and my labmate Peng (of Jiangsu extraction) for a meal that we will long remember:

House special de-greased and braised pork knuckle. A huge pork shank cooked in rock sugar and soy until it's falling apart, this is a classic dish. Nestled on a bed of spinach, it's a huge serving of delicious fatty pork that will serve at least four. Lambert commented that using a slightly smaller pork shank allows the flavour to penetrate even further into the meat, but he conceded that he has not had so fine a version in many restaurants. The waitress brought this to the table and said "everyone in the restaurant can smell this dish you have ordered".

"Lion's head" meatball with duck egg yolk. An unusual treatment of the distinctive Shanghai dish, featured a salted duck egg yolk in the middle of the large meatball. Texture and flavour were good, but Lambert found the cooking method somewhat unorthodox - not clear if it was deep fried, then simmered in the traditional way.

Chicken in wine sauce. A very winy version of this Shanghai cold chicken dish.

Jade celery. A simple preparation of celery in sesame oil. Nice contrast to the heavier fare.

Crab Meat and Pork Steamed Buns. Everyone's favourite Shanghai dumpling, the xiao long bao or soupy pork dumpling, here served with crab meat. Skin not as delicate as Din Tai Fung but the soup and filling are exceptional.

Chinese Bread, fried. Trashy but delicious, here the slightly sweet "small knife bread" is deep fried on its edges and served really hot with condensed milk for dipping. I loved it. Careful of your fingers!

Deep-fried flounder. Cooked with green herbs (fungus? I didn't know it) in the batter and served with dipping salt. Perfectly fried and delicious, I've also enjoyed this dish made with yellow croaker at Green Village.

Rice Noodle with Fish Head Casserole. Peng hadn't had this legendary Jiangsu dish for five years, and wasn't disappointed. By this time the waitresses had cottoned on to Lambert's enthusiasm and may have said a word to the kitchen, as there was a large portion of fish attached to the head. The rich fish stock had a tremendous flavour, each spoonful was savoured and we picked the head clean. Best of all were the homemade rice noodle sheets underneath the fish, which had absorbed the wonderful taste of the broth. A must-try dish.

Glutinous rice balls in fermented rice mash. Although we had eaten enough food for ten, the waitresses insisted that we try this dish, amazingly only $3.80 for a portion that served 5. The sweet fermented rice mash is very slightly alcoholic and delightfully scented with osmanthus flowers. Best of all are the tiny rice balls, about the size of Maltesers rather than the comparatively giant Japanese mochi. They have a fabulously soft texture and are filled with black sesame. Possibly the finest dessert I've ever had in a Chinese restaurant.

It's no exaggeration to say that Giang Nan joins Shiang Garden, Yungui Garden, Little Sheep and Sea Harbor in the absolute highest rank of San Gabriel restaurants. For the quality, the price is very cheap, and there are many other dishes to explore.

091905 note
Check out the incredible eel with acorns in claypot, it's the third eel dish on the menu. Outstanding, whole garlic cloves and luscious eel meat. The essence of eastern Chinese flavours.

Swan Restaurant

2005-08-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Thai Town on Hollywood Blvd is one of L.A.'s most popular food neighbourhoods, and with good reason. But lately, the centre of gravity has shifted to North Hollywood (confusingly named, new Angelenos may not know it's in the Valley...) where adventurous eaters can eat just as well and park much more easily. Swan Restaurant [12728 Sherman Way, 818-764-1892] is a mini-mall treasure right in the heart of Thai Sherman Way, nestled among car repair shops, pupuserias and Peruvian joints. It's a classic L.A. ethnic spot, from phone card ads to Thai game show television to whiteboard menu in language one doesn't read. Heavily Thai clientele, naturally. Swan's takeout menu says that "satisfaction is our goal". This is overly modest - they could aim for "culinary ecstasy" and not fall far short.

Sticky rice and dried fish. $2 specials menu, woohoo! This is a small mound of hard-cooked Thai glutinous rice with jerkified round fish on top, each about the diameter of an apricot but flat. Fish are really tasty, perhaps cured with some soy marinade?

Pork hock on rice. $2 special that feels like a Thai-Chinese dish. Fatty pork leg meat cooked in a simple soy sauce without the garlic and nuclear chilli of Yai's secret weapon. Great comfort food.

Fish cakes. My favourite $2 special which is saying a lot given the quality of the above. Fish cakes here have a softer, slightly less rubbery texture than those I've had elsewhere and the flavour is very basil-y. A sentimental favourite too, as my food-crazy uncle always orders these.

Curry with chilli paste [what is exact menu name?]. You'll recognize this dish on the menu by it's picture, which clearly shows the bright red curry broth and most importantly the black stalk of the fresh peppers "Phrik-Thai" that distinguish the dish as the "jungle curry" which is virtually inedible but delicious at Yai. Here it is still very hot - don't mistake green chillis for beans! - but doesn't have quite the overpoweringly soulful character of Yai's. Thai eggplant, kachai/soapy aromatic Thai ginger, beans, bamboo shoots, pork.

Fish tamarind paste curry with vegetables. Looks a lot like the jungle curry (minus deadly spices) but is much milder with the sweet tamarind flavour. Neither of these contains coconut milk so one savours instead the kaffir limes and curry spices. We chose catfish which was good and gelatinous.

Golden rice mixed with fermented pork tossed with sliced ginger. This is an incredible dish, one of the finest salads I have eaten anywhere in L.A. Rice is deep fried to a crisp in a fish-sauce saturated sauce that imparts a golden colour. Mix in ginger slivers, delectable "fermented pork" (slices of a sausage-like consistency) and basil for an inspired creation. There are rice salads at a lot of Thai places but this one really stands out. Wrap in lettuce leaf.

Whole deep fried trout topped with house special spices. Two dishes were on almost every table in the house; golden rice salad, and this stellar fried fish. Trout that's still moist and fresh-tasting inside is topped with a stunning amount of chopped garlic, handfuls of cilantro and spices that include tiny pieces of fresh kaffir lime (sublime... if I may say so). Every piece of this is a flavour explosion, and even the skin is worth savouring after all the trout meat is gone. A sensational dish.

A fortunate characteristic of L.A.s great Thai restaurants is that each has its own specialties and delights. Swan, Sunshine and Sri Siam provide compelling destinations besides Wat Thai in the new Valley Thai Town. There is a reason to try them all!

Mission 261

2005-08-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Mission 261 [261 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, (626) 588-1666] joins New Concept and Sea Harbor as L.A. purveyors of ultra high quality dim sum. These restaurants are widely acknowledged to set a new high water mark for the genre. Menu ordering results in extreme freshness, and even old favourites are usually executed far better than traditional places. Don't be afraid of the extreme bling factor at Mission 261. The prominent shelf of cognacs and Westernized decor are not reflected in a ridiculous bill - it's more expensive than usual but worth the price.

Oddly, the traditional benchmarks were inverted relative to Sea Harbor, ha gau (shrimp dumplings) are better but siu mai (pork dumplings) are worse. Cha siu bau (pork buns) were just OK but I was very impressed by the lo pak ko (radish cake) - radish-y but not too heavy, perfectly fried - and silky ha chueng fun (flat rice noodle rolls with fresh shrimp).

In terms of crazy innovations, some were more successful than others. Deep-fried "bees" made of shrimp with nori stripes were OK, as were codfish and shrimp "fish". The house special I really liked was the spinach and scallop dumpling made with a green wrapper - fat and delicious. Also excellent was a lotus seed and rice flour cake with gingko nuts inside - a marvellous lo pak ko alternative for those with a sweet tooth.

I personally preferred Sea Harbor to Mission 261 but these judgements will depend on what one orders and on personal taste (have only tried a few items at New Concept, but they were spectacular). We should rejoice that there are restaurants pushing the envelope both in terms of quality and in their new creations.

Beverly Hills

2005-07-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Spago
176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, 90210 - (310) 385-0880
The flagship of Wolfgang Puck's culinary empire, and a necessary restaurant for me because of it's historical role in California cuisine. I had a stunning meal there:

- five kinds of foie gras
- farmer's cheese ravioli, one Austrian Puck childhood dish seemed important
- a pretty good seared tuna (they ran out of the crab-stuffed skate I wanted)
- samplings of a superb veal chop with Yukon potato gratin, and equally succulent Kurobuta pork belly with Parmesan polenta
- ripping German riesling, can't remember the name
- cheese course with expert selection dude! This was great, he actually came up with my favourite soft cheese, Epoisses.

What a great way to close out my LA dining days. Still a taco truck meal or two from departing for Davis, but I'll always remember Spago!

Footnote: the late lamented Umenohana was in Beverly Hills.

Umenohana

2005-07-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

090105 update. I am sad to report that Umenohana closed yesterday. At least me and my mother got to try it together!

There must be precious few restaurants outside Japan that serve kaiseki, the formal and exalted cuisine characterized by fresh seasonal ingredients and a rigorous order of small dishes. Luckily, we now have Umenohana right here in Beverly Hills [433 N Camden Dr, 90210 - (310) 274-6114] serving kaiseki with incredibly good tofu as the centrepiece. I'm pretty sure their kaiseki has been tailored somewhat to the non-Japanese palate, and certainly there is a California-inspired section of the menu that I would personally never entertain. Despite this, the "kacho" menu of tofu kaiseki is one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Each dish is a little wonder and you'll love the many varieties of freshly made tofu:

Tofu salad. Silky tofu is hidden under immaculate salad fixin's.

Dairy tofu topped with miso and steamed soybeans. Extremely creamy - can this really be called "tofu"? - this dairy custard was like a savoury panna cotta that blended very well with the soy toppings. Ian's favourite dish all night.

Three drawers (veges + shrimp, beef rolls, halibut sashimi). One aspect of Umenohana that is true to kaiseki is the simple cooking of very fresh ingredients. These dishes were a good example.

Hikiage yuba. Certainly the main event of the meal, this is freshly prepared tofu skin made by cooking tofu milk on an induction burner on one's table. The waitress comes around periodically and scrapes the skin off the soy milk into a small cup, to which one adds grated fresh ginger and soy sauce. It's marvellous, and the fact that only one serving was made at a time made it even more of a special treat (our party of six was supping on yuba throughout the second half of our kaiseki meal).

Tofu steak. On a hot plate on a sizzling plate with miso sauce.

Rice/miso soup (dark miso)/pickles. A welcome traditional touch, what's not to like about Japanese pickles? Miso soup is very different to the old standby from food court-level sushi.

Tofu creme brulee, green tea tiramisu, panna cotta, chocolate hazelnut mousse, sesame ice cream. These arrived from the kitchen without prompting - my inclination with a large group is usually to run the dessert menu so there were no complaints! Everything was delicious, but my favourites were clearly the sesame ice cream and especially the magical tofu creme brulee.

Umenohana doesn't come cheap but at $48 for the kacho menu (second cheapest kaiseki) it's extremely affordable for the ultra-high quality and unique experience. Don't forget to go to the bathroom, there are Japanese toilet/bidets with "oscillate" and "pulse" functions, which I left well alone!

Polish

2005-07-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Warszawa
1414 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica (310) 393-8831
Excellent and hearty fare that's fancier than the Polish stereotype might dictate. I got a half/half combo of bigos (hunter's stew) and stuffed cabbage; both were great. Steak tartare is full of mini tastes by virtue of multiple mix-ins, it's all good. Bisongrass vodka for the adventurous.

New Concept

2005-07-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

New Concept [700 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park; (626) 282-6800] is a unique and wonderful restaurant with a great name, up there with "Enjoy Inn" and "Try It Out" (both in Auckland). The style is innovative Cantonese, which neatly solves the problem of Chinese restaurant discrimination; the menu has pictures, and because the dishes are all crazy inventions one needn't fear ordering the wrong thing. Inside the bling factor is considerable - dude at the next table had serious rocks on his watch - but the prices are surprisingly affordable and coz it's L.A. you can't be too underdressed. I have not explored the lauded New Concept dim sum in detail (best so far = incredible Japanese tofu in abalone sauce; lavender cake dessert), but enjoyed a lovely dinner there:

Suckling pig skin with goose liver and blood sauce. Enough of a house specialty to feature in the wall pictures, this appetizer can also be had with duck skin. The crispy skin and rich sauce are served on a cracker, three textures in one delicious mouthful.

Spotted deer in spicy Szechuan broth. A new conception along the lines of the Szechuan "water boiled" dishes, here made with gamy "spotted deer" which my friend Limster thought was different than regular venison. This dish was insanely well spiced, with subtle Szechuan peppercorn, a not-overpowering level of chilli, cumin & many other herbs I couldn't identify. Less oily than the traditional water-boiled beef, this was Limster's favourite dish.

Braised three treasures. A nice assortment of high-quality Cantonese ingredients with simple flavours. Spare ribs with chewy cartilage are served in the fried, pepper-and-salt "chiu yim" style. Fish cake and giant portobello-type mushroom slices round out the dish. The latter were gigantic and very tasty, an unfamiliar mushroom to my admittedly unschooled tastes.

Fried milk. An unusual dairy dish in a Cantonese restaurant, fried milk is like very soft scrambled eggs with a much subtler flavour. Immaculate chopped fresh shrimp and char siu/barbecue pork were folded in. A truly lovely concoction.

I've only scratched the surface of New Concept, a restaurant that has Chowhounds and other food enthusiasts ablaze with excitement. Any restaurant that makes such a big impression in the stellar San Gabriel eating scene has to be doing really special things. Plan on hearing more in future.

111005 additional dishes:

fat beef in broth enoki
clams in sake
sizzling three treasures eggplant, bitter melon, red pepper
cold platter char siu, jellyfish, pork with crispy skin, chicken, soy beans
lettuce cups with clams and stuff and sweet bean sauce
whelk with lotus root, carrot, beans
papaya with snow frog fat

Sea Harbor

2005-07-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

I love the randomness of dim sum - one is at the whim of the capricious kitchen and its carts. Which is why I am conflicted about Sea Harbor [3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, 91770 - (626) 288-3939]. On one hand, it is hands down the best dim sum I've eaten in L.A. Then there is the menu-based ordering system, which guarantees freshness yet removes the delightful surprise... In the bad ol' days dim sum was simple, a tea + dumplings Cantonese breakfast that evolved into our modern extravaganza, so the menu quibble is really a trifle. Certainly Sea Harbor innovates in other areas - see descriptions below.

*** out of this world
** equivalent to excellent SGV rivals
* average L.A. dim sum

reasonably traditional dim sum
ha gau/shrimp dumpling*
siu maai/pork and shrimp dumpling***
fung jau/chicken feet (black bean sauce)**
beef balls**
lo mai kai/sticky rice in lotus leaf**
kai lan with hou yau/Chinese brocolli in oyster sauce***
sin juk gyun/tofu skin wrapped around assorted julienned filling**
#1 bun of the universe*
cheung fan/fat rice noodle sheets, wrapped around minced beef***

Ha gau and siu maai are the benchmark dim sum, which everyone always orders for comparison purposes alone. Here the siu maai are awesome, topped with flying fish roe/tobiko. Ha gau were just OK, odd given the exceptional quality elsewhere. Lo mai kai were the small individual portion style, instead of the large communal parcel which they cut open with scissors to share. My family orders the ha cheung fan (shrimp in rice noodle sheets) as our personal standard of quality - the noodles should be very soft and the shrimp perfectly steamed. Here my friend chose the minced beef style which I have not had before. Actually, the ground meat was a really nice change of pace. At most dim sum, steamed veges topped with hot oil after cooking are a menu standby rather than a special item. Here, the kai lan and oyster sauce are so fresh and tasty they enter a new category as a must-order. Oddly, the highly touted "#1 bun of the universe" which is actually brought around as well as served from the menu is not too flash, it seemed like a regulation baked pork bun to me.

dim sum I hadn't had before
#1 pastry of the universe***
do chyun yu (fried)**

In contrast to the #1 bun of the universe, the #1 pastry of the universe was a completely thrilling experience, certainly one of the most superb dim sum innovations I have had. Pastry shell that wraps in a meticulous coil around thin shreds of seafood and radish and other things I couldn't identify. The contrast between flaky pastry and delicate filling is astonishing. Do chyun yu are stogie-sized fish that can sometimes be filled with roe - a generous serving of these was perfectly fried and garnished with cilantro.

killer desserts
deep fried durian rolls**
bittermelon and sesame balls***

Durian is at the outer edge of my culinary horizons, despite the fact that my parents love it so. Somehow the smell is alluring to those raised in Southeast Asia whereas in most of us it activates the fight-or-flight response. When durian flesh is encapsulated in into a spring roll the smell is neutralized and the flavour - OK, it's delicious - can be enjoyed. Sea Harbor is famous for the dessert ball with a bittermelon/fu qua flavoured rice coating and black sesame inside. The filling is much tastier than usual, and given that black sesame is a particular favourite of mine I loved this dumpling from first bite. My friend Victoria claimed that the sesame could have been ground finer and that the coarser texture was to demonstrate how fresh it was - no complaints here!

Old-skool Cantonese folks might well complain about Sea Harbor, the wait is really long on weekends and it's a few $ more than the competition. I say you get what you pay for and it's still darn cheap. This is my #1 choice for dim sum, the food I have considered the most exalted form of eating since early childhood (editorial bias fully acknowledged). Enjoy!

Pasadena, where you at?

2005-07-06T23:56:00.001-07:00

OK, the blog has few Pasadena options, despite the fine concentration of Mexican fare up there. My friend David highly recommends Rosarito (could be #1 at 187 N Craig Ave, Pasadena (626) 440-1640 or #2 at 720 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena (626) 296-2634).

Mi Piace
25 E Colorado Blvd - (626) 795-3131
Pasadena Italian, a bit fancy but I liked the pumpkin ravioli

Tortas Mexico
3033 Foothill Blvd. - La Crescenta, 818.248.0099
La Crescenta torta shop, it's awesome! Try the Mexican version of a Cubano, not authentic but darn good eating.

Ka-San Korean barbecue
3115 Foothill Blvd, La Crescenta, 818 249-550
Good quality Korean gas-fired barbecue with extensive panchan, rice sheets and radish slices for assembly. Also non-barbecue dishes, inevitable karaoke setup and post-church dressy Korean clientele for Sunday lunch.

Olive Branch
658 Foothill Blvd. La Crescenta, (818) 248-9876
Charming neighbourhood Persian, notable in particular for the seldom-spotted queisi polo, with apricots! Chicken koobideh and bademjan also worth a shot.

Glendale/Eagle Rock

2005-07-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

Carousel Glendale
304 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale 818-246-7775
Armenians in their natural habitat - Glendale! (As noted by our Armenian guide). Wonderful Lebanese/Armenian stylings and kebab plates. Deafening stage show.

Max's of Manila
313 W. Broadway, Glendale, (818) 637-7751
Don't be fooled by slick chain-y exterior, the menu is hardcore variety meats and Pinoy deliciousness. Lip-smacking lechon (deep fried pork belly) and fine pansit palabok. Karaoke for the cheezoid sensibility in all of us.

Good-Ha!!!
900 E Colorado St, Glendale (818) 662 0971
Ideal spot for Filipino fish breakfast, especially the intense smoked fish called tuyo-tuyo or the daing (milkfish/bangus marinated in fish sauce then fried). Also candy-sweet tocino/pork with your eggs and rice. Filling and ultra-cheap. Stop in at the grocery store next door for more Pinoy goodness.

Barrio Fiesta
3687 San Fernando Road Glendale; (818) 244-8502
Highly regarded Filipino sit-down place with great barbecued meat and grand pianist (I believe that is the adjective). For a celebration, of course.

Isla Buffet
4420 Eagle Rock Blvd Los Angeles: (323) 257-1902
Filipino breakfast buffet for the true believer. Fried fish and great steam table choices. Inevitable excellent value. Pinoy breakfasts rule!

Raffi's Place
211 East Broadway Glendale 818-240-7411
Persian Glendale with exemplary kebabs. For the true meat and rice lover, you can even grill yourself under the heat lamps outside.

Pico-Union/Alvarado

2005-07-06T23:18:00.001-07:00

El Parian
1528 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 386-7361
Goat stew and little else on the menu in Pico Union. What a tremendous meal, fresh tortillas and gutsy, bone-in, soulful birria. Not to be missed.

El Taurino
1104 S. Hoover St., L.A. 213-738-9197
Jonathon Gold's favourite pastor and who am I to argue. One of L.A.'s most beloved taquerias, at the far end of the quality bell curve.

Papa Cristo's
(323) 737-2970- 2771 W. Pico Blvd
Greek contender attached to grocery store. Excellent rack of lamb for very little dinero.

Paseo Chapin
2220 W 7th Street - Los Angeles, CA. 213-385-7420
Guatemalan classic in Pico Union. Good round-with-skin-on chorizo and marimba bands.

King Taco
2020 W. Pico Blvd. (310) 884-9984
Taco chain near the pinnacle of L.A.'s Darwinian proliferation of the species. Al pastor tacos and sopes that are out of this world. Highly recommended. Pico Union branch is closest to Westside

Pollo Campero
1625 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste.1020: 213-201-2990
Legendary Guatemalan fast food chicken in Pico Union. No line around the block anymore but the crispy skin and spices will make you forget Colonel S. forever.

Langer's Deli
704 S. Alvarado St @ 7th, Pico-Union. 213/483-8050
Touted as the best pastrami sandwich in the known universe by many; Langer's does not disappoint. The meat is thickly sliced and has a perfect balance between crusty edges and juicy, beefy inside. Light rye is a mirror image, just crusty enough but somehow not soggy on the inside. Go for an egg cream to complete the time-capsule feel of a legendary restaurant holding its ground in a strange land.

Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe
2124 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles (213) 487-7474
A tamale tasting menu, possibly the most enticing pan-Latin meal a food-lover can imagine. Don't miss the nacatamal-like Honduran tamal! This place is for a good cause, but the main reason to go is to eat some of the best tamales you'll find anywhere.

Guatemalteca Bakery
4032 Beverly Blvd, East Hollywood [kind of] 213-382-9451, 6am-9pm
Fight your way through the crowd for hearty Guatemalan stews with rice and beans and confusingly named antojitos/appetizers. Quesadilla is a very rich cake bread to be savoured in small quantities. This one's truly for the people, they will fill your own container with carne guisada!

Downtown and USC

2005-07-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

La Taquiza
3009 S. Figueroa St: 213-741-9795
Right next to U.S.C. a juice bar and taqueria with the famous mini-quesadilla called a mulita - fabulous. I liked the six-juice drink.

Chichen Itza
3655 S. Grand Ave., (213) 741-107
Mercado Paloma again for Yucatan fare - hard to find but delicious! Try the tamal, and of course authentic cochinita pibil/pork stew. A real treasure.

Taqueria Vista del Hermosa
3655 S. Grand Ave. (213) 741-1251
Great taqueria in Mercado La Paloma near USC. Killin' pastor plus the rare and wonderful pambaso, a sandwich on roll drenched in salsa.

Tacos Don Kike
Beaudry @ 2nd, Downtown (no phone)
Taco stand with passable pastor, extensive condiments - frijoles are free - and a great view of the Figueroa St skyscrapers. Good for post-Disney Hall dining.

Sarita's Pupuseria
317 S Broadway Los Angeles in Grand Central Market, Tel: (213) 626-6320
Large range of pupusas, loroco and carne asada are solid. Also the delightful, bright red drink with "chia pet" seeds called chan.

Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe

2005-07-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Godzone I knew approximately zero Mexican folks, so the classic weather forecast "chilli today, hot tamale" went right over my head. Thankfully, I 've learned a lot since then and have been itching to get to Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe [2124 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles (213) 487-7474] to check out the scene. It's a gaily decorated non-profit restaurant where skilled tamale makers learn capitalist precepts or some such, the key is that the recipes are straight from the source and the tamales are killin'. With three hungry dudes we made a good run at the menu, greatly aided by sage advice from our waiter. The six tamales we sampled:

Honduras. Chicken with potatoes, olives, raisins, rice. Much like a Nicaraguan nacatamal, this was predictably my favourite tamale. The masa of these Central American tamals is a squishy miracle that practically disintegrates when one looks at it, and the variety of produce inside guarantees excitement in every bite. It's strictly a matter of personal preference, but this is my Platonic ideal of what a tamale should be.

Valle de Oaxaca, pollo. Chicken with mole negro that has a satisfying richness and isn't too sweet. The masa has the cornier Mexican flavour.

Guatemala. Pork with a tomatoey red sauce. I think this would be better than the same tamale with chicken, the other white meat is a stronger complement to the heavy sauce. I hadn't tasted this type of tamale before and it was a pleasant surprise though closer to the Mexican than Nicaraguan masa style.

Peru. Spinach, mushrooms, garlic and onions. Mushroom flavour predominated in this tasty veterinarian tamale. Reminded me of the empanada de huitlacoche at Guelaguetza.

Valle de Oaxaca, vegetariano. Surprisingly different from the chicken tamale of the same name, this really was the hottest tamale by virtue of rajas/jalapeno slices. Cheesy and delicious.

Usulutan, El Salvador. We couldn't pass up the classic elote/sweet corn tamale with the cake-y texture and delightful taste of mais. When it comes to sweet tamales I am a minimalist but am willing to expand my horizons in future, particularly because the Colombian tamale contains guayaba!

Mama's enters the pantheon as one of my favourite Mexican restaurants of all time. These tamale riches are yours for a paltry $2.25 a throw, and the privilege of assembling a tamale tasting menu cannot be overstated. Then again, maybe I'll eat nothing but the Honduras next time...

Sunnin

2005-07-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves Sunnin, the Lebanese cafe that together with the Persian joints rescues Westwood from culinary mediocrity. Although the plates, falafel sandwich and specials are excellent, perhaps my favourite way to eat here is to assemble a meal from appetizers/mezza. Every appetizer I've tried has been great, these are my top picks:

Labneh. I first encountered this amazing soured cream/cheese from an Israeli labmate in SF. Sunnin's version is super thick and optionally drenched in garlic with a splash of olive oil. Also called kefir, this is possible my favourite mezza to eat on pita bread.

Foul. Fava bean classic is extra sour from lemon juice here, a nice combo with the richness of labneh.

Falafel. I have never had better falafel than Sunnin's. They may be even better without the potential soggification of sandwich fixings.

Fried cauliflower. Suggested strongly by our host one evening, who pestered us to name the batter after our first satisfied bites. A few feeble guesses later he beams "Nothing... nothing, my friends!". Tahini is a jolly good dipping sauce.

Soujouk. This is Sunnin's secret weapon, a plate of mind-blowing Armenian cured beef sausage sliced up and fried with onions. The flavour is rich and spicy, you'll want to sop up every drop of sausage-and-onion flavoured oil from the dish.

Hommos. Like many other things at Sunnin, this is the hummus/hommos you're familiar with but executed to perfection, crushed to a paste that's mushier and much more flavourful than the often-grainy supermarket hummus.

For the indecisive, there are also pastry combos (to me, the assorted fried things are more similar than they might seem - all are very tasty) and a mezza combo. If there is a daily special, one could do far worse than order it indiscriminately. Stuffed peppers are particularly fine. Viva Sunnin!

Tacomiendo

2005-07-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

In a corner of Culver City/Mar Vista that feels teleported from East LA, Tacomiendo (4502 Inglewood Blvd 310 915 0426) rubs shoulders with a branch of Taqueria Sanchez and the Mexi-American stalwart El Abajeno. After receiving the following note about the cunningly named restaurant [I believe "esta comiendo" = I'm eating], I was keen to try it out.

The best authentic Mexican-style taqueria I've found in the Culver City area is Tacomiendo. Wonderful juicy flavorful meat, homemade corn tortillas, and a nice full salsa bar. My friend from the Yacatan calls it "a national treasure." :)

Mixed messages upon entering. Crowd of local homies includes a friendly Mexican-American woman who says she eats here all the time, but "no lard" sign is disturbing. The proof is in the eating:
Albondigas. Generous serving of splendid meatball soup, the meatballs are herb-y and plentiful and the soup has a rich tomato base gussied up with chillis. Handmade tortillas are a highlight, much softer and thicker than storebought. One could make an excellent meal of tortillas alone at the salsa bar that is plentifully stocked with mild and caliente sauces plus frijoles bucket and encurtido.
Plato de asada. Not what I would have ordered for myself but flattened, well-done steak is tastily marinaded. One could sample the steak in taco form, add an enchilada and a tasty, not-too-squishy chile relleno for an absurdly reasonable $6.95 in the Super Plato.
Chancla. Not that I'm a foot fetishist but it's hard to resist shoe-based antojitos (see Garcia Bros taco truck notes). Chancla is slipper, which here means a tortilla filled with black beans and topped with salsa rojo. A nice surprise and addition to my galaxy of maize variations.

Give Tacomiendo a try if you're keen to find quality Mexican on the Westside - a rare commodity. A big shout-out to "h" for the tip.

Sunshine Thai

2005-06-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know why there are so many Thai folks in L.A., but such is our good fortune that mediocre Thai restaurants here would be a destination in 99% of American cities. Nevertheless, as chowhounds it remains our duty to seek out the creme de la creme, and guided by a tip from a Thai student in a next door lab I headed out to Sunshine (13212 Sherman Way, North Hollywood 818-764-6989) tonight. Apparently the Thai name sounds a bit like "sunshine" and on a balmy summers night the airbrushed papaya "tree", fake flowers and extremely lightweight plastic balustrades inside provided a ersatz paradise for some killing Thai food as the sun set outside:

Ground pork and crispy rice salad with pig's ears: I neglected to note the Thai name for this outrageously tasty dish. The classic fish sauce, red onion and cabbage are served with ground pork and crispy rice like a familiar larb-style salad but the thinly sliced pig's ears add a novel touch. Fresh mint and purple thin-leaf Thai basil to shred on top add a wonderful freshness to the dish that equals the terrific salads I've had at Yai, Ruen Pair and the Wat Thai temple. Dried red chillies are included whole, allowing sensible diners to adjust their level of spiciness by picking 'em out. I ground them into the salad for an extra-spicy version - goodnight nurse!

Shallow Sea: Cryptic name - is it the same in Thai??? - for a delicious dish. Perfectly fried fish fillets with tender splayed-out squid and shrimp in a fish-sauce rich mixture, livened up with kaffir lime leaves and sliced fresh green chillies. The immaculately cooked seafood and tasty sauce made this a great choice. It has been brought to work as prizewinning leftovers but is even better served fresh.

Pork "jerky": Off menu deep fried pork slices, not exactly as dry as the jerky term would imply but with a crispy fried coating encasing moist meat. Served with a vinegary dried-red chilli sauce, a nice contrast with the other dishes we tried that had added some of the classic South-East Asian grilled/fried meat flair to the meal.

Sunshine is a Los Angeles peoples restaurant in the classic mould. Dirt-cheap prices, auto repair shops and storefront church for local colour, and best of all food that's tailored for Thai folks. I look forward to exploring further menu items.

Sokongdong

2005-06-16T00:16:00.000-07:00

Soon tofu (I don't speak Korean but think it is pronounced something like "soon du bu") is a revelatory Korean stew filled with silken tofu and the meat of one's choice; it is coloured various grades from plain to violent red depending on how spicy one requests it. Usually soon tofu is served in a ceramic bowl and bubbles away as one cracks an egg into it, remaining delightfully hot throughout the meal. Sokongdong (2716 W. Olympic Blvd #104, Koreatown 213-380-3737) has the best version I've tasted. The soft tofu is infused with the flavour of the stock and the mushroom version I tried had tender pork slices, shiitake and a bunch of enoki mushrooms floating on top, plus a sprinkling of salty nori flakes. "Very spicy" is not inedible, just about right to let one taste the rest of the flavours circulating in the dish. Rice also comes in a stone bowl. After the waitress extracts it she pours some hot water into the bowl, making a bland rice porridge that can soothe one's palate. Sea combination also recommended. Pan chan - the ubiquitous small dishes embodying Korean hospitality - are on the minimalist side but included toothsome fish cake.

Like a lot of my favourite restaurants, Sokongdong has a very brief menu, and everyone in the place - almost exclusively Korean peeps - was eating soon tofu. Chowhound Spoony Bard and I were both hungry and contemplated adding either mandoo or "spicy raw crab". The waitress tried to discourage us from ordering the latter - often a good sign - so we plunged in and we were rewarded with one of the tastiest crab dishes I've had in Los Angeles. A generous portion of fresh raw crab is chopped into manageable pieces and served cold in a bright red chilli paste similar to the one squirted into bibimbap. Bell pepper pieces and cucumber garnish are a mere sideshow for the sweet and meltingly soft crab meat spread through the deepest crevices of the animal. We worked hard at the dish and were quite euphoric after reducing it to a pile of shell pieces.

Big thanks to "Tiff" for recommending this one.

Chung King

2005-05-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Chung King (206 S. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park; (626) 280-7430), the third in my list of mind-blowing Szechwan restaurants in the "Gaber-hood". It's essentially impossible for me to separate Yungui Garden, Best Szechwan and Chung King. Some dishes are unique to each place, best I can do is report highlights from a meal with chowhounds Thi, Sarah and Jim:

Fried spare ribs with Szechwan peppercorns. Comes with keropok/Indonesian shrimp chips. Amazing deep-fried crispiness but still moist inside.
Fish-flavour eggplant. In hot pot. None too "fishy" to my taste but a tremendous dish. Spicy eggplant is juicy and stays hot in claypot.
Dry-fried soy beans. Dry-frying makes more of a difference with string beans it appears. These are nutty and good though.
Beef with jellied tofu in hot pepper sauce [water-boiled style]. Not quite the equal of the similar dish at Yungui Garden when I tried it. However, the soft tofu is exemplary.
Quick-fried potato shreds. Subtle Szechwan peppercorn flavour. A good non-incendiary option.

Cold dishes from the display $3-4 for three?
fuqi feipian inevitable appetizer at Szechwan place, a "delight" for couples and others
peanuts and small fish (my favourite of these three)
seaweed and Szechwan peppercorns

Shockingly, Thi and Sarah said this wasn't close to their best meal at Chung King. As if one needed an excuse to return...

Uncle Darrow's

2005-05-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Uncle Darrow's (2560 S Lincoln Blvd Marina del Rey, (310) 306-4862) is the friendliest restaurant I've ever been to. Newcomers are generally offered samples of most everything on the menu and returning customers are received like long lost cousins. It helps that the food is exceptional, there are plenty of Cajun places in Los Angeles but at this quality level it's easy to understand why Uncle Darrow's is packed with black, brown, beige and white peeps on the weekends.

- Po'boys are the bedrock meal at Uncle Darrow's. Crispy fried seafood with soft roll for textural contrast. My favourites are the delicious oyster loaf, of course (Fri-Sun) followed by the catfish. Shrimp is OK but a little plainer, while the zeek po'boy containing catfish, shrimp and potato salad could use a little greens.

- Jambalaya and its cousin bean-balaya are tremendous, the red beans don't detract from the latter dish and I think even increase its tastiness.

- Crawfish etouffee was liked by my part-Cajun friend Alison, though the differences between Uncle Darrow's and her grandmothers became the subject of some dispute with the owner Richard. I thought it was great.

- Gumbo is consistently fine, its the file kind not okra. Alison and her husband Charlie thoroughly approved of this and their standards are very high based on past Louisiana sojourns. I prefer Stevie's and the Gumbo Pot but it's pretty much down to personal preference.

- Cajun pups are the classical hush puppies for unhealthy fried goodness.

Give Uncle Darrow's a try, the hearty welcome and fine fare make it one of my favourite restaurants for taking out-of-towners.

Raku

2005-05-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Raku (11678 Olympic Boulevard, 310-478-3090 West LA) has been mentioned three times in my ChowNews, so the mastery of its Korean-Japanese chef is no surprise. However, it's generally useful to know more about the menu in a restaurant where the metier is small dishes, and lots of 'em. I recently revisited Raku with a group of 5 including a vegetarian so my selections are partially skewed towards non-meat items:

- Korean tofu steak. Fried like Cantonese doufu pok, but these thin squares are very delicate and clearly very fresh. We ordered another round of these.

- Soft shell crab. Excellent of course but more of a fried thing than a real seafood delicacy ala ankimo.

- Zucchini flowers tempura-fried with shrimp and enoki. The house classic now on the menu instead of a down-low request. One of my favourite dishes in Los Angeles! Juicy flower, crispy exterior, flavourful filling.

- Shiokara. Squid legs served in a sauce made from the innards. I've enjoyed this at several restaurants including Torafuku on Pico, but it's not for the faint of heart (strong seafoody flavour). Raku's version was great, especially seeing as my companions left it all to me.

- Shishito peppers. Small thinnish green peppers with a delightful flavour reminiscent of the pimientos de padron I sampled in Barcelona - similarly variable hotness, tambien. Fried until some are slightly charred from the pan.

- Oyster mushrooms in butter.
- Eggplant in ponzu sauce.
- Lotus root sauteed with sesame seed.
- Eggplant dumplings (minced eggplant in eggplant shell if I recall correctly).
Fine examples of Raku's flair for simple vegetarian dishes using high quality ingredients. Uniformly delicious.

- Kimchi fried rice. Tasty comfort food in the vegetarian vein.

- A lovely green tea pudding to finish.

I'll certainly be returning to Raku in future, even with the competition of L.A.'s fine izaka-ya. Raku does have the edge in Korean fare (who can resist a seafood pancake), and I look forward to comparing and contrasting with K'town recs I've collected from my blog - too many L.A. food choices!

Shahrezad

2005-05-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

I recently had a meal at Shahrezad (1442 Westwood Blvd. 310 470-3242) with a large crew of Persian peeps [congratulations Kathy!], and have reconsidered its position in the hierarchy of kebab houses. Shahrezad is fancier than the others on Westwood but steps up with extra goodness to match the glitzy setting. For starters, the bread is tremendous, cooked in a clay oven like naan. Try it with masto'khiar, chopped cucumbers and yoghurt like Indian raita for a wonderful appetizer. Add some kash'k bademjan, or eggplant mush topped with soulful caramelized onions, because this is probably my favourite version of this in town, really deep flavour.

Kebabs are fine, but for these I go to Raffi's Place. I think the best thing on the menu at Shahrezad is tah chin, a rectangular block of Persian rice filled with lamb and cooked until the edges are slightly dried out, kind of like the bottom-of-the-pan crispy rice tah dig. It's delicious and not found at other Persian spots I've been to (must try Javan soon...). Which brings me to the biggest complaint about Shahrezad. Not once, but twice I have been there when they've sold out of tah dig! This is like a Cuban spot running short of moros y christianos, or a Vietnamese deli sans baguettes.

At my recent dinner I branched out into the polo section of the menu. Polo (poh-LOW) isn't pollo (POY-o) but the Persian pilaf, rice cooked with some delectable fruits, nuts and spices and served at Shahrezad with a tender lamb shank or chicken on the side. I chose the shirin polo cooked with saffron, pistachios, orange peel and rosewater. The unusual ingredients were a delicate combination and the result was quite dissimilar to the adass polo (lentils and dates) and zereshk polo (sourish barberries, excellent) that I normally order. Better yet I received props from the Persian end of the table, some of whom hail from Shiraz and informed me that their hometown is the birthplace of shirin polo.

The biggest surprise of the night came during dessert. We all had tea and the painfully sweet honey confections zoolbia/zoolbiya (extruded flat spiral thing) and bamieh (ridged sweet dough balls). Then several orders of faloodeh arrived. These sweet noodles are served with Persian pistachio ice cream and fittingly were frozen into a block of crushed ice for a crunchy cold sensory treat. Faloodeh at Shahrezad is served in the Shirazi style with a fresh lime to squeeze on top. The sour, frozen flavour is amazing, this is a unique and essential dessert to add to one's Los Angeles repertoire. If you want the authentic flavour don't use the little cup of pomegranate syrup that comes on the side. Strong Persian tea is the perfect way to complete this type of leisurely meal. The old school method is to put a sugar cube in one's mouth, sip some tea and savour a dissolving mouthful of relaxation.

Simpang Asia

2005-05-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love Simpang Asia [10433 National Blvd, Palms, (310) 815-9075] for so many reasons. It's Indonesian, food-inside-a-grocery-store, family-run, dirt cheap, and extremely delicious. Not least, it's a place to get excellent vaguely-Chinese food on the extremely Chinese food-challenged Westside. The old Simpang Asia was mostly supermarket, with a deep selection of Malay/Indonesian ingredients (candlenuts anyone?), Dutch colonial treats such as Droste cocoa, and crazy Indo instant noodles with 5 (!) different spice packets inside. Now they have expanded into the next door shop, painting it green, adding extra menu items and knocking out the wall to make a pleasant room with plenty of space. Good thing too, because ravenous Indonesian food-lovers fill the restaurant. Here's what I like to eat there:

Nasi rames
The basic meal at Simpang Asia, rice with a little bit of several dishes. The beef rendang is excellent, as is the chicken curry, and the keropok (shrimp crackers) served on the side are a crunchy contrast. Good sambal/chilli sauce in a little plastic pottle. Go early or they will run out of tempeh and tofu.

Lontong cap gomeh
The soupy vegetable curry beloved of my childhood years is served with a bunch of the aforementioned rendang and kari ayam/chicken - the combo nature of the menu is great for variety but forces a purist to keep things separate on one's plate. Bits of the weird pressed rice cake to keep Atkins at bay and fill you up.

Nasi rames padang
Another tasty combo platter featuring jackfruit curry and a tasty hard-boiled egg with curry sauce.

Nasi bungkus
Emerging like its spiritual homologue - the Cantonese glutinous rice dish called lor mai kai - this banana-leaf parcel encloses several of the delicious curries from other combos plus the spicy egg. Worth the extra coin for steamed-in flavour.

Chicken satay
Not quite as skinny and thoroughly marinaded as those I recall from family barbecues, this is still very good satay with tasty peanut sauce. West Sumatra style satay awaits another visit.

Kwe tiau goreng sapi
Fried fat rice noodles/fun cooked over very high heat in the style of Malay char kueh teow and Thai kee maw. I really wanted this to be the canonical char kueh teow I've dreamed about since moving to the U.S. but they didn't use enough lard in the frying plus the other ingredients were different (no Chinese sausage, shrimps or squid). This could be the Indonesian regional variant, it's still a delicious plate of noodles.

Other combos I haven't tried are generally rice variations such as nasi uduk with coconut, and the turmeric-yellowed nasi kuning. I am keen to try the ayam kalasan, crispy fried chicken. Lastly, I must mention two spectacular drinks.

Es cendol (chen-doll) is filled with little green worms made from mung bean flour. The drink is flavoured with dusky brown palm sugar for that Southeast Asian touch.

Es alpokat is even more amazing, an improbably delicious avocado and crushed ice concoction marbled with palm sugar and blended to the perfect milkshakey consistency. I think this is my favourite drink in L.A.!

