Kat's 9 Lives

Say good-bye to the same ole same ole. While we were in LA on Friday we decided to have some Ethiopian food in Little Ethiopia. Tofu chose Ethiopian since he has never been, he's so sheltered! I will have to keep taking him up to LA to show him what the world has to offer in food! Next time I will bring Mango & Coconut up so we can all go to Moroccan.
We went in a group of 6 to Messob. For half the group, this was definitely a first time experience for them. Earlier in the day we called ahead and reserved a table, but it didn't do any good. We arrived at 8:30PM and the place was packed. More and more people came in after us. The interior was very dimly lit. There was a lot of traditional settings and furniture. It's a very quaint atmosphere. One good thing that people might not know about this place was that it offered free valet parking.
One of my friends decided to try the Honey Wine upon my recommendation. I have had it at other Ethiopian restaurants and it really reminds me of the Hungarian wine, Tokaiji, but stronger. At Messob they offered their own homemade mead and it was different from what I had the first time. I agree that it tasted more like a honey rice wine, closer to Asian wines. I wouldn't recommend their honey wine.
We ordered three combination platters from the dinner menu and we all chose the same thing. The three items were Doro Wot, Siga Wot, and Yebeg Siga Alicha. This also includes a salad and Tomato Fit Fit, which I believe was tomatoes tossed in Injera. There are no utensils given and everything is eaten by hand. All of these dishes come with the Injera, which you use to pick up and eat all the food. It's a spongy flat unleavened bread that's usually prepared from Teff (Ethiopian grown grain), barley, corn, and millet. This was a very typical bread, but I have had ones that resemble a pancake that tastes much better. I am not a big fan of the spongy texture and sour flavor, but it's extremely useful in picking up the food. Having the texture of a sponge prevents the sauces from immediately soaking through.
The Doro Wot was chicken stewed in red pepper sauce with an assortment of spices. It was very difficult to eat the chicken leg since you can only use your hands. I felt it was kind of bland because the sauce was mostly on the outside and there wasn't much flavor on the chicken itself. I don't think it's because of the restaurant, instead I think that's how the dish is normally. For Siga Wot they use strips of beef braised in red pepper sauce with assorted spices. Since the beef was in smaller pieces it was able to absorb the sauce and flavor. The best thing of the night was the Yebeg Siga Alicha! It's a lamb stew delicately spiced with garlic, ginger, and other spices. This was not spicy at all and packed full of flavor. You can taste the aromatic flavor of the lamb along with all the spices that complimented the natural taste of the meat. Sadly there wasn't that much on the platter, next time I plan to just get this!We all ordered one more dish to share amongst one another. Tofu and I shared the Tibs that was cubes of beef with onion, tomato, garlic, green chilies, and spiced butter. At first we ate the lamb and though that we should have ordered more lamb. Luckily we stuck with the Tibs because it was much more flavorful than the other lamb dish we were looking at. The meat was semi-tender and had a light flavor. Avoid the green chilies if you don't love spicy, I ate a piece touching the it and boy did it pack a punch!A&K decided to share the Awaze Tibs. It was cubes of beef with onion, tomato, hot red pepper, and spiced butter. They thought that this dish was the best part of the platter. The other three dishes from the combo were nothing compared to the Awaze Tibs. A insisted that it was much better than the Tibs we got. =-P
Burumun and her friend showed up SUPER late! So they asked that I order for them and I ordered them the same combo along with the lamb dish that Tofu & I were debating on trying. I told Tofu later on that luckily we didn't get the Kikil. It's cubes of lamb with onion, green pepper, garlic, and collard greens cooked Ethiopian style. There wasn't really any flavor to this dish. I believe the collard greens probably masked the natural flavor of the lamb and absorbed all the savoriness of the spices.
After reading some reviews online I was very curious in trying the Authentic Ethiopian Coffee served in traditional Jebaen, clay percolator. One order served 2-5 people and believe one order was more than enough. They brought out the coffee beans to let us smell them as they were roasted, heated. At first it was very aromatic, but quickly turned into a burning smell. The coffee was sooooooooooooooooooo BITTER and the burnt flavor seeped in through your nose as well as your taste buds. I drank one full cup and Burumun tried to dump her cup into mine but I refused! Yipes, I don't know if that was how their coffee normally tastes but now I will be too frightened to try this in other places. I don't think any of us liked it. All I have to say is that I miss my cafe au lait from Paris!All in all the food was good and I loved the Yebeg Siga Alicha! The service was friendly, but very slow. I think that happens at all Ethiopian restaurants. There's a lot of time from when you order the dish and when you get it. Tofu and I were the first there and slowly the rest of our friends started to arrive. Our meal lasted from 8:30 PM to past 11PM, but we still made it to Pinkberry! I think I would come back here, but not before I finish trying all the other Ethiopian restaurants next door and right across the street!

