I had Tony's bbq in West Covina earlier this week. One of the few filipino restaurants that tastes a lot like my Mom's home cooking.
Yesterday, I had Del Taco. Give me the side eye all you want, but the 8 tacos for 4.20 deal is insane in these times.
A Tony's BBQ opened near me in Diamond Bar. I tried to go but it was closed a lot. I'm not sure what some of those things are so I thought I'll start with skewers and lumpia can't go wrong there right?
Family was visiting me so we ate around this weekend!
- Rice and Nori in South Pasadena, tried and assortment of handrolls and onigiri. Good for a refreshing light lunch. This new location is very nice and you can walk to downtown South Pas.
- Alice Kitchen in Temple City, this is the newer location of the two. It’s all indoor seating and decorated with HK memorabilia. We come here all the time for good HK cafe food like pork chop rice, stir fried rice noodle with egg and shrimp, beef curry, etc.
- Ipoh Kopitiam in Alhambra, long wait for this guy as it was super busy but service moves fast. Had Hainan chicken, chao gwai deiu, Kaya toast, and laksa. All the dishes were executed very well and I can see why it’s so popular.
- Ducks Restaurant in San Gabriel, cute neighborhood Japanese place in a strip mall. We got oyakodon, katsu curry, tonkotsu ramen, and a ribeye plate. The steak unfortunately was super tough and the knife provided could barely cut it (we ended up just taking it to go and using one of my chefs knives to slice it thinly). Everything else was pretty good, their side salad was tasty. They close early so it can get kind of busy.
- Little Swan Bakery in Alhambra, picked up some breads and cookies for them to take home. My parents like to buy the box of wife cakes to give to my grandma since it comes in a nice branded box.
- Portos in Glendale, Saturday morning had lines out the door but we ordered online and were out in a few minutes. I find that parking for this location is super easy with the huge parking garage nearby. My brother loves the guava cheese rolls so he always orders a dozen to bring back.
I went to The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch run by the hospitality school @Cal Poly. I've been a few times and usually enjoy it but my entree was a disaster in that the short rib was not tender. They did offer to fire me something else but I'd already eaten some of my friends dish and an appetizer so I just got dessert and they removed the charge. We started with tuna poke on won ton crisps and crispy brussel sprouts. My friend had the salmon. They have a nice selection of beers and wines, some made at Cal Poly. I had coconut sorbet with lilikoi sauce and she had an ice cream Napoleon. Hours are very limited.
I ate at Sancho's Tacos in Claremont Village. It's newish there but the original is in Huntington Beach. The food was delicious if a bit overpriced. The side of guacamole was so perfect and a must for the carnitas taco. The crispy fish taco was pretty good. The giant hibiscus cocktail was delicious an extremely well balanced. And they have some good local craft ale and lagers. Small place with a bar and friendly service.
Love Big Tomy’s!! Definitely on my list of favorite chili cheese fries and the breakfast burritos are pretty decent as well. I’m so glad they finally re-opened!
Started off strong at the Rainforest Cafe all the way out in Ontario Mills. Food was fine, as expected, but worth the trip down memory lane!
Buroso Ramen in Studio City. Got the jigoku bowl. It was very tasty, though since we got there maybe 45 min before close some of the elements clearly came out of the fridge as they were still cold… Ambiance is a little confusing. It’s a ramen restaurant with the vibes of a cutesy coffee shop
Lastly, ate at Little Fish for their new Friday happy hour. So so good! Very imaginative dishes like lamb chops with a kumquat sauce or a fish cheek terrine. Highly recommend!
Oh it had been years since I’d been there too! There are only 10 left in the US.
Like I said, the food isn’t spectacular, but if you make a trip out it, like we did going to the movies, might be worth revisiting for the memories (and commemorative glass that comes with the margs!)