Shiang/Charming Garden

2005-04-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Shiang Garden (also called Charming Garden, Chinese name = Hunan Garden Restaurant, 626 458 4508, 111 N Atlantic Blvd) is an offshoot of a Taiwanese restaurant, and is generally thought of as the best Hunan-style place in Los Angeles. It's rather fancy inside but remarkably affordable, and my Chinese food experts tell me that the food is very authentic. As in most of the San Gabriel Valley, the English translations on the extensive menu are generally befuddling. Luckily the service is quite helpful - my three visits have been with Mandarin speakers but you should be able to pick out these dishes with a little help from the staff:

House special duck - A whole duck stuffed with glutinous rice, tiny dried shrimps (har mai), finely diced Chinese sausage and gingko nuts; deep-fried until the skin is super crispy then sectioned. Extravagant and tasty.

House special noodles in "hot herbs" sauce - Ropy egg noodles with a spicy fresh chilli sauce mixed in. Oily texture is luxurious like dan dan mein but the flavour is very different.

House special mushrooms - Very popular dish here, the shiitake mushrooms are spectacularly fresh and succulent, cooked with a little garlic. Sounds plain but is not to be missed.

One of my favourite things about Shiang Garden is the cold dishes that arrive as soon as one sits down - you can start eating immediately! Three I particularly liked:
Cold bamboo shoots (the thinnest tips, very tender) cooked with a thin chilli paste
Seaweed tendrils with numbing hot Sichuan peppercorns
Anchovies cooked with an extraordinary fresh chilli sauce - very spicy

House soup, chicken with herbs and spices - Medicinal is generally an adjective that connotes the worst in food, but this soup is flavoured with wonderful herbs some of which I knew (wolfberries/gou ji zi), most of which were mysterious.

Live tilapia with hunan sauce - A whole fish smothered in a Hunan sauce once again featuring fresh chillis. The peppers could have been hotter according to my expert friend but I loved the flavour of the sauce.

Chicken cooked in foil - Not sure what this is called on the menu, pieces of chicken are roasted in smallish foil packets with a delectable red sauce almost reminiscent of some Shanghainese dishes I've had.

Lobster with ginger and garlic - Shiang Garden can do Cantonese style seafood very well; this was on someone else's tab and for top dollar one can have an immaculately steamed lobster here.

A side note: the rice wine with dried plums is supposedly quite a treat.

Yai Noodle

2005-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yai is my favourite restaurant in Thai Town, so I was excited to notice its younger sister Yai Noodle open at 5401 Hollywood Blvd. It's awfully hip inside but a friend tells me that this is a relic of the previous establishment, which priced itself out of the 'hood to the benefit of Thai noodle fans. Much of the Yai menu is available by popular demand at Yai Noodle, but we restricted outselves to noodle house classics unique to the smaller branch:

Boat Noodle: Thai name is kũay tĩaw reua. Many of the soup noodles are based on the same dark broth rich with beef and anise [chowhound Erik M. informs me that the boat noodle stock probably includes blood]. The Boat Noodle is a compendium dish with thinnish rice noodles, brisket slices, liver, tripe, and meatballs. Terrific deep flavour in the broth. I suspect the other soups based on this stock with different meats are equally tasty.

Kee Maw: The pan fried fat phat rice noodles called fun in Cantonese, fried over very high heat with chilli, basil and copious amounts of garlic. This dish or the fun with black soy sauce (kecap manis) were staples of mine at King of Thai in SF, and this version was equally thrilling. Noodles are slightly charred much like Malay char kueh teow, very difficult to achieve this effect at home without restaurant-grade burners.

Chow mein: Can't remember the name of this dish on the menu, it is the pure Cantonese chow mein where the noodles are pan fried until crispy, then the sauce is poured on top with meat of choice and veg. Note that this is completely different to the gloppy Americanized chow mein from your local "donuts and Chinese food" shop. Execution at Yai Noodle is flawless, the noodles acquire a softer texture where they soak up the sauce and the flavour is typically Cantonese, subtle and delicious.

Yai Noodle is yet another fine destination in Thai Town, equal in quality to Sanamluang for the dishes I tried and serving a different spectrum of stuff from regular Yai.

User Guide to Raffi's Place

2005-04-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Raffi's Place (211 East Broadway Glendale, 818-240-7411) is famous among Chowhounds and others as the best kabob house in Los Angeles, no mean feat considering the huge Persian concentration in the area. I love Raffi's but not until recently did I discover the full Raffi protocol thanks to my Persian friend Kathy - who also revealed that the correct pronunciation is KAH-bob, always a useful thing to know.

Although the main dishes are gigantic, we tried the yoghurt + herbs appetizer called moussokhiar as well as a Mediterranean shirazi salad with a tomato base, from the town that gave its name to the grape. Both were excellent, and of course the house dough ("doog", yoghurt drink) is appropriate by the pitcher.

Kabobs are the standard types:
Barg = thinly sliced beef
Shish = thicker cuts of sirloin
Boneless lamb
Shishlique = lamb chops, superior to boneless
Luleh = minced meat more commonly called koobideh (luleh means "tunnel")
Surprisingly good chicken and chicken koobideh
Mahimahi for those who thought this was California cuisine

Kathy's main revelation was what to do with the carefully sliced lavash, onion and basil that is brought to the table before one's KAH-bobs. This is for wrapping the meat much like the lettuce or rice sheets at a Korean barbecue joint. The choicest part of the basil stalk is the part where the young leaves are emerging, so fight amongst your fellow diners for this. Dust the meat with a little sumac (the purple spice in the shaker) wrap into a roll, and one is ready to eat with one hand and spoon buttery rice with the other - note that the butter pat is fully intended to enrich your rice, not to spread on the lavash. Having eaten most every dish at Raffi's I can say that my favourite kabob is definitely the luleh, it is remarkably moist and delicious. This is a pure judgement call, as the others are all impeccably grilled; Raffi's Place is nothing if not an example of the restaurant that does one thing superbly.

Handmade noodles, Otafuku

2005-03-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Handmade noodles! Presumably a staple of many peasant diets, in our mod-ren fast-paced society they have become the province of food fanatics with access to the deepest ethnic conclaves. At many of these restaurants, the noodles are the star attraction and can be enjoyed practically au naturel. The tremendous diversity of international dining in Los Angeles is reflected in the handmade noodle masters plying their trade:

Ma Dang Gook Soo:
Robust Korean gook soo, a thick wheaty cut noodle.
Kotohira:
Delicate ropy udon, a world apart from the prepackaged kind from the Japanese store.
Mandarin House:
Bean-y jajiang sauce covers these hand-pulled beauties.

There are many spots I am keen to try; Heavy Noodling has the famous noodles sliced from a ball of dough that have a thickish centre and delicate frilly edges, and Mr Chu's is famous for hand-pulled noodles. These are described in "Counter Intelligence" and Carl Chu's books, see my links for details.

But back to Otafuku. This is a tiny wood-panelled treasure esconsced in a Gardena Japanese 'hood (16525 S Western Av, Gardena, 310 532 9348). House specialties are handmade soba, udon and especially the white "sarashina soba", made with flour milled from the heart of the buckwheat grain. Naturally this is imported from Japan. I sampled the sarashina soba - termed seiro on the menu after the serving container - and they are spectacular. Handmade noodles are generally a textural thrill but these have a wonderful pure flavour also. Most diners in Otafuku have a little bamboo stand with unadorned soba to dip in sauce or broth served on the side. Handmade udon at Otafuku are right on par with Kotohira, delicious in chicken soup. Traditional Japanese starters are terrific too, I loved the pickled vegetables and the mountain yam with seaweed. Another L.A. destination of the highest quality!

Lu Din Gee

2005-03-08T10:05:00.000-08:00

After purchasing Carl Chu's book I was sorely disappointed to learn that Quanjude and J.Z.Y. Cafe - his suggested purveyors of Beijing/Peking duck - had both closed. Thankfully a new contender serving the real thing has opened in San Gabriel and chowhounds can rejoice again.
Lu Din Gee (1039 E. Valley Blvd, B102 San Gabriel, CA 91776 Tel: (626) 288-0588.) is kind of fancy, with Stan Getz on the stereo, exposed brick and at least some waitrons with cool spiky hair. It's in the same mall as a broken rice shop, a Taiwanese snack restaurant (both of which I'm keen to try) and the best place to buy Hong Kong movies in L.A., Five Star Laser. House specialty is Beijing duck in the "one duck, three ways" style:

1) Duck skin - the most treasured bit, try it and you'll instantly know why - and meat carved separately. Assemble with pancakes, spring onion and cucumber sprigs and sweet/salty bean paste. This is the backbone of the meal, the crispy skin and tender moist meat are a perfect textural contrast (shades of Limster in these notes).
2) Duck meat stir fried with bean sprouts.
3) Duck soup in the Shandong style, milky white through long cooking over high heat and flavoured with some secret and wonderful herbs, some of which lurk at the bottom of your bowl.

This is a spectacular dish, one can easily discern the difference between the multi-step Beijing extravaganza and conventional roast duck from the Cantonese bbq shop. Check out Professor Salt's duck odyssey for mouth-watering pictures and his thoughts. Two ducks served six people easily for lunch - order at least 1 hour ahead - unfortunately we didn't try the crazy konyaku desserts but there must be a next time.

Yungui Garden

2005-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

030905: Updates from a great meal with my good friend and Chinese food expert Xiaoyu. Confusingly this restaurant is now called Yungui Garden, the third name change I am aware of for English signage.

How many Westsiders long to move to the San Gabriel Valley, or at least within reasonable striking distance of real Chinese food? It's a not-so-secret sorrow and even with my sub-ten commute on foot I sometimes question the sanity of living so far from the Motherlode.

Yungui Garden (formerly Yunnan Garden or Hua's Garden) at 301 N. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park south of the 10, is not a chow discovery per se, having been touted as perhaps the best Yunnan-plus-Sichuan place in town by the storied Jerome, J.Gold and Carl Chu.
However, my compadres and I had a good run at the menu and it's worth reporting what we ate. Incidentally, although my hack Cantonese and my friend's Hokkien were not useful with the Mandarin-speaking waitrons, the English speaking proprietor was extremely solicitious, steering us away from the Kung Pao chicken "too popular!" and recommending Yunnan dried beef for a future visit. Fear not, there is little discrimination here. On another visit, I would also try the cold dish counter up front where maybe lurk the brisket-and-tripe makings of my favourite "couple's delight" appetizer.

- Yunnan Rice Noodle Soup aka "Across The Bridge Noodles". Limpid broth brought to table with raw meats that cook in the soup when assembled by server. Not spicy, but an excellent foil to the nerve-jangling dishes below. A Yunnan specialty and worth trying especially for the subtle, pho-esque herbs.
030905 note: the name of the restaurant in Chinese script is Yunnan Rice Noodle Restaurant.

- Yunnan Chicken in Claypot [aka Airpot].
A tricked-out steamer, the Yunnan airpot is something I've only seen here. Inside is a rich, brown chicken soup fortified with Chinese medicinal berries (some familiar from house special dessert at Teochew palace 888 Seafood) and small mushrooms. If lack of Chinese food is the illness, consider me cured.

- Ma Po Tofu.
Let the games begin. Soft tofu is cooked in a casserole with ground pork, chillis and something more. This incredible dish is the root of many a Cantonese rip-off, but the Sichuan version has a secret weapon in the Sichuan peppercorn, imported illegally as I understand it, which imparts a dreamlike numbing sensation, exacerbated by cold water! Try tea or the salty soups instead for relief. I've eaten at the excellent Little Sichuan in San Mateo, but Yunnan Garden uses far more, or far fresher Sichuan peppercorns. A true test of one's sensory physiology, and not to be missed.

- Chongqing chicken.
Recommended by the proprietor instead of Kung Pao chicken (I was actually looking forward to the stripped-down, Sichuan chicken chilli and peanuts), this dish was at least half dried red chillis by volume, an astonishing challenge to the adventurous eater. My friends stayed clear but I ate enough of the dried chilli to end up in some trouble. Chicken itself was crispy fried and quite dry i.e. sauceless but moist. Tasty.

- Water-boiled fish and beef in Szechuan special sauce.
A famous, misleadingly named dish again celebrating the numbing hot chilli/peppercorn duality. Soupy red broth is filled with excellent fresh fish, beef slices, and Chinese cabbage. Although the flavour of this dish was superb, it wasn't nearly as spicy as some I've tried (still killing by Cantonese standards) and thus falls short of the Sichuan ideal where one emerges from the fire purified. Best Szechuan is across the street and their version is even better.
030905: Having eaten this again last night I stand corrected, it is as spicy and delicious as one could wish for (perhaps toned down for my non-Chinese friends previously?). Very tender beef and fish mixed together. According to my friend Xiaoyu, the final step in the cooking involves adding dry spices, then a load of hot oil on top. Thus, anything extracted from the pot passes through this layer of deadly spiciness.

- Lamb with cumin.
Delicious lamb is as tender as one could wish for and the cumin + not-incendiary chilli flavour quite heavenly. Scores big for ingredients that you'll almost never see on a regular Chinese menu.
030905: Cumin note is exceedingly popular in China these days, and probably originated from the Northeastern Islamic cuisine.

030905 extra dishes
- Twice-cooked pork.
A Szechwan classic, this dish uses fatty belly meat sliced thinly, cooked in a mix of spices to impart flavour, then stir-fried with sliced leeks. Yungui Garden's version was better than the one at Best Szechwan, particularly if the pork is eaten together with leeks. Xiaoyu said that neither approached his Platonic ideal, perhaps because the flavours imbued from the first cooking step could be more intense.

- Fuqi feipian
Delightful and classic Szechwan cold appetizer that Carl Chu translates as "table scraps". Often called "Couple's Delight" on English menu, a common version is brisket and tripe, both thinly sliced and served with a stunningly delicious numbing-hot sauce. Yungui Garden's dish has only brisket but is still a winner, probably my favourite from the cold dish counter out front.

- Other things from the cold dish counter that we really liked. Only $3.50/plate with up to three choices.
pig ears - chewy thin slices.
tongue
pickled beans
chicken gizzards
seaweed

Yunnan Garden [now Yungui Garden] moves into my pantheon of the finest the San Gabriel Valley has to offer, and offers tremendous bang for the buck (we spent under $15 each and had copious leftovers). One of my close family friends is Yunnan and now I see what she's been raving about.

Hulu House

2005-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Since adding one solitary photo to my blog I thought I would put my Chowhound posts about Hulu House here as well. If you're an Angeleno, read 'em and weep, there's nothing to approach this in our part of Cali.

#1
Dear Chowhounds,

This post will be long but here’s the punchline. Authentic laksa – the quintessential Singaporean/Malaysian curry noodle dish – is available at HuLu House Vegetarian Restaurant (Kirkham @ 12th, 415 682 0826). Hurry there and order yourself a bowl, it’s far better than Straits, Banana Garden or Singapore/Malaysian. This restaurant MUST stay in business!

A little history, proving that lightning can strike twice in a given location. Sunset Star used to be possibly the worst restaurant in the Inner Sunset, somehow surviving at the godforsaken corner of 12th and Kirkham. I went there on my birthday one year and had a bowl of won ton noodles whose miserable flavour surely cancelled out any longevity promoting effects of the noodles.

Then a miracle happened. The place changed hands and for a brief golden age one could get outstanding Szechuan food from Sunset Star (the “couple’s delight” tripe and beef dish was the equal of Little Szechuan). It was too good to last and the food collapsed into generic take-out Cantonese after the chef moved on.

Thus I was intrigued but little encouraged when Sunset Star was reborn as HuLu House Vegetarian Restaurant – it opened tonight. Buddhist vegetarian is usually forgettable, and what were they thinking opening in the middle of nowhere? Reading the menu made things MUCH more interesting. In a manner analogous to the overrated Golden Era, these folks were cooking Buddhist vegetarian ingredients with Singaporean/Malaysian recipes.

I had to order the vege laksa, it’s a keystone of the Malaysian hawker food pantheon and unlike beef rendang (for example) is poorly rendered at Indonesian restaurants in town. Authentic laksa contains chicken, so the vege version lacks a certain, well, meatiness. It’s also made with thick rice noodles, while my favourite renditions use ropy egg noodles with the occassional addition of thin vermicelli. Now for the good news. As soon as the generous bowl arrived, I smelled the aroma and knew the flavour would be OK. Good laksa has a milky, opaque broth redolent of coconut milk, with fierce orange-red spots of oil rising to the surface. The curry spices are very warming but the heat is modulated by the richness of the soup. HuLu House adds fat cubes of fried tofu (dou fu pok), tasty vegetarian goose and vegetarian fish to the traditional bean sprouts - no hard-boiled egg unfortunately. It’s not your grandmother’s curry laksa but in a city starved of the real thing it will serve. Triangular, flattish samosas were typical Chinese versions of the Indian appetizer, good value at $3. Complimentary lor bak ko/radish cake was OK but should have been more radish-y. I intend to eat at HuLu frequently and will soon work my way through the limited menu. Immediate must try dishes are vege nasi lemak (coconut rice) and the oxymoronic vege Hai Nan rice – hey, it can’t be worse than the sorry, overcooked gai fan you’ll find in local restaurants. “Special dessert” is $3.50. With luck it will be pulut hitam, the lovable sweet black rice served with coconut milk. Or ice kacang, or cendol with palm sugar, or bu bo cha cha...

I spoke to the chef who is Singaporean, she had a sunny first-day optimism about the restaurant’s prospects. I’ll be doing my part to keep tasty Malaysian food alive in San Francisco. Follow my lead!

Happy eating,

Low End Theory

#2
Limster popped into town for a whirlwind visit. I took him and some pals to HuLu House Vegetarian Restaurant at Kirkham @ 12th for Singapore/Malaysian fare cooked with Buddhist vegetarian ingredients.

Limster noted the authenticity of the herbs in the curry laksa broth, and shared my opinion that the novelty of the vege goose and fish scored points. His delighted observations:

"Like finding a pot of gold."
"I would totally eat this in Singapore."
"This place opens AFTER I leave town."

As chibi noted in her earlier post, the nasi lemak is not very moist. The coconut flavour is tasty but could stand to be more pronounced. My ideal nasi lemak includes several accompaniments: curried beef or chicken, cucumber/carrot slices, hard-boiled egg, deep-fried peanuts and ikan bilis. The latter, literally "small fish", are delicious deep fried anchovies but of course they are absent here. I liked the vege eel/snake/animal that substituted for the curry. HuLu House does an OK job with this dish given their limitations. It's certainly equal to nasi lemak in Singapore/Malaysian restaurants that serve meat round here. Note also that Hulu House makes a passable vegetarian version of sambal belacan, the chilli sauce mixed with 1000x fermented shrimp paste that is the Malay condiment par excellence. It won't make your heart sing like real belacan but that's unrealistic.

For chowhounds who don't know, Hainanese chicken rice is a magical dish that inspires citywide competitions in Malaysia and Singapore. The rice is cooked in broth and fat from whole chickens and has an incomparable flavour. The chicken can be deep-fried but in my favourite version is barely parboiled - the bones should be bloody - and is thus incredibly tender. Chicken rice is served with chilli sauce, ginger and soy for dipping, and usually comes with a bowl of clear soup and some salad fixings. Again HuLu House produces an intriguing vegetarian, nay vegan facsimile of this dish. As chicken rice it scores 2/10. As vege chicken rice it is as good as it gets - a preposterous idea that is pleasing in its execution. The rice is cooked with sesame oil and tasted remarkably similar to the real thing given the lack of chicken. The "chicken" is painstakingly crafted from gluten and soy and comes in three varieties, each with a distinct texture. The "drumstick" was especially popular. As Hainanese chicken rice is terrible when ordered from most Cantonese restaurants (overcooked chicken is universal) and sub-par at Singapore/Malaysian places locally, I give HuLu House a thumbs-up for audacity.

Appetizers of note. The samosas and egg rolls are about average. I would pass over these in favour of the excellent HuLu tofu - sweet soy marinade, very delicate - and vege goose. You'll find the latter in many of the main dishes but it's worth ordering a plate to share.

Curry and rice was OK, though the curry was a little heavy on cabbage. This dish came with achar, pickled vegetables that were unfortunately too insipid, lacking the vinegary snap I look for. Thick noodles and veg contained lots of mushrooms, competent Cantonese cooking that was somewhat bland by comparison with the Southeast Asian fare we had. Add sambal "belacan" to increase satisfaction.

Distracted by picking over the wreckage of our lazy Susan - 6 mains among 5 plus appetizers for a Low End Theory-esque $12 incl. 20% tip - I completely forgot about dessert, again! Not to worry. There will be many other nights like this (even if there will never be another Limster).

Happy eating,

Low End Theory

Woodlands

2005-02-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

How hard must one try to eat Indian food where Indian people are? Furthermore, where is the elusive South Indian fare so different from the diluted Punjabi fare that constitutes "Indian" food in 99% of restaurants? Prayers are answered on Pioneer Blvd in Artesia, where restaurants bear about as much resemblance to your local Star of India as Panda Express does to 888. A quick trip into the nearest sari store for advice, and we headed for Woodlands, a global South Indian chain, with branches in Madras/Chennai, London and Singapore in addition to Artesia (11833 Artesia Blvd, 562 860 6500) and Chatsworth. We had a large crew and feasted on a stunning meal of hard-to-find specialties. The only substantial complaint was that the food could have been spicier, but this is a fine balance because authentic South Indian food would be incapacitating for almost all regular diners. A guided tour of the menu:

Dahi Vada: Vada are lentil flour donuts, dahi is yoghurt. Awesome, though the yoghurt might have been more sour for the absolute Tamil purist.

Kancheepuram Idly: Idly are rice flour cakes served with the ubiquitous sambar (sour and delicious vegetable-stew gravy) and a coconut-based chutney. The kancheepuram variation is a weekends-only option coloured orange with carrots and topped with cashews. These are delicate and fluffier than most, wonderful.

