Bjartmarr's Profile
Tonight: Himalaya Cafe, Tibet-Nepal House, Akbar or All India Cafe?
Not Akbar.
I don't really have much of an opinion on the others. I enjoyed my visit to tibet-nepal house, but didn't feel it anything special. If you go, get the veggie momos; skip the chicken ones.
Mostly, I just wanted to post to say, "Not Akbar".
Nam Prink Ong
Spicy BBQ does have a good version, but it's pricey. Add in some sticky rice and you end up paying $12 for the Thai version of chips and salsa.
What is the best Indian restaurant in LA?
I'm in the same boat, especially re the fish curry. The utthapam tastes like a big piece of white. On the other hand, I know some people who are really into starch -- they go wild over dosas. I don't understand the attraction.
California Foie Gras Ban
And a foie gras maker would never stretch the truth about that sort of thing. I mean, what would be the motivation?
Any great Thai / Indian restaurants in the Westside?
Yes. It's the standard steam table vegetarian buffet, similar to all the other India Sweets and Spices storefronts, but perhaps a little better and a little more expensive than most. Worth stopping by if you're in the area, but not worth a trip.
Lawrence of India has fantastic Indian/Goan food!
There's another thread wandering around here, to the effect that the Westside has no good Indian food. This morning, I would have agreed, but tonight, I can joyfully report that that thread is flat-out wrong.
You wouldn't know it from their sign, but Lawrence of India (please don't hold the punny name against them) specializes in the spicy, coconutty, vinegar-laced food of the chef's home state, Goa. As with other Chow favorites, you're probably better off skimming through the regular menu before proceeding to the "Chef's Specials".
The star dishes of the evening were two curries. The Goa-style shrimp curry was rich and subtly flavored with spices and vinegar. The Chicken Xacati "Shakuti" was bold, complex, and earthy and reminded me a bit of a Oaxacan mole.
The other noteworthy dish of the evening was the chana masala appetizer. Ordinarily I'm not a big fan of chana masala, but this one had a meaty texture and exploded in our mouths with flavor.
The naan had a bit of crust on the outside and a chewy center that reminded me of a good Italian bread. The raita was thick and well spiced, but still mild enough that it didn't overwhelm the other dishes.
Not everything was fantastic: the lamb tandoori, while perfectly spiced, was somewhat overcooked, and the daal soup was rather bland. And the service was a bit slow, though I suspect that was due to each dish being prepared to order. I'm willing to wait for great flavor.
Dishes that are on my must-try list for future visits include:
"Sorpotel": a traditional pickled pork stew,
Goan sausage "Chouriço", which I assume is some sort of Indian-Portugese fusion sausage,
Karela: stuffed, spiced, and roasted bittermelon,
White pumpkin soup (which doesn't sound all that special, but our waitress kept raving about it, and she was right about everything else),
and apparently vindaloo, although available in every two-bit Indian joint in the country, is originally a Goan dish, so I'll be needing to try that too.
The restaurant was disturbingly empty for a Saturday night, a situation which I have to attribute to the economy, or perhaps the corny name, or the restaurant's location in the midst of a sea of mediocre Indian joints. But a restaurant this good should not lack for customers, so I hope my fellow hounds will join me in helping keep this place open.
10032 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Closed Tuesdays.
Pictures at www.lawrenceofindia.com
Best Sichuan in the Valley?
It's interesting that there are not one but two authentic Chinese places in the Valley named "Hot Wok", the other being out near Kanan and the 101.
Still no Sichuan, though.
How is Technique Cafe (Cordon Bleu School) in Pasadena?
Thanks. We went by and took a look -- whatever non-sandwich offerings they had were hidden, so we skipped it and went across the street to the Indian place. (Which is nothing special, but pretty tasty.) I'll try again next time I'm in the area.
How is Technique Cafe (Cordon Bleu School) in Pasadena?
I'm looking for somewhere decent, under-$20, and relaxing to go tonight because I don't feel like cooking. The Technique restaurant in Pasadena seems to be booked solid for the next two weeks -- not surprising, as the menu looks remarkably cheap. Has anybody eaten at the attached cafe? Does it tend to be crowded/noisy or a long wait? The website mentions "daily specials"; does that mean that they serve entrees, or is it just soup/salad/sandwiches? Is it table service, or trays and a buffet line?
My other options are Larkin's, Blue Hen, and Casa Bianca; but I've been to those a bunch and wouldn't mind trying somewhere new.
Sorry for the totally clueless post -- I searched the board, but the word "technique" seems to bring up all sorts of unrelated posts. :)
Thanks!
What's fantastic at Spicy BBQ in E Hollywood?
The sausage is okay, but I've had better elsewhere.
The ground pork patties are pretty good.
