January 27, 2012

dineLA lunch at Cafe Pinot & The Mystery of Chicken Oysters

Posted by the minty under dessert, dtla lunch, food, foodie alert, restaurant reviews, tasting menu | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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fried chicken oysters

It’s that time of year again. As part of my whirlwind tour of dineLA restaurants around town, I landed at Cafe Pinot for lunch.

What are chicken oysters, you might ask? Apparently it’s a nub of meat near chicken thighs. When I saw Cafe Pinot was offering fried chicken oysters as part of their dineLA menu, I was intrigued but didn’t know exactly what it was. The word “oysters” made me think of some other kinds of oysters. But happily it wasn’t those er, delicate parts.

There’s something about fried chicken that’s always good but eating the fried chicken oysters made the adventurous foodie in me very happy.

lobster bisque

tuna tonnato

The other choices are the lobster bisque and tuna tonnato for the first course. The lobster bisque was a work of art. It was almost too pretty to disrupt the Jackson Pollack-looking surface.

And the tuna was very fresh. I liked the capers and aioli it was served with.

flat iron steak

The steak looked so prominent and was quite perfect for the business lunch crowd at Cafe Pinot. It was jazzed up with candied Moroccan olives and a vadouvan goat cheese mousse. It was perfectly cooked at medium rare.

Japanese Hokkaido scallops

I chose the Japanese Hokkaido scallops. And like classic Japanese block prints, this was a work of art. The thinly shaved mushrooms, the sprinkle of spice, the garlic veloute worked wonderfully with the delicate scallops.

The other choice is the carrot braised pork. We were told it is a shredded pork with lentils and a ginger emulsion.

creme fraiche panna cotta

red currant brioche bread pudding

For dessert, I nabbed the red currant brioche bread pudding. The pudding was very light and flaky and came with vanilla whipped creme fraiche. I liked that it came with salted caramel as well. I also had a taste of the creme fraiche panna cotta. Loved the thinly sliced crab apples on top.

The other dessert choice is ricotta fritters which sounded awesome with a tangerine sauce. The ricotta is even house made.

I was trying to decide which was the best seat at Cafe Pinot. The patio overlooks the Central Library and you see all walks of life. There is another outdoors patio that is more intimate off to the side. It’s almost like a balcony and seemed really romantic and secluded.

Cafe Pinot hasn’t announced their new executive chef yet but if you go for dineLA or any other time, you just might see a certain quirky mustachioed chef. He comes from a fine dining background and it really shows in the artistry of the plating and elegance of the food.

Cafe Pinot

700 West 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 239-6500

** previous Cafe Pinot meal

 

January 27, 2012

dineLA: Starry Kitchen & the Beef-tacular!

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Starry Kitchen

 

It’s dineLA again! Last year, I loved Starry Kitchen so much it was the only restaurant I repeated this round. There’s something to be said for great food for not a lot of money. Although it’s stated it’s $16 for lunch and $26 for dinner for the 3 courses, it’s actually $16 for both lunch and dinner so take advantage if you can.

citrus sesame silky tofu

Vietnamese egg rolls

 

I loved the egg rolls so much the last time I was in for the special pho night at Starry Kitchen, I got them as my starter. However, the thing to get is the silky tofu! The citrus was a fresh and dominant flavor for the flavor sponge tofu.

Your other choice is the savory pork wontons which I had the last run. If I were you, I’d keep the sauce just to dip something else in.

Burmese galangal chicken wings

I was talking to owner Ngyuen about his wife, Chef Thi’s wings. I’ve had quite a few versions of chicken wings now from Starry Kitchen and they’re all good. Definitely get them with plain white rice to fully enjoy the galangal (a type of ginger) flavor.

braised coco cola jackfruit

Vegetarian? VEGAN?  Not but still love culinary surprises? Get the coca cola braised jackfruit. It may look like meat and has a “chewy” meaty texture but it’s fruit! This was a tasty dish that happened to be vegan. Pictured above with the (in)famous garlic noodles.