Uthappam: The fat, pale rice-lentil pancake, here it is frisbee-sized with various vegetable options.

Dosa: A giant papery crisp pancake exceeding even the size of Oaxacan clayudas, commonly folded around a variety of fillings; most commonly mild potato masala. Onion masala dosa are superb, as are mysore masala dosa. Perhaps the finest are rava dosa made with wheat and rice, which have a lacier texture. All served with sambar and chutney. Dosa at Woodlands are the crispiest and tastiest I have had.

Pesarat: A very special Andhra dosa sometimes made with 100% aggressive moong dal (lentil) flour. At Woodlands, this is adulterated with rice but the crepe is still terrific. If you've had masala dosa before, try this one for a change, it contains nuts and is great dipped in yoghurt.

Channa Bhatura: At VIK Distributors in Berkeley my ignorant friends and I used to call this one "the giant puff". It's a stupendous gravity-defying deep friend bread, Woodlands' version is too large to stay inflated but the piping hot fried taste and dimpled surface are delightful with the lentil curry/channa.

Milakai Podi: Menu description is "A spicy mix of ingredients", but this South Indian secret weapon is a condiment containing chilli, spices, ground dhal and sesame oil. Goes well with anything on the menu, and is considered a diagnostic test for a true South Indian restaurant by the mavens. I loved Woodlands' version but it could have been more chilli-hot.

I'll certainly be returning to Woodlands, it's family-friendly, dirt-cheap and worth a long long drive. A big shout-out to Aravind and Ravi for expert advice!

Aroma Cafe

2005-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Just tried Aroma Cafe, the family-run Bosnian standout in a Westside mini-mall (2350 Overland south of Pico, east side). My friend Julia was once a restaurant critic in Prague – where bad restaurants and money-laundering go hand in hand? - and has actually spent time in Bosnia. I wanted to propagate her expert knowledge, because the meal we had was particularly fine. Some Bosnian classics:

- Burek are charmingly intestine-shaped phyllo pastries with a variety of fillings (shades of cheung fun / “intestine”-like rice noodles at dim sum). Cheese and spinach were flaky and delicious.

- Cevapi [“ch-”] are a delightful firm-textured minced sausage kebab distinguished by their dainty size and charry grilled exterior. Apparently the Bosnian equivalent to streetside tacos, with the same addictive quality – cevapi sandwich on excellent house bread has got to be a winner. Pljeskavica are patty-ized kebabs with a different ratio of grilled exterior : juicy interior. Shish kebab is much like Persian lula kebab but a little drier than say, Raffi’s Platonic ideal.

- Two stupendous housemade dips of note. Kajmak is churny soured cream in which one can stand a spoon, a miracle of controlled spoilage. Ajvar is a bright red paprika, pepper and eggplant concoction. Ask for these!

- Kefir is a yoghurt drink, the native beverage ala Persian dough or Armenian taan, sans mint.

- Stuffed cabbage contains rice and ground meat as usual. This version is substantially tastier than most, not only is it served with a healthy dollop of kajmak but there is a contrast between sour leaf and moist filling that beats the squishy Eastern European stereotype. Stuffed pepper is also exemplary.

- Rotating dessert selection guarantees future visit, as the waitress’ favourite krempita (creamy pastry thing) was unavailable. Baklava is well above average and strudel-style apple pie is fine.

This is just the sort of restaurant I love, it’s priced for the people and the quality is uncompromising.

Taco glossary: extras

2005-02-08T02:49:00.000-08:00

aciento = pork fat
aguacate = avocado
al gusto = of your choice
arroz y frijol = rice and beans
chipotle = roasted chilli
con todo = with everything (usually an essential phrase)
encurtido = pickled jalapenos, carrots, onions, often in Baggie
frita = fried
panela = a kind of queso blanco
papalo = strong Mexican coriander
para aqui = for here
para llevar = to go
quesillo = stringy cheese, a Oaxacan favourite
queso blanco = fresh white cheese
rabanos = radishes
salsa roja = red salsa
salsa verde = green salsa

Glossary sections:
Dishes
Meats
Drinks
Extras

Taco glossary: drinks

2005-02-08T02:45:00.000-08:00

Aguas frescas = fresh fruit drink
Atole = warm rice or corn drink
Bebidas = drinks
Champpurado = atole with chocolate flavour
Horchata = cold rice milk flavoured with cinnamon
Jamaica = hibiscus (sorrel at the Jamaican restaurant)
Jarritos = fruity soda made with various fruit flavours
Melon = canteloupe
Naranja = orange
Sandia = watermelon
Tamarindo = tamarind

Glossary sections:
Dishes
Meats
Drinks
Extras

Taco glossary: meats

2005-02-08T02:42:00.000-08:00

Common meats/Carnes
Al pastor = marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit
Cabeza = cow cheeks, literally “head”
Carne asada/Asada = grilled steak, well done with citrus marinade
Carnitas = roasted pork
Chorizo = loose sausage meat
Lengua = beef tongue
Pollo = chicken

More uncommon meats
Buche = pork stomach meat (not tripe)
Barbacoa = barbecued goat (chivo) or sometimes lamb
Birria = goat stew, often in the Jalisco style
Camaron = shrimp
Chicharron = pork skin
Milanesa = breaded, deep fried steak (pounded flat)
Mollejas = sweetbreads
Pescado = fish
Queso de puerco = pork head cheese
Sesos = cow brains
Suadero = beef rib meat
Tripas = tripe

Glossary sections:
Dishes
Meats
Drinks
Extras

Taco glossary: dishes

2005-02-08T02:35:00.000-08:00

Bisteck encebollado = steak and onions [literally “onioned”]

Burrito = large tortilla wrapped around meat and beans (sometimes rice).

Cemita = sandwich from city of Puebla near Mexico City. Sesame seed roll, meat (often milanesa or breaded steak), avocado, chilli (chipotle, ideally), cheese and papalo when in season.

Chile relleno = stuffed chilli peppers

Clayuda = Oaxacan specialty, a giant thin crispy tortilla topped with pork fat and black beans plus meat and condiments.

Memela = Oaxacan dish, a thick tortilla with bean paste, cheese and meat

Quesadilla = two tortillas grilled till crispy with melted cheese and meat inside

Sope = small but thickish soft tortilla topped with meat and extras

Taco = small soft tortilla with meat, onions, cilantro, salsa on top

Tamal/Tamale = Cornmeal (masa) sometimes with filling cooked in corn husk or banana leaf

Tlayuda = clayuda

Torta = sandwich, generally on softish Mexican bread. Often contains beans.

Tostada = hard flat tortilla often topped with seafood, guacamole

Glossary sections:
Dishes
Meats
Drinks
Extras

Taco glossary disclaimer

2005-02-08T02:25:00.000-08:00

I made this glossary on request and because I thought it would be useful for the novice taco truck patron. Any Spanish I know has been acquired haphazardly from my sister (who is fluent), from phrasebooks on a trip to Spain, from residence in California, or from visiting Latino restaurants. Furthermore, I am not an authority on Mexican food, merely an enthusiastic amateur. If you find any serious problems with this glossary or have additions to suggest, please leave a comment or contact me.

Happy eating,

Simon aka Low End Theory

back to the glossary

Taco glossary

2005-02-08T02:24:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH! Click here for a longer disclaimer.

Taco trucks have some of LA's finest Mexican food, but they can be intimidating to the novice eater. Most proprietors speak good English but it is impractical to bombard them with questions. This glossary is designed to help a non-Spanish speaker read the menu at a taco truck and broaden her or his horizons by trying unfamiliar dishes. Please click on the following categories, and don't forget "gracias mi amigo":

Dishes
Meats (Carnes)
Drinks (Bebidas)
Extras, ingredients and useful words

Molaga Podi

2005-01-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

After trying the milakai podi (=molagapodi, mulaga podi) at Woodlands, I was keen to use this miracle condiment at home. Luckily, it can be found at India Sweets and Spices close to the dosa and idly mixes - look for MTR brand "Spiced Chutney Powder". I added sesame oil as recommended by my friend Aravind, and it was great on improvised masala and blini (OK, none too authentic). One needs surprisingly little oil to achieve the requisite gritty paste, and in future I may use regular oil or ghee in addition to the sesame oil so the flavour is more subtle. Aravind suggested trying it on bagels with cream cheese, and it is actually delicious. Happy experimenting!

Mama Voula's

2005-01-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

11923 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 478-9464

A great find thanks to Gold and Chowhound, Mama Voula's continues the unfortunate Westside-centric trend in my blog. If minimal car usage coexists with Greek food this good, I can reconcile my environmentalism and gastronomic anthropology until the next dim sum craving.

We made a good run at the menu starting with spanakopita and three dips. Taramosalata especially notable but a nice mix with tzatziki and the eggplant one. Among the mains, loukaniko/sausage, octopus and meatballs are tops, with soft mashed-potato topped moussaka the comfort food option. Best dessert is the phyllo pie thing with custard inside called bugatsa. Greek coffee is very fine, swirl the grinds in the cup and Ron the waiter will tell your fortune. Price is surprisingly low-end for the quality, generous portions and friendly service.

Thanks to Theo for culinary expertise and May for the hats.

111305
One simply has to order the marides/fried smelt at Mama Voula's. They are tiny whole fish about the size of your middle finger, fried intact so the fins stick out in an adorable way. Bite off the head first, it contains a hint of bitterness which isn't all bad. Then eat the body, succulent white fish inside a delicately crispy exterior. If you're a recombiner like Ian, make a sammidge with pita and dip of choice. Or combine with dip, bread and a morsel of saganaki/flaming cheese like Theo did. The saganaki is also superb, flambed in ouzo and squirted with lemon juice.

Which leads to the unavoidable conclusion - perhaps one is better off ordering nothing but appetizers at Mama Voula's. The main dishes are good, and particularly in the case of the Greek plate (gyro meat, dolmas, the funny Greek hummus, tzatziki, spuds, brocolli) very filling. But a meal made entirely of small dishes could maximize what the restaurant does best. Clearly future experimentation is required.

Bosnian

2005-01-09T07:08:00.000-08:00

Aroma Cafe
2350 Overland south of Pico 310 836 2919
Awesome Bosnian outpost for cevapi/grilled sausage kebab, flaky pastry bureks and soured cream called kajmak. High quality all around!

Special Sources

2004-12-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

"Trust Me" says the whiteboard Bart Simpson presiding over the omakase-only sushi bar at Echigo (I believe it was drawn by Matt Groening himself). But who can you turn to for the best restaurant recs? I prefer to ask the experts - there's no substitute for scribbled directions to Best Szechwan from the dude who actually hails from Szechwan province, or for eating ramen with someone who worked in a noodle house in Japan (that would be you, Tomo). Failing this, here are some really useful resources for exploring beyond my blog:

Counter Intelligence
by Jonathan Gold
Gold is the Big Daddy of Los Angeles food critics, and Los Angeles (the greatest international food city in the U.S.) has in this book the guide that it truly deserves. I've eaten at 87 of the restaurants in the book and most are sensational. Gold is very strong on all kinds of Mexican, regional Chinese, and a host of other cuisines. There are only a few complaints: he cannot be trusted on Singapore and Malaysian food, some inevitable downhill reports (avoid Aladdin Falafel) and that amazingly there is not a single Filipino restaurant in the book! Chowhound.com has kindly posted a neighbourhood guide to Counter Intelligence.

Gold's website at LA Weekly. Worth a browse, particularly the Ask Mr Gold columns. Their searchable guide is similar to mine but non-overlapping in many areas.

Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles: A Guide to Regional Chinese Cuisines
by Carl Chu
Awesome book that describes Chinese regional cuisines and lists many practitioners for each style. Chu is a true expert and apart from small lapses in the Teochew/Chiu Chow section (no mention of Teochew goose) the book is superb. Now he has busted out a 2004 volume called Chinese Food Finder that I have yet to read.

Chowhound.com - there is a dedicated Los Angeles board
The biggest and best place to discuss restaurants on the Internet. Chowhound is truly a labour of love for Jim Leff and I appreciate his efforts to create a community for productive restaurant research. It's hard to search the site quickly for neighbourhoods and cuisines, which is one reason I wrote this guide, but there is a vast amount of great info on the board. Signal to noise ratio is predictably poor - posts by Jerome, Sonia (about Koreatown), Thi N., Ernie (Mexican food only) are reliable. I don't read regularly any more but subscribe to the excellent ChowNews weekly summary for a paltry $15/6 months.

Professor Salt's blog
A cut above the average Chowhound, the O.C. homeboy Professor Salt knows his stuff. Plus his blog has great eye candy (unlike mine).

Eating L.A.
Chowpatty/Pat seems to share my core values but skews higher end. A rare chowhound whom one can consistently trust (except for Malaysian - the farmer's market is pretty bad), her fine blog has mouthwatering photos like Professor Salt's.

L.A. County Health Department
Ignore the letter rankings, but every restaurant in L.A. is listed here - plus it's searchable. Good for finding addresses.

Happy eating, and please let me know what you find!

Thai desserts

2004-11-30T06:59:00.007-08:00

When in Thai town, don't forget dessert! Across the parking lot from Ruen Pair - next to Palms Thai - is a Thai dessert cafe with fine housemade Thai desserts and packaged sweets from many lands. You'll find that preserved durian is a shadow of its pugnacious fresh predecessor; pang chi (fried taro thingies) are great, though I haven't compared the kanom krok (coconut milk cake fried in a special pan with golf-ball sized holes) to the tasty versions served w/green onion at Wat Thai temple and the parking lot of Silom Thai supermarket on Hollywood Blvd. Also, there is a cool dessert spot called Kamon [= dessert] Thai that's further east on Hollywood closer to Sanamluang and Vim.

BHAN KANOM THAI [next to Palms Thai]
5271 Hollywood Blvd.,Hollywood, CA 90027
(323) 871-8030

BHAN KANOM THAI #3 12714 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, CA 91605 Tel: 818-255-3355
Giant North Hollywood branch with some unique features - dim sum for one.

KANOM THAI RAM 2 - this one is in Counter Intelligence I think
5185 Hollywood Blvd.,Hollywood, CA 90027
(323) 667-2055
Thai taco is an amazing hard shell thingy about the diameter of a coaster, folded in half, spread with something alarmingly like a thin layer of Miracle Whip and cradling tendrils of eggy orange sweet filling.

Wat Thai temple weekend hawker centre w/kanom krok stand
12909 Cantara, North Hollywood (Roscoe @ Coldwater Canyon)

Kanom krok stand in Silom supermarket parking lot (weekend only?). Great for $2 breakfast.
5321 Hollywood Blvd

Ruen Pair

2004-11-30T06:59:00.006-08:00

A note about Ruen Pair. There's a section at the end of the menu titled "Rice Soup Ala Carte". This is a Thai-Chinese meal centred on a big ol' bowl of communal congee/jook/rice soup, in the plain not-too-watery Cantonese style. Accompanying dishes in this menu section include those recommended by Sandra W., plus some other great ones such as salt fish salad style (excellent) and preserved turnip fried with eggs into an omelette. It seemed like the sweet spot in the menu to me.

One more note about Ruen Pair. The popular morning glory or water convolvulus is perhaps better known as kangkong or ong choy - my favourite vegetable! No fermented shrimp paste to lift it into transcendent Malaysian fare, it's solid Cantonese/Thai stuff. Eat the chillis, it's tastier that way.

052805 Ruen Pair update.
Shared a great meal with Jim Leff and Tom Armitage of the Chowhound board here. Learned what a difference it makes to order the right thing, last time I was here I chose the dishes I like at Yai (such as pork leg with chilli and garlic) and was upset that Yai's versions were so much tastier. We had a bowl of rice soup and:
Ground pork with Chinese olives. Revelatory flavour from the pointy black olives which are preserved but not in a way that tastes anything like the Western olive (are they even the same species???). This dish is heavenly.
Morning glory with chilli.
Fried egg with salty turnip. Like a mini omelette, the turnip shreds make up a lot of the dish and are actually kinda sweet. Plainer than the other dishes, a welcome contrast.
Green papaya with salty crab, hot requested. Almost inedibly spicy, as bodacious as the Thai temple version when hot is requested. I love the fermented tasting salty crab and ended up eating a lot of this.
Fried egg salad. Jim wanted this and it was exactly what one expected, a fried egg topped with fish sauce and Thai salad fixin's. Awesome.

Brodard II

2004-11-30T06:59:00.005-08:00

Brodard II at 647 Valley Blvd in Alhambra is the sister restaurant of the very popular Brodard in Garden Grove, I believe both restaurants have been mentioned here and by J.Gold. Limster, Spoony Bard and I headed there on the recommendation of Melanie Wong - yet another confirmation of her chowhound greatness. It was some of the best Vietnamese food I've had, perhaps others can compare with the Little Saigon locale [note: some Chowhounds derided the Alhambra location, but I stand by my findings. Have not yet tried the Garden Grove one]. We ordered way too much, it's good value and Limster suggested the Atkins-esque approach of taking the starches and reheatables home. Highlights:

Claypot chicken rice. Excellent chicken which was rapidly devoured. Many diced vegetables and roast pork in the rice.

Banh xeo. Fried pancake with prawns, wrapped into lettuce leaves with mint, basil &c. Superb!

Spring rolls with pork balls. Very popular appetizer, contains a crispy fried something in the middle for textural contrast. Tremendous.

Hanoi style char-grilled pork with bun. Not the familiar bun where one mixes the vermicelli with vegetable fixings and throws in the nuoc cham. This one gets the lettuce leaf "burrito" treatment. Outstanding.

Broken rice with assorted stuff. I'm no expert but the broken rice texture was terrific, and the fish cake, peppery steamed egg, shredded pork, and grilled pork top-notch.

Many exciting drinks as per tradition! I like the soda with pickled plum.

Jerk Pit

2004-11-30T06:59:00.004-08:00

Were one to rank the seduction potential of restaurant names, "Jerk Pit" (occupying the former Coley's Kitchen at 4335 Crenshaw) would surely approximate the nadir. Are the cooks the same as Coley's? As Rick Springfield might say, the point is probably moot, because the food is pretty great.

I didn't try the jerk chicken - any expert opinions re: grilling woods, sauce &c. would be welcome - but the long-simmered oxtails were terrific and the curried goat was steeped in enough spice to fuel one's chi for some hours afterward. Unfortunately, they don't have ackee and salt fish, even on weekends (Wi Jammin at 5103 Pico still makes it but had run out when I was there).

My favourite grapefruit soda is available of course, and for yuks one can say "I'll have some of dat Ting" to the counterperson.

Beef pattie is chili-hot and good. Crust thicker and flakier than the ones I had at Kensington Mkt in Toronto, rendering the sometime coco bread sheath less important (I did spot a pile of flat buns atop the warming oven so one might ask).

If your sweet thing likes the Jamaican fare you will find satisfaction at Jerk Pit.

Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi

2004-11-30T06:59:00.003-08:00

Just like the best genre films (“The 36th Chamber of Ramen”?) the noodle shops that my friend Tomo and I treasure most are those that specialize! Here the only broth is Kyushu style “tonkotsu ramen”, milky-whitish and rich with the essence of many pork bones. The ramen eater faces important choices: opt for hard noodles which is how the Japanese have it. We also chose medium oil, yes on the pickled ginger and on the green onion. Noodles had commendable rubbery texture, while chashu (pork) was soft and very tasty. The style is different but overall I would pick this over Ramen-ya. An added bonus is the respectable selection of izaka-ya (Japanese bar) style snacks. We ordered the excellent cream croquette, a marvel of panko-breaded soft mash than nearly disintegrates upon a chopstick prod. It comes with the brown, okonomiyaki/takoyaki sauce. Nankotsu karaage (fried chicken cartilage) are definitely not for the middle of the road diner but the adventurous will savour the crunchy-chewy joints which are delicately fried and much more exciting than regular karaage. Last but not least we added the sutamina natto – yep, it means “stamina” which was appropriate seeing as both of us went back to work afterward. Amazingly, natto is mixed with two other sticky foodstuffs, yamaimo/Japanese yam and okra and a generous dab of mustard for a hard-to-eat but delicious combination. A party in one's mouth and everyone's invited.

Taqueria Vista Hermosa

2004-11-30T06:59:00.002-08:00

A while ago pambazo de tinga fever gripped the San Francisco Chowhound.com board after the redoubtable Ruth Lafler posted about trucks in Santa Rosa and Oaktown serving this remarkable Mexican sandwich. I visited Taqueria Vista Hermosa in the Mercado La Paloma (3655 South Grand Avenue at 37th Street) and can recommend the pambaso as well as the tacos:

Tacos use handmade tortillas and are excellent. Pastor is drier than most but this serves to accentuate the deliciousness of the marinaded meat, which isn't masked by goopy sauce. Not El Taurino good to my taste but close. Pollo adobado is moist and intense, I often avoid pollo in tacos as it can be a whitebread alternative for the non-offal eater but here I'd order it again. Salsa roja is too mild and no encurtido bar, but overall a solid taco experience.

According to my limited understanding a pambaso is defined by dipping the roll in a red chilli sauce, at Vista Hermosa this is quite mild. Here it's a big ol' Mexican roll filled with choripapas (chorizo, potato) and lettuce, dunked in sauce, slathered with crema and sprinkled with queso freso. Perhaps the sloppiest of all taco truck foods, it is served with utensils at Vista Hermosa and makes for a filling and tasty meal. I wish (again) that the salsa were quite a bit mas picante, when I sampled the pambazo de tinga in Santa Rosa it was "HOT In Herre". Tinga - pork/chipotle stew - is also a superior filling to choripapas; does anyone know where to get a pambazo de tinga in LA?

