Dining options in Bloomsbury, London

Check out Chilli Cool (http://www.chillicool.com/home-eng.html) for Sichuan food, they're a close walk from Bloomsbury and open until 10:30.

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Chilli Cool
Camden, Camden Town WC1H, GB

krntourist in U.K./Ireland

Clover in Avila Beach

Joe Momma's is, hands-down, one of the best coffee shops around. They serve Intelligenstia Coffee and use a Clover Machine. Unfortunately, I forgot what sort of espresso machine they use. - so I can't be of much use there.

They seem to have about 10 or so Intelligentisa Single Origin Coffees available at any given time (which is way more than Intelligentisa's rotating 3-4 options in LA, at least) and the workers there are more than adept with the Clover machine. They also always have plenty of fairly fresh roasted beans available (I bought some Intelligentsia Flecha Roja when I was last there and was told it had come in the day before)

Instead of driving up the I5 when I go between Los Angeles and the SF Bay, I take the 101 (130 extra miles of driving for me) just so I can stop by. And Avila Beach is an awesome, quaint little beach town. It's a great place to spend all day drinking coffee and enjoying the cool, clean (!) ocean breeze. It definitely worth going out of your way. If you're in the area.. I HIGHLY recommend a visit. My favorite coffee shop, and a great town.

I'll be driving up to the SF Bay in about a week.. I'll see if I can post a full review along with some pictures.

EDIT: Just found their website. http://www.joemommascoffee.typepad.com/ :)

krntourist in California

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

I'm not exactly sure, as I didn't drive there myself. If I had to guess, I'd go with the Springfield location which appears to be on Backlick Rd.

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Five Guys Famous Burgers
6541 Backlick Rd, Springfield, VA 22150

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

Yesterday I had the chance to try Five Guys. I had a Bacon Cheeseburger with Jalapenos, Sauteed Mushrooms, Fried Onions, Mustard, and Hot Sauce - and Cajun Fries. I have no idea why so many people rave about In n' Out - Five Guys was above and beyond such comparisons. I've certainly had one or two pretentious burgers in LA with similar size/toppings at three times the price. I'm glad to find that there is a Five Guys in Carson, CA, about 20 miles from LA. I'll be sure to check it out the next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Today I had the chance to try La Caraquena and Smiley's.

La Caraquena was awesome. Enjoyed the Saltenas, Tequenones very much. I had a domino (black beans and cheese) arepas grilled, and sampled a deep-fried carne mechada arepa as well - both were delicious. Also ate a Diputado sandwich - the onions and tomatoes were perfect though I found the beef a little salty for my taste, and I was hoping for a slightly less cooked egg - overall a good sandwich. I drank the soursop shake with milk, and the chef obliged when a mango/soursop concoction was requested by my cousin. Both were tasty. Their coffee was nothing to write home about, but it fit the bill post-meal. Service was top notch.

Smiley's had some friendly people working at the counter. I found the food to be rather unremarkable. Though I think that may be attributable to our selections - The chicken tikka, lamb tikka, chicken roll sweet rice, and beef somosas were ordered. None were above average - I did like the spice of the chickpeas, but they were a bit greasy for my liking. I ordered a hot tea, which came (free of charge) at the end of our meal, topped by a thin brown film which I was not inclined to taste - the tea tasted like earl grey with milk. I regret I didn't try some of the fried goods on the steamtables or any of the sweets, but the quality of the dishes we ordered left me a bit dissatisfied. Not a bad experience, but not a spectacular one. I very much regret neglecting to double check the recommendations of the long pepper pakori and chaat papri before taking off to eat.

Looking forward to trying out at least one more before I leave!

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

I didn't have as much free time as I thought, but so far I've had the chance to try two places.

I went to Queen Makeda, but they were closed (their number was also out of service, perhaps they are out of business?) So, jumped across the street to Etete, where I shared their standard vegetable platter and the Yeawaze (spicy beef of some sort) tibs with my cousin. Most of the vegetable items were on par with my expectations, though the yellow potatoes/carrots seemed somewhat lacking. And I unfairly wished a bit more flavor from the collard greens, but they were more than satisfactory. The Yeawaze tibs were nice and spicy, not afraid to showcase their flavor. The injera was also good, not lacking in any way, and pleasantly less sour than some versions I've had. Overall, a hearty and delicious Ethiopian experience away from home, and a great introduction to Ethiopian food for my cousin - I'm sure she'll be back after I leave.

And today for lunch I went to Thai Square, as recommended by both Dennis and Steve. When I asked for Roasted Duck Noodle Soup, the wait staff (super friendly) referred me to the Honey Duck Noodle Soup, which came with a choice of fat or skinny noodles (I went with the fat noodles on the waitress's suggestion). The soup was an ethereal mix of sweet and savory, and the duck was not wanting of flavor. I only with my writing ability was good enough to accurately describe the taste of the food. I'm looking forward to trying out more recommendations, with La Caraquena first on my list.

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

I had never heard of either arepas or soursop until today, and they sound absolutely delicious. If anything, I will definitely visit La Caraquena. As for the Bay Lo 7, is this pho? or some sort of bun? Can you tell me where the best Banh Mi and Che can be found? All you recommendations sound great - I'm going to attempt to try all of them. - To think I would run into Salvadoran empanadas in the Virginia suburbs! Can't wait to get my hands on some.

[general comment] I'm going to try Texas de Brazil tomorrow, as my cousin works there. I'm excited to see how it compares with other churrascarias I've been to. Any experiences eating there?

I'll be back with a report as soon as I get to try some of this food. Any other recommendations in the meantime would be great.

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

Psyched to hear there's a lot of Ethiopian food around. Is there a particular favorite of yours on U Street? I can certainly manage the drive to D.C. Also, what's the third Thai place of the usual top three?

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Must-Eats in and around VA for visitor?

Los Angeles chowhound staying in Springfield, VA for the next week. What are some foodie hangouts (restaurants, food carts, shacks, markets, etc) that should not be overlooked? I'm bound to spend at some time in D.C., and visit a few other spots around VA, so anyplace within reasonable driving distance is doable.

Low on funds, so I'm going to say keep recs around $15/pp please. Favorites are Mexican and Korean food but I'm open to anything. L.A. has a plethora of ethnic food joints, so I've had my share of most things. What's the best food VA has to offer?

Recommendations greatly anticipated and appreciated. Thanks!

krntourist in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Taco Plus - decent tacos on the westside

Don't mean to threadjack, but has anyone tried the new El Super Taco @ Sawtelle/Olympic? I had been to the one on Santa Monica (next to Monte Alban) a few times and stopped going because of lack of consistency in food quality.. (and they weren't too special to begin with - but pretty good for the westside) wondering if this newer location has it any better.

krntourist in Los Angeles Area

LA - what would blow you away if you've been everywhere

What about trying to get a reservation at the upcoming Ramsay @ The London. Of course, no guarantees of "blow you away"-ness, but they've certainly never been there. No idea how hard it would be to get a reservation, or what the cost would be.. just thought I'd throw my hat in as well.

Awesome gift idea, though. I'm sure they'll appreciate the thought that went into it.

krntourist in Los Angeles Area

LATimes: Thi N "In defense of the great taco truck"

Well written and timely article. Glad I'm not the only one dreading the demise of taco trucks. Thanks Thi.

krntourist in Food Media & News