Pre concert dinner @ San-Sui

It was the second day in a row that I was attending a concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Feliz. Wednesday was indie bands Phoenix and Metric. Thursday night's was another indie rock band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Because the stack parking at the Greek can really stress you out, I always like the idea of parking at the bottom of the hill and trekking up to the theatre. It's about a 20 minute walk but it's a good way to burn off some calories from your dinner. We decided to grub at San-Sui. San-Sui is a tiny Japanese restaurant with a nice patio area, lit with Asian lanterns.

Started with complimentary edamame and a glass of wine.

Appetizer of burdock and lotus root. There was a lot of roughage on the plate, in a good way. The roots were earthy and had a nutty flavor from the sesame oil.

Deep fried eggplant in miso sauce. This was served hot and seemed to be sauteed instead of deep fried with breading. I really liked this dish: the eggplant had that rich and oily taste, and the miso sauce gave the eggplant a sweet flavor.

Albacore roll. I'm not a raw sashimi lover but I thought the fish was fresh and I enjoyed it. The crispy onions were delicious as well.

Spicy cod from the specials. The cod was buttery and tender, and there were a few sizable pieces. The sauce was spicy and creamy and when lathered all over the rice, made a really delicious bite.

After dinner, we made the walk over to the Greek to catch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Frontwoman Karen O was her usual spectacle self, with her outrageous costumes and head gear. The concert was awesome: it was sold out and there was a lot of energy in the audience.

Hits: eggplant, albacore, proximity to the Greek
Misses: nothing really
Rate: ***

San-Sui Restaurant

2040 Hillhurst Ave.,

Los Angeles, CA 90027

(323) 660-3868

http://www.san-sui.com/

Just another hotel restaurant: Trader Vic's

My friend Heather was in town and staying at the Beverly Hilton so we decided to meet at Trader Vic's for late dinner/drinks. Trader Vic's used to be a unique restaurant in the space beside the hotel, unfortunately it closed two years ago. Instead, a smaller version is now located in the hotel itself. From what I remember, the original Trader Vic's had a tropical and tikki feel to it, was dark and fairly casual. The reborn establishment is now a cleaner, brighter space. There is a large tree in the poolside patio and the restaurant has surf videos projecting onto a white wall.

The drink menu includes all types of fruity rum drinks. In all honesty, they all don't look appealing. The food menu included various Polynesian influenced dishes, of which the appetizers looked the most appealing.

Suffering Bastard; rum, limes, cucumber. It was shockingly strong initially, but when you had time to recover, you realized that it's actually disgustingly sweet and gross. It had a very strong coconut flavor that was a bit overwhelming. At $16.50, it was also a rip off.

Service was a little slow even though it was not crowded. We were waiting over 30 min for our food while everyone else had bread at their table. The bread, when it finally arrived after we requested, came in a basket that included cheese sticks, regular and olive bread. The bread was cold and the butter was unsalted and not very tasty.

Lobster tempura $20. Basically lobster and vegetables, wrapped in a bundle and fried. I liked the green masago/smelt egg that was served on the side with cucumber. To be honest with you, it did not even taste like lobster. I thought it was shrimp. It was just OK, but at that point I was so hungry that I could have eaten anything.

Thai red curry with beef. It is outrageous that curry can cost $32. At that price, you would expect a vat of curry. Also, it was served with the smallest bowl of rice. All complaints aside, the curry was actually pretty good. It was spicy and creamy, and included squash, eggplant and carrots.

Wok fried noodles with BBQ pork, shrimp and mild curry sauce. First if all, when they say mild curry, they mean mild curry; you can barely taste curry, which is a little-goes-a-long-way type of spice. Second, the BBQ pork was nearly non existent, in fact it seemed more like noodles with shrimp, instead of with BBQ pork. The pork was also dry and unappetizing, unlike the succulent versions you would find at an authentic Chinese restaurant.

Evidence above. You can see how measly the BBQ pork was! It was quite pathetic, if you ask me. They might as well have left it off the plate.

So I also have to comment about the service.

#1. We were left waiting for almost 15 minutes until someone came to take our order. Come on, I am in the bar area and I obviously needed a drink after working an over-12 hour day.
#2. It took another 30 minutes for even our appetizer (lobster roll) to be served.
#3. The waiter was always buzzing around us and was making my friend uncomfortable.

Trader Vic's, in its old form, was kind of cheesy but fun. At least there was something unique about it. Instead, the new place is a generic hotel restaurant with overpriced food and uninspired staff. If you are looking for something exotic, don't even bother with Trader Vic's. But if you are staying at the Beverly Hilton, I suppose it will do.