Isla Buffet

2004-11-30T06:59:00.001-08:00

Not for nothing are Filipino restaurants beloved of the low end theorist. Organ meats and exotic fruit drinks? Check. Cross-cultural confusion? How ‘bout adobo, lumpia shanghai and pancit canton rubbing shoulders. Bulk options for the community? You can probably fill your bathtub with $50 worth of pancit.

So I was excited when my Filipino friend May offered to take a party out for a traditional fish breakfast at Isla (formerly Toto’s Lechon Manok) at 4420 Eagle Rock Blvd. Breakfast is served weekends only as a $5.95 buffet – hooray for America! – and runs 8am til 10:30. I’d advise getting there early, not because it’s busy but because critical fried items are best fresh. Such as bangus, the lovable milkfish which is crisp and fishy, served in chunks including heads. I once went to a street fair where a Filipino comedian proclaimed “Pinoys, we got a lot of pride! We got pride lumpia, pride chicharron, pride bangus...”.

The heart of the steam table at Isla is the meatprefix-silog meal, where –silog is an abbreviation for eggs and rice. Hence bansilog = bangus, eggs, rice; tapsilog = beef tapa (dried ~ carne seca); and longsilog = longanisa sausage (the darker brown-red kind is the better of the two varieties).

Being a somewhat deluxe buffet there are other meat choices such as chicken and pork tocino, good examples of the Filipino sweet tooth that even extends to the amusingly toothsome fast food chain Jollibee. The longanisa is considerably sweeter than that you’ll find in Central American eateries. Other fine additions to the –silog basics are diced pig ears and eggplant, sticky black glutinous rice, addictively gingery congee and smoked and dried versions of the small tinapa fish. These are strong like mackerel, don’t miss the smoked one! Vinegar goes well with the bangus and tinapa. Another tasty condiment is the fried shrimp paste whose name escapes me. It lacks the deep funk of Malay belacan but is delicious in its own way. Unfortunately dessert is not included so you’ll have to pay extra for halo-halo, the godmother of shaved ice treats. Luckily it’s full of calories, I’m always reminded how at home they call taro/ube the Tongan steroid, despite the fact that its effect on one’s waistline is surely stoichiometric rather than catalytic.

Wa Sushi

2004-11-30T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is well-trodden turf but I thought I may as well report my fine experience at Wa Sushi. $60 omakase included:

- Three shot glass size cups on one long dish. Herring roe in little rectangular cakes with dashi shavings; abalone in strong, dark sauce made from its innards (Iron Chef-like, surreally great); and mozuku = soft stringy kelp with quail egg. These were collectively outstanding, very tasting menu-esque.

- New-style sashimi with some white fish (?) and the citrus-y oil/soy dressing familiar from Matsuhisa/Nobu. Had a dab of tapenade on the fish! Extra delicate slices, a real treat.

- Nigiri: Salmon, mirugai, maguro, hamachi and the true gem - toro. Didn't look especially fatty but dissolved on my tongue. The tail end of winter for Ms. or Mr Tuna?

- Gigantic, oxymoronic ama ebi sliced lengthwise in shell like little lobsters, grilled with enoki, small cubes of something (squash?) and served with a beurre blanc, ikura and little red peppery berries. Fiddly but decadent and delicious, came with a warm towel.

- Crab and mushroom risotto. Matsutake season is over but this was quite delicious regardless, could have been too bland but the daikon and herb shavings on top made it fusion in a good way.

- Molten chocolate cake verging on pudding. Good quality chocolate, strawberry and kiwifruit slices.

Chefs were real friendly and the place was hopping, mix of wealthy looking Japanese folks, hipsters from West Hollywood and regular folks like us. It hit the spot for a needed splurge though if I were to do it again I might request all cooked or innovative dishes, the non-toro nigiri was good (even given Sunday-quality fish) but you can get this stuff elsewhere. Alternative desserts: pear compote or green tea flan which probably would have been very tasty. I refuse to make any choices at omakase so chef Hiro made the call on the chocolate thing. Quite a meal!

Torafuku

2004-11-30T06:58:00.001-08:00

Torafuku is run by the Four Seeds Corporation of Tokyo and it's a fancy place geared at the expatriate crowd. Choice of Japanese or English menu at the door, shouted salutation from the open kitchen, Calpico water at an outrageous $3 on the drinks menu. Prices seem affordable but portions are very dainty. It's good value considering the quality.

For a place specializing in rice the menu has many sections. Sizzling plates, salads, things on skewers, sushi and sashimi. Fans of spicy tuna or Rainbow rolls will delight in the "California All-Stars" section. Oh dear. Most interestingly, under the Rice dishes were a few items earmarked "traditional" with a note warning off all but the "very adventurous". Like a red flag to any self-respecting chowhound.

I ate:
Gohan set. Rice with miso soup, pickles and a amuse-sized portion of saba (mackerel). The rice was very good but the difference between this and the best rice from my Japanese friend's fuzzy logic rice cooker -takes twice as long as regular, but done just right! - was subtle. The grains were very fat and fluffy and it seemed kinda translucent but the taste wasn't a revelation. It was improved by a liberal shake of the dashi/nori/sesame mix tableside.

Saba marinated in fermented rice bran. From the "traditional" section, this cost $9 and when it arrived I felt initially that I had wasted my money - note the nom de cuisine. However, the six thin slices of saba interleaved with daikon rectangles were quite delicious, extremely salty like the waitress warned but each containing enough flavour for 10 cafeteria teriyaki chicken bowls. I was reminded of the jamon iberico de bellota that I smuggled back from Barcelona - fortune favours the bold, or should I say the "very adventurous". Mmm... fermented rice bran.

Shiokara - "homemade squid legs". Raw tendrils of good and chewy squid in a cold, thick brown sauce that also tasted fermented and was very toothsome, almost like uni. From the "traditional" menu, a tiny portion but recommended.

Onigiri (rice ball) with spicy cod roe. Here the rice seemed tastier than in the Gohan set, eating it out of hand wrapped in the nori rectangle was satisfying and I savoured the nutty flavour highlighted by the dab of cod roe in the middle that tasted of the sea. I like to order onigiri and perhaps this one was extra good coming from the touted "kamado" oven that Torafuku boasts.

I'm no expert but Torafuku seems like a worthwhile addition to the Japanese restaurant kaleidoscope, it is just West of the Westside Pavilion and not far from Sawtelle. At least some of the clientele know what they like, the two Japanese cats sharing the counter with me discussed their salad at length with the chef and had it adjusted twice.

Dos Burritos

2004-11-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Dos Burritos is in Hollywood at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine (it's just moved and I don't know the exact coordinates). Mexican classics are tasty; pastor is not especially marinaded but grilled to a pleasingly crusty texture, machaca is a little too watery, killer rice and refried beans, above average encurtido esp. jalapenos, chile relleno (misspelled "reano" on menu to chagrin of counterman) is served with an amorphous mystery substance one later discovers is a fried hamburger bun. It's for the people and priced as such, a worthwhile stop in the neighbourhood and not to be confused with the two Los Burritos on Sunset or further west on Hollywood.

Perspex box of desserts was at fringes of my normal experience. Pressed milk/brown sugar things and coconut cakes in Mexican flag colours looked good but my friends and I opted for the chunks of geological camote/sweet potato/kumara, heavily sugared and coloured violent crimson. The dude suggested we take it with milk and picked out an extra good piece - it was treacly, starchy, and delicious.

Attari Sandwiches

2004-11-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

My friend's Persian girlfriend turned us on to Attari Sandwiches, a hard-to-find lunch spot with sandwiches fit to provoke a teenage riot. The address is 1388 Westwood, but it's actually in a nook on Wilkins around the corner from a French place named Soleil. One the day we went it was packed with wealthy looking Persians in various states of repleteness, belying the low-end prices.

Some of the sandwiches on offer, made on banh mi sized baguette with good tomatoes (menu is mostly in transliterated Persian so ask):
- Tongue. Melting texture and delicious beefy flavour.
- Kotlet/cutlet. Chicken or beef, fried in a falafel-tasting batter. Excellent.
- Mayonnaisey chicken salad.
- Kuku, the Persian veg kugel made with egg and greens including parsley I think. Really good.
- Chicken (boring, for white-meat orderers only).
- Sausage. Didn't try it, probably a good choice.

The Persian soup ash-e (beans/lentils, yoghurt and mint garnish) is at the grandmotherly level, perhaps the finest dish in the place.

Several side dishes that I didn't recognize on other tables, including a haleem-looking meat paste. Desserts including the teeth-hurting honey confections zooloobia and bamieh. Canadian carbonated doogh in the cooler plus superior minted Shemshad brand. A casual cafe-style alternative to the local kebab palaces.

International Tofu House

2004-11-30T06:56:00.000-08:00

070705
It was too good to be true, International Tofu House is no more. Jet out to K'town for your soon tofu fix.

Don't look now, but there is actually worthwhile food in Westwood Village. The neighbourhood I moved into with dismay a year and a half ago has Philly cheesesteaks (South St), thin East-Coast style pizza (D'Amore's) and now acceptable soon tofu at International Tofu House, 1114 Gayley at Lindbrook. Despite the name, there are no Cantonese tofu desserts, ghastly pan-vegetarian scrambles or delicate Japanese salads here, let alone tempeh or seitan (sorry, would-be Indonesian worshippers).

Small menu befitting a specialist restaurant. I tried pork soon tofu. The soup was tasty and scalding hot, it came with a raw egg and rice w/refill, and spicy meant spicy. Only four types of panchan; cabbage kimchi, cucumber, a leafy green one and a delicious nutty root that I am probably misunderestimating as burdock. The proprietors need to replace the boring green salad with more panchan, and slip that tasty melon flavoured gum in with the bill.

Overall, International i.e. Korean Tofu House is no BCD, least of all because they don't have the chewy intestine soon tofu or that great oily fish in the panchan. However, the usual "darn good for the Westside" refrain applies and business is rather slow, so pop in and support something good in your 'hood.

L.A. Eating Guide By Cuisine

2004-11-25T23:07:00.000-08:00

Please click on your cuisine of choice. For local help, consult the Neighbourhood Guide.

American
Armenian, Lebanese, Lebanese/Armenian
Bosnian
Brazil and Argentina
Chinese
Cuban
Cultural Collisions
Ethiopian
French/Fancy
Greek and Bulgarian
Guatemalan and Nicaraguan
Indonesian and Malaysian
Indian
Italian and Italian-American including Pizza
Jamaican, Trinidadian and Pan-Caribbean
Japanese
Korean
Mexican
Philippines/Filipino
Persian (and Syrian)
Peruvian
Polish
Salvadoran
Thai
Uzbeki
Vietnamese
Yemeni

L.A. Neighbourhood Eating Guide

2004-11-25T23:06:00.004-08:00

Please click on the neighbourhood of interest. Also consult restaurants by cuisine:

East San Gabriel Valley
San Gabriel
Monterey Park
Alhambra
East LA
Pasadena
Glendale/Eagle Rock
Chinatown and Little Tokyo
Downtown/USC area
Pico-Union/Alvarado
Koreatown
Mid-Pico
Crenshaw
Inglewood
Torrance and Gardena
South of L.A.
Marina del Rey and Venice
Mar Vista - between Venice and 405
Culver City east of 405
Palms
West LA around Pico
Sawtelle
West LA
Santa Monica and Brentwood
Westwood
Beverly Hills
Hollywood and Fairfax
Thai Town/East Hollywood
West San Fernando Valley
East San Fernando Valley

Restaurants not in SF or LA

2004-11-25T23:06:00.003-08:00

Here are the very incomplete lists of restaurants I have visited that aren't in San Francisco (361 restaurants) or Los Angeles.

Bay Area not in SF
Andersen's Pea Soup (Santa Nella branch)
Arenal Pizza
Banana Garden
Banana Leaf
Bette’s Oceanview Diner
Breads of India
Buddhist temple in Ukiah
Cambodiana
Cancun
Chez Panisse
Cluck U.
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
Everett and Jones
Fatapple’s
Great China
The Happy Pescado
Little Sichuan
Long Life Noodle House
O'Kanes
Oscar’s hamburgers
Rick and Ann’s
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles
Su Hong
Top Dog
Tropical Paradise
VIK Distributors
Yoshi’s

Davis, Sactown and environs
Buckhorn
Cafe Bernardo
Crepeville
Little Prague
Seasons
Waterboy

SF post grad-school
Alfred's steakhouse
Chenery Park
La Corneta taqueria
Taqueria Vallarta

San Diego and OC
Maria Isabel
Marrakesh
Pokez
Spice and Rice

Baltimore
Faidley's
J. Paul's
Phillip's

Washington D.C.
Julia’s Empanadas
Malaysia Kopitiam
Meskerem
Pizzeria Paradiso
Primi Piatti
So’s Your Mom
Zaytinya

Chicago
Bangkok Cafe
Fontano's
Lee Wing Wah
Lou Malnati's
Mountain View Cafe
My Place
New China Cafe
Paul Zakopane Harnas Restaurant
Penang Seafood
Phoenix Dim Sum
Spoon Thai
Triple Crown

Philadelphia
Abner's
India Palace
La Terrasse

Boston
Baraka
Buk Kyung
Cafe Brazil
Cafe Mami
Cheng Shin Yuan
Daily Catch
Dali
Il Capriccio
Maurizio's
Muqueca
Neptune Oyster
Penang Seafood
Supermercado Brasileiro
Troquet
Tuscan Grill

New York
2nd Ave. Deli
Habib's Place
Joe’s Pizza (West Village)
John’s Pizza (Bleecker St.)
Penang
Sucelt (Cuban)
Sylvia’s
Tierra Colombiana (Astoria)
Won Jo

Toronto
Restoran Malaysia

Vancouver
Sun Sui Wah
Fortune House

Auckland
Albert's (Aotea Centre)
Albert’s food court Mercury
Ariake
Benihana
Blossom Village
Cafe Bleu (St Heliers)
Cafe Cezanne
Caravanserai
Chef 2 noodle house
Chicks Hainanese chicken rice Food Alley
Chinatown Lorne St
Continental Noodle House
Currach Pub (Great Barrier Island)
Dave’s Hamburgers
Ding How
Dragon Boat
Enjoy Inn
Fish Pot Cafe
Food Alley claypot stall
Food Alley roti stall
Food City Malaysian noodles
Food City Mamak Indian stall
Food City Aunties stall
Golden Gold
Green Elephant
Hammerheads
Himalaya (Mission Bay)
Hong Kong Kitchen (GI)
Imperial
Jade Garden
Jewel of India
KK Malaysian
La Trattoria
Lanna Thai
Malindo
Mexican Cafe
Mong Kok Half Moon Bay
Mudbrick vineyard Waiheke
New Asia
Newmarket Food Court Malaysian
New Orient
Penang Cafe
Penny's yum cha Meadowlands
Peter’s Pies (upper Queen St)
Sam Bat (Dominion Rd)
Sam Woh Otahuhu
Sawadee
Seoul Cafe
Solla Sollew
Singapore Dried Pork and Beef
Star Seafood yum cha Botany Downs
Sun World
The Regent Brasserie
Thunderburgers
Tonino's pizzeria
Viet Hoa
Vietnam Cafe
White Lady

Wellington
Kopi (Willis St)

Christchurch
Le Bon Bolli
Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Food Cafe & Takeaway

Sydney
BarAsia
Bill's 2
Doyle's
Mersin
Oporto
Peter Lam
Prasit Thai
Shakespeare Pies
Yoshii

Sevilla
Bar Miami
La Taberna Alabadero

Granada
Casa Torcuato

Madrid
Las Bravas
Museo del Pan Gallego
Casa Ciriaco
Museo del Jamon (Plaza Mayor)
Museo del Jamon (Calle San Jeronimo)

Barcelona
Granja Viaders
L’Arc
La Gardunya
Casa Jordi
Pans and Company
Bar Pinotxco
La Sanabresa

Hong Kong
Maxim’s

Singapore
Banana Leaf Apolo
Best Fried
Blue Ginger
Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
Hakim's
Harbourfront food court
Kingfisher Cafe
Lemongrass
Loh mee hawker, Chinatown complex
Prata and coconut in Tekka Centre
Sungei Katoh cafe
West End

The Restaurant List L.A.

2004-11-25T23:06:00.002-08:00

Welcome to my blog, fellow low end theorist. Here is a list of every restaurant I have visited in Los Angeles and environs (n=341). It is divided into two sublists; restaurants from Jonathan Gold's excellent "Counter Intelligence", and other restaurants.

Happy eating,

Simon aka Low End Theory

Counter Intelligence (93 restaurants)
888 Seafood Restaurant
Aladdin Falafel
Al-Noor
Al-Watan
The Apple Pan
Battambang
Bay Cities Italian Deli
Bruddah’s
Bu San
Buu Dien
Cafe Brazil
Cafe Tropical
Canary House of Sandwiches
Caribbean Treehouse
Carousel Glendale
Cha Cha Chicken
Chabelita’s Tacos
China Islamic
Curry House
El Gran Burrito
El Pollo Inka
El Parian
El Sazon Oaxaqueno
El Taurino
El Tepeyac
El Texate
Empress Pavilion
5C’s
Furaibo
Guelaguetza Koreatown
Guelaguetza Palms
Guatemalteca Bakery
Hong Kong Low Deli
Indo Cafe
Javan
Jerk Pit
John O’Groats
Johnny Reb’s
Junior’s
Kim Chuy
Kobawoo House
Kotohira
Kruang Tedd
La Taquiza
Little Malaysia
M&M Soul Food
Ma Dang Gook So
Magic Carpet
Mandarin Deli
Mandarin House
Mario’s Peruvian Seafood
Marouch
Mei Long Village
Mi Ranchito
Mishima
Nyala
Oki Dog
Palm Thai
Papa Cristo’s
Paseo Chapin
Philippe the Original
Phillip’s Barbeque
Pho 79
Pink’s
Pollo a la Brasa
Reddi-Chick
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles (Pico)
Ruen Pair
Sa Rit Gol
Sahag’s Basturma
Sanamluang Cafe
Senor Fish
The Shack
Shiang Garden
Sky’s Gourmet Tacos
Soot Bull Jeep
Stevie’s On The Strip
Tacos Baja Ensenada
Tay Ho
Texis #2
Tito’s Tacos
Tommy’s (Santa Monica)
Tung Lai Shun
Uzbekistan
Versailles (Venice)
Vim
Yabu
Yai
Yazmin
Yongsusan
Zankou Chicken
Zabumba

Non-Counter Intelligence (248 restaurants)
#A Bakery Dim Sum Restaurant
2117
AAA Dim Sum and BBQ
Akane Chaya
Ambhala Dhaba
Alaska Seafood Restaurant
Angelino's Cafe
Annapurna
Aroma Cafe
Asahi Ramen
Asian Kitchen
Attari Sandwiches
Aunte P's
Baby Blue's Barbeque
Back Home In Lahaina
Bahay Natin
Baja Express
Banana Leaf
Barrio Fiesta
BCD Tofu House
Benito's Tacos
Best Szechwan
Big Tomy's
Blue Marlin
Brent's
Brodard II
California Teriyaki and Sushi
Canter's
Carmen Foods truck
Carnitas Michoacan #4
Cemitas Poblanas truck
Cemitas Poblanas truck (Tacos Junior)
Chabuya
Chichen Itza
Chung Ki Wa
Chung King
Cocina Azteca de Oro
Coffee Zinio
Cowboy Sushi
Crepe to Go on Sawtelle
Crown Cafe
Danube
DK's Donuts No 18
Damon and Pythias
D'Amore's Pizza
Darya
D.J. Bibingkahan
Din Tai Fung
Dip N' Roll
DiStefano's
Dolores
Don Antonio's
Don Don Tei
Dos Burritos
East West Sandwich
Eat Chop Chop
Echigo
El Abajeno
El Criollo
El Nido
El Paladar Oaxaqueno
El Rocoto
El Taco Unico
Elysee Boulangerie
Empanadas Place
En Sushi
Enzo's Pizzeria
Falafel King
Fatburger
Father's Office
Fidel's
Flossie's
The Gardens
Gaucho Express
Giang Nan
Gloria's Cafe
Good-Ha!!!
Grand Casino
Great Western Hoagie
Greece's
Green Village
Gumbo Shack
Gushi
H.Salt
Habibi Cafe
Hakata Ramen Shin Sen Gumi
Han Bat
Harold and Belle's
Headlines
Hide
Hodori
Hollywood Fries
Hop Li
Housenka Yakiniku
Hurry Curry of Tokyo
Hu's Szechuan
India Sweets and Spices
International Tofu House
Isla Roasted Chicken
JC Cafe
Jerry's Famous Deli
Jinju
Joe's Universal Restaurant
Johnnie's Pastrami
Jordan's Cafe
Jose Bernstein's
JR's Barbeque
Juquila
Juquila truck
Kabob and Chinese Food
Kang Seo Myun Oak
Ka-San Korean BBQ
Kim's Korean Barbeque
Kinchan Ramen
King Taco
Kiraku Ramen
Komatsu
Krua Thai
Kyushu Ramen
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
La China Poblana truck
La Isla Bonita truck
La Oaxaquena truck
La Dijonnaise
Lamonica's
Las Quenas
Le Pain Quotidien, Westwood branch
Le Petit Bistro
Le Saigon
Little Hong Kong Cafe
Little Sheep
Lucy's
Mami King
Mama Voula's
Manoly's Sweet Tooth
Manpuku
Mariscos Guillen
Mariscos Tatiana
Max's of Manila
Mayflower
Mediterranean Gourmet
Mi Piace
Mien Nghia
Mission 261
Mongol King
Monte Alban
Mousse Fantasy
MPV
Mr Noodle
Musha
Napa Valley Grille
Native Foods
Nathan's Kosherland
Natraliart
Nature's Way Cafe
NBC Seafood Restaurant
New Concept
Noodle Planet
Norm's
Nuevo Rincon Salvadoreno
Ocean Star
Off Vine
Olive Branch
Ono Hawaii BBQ
Orris
Osaka Grill
Otafuku
Paco's Tacos
Palms Market
Palomino
Pearl Dragon
Philly West
Pho79
Pho 999
Pho Bac Huynh
Pho Hoa
Pho So 1
Pinto truck
Pollo Campero
Port Royal Cafe
Raffi's Place
Raku
Ramen-ya
Ramayani
Real Food Daily
Regent Cafe
Ricos Tacos
Rubin's Red Hots
Saigon Sandwiches
Sak's Teriyaki
Sake House Miro
Sam Woo (Chinatown)
Sam Woo (San Gabriel Square)
Sandbags
Sarita's Pupuseria
Sawtelle Kitchen
Sepi's Giant Submarines
Shahrezad
Shamshiri Grill
Shik Do Rak
Skews
Simpang Asia
Sokongdong
Sompun
Song Long Restaurant
South Street
Subbie's Roll-In
Sri Siam
Sunnin Cafe
Sunshine Thai
Sushi Isshin
Swan Restaurant
Taco truck Pico and Plymouth
Taco Chato
Tacomiendo
Tacos El Camaguey
Tahoe Galbi
Tama Sushi
Taqueria Los Tapatios
Taqueria Sanchez
Taqueria Vista del Hermosa
Taste of India
Tengu
Terried Sake House
Tia Juana
Tomodachi Sushi
Torafuku
Tortas Mexico
T.O.T.
Truck outside El Zacatecas nightclub
U-Dog
Ubon
Umenohana
Uncle Darrow's
Vietnam House
Wat Thai (Thai temple)
Warszawa
Western and 4th car wash truck
Westwood Brewing Company
Wi Jammin
Woodlands
Yai Noodle
Yashima
Ye Olde King's Head
Yunnan Garden

Taco Trucks of the Westside

2004-11-25T23:06:00.001-08:00

God knows whether this blog will outlast the archives of Chowhound.com. Just in case, here is my list of taco trucks that are a short drive from work late at night. Not sure how the quality compares to East LA but at the best of these one gets a rush similar to that at El Gran Burrito, El Taurino, &c. I was pleased to get some love from the board about these recs. The proprietors of these vehicles are prone to peripatetic ways so don't get mad if they're not there - try again next time. The most reliable truck meats are usually al pastor (marinated pork) and cabeza (soft meat from the cow's head). I also like lengua = tongue, but never order pollo (chicken, boring). Tacos should be $1. See my taco truck glossary for menu help.

