October 2008

Thefoundry on Melrose, (wed, 1)- no AC! I was dying in there. The food was mediocre. They tried to put a modern twist to comfort foods on their bar menu but it didn’t work. The tater tots were mashed potato balls with a crispy outer crust. The crab & spinach dip came out well presented but there was o sight of crab. There was an essence of crab. The hand rolled pasta was more like a broccoli dish with pasta as an afterthought. The pasta was real thin and wide like shaved parmasean. The Rueben looked like an open-faced sandwich with samgyupsal on top of it and sundried tomatoes. The pork was really salty. The famouse grilled cheese with braised beef tasted like braised beef and no cheese. I don’t think it was a winner of anything. Supposedly they won first place in a grilled cheese competition. The chocolate soup was served in a deep dish with chilled vanilla and cookies. Why serve soup in a dish? It was also mediocre. Very disappointing at 40$ pp among 3 people. With a bottle of champage.

8oz. burger bar, melrose (sat.,4)-

 

the 8 oz. burger was good but burnt. the bread was burnt at edges. the meat was burnt on one side. it came with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, white onions and sauce. the kobe corndogs were good. they were mini and came with this mustard sauce which had a good kick. the suds & sliders sampler came w 3 sliders and 3 5 oz. beers. the sliders were so cute. although i did not like the buns, the lamb, beef, and boar sliders were good. the strawberry milkshake was good but not as good as mcdonalds's. :P the fries which had some skin on them, were great.

Yi Ssi Hwa Ro, ktown (sat,4) - the all you can eat meat is 15.99 and comes with dduk, steamed egg custard, dengjang jjigae, and nooreung ji bahp. the chadol, joomuluk, and galbi are average. not great. the salad is wateves. i've been to better. for 4$ more you can get more options on meat such as gopchang, and tongue.

Delancey, Sunset (sun, 5)- the orecchiette with peppers, italian sausages, and beans was good. i love orecchiette pasta. the beef carpaccio is good without the radish, kinda oily though. the calamari is just ok; it comes breaded and non breaded. their marinara is sour/tangy. the egg drop soup was pretty good but oily. expensive. very cute. brick walls. mirrors. ceiling fans. decorative ceiling... 1 glass of house wine, 3 beers, 2 pizzas, 4 pasta dishes came to 31$pp.


mandarin house, ktown (mon, 6) aka Jin heung gak. their jja jang myun is ok and i like their jjam bbong. the noodles though aren't that great. just ok. it's not as chewy as i'd like.

Mama Mia Cafe, Los Feliz (tues, 7)- the red eye is pasta with a bland sauce with bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, and egg over easy on top. the strawberry lemonade comes with fresh cut strawberries but the lemonade is watered-down. 17$ including tax and tip.

Suehiro Cafe, Little Tokyo (thurs, 9)- the oyako don is pretty good for $5.50 and the mentaiko onigiri is YUM. Its pretty decent for the price. and they're open til 1am.

hana ichimonme restaurant, little tokyo (sat, 11)- japanese cafe-ish food. mostly ramen. the ramen combo with sushi rice (ginger, egg, imitation crab over sushi rice) was ok. not bad for 7.95$ the shaved ice w condensed milk looked sO good.

fishermen's outlet seafood restaurant. downtown (mon 13)- the scallops are good (scallops & 2 shrimp w rice for $17) and the fish and shrimp was ok. not a big fan of fish & chips. the clam chowder was watery and bland. the lobster bisque had a funky taste to it. The garlic dipping sauce is great!

Yogurtland, la brea (mon, 13)-

i like how there is a lot of variety in flavors. i tried like 6 of them. the taro and peanut butter were good. the bluberry i liked, it was really tart. the plain was just ok, kinda light in flavor. the chocolate was like soft serve which i really liked (very creamy). the green tea was just ok. the butterfinger really tasted like butterfinger. the cafe de leche was yum. they have lots of toppings and even condensed milk. pretty cheap. ~2 for my cup of 6 tastings. :)

cafe connection (tues, 14)-

 the turkey sandwich with sundried cranberries, pesto, lettuce was good. the roast beef was good. (roast beef, mayo, onions, lettuce). the chocolate chip cookie is thin, and chewy. the potato salad is light. reminds me of the korean banchan.

