Showing posts with label Jenn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jenn. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Ramayani
Indonesian! WOW!
Atmosphere: Peaceful, homely (in a good way), quaint.
As you enter, there's barely a person in the restaurant. Granted, it was almost 10pm, but still. Hence it was quiet with a background buzz of some strange island music one the speakers. When I looked around, I realized that this restaurant was really just as much a home as it is an eatery. They've got photos of grandkids, little shrines, and what appears to be a regular apartment kitchen in the back. Cute, colorful, laid back.
Service: Initially undecided, Finally extremely satisfying.
The wait staff seems to consist of about 5 indonesian relatives milling about the back of the restaurant as described above. They finally seat us and the waitress (a kind faced old indonesian lady) seeming to have a tendency toward asians, speaks barely a word to Kyle and turns to me expecting that I order for the both of us. When the food comes out, I indicate that we were planning on sharing the food and the waitress proceeded to bring us 2 plates, another pair of chopsticks, another spoon, and another fork. Wow. And more than once, more than twice, we were checked up upon. In addition, if I ever needed anything, at least 2 of the 5 continued to linger around the "kitchen" area.
Food: Tasty exotic treats -- all of it.
Coconut curry noodles with shimp -- an every so slighty spicy delicate dish, with its coconut flavors really coming through.
Sampler plate (as I'll call it) -- Corn, peanut fritter, curry beef, green beans+tofu, rice topped with eggs strips and chili peppers, beef jerky+red pepper sauce, and more. It's a good way to go to begin understanding indonesian food, i suppose, but more importantly it really gets you to LIKE the food.
Lime soda -- lime juice, sparkling water, and vanilla syrup = deliciously sweet and refreshing.
I loved it. Close to all you westwood kids, I'd say it's worth the trip. And at about $10/person it's not a bad deal considering I left feeling light and refreshed, then ended up full and satified about 15 mins later.
Ramayani Westwood
1777 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024-5607
(310) 477-3315
Special notes: For all who were at Mindy's potluck and had my "black jook," they had that dish on the menu at Ramayani! I've never seen it anywhere else on a menu, not even in Malaysian restaurants. WOW! There's also a great cheap zagat rated lebanese place right next door.
Atmosphere: Peaceful, homely (in a good way), quaint.
As you enter, there's barely a person in the restaurant. Granted, it was almost 10pm, but still. Hence it was quiet with a background buzz of some strange island music one the speakers. When I looked around, I realized that this restaurant was really just as much a home as it is an eatery. They've got photos of grandkids, little shrines, and what appears to be a regular apartment kitchen in the back. Cute, colorful, laid back.
Service: Initially undecided, Finally extremely satisfying.
The wait staff seems to consist of about 5 indonesian relatives milling about the back of the restaurant as described above. They finally seat us and the waitress (a kind faced old indonesian lady) seeming to have a tendency toward asians, speaks barely a word to Kyle and turns to me expecting that I order for the both of us. When the food comes out, I indicate that we were planning on sharing the food and the waitress proceeded to bring us 2 plates, another pair of chopsticks, another spoon, and another fork. Wow. And more than once, more than twice, we were checked up upon. In addition, if I ever needed anything, at least 2 of the 5 continued to linger around the "kitchen" area.
Food: Tasty exotic treats -- all of it.
Coconut curry noodles with shimp -- an every so slighty spicy delicate dish, with its coconut flavors really coming through.
Sampler plate (as I'll call it) -- Corn, peanut fritter, curry beef, green beans+tofu, rice topped with eggs strips and chili peppers, beef jerky+red pepper sauce, and more. It's a good way to go to begin understanding indonesian food, i suppose, but more importantly it really gets you to LIKE the food.
Lime soda -- lime juice, sparkling water, and vanilla syrup = deliciously sweet and refreshing.
I loved it. Close to all you westwood kids, I'd say it's worth the trip. And at about $10/person it's not a bad deal considering I left feeling light and refreshed, then ended up full and satified about 15 mins later.
