October 2016 - HungryHungryHeeJin

LA EATS

October LA Part II: Day 2 & 3

October 20, 2016 No Comments

This is what I ate Day 2 & 3

Day 2: Han Bat & Spice Affair

I’ve been craving simple Korean food and Han Bat always hits the spot. Beef broth, rice, and kimchi.. It’s the best!

Their kkakdugi is always SO good. I need two bowls to myself.

***

I had dinner at Spice Affair in Beverly Hills. It’s on restaurant row.

The food is upscale Indian and all the dishes were LOADED with spices.

My favorite was probably the Coco-li-flower which is an appetizer consisting of crispy cauliflower in coconut sauce. It’s one of the very few vegan dishes I like! I am a total carnivore, if you haven’t figured that out already. HAHA.

This is what I do before every meal. My friends know that they have to wait.

***

Day 3: The Eat Show & AnQi

I was lucky enough to attend THE EAT SHOW, which was at The Reef.

I got to sample A LOT of food as well as desserts for lunch. My favorite dessert was probably the Street Churros, and my favorite food booth was Dino’s.

***

Dinner was in The OC @ South Coast Plaza.

I went to AnQi, [another House of AN Restaurant] located in the Bloomingdale’s building. I was lucky to have an eight course tasting prepared by the chef.

My absolute favorite dish was this Pan Roasted Lobster with their famous garlic noodles.

There was nothing I didn’t enjoy. The table-side ice cream with a giant cookie was a fun and interactive experience.

Han Bat

4163 W 5th St.

Los Angeles, CA 90020

Spice Affair

50 N La Cienega Blvd #120,

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

AnQi

South Coast Plaza

3333 Bristol St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

BAY AREA EATS, SF EATS

Tartine Manufactory: Hit or Miss?

October 17, 2016 4 Comments

Long overdue post of Tartine’s new spot: Tartine Manufactory

I visited back in August and I was not fond of waiting in that line. I don’t know why I went on a weekend. [Actually, I know why. My friend suggested it. LOL. ] I usually try to avoid these hot spots during peak days. But fortunately, the line moved pretty fast.

I filled out the order sheet that they give you while you are waiting. But it’s hard to decide without actually being able to see the pastries so I decided to go inside to check the pastry case.

The way they set up the space is that you wait at the top of the steps at the entrance and then walk across to the counter where the pastry case is to give your order sheet with your order number on it and pay when it is your turn. This makes it difficult to browse the pastries before you pay.

When I got inside, the host was pretty rude and pretentious and told me that “there’s a line”. Well obviously, there is a line; it’s wrapped around the side of the building. I wasn’t trying to cut. I couldn’t even cut because I didn’t have the order sheet with me, either; my friend was waiting outside in line with it. I think they could have told me in a nicer way; that just left a bad taste in my mouth. And when we got to the top of the stairs and were next up to pay, she said “you can go and pay now”.

Oh, can I please??!?

Spacious and lots of natural light

The menu is very limited if you do not want pastries, salads, or sandwiches. We came after 11a so we couldn’t get the breakfast items [such as the coddled egg and egg sandwich] which seemed more appealing.

Out of the Liege waffle, bread pudding, and the strawberry scone, I thought the waffle was the best. I just wished it was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside but it was more of a soft waffle with a fluffy inside. The taste was good, though.

The bread pudding came out lukewarm. We asked if they could heat it up and they actually brought out a fresh new one that was supposedly warm. That was nice of them. BUT it was still lukewarm. I really liked their bread pudding at their original location so this was a huge disappointment for me. I remember liking the eggy-ness mixed with the fluffiness from the bread but this one had large chunks of egg custard in the center.

I went when they were fairly new, so I hope they worked out the kinks by now [as well as fixed their attitude problem].

BAY AREA EATS, LA EATS, SERVICES, SF EATS

Munchery Food Delivery Service

October 13, 2016 No Comments

I got to try out Munchery, a SF-based food delivery service. They are available across various cities in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Washington D.C.

I saw on their website that they have cooking kits, where you can cook a meal for two in 15 minutes. I must try that next time and see how it turns out.

The price point is pretty good for the quality of food you get. To keep prices low, they charge a subscription fee for members.

I ordered my meal two days ahead of time because I REALLY wanted the CAWxMunchery Gold-Flaked Chocolate Cake! It was sold out the last time I tried to order it so when I saw it on the menu, I just had to jump on it.

A plus is that you can pick your delivery window. (I chose 4-5p.)

The food comes chilled in compostable containers and in a paper bag so it is ideal if you are home or will be home when the food gets there.

This is what I got this time.

Processed with Snapseed. — Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll $9.95

They have rolls & nigiri too!

For me, the spicy tuna crunch roll is a light snack, or appetizer to start off my meal.

And got my favorite dessert! Of course, I had to get TWO. Sadly, I shared one.

[A collaboration between Craftsman And Wolves + Munchery.]

Overall, the food is well seasoned and tastes pretty healthy; they try to avoid using preservatives when possible. My friends agreed that for the quality you get, the price is pretty amazing.

If I’m not in the mood too cook and I don’t feel like fast food, I would definitely order from them again, especially when the CAWxMUNCHERY chocolate cake is available. Haha!

***

LA EATS

October LA Part I, Day 1: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse & Szechuan Impression

October 5, 2016 14 Comments

It’s been a couple months since my last visit H O M E.

Yes, I still call LA my home even though I’ve been living in the Bay Area for about two years now.

First stop:

San Francisco-based Mr. Holmes Bakehouse just opened up a location in LA, Highland Park to be exact. They have a location in Seoul as well!

Went for a media preview & got their DONUTS, of course! [Thanks, @dailyfoodfeed for the invite.]

I definitely recommend the donuts, but depends on the filling. I usually like the cream-filled ones.

They did not have Cruffins for the preview but that is what they are known for, so you should try them at least once. It’s similar to the Cronut in texture and taste, but shaped like a muffin.

***

Afterwards, I was STARVING. I love donuts and all, but I needed something more substantial.

So I decided to go to Szechuan Impression.

I have been wanting to try this place for the longest time.

Impressive Cold Noodle.

It was impressive, indeed. Good texture on these noodles as well as the spicy flavor.

Lamb on Toothpicks.

I love cumin lamb and their version was flavorful. The meat was really soft.

Sautéed Spicy Crab

I try not to get crab too much because I don’t like cracking them. I wish the meat was already taken out of their shells but oh well. They left the best part intact, which is the crab eggs + the tomalley. I hate it when they take that out! The dish was #SPICYBUTNOTSPICY for me but I loved the numbing spice.

I was pleasantly surprised. I would go back to try other items on their menu.

***

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse

111 S Ave 59

Los Angeles, CA 90042

Szechuan Impression

1900 Valley Blvd.

Alhambra, CA 91803