Kate Mantilini, Beverly Hills (wed, 15)- OMG. super slow service. it reminds me of a more modern version of a pricier jerry's deli. the turkey sandwich w cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes was just ok. the turkey looked like old reheated turkey on openfaced old garlic toast. the mashed potatoes with the mushroom gravy was not bad. the cranberry sauce was not to my liking. the hobo steak (meat loaf) was ok. it tasted like there was a ketchup-y bbq sauce on it. the onion rings were real peppery and they used red onions. the meal was pricey. 95$ including tax and tip for 3 entrees, onion rings, 1 beer, and 1 soda.

sompun thai, silverlake (fri,17)- the priking was real pastey. lots of chili paste and the green beans were chopped too small. and more beef than string beans. the chicken satay was really dry. the pad thai was kinda mushy but i liked how there was a lot of egg. the pra ram (curry) was creamy and good with beef and spinach. the thai iced coffee was creamy and milky. the glass was too smallthough. (18$pp)

blossom, downtown (sat, 18)- the pho thai was ok at best. it was nohting special, kinda bland. the spring rolls were just ok too. nothing special about them. the vegetarian spring rolls contained tofu and were just ok too. no flavor. 2 pho tai. 2 spring rolls. 13$pp including tax and tip.

15, echo park (sat, 18)- the two course meal at $15 was not that great. the tomato bisque tasted like marinara which was pretty good. i wish it came with grilled cheese. the pork loin cutlet with parsnip puree and mushrooms were not good. the pork loin was flavorless. the puree had a funny taste. the salmon was salty. the lavender pomme frites was the best dish out of the whole meal. skinny fries with a hint of lavender. slow service due to one waiter. also they got my order wrong.

vip chinese, ktown (tues 21)-

the jjam jja myun is pretty decent. the jambbong broth is thick and oily. the jja jang myun is pretty decent. i wish the noodles were more chewy. kinda on the bland side.

Ronin izakaya bistro, la cienega (wed 22)-

the taco shimi was the best of the meal. its sear tuna with guac. on a chip. nothing special though. the garlic shrimp scampi came with watery marinara-ish sauce. the batter was like tempura but more soggy. it was the least favorite. the fried rice was the 2nd best which isnt saying much. the egg sunny side up made it better. the carpaccio trio was decent. the albacore was smokey. the tuna was decent. the scallop w yuzu u couldnt really taste. the fish wasnt fresh. the kurobuta pork belly was not good. it was dry. the daikon it came with was good and the broth was light. the shiso cod was alrite. the fish was cooked ok and the purple pureed yams were cinamon-y. not a good combo. the yuzu custard for dessert is actually flan with shaved iced and yuzu syrup on top. not a fan of flan. the complimentary flourless chocolate cake was dry. the two shots of vanilla shake that comes with it was n ot creamy enough.

sushi sharin, little tokyo (thur 23)- the nigiri combo (8pc w 3 pc cali roll...3 pieces only!) was YUCK. unfresh. thte hamachi was orange. the halibut w that shiso leaf looked old and dry. everything is poor quality and old loooking. the service was real slow.

chado tea room, 3rd st (fri, 24)- the afternoon tea was Ok. the sandwiches are just ok. (punjab, mediterranean, turkey/cranberry, salmon lox) the punjab (egg salad was the best). the mediterranean was herby vegetable sandwich. not a fan of sugar cookies, lemon bundt and their chocolate cake was ordinary. the han yao jasmine tea or watever has a light bitter taste. 18$ +tax n tip.

jong ga jip, ktown (sat, 25)- dak dori was ok. marinated and not as flavorful as id like. the galbi tang is very peppery. 24$. not a bad place.