Ramayani Westwood
1777 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024-5607
(310) 477-3315
Special notes: For all who were at Mindy's potluck and had my "black jook," they had that dish on the menu at Ramayani! I've never seen it anywhere else on a menu, not even in Malaysian restaurants. WOW! There's also a great cheap zagat rated lebanese place right next door.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Wilshire Restaurant (3)
Check out #8:
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/roundup/40605
Looks like Joanne's predictions are on their way to coming true.
http://losangeles.citysearch.com/roundup/40605
Looks like Joanne's predictions are on their way to coming true.
In the Mood for... Mediterranean
Did I spell that rightly?
Sorry... engineer. This is my excuse for not knowing english.
Anyhow,
Gaby's
Yum.
Food...
Hummus. Yum. $4/order, serves about 4.
Falafel. Yum.
Rice Pilaf. Yum.
Pita Sandwiches. Yum.
Comes with rice OR salad OR french fries... all for $5 - $6.
Falafel pita sandwich + rice + hummus = 2 meals... all for $9...
WOW!
And yeah, ask for some pita on the way out, they'll give you 1/2 a bag full.
Service... not so Yum.
Atmosphere... fun to look at beach coming and going people.
Yeah. Pretty cheap lebanese? food by the beach... or by Versailles, which is another story. I enjoy. Tasty food, swallowable prices, swallowable service. Ahh.
Gaby's
by the beach at the end of Washington Blvd. on the south side.
OR
10445 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles CA
Sorry... engineer. This is my excuse for not knowing english.
Anyhow,
Gaby's
Yum.
Food...
Hummus. Yum. $4/order, serves about 4.
Falafel. Yum.
Rice Pilaf. Yum.
Pita Sandwiches. Yum.
Comes with rice OR salad OR french fries... all for $5 - $6.
Falafel pita sandwich + rice + hummus = 2 meals... all for $9...
WOW!
And yeah, ask for some pita on the way out, they'll give you 1/2 a bag full.
Service... not so Yum.
Atmosphere... fun to look at beach coming and going people.
Yeah. Pretty cheap lebanese? food by the beach... or by Versailles, which is another story. I enjoy. Tasty food, swallowable prices, swallowable service. Ahh.
Gaby's
by the beach at the end of Washington Blvd. on the south side.
OR
10445 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles CA
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Jones & Nationale
Tuesday was Dinah's birthday.
She is a girl from Arizona I met along with another named Rebecca from NY.
The two of them met in New York.
They now live in LA.
And boy, they really love celebrities.
And celebrating.
So we went to Jones.
Here is my critique with layout inspiration from Joanne!
Atmosphere:
Now, many of the comments about Jones on citysearch.com are not true.
The music is not too loud.
What's loud is just the amount of people.
And these people are verrrrrry trendy.
Good thing I was wearing green eyeliner and was with a hot gay boy,
otherwise I don't know if they would let me in.
Food:
I didn't get there until everyone was done with dinner. I hear the food's great though, and so said the NYers. But I had dessert and boy, was it deliciiiious! Creme Brulee, amazing. Just solid and creamy enough inside and just crispy and thick enough on top. WOW.
Service:
I thought that the wait service there would be horrible considering that service generally becomes exponentially worse with trendiness of restaurant. But, we had a cute, nice, AND trendy waitress. She said she wished she could talk with us more, except for her to do that, she'd stand in the aisle and everyone would be trying to squeeze by. But she made her best effort, which was really a great effort, and impressed even ME! As soon as our h2o bottle would empty, a hand would come, sweep it up, and place a new full bottle of water on our table.
And though it was quite loud there, I didn't have hard time socializing with my group of friends or talking over all the noise.
Then we made our way over to Nationale.
Amazing club.
Amazingly hard to get into...
unless you're a group of hot chicks not wearing much...
or one of the people you're with "knows someone"
and luckily for me, I experienced the later.
