The Attic on Broadway - Long Beach

The Attic reminds me of a restaurant I went to when I was in La Jolla. It feels very homey and beachy at the same time. Walking in is almost like walking through a small cottage, just with plenty of tables around.

Their menu is simple yet experimental. They are known for their hot cheetos mac and cheese. No, I didn't get it this time around due to a long day of activities. I am lactose intolerant so it was not the day to load up on cheese. They also have other selections like shrimp and grits, jambalaya, and ribs to say the least. They also have your classic eggs and bacon, waffles, chicken and waffles, and all the good stuff.

We ordered there: Short rib poutine, FGT Benedict (Fried green tomato), and Duck Confit omelet. 

Fried Green Tomatoes, andouille sausage and poached eggs on an english muffin topped with their signature cajun hollandaise and green onions. This was served with their house cajun potatoes and a mixed fruit cup. The tomatoes were tart which helps all the richness from the egg and hollandaise sauce.

Red onion, spinach, sundried tomato in an omelette topped with crispy duck, goat cheese, and cranberry gastrique. Also served with mixed fruit and cajun potatoes. I liked the touch of the cranberry gastrique. 

Hand-Cut fries, topped with braised short ribs, caramelized onions, mozarella cheese curds, red wine demi-glace, and of course, topped with red onion. This will go perfect with any time of day. If you are sad and depressed, eat this. Happy or mad? Eat this.. with Louisianna Hot Sauce. Definitely a fork stabbing food, but I couldn't help myself picking at it with my fingers from time to time.

They get pretty packed. I recommend you make a reservation.

3441 East Broadway Long Beach, CA 90803

562.433.0153

Osteria La Buca - Los Angeles

I got to visit Osteria La Buca during Sunday brunch over the weekend. Los Angeles. You would think the 101 is free or at least think people are at church. No. The 101 towards downtown will forever be filled with cars along with stop and go traffic. Oh the joy. Knowing this restaurant is located on Melrose is also another stinger to think you will need to drive into LA. Before I got all boo-hoo-crybaby-face. My gps told me my destination would be on my left in 1 mile. 1 MILE. Melrose blvd is no joke. But to know the restaurant is on the outskirts of the busy street was music to my ears.

And I got the ultimate VIP parking right in front. It was all luck and perfect timing coordination on my part. So Sunday, 12 PM, time to eat.

Aye Aye to a full bar. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever mood you are in, they will fix you up.

No cocktails for me that day. Played 9 hours of Final Fantasy XV the night before so coffee was definitely imperative that day.

California Toast - Toasted rosemary sourdough, avocado, soft scrambled eggs and an arugula herb salad. I loved the arugula herb salad. It was a nice touch and not something I expected when I took a bite. The eggs were perfectly soft scrambled for all the Chef Gordon Ramsay's out there.

Neighborhood pizza - Guajillo sauce, taleggio cheese, pancetta, pickled pearl onions and baked egg. What part of that do you not like? This pizza was delicious. I loved the pickled pearl onions touch. We keep a jar of these all the time and it's a great palate cleanser. The pickled onions helped by cutting the richness from the pancetta and baked eggs. The guajillo sauce and taleggio cheese was a nice touch. And Pancetta? Well, Pancetta.

Grab a slice, and swim it through the eggs.

The famous Bucatini Carbonara that I've been seeing everywhere. Made with house pancetta, poached egg, and freshly cracked pepper. The pasta was perfectly al dente that springs back with each bite. The egg was also executed beautifully with a soft runny yolk. The element that brought this home for me was the cracked black pepper. It gave it a nice heat element that warms your face and your throat as it goes down. It had great flavor too.

The steps to eat carbonara: Pop that yolk. Toss the pasta. Twirl your pasta from your fork in your spoon. Keep spinning. Eat.

Make your reservations.

 5210 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038

Kappo Honda - Fountain Valley

John and I came here for dinner after dropping off an old friend from Japan. Shortly did I find out this was the same chain as Hondaya. I feel like Hondaya represents the feeling I get at a Japanese Izakaya when I was in Tokyo a few years ago. Nothing fancy, just down right beer/sake drinking with some good appetizers.

Beef tataki. The cuts were thicker than what I'm used to, and it could've been more rare. Someone sitting next to us thought tataki was some sesame/mushroom sauce and Oh boy was the waitress looking at him like "Get out".

Maguro Natto - Every chance I get to order this I always do. Fermented soy beans with tuna sashimi. Feel free to order a quail egg. I like to dash a bit of soy sauce and mix this up until it gets extremely-ultra-slimy.

Takoyaki. Always a fun appetizer to order. Goes great with beer. It's basically a octopus pancake ball with bonito flakes on top. Drizzled with tonkatsu sauce and served with a side of Japanese mayonnaise. 

Pork Kakuni. Pork belly stew in a soy based sauce. Normally served with spinach and a side of spicy mustard. When I worked at a restaurant, I would order this dish and pour the whole thing over rice, then douse with shichimi pepper.

And then, yakitori. Quick easy dinner with no stress.

18450 Brookhurst St Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Gyutan Tsukasa - Costa Mesa

Gyutan Tsukasa is located in the popular market, Mitsuwa. As much as this market is known for selling Japanese ingredients, a lot of people know Mitsuwa for their food court. Most popular is Santouka, Hokkaido style Ramen. As much as a I love getting the ramen, there's a restaurant at this food court that I love just as much if not more. Gyutan Tsukasa serves everything Ox tongue. They serve the tongue in a curry, a simple broth, stew/demi glace, and my favorite over charcoal.

It's charred to perfection and served with a side of wasabi and pickled/preserved veggies. I eat each piece with a little wasabi and a dash of Shichimi (Japanese spicy red pepper). Each bite will also get a big scoop of fried wheat rice.

This right here is the perfect bite. If you've never had beef tongue, it's not as weird as it sounds. Just think of it as just beef. I know the texture is unique, but it's also fatty. And when it's cooked perfectly, it will have a nice snap, but well slowly melt in your mouth. Beef tongue is one of my favorite items to order, always, at a Japanese restaurant. It's normally priced high for a small portion, but it's definitely manageable here at Gyutan Tsukasa.

I highly recommend this if you come. The food court in Costa Mesa now serves draft beer. 

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

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.

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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. 

Yukke - Not on the course menu

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.

Jo Tan Shio - Not on the course menu

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.

Assorted Veggies

Black Tiger Shrimp - Delicious.

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

Kobe beef meets grill.

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.

Rice Wrap Sukiyaki

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.