November 2008

Honda-ya Izakaya, little Tokyo (sun, 2)-

this place is OK. Nothing too special about it. Like furaibo in jtown in the west side. They have sushi, sashimi, yakitori, and small plates. Nothing was too standout. Everything was good and nothing inventive really. Ordered a lot of things. 3 piggies = 70$ pp including tax and tip. (2 pitchers of beer, ~20 pieces of yakitori, ~15 small plates, 3 onigiri.)

Square one dining, Franklin ave. (tues, 4)-

the 2 eggs, applewood smoked bacon, ham, Canadian bacon, or sausage, with potatoes, grits, or salad was good. Big portion. *8.50 but you can never go wrong with something as easy as that. The potatoes were flavorless though. The scrambled eggs were real buttery. The bacon was thick and greasy. The grapefruit juice was fresh and came in a small cup at$4. The cauliflower soup was not bad, had a little bit of sugar in it. The pancakes were huge and fluffy and tasted like spongecake. YUM.

Cheung Hing Chinese, San Mateo, CA (9^th, sun)- typical bad Chinese service. Their roast duck is pretty decent. The clams in black bean sauce was typical. The string beans with pork in XO sauce was good. The chow mein was your typical noodle dish. The spare ribs were… I don’t know because they forgot to give it to us. When we reminded them at the end of our meal, after they cleared the plates, they brought it out of the microwave and tried to feed it to us. And then tried to make us take it to-go. TSK TSK.

Chweh gah neh, ktown (12th, wed)-

all you can eat bbq for $14.99. choice of 5 meats (chadol, sam gyup sal, tripe, galbi sal, beef tongue) + neng myun. And geh ran jjim. And they have noorung ji. The quality of meat isn’t good. Its ok. The cuts are thin and aren’t as blood red.

Curry House, little Tokyo (13^th thurs)- the curry set comes with 2 fried shrimp, choice of beef, shrimp or chicken curry, a cup of corn potage, and salad for under $10. pretty decent except I don’t like curry house’s curry. Hurry curry is way better. The shrimp curry was not good. The tofu cheesecake was good. Had strawberry sauce and the cheese was whipped.

Scarlet Tea Room, Pasadena (15^th, sat)-

the 5 course tea ceremony is not worth $29 + 5$ splitting fee. The first course was a strawberry sorbet. It tasted like any sorbet you get. The scone was good with the preserves and the scarlet crème. The chicken tahini sandwich was dry. The egg salad with fresh tarragon was your typical egg salad. Prociutto with roasted red peppers was not my favorite. The chicken with sun-dried cranberries was good. The bread seemed stale. 2 tiny desserts. A crème brulee cheesecake which was not bad. And this little petite cake which was not good. The fiji tea was ok (flavored green tea with pineapple and wild papaya.) I think they steeped it too long for it was a tad bitter. The strawberries romanoff was nothing spectacular. Overall not worth 29$ but I like the pianist and the jazz music. I think I like tea rose garden better and it was half the price.

Fulfilled, Beverly hills (16^th, sun)-

the imagawa-yaki is like the Japanese equivalent to the Korean boonguh bbang. The “sweet geisha” is the traditional one and its not as good as the boonguh bbang. I like it when the batter isn’t cooked all the way in the inside so its kinda gooey but its wasn’t like that. The harajuku monkey (banana and nutella) reminded me of a crepe with those same ingredients. The nutty Buddha (chocolate, toffee, peanut butter) was too thick and dry tasting. The karaoke kitty (white chocolate, strawberry, cream cheese) was the best in my opinion because of the cream cheese and strawberry combo. I also got the spicy samurai (chicken apple sausage, pepper jack cheese, diced chili, cilantro) which was just ok, nothing special.

RJ Patisserie, Arcadia (22^nd, sat)

1220 S Golden West Ave

Arcadia, CA 91007

(626) 574-9399

nasty old pastries that taste like alcohol. The jasmine tea was steeped for too long. Not a good experience. Located in a strip mall in a small food court.

