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Birthday

Spago - Beverly Hills

May 17, 2017

One of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. We dined here recently for Angela (Brother's fiancee) birthday dinner. We were seated promptly and complimentary bubbly was poured all around. No better way to start a full tasting.

I've been to Spago once, so this will be my second time. Spago was serving a special Akaushi wagyu that was just imported from Japan that night. Literally, the whole cow. That was one of my highlights from our meal.

Without further ado, below is the giant tasting menu we had.

I am ready to come back in summer.

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Manpuku - Torrance - Happy 30th Brother (part 2)

December 5, 2016

This is my brother. He is happy in this photo. And I know he appreciates me as his sister even though this photo shows otherwise. There's nothing he loves more than Korean BBQ and Hot Pot. But for his 30th, though these are his favorite things, I thought it would be nice to take him out to experience Japanese Yakiniku. Like Korean BBQ, Yakiniku in Japanese means "Grilled Meat" (Yaki-niku). I feel Japanese Yakiniku is less sweet when it comes to the marinades. I also like dining in a Japanese Yakiniku restaurant over Korean BBQ because I find the meat quality not just better, but the idea of not indulging over an All-you-can-eat just makes the experience less stressful and much more enjoyable.

We ordered a pitcher of Sapporo to share. Easily ordered another one because this went down so easily. Not just because it's Sapporo, but because their pitchers and glasses were extremely cold which made the beer that much more crisp, and that much more refreshing. Don't forget to always kanpai before taking a sip.

On their menu, you can order items a la carte or you can choose between 1 of their 3 Manpuku choices. It ranges from $35 to $75. We had to get the $75. Not only because of my brother's birthday, but also because they had the best choices we would want to try.

The $75 offering came with: Cabbage Slaw, Edamame, Assorted Vegetables (for grilling), Manpuku Kalbi Shio, Shrimp, Kobe Fillet, Rice Wrap Sukiyaki, Kobe Short Rib, Kore Rib Eye, Kobe Finger Meats, Garlic Rice, Yukke Jan Soup, and Ice cream (13 items).

Cabbage slaw - Thinly sliced with garlic soy dressing. Delicious and refreshing. This was definitely a palate opener.

We ordered this on the side. I've had yukke a few years ago, but haven't had it in a while. When my friend came to visit from Japan, the family she was staying with took her to get Yukke since they banned this dish in Japan. Apparently, a lot of people got sick. That was also the case for raw chicken liver (delicious by the way). The yukke here at Manpuku was AMAZING. Made with Kuroge Wagyu. I was the lucky one to eat this with the shiso. I would recommend asking them for a few more just so everyone can eat this with it. A must order. must.

This is another popular item that we had to try. Their sliced original salted premium prime beef tongue topped with Tokyo onions. The trick to keep the onions on is to cook the bottom side first. Once the bottom is grilled up with some nice char, flip it around and count to 8 seconds which they say will be the best taste. I do what I'm told.

Manpuku Kalbi Shio - Sliced orginial salted prime beef short rib with Tokyo onion. Tender and flavorful.

Kobe Fillet Mignon - Cubed Kobe with ponzu sauce and fried garlic chips.

Platter of Kobe marinated short ribs, Kobe marinated Rib Eye, Kobe marinated Finger Meats.

We enjoyed this much more than the fillet. I'm normally not a fillet eater because of how lean it is. I love the fat trails you would find in short ribs and rib eye. These cuts were delicious. Just make sure your heat is on high when grilling these.

You have a choice at the beginning of your meal to have this near the beginning or towards the end. They recommend the end because the rice wrap is extremely rich with the added egg yolk. In my opinion, I would prefer to have this a little sooner. It is rich, but after a whole meal of meat, having a really rich bite makes it harder to eat than if it were much earlier on. This, though, was Heaven. Seared so slightly after rendering the beef fat on the grill. The meat is then rolled with a small ball of rice, then drizzled with a creamy egg yolk.

Garlic Rice - Garlic Fried rice with pickles in a stone pot.

Yukke Jan Soup - Spicy soup with shredded beef, vegetables and tofu.

Green tea Ice cream - A generous scoop. Strong matcha flavor. Served with a hot cup of Houjicha (roasted sencha).

We were full, but not overly stuffed. We stopped by the Mitsuwa Marketplace after to pick up snacks for a movie. This, 2 pitchers, snacks, movie. A great 30th if you ask me!

1870 W Carson St Torrance, CA 90501

Learn more about Manpuku here.

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Little Beast - Eagle Rock

February 9, 2016

Little Beast

1496 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90041

I've heard about Little Beast for quite some time now and having had lived in Eagle Rock for over 10 years, it definitely feels like home every time I am back in the area. Little Beast was highly recommended by friends all over. This just felt like the right place to celebrate John's birthday. He didn't want a big party or dinner so I promised him I wouldn't throw him a surprise birthday party like I had the past few years (whooops).