Messob

1041 S Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019

Normally I don't like to eat anything spicy, so you know it's AWESOME if I love it. YunChuan Garden has one of the best spicy dishes I have had in my life. I crave their Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce. They have very authentic Chinese dishes. If only they weren't so far away in Monterey Park, I'd stop by to pick up their hot sauce! The flavors are just splendid! This place is tucked away in a strip mall. There's parking in the back, but you can always park on the street as well.
As you walk in there's a counter straight ahead with their special dishes that you order for your table or take out. Word to the wise, even if you are taking it home be sure to order it for sit down and then take it home. The portion is much more generous when you eat there than taking it home. My favorite dish there is the Fu Chi Fe Pian. It's a mixture of meats that are marinated in their special spicy chili sauce. Just thinking about makes me drool!
I really want to go back soon to get the Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce so I can take home the yummy sauce and pairing it with other foods. Whatever seasonings they add to the chili sauce truly makes it stand out. The flavor lingers heavenly in your mouth. It's the perfect blend of spices, a great addition to any dish. The funny thing is I hate spicy foods. Everyone is so surprised that I would like this dish, so that really tells you how delicious it must be!
This time around we didn't order that much, but my Mom got greedy and ordered their Signature Noodle Dish. It's called the Kuo Chao Mi Shen. They bring all the components uncooked to your table along with the steaming soup and noodles in separate bowls. Then they pour the meat in first followed by the rest of the plate. At the end they add the noodles to the soup after the meat has a little time to cook. The flavors are very subtle and clean. It goes well with all the spicy dishes since it's very light and flavorful in its own way.
All in all I love the spicy food here! At first I couldn't take it and wasn't too fond of all the spice, but now I can't live without it! Just thinking about the delicious spicy chili sauce makes me want to drive all the way up again for more! Sometimes the place is very busy and it's hard to get a seat, but it's worth the wait! The food here is cheap and good. If you are ever in Monterey Park, you definitely have to stop by here to give them a try. You won't regret it!

YunChuan Garden

301 N Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754

We started off the night by ordering two Northern Chinese dishes while we were waiting for TP, since she wouldn't be eating them anyway. I have been on a wonton craze so I wanted to try the Wontons in Spicy Red Chili Oil. The wontons were decent but nothing memorable. At first you don't taste the spiciness because it looked like soy sauce and no chili oil. After you take a bite the flavors come out and the spice kicks in. The bottom was layered with Chinese Broccoli, which offsets the greasiness. I must say that the wontons I made recently are much more flavorful and memorable. We also decided to try the Pan Fried Pork Buns. It contains the best of both worlds because it was crispy on the bottom and soft on the inside. Theirs was not bad, but I don't think the meat inside was that flavorful.
TP needs to eat beef and pork! It was so hard to find chicken items for her to eat. We decided to order one of their specials, Chicken Spring Pancakes. The chicken was sautéed and mixed with fresh vegetables & hoisin sauce in Chinese pancakes. I must say this was nothing special and really lacked in flavor. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have ordered Mu-Shu because it would at least have more flavor. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, you can easily make this and better at home.
Since we couldn't find anything that we would all want to share, I suggested that we get Chicken Fried Rice and Chicken Pan Fried Noodles. Big mistake! Funny thing was that Mama P said it was salty and TP said it lacked flavor. I have to side with TP to say it really lacked flavor because it was totally not memorable. One reason could be that there were a lot more vegetables and they don't absorb the flavors as much. We should have just gotten steamed rice, although I really hate paying 75 cents PER person for steamed rice.
We ordered Walnut Prawns, Honey Walnut Shrimp. Their shrimps were surprisingly large and a generous amount was given. Mama P didn't like the fact that they skimped on the walnuts. Usually when I have this dish it was sweet, but here it wasn't. The flavors were very light and subtle. Overall this dish was not bad and I would order it again, but most likely I won't be back for dinner. I don't like to pay $14 for an entrée at a Chinese restaurant.