Torafuku, West LA (22^nd, sat)-

10914 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

(310) 470-0014

The homemade silken tofu is very soft, almost like egg custard. The negihama and negitoro and spicy tuna were typical. The albacore garlic roll (spicy tuna topped w albacore & crispy garlic) was not bad for a roll. Kinda pricey. 51$ including tax + 18% tip. Their sushi combos were ~50$. Not sure if this place is good because we ordered pretty standard stuff that you can’t really mess up on.

Jang ahn dwen jang, ktown (24,mon)-

The den jang jjigae wasn’t that good. I thought it would be real good since the restaurant name has dwen jang in it.

The banchan was simple. Although they did give us some grilled fish.

The bibimbahp was ok. They give you ur gochujang and sesame oil so you can add to your liking.

17$ total.

Lu Din Gee Café, Alhambra (24, mon)

(duck’s feet.)

1039 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 288-0588

When first arrived, there was julienned green onions & cucmbers, with the sauce for the duck, and duck feet on the table.

The duck was good except that the portion was WAY small for 32$. It was definitely not a full duck, or maybe it was 1 full duckling. The skin was crisp and juicy. Supposedly not as brown as it should be.

The spicy and sour soup was neither spicy nor sour. But not bad with the hint of cilantro.

The lamb in XO sauce w grilled onions was typical.

The napa cabbage in bean paste I did not try because it was this red color. And im not a fan of napa.

The green onion pancake is crispy and pretty good. It’s not doughy like the Korean kind. Which I love better.

I was not impressed.

95$ for 3 people.

The tea was really good.

El Parian (25, tues)

1528 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 386-7361

The carne asada taco was greasy, super oily.

The birria taco (goat meat) tasted like braised, stewed meat. Some pieces of bones were found.

The tacos are $2.75 and they are HUGE. Comes wrapped w 2 corn tortillas each so you can split them. onions, tomatoes, cilantro.

The hot sauce is not good.

The free chips with salsa is good though. It’s the round nacho chips that you used to get from the ice cream truck.

East Japanese Restaurant< Little Tokyo (sat, 29)

329 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 437-0563

smells like sewage in the restaurant. you dont even get used to that. my chicken-don was drowning in teriyaki sauce. way sweet! the chicken wasn't bad though. $7.50 the sushi platter looked ok for 12$.

 

Sugarfish by sushi nozawa, Marina del Rey (1)- i got the "surprise me" which is not on their menu. starts with tuna sashimi with ponzu which is not bad. the ponzu isnt too overporwering. then comes uni, salmon, engawa, 2 shrimp, 2 albacore, and 4 cut toro roll, and 4 cut blue crab mayo roll.

they have 3 set "omakase" sets u can order from. no substitutions and they are all very regular items. tuna, salmon, yellowtail, albacore, shrimp. for the price it prob is pricey. for the same price you can go to jinpachi and get a better combo set.

the sushi is prob the same as at sushi nozawa in studio city. the rice is the same way. falls apart and mushy like they added too much water. the quality is ok i dont think worth 44$ tax and tip is included in their prices so makes it easy to calculate when splitting the bill. the green tea is 2.5$ and comes with a tea bag which i didnt like. and the cup was a long latte mug with handles. the inside decor is very pinkberry. yes. i said pinkberry!

Myung dong kalgooksu, ktown (2)- the kal gooksoo is pretty good. the chicken is kinda dry but with kimchi added, the broth is pretty good. the noodles are thick and pretty decent. i think i like the noodles at madang gooksoo better. the sam geh tang is pretty yum ($14) with a lot of ginseng. kalgooksu lunch special til 230 for 7.50$

kitchen 24, hollywood (2)- the wakey wakey eggs and bakey is a good deal. $5.95 for bacon or sausages, 2 eggs, toast, potatoes, and 2 pancakes. the food wasn't bad. cant go wrong with breakfast!. the monte carlo sandwich (ham, cheese on french toast bread) was ok. not as good as mama's in sf. it also comes with mustard. i think it would be better w jam or maple syrup. the bbq beef brisket is sweet and pretty good except the quality of meat. the apple pie a la mode is a whole mini pie in a skillet.