Little Beast is located on the corners of Colorado and Loleta Avenue. There is valet parking as well as street parking on Colorado if you are lucky. We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation, but there wasn't any trouble at all to seat us. We were seated outside in their patio which was lovely. There is a canopy outside to shield you from the rain if any, and heat lamps to keep you warm if chilly. Glancing through the menu, I already knew I wanted the Crudo and the Octopus from their small plates.

First things first, drinks.

Beer for my brother and I, and Stumptown coffee for John (french press).

It wasn't long at all before our small plates came flying out from the kitchen.

California Sea Bass Crudo

The crudo is composed of blood orange, cucumber, radish, yuzu vinaigrette, crispy wonton in between and topped with a frisée poof. This was definitely a palate opener. It was pretty hands down that this was the best rendition of this dish we had. As simple as it sounds, I think the most important part of a crudo is having an extremely balanced acid ratio which was beautifully balanced by the yuzu and the slight spiciness of the fresno chiles. I'm sure we can order 2 of these next time.

Indian Butter Octopus

To be honest, we didn't expect the octopus to come out like this. The "Don't judge a book by its cover" is playing hard on this one. That first bite I took, I felt my eyes roll back. The spices were beautiful and complimented the octopus so well. The fingerling potatoes seemed roasted or fried before it was tossed into the sauce, the flavors were harmonious. The brussell sprouts were also drizzled lightly with a simple vinaigrette which cut through the slight richness of this dish.

Charcuterie

Charcuterie is always a fun item to order. The meats were beautifully laid out on a wood board with delicious pickled condiments like caperberries (one of my favorites, great on carpaccio) and cornichons. We also received a plate of bread to go with out meats and I can't believe how much of it we actually ate.

Hickory Smoked Spicy Pork Meatballs

Ok. So you might not believe it, but I think these are the best tasting meatballs that I've ever, EVER put in my mouth. Let me tell you that the sauce on it's own is dynamite. I've never had smoke executed so perfectly like they did with these meatballs. I could have this in a jar. Buy it frozen. If I lived across the street I would be here for this a few times a week and THAT WOULD BE DANGEROUS. I think this was the best thing we had that night. And the reason why I say that is because it's a meatball. How can one meatball taste so different from another? I think, that if you can make one item that is extremely universal to our tastebuds, and then slug a curve ball like "WTF that was not what I was expecting!" it deserves to be the best thing of the night. They were moist, smokey, spicy little balls and I guarantee you will love it.

Mains

Roasted Mushroom Rissoto

The mushrooms used were king oyster, maitake, and porcini. The risotto also included thyme, black truffle, and parmesan. The flavors were creamy with a sharp roasted mushroom funk you would expect in any mushroom risotto dish. Black truffles always leave a nice touch to any dish no matter what it is. It's totally necessary.

Braised Short Ribs

The polenta was nice and creamy that balances the saltiness of the sauce that was used to braise the short ribs. The short ribs were also a good portion considering all the items we've had so far. It was definitely fork tender with nothing much for you to do but to spoon the meat around the polenta into your mouth. The veggies were carrots, turnips and asparagus.

Caledonia Prawns

The Caledonia Prawns were served over fried wild rice with porkbelly, edamame, carrots, cilantro and a honey soy vinaigrette. This was from their special items menu. The flavors were definitely different from what we had all night. John and David weren't too fond of the wild rice, but I loved the texture. Also, the honey soy vinaigrette was money. I can totally see this sauce glazed over a roasted pork belly. UGH!

I HiGHly recommend Little Beast whether you are from the area or visiting. Little Beast definitely made a bold statement to the neighborhood that you don't need to travel an hour through traffic to have fantastic food. They definitely know what they are doing, you just better make your reservations to find out.

1496 Colorado BoulevardEagle Rock, CA90041 (323)-341-5899

Instagram: @littlebeastrestaurant

Twitter: @LittleBeastEats

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L &E Oyster Bar - Yakuza Izakaya - MILK. HBD Brother.

November 23, 2015

We celebrated my brother's birthday on Sunday, 11/22, but his birthday is on the 11/24. He was asking what's for dinner, and like every year whether it's my birthday or his, our responses to each other when asked is always "McDonald's". I did offer him a 20 pc chicken nugget combo instead of the 10. See? Best f*cking sister EVER-ever.

Just look at him with his skinny legs, all cool. And there's me. With that pissed off resting bitch face that I just can't get rid of. I'm telling you, I'm born with it. But deng, I'm looking cute. Not trying to take the spotlight away from my brother, but my bowl cut is on point.