All in all this place was decent. The service was friendly although I had to ask twice for the water and always ask for it to be refilled. They were funny because TP was very late, we were saying how we've been waiting for over 1/2 an hour and the waiter came to take our order and he laughed with us by saying that we'd been there for over 2 hours already. More guilt to TP! =P There were some entrées that were good, but nothing spectacular. I think if you come here you shouldn't order anything Americanized. Stick with their Northern Chinese foods. I would probably come back here for lunch to give them another chance. If anyone goes there and tries the Salt & Peppered Eggplant, let me know how it is! Mama P and I thought it sounded good, but TP doesn't eat pork so we didn't get it. TP I am taking you to a STEAKHOUSE or BRAZILLIAN BBQ next time! I will force you to eat beef and pork! O=)

This is a back post. There was a special deal for tickets to Wicked! from January to February so my friends and I all bought tickets to go. Special thanks to a very sweet friend of mine who bought me my ticket for X-mas! Cyber hug! **'cuz I don't hug in real life** We decided to eat close to the Pantages, which would be Thai town.
Oh my goodness, delicious! I really liked Palms Thai. Great recommendation from a pal that went with us. We did everything family style so that we could try a little bit of everything. Unfortunately the traffic was horrendous so we showed up late and one of my friends was almost done with her meal. Yes, I am sorry but we are even now! =P She ordered an awesome Fried Tofu served with ground peanut on sweet & sour sauce. The tofu was crispy and firm. The flavor was only accentuated with the sauce.
We ordered their Coconut Soup with Chicken to share. It was good, but nothing extraordinary. I love using the soup to drizzle on my rice to add flavor to the Chicken Yellow Curry.
My other friend ordered the Thai Sausage as an appetizer. Wonderful! Each bite was bursting with flavor! I really loved this dish and will definitely get this again. The outside was grilled to perfection while maintaining the moisture within. It was still tasty when it was cold.
They have a very interesting wild things menu. I really wanted to try the wild boar because I loved it from La Fondue. Interestingly enough I ordered it and the server immediately said, "Are you sure?" She kept asking if I have ever had wild boar and I said yes. It was quite obvious she was trying to tell me NOT to order that dish. Luckily I listened and ordered the Deep Fried Trout with Mango Sauce. How can I ever say no to mango anything!?! The mango sauce was mixed with sliced chili, cilantro, & cashew nut on the side. The server told us that it was boneless, but there were bones. I was enamored with this dish though! The trout was fried to perfection. All the flavors blended superbly together! I am so tempted to go back all the time, if only I didn't live so far away.

We ordered the Pineapple Fried Rice, Chicken Yellow Curry, and Spicy Beef Salad. They were all good, but nothing as memorable as the sausage and trout. All in all they are pretty consistently good. The service was questionable at time. The servers were nice but this busboy was horridly rude! He told my friend that she was done with her meal and basically took her plate away! We all were in awe and thought that was so rude. They were also super strict about not letting her get a table while waiting for us to arrive. Overall the food was great. Can't wait to go back!

Palms Thai

5900 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

This was a very quaint place. It was tucked away behind Yamato, another Japanese restaurant. Kappo Hana had a very authentic feeling. The menu had a lot of traditional Japanese food. The staff was extremely friendly. Almost everyone there was Japanese, except my friend and I. When I go back, I want to try what they called the Kamameshi Dinner. This included Appetizer, Sashimi, Fried Dish, Steamed Egg Custard, Kamameshi, & Dessert. It sounded very mysterious and would be something I have never had before.
That night I decided to try the Chicken Tsukune as an appetizer. The texture was like a meatball, but more tender. I loved the flavor of the chicken and the sauce drizzled on top. Even now, I remember how delicious it was. I would definitely recommend this delicious treat.
As usual, I ordered Hamachi sashimi. The price and portion size was decent. To my surprise this place also served fresh wasabi. Even though the slices were not bad, I felt there was a lack in slicing technique that would bring out the true textures of the fish.
For my main course I made a mistake to try Cold Soba Noodles. Maybe I just don't like cold soba. This was only my second time trying this dish. The noodles had the right texture and chewiness. I would probably try other noodles there next time.
My friend ordered the Bento Box. This contained Sashimi, Tempura, Teriyaki Chicken, & a choice of California Rolls or Spicy Tuna Roll. The presentation was nice, but very common. Portions were generous. Sadly, my friend was sick so she could not taste much of the food.

All in all I really liked this place. The prices were reasonable and there were a lot of other things on the menu I want to try that looked interesting. Service was good and the food was good. Overall this place gave me a warm feeling, so I will definitely be back.

I went to this place a few weeks back with my sister. One thing we noticed for sure was that almost everyone there was Japanese, hence it must be pretty authentic. We made reservations for the sushi bar just in case. If you go early, you don't really have to worry but it never hurts to make one. The decor was very simple and modern. They have a huge menu and specials. There were a lot of fresh fish from Japan that were very unique. So began our journey into unchartered water with some familiar faces...
Fresh Oysters with Sea Salt & Japanese Sudachi Citrus. The oysters were not too fresh in my opinion. There was nothing special about the flavor. Sudachi is a small, round, green citrus fruit that is relatively unknown outside Japan. I couldn't really taste the flavor of the sudachi. The concept sounded very interesting but fell short in execution.
Carpaccio of Pen Shell with Black Truffle. As you know, I LOVE truffles. You can definitely taste the truffle flavor. They sprayed truffle oil as well. It was a nice combination of flavors, but the aromatic flavor of the truffles almost masked the pen shell. The presentation was nice. Honestly, the pen shell at Sushi Sasabune was much better. You should try pen shell if you have never had it before.