Hits: Curry
Misses: expensive curry! service was slow, rum drink was horrendous
Rate: *

Trader Vic's
9876 Wilshire Blvd.,
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 276-6345
http://www.tradervics.com/

Dinner and a movie, French style @ Comme Ca

After a hectic work week, I was excited to kick off the weekend with a movie. On the top of my list: Julie & Julia. As a foodie, I know I should be ashamed that I've waited a month to watch this movie about famed chef, Julia Child and how her life and love of food inspired a young writer.

Naturally, we decided to pick a French meal to end the night. Comme Ca is owned by Sona's David Myers. I haven't been too thrilled with Comme Ca because I've only had average meals before despite all the hype. The duck was dry, the marrow was under seasoned.... But I was hoping that they could redeem themselves. I think my expectations were too high when I first went because I was so impressed with Sona and expected the same of the sister project. This time, I adjusted my expectations. Hopefully they will not disappoint.

The decor is typical French, with black and white interior and a loud dining room, but in a very new and modern way. The patrons were trendy West Hollywood types, sort of like the same clientele that dine at SBE establishments. The menu is typical brasserie fare, and the restaurant is known for its mixologists and cocktails.

Glass of chardonnay

Caip-Germain-Ha which is a variation of the Brazilian drink Caipirinha.

Since it was such a late dinner, we did not want to pig out too much. We shared an appetizer and ordered an entree each.

A mini loaf of bread served in a brown paper bag. The bread was really crunchy but I liked it; others may disapprove because they might chip a tooth while eating this.

Mushroom risotto as the appetizer. It smelt really good; earthy like truffle. The cheese was rather mild in a good way but the texture of the rice wasn't creamy like what you would expect from a risotto. I am sure it was prepared the proper way, but it seemed like the rice was precooked, then mixed into a creamy sauce vs. someone performing the laborious task of stirring the rice and adding more liquids. It didn't have that silky texture and was also very salty.

Paleron of beef bourguignon with potato salad. The beef was just OK. It was a little stringy but soft, however it was not one of the most tender beef stew I've had. Also, the sour potatoes and pickled carrots ruined it for me. They were tangy and I felt did not go well with the savory beef sauce.

Bouillabaisse. There were mussels, clams, fish, shrimp and potatoes. The fish included halibut and cod, which were soft. The potatoes was cubed and flavorful. Although the seafood was fresh, the soup did not have that hearty seafood flavor reminiscent of a French fish stew. It seemed like once again, the components were cooked separately, then added to the soup, instead of the seafood being stewed and simmered in the soup.

Side of pomme frites, served in a paper cone with a side of aioli. It was a generous portion, freshly fried and with the right amount of salt.

I found that once again, the food was mediocre. The flavors were not robust and comforting which is what you would expect from a bistro/brasserie. Yes, nothing was horrific but they weren't great either. I think David Myers named his restaurant appropriately: Comme Ca translates to So-So in English.

Hits: perhaps the fries and the bread
Misses: the dishes were all not that flavorful
Rate: **

Comme Ca Restaurant

8479 Melrose Ave.,

West Hollywood, CA 90069

(323) 782-1104

http://www.commecarestaurant.com/

Like a kid in a candy store @ Simpang Asia

It's Saturday, what to eat for lunch? I wanted something Asian and satisfying, and Indonesian came to mind. Even though I grew up eating Indonesian food, I haven't had much of it in years. I decided to try Simpang Asia in Culver City. I used to drive by it on my way home from work, but never made the stop. Simpang Asia is a mini grocery store and cafe, located in a tiny strip mall with a small parking area. I was actually quite surprised at how clean and sterile the place looked. I find a lot of ethic markets to be a little dirty sometimes.

After perusing the store for some Asian snacks, I took a look at the food menu. There were so many familiar dishes that I wanted to order. They have fried chicken, noodles and rice dishes. They also have laksa, which is a traditional curry noodle soup. My mom's laksa is excellent so I decided not to order this today.



Lumpia Semarang which came with three rolls made with chicken, bamboo shoots and dried shrimp. It was freshly fried, crispy and was served with pickled cucumbers and chili sauce. The lumpia was savory and tasted really good. I especially loved the chewiness of bamboo shoots.


Nasi Bungkus; banana leaves wrapped rice with chicken curry, beef rendang, Balinese style egg, potatoes with chicken gizzards, vegetable curry (or known as sayur lodeh).


The banana leaf was so fragrant and I really loved this dish. The chicken in the curry was tender and the rendang was spicy and savory. The sayur lodeh included turnips, carrots and beans. It was a little bland but when mixed with the other curry sauces, it was delicious. And chewy gizzards. Yummm.... There was also fried kerupuk which is deep fried prawn crackers that are typically served with peking duck or roast pig at Chinese restaurants. I ate the rice dish with the side of chili that had an onion flavor, and was thick and spicy; a little went a long way. This dish was so flavorful and the tasty rice soaked in sauce was heavenly.

I scooped a little bit of everything for my lunch. There was a lot of food that would make at least another meal. And you know it'd be good as leftovers.

