Oishii LA

2006-09-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

I think I'm here.

I'll just do a quick overview of places I've been. Excuse the lack of posting, for I've been rather....
busy.

Anyhow, a quick rundown of reviews.

1. Pinkberry- Had to see what all the hype was about. Refreshingly sweet with REAL fruit toppings. I got strawberries, mangoes, and granola. Absolutely LOVED it. Unlike other yogurt shops I've been to such as Penguins or Golden Spoon, the yogurt had a slight tang. With the addition of frozen fruits and the slight crunch of granola, this was a hit.

2. Lulu's- Sidewalk cafe epitomizes LA living. Big portions for breakfast with loads of healthy options. Also, every waiter and waitress looks like an actor/actress.

3. Susina Bakery- Apricot ginger scones to die for....cute decor and atmosphere. A place that makes you forget all of the chain coffee houses and bakeries (ahem...Starbucks right next door) Definitely a place I would love to hang out.

4. Sushi Go 55- Randomly placed in theDowntown Yaohan (Oh, Mitsuwa) Plaza. Seems to be one of the only shops still opened. Good sushi.

5. Katana- Um...beautiful place, beautiful people, but WAY overpriced. We had the prix fix meal. This came with two appetizers, 4 skewers, one roll and 4 regular orders of sushi. A LOT of food. Nonetheless, I realized that I am a traditional sushi girl. Most fusion dishes are ok. But, I still love me some salmon sashimi, hirame, and toro. :)

6. Matsuhisa- I've heard this place is closing. It's decent and I didn't think it was too expensive. However, I think we were more interested in the conversation of the couple next to us to worry too much about the food.

7. Sprinkles Cupcakes- My first experience with Sprinkles was not a great one. I actually thought they were too sweet. However, my second spin was favorable. I am not much of a sweet person, but I could go for a cupcake every now and then.

8. Roy's Downtown- The first time I went to Roy's was in Newport Beach for Valentine's Day. We had the set menu which included appetizer, entree, and dessert. The second time was in Vegas, and we also had the set menu. (The set menu at Roy's is one of the best deals. For $33 you can't beat it! Besides, who can say no to the chocolate souffle?) This past time, my family went to Roy's in Downtown. I had the Onaga which was special to the Downtown location. It was wonderfully light, sitting on top of a light broth. However, next time, I'm going to get the deconstructed lau lau. SO good.

9. Musha Torrance- The pumpkin croquettes are amazing. Well, anything fried is amazing. But, that's besides the point. However, my favorite dish was the braised pork belly. So tender it fell apart. We also had the MFC (Musha Fried Chicken), grilled beef and a yaki onigiri.

10. Gyushintei- Shabu shabu house. This place is cheaper in price than most shabu shabu places. With the requisite meat (everything from pork, chicken, and beef), they give you a loaded plate of cabbage, enoki mushrooms, kabocha, tofu, carrots, zucchini, and broccoli, a bowl of clear glass noodles, and a choice of udon or ramen noodles. If you order ramen, the waitress mixes the cooking water with soup base and adds the noodles and green onions. Oh, and you also get dessert. Dessert consists of vanilla ice cream with a side of cold coffee. You pour the coffee over the ice cream and eat. It's a coffee float...and it works.

Let's see...anything else?

**Teri Hawaii, Bob's Okazuya, and Harry's Aloha Chop Suey are all under new management.

More to come....

:)

2006-06-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

Summertime in the LBC
Dove Shack

There are very few songs that remind me of summertime. One is the afore mentioned song. This was back in the high school days, where we would listen to rap music without really understanding what it fully meant. Oh, the simpler and naive me.

"Why do we do what we do when we do what we do
Hangin' out late with no curfew?"

I vividly remember that I used this quote in my Senior Scrapbook. Heh, "no curfew"... ;)

"Summertime" by the Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith, is the other favorite of mine. Something about...