My brother wanted an early dinner, which worked out perfectly because ONE: I like to go out early and TWO: We ended up hopping to another restaurant.

So first things first. L & E Oyster Bar.

1637 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

We arrived a little short under 5:30. It was quiet and pretty much remained that way for the rest of our dinner. Going back to first things first, drinks. My brother and I ordered a beer. The beer list is pretty small. There were only 5 on the list I believe with 4 being drafts. There are a lot more options for wine, but you know me, I love to slug beer down my throat.. but.. I also do that with wine too so..

The complimentary amuse bouche Hush Puppies were amaze balls. With a touch of honey just adds the finishing punch to make this good to great. Wouldn't this be great to serve during the holidays? I would eat so much of these I would be scared of myself. My new years resolution will be ruined till 2017 comes along.

Second. Oysters.

These were $30 for a dozen of the daily special. They were okay... but weren't too memorable. I think we were all spoiled by the fantastic oysters we had at the Santa Monica Pier during Special Olympics. We had the most amazing oysters that day served by The Providence. But out of the 3 Pacific osyters that we tried, the Kusshi was my favorite while everyone liked the Reach island.

For $17, I will definitely pass. To be honest, there was little to none shrimp flavor. I love love LOVE shrimp cocktail, so this was extremely disappointing. I don't say this much, but I did feel slightly robbed.

I love raw oysters, but, I love fried oysters. I don't know why and I get it. Everyone wants that fresh oyster. But it's annoying me how oysters are the new pretentious food item that everyone raves about. Not saying I don't love it because I do, especially with a big fat Uni on top. But, I have the hugest appreciation for cooked oysters as well. I'm extremely versatile, and will not deny food that is good. I'm tired of people who thinks fried oysters are cheap oysters. And that raw oysters are the only way to go. Like get real. Rare steak does not taste as good as medium rare. Does that make sense? We were all babies once. Heck I ate glue and thought it was marshmallow cream. Get over it.

Going back to fried oysters. Yes, I love fried oysters so damn much. And at times, better than loving fresh oysters. I love how the texture of the oyster changes when it's cooked and the flavors become more pungent. With the fried contrast from the crumbs, and the creamy/tart flavors of the lemon and tartar sauce, there isn't anything else I would rather eat. All my friends know how much I LOVE fried oysters. The ratio from the breading needs to be spot. The crust on these were delicious, though I wished they used a larger oyster, for that texture that I am looking for. 10 orders of this, with a big pitcher of beer, stretchy pants, and loud Backstreet Boys "Drowning - in your love". I will be in heaven.

These roasted cauliflowers were roasted and served with finger lime avocado mojo & sweet potato chips. Pretty good, but simple. I love Cauliflower, and felt this was something I could make at home. $12.

$32. I wasn't too pleased sadly. So sad. Anyways.. There was a profound flavor of cumin, which masked the whole dish. It was almost impossible to taste the fish. The other thing that was extremely disappointing, was all the bones that were left. Maybe I'm comparing a Branzino that I've had at Bestia in Downtown LA which for $31, had all the bones removed. I know, I sound like a spoiled brat. We weren't sure which part of the fish were bones, or if there were any left in the spaghetti squash. Being extremely careful, I still managed to get one stabbed in the roof of my mouth.

Check!

Next hop! Yakuza Sushi Izakaya

With a name like that? How can you go wrong! And by now, our expectations are low.

FIRST THINGS FIRST! SAKE!

I am not a fan of hot sake, but since the brother wanted it, he gets it. It's always the first one, like all other face punching shots out there, that is the hardest to take down. After that, slugging Daisy is out! ANOTHERRR ONNEEE! (Trust me. I can get dangerous to cheers with).

Top left: Yellowtail Belly sushi, Salmon and Yellowtail cut roll, Bonjiri and Sunagimo.

Bottom left: Fried squid legs, Blue crab roll, chicken karaage.

Everything was better than expected. I think the funnest part about this was our low expectations. And my brother really wanted sake. And tacos. He really wanted tacos.

The reason why we crossed the street to dine here in the first place, was because the menu at L&E was very limited to what we really wanted. And it's really hard to eat oysters to get full. At $3+ each, the bill can easily become a car payment. And if you can afford to eat $3 raw oysters till you are full, I will punch your face. Who the hell eats $3 oysters until you are full?! No matter how rich you are. Don't do that. Fried oysters, maybe. But I have John.. my all of a sudden trainer and dietitian when I start consuming a lot of calories during dinner. GOD WHY CAN'T HE LET ME LIVE!