beef-tacular

I chose the beef-tacular because the darn thing had a fried egg on it! C’mon, strong showing from the team and lots of comfort food points. I got this with fried rice and it’s served with fish sauce (a different fish sauce than the one served with egg rolls). I really admire Starry Kitchen’s attention to detail for things like that. I chose the soba noodles as my side and all the dishes came with the crunchy salad I love so much.

soba noodles

 

The soba noodles do get soggy so only add the sauce when you’re ready to eat. I was in serious carb food coma after this meal but it was so worth it.

lychee panna cotta with salted plum sauce

pandan flan

 

The edible flowers on the two desserts tasted like watermelon! Wouldn’t it be funny to eat a bag of these tiny orchids as a snack at a movie theatre? Healthy, right?

Starry Kitchen was out of the coconut pandan panna cotta with rum banana jam but we had the lychee panna cotta with salted plum sauce and pandan flan. I am into lychee so this was perfect for me. The pandan flan is classic and always solid.

You have one more week (until February 3) to get these delicious eats.

Starry Kitchen

350 S Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 – (213) 617-3474

 

January 27, 2012

Santa Monica Date Night: Ovo Cirque du Soleil & Ocean and Vine at Loews

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oVo, the latest Cirque du Soleil show in Santa Monica

CONTEST ALERT!

Win a date night package for Valentine’s Day which includes dinner at Ocean and Vine plus a night stay at Loews Hotel! Contest ends February 3. Tweet a pic from your night at oVo or a dineLA dinner at a participating Santa Monica restaurant with hashtag #santamonicadate to @goSantaMonica and be entered to win.

Check out all the participating dineLA restaurants in Santa Monica here.

….

Cirque du Soleil returns to the Santa Monica Pier with oVo. For a great date night, park and dine at nearby Ocean and Vine restaurant at Lowes Hotel. If you show your ticket, you’ll get free parking at the hotel.

The oVo show is amazing and even a bit foodie oriented. My tip is to watch for the girls with the kiwi and corn in the first half.

No photography is allowed during the show so you’ll just have to go check out the show but expect trapeze artists, displays of human strength and beautiful costumes.  It’s centered around an egg and bug characters. This would actually be a very family and kid-friendly show to watch.

Ocean and Vine

bread with roasted repper dip

After the show, we walked back to Lowes Hotel to enjoy our dinner at Ocean and Vine which is currently doing a special menu inspired by oVo. It’s a bit similar to the dineLA menu but instead of a dessert course, you get a glass of wine. You have a choice of shiraz or chardonnay. Although I was eating seafood which Chef Keith Roberts is known for, I opted for shiraz. I firmly believe in getting what you like.

Santa Monica seafood chili

Chef Roberts is known particularly for his Santa Monica Seafood chili. Here’s his recipe.  For his oVo and dineLA menu, the chili is made with laughing bird shrimp instead of rock shrimp. I loved this dish and had a hard time not immediately stuffing myself on it. The Staub dish kept everything nice and toasty.

The other choices for the starter include a tomato basil soup, Farmers’ Market field greens salad and calamari. I noticed they also have a sushi counter for those who want sushi. We had an incredible view of the pier and the lovely neon lights from the Ferris Wheel.

salmon with lobster risotto

For the main course, my friend had the salmon with lobster risotto. I opted for the Seafarer’s stew. I just can’t get enough seafood.

seafarer's stew

The Seafarer’s stew came chock full of shrimp, mussels, clams and a ton of fish. The bread was great for dipping into the stew. The shiraz went really well with the stew, actually. The slight acidic tang married with the wine’s round notes.

fruit tarts

 

We didn’t get dessert but the chef sent out little fruit tarts for us. The kiwi reminded me of the great oVo show we just watched.

It was the perfect #santamonicadate with the gay boyfriend.

Don’t forget to tweet to win!

Win a date night package for Valentine’s Day which includes dinner at Ocean and Vine plus a night stay at Loews Hotel! Contest ends February 3. Tweet a pic from your night at oVo or a dineLA dinner at a participating Santa Monica restaurant with hashtag #santamonicadate to @goSantaMonica and be entered to win.