"school is out and it's a sort of a buzz
a back then I didn't really know what it was
but now I see what have of this
the way that people respond to summer madness"

Oh so true...

Anyhow, at the first sign of hot weather, I always crave one thing.

Somen.

Reasons why I love somen:

1. It's noodles. 'nuf said. :)
2. It's cold and refreshing.
3. I can put as much stuff on it as I want. Granted, some not so 'Japanese-y'. But, it's my food. So I don't care.
4. It's easy.
5. It's fast.

I began with chopped green onions. Note the preferred tupperware of choice: old cottage cheese containers.

Next, shoestring cucumbers. Japanese kyuri are the best because they aren't bitter like the ordinary American variety.
Kamaboko. Which is fish cake. I'm not quite sure why it's white and pink/red. But, anyhow, I love it.

Fried eggs. Scrambled, then cooked omelette style. Cut into strips (This is the before).

Noodles. Placed in an ice bath to stop cooking and to make cold.

Take a little bit of each. (Or maybe a lot). Top with somen tsuyu...premade. :X I know, I know. But I was lazy. Some Sriracha to make it spicy.
Presto. Good stuff.

***Edit: Oops. Forgot a picture of the ham. That's what the pink stuff is in the picture.

:)

2006-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

The Kettle

Every once in awhile, I like to get out for some "me" time. Eating breakfast on a leisurely Saturday morning gives me a chance to relax, unwind, and recoop. After a night out at Hollywood Park (pictures and a post when I'm not so lazy), I decided to take a drive to Manhattan Beach.

The Kettle was a spot we used to go back in my high school days because it is opened 24 hours. As I was walking down Highland Avenue, I spied the familiar kettle which hung over the restaraunt. I was seated promptly and quickly turned to the breakfast menu.

Though the menu was not long, the ordinary breakfast fare was present: egg dishes, omelets, multiple eggs benedict dishes and sides.

First out were the blueberry muffins. Two gargantuan sized muffins, which I forgot to take a picture before I took a chunk out. Apparently, you can mix and match the muffins, which I didn't. In reality, I couldn't eat one, much less two. They had an interesting texture, almost sponge like. The muffins were soft and the tops did not have much of a crust. This is what usually gets me on muffins-in fact, the first time I saw muffin top muffin pans, I wanted to buy them. My mom used to always get mad because I would eat only the tops of muffins and leave the rest behind! Anyhow, I had a few bites and waited for the meal.

I went with the Chicken and artichoke omelette. Cubes of chicken breast, artichiokes, and a variety of mushrooms all wrapped in egg and topped with tomatoes. These comes with a side of their home potatoes. Top this bad boy with some pico de gallo and tabasco and you've got yourself a pretty tasty breakfast!

The Kettle
1138 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

2006-06-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

A quick rundown of this weekend...

chinese food with the 'rents
t n t's aloha cafe
art show @ robocon in chinatown
zankous chicken
longing for pastries at baklava factory (open...open...open)
bob's okazuya
village pizzeria

Official food overload.
Mmm Mmm Good.

**A real updated post once I get off my bootie and do so!

2006-06-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Beard Papas

Me: What's a Beard Papa?
WM: These awesome cream puffs. You have to try them. My mom waited in line for like two hours at the opening of the Hollywood and Highland location.
Me: For a cream puff???? Are they really that good?

So after the countless times WM told me about the puffs, I had to try them. Luckily, the Gardena store opened up not too long after. And one of my students ended up buying me a few to try.

These ginormous puffs were unlike any that I've had. I was used to the tiny Ishigo-made cream puffs of yesteryear. Instead of a soft exterior, Beard Papas were crispy and flaky monstrosities filled with goodness. Their filling was what got me. Custard-like and very rich. Like most Asian inspired baked goods, it was not too sweet. Exactly as I like. There are many different filling flavors, including chocolate, strawberry, and green tea. On one occasion, my sister bought me a coffee filled one. However, I like to stick to the OG cream. Nothing like the real thing....

