Momed Atwater Village

A good friend of mine, Mr.John Quintus (Hi!) recommended this really awesome restaurant in Atwater Village. Momed (click) has 2 locations, one in Beverly Hills and the other in Atwater Village. I am the hugest fan of that area. I've had my fair share of potato burritos from Tacos Villa Corona picking up a friend of mine every morning with a stench of Vodka. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

But as time moved on, our ideas of life, neighborhoods, the amount of money we have, has changed. Atwater Village has really transformed itself into an upcoming neighborhood.

Going back to the story, my friend knew my deepest obsessions with food and highly recommended this restaurant to me. It took me no time to make a short trip to the neighborhood. The restaurant is a big restaurant in a small little neighborhood, has a modern feel with a very open layout that feels warm, inviting, carefree, and then, time just stops.

3245 Casitas Ave, Ste 120

Los Angeles, CA 90039

You will find Momed snuck in between a few studios and Theatres, literally. Walking up the steps, getting seated, being handed with the menu, I already had my heart set on a dish. And we all know what that's like. There's no changing your mind even though you think to "think about it" and look through the menu, you always end up ordering what you wanted the first time around. 

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Shakshuka

This is my first time having Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a tomato/ragu based with eggs poached in. This Shakshuka was cooked on top of some spinach, which was crusted from the hot cast iron where you will find crispy bits around the edges! I can die. I am in heaven. And the egg? Organic, poached into the sauce. With a dollop of tzatziki sauce. Do NOT forget to ask for their spicy sauce that they also make in house. Wow. That really elevated the dish. The Shakshuka was served with some pita that was also made in-house. I don't believe I've ever had pita that was freshly made, but it was really delicious. The texture of the bread when you rip it apart, you see the hot pockets air out with each tear. I am crying right now thinking I've devoured this beautiful masterpiece and just like that it's gone. Why couldn't the Chinese be the ones to discover this? *LOL*

I know. Really? Bacon and eggs? at a place like this? Well let me stop you there for a second. And that's just a nice way to put it. I'm going to give an example with Chinese people. Because I am Chinese and I can make fun of myself AND my people (sorry dad... and mom... grandma (eeeeeps!) brother? you don't give a sh*t). But if we can't make rice correctly, it's like, wtf is wrong with you? Take that mentality to every cuisine that you try. If you are one of those, I order fried rice, I only order Pad Thai, I only order Carne Asada, I only order Gyro, I only order sushi (but we know that sh*t is California rolls), that mother f*cker we all know, and if you are reading this you should be a foodie and if you are not you are now because you have been blessed. Like, no. But if you are one of the people that does that above, well, you kind of get it... actually. You stick with safe choices for a reason.. right? Because if you can get the basics done right, then you are legit. And feels safe to maybe order that... Roast Duck, or that... Tom yum, or that Suadero, or that engawa (Click engawa).

With that being said. Eggs and Bacon is something that every chef should be able to master. And it was pretty perfect here. The smoked bacon was DELICIOUS. John Wan shared it with me and he could normally eat like... 1.. but he was scarfing all of that DOWN. A good cheap bacon is great when it's super crispy and sometimes, thin. A good quality bacon tastes so much better when it's slightly thicker, a little chewy, BUT crispy on some ends. Why I like bacon that is a little chewy? Because you really taste the pork. You really taste the smoke. The love and everything you can think of that went into it.

And the potatoes were spot on. I really envisioned myself on this place. I really hope that when I do come back, consistency will still be key. A lot of places don't have that. But I feel it in this place.

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Wrecking BALL & Iced Green tea

OK. We had Starbucks before this, hence the lack of caffeine. Normally I would order a cappuccino, but instead I got their Iced Green tea, and John ordered the Wrecking Ball Coffee that is from the San Francisco Bay Area. The iced tea was good. It was light, refreshing, and imaginably sweet if you were to put sugar in mix.

The Wrecking Ball coffee was really good. I enjoyed how light it was. Not full bodied, but with a nice sharp roasty aftertaste. I would definitely have this again when I come back (breakfast or dinner).

By the way. They have happy hour. All I saw was $4 wine. BUT, I am down to come back. So, let me know if you are because I am ready, to try every single thing on their menu.

Give this place a shot when you have time. And if you like it, you can thank me by taking me with you.

Los Angeles. Trust me when I say you are difficult to find a really good place to have breakfast brunch.

Daiisies

Chinese Herbal Rib

This dish was something my dad loved to make and another one of those dishes that I took for granted growing up. I'm glad that I am still young enough to appreciate it and not older. I wouldn't want to regret missing out all the comfort foods that I grew up eating with my family. Having breakfast with my dad every Saturday has been something that I've been doing religiously. No matter what circumstances, even if I'm hungover, I'll still meet him for breakfast.