WEST LA
Juquila
Santa Monica Blvd @ Stoner, outside Goodwill store. Nights.
An adjunct to the worthwhile Oaxacan place of same name across the street. Good tacos with the usual meats.

El Paladar Oaxaqueno
Santa Monica Blvd @ Westgate, daily 7pm-12/1am. Sometimes parks on Barry south of Santa Monica.
Technically a taco trailer, this tremendous eatery has an unusual folded version of the hubcap-sized Oaxacan tlayuda. It’s easy to eat and delicious. Also terrific taco meats including barbacoa, and excellent tortas. 053005 note - I love to meet fellow diners with exacting standards. Last night a surprisingly natty man (suit!) and a woman who looked like his mother chatted with me in the line at El Paladar. They requested a sample of quesillo before ordering dos clayudas, and were kind enough to share a string or two. I'd had it previously but was happy to hear that they pronounced it very good.

Ricos Tacos
In parking lot of "Mi-T-Mart", Santa Monica and Westgate. A stand, not a truck or trailer. Tasty pastor with exemplary salsas and excellent suadero, the rare-on-the-Westside rib meat.

011805 update:
Cocina Azteca de Oro replaces Ricos Tacos at Santa Monica and Westgate. Pastor just OK but excellent cabeza and the piece de resistance: memela with bean paste and cheese made from corn-tasting masa on the spot (they'll wheel out the big wooden press). Some unusual items, quesadilla frita and flautas but they were out tonight... [this truck hasn't been seen for a while. 080405]

Carmen Foods
Sepulveda North of Pico 7am-9:30am
Sloppy pastor torta is tasty and heavy on the beans at this breakfast-only truck.

CULVER CITY
Taco Chato
Venice Blvd east of Sepulveda. Daily 8:30pm-12am
Don’t listen to the dude, his cemita is a very poor cousin to Tacos Junior down the street. Other tacos are excellent, however, with tasty salsas roja and verde plus immaculate radish slices on the counter.

Tacos Junior [yellow truck, has bench seating!]
Venice Blvd just east of 405 in auto-repair driveway, walled in by old refrigerators, 5pm-12am daily
The cemita poblana de milaneza con todo: Domed sesame seed roll, flat breaded steak, quesillo, chipotle, avocado and papalo (the secret weapon, pugnacious Mexican coriander. May not be available in winter months but ask!). After the wondrous Cemitas Poblanas truck at Santa Monica and Bundy vanished into the ether I feared this godly sandwich had gone from my life forever. Here it is again! Other tacos available, but order the cemita and rejoice!
Note: Tacos Junior also serves a splendid sope, thick handmade CD-sized tortilla covered with frijoles and carne gusto/meat of choice. Corn-y and filling.

Garcia's Bros (added 052405)
Venice @ La Cienega, NW corner. 7pm-12am
Spiffy clean truck for dining to the romantic glow of naked 60W lightbulbs. Large menu with memelitas, clayudas, sopes and even guaraches, a menu item not found at other Westside trucks I have visited! I really liked brick-red salty al pastor but cabeza taco was even better, both served with kickin' salsa verde. More notes on the guarache below.

Ricos Tacos (added 111305)
Venice @ Melvil, south side. 7 days. 5:30pm-1am (2am Fri-Sat).
Here it is, a truck with nothin' but tacos on the menu! Luckily they are wet and messy in a good way with spicy salsa rojo, cabeza and lengua better than pastor. Expensive at $1.15, but if you have some pennies left the champurrado is fine.

MAR VISTA
Mariscos Tatiana
Venice Blvd @ Mountain View. 7pm-1 or 2am
These guys are so slick they have a business card – with no address! Excellent tacos including camaron, plus dude with pile of recent release DVDs outside for atmosphere. Popular. Update 0105: Mariscos Tatiana also has tremendous tortas and Oaxacan clayudas with very fine non-mariscos meats.

Nameless truck outside “El Zacatecas”
Venice Blvd @ Mountain View. Weekend nights.
Small operation with no menu, almost like a kitchen for the nightclub. Munch on some nice tacos and listen to booming ranchero coming through the door.

Cemitas Poblanas ALERT!
I haven't tried this truck, but drove past it at Venice and Centinela parked outside Mitsuwa supermarket. The time was 12:30pm Tuesday 5/05. Probably daytime only - shucks!

VENICE
La Oaxaquena
Lincoln south of Rose. 6pm-2am.
Long line outside announces the best Oaxacan truck I’ve found. Amazing tlayuda, tacos, tortas. Oaxacan baked goods. Worth a special trip, and open late. Probably #1 on the Westside.

Nameless truck(s) south of La Oaxaquena
Lincoln south of Rose
A couple of trucks park here, one is a very sorry affair that looks about to disintegrate but has passable tacos. Try them out!

La Isla Bonita
Rose at 4th, 10am-5pm, no Thu.
A great truck for a summery weekend lunch or lazy afternoon, selling mariscos in taco, tostada and coctel format. Tostada de ceviche, taco de camaron both good. Non-mariscos meats too.

PALISADES
Pinto
Sunset Blvd at Monument, 12pm-2pm Mon-Sat
A taco truck in Palisades??? Lunchtime only but good fare and a welcome stop for the disoriented visitor. There is another truck in the ‘hood that parks further west at a gas station. Keep your antenna out for trucks in otherwise expensive neighbourhoods – there is a mariscos truck I’ve yet to try that parks on Beverly Glen at Mapleton weekends.

Notes on the guarache at Garcia's Bros:
The guarache is a tostada variant built on a thick soft tortilla formed from masa dough in the shape of a rudimentary shoe (21cm = women's size 3 1/2). On top of the toasty fresh guarache were a layer of fatty, delicious pasta de frijol negro, shredded lettuce, tons of quesillo, salsas verde and roja, radish slices and to top it off a splash of crema. Quite a challenge to squeeze into one's piehole, and the plastic fork is inadequate cutlery - can you handle the jandal [brand of NZ flip-flops] as we say in the Antipodes.

Cecina and tasajo are the other guarache options, suggesting the obvious Oaxacan background of the truck - Oaxacan chorizo $5/bolsa. But I dig the quesillo, it's a little more aged and sharper-tasting than good ol' supermarket string cheese. Contrast also with the much younger and harder Armenian string cheese sold as pure white knots (sometimes with black caraway seeds).

Unfortunately, Garcia's Bros were out of tamales de frijol tonight so I tried another vegetarian option, the memelita. Thought this would be a thick hockey puck thing but it turned out to be another guarache with only frijol, salsas and some crumbles of queso blanco. Like a shell-toe to the tricked-out Air Jordan of the full guarache, it's all good.

The San Francisco List

2004-11-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is where list-making began, and I'm confident I recorded almost every place I ate. The rules were simple:

1) Each restaurant had to be reachable by SF Muni bus.
2) Only full meals were recorded, maximum 3 restaurants/day.
3) No fast food chains (grey area, there was only one Yoshinoya and one Jollibee in SF).

Looking at the list I'm reminded of Homer Simpson's high school yearbook: "Sports - none. Activities - none. Honours - none... so many memories."

ABC *
Absinthe
Alamo Square *
Albona ***
Alfred Schilling
Ali Baba's Cave *
Amira
Ana's *
Ananda Fuara *
Andy's
Anh Hoang **
Art's Cafe **
Arizmendi ***
Asqew Grill
Avenue 9 *
Baby's Eatery and Palabok *
Bagdad Cafe
Balompie Cafe *
Bambino's
Bamboo Garden *
Bangkok 900
Bangkok BBQ San Francisco
Bashful Bull *
Beijing on Irving
Best Panda **
Big Nate's Bar-B-Q ***
The Blue Front Cafe
Bombay
Botana *
Boudin Fisherman's Wharf
Boulange de Cole **
Bow Hon *
Brisas de Acapulco **
Broaster Chicken
Brother's *
Brother-In-Law's BBQ **
Buca di Beppo
The Burger Joint **
Burgermeister
Burma Super Star *
C & M Bar aka Wong Kok **
Cafe Bakery and Restaurant *
Cafe do Brasil *
Cafe Kaleo
Cafe Rain Tree
Cafe Spiazzo
Cafe Tay Do
Caffe delle Stelle *
Canto do Brasil *
Canvas Cafe
Cajun Pacific ***
California Pizza Kitchen
Casa Aguila *
Cha Cha Cha **
Chapeau! *
Cheesesteak Shop ***
Cheng's Kitchen
Cheng's Kitchen Tokyo House
Chevy's in SOMA
Cinderella **
Citizen Cake **
Cordon Bleu **
Coriya Hot Pot City *
Cosmo Corner Cafe
Costa del Sol in Excelsior *
Costa del Sol in Outer Mission *
Courtney's **
Crepe Express *
Crepes On Cole
Crepevine
Crescent City Cafe
Cybelle's
Darla's
Destino **
Discount Deli
Doramon Thai Noodle
Doidge's **
Dottie's True Blue Cafe ***
Dou Hwa *
Dragon City **
Dragon River *
Dragon Well
E Komo Mai
Ebisu *
Einstein's Cafe *
El Balazo
El Castillito **
El Farolito 1 ***
2
El Nuevo Frutilandia **
El Patio *
El Toro *
Elite Cafe
Ella's ***
Empress Garden *
Eos **
Firefly*
Flippers
Fountain Court **
Fresca
Fringale ***
Frjtz *
Fukui
Galette *
Ganges
Garden of Tranquillity
Gatip *
Genki *
The German Cook *
Go Go Cafe **
Gold Mountain **
The Gold Spike
Golden City **
Golden Deer **
Golden Era
Golden Gate Pizza **
Golden Turtle on Van Ness *
Goldilocks *
Gordo on 9th
Grandeho's Kamekyo **
Gravy's ***
Great Eastern **
Greens **
Gui Lin *
Hahn's Hibachi **
Hama-Ko ****
Hana *
Hana-Zen **
Harbour Village **
Hawaiian Drive-Inn **
Henry's Hunan Restaurant *
Hing Lung (Broadway) *
Hon's Wun Tun House **
Hong Kong Seafood *
Hong Phat Noodle
Hot and Hunky *
Hotei *
House **
House Of Nanking *
Howard's
HRD Coffee Shop
Hugo St. Cafe
Hukilau Da Bar
HuLu House Vegetarian Restaurant ***
Ichiban-Kan
Il Pollaio *
Indonesia *
Iroha
Irving Cafe & Deli **
Irving St. Cafe *
Isuzu (Hana Hou) *
Jakarta *
Java
Jewels **
Joe's Cable Car **
Jollibee **
JT's Diner
Just Like Home *
Just Won Ton **
Juban **
Jumbo **
Kadok's House of Mami Siopao **
Kan Zaman
Katana-Ya **
Kate's Kitchen ***
Katia's Russian Tea Room **
Kezar Pub Carl and Cole *
Kezar Club on Stanyan
Khan Toke Thai House *
Khun Phoa II
Kim Hoang **
King of Thai 1 Clement ***
2 Clement **
3 Taraval **
4 Powell **
5 Haight (Best of Thai) *
6 Geary **
Korean place on Taraval ***
Kaneyama
Kasra *
Klein's Delicatessen
L'Avenida *
L'Osteria Del Forno ***
La Cumbre **
La Fina Estampa *
La Mediterranee
La Paz *
La Taqueria *
La Vie *
Lam Hoa Thuan *
Le Jardin **
Legume
Lee Hou *
Lhasa Moon
Little Bangkok *
Little Beijing
Loi's Irving
Loi's Taraval
Lol Tun *
Loongbar *
Lori's Diner
Los Guanacos *
Lucky Creation *
M's Cafe **
Mad Dog In The Fog *
Mae Thip
Mai's *
Maki ***
Mamaya **
Marnee Thai *
Massawa
Matterhorn *
Maxim's Bakery *
Max's Diner *
Max's Opera House Cafe *
Mayflower *
Mel's Diner
Memphis Minnie's **
Mexican place next to Amoeba
Mi Lindo Peru ***
Mifune *
Milano's Pizzeria
Minako ****
Minh Garden *
Minh Tri
Ming Tai Wun Tun House***
Miss Millie's ***
Mission Villa *
Mo's **
Modern Thai
Mom Is Cooking ***
Mon Kiang (Hakka, Broadway) *
Mong Thu (banh mi) **
Mong Kok (dim sum, Noriega) *
My Tofu House **
Naan n' Curry *
Nanking Road Bistro
New Asia *
New Aux Delices *
New Cheung Hing *
New Eritrea
New Golden Turtle *
New Hai Ky *
New Hing Lung (Noriega) *
New Lun Ting *
New On Sang *
New Sun Hong Kong *
New Woey Loy Goey *
Nirvana
North Beach Pizza
Oiri
Okonomiyaki place @ Post/Taylor *
The Old Chelsea **
Old Singapore Noodle House
Old Shanghai **
Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant ***
On The Bridge **
Oriental Seafood Restaurant *
Pacific Restaurant *
Pagolac **
Pakwan **
Pakwan in Tenderloin
Pancho Villa
Pasquale's Pizza
Park Chow *
Pasta Pomodoro
People's Cafe
Peregrine
Peter Bakery and Dim Sum *
Picaro
Piccadilly Fish and Chips *
PJ's Oysterbed
Pho Hoa Hiep II *
The Pig and Whistle *
Pittman's BBQ Pitt **
Plouf *
Pluto's
Polk Street Station Diner
Pomelo
The Pork Store **
Potrero Brewing Company
Powell's Place 1 **
2 *
PPQ ***
Punahele Island Grill ***
Red's Java House *
Rosamunde **
Rubio's Baja Grill *
Saigon Sandwiches **
Sam Wo
San Miguel ***
San Tung **
Sapporo-Ya *
Shabu-Shabu
Shalimar ***
Shanghai Restaurant *
Shanghai place on Geary at ~18th
Shangri-La
Singapore and Malaysian Restaurant *
Slider's Diner
South Sea Seafood Restaurant ***
Sparky's Diner
Straits Cafe
Submarine Center
Sukhothai
Sunrise Deli
Sunset Star
Suppenkuche **
Suriya **
Sushi cafe in SOMA
Sweet Heat
Sweet Temptation ***
Taiwan Point *
Takara **
Taqueria Altena *
Taqueria Cancun 1 ***
2 *
Taqueria Guadalajara ***
Taqueria Menudo *
Taqueria on Ocean
Taqueria San Jose ***
Tart to Tart
Tennessee Grill *
TC Pastry *
Thai BBQ
Thai House **
Thai Spice
Them Ky *
Thep Phanom **
Ti Couz **
Tien Tien *
Timo's
Tita's Hale A'ina ***
Ton Kiang **
Tommy's Joynt **
Tortas Boos Voni**
Tortas Los Picudos **
Tracy Garden **
Traktir **
Truly Mediterranean *
Tu Lan *
Two Jacks Seafood **
Uncle's Cafe *
Universal Cafe **
The Video Cafe *
Vietnam II *
Villa Romana
Washington Street Bakery and Cafe *
We Be Sushi
Whiz Burger *
Yamo
Yellow Submarine *
Yoshinoya *
Yuet Lee *
Yumma's *
Yummy Yummy
Zazang Noodle House **
Zare *
Zazie **
Zona Rosa
Zuni

Post grad school
La Corneta

Pollo Campero, Jollibee, Yoshinoya

2004-11-25T23:05:00.001-08:00

Chain chain chain, chain of fools - Don Covay

Take these chains from my heart and set me free - Hank Williams

Schooled in anticorporate attitudes from my Bay Area days, I was thrilled to discover two tasty fast food chains from overseas that are thriving in the face of Yanqui hegemony; Pollo Campero and Jollibee. Yoshinoya isn't as toothsome as the other two but good things do come in threes and there are commonalities. Mostly, all three are serving food that is substantially different from the American ideal yet modified from its original form to fit the standardised fast food model, with amusing results. Eat at Pollo Campero or Jollibee and stick it to the man!

Pollo Campero
1605 W. Olympic Blvd. (at Union). Open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., seven days a week.
Pollo Campero is from Guatemala, and proffers delicious fried chicken spiced very differently from the famous Colonel. The main reason for visiting is to see what the local community went bananas over when they opened their store in Pico Union - lines around the block and widespread rejoicing (luckily the craziness has died down enough that one can waltz on in these days). My favourite Pollo Campero story is that of the woman who flew to LA - prior to the opening of the local outlet - with hundreds of pieces purchased from the Guatemala City airport branch and stored in garbage bags. She resold them at a high enough profit to make back her airfare!

Jollibee
139 W. Carson St. Carson, CA 90745
(310) 513 1941
A Filipino hamburger megachain, Jollibee reminds me of the new wave Party line "capitalism with Chinese characteristics". These folks are growing faster than McDonald's in their native Philippines, fueled by strangely familiar hamburgers that are nevertheless tailored to the Pinoy palate with soy sauce and a lot of sugar. I frequented the SF Jollibee often but have yet to trek out to Carson to scratch this itch. Sort of a pan-fast food restaurant, Jollibee prepares soft-n-squishy spaghetti, dogs, fried chicken and a few choice Filipino treats (fast food palabok - woohoo!) in addition to the aforesaid burgers, which are actually substantially better than the competition to my sugar- and soy-liking taste. I like the Pinoy-specific desserts such as halo-halo and the langka/jackfruit pie. I am proud to use my Jollibee key ring whenever I go to do laundry.

Yoshinoya
many locations
This was a cool place to eat in SF where there was only one outlet - in a lousy food neighbourhood near the Financial District - and its trashy fast food ultra-thin beef-over-rice bowl was actually a novelty (I never ate the sushi or other offerings). The attraction was mostly the amazing speed with which the food appeared, a truly frightening haste which didn't square with the passable quality - I suppose turnover must have been higher than it appeared. I still maintain its a better port in a storm than Jack-In-The-Box.

American: Jewish Deli and Bagel

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Langer's Deli
704 S. Alvarado St @ 7th, Pico-Union. 213/483-8050
Touted as the best pastrami sandwich in the known universe by many; Langer's does not disappoint. The meat is thickly sliced and has a perfect balance between crusty edges and juicy, beefy inside. Light rye is a mirror image, just crusty enough but somehow not soggy on the inside. Go for an egg cream to complete the time-capsule feel of a legendary restaurant holding its ground in a strange land.

Brent's
19565 Parthenia St - (818) 886-5679
Beloved and authentic Jewish deli in Northridge. Excellent reuben sandwich.

Junior's
2379 Westwood Boulevard 310.475.5771
Pricey but famous deli with good pastrami sandwich.

Nathan's Kosherland
1636 Westwood Blvd. (310) 273-0303
Whitefish salad bagel is worth a stop though not in NY league.

Canter's
419 North Fairfax Ave, 323 651 2030
Questionable quality at this famous Jewish deli on Fairfax but you might see stars. I liked the mishmosh OK.