Atmosphere:
Outside, you'd think you were about to step into a rap video. Everyone waiting in line outside looks ghetto fabolous or like some of the Persian students you might see "studying" at Powell. You know what I mean? But then you walk in and see that it's all a facade for the mostly rich white crowd inside. It's unappealing at first, but then you realize that there's a generally good mix in the club. White, black, asian, latino, native american... I sure saw quite a few colors of the rainbow in there. And though everyone's trendy and obviously checking everyone else out, people generally keep to themselves, and the boys aren't TOO grabby. Though the dance floor's a bit small, a lot of people just go there to chill. Also, there's this neat-o smoking area upstairs that's closed off, but open air. Anyway the atmosphere in 3 phrases would be: trendy but not too snobby, rich and posh, generally very fun.
Music:
WOW. WOW. I sang along to "I Want You Back", "California Love", "Next Episode", "99 Problems", Lauren Hill, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest. YEAH. GOOD freaking music. Takes me wayyyy back... back to middle school, when I was a wee ghetto 7th grader who was all about the A-Z-N pryde! yeYAH! But if you're looking for that good ole hip hop, Nationale on tuesdays has got ya covered.
Drinks:
I ordered a vodka tonic, only to find that the emphasis was on the VODKA not the TONIC. That was a strong drink, until the ice began to melt, then it just became mostly watered down vodka. I don't know how the rest of their drinks were, but this one was definitely not up to par with vodka tonics I've had in the past.
Yeah. Fun fun fun night. Nationale, I would definitely make the trip back. I don't know how much cover is though. Probably about $20? I'm not sure. Jones, I would venture back to if my pocket book was feelin' it and so was my cockiness. But at both the places I mention above, they do check id. Don't forget to be 21 before you mosey on in.
She is a girl from Arizona I met along with another named Rebecca from NY.
The two of them met in New York.
They now live in LA.
And boy, they really love celebrities.
And celebrating.
So we went to Jones.
Here is my critique with layout inspiration from Joanne!
Atmosphere:
Now, many of the comments about Jones on citysearch.com are not true.
The music is not too loud.
What's loud is just the amount of people.
And these people are verrrrrry trendy.
Good thing I was wearing green eyeliner and was with a hot gay boy,
otherwise I don't know if they would let me in.
Food:
I didn't get there until everyone was done with dinner. I hear the food's great though, and so said the NYers. But I had dessert and boy, was it deliciiiious! Creme Brulee, amazing. Just solid and creamy enough inside and just crispy and thick enough on top. WOW.
Service:
I thought that the wait service there would be horrible considering that service generally becomes exponentially worse with trendiness of restaurant. But, we had a cute, nice, AND trendy waitress. She said she wished she could talk with us more, except for her to do that, she'd stand in the aisle and everyone would be trying to squeeze by. But she made her best effort, which was really a great effort, and impressed even ME! As soon as our h2o bottle would empty, a hand would come, sweep it up, and place a new full bottle of water on our table.
And though it was quite loud there, I didn't have hard time socializing with my group of friends or talking over all the noise.
Then we made our way over to Nationale.
Amazing club.
Amazingly hard to get into...
unless you're a group of hot chicks not wearing much...
or one of the people you're with "knows someone"
and luckily for me, I experienced the later.
Atmosphere:
Outside, you'd think you were about to step into a rap video. Everyone waiting in line outside looks ghetto fabolous or like some of the Persian students you might see "studying" at Powell. You know what I mean? But then you walk in and see that it's all a facade for the mostly rich white crowd inside. It's unappealing at first, but then you realize that there's a generally good mix in the club. White, black, asian, latino, native american... I sure saw quite a few colors of the rainbow in there. And though everyone's trendy and obviously checking everyone else out, people generally keep to themselves, and the boys aren't TOO grabby. Though the dance floor's a bit small, a lot of people just go there to chill. Also, there's this neat-o smoking area upstairs that's closed off, but open air. Anyway the atmosphere in 3 phrases would be: trendy but not too snobby, rich and posh, generally very fun.