MILK

This is not similar to Blue Bunny or Good Humor strawberry shortcake. This was just simply strawberry ice cream dipped in white chocolate. I was extremely disappointed since I was really expecting the traditional flavors of BB/GH. This tasted nothing like it. I know it's still a good pop, but not the original.

Strawberry Macaron Ice Cream and Banana tres leches. Both of these were yummy. Their macaron had a good chew, not too sweet, perfect combination with the ice cream. The bananas tres leches was amazing! Super rich and creamy in the best most lactose intolerant way. I definitely got bloated after eating these, and the gas last through my next lifetime. Yeah I know I have no filter.

DENG that's COLD. It was a lovely evening though we could've had a few more beers and sake. It was, Sunday after all. And the time was ticking to rush home to watch The Walking Dead. Did you guys see it yet? No spoiler alerts, but social media Memes are OUT OF THIS WORLD funny as hell.

As for more drinks.. that will be something we are planning shortly in the month of December. Stay tuned for that.

Happy Birthday DAVID!

I am broke.

Daisy

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Happy Birthday Donny Wu

October 19, 2015

Ok. Took some of the worst pictures this night for Donny's birthday. I haven't mastered shooting in dark light... and the amount of old fashioned I was drinking didn't help either. We had reservations at Arroyo Chophouse in Pasadena. The chophouse is one of the Yorbas and Donny's favorite places to celebrate a birthday. And when they do, they do it big.

We... had a lot of these. This was the Donny birthday drink. Every year for his birthday, most of everyone will have this as their drink of choice. It goes down so smooth which makes it a dangerous cocktail. Based with bourbon or rye, the orange twist and bitters makes me a happy girl. Don't forget to drink your water (oops).

They made it to my decent photos. Before the camera shakes... and more old fashioned.

Shrimp and King Crab platter. (Alaskan Crab $18, Jumbo shrimp cocktail $14)

First off, the shrimp was supposed to be cocktail shrimp, so this (BBQ Shrimp) had to be returned. When the dish came back, everyone were immediately digging in to one of the largest shrimps I've ever seen used for cocktail. And by the way, it was DELICIOUS. King Crab? DELICIOUS. Everything was extraordinary.

Yeah I don't remember what kind of oysters these were. Just call this post a failed post. BUT, we ordered 2 dozens of the small oysters that they have since they carried 2 that night. These oysters were spectacular! Cold, clean, buttery, had a nice snap with a sweet finish.

We (as in Donny) ordered 4 of these. It was melting your buns good. Food gasmic in your mouth good. It actually made my mouth feel sexy if that makes sense. It doesn't huh? Well this was one of the best Foie Gras I've had. It's simple. They use a thick piece for every order. A literal explosion of flavor in your mouth, and one of my absolute favorite decadent things to order.

The Wagyu New York strip came in at 14oz. I was underwhelmed by how chewy it was.. With that being said, it did have good flavor, but it definitely didn't meet the expectations of a Wagyu Steak. American Wagyu or Japanese Wagyu, I've had both, and this was a bit disappointing.

On the other hand, I tried their Wagyu filet mignon, and that was much tastier coming in at $51.

Of course Donny ordered the Wagyu Rib Eye. The texture of the steak was also underwhelming. The fat in the steak however, was very flavorful. For the price, I would definitely order their regular rib eye...

or their Tomahawk:

This beast, made for a carnivore, came in at a womping 2 1/4 pounds. No knife, just gram the handle and chop it off like this was your last meal. Yes, 2 people can share it and maybe even 3. But you are about to die, so skip the onion ring and eat this up. I'm salivating all over again.

Of course, Donny ordered every single dish on the menu minus the Souffle. I say skip the dessert next time, and order yourself another Foie Gras. Just saying.

Um so yeah. I do have more photos, but it's pretty blurry. Just like the rest of the night.

$1,666 and tip wasn't even included? Bold. We strolled to Old Town Pasadena. Crashed the Blind Donkey (btw yummy burgers), had more old fashioned, water, and played a few rounds of Shuffle Board. Followed the birthday boy to Kings Row Gastropub. And then, ended up in my first UBER ride to another place that I had no idea existed. From there, there were blue liquid shots. I lost track.

And guess what? I drove everyone home! I'm SO AWESOME!

And the next day?

Hungover as F!

Mother F'ers. Happy birthday Wu! till whoevers birthday is next. I will be hibernating.

Life is good.

Daiisies

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Wine & Dine

Spago - Beverly Hills

Manpuku - Torrance - Happy 30th Brother (part 2)

Little Beast - Eagle Rock

Little Beast

Mains

L &E Oyster Bar - Yakuza Izakaya - MILK. HBD Brother.

So first things first. L & E Oyster Bar.

Next hop! Yakuza Sushi Izakaya

MILK

Happy Birthday Donny Wu