Return to American main menu

American -

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Choose from the following types of American food:

American
Barbeque
Hawaiian
Jewish Deli and Bagel
Soul Food

Vietnamese

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A note about Vietnamese: for the full-on Vietnamese experience, head down to Bolsa Ave. in Westminster. It's a long drive but you won't regret it for a second. While there, sample the freshly squeezed sugar cane drink, it's incredible.

Vietnam House
710 W. Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, (626) 282-6327
Don't be afraid of the legendary seven kinds of beef, it is a truly wonderful meal that is paced by the necessary assembly and constructed for leisurely enjoyment. It is also amazingly cheap at Vietnam House in San Gabriel. Good bun bo hue - Hue style rice noodle with pig foot - and cha gio/fried spring rolls, but banh xeo is a little too fat at expense of crispness.

Pho79
11 E. Main St., Alhambra, (818) 289-0239
Best pho I have had in L.A.

Tay Ho
9629 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA Tel: (714) 839-1389
Amazingly delicate banh cuon, rice sheets wrapped around various fillings. Banh cuon dac biet is a delicious and varied assortment where the rice sheets enclose ground pork and mushrooms. Also has very good banh xeo/Vietnamese fried crepe.

Song Long Restaurant
9433 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster (714) 531-0792
Little Saigon beef noodle soup joint. The brown, thick long-cooked kind.

Brodard II
647 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, 626-281-1840
Alhambra Vietnamese where I had excellent banh xeo (pancakes), Hue style barbecue and broken rice.

Pho So 1
7231 Reseda Blvd - (818) 996-6515
Top quality pho in Reseda.

Saigon Sandwiches
828 N. Broadway, #1. Los Angeles. 213-625-8721 Chinatown
Banh mi and freshly squeezed cane juice. An excellent little shop.

Buu Dien
642 N BROADWAY (213) 617-8355 Chinatown
Little banh mi shop with high quality sandwiches. Combination as always is reliable.

Pho Hoa
818 N Spring St, Los Angeles, 213 485-0074. Chinatown
Good quality pho.

Pho 999
6411 Sepulveda Blvd - (818) 782-1999
Van Nuys close to Ranch 99 supermarket. Acceptable quality pho.

East West Sandwich
1116 Westwood Blvd
Banh mi in Westwood? Wonders never cease. Get your <$3 Vietnamese combo sammidge here and steer well clear of all other menu items.

Uzbeki

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Uzbekistan
7077 Sunset Blvd. 323-464-3663 Hollywood
An unforgettable L.A. international restaurant that must be tried. Russia meets Central Asia with kebab plates and terrific pickled veges. Again, the deafening band (this time a violin-containing trio) with Russian graffiti for atmosphere in the booths.

Thai

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A note about Thai desserts

As with my Persian page, the ratings system really breaks down in face of the sheer number of fantastic Thai restaurants in Los Angeles. Each of these restaurants has their personal classics which I've described either in my capsules below or in longer reviews. Try them all, and be thankful for our good fortune.

Wat Thai (Thai temple)
12909 Cantara St North Hollywood: (818) 997-9657 Weekends only
Papaya salad, kanom krok, e.t.c. at the true Motherlode of L.A. Thai eating. Weekends in the parking lot with the Thai homies, beauty contests and karaoke. One of the greatest food adventures in Los Angeles.

Yai
5757 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 462-0292
My favourite Thai Town joint! Salt fish specials, kickin' papaya salad, pork leg that will leave you speechless with delight.

Ruen Pair
5257 Hollywood Blvd: (323) 466-0153. Thai Town
Thai Chinese, basically on par with Yai as the best restaurant in Thai Town. Try the rice soup/congee with side dishes such as pork and olives, kangkong/morning glory, salty crab and other treasures.

Swan Restaurant
12728 Sherman Way, North Hollywood. 818-764-1892
Check out the golden rice salad and deep fried trout with house special spices at Swan. They are two of L.A.s most essential Thai dishes.

Krua Thai
13130 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, (818) 759-7998
My favourite Thai noodles in LA. I feel confident you will love anything from the noodle menu (and most of the other dishes too) but try the dry version of the General's Noodle for a stunning mix-travaganza that rivals the finest bibimbap.

Sunshine Thai 13212 Sherman Way, North Hollywood 818-764-6989
Yet more Thai deliciousness. Great pork 'n pig ear salad and a delicious seafood medley called "Shallow Sea". For the people!

Sri Siam
12843 Van Owen St. (818) 982-6161
North Hollywood Thai town stalwart, one of LA's great great mini mall restaurants. A true gem.

Sanamluang Cafe
5170 Hollywood Boulevard (323)660-8006 Thai Town
Wonderful noodle house open late - great prices and tasty flavours. Everything a Thai noodle house should be.

Yai Noodle
5401 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood
Outstanding noodles from the folks who brought you Yai. Soups with rich beef/anise broth, and pan fried classics.

Kruang Tedd
5151 Hollywood Blvd, 667-9800 Thai town
Hilarious Thai nightclub with teenage bands playing soft rock. Bar-style food is actually really good, especially banana leaf chicken.

Palm Thai
5273 Hollywood Blvd.; 323/462-5073 Thai Town
Elvis aside, the food is really very good here in my experience. Unusual specials are the best bet such as citrus-y fish maw salad - will try venison curry on my next trip.

Vim
5132 Hollywood Blvd.; (213) 662-1017 Thai Town
Innaresting, Thai food for Latino immigrants on Hollywood strip. Generous servings, a worthwhile cultural collision.

Sompun
4156 Santa Monica Blvd Los Feliz (323) 661-5350
Kao sod noodle is a delightful peanutty curry dish, Silver Lake.

Yemeni

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Magic Carpet
8566 West Pico Boulevard, ph: 310.652.8507 Mid-Pico
Yemeni ultrakosher place with ethnographic decor ala wedding diorama. Melawach is delicious pancake with buttery/crispy/layered texture that's very lovable. Fine eggplant dips, a destination worth the trip.

Salvadoran

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Texis #2
698 S Vermont Avenue - 213-387-8890 K’town
Salvadoran chain for that pupusa fix.

Sarita's Pupuseria
317 S Broadway Los Angeles in Grand Central Market, Tel: (213) 626-6320
Large range of pupusas, loroco and carne asada are solid. Also the delightful, bright red drink with "chia pet" seeds called chan.

Gloria's Cafe
10227 Venice Blvd, (310) 478-5259 Culver City
Solid Salvadoran on Venice Blvd.

Peruvian

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El Hatuchay
12853 Sherman Way North Hollywood, (818) 765-9907
I've eaten a lot of Peruvian with my good friend Alvaro. We have found El Hatuchay to be our favourite, the classics like ceviche, lomo saltado and papa ala huancaina are fabulous here. One day I would like to try the very rare carapulcra which they have not had on our visits.

Pollo a la Brasa
764 S. Western Ave.; (213) 382-4090 K’town
My favourite roast chicken in L.A. and that's saying a LOT. Peruvian style with giant wood pile next door testifying to its greatness. On a traffic island with little atmosphere but who cares, it's the best in town!!!

Las Quenas
(818) 764-3962, 12708 Sherman Way
Great great ceviche and lomo saltado in the Thai ghetto. As you'd expect from the 'hood, this is an awesome Peruvian restaurant for Peruvian folks.

Mario's Peruvian Seafood
5786 Melrose Ave: (323) 466-4181.
Peruvian greatness on Melrose in Hollywood. Wonderful stir fried saltados and tallarin (spaghetti).

El Rocoto
1356 W Artesia Blvd, Gardena 310-768-8768
Not quite in the league of the North Hollywood kings, but a good Peruvian option in South Bay. I enjoyed the classic Peruvian breakfast ham sandwich, butifara, made with the "jamon del pais". For drinks, the maracuya/passionfruit is good.

Persian and Syrian

2004-11-25T22:52:00.000-08:00

Notes on Persian:
With a huge and extravagant population, it's no surprise that Los Angeles has terrific Persian restaurants. The trouble is choosing which of the sit-down restaurants to try - the menus are very codified and there will always be kebabs, stews, and rice dishes, usually with the same few appetizers. Basically, Shahrezad is my favourite all around because of the bread and kashk-e-bademjan, Raffi's Place wins hands down for kebabs, Javan sports particularly good fesenjan and Darya is a solid all round option with ridiculous decor. All of these places are great in my experience, though particular dishes may vary at each one. Happy eating!

Raffi's Place
211 East Broadway Glendale 818-240-7411
Persian Glendale with exemplary kebabs. For the true meat and rice lover, you can even grill yourself under the heat lamps outside.

Shahrezad
1442 Westwood Blvd. 310 470-3242
Persian distinguished by the bread - exceptional - and delicious brick shaped rice thing with lamb inside called tah chin. After several fine meals of late, my new Persian favourite.

Attari Sandwiches
1388 Westwood Blvd: 310-441-5488 Westwood (note- turn off Westwood at Soleil French restaurant, Attari is in small courtyard)
Outstanding and hard to find Persian sandwich spot that's totally for the people! Soup/asch is heartwarming and delicious. Sandwiches extrafine plus you can hang with the highly moneyed clientele for cheap.

Darya
12130 Santa Monica Blvd, (310) 442-9000 West LA
Persian recommended by my driving instructor. Really good kebabs, pollos (rice dishes) and stews, ghormeh sabzi (fenugreek) and fesenjan (walnut and pomegranate) are winners with tah dig (crispy rice).

Javan
11500 Santa Monica Boulevard (310) 207-5555
Fancier Persian place with excellent stews in particular, though kashk-e-bademjan is better elsewhere. Up there with Darya and Shahrezad as the best of a very good bunch in L.A.

Shamshiri Grill
1712 Westwood Boulevard (310) 474-141
Persian from the strip, good quality kebabs and stews.

Olive Branch
658 Foothill Blvd. La Crescenta, (818) 248-9876
Charming neighbourhood Persian, notable in particular for the seldom-spotted queisi polo, with apricots! Chicken koobideh and bademjan also worth a shot.

Canary House of Sandwiches
1942 Westwood Blvd, 310 441 2483
Persian lunch spot with amusing hot dog sandwich recommended by J.Gold.

Mediterranean Gourmet
10863 Venice Blvd, (310) 842-8291.
Syrian Venice Blvd hangout for the community. Tasty rice and meats.

Philippines/Filipino

2004-11-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

Max's of Manila
313 W. Broadway, Glendale, (818) 637-7751
Don't be fooled by slick chain-y exterior, the menu is hardcore variety meats and Pinoy deliciousness. Lip-smacking lechon (deep fried pork belly) and fine pansit palabok. Karaoke for the cheezoid sensibility in all of us.

Good-Ha!!!
900 E Colorado St, Glendale (818) 662 0971
Ideal spot for Filipino fish breakfast, especially the intense smoked fish called tuyo-tuyo or the daing (milkfish/bangus marinated in fish sauce then fried). Also candy-sweet tocino/pork with your eggs and rice. Filling and ultra-cheap. Stop in at the grocery store next door for more Pinoy goodness.

Barrio Fiesta
3687 San Fernando Road Glendale; (818) 244-8502
Highly regarded Filipino sit-down place with great barbecued meat and grand pianist (I believe that is the adjective). For a celebration, of course.

Isla Buffet
4420 Eagle Rock Blvd Los Angeles: (323) 257-1902 Eagle Rock
Filipino breakfast buffet for the true believer. Fried fish and great steam table choices. Inevitable excellent value. Pinoy breakfasts rule!

DJ Bibingkahan
13760 Roscoe Blvd Van Nuys: (818)894-5688
In Panorama City Filipino ghetto, a turo-turo/steam table joint. I liked the pigs blood stew dinuguan, plus they had the exotic soda Sarsi!

Mami King
14650 Roscoe Blvd # 12 (818) 891-8581
Prototypical Filipino noodles and buns in Panorama City. Dirt cheap and stereotypically great.

Mexican: Other Regions

2004-11-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

MEXICAN: BIRRIA
El Parian
1528 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 386-7361
Goat stew and little else on the menu in Pico Union. What a tremendous meal, fresh tortillas and gutsy, bone-in, soulful birria. Not to be missed.

MEXICAN: YUCATAN
Chichen Itza
3655 S. Grand Ave., (213) 741-107 South of Downtown close to U.S.C.
Mercado Paloma again for Yucatan fare - hard to find but delicious! Try the tamal, and of course authentic cochinita pibil/pork stew. A real treasure.

MEXICAN: VERACRUZ
Mi Ranchito
12223 W Washington Blvd - 310-837-1461 Mar Vista west of 405
Veracruz! An uncommon regional style. The chilpachole soup is really good.

MEXICAN: PUEBLA
La China Poblana
3527 E. Whittier Blvd., Los Angeles
Truck in a parking lot with serviceable cemita not nearly as good as Gold claims. No chipotle when I visited or papalo, but rubbery queso blanco and milanesa are satisfying on the eponymous sesame seed roll.

PAN-LATIN INCLUDING MEXICAN:Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe
2124 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles (213) 487-7474
A tamale tasting menu, possibly the most enticing pan-Latin meal a food-lover can imagine. Don't miss the nacatamal-like Honduran tamal! This place is for a good cause, but the main reason to go is to eat some of the best tamales you'll find anywhere.

SEAFOOD EXTRAVAGANZA (tough to categorize this one)
Alaska Seafood Restaurant
1112 Nagoya Way San Pedro, CA 90731 310-547-1961
Actually there are many seafood restaurants down here in Pedro, at the Ports O'Call complex. This one is particularly clean and is run by Koreans so there are non-Mexican items. Fine fine Dungeness crab and excellent camarones al mojo de ajo. Check out the norteno musicians and seaside atmosphere - Ole! for Ports O'Call!

Mexican: Oaxaca

2004-11-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Guelaguetza Koreatown
3014 W Olympic Blvd, 213-427-0608
Renowned Oaxacan giant does not disappoint. Should be on almost anyone's top ten list of Mexican, as this is hard to find in other cities. Marimba band adds zest to the incredibly complex moles.

Guelaguetza Palms
11127 Palms Blvd. (310) 837-1153 Palms
Oaxacan joint that I love. Grasshoppers, heavenly mole negro, deep red barbacoa stew. I always take friends here.

El Sazon Oaxaqueno
12131 Washington Place, 310-391-4721 Mar Vista/West of 405
Basically a panaderia with restaurant attached. Famous tlayuda/Oaxacan hubcap-sized "pizza" crisp tortilla that is head and shoulders above competition - with guacamole!

Juquila
11619 Santa Monica Blvd- (310) 312-1079 West LA
Oaxacan with a down-home atmosphere and toothsome moles. Recommended.

El Texate
316 Pico Blvd - (310) 399-1115
Oaxacan in Santa Monica. I liked mole coloradito.

Monte Alban
11927 Santa Monica Blvd - (310) 444-7736 West LA
Oaxacan fare with no lard = points off. Still a nice little spot for the less adventurous.

Mexican: Taqueria

2004-11-25T14:56:00.000-08:00

Also see my list of taco trucks on the Westside.

El Taurino
1104 S. Hoover St., L.A. 213-738-9197 Pico/Union
Jonathan Gold's favourite pastor and who am I to argue. One of L.A.'s most beloved taquerias, at the far end of the quality bell curve.

King Taco
2020 W. Pico Blvd. (310) 884-9984
Taco chain near the pinnacle of L.A.'s Darwinian proliferation of the species. Al pastor tacos and sopes that are out of this world. Highly recommended. Pico Union branch is closest to Westside. Awesome mollejas/sweetbreads.

Taqueria Vista del Hermosa
3655 S. Grand Ave. (213) 741-1251
Great taqueria in Mercado La Paloma near USC. Killin' pastor plus the rare and wonderful pambaso, a sandwich on roll drenched in salsa.

Tacos Baja Ensenada
5385 Whittier Blvd., East L.A.; (323) 887-1980
Best fish tacos I have ever tasted and real cheap! Immaculate freshness and crispy coating, also try jaiva/crab tostada.

El Gran Burrito
4716 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles - (323) 665-8720 East Hollywood
Exceptional taco stand that belongs in the pantheon. Asada, pastor, carnitas, extremely fresh. Not for nothing does J.Gold compare these to crack cocaine.

Tortas Mexico
3033 Foothill Blvd. - La Crescenta, 818.248.0099
La Crescenta torta shop, it's awesome! Try the Mexican version of a Cubano, not authentic but darn good eating.

Taqueria Sanchez
4541 S Centinela Ave, (310) 822-8880
Best taqueria on the Westside, need I say more? Also great tortas but the taco meats alone and salsa bar will keep you dancing.

Senor Fish
422 E. 1st St., 213-625-0566 Little Tokyo
Classic Mexican place with good fish tacos and better scallop burrito. Priced right and a local favourite.

La Taquiza
3009 S. Figueroa St: 213-741-9795
Right next to U.S.C., a juice bar and taqueria with the famous mini-quesadilla called a mulita - fabulous. I liked the six-juice drink.

El Tepeyac
812 N Evergreen St., Boyle Heights, CA 323 267-8668
Revered Mexican-American burrito temple in East LA/Boyle Heights with Brobdingnagian servings. Machaca is good and salty.

El Camaguey
10925 Venice Blvd - Los Angeles, CA. 310-839-4037 Culver City
Fantastic tacos and best of all - cubanos and media noches (Cuban pressed sandwiches) in a supermarket. I love to come here!

Dos Burritos
Hollywood and Vine, recently relocated. Do not confuse with Los Burritos!
Mexican dive in central Hollywood with outstanding plates including pastor burrito and crazy chiles relleno. Try some geological camote/sweet potato from the dessert cabinet.

Tacomiendo
4502 Inglewood Blvd, Culver City 310 915 0426
Handmade tortillas rule at Tacomiendo, surprisingly good Mexican fare on the Westside.

Chabelita's Tacos
2001 S. Western Ave.; (323) 734-0211 K’town fringe
Reliable taco stand open late. I like the greasy tortas.

Palms Market
3568 Motor Ave - (310) 202-1230 Palms
Get your taco fix inside this market. Barbacoa is especially good.

Fidel's
10855 Venice Blvd. (310)559-8891 Culver City
Good quality Mexican burritos and soft tacos on Venice Blvd.

Tacos Don Kike
Beaudry @ 2nd, Downtown (no phone)
Taco stand with passable pastor, extensive condiments - frijoles are free - and a great view of the Figueroa St skyscrapers. Good for post-Disney Hall dining.

Mariscos Guillen aka La Playita
3306 Lincoln Blvd (310) 452-0090 Venice
Lincoln Blvd mariscos shack with rock bottom prices and soggy but delicious fish tacos.

Manoly's Bakery
11771 Santa Monica Blvd, (310) 473-0622 West LA
Panaderia with lunch specials. Avoid American fare and tuck into some giant handmade tortillas in the taco special - barbacoa is good.

Mexican-American

2004-11-25T14:48:00.000-08:00

El Tepeyac
812 N Evergreen St., Boyle Heights, CA 323 267-8668
Revered Mexican-American burrito temple in East LA/Boyle Heights with Brobdingnagian servings. Machaca is good and salty.

El Abajeno
4515 Inglewood Blvd: (310) 390-0755 Culver City
Giant Mexican American servings for the people. This place is Filling with a capital F and not too bad. Culver City.

Tito's Tacos
11222 Washington Place, 310.391.5780 Culver City
Hard shell tacos, 1960s style. I actually liked it.

Sky's Gourmet Tacos
5408 W. Pico Blvd., 323-932-6253 Mid-Pico
Amusing African American overstuffed tacos with sweet lemonade. Good stuff.

Korean: Noodles, Soon-tofu, other

2004-11-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

Yongsusan
950 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 388-3042
What a treat, multiple-small-dish Korean banquets with wonderful attention to detail. Stuffed "bosam kimchi" is famous but I also loved simple things like grilled scallops and fatty steamed pork. An essential LA restaurant.

Sokongdong
2716 W. Olympic Blvd #104, Koreatown 213-380-3737
Wonderful soon tofu/soft tofu stew and a spendid spicy raw crab dish. You'll want to extricate every morsel.

Ma Dang Gook So
869 S. Western Ave (213) 487-6008 K’town
Gook soo = handmade noodles in delicious variety of soups. One of J.Gold's favourites and rightly so.

Kang Seo Myun Oak
3033 W. 6th St., LA 213-382-1717 K’town
Naeng myun palace for lovers of the cold buckwheat noodle. Perfect for a hot summer's day or any other day for that matter.

BCD Tofu House
3575 Wilshire Blvd (@Kingsley, (213) 382-6677 K’town
Soon tofu house that's open late. Great quality and large panchan selection (side dishes, free) with grilled fish a highlight.

Kobawoo House
213-389-7300 698 S Vermont Ave #109 Los Angeles, K’town
Mungbean pancake of legend is well worth a trip. Also try the classic dol sot bibimbap in stone bowl with mountain vegetables.

Han Bat
4163 W. Fifth St., (213) 383-9499.
Who said this blog was a big waste of time? A commenter recommended this very good sul lung tang/beef soup place, and I really liked it. Essentially a one-item menu but the bone-milky soup is hearty and good, as attested by satisfied slurping throughout the room.

Jinju
610 S. Western Ave., (213) 383-6789 K’town
C rating when I went which has probably improved. Rib-sticking Korean hangover-cure soups with hearty flavour. 24hours? Check.

Back to main Korean menu

Korean: Barbecue

2004-11-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Sa Rit Gol
3189 W. Olympic Blvd.; (213) 387-0909
Right there with Chung Ki Wa as the Koreatown destination of choice. Absolutely killing barbecue with pork belly a highlight. Best panchan/small dishes in town according to the experts.