Anyhow, on JY's birthday, he asked for...not a cake, not some cookies, but some cream puffs. He polished it off in no time, along with a second. Unfortunately, this was right before we went to dinner...so he was full before we got there.

And yet, he still had enough room to polish off yet another after dinner.

2006-06-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

**Thanks for all of the well wishes...you guys are great! I finally feel better! Woohoo for prescription drugs. :)

T n' T's Aloha Cafe

My parents are creatures of habit. Every weekend, without fail, they make the treck southward to a little joint known as T n' T's Aloha Cafe. I sort of wonder why they do this. I am not the type of person to go to the same place day in and day out. In fact, I get tired of food VERY quickly. It's rare that you will see me at the same place in one week, no matter how good the food is (well, except for maybe, coffee, my life line). But, they always ask me to go with them. And the dedicated daughter that I am, I always drive down to South Torrance for some grub. ;)

T n' T's is an offshoot of the infamous Gardena Bowl. Diner style food, no frills, nothing fancy, just good home cooking. Their menu is short and sweet: fried this and fried that. Can't go wrong with fried foods.

I usually order the fried saimin, saimin noodles stir fried with your choice of meat, onions, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, bean sprouts, and tofu. Douse it with some rooster sauce and shoyu and you've got yourself a pretty tasty meal. Oh, this usually comes with two scoops of rice and miso soup.

as a side note, i've always thought it was odd that they serve rice with noodles. though my mom used to say that they used to even serve rice with spaghetti when she was little. that's a lot of carb if you ask me...but, hey, whose complaining?

As always, my dad gets the teri beef plate. Tender strips of sirloin, doused with a sweet teriyaki glaze accompany eggs and two scoops of rice. Teriyaki in the morning seems odd, though a lot of people seem to order it.

My mother either ends of getting the bacon fried rice, homemade corned beef hash, or the royale. I'm not even sure where the origin of the royale came from, though many people tell me that it was from the now defunct Kenny's Cafe on Centinela. The royale is a scramble of portugese sausage, char siu and green and white onions all topped with teriyaki sauce.

They also have great beef stew, though it is not on the menu. Look for their specials on the board, for they may offer anything from pork chops to cold saimin salad.

I think the main reason that my parents go there is because everyone is a regular. On any given Saturday, you see the exact same people. These same people are probably ordering the same things. It's a virtual watering hole. A place where everyone knows your name. In fact, the owner's daughter was in my class last year.

People go where they are comfortable. And this place is definitely that.

T n T's Aloha Cafe
24032 Vista Montana
Torrance, CA 90505

2006-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

You always want what you can't have...

Where have I been? Hmm.. For the past couple of weeks I have been having the worst stomach pains. Come to find out...I have acid reflux, brought on by stress. Hmph. So now, I must alter eating habits and lifestyle to fit my newly found condition. Unfortunately, that means: no spicy, caffeinated, or acidic foods. Oh coffee...how I will miss you. Oh spicy foods...what will I do?

Now I just have to find new places to eat.

2006-04-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

I need some assistance!

Help!

I am horrible at html codes, profiles, etc. I have NO CLUE how to change my frequently visited sites...etc.

Can anyone help a non-technologically savvy individual?

Thank you!

2006-04-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

...Here's a list for you...

places i've eaten fairly recently...and have yet to post:

matsuhisa
lulu's cafe
luna park
la taquiza
lawry's
beard papa's
el rocoto
pink's
bob's okazuya
sushi gen
sea empress
ms saigon cafe
village pizzeria

however, since my camera has been on the fritz and i've been on serious masters exam-open house-progress report overload....things have been left to the wayside.