Music:
WOW. WOW. I sang along to "I Want You Back", "California Love", "Next Episode", "99 Problems", Lauren Hill, Bob Marley, A Tribe Called Quest. YEAH. GOOD freaking music. Takes me wayyyy back... back to middle school, when I was a wee ghetto 7th grader who was all about the A-Z-N pryde! yeYAH! But if you're looking for that good ole hip hop, Nationale on tuesdays has got ya covered.
Drinks:
I ordered a vodka tonic, only to find that the emphasis was on the VODKA not the TONIC. That was a strong drink, until the ice began to melt, then it just became mostly watered down vodka. I don't know how the rest of their drinks were, but this one was definitely not up to par with vodka tonics I've had in the past.
Yeah. Fun fun fun night. Nationale, I would definitely make the trip back. I don't know how much cover is though. Probably about $20? I'm not sure. Jones, I would venture back to if my pocket book was feelin' it and so was my cockiness. But at both the places I mention above, they do check id. Don't forget to be 21 before you mosey on in.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Two Ya's, One Day
Thus begins the continuation of the saga of the Blog of Jenn via We Know More Than Zagat.
This past Saturday, December 10th, I had the great fortune of experiencing two Ya's in one day. Though, I first must admit that I've been to both of these restaurants previously.
The first is Ramen Ya. What can be said about Ramen Ya. Now, I must first compare/contrast Ramen Ya to Asahi Ramen. I'd heard quite a bit about Asahi, that it was amazing, etc. But when I had ramen there, all my friends and I could really say about it was... it's really SALTY. I could feel the MSG burning into my stomach lining and even felt a bit dizzy, which has never happened before because of MSG. Anyway, I was very wary of going to another Ramen house in the vicinity of Asahi.
But since the first time I went to Ramen Ya (which I've learned basically means Ramen Shop in Japanese) I've had their Mabo Ramen + Spinach, Miso Ramen, Wakame Ramen, and Gyoza. Mabo is a wonderful chinese creation that can only be described as ground beef and tofu in Mabo sauce. It's a bit thicker than the usual ramen soup, but is spicy and yummy. Miso ramen is all that can be expected of miso ramen. Wakame Ramen is for the vegetarian in you. It has seaweed, carrots, bamboo shoots, waterchest nuts, and more. It's light and at the same time filling. Gyoza are delicate and flavorful. All have been great. Everyone I've taken there has left full, satified, and happy, and often with leftovers.
With their Ramen ranging from $6.25 - $7.75, it's a pretty cheap eat too! The main thing about Ramen Ya that seems to stand out to people is that their NOODLES are exceptional. It's not the broth or toppings or side orders, it's the NOODLES. So there you have it.
Next up is Honda Ya.
This is quite a far drive from LA, but I believe it's worth the trip. Honda Ya is basically a Japanese pub, where their serve up the Japanese equivalent to the Spanish tapas. It is always crowded, and for good reason.
I've had their Takoyaki (Octopus pancake like balls), Albacore Sashimi, Saitamo Azami? Ni (A broiled taro pot), Miso Eggplant, Bacon Asparagus, Rainbow Roll, Negiyaki (soft, chewy salty turnip cakes), and more that I can't remember. My favorite include Albacore sashimi, takoyaki, and miso eggplant. The sashimi comes with watercress sprouts, shaved daikon, garlic chips, sweet soy sauce, and is absolutely melt in your mouth divine. Takoyaki is a bit more rough, but the pancake like outside is soft and delicious, with the tiny surprise of octopus leg in the middle, and smothered in a delicious bbq sauce, with ginger and mayo on the side. Miso eggplant is a salty sweet treat, always served super hot off the grill, it also melts in your mouth life a sweet treat from your Japanese friend's mom.