Bab Jip Corean Cuisine, La brea (7 wed)- the kimchi fried rice is pretty good. Not too oily. Tastes kinda light. And they put bulgogi on top with fried egg. ($8) they have shikhae which is 2.5$ and its in a regular soda cup which is a lot of shikhae. They have bulgogi tacos for 1.5$ but free til 7/15 with purchase of entrée and drink. Has soft flour tortilla, onions and cilantro. Interesting. Nice clean corean place.

Yoo gah neh mandoo jun moon jum, irolo (21, mon)- the kimchi wang mandoo has some gamey meat taste to it. (4.99) I think the one at yuchun is much better. The jja jang myun is pretty good, kinda on the sweet side though. ($4.99) But at least its not bland. The jjam bbong is pretty good. But I’m no jjam bbong connossieur. ($6.99)

Tbbc Barbecue, ktown (21, mon)- this is a barbecue chicken house. the chicken sucks. The dduk salri which is like toasted dduk with go chu jang and peanuts was not good. It was definitely too cinnamon-y. and nuts!!! Since when do we have nuts in our food.? The salt chicken drumsticks were dry. And they weren’t drumsticks. It looked like they took the meat off the drumsticks and put it on a plate with the bones mixed in. the half/half was also bad. The han shik sauce is the same cinnamon-y sauce with peanuts. The chili sauce is like a spicy bbq sauce. I think the chili was the best. But it’s still pretty bad. I was not impressed at all. The chicken was way too dry. And the cheese bite (which is like cheese sticks) was decent. I think the best thing on the menu. Overpriced! The chicken dishes were 16.99$ each.

Haus Dessert Boutique, Ktown (21, mon)- the tropical passion mousse cake is good. Tastes like mango mousse with fruit on top and a thin layer of cake at the bottom. The tiramisu was also pretty good. Kinda on the bitter side. $6 per small piece of cake. You can get the same mango mousse cake at Porto’s for 2.50$..

El Cochinito, Silverlake (22, tues)- the plantains are good. The tamale was ok. Just plain corn with onion/red bell pepper/peas on top. The lechon asada (pork) which they are famous for, is OK. The pork is way too dry. Real crisp and dry on the outside but not too bad on the inside. Came with garlic in oil sauce, yuca, rice and bean garnished with onions. The sirloin steak with grilled onions was dry (#29). The fricase was the best out of the dishes. (tomato sauce with chicken and big potato chunk with a side of rice.) the shrimp with yellow rice was ok. Not the best. Nothing special. The chicken noodle soup was great. Had corn on the cob and a drumstick in it. Very flavorful. More like vegetable soup w chicken.

Bowery, Hollywood (23, wed)- the burger is good. Big piece of meat, tomato and greens on the side, between two pieces of toasted English muffin. I ordered the meat medium but some parts were pretty medium rare. It was still good. At least they didn’t over cook it. The sweet potato fries were yum and so were the fries. The burger is $9 + side of fries ($3) + raw onion ($1). Would go back. It’s cute inside. Very small with black bathroom tiled walls. REAL loud inside. Not a place to go and just talk.

Seongbukdong, ktown (24,thurs)- the banchan is good. The kimchi jjigae is on the tangy side but otherwise good. And the dol sot nakjji bibimbahp had too much sauce. And the nakjji was real chewy.

Pho Café, Silverlake (27, sun)- the spring rolls are yum. It has beef and shrimp in it and the beef tastes like bulgogi. The Pho tai was ok. On the bland side. The beef is real soft and mushy.

Lucques, Hollywood (27, sun)- Sunday Supper. Very cute restaurant. Fireplace in the middle. Brick walls.

soft ricotta and summer plums with

arugula, grilled toast and jamon serrano

Ricotta was not as good as I’ve had. The summer plums were real good. The arugula was bitter.