Check out all the participating dineLA restaurants in Santa Monica here.

oVo Cirque du Soleil at the Santa Monica Pier

Ocean and Vine  at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel

1700 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90407 – (310) 576-3180
 
 
 

January 26, 2012

New Cocktails at Ray’s & Stark Bar

Posted by the minty under alcohol education, booze, cocktalian, food, foodie alert, great cocktails, hot bartenders, restaurant reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Stark Bar

Ray’s and Stark Bar recently launched their new Winter cocktails. I was recently invited to check some of them out. Please note the pictured photos do not represent full-sized cocktails. These were taster samples.

G-Funk Era

Bar Smith and Sommelier Paul Sanguinetti has made a gin by infusing two different vodkas (potato and grain vodkas) with garden botanicals including lemon verbena. These herbs are grown on the premises.

Stark Gin

Stark Gin

The G-Funk Era made with the housemade gin, Fever Tree tonic, bitters and grapefruit peel can easily be the best gin and tonic I’ve ever had. Paul better start distilling by the batch because this is a sure to be a best seller.

Mike's Medicine

Max's Daiquiri

Singers Vacation

There are at least three cocktails named for regulars. First we have Mike’s Medicine (Tariquet Armagnac, Licor 43, lime, egg white).  I had a laugh about this drink because I know Mike and have actually been to a party where he used Licor 43 in quite a few cocktails. This drink was very balanced. I appreciated the refined armagnac and the lightness of the lime and egg white. It’s pretty much a sour on the rocks or rather, one large rock. Check out Mike’s new Mixology site, mxlgy.

For Max’s Daiquiri (dark rum, Fernet Branca, simple syrup, lime), it was love at first sip. “I’m really into amaro right now”  For someone like me who’s into bitters (plus tinctures and infusions), amaro, beautiful ice, this drink is the perfect craft cocktail. Simple and bold. But if you don’t have tastebuds of steel as a friend would say, I don’t recommend this cocktail if you like girlie drinks. It’s for those who love bitter flavors.

Singers Vacation (Scotch, Benedictine, honey, Japanese green citron tea, Stark housemade lemon verbena bitters) on the other hand represents the other side of craft cocktails. I thought this hot drink would be perfect for everyone. It was my favorite of the three hot drinks on the menu now.

Bobbin' for Bourbon

Oaxacan Holiday

The other two hot drinks; Bobbin’ for Bourbon (apple infused bourbon, raspberry rooibos tea, lemon) and Oaxacan Holiday (cocoa infused dark rum, creme de cacao, chocolate chili bitters, whipped cream, nutmeg) are perfect for the cooler nights. I particularly liked the Oaxacan Holiday. It was like spiked hot cocoa. I can just imagine these apre ski.

mushroom pizza

olive pizza

If you have time for a bite, try some of the pizzas. The mushroom and sage had a great cheese. I also liked the cheeseless olive one. It’d be a great one to share if you don’t want dairy. I also tried some charcuterie. Chef Kris Morningstar put up what he’s calling summer sausage to cure when Ray’s and Stark first opened and is now serving it. It was delicious.

venison with apple slices

 

We also tasted a terrine made with venison. Then it was covered with apple slices which accented the dish.

Night at the Museum

Park La Brea Power Lunch

 

Night at the Museum fortunately didn’t come with a side of Ben Stiller. Rather this cocktail features Caprock organic gin, Aperol, Lilet blanc and  fresh rose geranium. It and the Park La Brea Power Lunch (Calvados, Green Chartreuse, lemon, basil) were genteel drinks. Still, enough of these and you could have a madcap adventure around the museum.

(Far) East of Manhattan

 

I am a brown, bitters and stirred sort of cocktail chick and my ultimate favorite of the night was the (Far) East of Manhattan. The masala infused rye was mixed with Amaro Nonino, sweet vermouth and bitters. Perfect.

There are more new cocktails on the list but I’m saving them for another night.  The Original Swizzle sounds fantastic with mezcal, Campari, sherry, maraschino, agave and lemon. I also think the Green Dream with Scotch, Green Chartreuse and Carpano Antica vermouth will be great.