The nam prik is good too, but crazy overpriced. A small cup of nam prik oom and a thing of sticky rice to dip in it will run you around $10.
The khao soy is good, but as far as I know they're still using non-dairy creamer. I was hoping the no-hydrogenated-oil county law would change that, but I guess not. I now go to Sri Siam on Coldwater and Van Owen for khao soy.
-----
Sri Siam Cafe
12843 Vanowen St, North Hollywood, CA 91605
New Chong Qing (San Gabriel) -- C'mon guys, this is ridiculous
Having had several pleasant experiences at NCQ in the past, I stopped by again while I was in the area yesterday. I'm used to getting whited (and I employed all the standard anti-whiting measures which have worked in the past here: "spicy", "Szechuan-style", "Please make it like you would make it for a Chinese customer"), but what I received was exceptionally disappointing.
The dan dan mein had no pork (!), and no detectable presence of szechuan peppercorns. Apparently the price of chili oil has gone up, because there wasn't much of that either.
The mapo tofu at least had a little pork, but the szechuan peppercorns were barely detectable. The dish was brown, not red. It had a mild chili flavor, but was overall a bland dish. It reminded me of the mapo tofu I've had at Cantonese places (when somebody else was ordering).
The pork with rice power was, as usual, unavailable.
Has NCQ completely lost it? Or did I just visit on a particularly inauspicious day? Can anybody recommend a replacement, preferably as far west as possible?
-----
New Chong Qing
120 N San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91775
Mandarin Kitchen Westwood -- Kaput?
I went by Mandarin Kitchen about a month ago, and I don't understand the attraction. Seeing as how it's *Mandarin* Kitchen, I ordered beef soup with noodles -- usually a safe choice. The beef soup was dishwatery; the noodles were tiny and made of some type of yellow edible plastic.
I wasn't expecting SGV-quality, or even Chinatown quality; but I had kind of hoped that the food would be good enough that I might want to eat there again sometime.
I can't condemn them on the basis of one dish...but seriously, guys, what am I missing here?
-----
Mandarin Kitchen
1822 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Is Battambang (in Chinatown) closed?
I stopped by for lunch today. The lady working there recommended either a soup, or grilled meat over rice. Being dehydrated, I chose the soup, which turned out to be sort of mediocre version of pho. I'm looking forward to trying their grilled meat over rice offering, though.
Is Battambang (in Chinatown) closed?
Thanks to you both. I'll try not to expect too much from the food. And I'll go for lunch sometime.
Is Battambang (in Chinatown) closed?
I've been by there twice around dinnertime, and both times the security gate has been down over the front of the building. Are they out of business? Are they only open from 2-4am on alternate Mondays? Are they actually open, with a super-secret entrance in the rear? What's the password?
Where's the nearest Cambodian alternative?
-----
Battambang
648 New High St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Okay folks, I’ve decided to take the plunge ... Korean food. Where to begin?
Ooh, I'm willing to try Korean tofu stew.
If I just walk into Beverly Tofu and order soondubu chigae, am I going to get the real deal? Or will I need to do some convincing in order to not get whited?
Anything else I should order there?
Had a great time at Vientian (Vientiane) Cafe
Gaeng Nor Mai and Nam Khao photos attached.
I was kinda hungry, so I didn't get around to taking pictures until they were half gone...
Had a great time at Vientian (Vientiane) Cafe
While visiting Berkeley (up from LA), we stopped by for a little adventure at Vientiane Cafe in Oakland. You folks have got a real gem here.
We ordered:
Sai Ooa (baked Laotian sausage): These were really tasty. About the size of a bratwurst, the skins were crispy and the insides moist with little chunks of meaty this-and-that. Others have mentioned that they were too dry; I suppose it depends on when you go and how long they were left in the fryer.
Nam Kao (crunchy pork/rice/green onion pilaf): Again, yummy. The texture was great too, with soft rice, juicy pork, and crunchy...rice, I guess. Somebody mentioned that these are supposed to be rice balls; perhaps the balls were broken apart after they came out of the fryer. I think the lettuce and mint basket was meant to be eaten with the nam kao, but I mostly ate it with the sausage instead. Which I recommend.
Duck Salad, which isn't on the take-out menu I swiped on the way out, so I can't tell you exactly what it's called. But it's on the regular in-restaurant menu. Duck, red onion, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, spicy dressing like you'd get on a Thai papaya salad. Worth ordering again.
Gaeng Nor Mai, which is bamboo shoots, some kind of mushroom, and the tiniest bit of winter squash and a small chunk or two of meaty bone in a brownish fish-sauce flavor sauce/soup. It wasn't on the menu, but was recommended by a fellow hound, and the waitress had no problem delivering it up. I enjoyed it, and I think my dining companions enjoyed tasting it, but I probably wouldn't order it every time I went.
