M Cafe de Chaya - Can vegan food be good??? (West Hollywood)

Entrance (Picture courtesy of http://www.mcafedechaya.com/)

Upon leaving The Liquid Muse's cocktail event at BOA Steakhouse, H.C. of LA and OC Foodventures, Maya of Shopeatsleep, Esther of e*starLA, and yours truly decided we needed a post cocktail snack. What's better than some "healthy" food to finish off the night? At the experts' suggestion, we decided to get some grub at M Cafe de Chaya.

kale with peanut dressing

H.C. went with a salad platter that included an order of kale with peanut dressing. As a fan of kale, I knew it's something that I'd enjoy. With the sweetness from the peanut based dressing topping the fresh kale, it is something that I'll definitely come back for again. Delicious, especially on a hot summer day.

Bi Bim Bap

The two lovely ladies decided on two items: A tasty lotus root and corn soup (not pictured) and the bi bim bap (shown above). Although I'm more familiar with corn soup being in a chowder form, the lotus root and corn soup was quite delicious, although it was slightly too sweet for my tastes. The bi bim bap however, I was not a fan of. I'm used to the dol sul (stone pot) bi bim bap served in various restaurants in Koreatown, the version at M Cafe was again too sweet for my taste buds. In the end, it was more of a vegetable rice with a sweet korean chili paste. I don't think I'd order this in the future.

Mac 'N Cheese

Finally, the dish I went with was my trusted Mac 'N Cheese, a dish even a 5 year old can make. The mac 'n cheese was the daily dinner special offered and was made with soy cheese, asparagus, and a faux bacon substance. Unlike the usual macaroni, a corkscrew pasta was used, and used fairly efficiently. Although I enjoyed my pasta dinner, there's just something "off" about it. It was more of a corkscrew pasta dish with asparagus than something that could be called Mac N Cheese. I'm used to something rich, creamy, with bread crumbs on top. Although I was satisfied with this version, it didn't totally hit the spot.

Overall, I'm glad I tried M Cafe de Chaya. Although there were some misses, I did enjoy a few of the dishes and I'm intrigued to try the bento box that H.C. mentioned to us that night. There are many restaurants in the West Hollywood area, and M Cafe is one of which I'll make a return visit to, but probably not drive specifically for. A great night and a great ending!

M Cafe de Chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 525-0588
http://www.mcafedechaya.com/

The Liquid Muse Cocktail event @ BOA Steakhouse (Los Angeles)

Recently, I was lucky enough attend a cocktail club event hosted by Natalie of The Liquid Muse at the BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

After some initial introductions amongst the guests of the event, we were given some passed hor d'oeuvres courtesy of BOA Steakhouse

From Top Left Clockwise: (Cream Cheese Puff, Shrimp Tart, Bleu Cheese Sliders (2 pics))

Along with the snacks, we were presented with 2 types of cocktails special for the evening. One was a gin based drink with rhubarb and strawberries, while the second cocktail for the evening was a Manhattan (whiskey based) with cherry liqueur and dark tea.

Left: Manhattan with Cherry Liqueur, Right: Gin with Strawberry and Rhubarb

Personally, I preferred the gin based drink as I'm more familiar with this type of cocktail compared to the Manhattan. I have to admit, it was the first time I've tried the Manhattan, and even though I'm not a huge fan of whiskey based drinks usually, I actually enjoyed this concoction. The tea flavor was noticeable and the cherry liqueor was a nice touch to finish it off. The Gin drink was a great drink on a summer day. It was quite refreshing, and definitely a great drink to finish the night off. I could have easily drank 2-3 of the cocktail. Delicious!

Natalie of The Liquid Muse

All in all, it was a great event. I was able to meet some new faces and mingle with the people I knew previously. Again, a special thanks to Natalie of The Liquid Muse for hosting such a fun event, and I look forward to your upcoming events!

To those that are interested in events hosted by The Liquid Muse, please join the Cocktail Club for all up to date news and future events. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Thanks to H.C. of LA and OC Foodventures for inviting me to be his +1!

BOA Steakhouse
9200 Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
http://www.boasteak.com/balboa/index.htm

Tres Generaciones Tequila Tasting @ The W Hotel (Los Angeles)

Recently I was invited to a tequila tasting event at The W Hotel in Brentwood hosted by Tres Generaciones Tequila. Although tequila isn't a favorite liquor of mine, probably due to some low quality tequila consumed over my lifetime (*ahem* Jose Cuervo? *ahem*), I was ready to change my perception of tequila.