What cocktail would you like to try?

Ray’s & Stark Bar at LACMA

5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 – (323) 857-6180
 

January 23, 2012

Venice: Spotlight on Sunny Spot

Posted by the minty under booze, cocktalian, dessert, food, great cocktails, hot bartenders, restaurant reviews | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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the Birdcage booth at Sunny Spot

Chef Roy Choi decided revamping Beechwood‘s menu wasn’t enough and opted to change the concept with his partners last August.  Soon came word the food would be a West Indian/ Caribbean concept.  Those in the food scene saw Chef Roy around town at special dinners and food festivals presenting Jamaican “What a jerk” wings and other casual Island fare for the newly re-named Sunny Spot. The Venice restaurant opened in November after renovation. The result was a bright and cheerful Island roadside cafe complete with colorful oil cloth covered seating. The general format of the restaurant is the same with an airy patio, comfortable lounge but the interior seating saw the most changes. Although it was opened up (you can see into the kitchen), it was dubbed the Rum Den and felt as snug as a smuggler’s cove. The corner booth is the “birdcage” and I vowed to sit in it next time.

Imperial Fizz

Chilcano Bay

We started dinner with a round of drinks. I chose the Imperial Fizz (rye, jamaican rum, angostura, egg-white, lemon), a pleasing light cocktail. I also tasted the Chilcano Bay (pisco, lime, ginger, lemongrass, Fernet Branca). My cocktail sweet spot was tickled, I liked the Chilcano Bay! But there were so many other good options. I’ll have to come back for this drink.

pirate-style fisherman's stew

I spotted the pirate-style fisherman’s stew and knew I had to have it. One of my favorite things is a bowl of seafood soup. We shared this but I suggest ordering a bowl for yourself!

Two-Fisted Burger

I ran into another food writer and we invited her to join us. She was there to check out the Two-Fisted Burger which I would not have ordered the first time at Sunny Spot– I was here for the Island food. But once I tasted it, I knew it was legit. It was a good burger. Seasoned meat, juicy, great cheese, peppery arugla, tomato ginger jam and a beautiful bun. The burger was the tallest burger I’ve seen. This burger made me wonder why doesn’t everyone make good burgers? I have never been obsessed with finding the best burger because I realized I never had the perfect burger. Sure, I like a number of spots around town but it’s not my go-to. At Sunny Spot, this burger is a go-to item.

sugar cane fried pig's feet

yucca fries

We tore into the pig trotters with ease. Nothing like fried pork! And the yucca fries were great.

diablo prawns

vinegar cole slaw

 

I love eating with people who have been to the restaurant before and have already discovered their favorites. I was told to save a bit of the spicy sauce from the prawns to eat with the cole slaw.  The result was a spicy, tart slaw that I immediately liked. We also had some “yellow salty rice” (as so named on the menu) with this dish. Rice not pictured.

Field & Stream

Dictator

After my light cocktail, I wanted something along the lines of my “usual”- I got the Dictator (Trinidad rum, Dolin blanc, Galliano, Cio Ciaro)  and also tasted the Field and Stream (Haitian rum, orgeat, lemon, Angostura). I liked both but the Dictator is a boozy and comforting drink. One I wanted considering the heavy fog outside.

Cuban torta

Next up was the Cuban torta. We also got the Black Velvet soup (not shown) to go with this. Dipping the crusty bread into the warm black bean soup was a fantastic combo. The pork was luscious and comingled beautifully.

slow roasted goat- greatest of all time

I was rapidly slowing down but we had the goat and fish to go. And dessert! And maybe one more cocktail. Let’s savor this goat though. Paired with pickled mango and lettuce, you ate it like a wrap. I loved the pickled mango and the tangy fruit went really well with the goat.

whole roasted fish

Chef Roy Choi told us when we sat down we had to get the whole roasted fish so we did. After I told everyone about how my little cousin fought us all for the fish eyeballs during Thanksgiving, we had a laugh about how kids always know about the good stuff. This fish was succulent and served in a great traditional copper pan. I would have been happy with just this and that yellow salty rice.