Lao BBQ pork spare ribs: our one "miss" of the night, these were just pork spareribs, rubbed with spices and grilled. While one can never go wrong with pork fat, I don't feel like the spice preparation added much to the dish. Which isn't to say that they were bad, but I wouldn't order them again or recommend them to someone visiting to try them out. If you need meat, get more sausage instead. (On the other hand, they were extremely accessible, so if Mom says you have to bring along your cousin Marty who always orders egg foo young, you can get this to give him something to eat.)
Of course, we got sticky rice as well. And mango with sticky rice for afterwards, which was sort of an afterthought, but very well executed.
Some obviously non-Lao customers came in around the time we were finishing up, and one of us thought she heard them asking for "the Lao menu". Interesting. As we left, these gentlemen were served an enormous bowl of very green soup. I asked the waitress if they had a Lao menu, but she said no. Interesting.
It appears you can buy the sausages frozen. If I weren't spending the next day on the train, I would have taken home a dozen.
So, yeah, we had a great time. Food for 4 or perhaps 5 (there were 3 of us; we were very full), no alcohol, $50.
-----
Vientian Cafe
3801 Allendale Ave, Oakland, CA 94619
recs near Occidental College
A new (-ish) taco (-ish) place just opened up on fifty fifth-ish, in the mini mall next to the Subway. I say taco-ish because I rushed in and, not having time to read the menu, just ordered a couple of tacos take-out. While waiting, I noticed the J. Gold column on the wall recommending pretty much everything except the tacos. Tacos which, for other reasons, I never got to eat.
Yeah, so, has anybody been there? Is the everything-else-on-the-menu really all that?
recs near Occidental College
If you feel like slumming it, and are willing to drive just a little bit, taco heaven is located just down York. I like the El Pique truck. The huaraches at El Huarache Azteca are pretty good. The potato tacos at My Taco make a good lunch, although I think JGold preferred the goat stew or something there. You should be able to find his review if you have good google-fu.
-----
El Huarache Azteca
5225 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
My Taco Restaurant
6300 York Blvd Ste 4, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Is there any specialty grocery store like Berkeley Bowl in Los Angeles???
I like Figueroa Produce, it's a great little shop. But it doesn't even come close to comparing to Berkeley Bowl; BB is about 20x bigger.
Co-Opportunity in Santa Monica is another great store that is not even close to Berkeley Bowl. But I like that the co-op sells only organic produce. Berkeley Bowl mixes the organic and non-organic together so much that you really have to pay attention while shopping.
Neither of these shops is worth a drive across town.
-----
Co-Opportunity
1525 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Less expensive high-quality produce?
Co-Opportunity on Broadway and 16th has excellent produce, and the prices are usually cheaper than WF.
-----
Co-Opportunity
1525 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Why does Jitlada always forget my rice?
Just think how hard it would be to get a table if their service was as good as their food.
Bummer. R.I.P. Safe & Save Market
Why should I learn the name, when I knew exactly where to find it? ;)
Thanks for finding the brand name. They say they still sell it at Granada market, so I'll have to venture in there again.
And I wouldn't have to be dragged to U-Zen. :)
Bummer. R.I.P. Safe & Save Market
I don't know the brand. It was made here in LA, I remember that. A little pricey, and you had to eat it within a day of when you bought it, but worth it.
I haven't eaten at U-Zen since sushi was $3 a plate. ;)
Bummer. R.I.P. Safe & Save Market
Oh, no. They sold the best tofu I've ever eaten.
Does anybody know anywhere else to get it ? It was the one that was sold in a tray, double-wrapped in plastic bags?
ISO Thai sausages to cook at home
If Silom is the market I'm thinking of -- a block West of Ruen Pair -- I tried their issan sausages once, and was pretty disappointed. They were full of gristle, and the lemongrass pieces were large and stabby.
-----
Ruen Pair Restaurant
5257 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Food Truck Frenzy...No More?...
I tried Dogtown last night -- it was late and I was hungry. For six bucks, I was expecting something a little more impressive. The wiener on the "Spicy Angelino" dog was small, I couldn't taste the bacon, and...well, I can eat a hot dog with salsa on a generic bun at home.
I'd eat it again if it was available and I was hungry and there were no other options, but I'd hardly go out of my way to get one.
Late breakfast in Santa Monica, early dinner in Malibu, where?
If I were you, I'd return to Santa Monica for dinner. Many of the dining options in Malibu require you to drive significantly farther out than the Getty, and none of them manage the trifecta of good food, good service, and good view that you're looking for.
Malibu Seafood, mentioned above, has no table service; pick up your food at the counter.
Whatever you do, avoid Gladstones.
