Birthday @ Upstairs 2

I took the BF out for a surprise birthday dinner last night to a nearby restaurant called Upstairs 2. It’s actually part of the Wine House which is downstairs. The place features tapas-sized plates of food as (obviously) a variety of wines.
They were offering a prix fixe menu that night and the items on [...]

Quickie Lunch @ Misasa

When I get the craving to eat some no-frills Japanese food, I head to Mitsuwa Marketplace on Centinela and Venice. Usually, I order something from the highly regarded Santouka, but I wanted something different from ramen this time. Enter the katsu-don from Misasa:

Misasa is on the far corner from the entrance when you [...]

Bar Hayama

Despite living within walking distance of Bar Hayama, I finally went for the first time last night for dinner. The outside is unassuming and easy to miss, but inside is a nice spacious shelter from the traffic on Sawtelle. The seats around the large fire pit were already taken, but we nabbed a table [...]

Malan Noodles

On our never-ending quest to try hand-made noodles, the BF and I drove to Hacienda Heights to try out Malan Noodles. When we walked in, the woman who worked there grabbed an order sheet, some water in styrofoam cups and pointed us to an empty table.

At the front of the restaurant is a refrigerated case [...]

Pho Show

Pho Show just had their grand opening this week, so I went to visit for dinner tonight since it’s so close to my office. Since it’s on the west side and it is called Pho Show, I didn’t go in with my expectations too high.

While waiting for the rest of my party to arrive, [...]

Cherry Picking @ Northside

One of my favorite things about the end of spring and the beginning of summer is the abundance of cherries. And what better place to get delicious cherries than right off the tree?

Last weekend, I went cherry picking. I was afraid that it was going to be too late in the season for good cherries, [...]

Mandarin Deli (Monterey Park)

One doesn’t go to Mandarin Deli for the ambiance. One goes for the simple, comforting, food. Just be warned, the place is small and serves stinky tofu. If you’re unlucky, you might be stuck sitting next to a table that ordered a plate.

I had the mala (spicy) beef noodle soup. The [...]

Green Village

The family and I went to Green Village for dinner over the weekend. The place was fancy compared to most of the Chinese restaurants we go to and the prices certainly reflect slightly more upscale decor.

We started off with a cold plate of koufu (vegan). It’s a famous Shanghainese dish made out of [...]