2006-04-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Pomodoro-Huntington Beach

T, C, and I decided on eating dinner together. Since I've been a hermit for the past, oh year or so, I felt I needed to go out and do something. We decided to meet C half way (us being in Gardena/Torrance, her in Newport) and went with the new Bella Terra Huntington Beach mall. It was only yesterday that I remember this place had...nothing. A barren mall-like area with nothing remotely worth looking at. Now, the outdoor, Irvine Spectrum like mall houses a B & N, Aveda, a movie theater, Ben and Jerry's, Kabuki, Daphne's, the Cravery, and Pomodoro.

Pomodoro. The Banana Republic of Olive Garden. And, although I admit, I secretly wanted to go there ever since I saw the kids of Laguna Beach, the real OC, eating there--I never had a chance to. Until now.

The decor was very sleek and modern. Dark wood floors, brushed metal chairs, and plush leather booths. Large black and white posters graced the walls and a curved bar area all created a very sophisticated atmosphere. Not your ordinary mom and pop Italian joint. Though, not your mom and pop Italian food either.

Bread came out...and usually I'm all over the bread. However, Pomodoro's bread was cold, chewy and hard. (Give one point to Olive Garden. Yes, they are probably those frozen breadsticks you get at Costco...however, at least they come out warm)

Anyhow, to start off with, I got the Insalata di Spinaci. A salad made with spinach, pancetta bits, grilled red onions, tomatoes, ricotta salata, and walnuts. The salad dressing was red wine based, and slightly sweet, which complemented the salty ricotta salata well. Also, the grilled red onions were a perfect accompaniment to the whole dish.

For my main dish, I ordered a half order of the dinner specialty. Lasagna with prosciutto, mushrooms, grilled chicken, in a cream sauce. It also came with a side of sauted spinach. Overall, the dish was very simple and plain. Ordinarily, I think lasagna as a very heavy, bolognaise sauce type of dish. However, this one was light on sauce, which I enjoyed. I'm not much of a cream sauce person, but this one was pretty good.

I topped off my food with a Mango Italian soda. Refreshing and clean...I felt like a small child getting a Shirley Temple.

Afterwards, we made an excursion to Ben and Jerrys. Cherry Garcia...enough said. Yum!

One happy girl, sharing good time with friends.

Life is good.

Pomodoro
7811 Edinger Avenue, Suite 100
Huntington Beach, CA

Ben and Jerry's
7777 Edinger Avenue, Suite B128
Huntington Beach, CA

2006-04-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

Spring Break!!!!!!!

Scoping out individuals in bikinis and boardshorts, white sand beaches, hot sun and hormone infested individuals all in some wonderfully colorful and crowded location by the perfectly sparkling blue water. Meeting new people, dancing, drinking, exchanging a phone number, if not two, three, four...while laying on a brightly colored towel so I can add some color to a much needed pasty complexion.

Uh..yeah. Unfortunately, you would not want to see me in a bathing suit, nor would my 20+ (almost 30) self be caught dead at some Spring break-MTV-teenybopper infested-party-all throwing up random signs and yelling "I'm in love with a st*pper". It's just one of those times of the year that I realize that I have turned into an official "working girl" with responsibilities and other more important things to take care.

Except, I really am on spring break. And I sort of wish I actually had something to do. At least I have a week to do nothing. Being a first grade teacher does have its perks. ;)

I started off the week at Manna Korean BBQ restaurant. Upon driving up to the location for a birthday celebration, we were quickly turned away to park elsewhere. Is this place always this crowded? Unfortunately, yes. But, fortunate for us, I made a reservation. So many people, so many different kinds of people. While waiting, there appeared to be a class of middle school aged hakujin kids filing out of the restaurant. We also saw a group of very dressed up girls that were going (most likely) to a club afterwards. Odd, but not fully unusual for a typical LA rest.

As they were calling my name, we began filing into what looked like the hallway to the kitchen. Then, they told us to wait right there next.to.the.meatroom.with.the.window.opened.to.the.alley. Uh...that couldn't be a good thing. And I don't think it was the best to see right before we began to chow down on some meat.

