WBGuy's Profile
Any thoughts on BIERGARTEN, the Korean-German beer garden in Koreatown??
Their Korean tacos are really tasty. I intensely dislike Kogi tacos, but I really like Biergarten's version, which does away with the mountain of shredded cabbage, leaving only the meat, and their kimchi sauce. Even the tofu tacos are good, intensely flavored.
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Biergarten
206 N Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Soot Bull Jeep vs. Parks BBQ
Hehe, sorry I don't think I can't help in areas other than Korean bbq.
In this one narrow field I have much expertise :).
Soot Bull Jeep vs. Parks BBQ
Just go to Park's.
It costs a bit more as ipse says, but the food more than makes up for it. SBJ is an old smoke-in-your-eyes, dingy place with average-decent food that long time Angelenos cling to for nostalgic reasons. I went there once to check it out and didn't feel it was worth a second visit, not when there are many other, better BBQ places competing for your dollar.
If you were to ask which one a Korean would rather go to, the vote will overwhelmingly point to Park's.
Expresso Cielo - Main on Santa Monica
It's better than Blue Bottle LA, not better than Blue Bottle San Francisco, I've to admit.
I found out that Blue Bottle beans tasted best within 3 days from roasting, and the LA branch not always have the freshest beans that fit that criteria.
Expresso Cielo - Main on Santa Monica
This is hands down the best latte I've had lately. Better than Caffe Lux, Intelligensia, Blue Bottle...I've never tasted milk that is so smooth, creamy and not overwhelming, complement perfectly with the coffee below. I want to go back tomorrow and more than happy to fork over another $3.75 for a tiny little cup of latte.
They are in soft opening stage this week, only open for a few hours a day. It seems like they'll also offer single origin coffee by cup, but the first shipment is only going to come in tomorrow and I'm promised they'll have 5-6 choices. They will officially be opened next week.
3310 Main Street, Santa Monica
Cross Street Marina.
310-314-9999
Looking for papaya salad similar to NH Thai temple food court
Last time I came back fresh from Bangkok craving authentic papaya salad, I went to Red Corner Asia in Thaitown. I asked for "spicy" and they delivered, and then some. It was at least as spicy as the ones they serve on the street in Thailand, if not more.
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Red Corner Asia Restaurant
5267 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Found: Rambutan in Westminster's Little Saigon (with PHOTOS!)
My friends in Indonesia are always shocked when I tell them how much rambutans cost here in the US. $1 per fruit. Over there $1 gets you a kilogram.
A pescatarian, a pork-shunning, carbophobe and me at Sapp Coffee Shop?
Ord Noodles has both boat noodles and yen ta foh, which I believe is noodles with tofu and fishcakes.
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Ord Noodles
5401 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Jury Duty lunch?!?!?
Did the same thing earlier this year. I had lunch at Daikokuya ramen in Little Tokyo more than a couple of times. Within walking distance, fast service, and one of the best bowls of ramen in town.
Why aren't we talking about Spicy BBQ?
Because the khao soi and khanom jiin there was way, way oversalted. It's a shame, I really wanted to like this place.
best dishes at red corner asia?
I go there for the salads.
Raw shrimp salad (like an insanely spicy shrimp ceviche) and the papaya salad.
First Time at Langer's
Just go for the plain pastrami. I can't stand coleslaw so I never order #19.
Malay Apple - Mountain Apple?
Check the Vietnamese fruit shop in the strip mall at the corner of Bolsa and Magnolia in the city of Westminster. I could have sworn I saw some small ones there a few years back.
Basically if they don't have them, then nobody does.
I just bought a durian. Now what do I do???
Sometimes you can open it without a knife.
When durians get overripe, they split on their own, along a zig-zaggy seam down the middle of each compartment. You can look for this seam and tear it open by gently pushing aside with your thumb the spikes on either side of the seam.
For first time durian tasters I suggest refrigerating or maybe even freezing the fruit before you open it. It subdues the aroma quite a bit.
Kogi: Overrated Waste of Time
Because the other taco trucks aren't on Twitter :)
Overrated. Just like all the other places hipster lemmings go to. I'd like to see Kogi stop in front of a Pinkberry. The line will probably stretch to Ventura county.
What's the spiciest (yet still edible) Dish you've had in LA?
Papaya salad at Red Corner Asia, and the raw shrimp salad. All their dishes over there are calibrated for Thai palates, but I think for the papaya salad they go a step beyond and make it conform to ISAAN heat standards..
Asian Grocery West Side?
Simpang Asia is the closest place. Ranch 99 in Van Nuys the closest place with a large selection.
dinner at anisette
We often come here for dessert late hours; the black forest cake they had around the time of their grand opening was great. Unfortunately ever since that time, all the desserts we've had there has been overly sweet, on the edge of cloying. Anyone else had that experience? I really want to enjoy this place, but someone needs to tell their pastry chef to cut down on the sugar by half.
tea in Santa Monica/WLA?
Funnel Mill. Esp for good coffees and Chinese/Japanese teas
Review: Aroma Café in West L.A.
I disagree. One of the charms of this restaurant is that it is a place for their local expats to hang out and eat simple food like what I imagine it must be like back home. I really hope they don't start "plating" and dressing up the food. It's not that kind of place.
Review: Aroma Café in West L.A.
I happen to like their burek... just order the meat burek, not the cheese. The cevapi is best when you add the onions and slather in a bit of their buttery kajmak (ask them for it).
Struggling with Cambodian food at Siem Reap
The chicken with deep-fried ginger strips was particularly memorable at Sophy's. I recall they had a beef salad there as well, which had mixture of salty/sour tastes, as opposed to spicy/sour Thai beef salads. If you go to Sophy's, you need to be sure to ask the server which menu items are Khmer.
I've noticed that there's an herb I hadn't encountered before, that shows up time and again in Khmer cuisine, especially in some of the soups . At first the taste was off-putting, but as I ate more of it I started to like it.
Jonathan Gold's Best Of LA Picks Are Out
If I were to guess, it would be because their target market is the Korean population. I don't think they have any plans to expand beyond K-town to the mainstream US market.
Besides, to make it in K-town the restaurant only need to speak Korean and Spanish. :)
Their dine-in menu has English, btw. Is it worth a drive from Simi just for the chicken? Probably. You won't find this style outside of Koreatown, I'm willing to bet. Prepare to wait 30 mins for your chicken, as each batch is made-to-order.
A slice of Rural Hong Kong - Bon Mar Che Bistro (long)
Pun Choi... the tub of braised vegetables and meat.
Anisette - must-try items?
The desserts were really good when the restaurant first opened. However we went for dessert a few days ago and found the same items to be cloyingly sweet. I don't know if there's a recent change in personnel in the kitchen or what, but I'm hoping it's not permanent.
Cendol
Cendol in Indonesia is a drink.
You want stuff you eat with a spoon, ask for Es Campur, or Es Teler, they come with different toppings. Thankfully none of them include beans. Bleh.
You should try out Korean bingsu. Esp the coffee bingsu at Koffea.
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Koffea
610 S Berendo St, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Munch - Banh mi on the Westside?
There's something they put in the sandwiches that makes the bread horribly soggy. They're the only people in the westside to offer banh mi, but still... I don't like soggy sandwiches.
Gyenari, anyone?
Park's.
We go for Korean BBQ a few times a month, and while the panchan is not the best in the area and the service is a bit rushed, Park's kalbi is the best we've tasted thus far.
Give me 3-10 items that should be ordered at Sea Harbor for Dim Sum
I always go for the deep-fried durian puffs, but that's me.