We were given a series of 3 cocktails for the night:

Cocktails (Picture courtesy of Gourmet Pigs)

1) L.A. Love: Tres Generaciones Reposado, Basil, Granny Smith Apple, Fig, Orange Marmalade & Vanilla
2) Obama-Rita: Tres Generaciones Plata, Brandy, Lime, Fresh Lemon Sour & Triple Sec
3) Bells Will Be Ringing: Tres Generaciones Anejo, Ginger, Fig, Fresh OJ & Vanilla

The cocktails were made from a series of 3 different Tres Generaciones tequila. The Plata (unaged), the Reposado (aged ~4months), and the Anejo (aged 3 years).

My 2 favorites of the night were Obama-Rita (influenced by President Obama), for it's "citrus" and sourness flavor, much similar to a margarita. Another favorite of mine was the L.A. Love, the sweetness of the orange marmalade matched perfectly with the sourness of the apple, and of course, the tequila brings it all home. Both are very well made drinks that I'd love to drink over and over again, especially the L.A. Love.

The cocktails as well as the passed hors d'oeuvres was just the start of the night as Eddie Perales, the tequila ambassador showed us various drinks made with the Tres Generaciones tequila. I was able to get a taste of a cocktail made with habanero peppers (damn spicy, yet interesting), as well one made with berries and chocolate (delicious!)

Eddie Perales (picture courtesy of Gourmet Pigs)

Overall, I really enjoyed the event. The setting at the W Hotel was beautiful, and the cocktails and the crowd were great! I'm looking forward to try more drinks made with tequila in the future, and I'm thoroughly impressed with the Tres Generaciones brand. Thank you for hosting the event Tres Generaciones, and a special thanks to Eddie for an awesome experience. I hope to see you at a future tequila event!

Oh, and an extra special thanks for Gourmet Pigs for being my photographer for the night, as this Panda left his 2 cameras in his car.......

Ning Jie - Wonderful lamb dishes, minus the service (San Gabriel) *CLOSED*

After reading the recent LA Times article and hearing recommendation from my friend, I was fairly anxious in trying out Ning Jie, especially being a fan of lamb meat.

Roasted Lamb Leg (small order) - $25

Upon our arrival, our friend already has the first dish ordered for us, the roasted lamb leg. The flavors of the lamb were accentuated by the use of various spices (ie: cumin), but yet, the great flavors of the lamb meat remained. A solid lamb dish, very nice.

(Top: Chicken frames - $5, Bottom: Chicken Heart & gizzard $1/skewer)

The chicken frames, heart, and gizzard were all very nice, and the price for each dish/skewer was amazing. The frame, were fairly meaty, and similar to the chicken wing had excellent flavor and juicy at the same time. I found no issues with the heart and gizzard skewers and could probably have ate 2 of each myself. Both were excellent dishes that would go great with beer. (Ning Jie does not have liquor license however, but YMMV with BYOB!)

Lamb Skin Jelly (羊皮凍) - $5.99

I've had similar dishes in the past made with other animal meat (chicken, I believe), but it's the first time I had the lamb jelly. On a hot summer day in the SGV, this dish was welcomed by our group. Flavorful, with bits of lamb meat, along with the jelly, it was quite enjoyable.

Top: " Special Lamb Bones" - $5.99, Bottom: Egg & Spinach - $4.99

The "special lamb bones" dish was simply lamb pieces in a meat broth. Simple, no frill dish that was quickly gobbled up by the group. In addition, we were recommended to order the Egg & Spinach dish. It was a simple dish, and although tasty, it's not worth getting it on a repeat visit.

Beef "Pancakes" (牛肉餡餅) - $5.99/3pcs

THE must order item here and it didn't disappoint. The meat within the "pancake" was juicy and flavorful and the item was easily shareable amongst the group. Although I've had this dish in the past at places like A&J, this was one of the better ones I've had. Delicious!