San Juan Sling

 

For my last drink, I had the San Juan Sling (white rum, cherry brandy, Angostura, Benedictine, lime). I was debating the Fleur de Lis (Gin, hibiscus, honey, Chartreuse, lemon) but was told it was sweeter than the Sling so that’s why I went with it. I do want to try the Fleur de Lis though since I love Chartreuse and am curious about the hibiscus. The Sling was very easy drinkin’.

We be yammin

We couldn’t leave without dessert. There are three to choose from and we opted for the “We be yammin” which is like a year-round Thanksgiving treat. The sweet potato tart with walnut crust was topped with marshmallow ice cream. And it’s petite enough that you don’t feel like a total glutton (but really, that’s like saying diet coke).

My fave Roy Choi restaurant is A-Frame but I may have a new sweet (Sunny) spot for this restaurant. Everything was fun. Eating was fun. Food should be fun and not serious sometimes. It’s more about who you’re with and getting some great food and drinks almost seems like a bonus. It’s where foodies can hang out without the oppressive need to try to one-up another. Let’s just have a burger or goat or pig trotters and grub. Ya dig?

 

Sunny Spot

822 Washington Blvd., Venice, CA 90292 – (310) 448-8884
 

January 20, 2012

Culver City: Oldfield’s Liquor Room

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The Oldfield's Liquor Room

Starting with tall drink from Left to Right- Dauntless, Blitzen Benz, No. 999, Oldfield’s Hemmingway

 The 1933 Group which owns Thirsty Crow, Little Cave and all the locations of Bigfoot Lodge recently turned Saints & Sinners into Oldfield’s Liquor Room in Culver City. When I walked up to it, I was bemused by the major renovation. The previous decor was dirty rockabilly and now it has transformed to a themed bar named after Barry Oldfield, a race car driver in the 30s. I admired the lighting fixtures and white tiles. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they call this bar a “speakeasy.” However, the bar is in plain sight and plenty of locals know about this bar.

Blond Comet

 

The Oakshade

We got  a table though I would have liked to have sat at the beautiful bar. After looking at the menu, I decided to share a couple of drinks; The Oakshade (Bulleit rye, Toschi walnut liqueur, Carpano Antica) and the Blond Comet (Elijah Craig 12 bourbon, Creme de Peche, grapefruit, Angostura bitters). I liked the Oakshade. It reminded me a little of the Walnut Manhattan at Harvard & Stone.

Cactus Derby

A friend who loves tequila opted for the Cactus Derby (Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Chartreuse, lemon, egg white, fresh strawberry). Later someone else ordered the same and the drink came up in a coupe. Very confusing.

Vanderbilt Cup

Another pal got the Vanderbilt Cup (Hendrick’s gin, port wine reduction, St. Germain, ginger beer). It’s a stunning looking drink.

For our next round, we just made things easier for the server and got the top four.

Oldfield’s Hemmingway-Bulleit rye, maraschino, cane sugar, fresh juices

Dauntless-Bols Genever, Poire Williams, lime, housemade falernum, ginger beer

Blitzen Benz- Cynar, maraschino, lemon, egg white, Peychaud’s bitters

No. 999- Ardbeg Scotch, lemon, housemade grenadine

I liked the Dauntless and the Blitzen Benz.

After tasting 8 cocktails, I found them all slightly too warm. We were later joined by a friend and her drinks took a while as the place was now slammed. I suspect some of the drinks may have been sitting out. We could have had another round to try the final four cocktails on the list but there are always other nights. And I will make sure I come back on a less busy night so I can check out that stylish bar.

 

Oldfield’s Liquor Room

10899 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034 – 310-842-8066

 

January 19, 2012

Hollywood: The New Los Balcones del Peru

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chips & dip

 

Los Balcones del Peru recently renovated and the dining room is much more contemporary and sleek. The now modern design included a large chalkboard against one wall and soon there will be a ceviche bar. The menu items were familiar though- ceviches, saltados, tiraditos and other traditional Peruvian dishes. The last time I had been in was well over a year ago.

sea bass tiraditio

I was tempted to try the Parihuela which is my favorite soup at nearby Natalie Peruvian. However I didn’t want to deal with cracking any shells that evening and went for seco de pescado, a seabass stew. My friend had a different sea bass dish, the sudado de pescado. We also had the sea bass tiradito. The same fish in three different dishes and it tasted completely different each time.