Apart from lunch, I also bought some snacks.

Fish and tapioca crackers which are greasy snacks. They are addictive, so try not to eat the whole pack in one sitting. And don't eat them at the office, your colleagues may not appreciate it.

Dried mango and cheese sticks. The latter is made of Holland cheese and Swiss butter. Don't ask why I can eat this when I don't like cheese. The cheese was mild and the sticks were flaky. I also bought two packs of mee goreng instant noodles, which is spicy non-soupy noodles that you can make at home.

You pay for everything including grocery items at the cafe section. The food itself was $11, which was much less than the snacks combined. There was an array of fried snacks and desserts by the cash register but I refrained from grabbing some. As it is, I already had enough food for two meals and snacks that would hopefully last over a week. Definitely next time.

Hits: Nasi bungkus, fast service

Misses: nothing really, I'll be back in no time!
Rate: ****

Simpang Asia

10433 National Blvd.,

Los Angeles, CA 90034

(310) 815-9075

http://www.simpangasia.com/

The Hash ain't addictive @ Hotel Erwin

Hotel Erwin is a boutique hotel from the Joie de Vivre chain. It is located in the heart of Venice Beach, right by the surf., Although it has been around for a couple decades, the hotel was recently renovated. Hotel Erwin has a restaurant and bar, named Hash and High respectively. Smart name. We decided to brunch at Hash over the Labor day weekend.

The hotel is located a stones throw away from the beach, by the boardwalk selling everything from food to souvenirs and tattoos. I've been to High Lounge for drinks before. I love the view of the ocean, but I didn't particularly like the space. There was a protruding roof in the center of the rooftop bar area which took up prime real estate. The cocktails were interesting though, incorporating fresh fruits and juices. Likewise, Hash Restaurant's menu focuses on fresh ingredients.

The menu includes a few variety of hash and other breakfast items such as omelets. The hash runs about 12 bucks and there are about four types. Breakfast is served with potatoes and choice of toast. If you order the hash, you get a fruit bowl in as well. Not a bad deal.

The restaurant comprises of a small dining room and a little outdoor seating area. The latter might sound like a good spot to dine on a holiday weekend, but in fact, it is not. The patio is situated right by the valet driveway, which will make for a distracting and polluted dining experience. We opted for seats indoor.

I started with a glass of mimosa. It will cost you nine bucks, which is actually rather expensive. You quickly forget that this is in fact a hotel restaurant and prices will most likely be inflated. At this price, I'd better only order one glass.

Strawberry and blueberry preserve, and butter. This was for the toast that would be served with breakfast. I thought the preserves were a little too sweet and did not seem homemade. It tasted like the Knott's Berry Farm jam that I used to eat as a kid.

Stefan ordered the Angus corned beef hash with classic style hash, potatoes and caramelized onions. The components were delicious especially the corned beef, but the dish was too salty.

I ordered the Morning Glory Hash with smoked bacon, honey ham, sausage and sweet potato
Usually I would expect the ingredients of hash to be combined well and mashed together, however I mainly just tasted the potatoes. The ham seemed like it was just thrown into the mix but was not married with the potatoes. When I saw that sweet potatoes were in the hash, I was expecting a sweetness to the dish. However you can barely even taste sweet potatoes, in fact they weren't even the normal orange potatoes one is used to; they were just a shade different from the potatoes. I think the sweetness and vibrant color of the traditional sweet potato would have worked better. In addition, hash is typically so flavorful, however this dish was not. It's interesting because you would expect savory flavors given the ham and bacon, but instead the hash was bland. Perhaps they salted Stefan's dish twice accidentally and missed mine.

Side of fruit that was served with the hash. Nice variety of pineapple, watermelon, grapes and cantaloupe.

Allan ordered the Green eggs and ham (scrambled eggs with caramelized onions, sliced ham, tomatillo salsa and sour cream). I loved the creativity of the dish and the salty ham went well with the sweet caramelized onions. However when Allan decided to substitute his potatoes for the fruit salad, our waiter mentioned that it would be a small fee. The fruit salad, which was in lieu of the potatoes, cost an extra $3. I know that isn't much in monetary terms, but when comparing it to the cost of the dish (~$11), it seemed a little overpriced and I wished our waiter had mentioned it when we ordered.

Overall, I thought the meal was mediocre and the restaurant itself was nothing special. The hash was inconsistent; Stefan's was over salted while mine was bland. I can definitely cross this off my list; I doubt I will return unless for drinks at the rooftop bar.

P.S. Funnily, LA Magazine had the same comment re: saltiness in their November 2009 edition

Hits: location

Misses: $9 mimosas, hash
Rate: *

Hash Restaurant @ Hotel Erwin

1697 Pacific Ave.,

Los Angeles, CA 90291

(800) 786-7789

http://www.jvdhotels.com/