Sadly, although the food we consumed were quite good, the service here was pretty atrocious. Although the aforementioned LA Times article was the likely culprit, to not get any service for the first 20mins and lacking any water for the first 30-40mins was pretty bad, and we did, half of our group received warm water. On a summer day in SGV, are you kidding me?? To add insult to injury, one of the lady (not sure if she was an employee) came in and read newspaper behind the counter while the other lone waitress were running in and out without catching a breath. Although the chances are I will return to Ning Jie for the quality lamb dishes and the beef pancakes, I think I'll avoid this place for the time being as the meal was not worth the horrible wait times. This is something that could be fixed pretty easily, let's hope they'll improve as time goes along, as I guessed at least half of the patrons came due to the LA Times article.

*Note* Cash Only

Ning Jie
413 S. Mission Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 576-2588

Torihei - Alcohol + Oden + Yakitori = FTW!! (Torrance)

Warning: These pics are from a few visits, so this might be one of those photos galore posts...

One of the things I miss the most about living in the South Bay besides the weather is Japanese food, more specifically, yakitori. I remembered the monthly trips to Shin Sen Gumi for my beer and grilled meat intake galore, fun times with friends are things I'll remember for life. However, like all good things in life, it appears AFTER you leave, as in the case here with Torihei.

I first found out about Torihei from reading Exile Kiss' posts and was eager to try it for myself. Located right across from Musha, Chef/Owner Masataka Hirai opened Torihei in the Spring of 2009 and the business has since boomed, especially after the LA Times article. Since the article, and this is coming from a first hand experience, make sure you CALL and reserve a seating, as my party had to take refuge at Musha for two hours for our table. Now, let's see if the food was worth the wait.......

I'll start with the oden side of the menu that's headed by Chef Masakazu Sasaki. Just to recap, oden is a pot of various items (daikon, fish cake, vegetable, eggs, etc) cooked in a dashi broth, especially perfect for winter time.

Daikon (Radish)

This is a great starter dish, and a staple of almost every oden dish served. Served in a bed of dashi broth and bonito shavings. Very nice.

Fuwa-Fuwa Tori Tsumire (chicken balls)

For the chicken balls, I'd have to say I was a bigger fan of the yakitori version (shown below). The broth itself again was wonderful, but the meatballs sadly didn't do it for me. Good dish, but I didn't order it again on my future visits.

"Konjac" Yam Cake

I liked the texture of this dish, but overall, I'm not sure if I'd order it again. I thought the miso paste on top of the konjac was slightly overpowering and masked the taste of the dashi broth.

"Mochikin" Rice Cake

This one I do like quite a bit. It's basically deep fried tofu skin stuffed with fresh mochi (rice cake), ginko nut, and shrimp) all tied together by a dried turnip. This combination works well, and I've ordered this each time I've been back. Delicious.

"Hanpen" Fish Cake

The texture of the fish cake is wonderful. Slightly airy and light, it was a dream to eat. The texture differed from all the other fish cakes I've consumed in the past. Fantastic!

Whole Tomato

I feel like I'm going down my list of favorites, and the tomato oden was an awesome dish. Stewed in the dashi broth, topped with a mashed potato puree and soy broth, my dining companions have no trouble fighting over the remaining broth in the dish. I'm usually not a huge fan of tomato, but this one was fantastic. A MUST order item!

半熟たまご (Half raw egg w/ikura)

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this is my favorite dish at Torihei. Although a few of my friends would argue for the tomato, I'd have to say this dish is magnificent. Running soft boiled egg with ikura (salmon roe) on top in a bed of dashi broth. I honestly want some RIGHT now!

The oden menu are between $1.95 to $2.80 per order and there are 13 different dishes to choose from. Lots of fantastic choices, but make sure you order the half raw egg and the tomato dishes.

Before I switch off to the Yakitori menu, we'll go into an alcoholic intermission.....

Pitcher of Sapporo on draft - $10

Beer and Yakitori goes hand in hand, one order of beer should be deemed necessary, especially during this heat in LA right now.

House Sake

For all you non-beer aficionados, Torihei does offer a few good selection of cold/hot sake.

Now, onward to more food!!

From Left: Sansho Pepper (green) Shichimi Togarashi (red)

I've read on Yelp that people complained the yakitori here is slightly bland. Well, let me solve that problem for ya, ok? The sansho pepper (green) is fantastic, but quite numbing to the mouth, while the shichimi togarashi or the 7 flavored pepper offers a more mild, but definite, noticeable taste.

