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Biergarten - Korea Town - Los Angeles

March 22, 2016

Korea Town has really come a long way. Really? No, not really. They've been the same and true to keeping it real. There's still an authentic feel to this neighborhood with fantastic Korean restaurants. If you think of Little Tokyo, true fans will tell you Torrance is the place to be at for amazing Japanese food. And if you are thinking about Chinatown in Los Angeles, the people that really know will tell you Alhambra/Monterey Park/SGV is the place to be.

206 N Western Ave.,Los Angeles, CA 90004

Biergarten is a Korean Gastropub located on Western Avenue. I've never heard of a Korean Gastropub before, but I know Korean food and I know Gastropub. Put the 2 together, and you get I-AM-NOT-LEAVING-THIS-PLACE.

Um yeah, this was pretty much the 1st thing I did when I got here.

Soju... it's my kryptonite... or just one of them that I am willing to accept. These were flavored from peach, to grape, to lemon, to pomegranate. How does it taste? Easy. Which makes them ridiculously dangerous. I'm not going to like, I had to wake up at 5AM the next day to drop off John at LAX and it was not a good morning.

Before you drop your jaw, let me tell you what these are. Tempura fries, kalbi, melted white cheddar with beer ass gravy... oh and some green onions because we all need some color to make ourselves feel better. Using a fork is only necessary because you want to make sure you can grab a huge portion for yourself before passing it down. But, who the hell made the take one pass it down rule anyway? And why is sharing caring? Trust me, there are a lot of things you don't want to share with me.

Ok this was pretty much amazing. A 7.5 oz of chuck meat with roasted cherry tomatoes, onion marmalade and arugula. It sounds incredibly simple, but it was bursting with flavor. The meat had a beautiful crust to it. The brioche also stood up to the challenge as it kept composed through my many chomps. And you know I can put on a mean chomp. Delicious, I highly recommend ordering their burgers (kind of want one right now).

To me, fried rice is comfort food. Not because I am Chinese, okay, but because I love eating foods with a giant spoon. Especially when I am at home watching TV. I am the worst comfort eater. I will go all out. The worst looking PJ's you can think of, hair tied back, and hot sauce everything. This brings me back to that, but when there is kimchi involved, all bets are off. And a fried egg with a runny yolk? WHY SHARE THIS? We all know there is one yolk. And there is no way I am going to "share" that with you. #justsayin395829058092

These were really delicious. Like, extremely tasty. The daikon reminds me of the chinese daikon cake. These are spicy and packed with flavor as it is made with pickled daikon and gochujang aioli. I'm still thinking about this now, no lies. Highly recommended.

More soju game going here. They are delicious and dangerously easy to drink. So with any precautions to drinking, you've been warned.

But don't be scared. Because we are all in this together. So always cheers to a bottoms up and chase with a poutine. Because that's what real foodies do. HAH.

These chickens are LOADED. You can definitely taste the alcohol marinade in this chicken. These were free range chickens. The meat is much more tender and juicy. Their pickled jalapeno was banging. Be careful, I rubbed my face a few times like an idiot. My face was burning from different parts since I kept forgetting. Hand washing doesn't help after the damage is done. I loved the heat though. I'm just weird like that.

I for some reason left with a new nickname, Daisy the tank. Don't ask. Maybe you will find out if we are ever to dine... and drink together.

Happy Eating

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The Fat Dog - Pau & Johnny - Part 2

March 1, 2016

To continue from Part 1 where Pau, Johnny and I were hanging out at the Idle Hour, we decided to make our way to The Fat Dog.

11050 Magnolia Blvd - North Hollywood, CA 91601

After having a liquid brunch, we were literally turning into Zombies with no sense of direction. I mean, Pau literally lunged to the streets without looking and stopped traffic with her super powers as we trickled behind her. She was on a mission. A mission for Swedish meatballs.

I love it. I went to tinkle and came out with food already on the way. Since we were just snacking, they do have some fun nibbles that are worth to try. Let's start with the sliders shall we.

Any beer loving fiend would love cheeseburgers of all sizes. These little decadent-pinky-worth buns with bacon, meat, cheese and guacamole can keep you fixated with your eyes crossed for a good minute.

Comes with fries. But, I would order more for other reasons I will share with you in a bit. But deng, I just love finger foods so much. I don't count calories, but I do think about the amount of food I consume at the end of the day. So little bites like these (x's 54674861231) makes me extremely happy because that means I can try more food. And who, who, does not want to try more food? For goodness sake. Look how delightful Johnny looks in the back enjoying a bite of a mysterious item. I swear it wasn't candid at all.