Fresh Octopus (Tako). This was my first time trying this. It was completely different from what I normally saw at sushi bars. You can really see the chef's skill as he added the gradients and texture into the generous cut. The nigiri really reminded me of Ika, squid. I am not a big fan of chewier texture, but I would recommend people to try this so they can experience what fresh octopus is like.

Alfonsino belongs in the Berycidae family. I have had this fish many times and I love the texture! Even though this fish is a little chewy, there is just something about its flavor that I always love. The sushi chef here tends to add sea salt and Yuzu to all the nigiri, which is fine by me. You can taste the purity of the fish as the components bring out the flavor.

Tile Snapper. As usual, it was flavored with sea salt and a type of oil sprayed on. Snapper is usually a very chewy fish, so I was not too thrilled about this piece. I feel chewier fishes have a paste-like texture and taste very bland. Since I have not had this before I definitely had to give it a try.

Wild Small Yellow Tail. Shoyu, soy sauce, was brushed onto this piece. The saltiness really brought out the sweetness of the fish. The texture was a little bit more chewy, which reminded me of Kampachi. I liked the yellow tail, but I think I still prefer regular Hamachi.

Japanese Groom Fish. This really reminded me of Tai, snapper, because of the chewy texture. It was very lightly flavored with sea salt, but there wasn't a sweetness to this fish. The chef had to use tweezers to make sure all the bones were taken out.

Large Scale Black Fish. The texture of this fish was softer on the palette. I actually really liked the flavor that the Yuzu and sea salt brought out. This fish was also fattier than the other chewy fishes. I would definitely recommend trying this fish.

Sting Fish. This was another chewy fish, but having Yuzu and sea salt made it more flavorful than the previous ones. The texture was closer to the black fish, but not as tender.

Blue Fin Sea Robin. This was actually one of my favorites that night. There was a sweet flavor that remained in my mouth afterwards. Even though this fish was chewy, it wasn't tough at all. I definitely would order this fish again!

Wild Amber Jack. This is a type of yellow tail. It was lightly brushed with shoyu. The texture is a little chewier like kampachi. I still love all types of yellow tail. The shoyu really brought out the sweetness of the fish and it wasn't too tough.

Jack Mackerel. There was ginger on top to offset the fishiness. At first I was going to take off the ginger, luckily I did not because it really complimented the shoyu & flavor of the fish. The texture was very consistent and just the right chewiness. One of the better mackerels I have had.

Uni, sea urchin. As always, my sister has to get an order. I recommended this to her because I have read the reviews online at how generous a piece they give you. They give whole slices on top of rice. Most places don't do nigiri style like they did. It was fresh but nothing that wowed me like Tabento did. My sister was surprised at the generous portion.

Hamachi, yellow tail. Most of you must have noticed my love for yellow tail. Of course I had a few orders. It was very fresh and reasonably priced. The portions were very generous and each piece was cut delicately. The soft texture was only enhanced with the shoyu brushed on and delicious fresh wasabi I added on top that brought out the flavor of the fish.

Hotate, scallop. How can you go wrong with a lime flavor, Yuzu, & sea salt! This really brought out the sweet flavor of the scallops. I really think this is the best way to eat fresh scallop nigiri.

Seared Toro, fatty tuna. Of course I always have to end a meal with Toro. We only ordered one order because their Market Price was on the higher side. Lucky for me that the Toro was not to die for, or else I'd want to order more. The fish was not very fatty so a lot of the buttery texture was lost. It almost tasted like regular tuna. There was nothing out of the ordinary in their preparation, just a brush of shoyu. I would still order it the next time because it could be just the cut they had that night.

We wanted to try one of the desserts because it sounded very interesting. It was the Black Sesame Ice Cream with Poured Hot Coffee & Sesame Seed Paste. The presentation was lacking because it was a melted mess in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend this dessert because the concept was very intriguing, but fell short in execution. The dish was bitter overall. The black sesame ice cream was good but everything else lacked flavor.
All in all I really liked the different options and traditional Japanese style food they offered. We only tried the unique fishes they had. I would go back to see if they change the choices, also their normal menu dishes looked delicious. The ladies who sat next to us ordered a lot of dishes off the menu that looked wonderful. You can definitely feel the traditional Japanese aura at this place. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for traditional fresh fish and unique Japanese dishes. Do keep in mind that it can get kind of pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Ikko Japanese Restaurant
735 Baker St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-7822