-- Wow... a car drove by right now with "Hotel California" BLASTING. Just saying.. that person needs to chill.

One of the things my dad loves to talk about is the food that he makes. This is what brought us to this dish that I'm going to show you. The dish consists of a herbal mix and spareribs. I will be using Pork ribs for this because that is what I have.

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Herbal Mix

You can try to make your own, but honestly, unless you are trying to open a restaurant that specializes in this, just get the package. Don't trouble yourself because it's not worth it. You will probably find this mix at every Chinese market near you like 99 Ranch.

Water was filled about 1/2 way in a standard stock pot. While you are waiting for the water to boil, bundle the herbs that come with the package. I also peeled 6 cloves of garlic to be thrown in. Once the water boils, add your meat, garlic, some black fungus (Cloud ear fungus), and your herb bundle. As the ribs cook, you will notice some of the fat floating to the surface. Remove the top layer of fat with a ladle. I let it boil on medium high for about 30 minutes. I would then add about 3 tablespoons of salt and 1/2 a cup of Kikkoman soy sauce. I reduce the stove to low-medium and let it go with the lid on for 2 hours.

When the meat is fall off the bone or for tender, your dish is ready. Go grab some somen noodles and cook it with some boiling water, strain, and top it off with the herbal soup, rib and black fungus. I served this along with some pan seared baby bok choy.

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You may also add some pre-fried tofu that is sold in packages to the last 30 minutes of cooking. This dish is heavenly with some hot sauce. This dish has a strong renown herb flavor, but it's something Chinese people eat and also healthy for you.

If you make this and never had it before, I would love to know your thoughts and suggestions.

Happy eating!

Daiisies

Noodle City

All you humans ever known to Noodle Planet and think that's the best that you can do, have you ever tried Noodle City? It's one of my favorite joints that my parents used to take us to. Sometimes, they would even bring home take-out and I would remember finding the largest bowl I can get my hands on to mix my noodles together. These are moments you kind of forget and take for granted. Lately, I've been really thinking and appreciating all the delicious memories that I've received growing up. My parents literally fed us every type of cuisine you can think of. From having sushi at Todai Buffet (really? don't judge), every fast food joint, chili cheese fries, street tacos, chicharron from Super A, the best fried chicken from Pioneers followed by Popeyes, and you everything else you can just imagine.

Noodle City is located right next to Noodle Planet on Valley BLVD in Alhambra.

 628 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803

The set up is not the greatest with the interior being a bit outdated. You kind of have this impression that maybe you should step out and go to Noodle World. Noodle City is strictly Vietnamese food. No weird fusions or other cuisines like Thai/Chinese/Japanese muddled into a menu.

The menu itself, is simple yet complicated. Complicated in a good way of course. You can literally find every combination you would like. Broken rice with pork chop. Broken rice with egg rolls pork chop and steamed egg. Broken rice with shredded pork skin and steamed egg. You get the point. There was a lot of things I wanted. But when I saw Lemongrass beef on the menu, I literally salivated. I was imagining taking every bite, with a citrus burst of flavor, with the fresh cut veggies and basil, and the fish sauce mix with a big glob of chili garlic/sambal to give it more heat.

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Lemongrass Beef soupless noodle

What's not to get excited about? Everything that I just described prior to eating this, met the expectations and more. Everything just tasted super fresh. The lettuce, cucumbers and basil. The spicy sauce drizzled onto each bite. I'm salivating all over again as I am thinking back on this.

Combo pho

Combo phos normally has everything in it. Rare steak slices, brisket, tendon, tripe, beef balls. Douse this with bean sprouts, basil, fresh jalapeno, lime juice, culantro, and a whole lot of Sriracha. Oh and a lot of napkins to wipe your face.

If you ever have time or in the area and craving Vietnamese food, do give this place a try. I also believe credit/debits are acceptable with $10+. And the service can be slightly awkward... or to say it in a nice way, thug life. Don't be intimidated or feel mistreated. Just say your pleases and thank you's as you should in any other restaurant.

Slurps Up!

Daiisies

Fish caper de provence

During Sunday, I had a weird epiphany that I was going to do a whole crap load of grocery shopping that will last throughout the next few weeks. This shopping consisted of purchasing a lot of protein from Costco which will be wrapped and tucked away in the freezer, and Veggies which will be purchased throughout the week if we run out. Not really sure what dishes I will create, but I wanted to prep some meals, without really prepping 5 daily meals in one day. With that said, I decided creating simple side dishes will be a leverage to assist me making home cooked meals throughout the week.