I really... really.. enjoyed these wings a lot. I'm not sure if it was from all the beer I drank, but these were zippy. It felt almost as if the wings were marinated in buffalo sauce or rub, and then deep fried. I really don't know how they did it, but it reminds me of dry rubbed ribs. Served with celery and carrots, with their house bleu cheese dipping sauce. Thumbs up. I am ready to come back for this one.

If you love IKEA Swedish Meatballs, you will love the ones at the Fat Dog. Served in a heapfull, there are plenty of reasons to share. There's nothing fancy with this dish as there is nothing fancy at the ones you would find at IKEA. But, these are comforting as F#$k as they should be. This is where the extra fries would play along. Or, just order the fries with this gravy and lingonberry sauce to top off. Money.

I will be back really soon because there were still a lot of items I would like to try. Love you Pau & Johnny dearly.

Until next time. Eat & Drink responsibility.

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GJELINA - Abbot Kinney

February 10, 2016

GJELINA is the first restaurant I've tried when visiting Abbot Kinney for the first time. On Abbot Kinney, there are a few blocks congested with little stores and restaurants to check out. I don't remember why we chose GJELINA that day, but I am happy we did.

GJELINA is one of those places where you might see a celebrity walk in. I've seen a few, but I'm pretty infatuated by their brunch menu to even care. I forget how good the food is here. Though I never had dinner, I can honestly say GJELINA is one of the best breakfast-brunch restaurants you can ask for. Not only is it pretty freaking delicious, but the items are priced fairly.

It was for John's Birthday that I decided to take him here to celebrate with a good brunch meal since we had to spend time with family that evening to celebrate Chinese New Years. There are a good variety of items to select from, but there are some dishes that are too hard to pass up.

I'm just going to dive right into this.

Duck Confit Potato Hash

*Potato hash, duck egg and grainy mustard*

Duck confit is very hard to find executed well. Most of the duck confit has I've had in my days were either too dry or not confit enough. And, the potatoes are so flavorful. Almost if they were based in the duck fat. There's nothing more to say I love you than a beautiful yolk with a nice tart grainy mustard to cut through the richness. Do I need to say more?

Moroccan Baked Eggs

Merguez, Chili, Tomato Sauce, cilantro & Spiced yogurt

I highly recommend this as well. A beautiful tomato sauce with chilies and lamb sausage cooked in, baked on top with 2 eggs. The spiced yogurt is everything you need to bring out the beautiful flavors of the merguez. The toast looked intimidating at first because it's fairly large, but just enough to finish this dish.

But wait, there's more.

Pizza Pomodoro

Nothing beats a good Neapolitan Pizza than from GJELINA. They do it well. The crust is insanely thin, crispy, nice cushion crust, and that beautiful yeasty tang we ALL love about a Neapolitan pizza.

Comes out piping hot with some fresh basil tore on top, a dash of oregano and some more condiments on the side for you to play with. Yes, I dipped the crust into my Moroccan eggs.

Is it Christmas already because everyone is say Hallelujah up in here.

Happy Birthday John.

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800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

January 27, 2016

I'm pretty sure all of you know by now that I love to drink. And if you didn't, know you know that I do. I also love tacos too, and fried chicken... and burgers.. and french fries and pasta and sushi. I know I get carried away.

It was my coworkers birthday, celebrated on a Friday night. I was staying back a bit at work to help out a colleague with some reports. Our anxiety was off the charts. But that's what booze is for. The first stop we headed to was Edward Mills in Old Town Pasadena. With $3 drinks and appetizers till 7, it doesn't get any better than that. Or, does it?

Thinking the party was almost over, I was hungry and ready to roam the streets for food. One coworker was ready to head over to King Taco which is genius after the drinks. I didn't know what I wanted. I just wanted something good.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up here at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria. My colleague mentioned an Instagram special where you order their pizza of the day. $5. No substitutions. But, you better check instagram first to know what the pizza of the day was. We were lucky and they were kind enough to let us slide. But next time we don't check, we just get bread sticks.

This is their Bianca with red onions, spinach and smoked provolone. A definite wowsers.

What I love about Neapolitan Pizzas is how thin they are. It also has a nice chew with a beautiful unique tang/sourness from the yeast. And honestly, the simpler the better. I feel like with Neapolitan pizza, it's all about the dough, the fresh sauce, cheese and just a few ingredients. Drink with a glass of wine or a nice cold brew is something I can envision myself doing on a casual afternoon.

For $5, it's definitely worth it. Seats were plentiful. I left my cellphone, and was definitely thankful no one took it... yet at least.

Find them on Instagram @800degreespizza to figure out what the next pizza of the day is. You might find me there.

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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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Wine & Dine

Biergarten - Korea Town - Los Angeles

The Fat Dog - Pau & Johnny - Part 2

GJELINA - Abbot Kinney

800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

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

So first things first. L & E Oyster Bar.

Next hop! Yakuza Sushi Izakaya

MILK