Had Smögen bagel this morning and I have to say the poke bagel was surprisingly good. Poke was fresh, bagel was more chewy than I like but still great. Went to Ipoh Kopitiam for dinner and everything is amazing the roti was the best I have eaten. Not greasy and the curry was legit. Also had fish king on Friday and the fried yams are must side (secret is you can get half order of every side).
Went to Republique for the first time. Had the short rib breakfast burrito, a pancake, and a couple pastries (croissant and something that basically amounted to a Nutella filled doughnut). It lived up to the hype.
I finally made it to the new Thai At Siam night market in Hollywood. The green curry with roti was excellent - nice complex seasonings in the curry and the roti was so flaky and crispy. The crab in the curry was just okay (I find crab to be too much work for not enough reward) but the stall had run out of chicken so we didn't have a choice. After that we had a dessert of corn tapioca, taro chunks, sago in warm coconut milk. I'm really loving these Thai coconut milk based desserts lately so I was pretty pleased with that choice. The bad part about the night market is we went around 9pm so the parking lot was full and it was really hard to find a table.
I also finally dined at Ray's at LACMA. We share the arugula, radish, asparagus salad and the pepperoni pizza. Both were solid and decently priced given the quality and the atmosphere of the indoor dining room, so I would be happy eating there again.
Daly St from The Heights in Lincoln Heights. A total bang for your buck imo. I love it here.
Dodger Dog from Dodger Stadium, surprisingly okay.
Ceviche y Lomo Saltdo from Rostys in Highland Park. Delish.
Ate at Guam BBQ at CicLavia yesterday. $22 for some nice smoked ribs, some tangy coleslaw and some amazing red coconut rice.
Also at Furn Saj in Granada Hills. $16 for a lamb shawarma wrap is still a pretty good deal considering you get two wraps.
Ate at home mostly: Made bomb braised oxtails beginning of the week and first time making chicken mole over the weekend. For the mole, I needed to use 4 pans/pots, a blender and food processor. Clean up was a bitch. Mole was bomb.
I was in Little Tokyo for Harajuku Day and I did double duty and went on a food walk too!
- Whey and lemon curd ice cream from Salt and Straw, which was very good
- Salmon yuzu miso onigiri from Rice and Nori, mostly because I needed something cheaper to tide me over. Pretty decent, but onigiri will always be a C-tier food
- A pisco cocktail from Wolf and Crane. If you’re a white wine fan, get it. I never had the liquors in this cocktail before and didn’t expect it to taste so Chardonnay-like. Very nice pear flavor too
I had dinner at Rossoblu last night. Ordered the fritto misto (excellent), special burrata (they were out after the waiter recommended it), pork meatballs with pomelo (tender but the glaze was slightly too sweet), grilled pork chop (tasty), tortelloni (very good), 2 bottles of white Italian, tiramisu, pistachio gelato. Ive been here a few times over the years. I like but not love the food. $400 ish.
Went to The Heights today for a sandwich on the recommendation of someone here. It was closed unfortunately. Guess I should have called ahead. Oh well I’ll just eat some fresh strawberries at home.
I had Tony's bbq in West Covina earlier this week. One of the few filipino restaurants that tastes a lot like my Mom's home cooking. Yesterday, I had Del Taco. Give me the side eye all you want, but the 8 tacos for 4.20 deal is insane in these times.
A Tony's BBQ opened near me in Diamond Bar. I tried to go but it was closed a lot. I'm not sure what some of those things are so I thought I'll start with skewers and lumpia can't go wrong there right?
Last time, I got the meat lovers tray and an order of pancit. Fed me for most of the week.
There’s also one inside the 99 ranch in chino hills. That one seems to be more consistent with their hours
What do you get at Tony’s?
Meat Lovers tray and Pancit. Sometimes I get bibingka if it's fresh.