For a little over $1 a pound, you can get a huge bag of broccoli florets for around $4. That is extremely cheap. And since the florets are thoroughly washed, I literally place the whole bag in the microwave. 3 minutes on one side, flip, 3 minutes on the other. This will steam the broccoli getting the cooking process done quicker and less mess.

I take out a sheet tray and cram every single one evenly. I crushed about diced 5 cloves of garlic to top the broccoli. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt, and a little pepper. This was roasted in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Once you see some dark char on your florets, it's okay to take out, let it cool, and store in a giant container to be left in your fridge until ready to use.

For the Garlic mashed potatoes, I went to a local Albertsons and purchased one of those $2.99 bags of russet potatoes. These were peeled, diced, and then rinsed. The potatoes were boiled with about 6 large cloves of garlic until tender, as you would with your mashed potato recipes. You can always reduce the amount of garlic or completely remove it if you are not a fan. I can really taste the garlic with just 6 large cloves. After the potatoes are done, strain the water, add 1/2 a stick of butter and about 1 cup of milk. This really depends on the texture that you like your potatoes. I started mashing and seasoning the potatoes with salt and dried parsley. After you are happy with your potatoes, let it cool, and then store in your fridge until read to use.

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Ok so I obviously made up the name. The seasoning I used was Herb De Provence which are obviously a a handful of herbs, but includes lavender. The lavender smell really stands out. The first time I purchased herb de provence, I was pretty intimidated by how it smells. But after trying it on chicken, I literally had a mind blown mouthgasm moment because I love putting that sh*t on everything now.

I seasoned both sides of the fish with Herb de Provence, garlic powder and salt. The fish was pan seared and finished with some capers. The mashed potatoes I made prior, was seared on both sides until golden brown. The broccoli was just heated and kissed with a little olive oil.

Going back to prepping your side dishes. It makes wanting to cook so much more convenient. Instead of frantically pulling out different pants, you might like I do, get discouraged to cook. But look at how you can transform delicious mashed potatoes into something even more heavenly.

Stay tuned for more recipes using prepped side dishes. You can either thank me now, or thank me later.

happy eating!

Daiisies

Gyoza diet

If you are on a diet, you are going to die. I mean, there's a sign that tells you pretty much. DIE-t. Diet sounds like quit it. So we should all quit diets. Please. Someone. AGREE WITH ME! Why can't I eat chili cheese fries and drop 10 pounds at the same time? WHY? Why must life be so hard! Shutup all you skinny fast metabolism mother f'ers because one day you will get grubby. Or you will have babies with someone with fat genes. (this statement ONLY applies to people who giggles, and say 'I can eat whatever I want and not get fat ho-ho-he-he').

Ok... ok ok ok I'm sorry for being so vulgar. Let me take a step back.. But I'm sure, we've all been, tried, or still on some kind of diet. The diet doesn't necessarily mean weight lost. Some can just be a way of eating habits. Some can be... on a cookie diet. I love cookies... and fries.. and chicken.. fried... and I am DEFINITELY one of those people that goes to a steak house, and look for the largest oz of steak on the menu. I don't believe in 12-16oz steaks... 24oz+ and I'm in HEAVEN!

*sigh* I digress.

GYOZA TIME:

Recipe:

1. ONE BAG OF FROZEN GYOZA.
2. 4 tablespoons of Olive oil (or vegetable).
3. 1/4 cup of water

I've been using a lot of canola oil after seeing Bobby Flay use a ton of it on his show "BBQ addict" shown of Food Network from 6:30AM-7:00AM pst. But, I realized that it had a strong flavor I wasn't too pleasant with. Normally, I can't really taste the difference between oils. But after using the Olive Oil from Costco for a LONG TIME (literally 2 large jugs for like, $24, a STEAL), I've grown to love the flavors it provided to my dishes. With that said, I could really taste the canola oil take over the dishes that I've made. So for this gyoza, I would honestly, use olive oil.

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This is the intense part. No one is allowed to talk to you in this moment of solitude. The sound of the sizzle, the oil splatters, the sounds of your heartbeat as you are scared to your buns that oil is going to pop your eye out. Don't worry, that will all end. I poured the water into the pan maybe about 2 minutes of watching it sizzle on medium high. After the water drops, close the lid for about 5 minutes. Once the lid opens, the gyoza should look translucent. But the real test is when you flip them.

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This is when I die. The crispy bottoms just makes me oh-so-happy. I tilt all of them to their side to get the slightest color on them before turning off the stove. During the process of waiting for the bottoms to color, I needed to add a little more water to make sure the dumpling was cooked throughout. But this really depends on your stove and how much your pan wants to work with you that day.

I ate this with a lot of Sriracha and some Broccoli sauteed in a lot of garlic.

So quick, so comforting, so happy.

Happy dumplings and oil splatters.

Daiisies