Kat's 9 Lives

Fantastic Donuts are just too cute! I saw the pics on Instagram and have bookmarked the place for a long time. Since I promised to meet Gourmet Pigs for lunch in LA, I decided that I need to make an extra stop since I drove all the way up.  😁

I like to buy goods and I looooove cute things, so this place was perfect! Even though I was the only one eating them, I needed at least 3 for selfies! Lol To be honest it isn't about the food as much as it is about the super cuteness!!!

The man working there was very friendly and probably used to people coming for the cute donuts.  I asked for his help and he was happy to oblige.  He explained the different choices.  I was really looking for the cutest donut! Lol I even bought flavors I detest, purely because I wanted the cute face! 😇

I got the super adorable pig, cow, and fox set.  How can you not buy the donuts with a face a small donut hole decorated with an animal face in between! Well I couldn't, so I loaded up on donuts :).  They actually tasted good as well, so that was a bonus.  I ate it over 3 days and even on the 3rd day, it tasted fine.  You wouldn't think this place is a hole in the wall but it's in a tiny plaza in K-town.  Very packed plaza and small place, but worth it for the selfie photos and cuteness! 😉

Fantastic Donuts

1101 S Vermont Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 252-5237

There has been a plethora of restaurants opening up in the center off of Lake Forest. I decided to try out the Oke Poke with some friends because it was quick and should be reasonably priced. They weren't too busy and the line seemed to be moving steadily. It's an assembly line ordering system that is super popular these day. At each station you tell them what items you would like added and the only difference in pricing at the end will be how many scoops of raw fish you receive.
The place was very clean and new. They were handing samples out but of course not while I was in line >=P. lol I decided to go for tortilla chips as my carb because I was more in a nacho mood. There are pre-made bowls that you can choose from but I am a rebel and like to mix it up!
Next you can choose your add ons : Onions, Cucumber, Scallions, Ginger, Seaweed, Wasabi, Crab, Masago, Bean Sprouts, and Avocado. I got everything except the ginger, cucumber, and bean sprouts. It was nice that they had the crab and avocado option without additional charge. Besides, these are really filler items that make the bowl look more plentiful.
Most important comes the fish that you would like to select : Ahi Tuna, Salmon, Spicy Tuna, Albacore, Yellow Tail, Shrimp, Scallops, Tako. I chose to have the maximum amount of fish in my poke bowl... duh! lol I chose the salmon, spicy tuna, yellow tail, albacore, and scallop for my bowl. The scallop was not the freshest so I may skip that next time. They are baby scallops that you can pick up from any supermarket.
Now it is time to pick the flavor of your bowl. You can choose from these sauces : Oke, Heat, Spicy Mayo, Okeyaki, Miso, Oke Sesame. I will tell you right now that I chose EVERYTHING lol! The only thing I didn't want was too much heat because it would drown out too much of the flavor. Not that having every sauce didn't do that already, but it was flavorful in a good way! If you want a flavor blast then this combo is the right choice for you!
For the finishing touch, you can choose the toppings you would like : Toasted Sesame Seeds, Crunchy Onion, Garlic Flakes, Furikake, Chili Flakes. I got everything except the chili flakes because those tend to get stuck in my teeth or mouth. The garlic flakes are really garlic chips that are WONDERFUL! PS I love garlic!
My friends decided to go light and just have sesame oil on their fish, which they were just okay with. When you put so little sauce and flavor then the natural taste of the fish is the main seasoning. Unfortunately for them, the fish was not necessarily super fresh so they were a little let down. For poke places, I wouldn't expect them to use the best quality for their poke bowls of course.
They tried mine and thought it tasted good. In reality, all my sauces and add ons covered any fishy taste. O=D This is not true poke of course. More like the Chipotle of poke where they mix everything together and call it so. Still, it hits the spot sometimes and the prices are reasonable for raw fish. I'd probably come back here in the future.

Oke Poke
23646 Rockfield Blvd Ste 604 
Lake Forest, CA 92630

Ms. Lin Guide and I were down in San Diego for my birthday and my goal as always is to find a fun new place to try.  We found Grater Grilled Cheese Bistro nearby and I was sold as soon as I heard that they offered a Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich! Fair warning, Google Maps had some issues finding this place so call them if you get lost.  

Even though the grilled cheese sandwich was not as gooey as I had hoped, but the taste was great.  The lobster grilled cheese sandwich was made with their signature cheese blend, butter fried lobster, crab, and their signature Sierra Nevada pale ale beer chipotle aioli.  I have to say that they use some pretty tasty and hearty cheeses as their base.  If you like sharp cheeses and a stronger flavor, then they are definitely your place.  The lobster grilled cheese had a nice spicy kick to the palate along with the savory melted cheeses.  

All in all it is a pretty solid grilled cheese place.  My lobster grilled cheese was only $11.50 plus tax, which is pretty reasonable.  Of course you don't get that much lobster, but it was still very tasty.  I like that the toast was nice and buttery.  I would definitely come back here if I lived closer.

Grater Grilled Cheese Bistro
909 Grand Avenue 
San Diego, CA, CA 92109
(858) 490-2210