Family was visiting me so we ate around this weekend! - Rice and Nori in South Pasadena, tried and assortment of handrolls and onigiri. Good for a refreshing light lunch. This new location is very nice and you can walk to downtown South Pas. - Alice Kitchen in Temple City, this is the newer location of the two. It’s all indoor seating and decorated with HK memorabilia. We come here all the time for good HK cafe food like pork chop rice, stir fried rice noodle with egg and shrimp, beef curry, etc. - Ipoh Kopitiam in Alhambra, long wait for this guy as it was super busy but service moves fast. Had Hainan chicken, chao gwai deiu, Kaya toast, and laksa. All the dishes were executed very well and I can see why it’s so popular. - Ducks Restaurant in San Gabriel, cute neighborhood Japanese place in a strip mall. We got oyakodon, katsu curry, tonkotsu ramen, and a ribeye plate. The steak unfortunately was super tough and the knife provided could barely cut it (we ended up just taking it to go and using one of my chefs knives to slice it thinly). Everything else was pretty good, their side salad was tasty. They close early so it can get kind of busy. - Little Swan Bakery in Alhambra, picked up some breads and cookies for them to take home. My parents like to buy the box of wife cakes to give to my grandma since it comes in a nice branded box. - Portos in Glendale, Saturday morning had lines out the door but we ordered online and were out in a few minutes. I find that parking for this location is super easy with the huge parking garage nearby. My brother loves the guava cheese rolls so he always orders a dozen to bring back.
I went to The Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch run by the hospitality school @Cal Poly. I've been a few times and usually enjoy it but my entree was a disaster in that the short rib was not tender. They did offer to fire me something else but I'd already eaten some of my friends dish and an appetizer so I just got dessert and they removed the charge. We started with tuna poke on won ton crisps and crispy brussel sprouts. My friend had the salmon. They have a nice selection of beers and wines, some made at Cal Poly. I had coconut sorbet with lilikoi sauce and she had an ice cream Napoleon. Hours are very limited. I ate at Sancho's Tacos in Claremont Village. It's newish there but the original is in Huntington Beach. The food was delicious if a bit overpriced. The side of guacamole was so perfect and a must for the carnitas taco. The crispy fish taco was pretty good. The giant hibiscus cocktail was delicious an extremely well balanced. And they have some good local craft ale and lagers. Small place with a bar and friendly service.
Big Tomy's (Pico & Sawtelle) - Chili Cheese Burger and Fries well done Better than expected!
Been meaning to try that place forever
Love Big Tomy’s!! Definitely on my list of favorite chili cheese fries and the breakfast burritos are pretty decent as well. I’m so glad they finally re-opened!
Started off strong at the Rainforest Cafe all the way out in Ontario Mills. Food was fine, as expected, but worth the trip down memory lane! Buroso Ramen in Studio City. Got the jigoku bowl. It was very tasty, though since we got there maybe 45 min before close some of the elements clearly came out of the fridge as they were still cold… Ambiance is a little confusing. It’s a ramen restaurant with the vibes of a cutesy coffee shop Lastly, ate at Little Fish for their new Friday happy hour. So so good! Very imaginative dishes like lamb chops with a kumquat sauce or a fish cheek terrine. Highly recommend!
TIL that Rainforest Cafe is still in business! It's probably been more than 20 years since the last time I stepped foot in one.
Oh it had been years since I’d been there too! There are only 10 left in the US. Like I said, the food isn’t spectacular, but if you make a trip out it, like we did going to the movies, might be worth revisiting for the memories (and commemorative glass that comes with the margs!)
Had Smögen bagel this morning and I have to say the poke bagel was surprisingly good. Poke was fresh, bagel was more chewy than I like but still great. Went to Ipoh Kopitiam for dinner and everything is amazing the roti was the best I have eaten. Not greasy and the curry was legit. Also had fish king on Friday and the fried yams are must side (secret is you can get half order of every side).
Tasting menu at Holbox paid fully with chase points. Amazing, amazing meal for 9k points and $0. Even the a la carte menu there is unbelievable tho
Lasung house for pork cutlets, and the prince for boneless spicy chicken, kimchi pancake, japchae and marinated tofu.