Eh, just cook your meat well done. So, we were given three tables to fit our party of 25. The panchan were a-typical, nothing special. But, because I didn't eat anything all day to satisfy my urge for all-you-can-eat bbq, it was tasty. ;)

The meat, overall, was not of the best quality, which is to be expected at an all you can eat place for $14.99. But, what I really liked was the equivalent to a Japanese chawanmushi...warm egg custard, which was almost souffle like. It was brought in those hot pot bowls, with bits of green onion on top. Dipping your spoon inside, the souffle deflates, and the aroma of egg and broth fills the air. Yum.

Apparently, there are like hundreds of birthdays there every night...and they love playing this bday song to accompany their TGI Fridays like celebration. Instead, they turn off ALL the lights (I kid you not, since we were outside, we could only see the small flame from the grill) and bring a cake/sundae/whatever you have. And, what's more, they bring a cheap bottle of champagne, shake it, and POP! The cork flies off and the champagne goes with it. The waiter didn't seem very concerned with the fact that he got a couple of people in my party wet. He just brought over some newspaper to cover up the spill and left. Interesting...

All in all, the place was an interesting experience. And a steal for the price.

Manna Korean BBQ
3377 Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles 90019

2006-03-11T12:28:00.000-08:00

it's been awhile...

as a first grade teacher and a master's student, there is little time for....well LIFE. unfortunately, this also includes things such as seeing my friends, shopping, going to the movies, and doing things normal 20-somethings do. however, the one thing that we all must do is EAT. for me, however, it's not only a must...it's an experience.

ugh...how cheesy.

luckily, my girl friends and i have an agreement. no matter how busy, we will get together for all birthdays, and once a month for brunch.

wednesday was the only day we could all agree upon. and even then, one of us was late. but, we trecked up to the westside. all the way up the dreaded 405 to santa monica. fritto misto it was. quaint little corner restaurant with blue overhangings, seating for only 40 or so. even on a weekday, the place was packed. we were seated right away into a corner. amazingly, they were able to accomodate a group of 9 girls.

a low corkage fee ($1.50) allowed us to bring a couple of bottles of wine. ;) we were greeted and soon given fresh, warm bread. the clincher was the shallow dish with a bulb of minced garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. breath of a dragon, belly full, but oh so satisfying.

i ended up getting the rigatoni siciliano...arrabiata sauce with chicken, olives, and zucchini. pasta in its simplest form is always the best. i'm not one for heavy cream sauces. i'd rather do the olive oil or fresh tomato route. though, a good spicy kick is always refreshing. others got the special, eggplant ravioli, which was equally good.

conversation topics ranged from dancing with the stars, grey's anatomy, and **gasp*** celebrities, to relationships, a newly engaged friend, and gossip. one can only wonder how you can keep up with 9 different intermingling conversations...but, we do it.

unfortunately, i turn into a frog at about 9:00 pm (my bedtime) and i was no longer functioning on human level. therefore, i just sat back, satisfied and happy.

this is why i love my friends.

fritto misto
601 colorado avenue
santa monica, ca

I'm a Katonk

2005-11-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm a katonk.

Roughly translated, that means a Japanese-American born on the mainland.

However, living where I live for the past 20-something years of my life, I am probably in one of the only places, other than the islands, where the JA/Hawaiian culture thrives. Sure, there are many individuals in Vegas, college students in Washington and Oregon, as well as Northern Cal, but come on. Torrance is where its at for J-food. ;) Okay, so I'm biased. My friends and I always joke how, "everyone who lives in Torrance, STAYS in Torrance". Unfortunately, it's true.

I can probably tell you every hole in the wall Hawaiian food restaurant from here to OC....but, I won't.

Instead, I'll be coming up with random musings, unforunate/yet fortunate occurences, and best of all.....food.

So, welcome all to my first post!