Until A Basq Kitchen opened in Redondo Beach, Basque cuisine was relatively unknown in LA. The restaurant had a nice five-year run and it recently closed. The owners created a new California casual fish concept and re-opened as A Fish and Friends. Due to the pandemic, they feature open-air dining on the top deck of…
Archives for 2020
Viet Noodle Bar – Healthy and Flavorful Vietnamese Cuisine
It is widely known that the best Vietnamese food may be found in Orange County. Over 189,000 Vietnamese Americans reside there making this the largest concentration of Vietnamese in the US. Westminster became known as Little Saigon and the area quickly spread into Garden Grove. In order to succeed, restaurant owners must tailor their food…
Royal King Elephant, a Laotian Experience
Laotian is not a word that you come across often and unless you are familiar with world geography, you may not realize that the word is derived from the country of Laos. I recently learned of Royal King Elephant; a restaurant located in Orange County featuring food from Laos and Thailand. Royal King Elephant is…
Delicious Kalimantan Cuisine in Alhambra
Did you know Borneo is the third-largest island in the world? It is divided into four political regions: Kalimantan belongs to Indonesia; Sabah and Sarawak are part of Malaysia; a small remaining region comprises Brunei. Borneo Kalimantan features Kalimantan cuisine and is located in Alhambra. Peter Then (aka Uncle Fung) assumed ownership of Little London…
Popular Elite Restaurant Re-opens for Take-Out
Dim Sum Restaurants usually consist of large banquet rooms packed with hungry customers. They are extremely popular and waiting lists are quickly form. These restaurants have largely been closed since March and a couple of them in Monterey Park recently opened. One such establishment is Elite Restaurant. The experience now is completely different. The parking…
101 Noodle Express, a Top Notch Chinese Noodle House
LA area restaurants remain closed and have had to transition to make-shift patios and take-out. One thing I’ve learned from the pandemic experience is that take out food is best enjoyed soon after you receive it. For a couple of days, I decided to change my home base and stay in San Gabriel so that…
Loroco Bistro – Much More Than Salvadoran Pupusas
I will be the first to admit that I’m not knowledgeable about Salvadoran food. I’ve been to a few restaurants and even a food truck that serves Central American pupusas, but that is the extent of my venture into their cuisine. I recently learned of Loroco Bistro and decided to visit them. Loroco Bistro is…
Broken Mouth – a Korean Hawaiian Food Adventure
Broke da mouth is Hawaiian Pidgin for something so delicious it broke your mouth. With a restaurant named Broken Mouth, I immediately took notice. For a Hawaiian restaurant, it is located in an unusual location; the fashion district in downtown LA. Broken Mouth is the brainchild of local Hawai’i boy, Tim Lee. Born on the…
Kotohira for Heavenly Japanese Udon Noodles
Twenty eight years ago, Tozai Plaza opened on the corner of Redondo Beach Blvd and Western Ave. in Gardena. The mini mall quickly became the buzz of the Japanese community because they opened new cutting edge restaurants. One of them was Kotohira and it is still operating today. As you drive by the busy intersection,…
Al Watan, for Flavorful Pakistani Cuisine To Go
Last weekend, I was picking up food at a Hawthorne restaurant and the owner told me that she is unable to process online orders. She was busy and stressed out and rather than argue with her, I opted to find another restaurant and see about obtaining a refund. Fortunately, I knew the area and I…