Chung Ki Wa
3545 W Olympic Blvd, 323 737-0809.
Great great Korean barbecue and exotic Korean dishes. Try skate wing for adventure! One of my top restaurants in K'town.

Shik Do Rak
2501 W Olympic Blvd, Phone: (213) 384-4148 K’town
Great Korean barbecue w/rice sheets called duk to wrap your meat in. Seafood pancake is greasy and filling. Highly recommended as a variation on the classic theme, great dipping sauces.

Soot Bull Jeep
3136 West 8th Street Los Angeles Phone: 213.387.3865
Charcoal makes all the difference to flavour at Soot Bull Jeep. You will smell like you've survived a forest fire, it is a deeply atavistic pleasure. Galbi/ribs can be scissored off the bone by the waitresses, bulgogi and tongue also excellent.

Ka-San Korean barbecue
3115 Foothill Blvd, La Crescenta, 818 249-550
Good quality Korean gas-fired barbecue with extensive panchan, rice sheets and radish slices for assembly. Also non-barbecue dishes, inevitable karaoke setup and post-church dressy Korean clientele for Sunday lunch.

Kim's Korean Barbeque
8384 Topanga Canyon Blvd - (818) 346-1590
Korean outpost in Canoga Park. Tasty bulgogi if in neighbourhood.

Back to main Korean menu

Japanese: Curry and Italian

2004-11-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

Akane Chaya
1610 W REDONDO BEACH BLVD, (310)768-3939
Japanese Italian, an endlessly amusing fusion in Gardena. Pasta with tobiko/flying fish roe is just the start.

Hurry Curry of Tokyo
2131 Sawtelle Blvd., (310)473-1640 Sawtelle
Japanese "curry" cannot be truly written without inverted commas, but it's still a quintessential comfort food. I usually get croquettes.

Blue Marlin
2121 Sawtelle Blvd , 310-445-2522 Sawtelle
Sawtelle Japanese Italian and curry. Inventive specials.

Curry House
2130 Sawtelle Bl #200, 310-479-8477 Sawtelle
Japanese curry chain with many crazy specials like curry and omelettes. Good silly fun.

Sawtelle Kitchen
2024 Sawtelle Blvd, (310) 445-9288 Sawtelle
Nice neighbourhood fusion joint.

Return to main Japanese menu

Japanese: Yakiniku

2004-11-25T14:40:00.000-08:00

Housenka Yakiniku
1601 Redondo Bch Blvd., (310)323-4129 Gardena
Yakiniku is Japanese version of Korean barbecue. Tongue is great, but other meats also exceed the standard for local yakiniku. Of course, this is the Todai plaza.

Manpuku
2125 Sawtelle Blvd., 310-473-0580 West LA/Sawtelle
Yakiniku thats really satisfying. Raw beef was my favourite dish.

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Japanese: Izaka-ya and small dishes

2004-11-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

Musha
1725 Carson St., Suite B, Torrance, 310-787-7344
Torrance izakaya that's the best in town according to my researches. Drink yourself silly but also eat the terrific Japanese bar snacks that are crazy inventive. Grilled tongue and spaghetti swirled around in a giant Parmesan block are highlights. A must-try.

Raku
11678 Olympic Boulevard, 310-478-3090 West LA
Wonderful japanese small dishes from simple fare like delicious lotus root to baroque like shrimp-stuffed squash blossums. Tremendous.

Torafuku
10914W Pico Blvd (310) 470-0014, West LA
White rice is the specialty at this Japanese place - avoid sushi and get one of the tremendous specials from the Japanese traditional menu. On Pico. Onigiri/rice ball recommended.

Furaibo
2068 Sawtelle Blvd., (310)444-1432 Sawtelle/West LA.
Izaka-ya with unforgettable teba-sake wings and other treats. Pork belly is unstoppable.

Komatsu
1644 W Carson St Ste B, Torrance, (310) 787-0787
Another hyper-specialized LA Japanese restaurant, Komatsu is a high-end tempura bar. $50 set menu is expensive but worthwhile, best dishes include amazingly tender squid and large chunky sweet potato. Sea salt, yuzu salt and matcha/green tea salt, what's not to like?

Terried Sake House
11617 Santa Monica Blvd - (310) 477-9423 West LA
Izaka-ya/Japanese pub with nice grilled and cooked fare.

Sake House Miro
809 S. La Brea, 323-939-7075 Hollywood-ish?
Worthwhile La Brea izakaya/Japanese pub.

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Japanese: Noodles

2004-11-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi
2015 W Redondo Beach Blvd - (310) 329-1335 Gardena
Gardena ramen house with the milky Kyushu broth. Absolutely incredible compared with normal ramen standard. This is the best I've had. Also try silly snacks like cream croquettes and fried chicken gristle.

Otafuku
16525 S Western Av, Gardena, 310 532 9348
Amazing handmade white soba (sarashina soba) at Otafuku, made with buckwheat flour imported from Japan. Impossibly rare and irresistible.

Chabuya
2002 Sawtelle Blvd. (310) 473-1013
Japanese chain with super high-quality ramen, I like it almost as much as Shinsengumi. Very tender chashu/sliced pork and excellent broth. Open late, too. Amusing pork sandwich is made with sweet dough similar to Cantonese cha siu bao.

Kotohira
1747 W Redondo Beach Blvd - (310) 323-3966 Gardena
Handmade udon is a rare thing, this is the place for it. Eat it soup-less with small amount of dipping sauce. Todai plaza is a great place for Japanese food!

Kyushu Ramen
15355 Sherman Wy. Van Nuys, (818) 786-6005
The milky long-simmered broth with firm ramen noodles is yours in this rather un-Japanese neck of Van Nuys. Good n' tasty with fine cha shu/pork slices, plain shoyu is also worthwhile.

Ramen-ya
11555 West Olympic Boulevard, 310.575.9337 West LA
Fine ramen on Olympic. Shoyu (soy) and shio (broth) both good.

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Japanese: Sushi

2004-11-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

Wa Sushi
1106 N La Cienega Blvd (310) 854-7285 West Hollywood
Insanely good sushi/fusion creations from ex-Matsuhisa chefs. Pricey but stupendous.

Echigo
12217 Santa Monica Blvd, (310) 820-9787 West LA
Everyone loves Echigo, except for California roll-liking sushi neophytes. $11 lunch special needs no further advertisement but omakase at bar is transcendent experience.

Tama Sushi
11920 Ventura Blvd. (818) 760-4585
Studio City sushi row, with fine fish including some rare ones like kohada.

Sushi Isshin
1097 Glendon Avenue, (310) 209-2739
Westwood sushi with izakaya touches. Omakase acceptable quality, more of a sentimental fave than a destination.

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Italian and Italian-American

2004-11-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

Bay Cities Italian Deli
1517 Lincoln Blvd - (310) 395-8279 Santa Monica
The godmother is one of L.A.'s most important sandwiches, containing a panoply of Italian sandwich meats that cannot fail to satisfy. No wonder it's a legend.

D'Amore's pizza
1077 Broxton Avenue, Westwood, (310) 208-5117
Superb thin crust pizza in the East Coast style. Beats the pants off most any pizza in Los Angeles.

Mi Piace
25 E Colorado Blvd - (626) 795-3131
Pasadena Italian, a bit fancy but I liked the pumpkin ravioli

Indian

2004-11-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

Al-Watan
13619 INGLEWOOD AVE, (310)644-6395 Hawthorne
Ohmigod, the best tandoori I have ever tasted. Urdu TV and totally Pakistani atmosphere with no hipster clientele. Curries are also out of this world. I haven't been to Artesia but it's hard to imagine better meat-centric Pakistani fare than this.

Woodlands
11833 Artesia Blvd, Artesia. 562 860 6500
Here is the South Indian restaurant to eclipse all others I've tried. Gigantic dosa/pancakes with multiple variations, the deep fried bhatura puff, and a magical condiment called milakai podi. A rare find.

Al-Noor
15112 Inglewood Ave, Lawndale - (310) 675-4700
A little cleaner than Al-Watan but still dripping soul, this spot has great nehari (lamb shank curry) recommended by J.Gold.

India Sweets and Spices
9409 Venice Blvd (310) 837-5286
What a find, a real Indian grocery store with chaat counter on Venice in Culver City! Don't miss puris, giant puff = chana bhatura, classic idli sambar and masala dosa. Street food for almost no cash, highly highly recommended.

Ambala Dhaba
1781 Westwood Blvd. 310-966-1772
Westwood sister to Artesia restaurant with surprisingly good Punjabi style fare. Goat is good, so is ludhiana chicken. Puris/little puffs for appetizer, wholesome vege options and kulfi for dessert. Highly recommended.

Annapurna
10200 Venice Blvd. Culver City (310) 204-5500
Some "South Asians" claim that this South Indian spot is better than Woodlands, and it's certainly a rare outpost on this side of town. I only tried the lunch buffet which wasn't a fair comparison with made-to-order Tamil and Andhra pancake-like things. Still, the smallish saucer-sized dosa, fluffy idli, copious yoghurt and large array of dishes are a good value and quite tasty. Rasam (spicy tomato/lentil stew) and pale green coconut chutney are especially good. Kulfi and tea included!

Asian Kitchen
10406 Venice Blvd., (310) 559-9644, Culver City
Pakistani Indian on Venice Blvd. Haleem (meat and grain paste) and butter naan are great.

Indonesian and Malaysian

2004-11-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

Simpang Asia
10433 National Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 815-9075 Palms
Indonesian grocery with wonderful foods from the Indonesian language menu. Highly recommended and better than most of the Indonesian restaurants around - food in a grocery store wins again!

Indo Cafe
10428 National Blvd. 310-815-1290
Indonesian in Palms. Pretty good.

Little Malaysia
3944 N. Peck Rd., #8. El Monte 626-401-3188
Malaysian food in L.A. that's actually worth eating, too bad it's in El Monte. The quality varies but most dishes here are rendered well, particularly roti canai (pancake with curry) and curry laksa noodles. Even char kueh teow/fried fat rice noodle is OK. My standards are unreasonably high so I give them a 6/10.

Guatemalan and Nicaraguan

2004-11-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe
2124 W. Seventh St. Los Angeles (213) 487-7474
Really a pan-Latin restaurant, Mama's offers essentially a tamale tasting menu, one of the most enticing meals a food-lover can imagine. Don't miss the nacatamal-like Honduran tamal! This place is for a good cause, but the main reason to go is to eat some of the best tamales you'll find anywhere.

Pollo Campero
1625 W. Olympic Blvd., Ste.1020: 213-201-2990
Legendary Guatemalan fast food chicken in Pico Union. No line around the block anymore but the crispy skin and spices will make you forget Colonel S. forever.

Paseo Chapin
2220 W 7th Street - Los Angeles, CA. 213-385-7420
Guatemalan classic in Pico Union. Good round-with-skin-on chorizo and marimba bands.

El Nido
2112 S LA BREA AVE
Nicaraguan indo viejo is good here. They have exciting drinks.

Guatemalteca Bakery
4032 Beverly Blvd, East-of-Downtown 213-382-9451, 6am-9pm
Fight your way through the crowd for hearty Guatemalan stews with rice and beans and confusingly named antojitos/appetizers. Quesadilla is a very rich cake bread to be savoured in small quantities. This one's truly for the people, they will fill your own container with carne guisada!

Greek and Bulgarian

2004-11-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

First off, an apology to my fiercely patriotic Bulgarian friend Theo. I couldn't make a separate Bulgarian page, as I have forgotten how to change the date on these Blogger posts (or else the function disappeared). So here you are lumped in with those insidious Greeks.

Mama Voula's
11923 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 478-9464
Awesome Greek place for meze-type dips, mains like sausage and octopus, desserts, coffee and friendly service. For once, the Westside wins... fancier than Papa Christos but still cheap.

Papa Cristo's
(323) 737-2970- 2771 W. Pico Blvd, Pico/Alvarado-ish
Greek contender attached to grocery store. Excellent rack of lamb for very little dinero.

Danube Bulgarian Restaurant
1303 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, (310) 473-2414
Bulgarian fare here is hearty and good, with saucy Bulgarian waitresses and folk music on TV as extras. Shopska salad with superb Bulgarian feta cheese (the best of its kind) is essential. Also yogurt - the bacteria is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus for a reason - and the pepper/eggplant appetiser. Spicy kufta and pork chops are solid mains.

French/Fancy

2004-11-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Spago
176 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, 90210 - (310) 385-0880
One of my final meals here was at this most famous of California cuisine restaurants. It was worth every penny, check the Beverly Hills page for notes.

2117
2117 Sawtelle Blvd, (310) 477-8385
Sawtelle French Japanese. Expensive but wonderful - try the sweetbreads.

Joe's
1023 Abbot Kinney. Venice 399-5811
Anomalous expensive place with white linen tablecloth and crumb-scraping!!! Venison, bacon risotto, sardine salad - suuper good but strictly for expense account meals.

La Dijonaise
3233 Helms Av, Culver City, CA 90232, (310) 287-2770
French in Culver City. Rabbit, veal sausage.

Ethiopian

2004-11-25T14:14:00.000-08:00

Nyala
1076 South Fairfax Avenue, 323•936•5918
The fancy place in the Ethiopian Fairfax ghetto. Stevie Wonder signed picture!!! Terrific kitfo, the national dish of raw beef and butter. Don't miss it!

Messob
1041 S. Fairfax Ave , Tel: 323-938 8827
Homier Fairfax Ethiopian option, with tasty tibs (beef fried with peppers and onions), kitfo and stews. Vegetarian options such as collards and lentils recommended.

Cuban

2004-11-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

El Criollo
13245 Victory Blvd - (818) 508-0865
Tremendous Van Nuys Cuban, far better than Versailles. Check out giant Montuno Cubano combo platter.

Tacos El Camaguey
10925 Venice Blvd - Los Angeles, CA. 310-839-4037
Fantastic tacos and best of all - cubanos and media noches (Cuban pressed sandwiches) in a supermarket. I love to come here!

Versailles (Venice)
10319 Venice Blvd, (310) 558-3168
Everyone knows about Versailles, the Cuban chain. Oxtails are actually better than the famous chicken.

Cafe Tropical
2900 W Sunset Blvd (323) 661-8391
Silver Lake cubano pressed the old-school way. Also cafe and pastries.

Jamaican and Trinidadian

2004-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Natraliart
3426 W Washington Blvd , Crenshaw ( 323 ) 732 - 8865
If you want Jamaican food in LA, Jucy Natraliart is the MAN! Tremendous oxtails and curried goat, with the usual fixings including fried plantains and wonderful beans 'n rice. Add some habanero sauce and a glass of sorrel or Ting for my favourite Jamaican in LA. Warning - go early and be nice to Jucy, he's a cool dude but it's a small operation and he's pretty busy.

Jerk Pit
4335 Crenshaw Boulevard, (323) 298-3000, Crenshaw
Jerk chicken gets mixed reviews but the oxtails and curried goat at this charmingly named Jamaican restaurant are to die for. Beef pattie - really good.

Joe's Universal Restaurant culver city
323-299-4511 5766 Rodeo Rd
Jamaican spot for your ackee and saltfish fix.

Cha Cha Chicken
1906 Ocean Way - (310) 581-1684
Caribbean style chicken in Santa Monica. Nice little shack.

Caribbean Treehouse
1226 Centinela Ave., Inglewood; (310) 330-1170
Trinidadian spot with nice rotis and sorrel drink.

Port Royal Cafe
1412 Broadway - (310) 458-4147
Jamaican in Santa Monica? Yep, it's even quite good. Escoveitch fish is tasty.

Wi Jammin
5103 West Pico Boulevard, (323) 965-9809, Mid-Pico
Jamaican joint on Pico that ran out of everything except tasty jerk chicken when I visited.

Chinese: Northern, Islamic, Mongolian hotpot

2004-11-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

Little Sheep
120 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park 626-282-1089
The best hotpot I have eaten, and hordes of Chinese folks agree. It's Mongolian style with milky broth (with or without hot chili) and gazillions of nuts, herbs and flavourings. Fat lamb is thinly sliced and myriad options can be ticked off menu (try egg dumpling!). Sensational.

Lu Din Gee
1039 E Valley Blvd, San Gabriel 626-288-0588
Authentic Beijing/Peking duck from the air compressor/drying/roasting school served "three ways" as phenomenal crispy skin wrapped in pancakes, stir-fry and soup. You won't believe that the skin and moist meat came from the same bird - not to be missed.

China Islamic
7727 E. Garvey Ave., Rosemead, (626) 288-4246
Hard to separate this from the very good Tung Lai Shun within the Islamic category. Order a large sesame bread (dabing) as soon as you arrive, and don't miss the enormous and wonderful lamb hot pot. Lamb with green onions and five spice cold beef also very good.

Tung Lai Shun
140 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel 626-288-6588
Accessible and excellent Chinese Islamic fare, heavy on the lamb and cumin and served with giant bread in lieu of rice.

Mandarin Deli
727 N Broadway #109, Los Angeles, 213-623-6054 Chinatown
Handmade noodles, a subject that never loses fascination.

Mandarin House
3074 W. Eighth St., Koreatown (213) 386-8976
Jajiang mein (minced pork and sweet soy paste sauce) with hand pulled noodles, what's not to like?

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Chinese: Szechwan, Hunan and Yunnan

2004-11-25T13:53:00.000-08:00

Crown Cafe
1000 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel (626) 286-0298
More down-home than the late, lamented Shiang/Charming Garden (let's see what happens after they remodel), but we can be thankful that Crown Cafe has brought stunning Hunan style food back to LA. Excellent dishes whose English menu names escape me now: black lamb meat, Hunan ham with white chillis, fish head casserole, fish with Hunan sauce, "spicy over spicy" (stir fried fresh peppers).

Yungui Garden
301 N Garfield Ave # D, Monterey Park, 626-571-8387
Monterey Park outpost with hard-to-find Yunnan dishes in an otherwise Szechuan menu. I loved this place, the numbing hot stews, mapo tofu and chongqing chicken were splendid.

Best Szechwan
230 N Garfield Ave, Monterey Park, 626-572-4629
Renowned as one of the finest Szechwan places in town and my experience was terrific. Of course you will eat numbing hot dishes and regular chili hot fare but don't forget fuqi feipian (table scraps i.e. tripe, beef and other fine things) from cold station.

Chung King
206 S. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park; (626) 280-7430
Awesome Szechwan stylings, with deep-fried pork ribs and fish-flavour eggplant. All your favourite Szechwan standards too, including cold dish counter with knockout peanut/anchovy mix.

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Chinese: Teochew/Chiu Chow

2004-11-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

888 Seafood Restaurant
8450 Valley Boulevard Ste 121, Rosemead, CA (626) 573-1888 8450
Teochew seafood palace that belongs in the San Gabriel pantheon of high quality. Don't miss Teochew dessert made from eight kinds of sweet beans 'n stuff.

Kim Chuy
727 N Broadway Ste 103 - (213) 687-7215 Chinatown
Teochew noodles with magnificent assortment of fish cakes. A great noodle shop.

Mien Nghia
304 Ord St. Los Angeles. 213-680-2411 Chinatown
Teochew noodle, the beef satay is really great.

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Chinese: Cantonese and Cantonese-American

2004-11-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

Sea Harbor
3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, 91770 - (626) 288-3939
Best dim sum in town according to my explorations. Don't miss #1 pastry of the universe and bittermelon dumpling with black sesame dessert. Many other delights.

New Concept
700 S. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park; (626) 282-6800
High end Cantonese renowned for crazy innovations. I haven't tried the famous dim sum, but dinner has amazing treasures liked fried milk and Szechuan spotted deer.

Mission 261
261 S. Mission Drive, San Gabriel, (626) 588-1666
Bling-bling dim sum unmatched except by Sea Harbor in my book, and in the same innovation-crazed style. Try it and decide for yourself. Famous for dumplings shaped like bees, fish and butterflies. I actually preferred green-wrapper shrimp and scallop.

Ocean Star
145 N Atlantic Blvd, at Garvey, Monterey Park 626-308-2128
Famous and outstanding dim sum in Monterey Park. Innovations and cart-borne cooking stations. Worth the long drive.

NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park 626 282 2323
Another long-esteemed seafood palace with great dim sum (a genre where noisy and hectic often signify delicious). They have the hilarious fried doughnut/yau cha gwei wrapped in rice noodles. At dinner, try the double pleasure flounder; fillet delicately stir fried, bones and skin deep-fried with the delicious addition of saltfish (haam yu).

Empress Pavilion
988 N Hill St # 201, 213-617-9898
High end for Chinatown, the dim sum is very good here.

MPV
( 626 ) 289 - 3018. 1412 S GARFIELD AVE, ALHAMBRA
Alhambra seafood palace. Set menu of seafood is a predictably lavish extravaganza.

Sam Woo (Chinatown)
727 North Broadway Los Angeles, ph: 213.680.7836
Reliable Cantonese fare with v. good barbecue shop.

AAA Dim Sum and BBQ
213.687.7333, 711 1/2 New High St Chinatown
Cantonese barbecue shop with dim sum to go. Real cheap as always and good quality - you can eat here for about $3!!!

Regent Cafe
1411 S. Garfield Ave., Alhambra, 626-289-9398
HK style cafe with Cantonese versions of American food plus chinese dishes and British Commonwealth treats. In a place like this I generally order tongue in corn sauce or suchlike, with coffee and tea mixed together.

Kabob and Chinese Food
11330 Santa Monica Blvd, West LA - (310) 914-3040
Hilarious Persian Jewish versions of Cantonese American food. Not very good, but a real L.A. experience!!! Get Persian rice with your stir fried slop.

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