Although we liked the tiradito, I felt it was over-sauced. I lost some of the delicacy of the fish to the heavy-handed citric sauce.

sudado de pescado

seco de pescado

 

Once I saw my friend had tomatoes in his dish, I coveted it. I wanted that tangy flavor. But then I remember how much I love the seco de pato (duck) at Picca and decided I’ll probably like my dish as well. And I did. The yuca was great in it. Seco is a beer/cilantro sauce.

Los Balcones is still validating the parking at nearby Arclight making this is an easy stop before or after the movies. I bet it’ll be busy with the new cevicheria soon.

 

Los Balcones del Peru

1360 Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028 – (323) 871-9600
 

January 17, 2012

Monrovia: Oto-Oto Izakaya Japonaise

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hand rolls

 

“I want sushi.”

“Okay, where do you want to go?”

“Sushi Gen.”

“Oh, but I heard about this place in Monrovia that’s good.”

“Okay, let’s try it.”

And that is how I ended up at Oto-Oto.

albacore with fried onions

giant oysters

 

We ordered a couple of appetizers each before getting a combo (yes, we’re sushi greedy). I got two giant oysters and grilled octopus legs while my friend had a trio of spicy hand rolls and albacore with fried onions.

grilled octopus legs

 

I thought the best things I ate this day were the grilled octopus legs. Since this is really more of an izakaya than a sushi-ya, I can see myself possibly coming back for more small plates. I thought the oysters were over-priced and not particularly fresh. Service was rather disjointed. I got my meal well after my friend’s combo. She was nearly done by the time I got mine.

sashimi combo

close up on the sashimi

tempura with the sashimi combo

 

My friend seemed to like her meal though later told me she didn’t see herself returning. She did like the tempura and particularly the enoki mushrooms tempura. I had her sweet shrimp which was all right and the beef was tender (though an odd thing to go with the tempura and sashimi combo).

sushi combo

 

I really dislike not getting a choice of rolls with combos but that is the price you pay for “reasonable sushi.” All right, give me the California roll. At least it was pretty good with big chunks of avocado. Of the sushi, the scallops were the best.

For Monrovia, this is a 4 stars place. The decor is fun, there’s a bar that features Japanese beers and the guys in the kitchen are wearing ties.

But I live in a city with tons of great sushi. And next time I’m insisting we go to Little Tokyo.

 

Oto-Oto Izakaya Japonaise

929 W Huntington Dr., Monrovia, CA 91016 – (626) 359-3000
 

January 17, 2012

Koreatown: Spicy Crab Soup at Ondal

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Ondal

 

 

Over the holidays, I wanted something warming and suggested the spicy crab soup at Ondal to a friend. I’ve been to Ondal 2 but always wanted to check out the original location in Koreatown.

banchan spread

 

We started out with some basic Korean side dishes (banchan) and not so basic including fish.

pancake

 

spicy crab soup

 

But really, we were here for the spicy crab soup. Ondal does make a non-spicy version but trust me, you want the spicy. I don’t recall the version at Ondal 2 having so many bean sprouts. The soup at Ondal had so much, the even filled the crab shells for them. At Ondal 2, you get some rice in your shell. We had asked for medium spice but it wasn’t very spicy at all which is probably a good thing in hindsight. The spice level did gradually build up.

bean sprouts in crab shells

 

Once cleared of the sprouts, the real fun begins. I hunted for crab roe and some decently sized pieces of crab. The meat was tender and juicy. And also very hot. Take care and not eat the randoms seaweed pods. Those are incredibly not delicious. What you want is the soup and the succulent meat.

fried rice

 

Eventually, you get through your huge pot (we had opted for the medium sized pot which is good for 2 people). The server will then toss hand torn pieces of noodles into your soup. I didn’t care for it at Ondal 2 but I really liked it at Ondal. I wonder if the dough had been flavored more?