***

slow-roasted king salmon niçoise with potato,

string beans, cherry tomatoes and tapenade

the salmon was cooked perfectly. And the string beans were yum.

or

grilled jidori chicken with sweet corn pudding,

pesto and shaved summer squash salad

the chicken was bland but juicy and flavorful. Very smokey if you like that. The corn pudding was really cheesey. Pretty good but very heavy.

***

bittersweet chocolate cake with honeycomb

and mascarpone ice cream

the chocolate cake is more bitter than sweet. And the cake had the texture of a real soft dry cookie and not of a cake. I like the honeycomb and the mascarpone ice cream a lot.

45 dollars per person

Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya, 3^rd st (29, tues)- the albacore with crispy onions was too salty. The halibut sashimi with yuzu vinaigrette was also too salty and you could barely taste the yuzu. The ceviche was not that good. It looked like all the leftover parts of the fish were mixed into a bowl with cilantro and some brownish sauce. The baked crab hand roll (on soy paper) was too tangy. The hamachi w jalapeno was the best I think, but it still wasn’t the greatest. The sushi combo was gross. The salad came with too much dressing that tasted like sweet peanut sauce. Super unfresh sushi (10 pcs- tuna, albacore, salmon, tamago, red snapper, shrimp, hamachi, unagi w no sauce, brown uni, + 8 pc cali roll). The fish was REAL fishy. And the salmon had a weird texture. The miso cod was over seasoned, too sweet. And the fish was a tad overcooked. The rock shrimp tempura on spicy tuna roll was not good. The tempura batter is too heavy and not flaky at all. And the sauce was overwhelming and a tad too tangy for me. the spicy tuna roll part was wrapped in soy paper. The spicy tuna with crispy rice wasn’t crispy. A BIG disaapointment. 2 lunch specials, 3 rolls, 5 dishes =$140. not worth it. I wanted to throw up.

Meals by Genet, Little Ethiopia (wed, 30)- the veggie plate is a must, so you can wrap your injera (crepe-like bread) with all the veggie sides. The Hirutye's Yebegsiga Alitcha Lamb Stewed with garlic, ginger and other spices was very gamey. The Dorowat, stewed chicken with hard boiled egg, was good. Kinda like Indian curry. The kifto which is beef tar tar (raw beef tartar that is hand kneaded by the proprietor and mixed with spices and Ethiopian butter), more like beef puree with spices, was not that great. You can only taste ginger. The waiters were very helpful and attentive. You eat with your hands.

August 2008

Cat n fiddle pub, sunset (sun,3)- the sliced turkey sandwich on a baguette is not bad. Turkey, tomato, sprouts, and cranberry. Add raw onions and its good. The chips are fries. $10. very pubby. Live jazz in the outdoor patio on Sunday nights which is nice.

Mapo Ggakddoogi house, ktown (thurs, 7)- the kimchi jjigae tastes really homemade. Has dduk in it which is yum. The soojaebi is ok. Watery and not thick which is the way I like it. They have a lot of variety of banchan which is also good.

25 degrees, Roosevelt Hotel (fri, 8)- the burger is build it yourself for 10$ or they have their specials which are 12$. They have onion rings/fries/sweet potato fries for $4. or half & half which means onion rings and french-fries or sweet potato fries ($6). The tomato soup ($4) is like chunky marinara. The sweet potato fries has rosemary on it and so do the fries. The lemonade is not fresh squeezed. It tastes artificial. The burger was dry. The meat was dry. The bread was greasy and dry. One small tomato slice on the side for my burger and a thin slice of onions with pickles and lettuce. Very disappointed. The service was way slow.

La Dijonaise Café et Boulangerie, Culver City (sun, 10)- the steak and eggs for Sunday brunch is a good deal. 9.95& for 2 eggs, potatoes, and steak. The steak was not overcooked but a little on the bland side. The OJ is good and cheap $2.50. Very clean, with the exception of a fly and lots of elderly people. I think we were the youngest patrons there. Just another café.