From Top (Breast with wasabi, seasoned cod roe, and plum)

Normally, I hate chicken breast. I still don't get why people in the United States love chicken breasts, as one should know, the best part of the chicken are the thigh, drumstick, and even the chicken butt. However, the chicken breast at Torihei was very juicy, one of the best chicken yakitori I've had. Depends on your taste preferences, 3 variations of the chicken breast yakitori are offered: wasabi, cod roe, and plum. I personally prefer the cod roe.

Chicken Thigh

It's tasty, juicy, and flavorful. What's not to like??

From Top: Special Heart, Chicken Gizzard, Chicken Tail (butt)

Offals are not for everyone, but I sure love them. The fatty special chicken heart with the cloves of garlic was wonderful, although your cardiologist might not agree. The gizzard offers a nice crunch and flavor. Very nice. Finally, the chicken butt, ass, tail, whatever you want to call it, it's some fatty goodness. One of the favorites amongst us Taiwanese people, and I guess the Japanese as well, so I'll say this once, and only once. I'd hit that ASS again! =P

From Top: Beef Tongue, Chicken Wings, "Torihei" meat ball

The tongue is always good, and the version here, topped with a dot of wasabi definitely did not disappoint. The chicken wing was a surprise to me. Usually, I'd avoid ordering chicken wings at a yakitori place, but the version served at Torihei was delicious. 2 very generous sized wings, grilled to perfection. Very nice. Finally, probably my favorite yakitori item at Torihei, the Torihei meatball. The meatball was very soft, and flavorful from the sauce. It's a definite must order item on the Yakitori menu.

Top: Fatty Pork, Bottom: Shitake Mushroom

The fatty pork (bacon) was cooked well and the side of grated daikon in ponzu sauce was an important complement to the meat. The shitake had a very pleasant smoky/woodsy flavor until grilling, I wasn't expecting this dish to be that good.

Top: Chicken Cartilage, Bottom: Liver

As the same suggest, the cartilage is pretty much the cartilage of the chicken. Very little meat, but I enjoyed the crunchy texture. Finally, the liver, one of the main staples of my yakitori diet. I love liver, my favorite offal to date, and yes, I enjoyed it here at Torihei. Mmmmmmm....liver.

In addition to oden and yakitori, Chef Hirai offers a pretty extensive menu, from sashimi to green tea mousse.

Chicken Karage

Quite simply, the best chicken karage I've had. Yes, even better than Izakaya Bincho, etc....the chicken was hot, incredibly juicy, and full of flavor. I could eat a bucket of this, no question. Chicken karage + beer and I'll be a happy dude!

Top: Whole Squid, Bottom: Chicken skin w/ ponzu

The squid was very nice, and at $5.25, it's a great deal. I personally really enjoyed the chicken skin with ponzu sauce, and it's probably best ordered as an appetizer to whet one's palate. Delicious!

Finally, to those that know me, I have a sweet tooth, and I definitely made sure desserts were ordered at all times.

From Top: Baked Cheesecake w/blueberry sauce, Green Tea Mousse, Blanc-manger aux amandes "Annin Tofu"

While I enjoyed all 3 desserts, I'd have to say I like the "annin tofu" the most. Refreshing and delicious, which is great after a yakitori meal. The baked cheesecake was a bit less sweet than cheesecake found at say, the Cheesecake Factory, but I do prefer the Japanese version a bit more. Finally, the green tea mousse has a very heavy macha taste, along with the red beans and mochi, it was quite nice. Even though the dessert menu was quite shallow at Torihei, it definitely gets the job done!

When all the smoke clears, I feel that dining at Torihei was a fantastic experience, and dare I say it's my favorite restaurant in the South Bay, and one of my favorites here in Los Angeles. Again, to try this place out, calling in for a reservation is highly recommended. Even though I live in the SGV now, I do plan on making frequent visits to Torihei, like this upcoming Saturday night! =) I will note though, the service here can be uneven as they're slightly understaffed and one lady barely speaks any English, but in the end, Torihei is definitely a hidden gem in Torrance.

What my other foodie friends thought of Torihei:

Gourmet Pigs
inomthings

Torihei
1757 W. Carson Street, #A
Torrance, CA 90501
Tel: (310) 781-9407 (Again, use this #, & be sure to make your reservation ahead of time!)