Yes! I'm definitely going to Park's. This thread was awesome. Thanks to all the LA hounds for the great info. As Servorg said earlier in the thread, hope YOUR trip will be a "delicious" one too.

Wow.. did not know there was such as thing as Korean fried chicken. Will have to check it out while in LA for sure!

All of the foodies in LA (including you and bulavinaka) sound extremely knowledgeable and passionate about food. I wish our chowhound page is as active as yours in LA. ;)

I have added Kagura to my must-try list. Thanks for the info!

Sake makes everything better! Ogawak and bulavinaka, which cuts of pork did you prefer at Kagura?

This response is quite a bit delayed, but my recommendation for good Cantonese noodles is at House of Bowls on Corporate (off Bellaire). Very authentic HK style food. Alternatively, fresh wonton mein and braised beef noodle soup could be found at Tan Tan off Bellaire.

Thanks! I will definitely report back. I have not been back to Japan since 2005, so I might still try Kagura since we have nothing close to it in Houston.

We have some good Korean BBQ in Houston too. So for it to be a must try, it will have to be something special. Parks seems to stand out with the good cuts of meat.

Thanks for your recs! I really miss the tonkatsu I've had before in Tokyo, but was afraid to try Kagura after Exilekiss's reviews. Since you are the second person recommending the place, I might have to put it back on my list again.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions and comments. I was wondering if any of the foodies in LA meet to try new places together? Since I will be traveling to LA on my own, it would be nice to try new restaurants with people equally passionate about food.

Nice! Sounds like my kind of place. Now to find some drinking buddies...

westsidegal-unfortunately I will start my 4 weeks on Oct 18.
kevin- I've read so much about Sushi Zo that I might just have to try their omakase. Seems like it will be more than $100 per meal though

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Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

terramassu-awesome list, thanks! I hope I can try as many places as possible in 4 weeks.

bulavinaka- I just read the cream puff post on exilekiss's blog and I'm drooling. I think I will HAVE TO add cream puff tasting to my itinerary. I think I will have to start working out now before I start my visit to LA. Thanks again!

bulavinaka-thanks for the detailed description of the recs! On a separate note, I LOVE cream puffs and will hopefully get a chance to try the ones at Chantilly mentioned in your post.

huaqiao-I LOVE soba so Ichimi-ann sounds amazing. Thanks!

muchabout-I was reading that Dan Sung Sa is very traditional and that English speaking is limited. I'm not Korean, would that be a problem?

andytseng- $100 does sound like a generous budget for "inexpensive", but since I was looking for Japanese and I know some Japanese places can be pricey, I did not want to set the limit too low. (Urasawa would be unfortunately out of budget). I guess since I'm Asian, I am willing to pay more for a good deal.

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. I will be staying midway between LA and Irvine so will definitely cover both LA and OC for good eats. I look forward to trying your suggestions!

I'm a med student from Houston visiting the LA area for 4 weeks and would like suggestions on some of the best Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. I'm on a budget because of school, but I'm willing to try anything up to $100 per meal. (the better the deal, the more places I can try)

Thanks in advance!