Kinaree Thai bistro, La brea (sun, 10)- the thai iced coffee is super sweet with lots of condensed milk. But it has an alcoholic aftertaste. The tom yum with shrimp is not as tangy as I’d like (~$9). The pad thai with shrimp was good and so was the prik king chicken even though the green beans were well undercooked and super crunchy. Bill total was ~37$ without tip.

Nagao, Brentwood (mon, 11)- the moonlight roll (halibut, crab, tuna, asparagus, gobo wrapped in cucumber) was good. The soybean roll (salmon, crab, gobo, wrapped in soy paper and rice) was too salty. The nigiri fish quality was not that great. The uni was not good. The yellowtail was mediocre. The unagi was super sweet. The albacore was sloppy and nothing special. The ice cream roll was like ice cream rolled in pound cake. Total bill was $50. overpriced for the quality.

Yuri Japanese Café, Melrose (thurs, 14)- the combo is 9.99 and comes with 2 entrees and one side. I got the steak which is cut up cubes of beef that is not tender but tough. The steak is drizzled with a sweet watery teriyaki sauce. The tuna roll has tempura batter and flakes on it. Nothing special. The asian side salad has a watery, vinegary and sweet dressing with won ton chips and 1 old looking mandarin orange. The champagne rose tea is actually good and so is their cherry blossom one.

Sakura Japanese Restaurant, Centinela (tues, 19)- the sushi combo was not good. Shrimp, tako, tuna, albacore, halibut, w spicy tuna roll. The fish was very not fresh. The tuna especially. The uni was ok, not sweet as id like. The langostine roll was mayo langostine w cucumber wrapped in soybean paper. Nothing was great or even that good.

Angel Maid Bakery, Centinela (tues, 19)- the Bavarian cream mini cake with soft ladyfingers and Bavarian cream was good. Had fruit on top. The iterien mini cake was not bad. Nothing spectacular; it was like any other Korean style bakery but it was Filipino-owned and not as good or pretty.

Irv’s Burgers, West Hollywood (tues, 19)- the burger was pretty good. The bread was dense. Nothing special. I think I liked hamburger haven better but it’s a good landmark hamburger stand. Korean-owned and very friendly.

Gui Mok, Koreatown (wed, 20) the unmarinated combo was not good. For 90$ it was bad. The meat was not fresh and the taste was not that good. The quality was worse than an all you can eat place. the combo comes with egg custard, galbi jjim or gamja tang, den jang jjigae, and meat. (chadol, sam gyup sal, steak, and two different kinds of beef.)

Beware BROWN raw meat.

Lucky Devils, Hollywood (fri, 22) the kobe Diablo is pretty good. Thick piece of meat with bacon, avocado, sauce, arugala. The fries are pretty good also. SO is the lucky burger which comes with onions, shredded lettuce, and sauce and I think tomatoes. I liked the buns. 13.95 for kobe and 9.95 for lucky burger + fries.

Red Ribbon Bake Shop, Sunset (sat, 23)- the empanadas are pretty good. The chicken one tastes like a drier chicken pot pie but without the veggies. (Instead substituted with raisins.) the beef one is kinda sweet so I don’t like it as much. I personally do not like raisins in my food. The steamed porkbun was ok. Its also is sweet. The baked macaroni is like the macaroni noodles with meat sauce and cheese. It is pretty good but not the mac n cheese I expected. Also, it is VERY greasy. The ube macapuno is interesting. The cake itself is moist and has a very goh soh han taste.

Omi Sushi, Weho (sun, 24)- there are sushi combos that are either 8.95 or 12.95 depending on the type of roll you’re getting with it. The special comes with 5 pc sushi (white tuna, tuna, peppered ono, salmon, and seared albacore) + roll of your choice. The sushi is not the freshest. They have a very very fishy taste. The cuts of fish are HUGE. (like 2 normal ones put together.) The red rock roll is like the spicy tuna with crispy rice (with jalapeno on top) with a sweet sauce. I think this was the best out of the worst. The boston roll had salmon, masago, asparagus, green onion, and avocado and it was ok. The sexy roll was spicy crab with salmon and masago wrapped in cucumber. It was not good. The rock n roll had tuna, white fish, albacore, and ono with gobo, aparagus, pineapple wrapped in cucumber which was edible but not the best. The Jessica alba-core roll came with spicy albacore with onion and albacore on top. This was also just ok. The house roll was pretty big it had a tempura roll inside a roll with crab and salmon on top. This was also just edible. They use imitation crab. The iced green tea had a fruity taste and the green tea tempura ice cream was not good. It melted and the batter was more like fried shrimp batter than tempura batter. The damage was 84$ without tip!