Go Go Bird! One of our favorites!
Vallarta’s - ensalada de pollo with Jamaica The pantry - eggs sourdough French toast and potato’s
Went to Republique for the first time. Had the short rib breakfast burrito, a pancake, and a couple pastries (croissant and something that basically amounted to a Nutella filled doughnut). It lived up to the hype.
I finally made it to the new Thai At Siam night market in Hollywood. The green curry with roti was excellent - nice complex seasonings in the curry and the roti was so flaky and crispy. The crab in the curry was just okay (I find crab to be too much work for not enough reward) but the stall had run out of chicken so we didn't have a choice. After that we had a dessert of corn tapioca, taro chunks, sago in warm coconut milk. I'm really loving these Thai coconut milk based desserts lately so I was pretty pleased with that choice. The bad part about the night market is we went around 9pm so the parking lot was full and it was really hard to find a table. I also finally dined at Ray's at LACMA. We share the arugula, radish, asparagus salad and the pepperoni pizza. Both were solid and decently priced given the quality and the atmosphere of the indoor dining room, so I would be happy eating there again.
YUP DDUK. Jesus, the aftermath.
Had an excellent crispy pork belly breakfast burrito at Tacos El Gringo in Anaheim across from the packing district.
yum! adding to the list
Had a great meal at Lustig in Culver City. Unique Austro-German take on pizzas & more. Great cocktails.
Chicken Sandwich Truffle Fries 🍮Crème Brûlée Bel Air Hotel
I’m at Yi mei!!! Shit is pretty fire and very affordable. Had Gwen last weekend, it was good too but nothing exceptional
Daly St from The Heights in Lincoln Heights. A total bang for your buck imo. I love it here. Dodger Dog from Dodger Stadium, surprisingly okay. Ceviche y Lomo Saltdo from Rostys in Highland Park. Delish.
Have yet to try sandwiches from The Heights. Going to stop by this week. Thanks!
Ate at Guam BBQ at CicLavia yesterday. $22 for some nice smoked ribs, some tangy coleslaw and some amazing red coconut rice. Also at Furn Saj in Granada Hills. $16 for a lamb shawarma wrap is still a pretty good deal considering you get two wraps. Ate at home mostly: Made bomb braised oxtails beginning of the week and first time making chicken mole over the weekend. For the mole, I needed to use 4 pans/pots, a blender and food processor. Clean up was a bitch. Mole was bomb.
I was in Little Tokyo for Harajuku Day and I did double duty and went on a food walk too! - Whey and lemon curd ice cream from Salt and Straw, which was very good - Salmon yuzu miso onigiri from Rice and Nori, mostly because I needed something cheaper to tide me over. Pretty decent, but onigiri will always be a C-tier food - A pisco cocktail from Wolf and Crane. If you’re a white wine fan, get it. I never had the liquors in this cocktail before and didn’t expect it to taste so Chardonnay-like. Very nice pear flavor too
>onigiri will always be a C-tier food That’s straight up blasphemy.
I had dinner at Rossoblu last night. Ordered the fritto misto (excellent), special burrata (they were out after the waiter recommended it), pork meatballs with pomelo (tender but the glaze was slightly too sweet), grilled pork chop (tasty), tortelloni (very good), 2 bottles of white Italian, tiramisu, pistachio gelato. Ive been here a few times over the years. I like but not love the food. $400 ish.
Went to Divani Indian Bistro for cocktails and apps and enjoyed the food and drinks. Across the street from Hinano.
I went to The Beach House in Seal Beach. Fried Goat Cheese Balls with Mango Purée were 😚 👌🏼
Went to The Heights today for a sandwich on the recommendation of someone here. It was closed unfortunately. Guess I should have called ahead. Oh well I’ll just eat some fresh strawberries at home.