After you’re done with that, they scrape away all the excess and make you fried rice in the pot with seaweed. And Ondal 2, they use whatever banchan is still left on the table. At Ondal, we didn’t give them a chance and had eaten most of it. That’s okay, sometimes you just want sesame-oiled flavored carbs with seaweedy bits.

If I had to pick between the original location or Ondal 2, I’d go with the newer one. Although the people were very sweet here, there was a bit of a wait.

 

Ondal 

3160 W 8th St., Los Angeles, CA 90005 – (213) 382-8844
 
 
Ondal 2
 
4566 W Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90016 – (323) 933-3228
 

January 13, 2012

Ramen FACE-OFF: Jinya vs Yamadaya

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making tofu at Jinya

I’ve been meaning to do another noodles FACE-OFF and now that ramen is so hot in LA, I decided to check out relatively new but rapidly expanding newcomers Jinya and Yamadaya. Being a stalwart Daikokuya fan, it’s hard for me to “like” other noodle houses though I do (boy do I love noodles). While I know I should have gone to the original Jinya in the Valley, the one at West 3rd seemed closer. After surviving traffic, I slid into my seat and prepared to eat! It’s a good thing the restaurant was cool while the day was warm because I wanted soupy, slurpy noodles.

My friend had the special ramen that they only make a limited number of a bowls daily and I had the spicy ramen.

We also ordered a few robata items and the housemade tofu since we were at the robata location.

chicken meatballs and pork belly skewers

 

I wouldn’t have normally ordered the chicken meatballs because I feared they’d be dry. I was pleasantly surprised to find them bouncy and had great texture. The pork belly all right, I like either crispier skin (and beautiful melty fat) or super tender meat. This was closer to tough and dry.

special ramen at Jinya

 

I got there later than my friend so I captured her bowl midway.

setting tofu

housemade tofu

With the housmade tofu, it’s basically soymilk poured into a bowl with some “Japanese magic” (aka chemicals) that creates the soft, pudding-like texture. I found it to be well-flavored and hardly needed the additional garnish of scallions and bonito flakes and other condiments.

spicy ramen

 

The spicy ramen is a tonkotsu broth (fatty pork broth) and the pork was delicious. Here were the big chunks of tender pork I was looking for. It wasn’t however, very spicy. I did find it sad it doesn’t come with any hardboiled eggs. You can add that and other toppings for an additional fee. What is this, Shin-Sen-Gumi?

 

 

Robata Jinya

8050 W 3rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90048 – (323) 653-8877
 

tonkotsu ramen at Yamadaya

A few days later, I found myself at Yamadaya. I had heard this was the latest hotspot and there was a huge line of people waiting for a table. We eventually got our table and ordered a couple of large bottles of Sapporo to start. I decided on the tokotsu kotteri (which is even fattier fatty pork broth) with paigu pork. The pork was described as “huge fried pork loin”– oooh, sign me up. Unfortunately, they were super slammed and busy. I ended up with their specialty Yamadaya ramen with kukuni (braised) pork. The ramen was admittedly very awesome but I wasn’t into the pork as much.

shoyu tonkotsu ramen

spicy tonkotsu ramen

 

Friends had the regular tonkotsu, shoyu (soy sauce) tonkotsu and spicy tokotsu ramen.

Yamadaya Ramen with Kakuni pork

 

The Yamadaya ramen apparently features lots of bamboo shoots which I am a fan of. The broth has a thick cloud of fatty bits floating in it. It didn’t prevent me from slurping up the soup, cholesterol be damned, but probably not the wisest decision if you’re trying to be healthy. As mentioned, I didn’t like the pork as much but the bowl came with the most delicious egg. I’d go back just so I can eat this egg and I don’t even like eggs as much.

Overall, Jinya won this round of the FACE-OFF. I can’t wait to take on other new ramen joints popping up all over town.

 

 

Ramen Yamadaya

11172 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230 – (310) 815-8776
 

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