A warning though, *DO NOT GO THERE FOR SUSHI* Though the sushi is indeed delicious, the reason for going to Honda Ya lies in their tiny plates, which can be found on the first pages of the menu and their secondary menu. Another warning is that this place adds up. If you're a heavy eater, a gourmand, not gourmet as they say in french, then Honda Ya is not your place. With their little plates ranging from $2.95 - $5.95, it can really add up, and you'll be spending at least $15/person for dinner. BUT SO WORTH IT AND the GAS AND WEAR & TEAR ON YOUR CAR. Another important note is that the Honda Ya is only open from 5pm -1am.
Ramen Ya
located on Olympic just west of Colby
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=W+Olympic+Blvd+%26+Colby+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90064&iwloc=A&hl=en
Honda Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780-4308
This past Saturday, December 10th, I had the great fortune of experiencing two Ya's in one day. Though, I first must admit that I've been to both of these restaurants previously.
The first is Ramen Ya. What can be said about Ramen Ya. Now, I must first compare/contrast Ramen Ya to Asahi Ramen. I'd heard quite a bit about Asahi, that it was amazing, etc. But when I had ramen there, all my friends and I could really say about it was... it's really SALTY. I could feel the MSG burning into my stomach lining and even felt a bit dizzy, which has never happened before because of MSG. Anyway, I was very wary of going to another Ramen house in the vicinity of Asahi.
But since the first time I went to Ramen Ya (which I've learned basically means Ramen Shop in Japanese) I've had their Mabo Ramen + Spinach, Miso Ramen, Wakame Ramen, and Gyoza. Mabo is a wonderful chinese creation that can only be described as ground beef and tofu in Mabo sauce. It's a bit thicker than the usual ramen soup, but is spicy and yummy. Miso ramen is all that can be expected of miso ramen. Wakame Ramen is for the vegetarian in you. It has seaweed, carrots, bamboo shoots, waterchest nuts, and more. It's light and at the same time filling. Gyoza are delicate and flavorful. All have been great. Everyone I've taken there has left full, satified, and happy, and often with leftovers.
With their Ramen ranging from $6.25 - $7.75, it's a pretty cheap eat too! The main thing about Ramen Ya that seems to stand out to people is that their NOODLES are exceptional. It's not the broth or toppings or side orders, it's the NOODLES. So there you have it.
Next up is Honda Ya.
This is quite a far drive from LA, but I believe it's worth the trip. Honda Ya is basically a Japanese pub, where their serve up the Japanese equivalent to the Spanish tapas. It is always crowded, and for good reason.
I've had their Takoyaki (Octopus pancake like balls), Albacore Sashimi, Saitamo Azami? Ni (A broiled taro pot), Miso Eggplant, Bacon Asparagus, Rainbow Roll, Negiyaki (soft, chewy salty turnip cakes), and more that I can't remember. My favorite include Albacore sashimi, takoyaki, and miso eggplant. The sashimi comes with watercress sprouts, shaved daikon, garlic chips, sweet soy sauce, and is absolutely melt in your mouth divine. Takoyaki is a bit more rough, but the pancake like outside is soft and delicious, with the tiny surprise of octopus leg in the middle, and smothered in a delicious bbq sauce, with ginger and mayo on the side. Miso eggplant is a salty sweet treat, always served super hot off the grill, it also melts in your mouth life a sweet treat from your Japanese friend's mom.
A warning though, *DO NOT GO THERE FOR SUSHI* Though the sushi is indeed delicious, the reason for going to Honda Ya lies in their tiny plates, which can be found on the first pages of the menu and their secondary menu. Another warning is that this place adds up. If you're a heavy eater, a gourmand, not gourmet as they say in french, then Honda Ya is not your place. With their little plates ranging from $2.95 - $5.95, it can really add up, and you'll be spending at least $15/person for dinner. BUT SO WORTH IT AND the GAS AND WEAR & TEAR ON YOUR CAR. Another important note is that the Honda Ya is only open from 5pm -1am.
Ramen Ya
located on Olympic just west of Colby
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=W+Olympic+Blvd+%26+Colby+Ave,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90064&iwloc=A&hl=en
Honda Ya
556 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA 92780-4308
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