Millions of Milkshakes, WeHo (sun 24) first you choose milkshake or sundae. Then decide on regular or large size. The milkshakes are 4.95 for regular. The choices are either ice cream, yogurt, or soy. And then you choose what topping you want added to your milkshake or sundae. I had a banana milkshake with ice cream which was pretty good. I didn’t know the first topping was free and additional was .95$ each. I added choco and espresso powder. $5 for milkshake seems a bit much.

Soddukkyong sam gyup sal, Koreatown ( mon, 25) the all you can eat special $15.99 comes with den jang jjigae, kimchi fried rice, steamed egg custard, and shikhae. the choices of meat are sam gyup sal (regular, den jang, bokbun ja, basil), chadol, jumuluk. the special unlimited is 18.99. the only difference is that you can order beef tongue and nengmyun. they were out of shikhae though, which was disappointing. but the meat was pretty good quality.. good chadol. The jumuluk wasn’t that great. The bokbunja sam gyup sal was fruity and sweet. The den jang and basil were good.

Market Café by Patina (tue, 26) the roasted turkey sandwich was Yum. It had the usual romaine, tomato, red onion, and big chunks of avocado (5.95). The grapefruit juice was fresh but very tart and bitter ($1.85). The side trio selection was OK nothing special. Bland (rice or the chicken choricette) in my opinion or very tangy (angel hair)

Ita-cho, Beverly blvd. (wed, 27)- the yellowtail and uni sushi were just OK. The yellowtail seemed old and dry. The gobo kimpira was like banchan. It was slivers of gobo marinated in soy sauce with chili oil. The uzaku (unagi with cucumber in vinager sauce) was not bad. The buta something (pork) was kinda salty but tender. The mustard that it came with had a good kick and the spinach was good and refreshing. The shiba ebi (fried shrimp with the head and tail) was good; can’t really go wrong with that. The spicy tuna tasted very fishy and the albacore with cucumber was mediocre. But those two rolls were happy hour prices which were $3.80 and a small sapporro was 2$ M-F 5:30-7pm. The green tea crème brulee was just ok also. The sugar coat on top looked old and you can taste the sugar crystals for they were not completely melted. It was also cold. I prefer my crème brulee warm but it’s rare to find such a thing. The meal came out to about 68$ without tip.

Chwee sung roo, Ktown (fri, 29)- jja jang myun for 2.99$. they’re having a “sale”. For two people it came out to $6.50! that’s better than a meal a McD’s. The sauce is quite good. Has lots of onions and chunks of meat in it. I would’ve preferred my noodles more chewy than mushy though. Other than that, a great deal. Not for the squeamish for the restaurant has a grade C. They have other great “sales” such as half jja jang and jjam bbong for $6.99 but it doesn’t beat the 2.99 jja jang.

Picasso Lobster & Crab, Koreatown (fri, 29)- the crab all you can eat for 29.99 is pretty good deal. First course is the crab legs & head in spicy chili sauce with bok choi and onions. Then comes the crab brains with rice, sesame oil, and green onions. Then steamed crab cut into forths. kinda salty. I don’t know what they give you afterwards because we didn’t make it that far. They make fried rice from the sauce from the first dish and they also serve you meh eun tang. The meh eun tang is made with crab and not fish though. It would be good if they had sashimi. They also have pad thai. And its BYOB. LIke all all you can eat places it more quantity than quality. but it's pretty good for the $