Kat's 9 Lives

After a wonderful meal at Totoraku with great friends, we decided to continue our journey for 2nd and 3rd dinner, snacks! lol Yes, we are that hard core about food.  First Totoraku then Apple Pan and to finish off the night we went Tatsu Ramen With A Soul.
Tucked away in the busy area on Sawtelle.  It's been quite a while since I have been up in this area and it was nice to try something new.  You have to love that places are open very late in LA and there are a lot of choices to choose from.
They have an interactive menu that you can look through and order the ramen of your choice with any customization that you would like.  We tried the Bold Ramen with tonkotsu broth infused with 11 different ingredients.
The flavor was robust and savory.  For a late night place that probably tailors to students or people who are hungry after a night of drinking, I had my expectations set very low.  Since we also just ate a feast and another meal, I didn't think that I'd really like the ramen nor really care about the taste since it was the last stop of the night.
The Red Rice was pretty tasty as well.  It was full of flavor and was a great side to complement the ramen.  I'd be inclined to try the Red Ramen next time I am up there and still hungry after my main meal.
There really isn't any seating arrangement as more of a first come first serve place.  First go place your order on the electronic menu and it should print out your receipt.  Then try to find a seat and hopefully your dish will come out shortly.  There really isn't much to the service, especially if they are very packed.
All in all it was a fun late night place to catch up with friends who just got off work to join the group for 3rd meal.  It's a different day and age, we no longer have to just rely on Denny's or Taco Bell any more.
Tatsu Ramen With A Soul
2123 Sawtelle Blvd 
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 684-2889

For those in the know, many people come to Brodard for the nem nướng.  It's a very popular Vietnamese restaurant with two locations in Garden Grove.  I have only been to the restaurant that is tucked away in the same plaza behind the 99 cent store.  If you have never been here, go behind the shopping center and you will see a small sign that will lead you the right place.
I have been to Brodard quite a few times and I have to honestly say that I have never really liked their Vietnamese dishes.  There is a plethora of Vietnamese restaurants in this area and I can easily find better places to eat.  The only things that I love at Brodard are the nem nướng, durian macaron, and durian smoothie! Oh man! I cannot get enough of the stinky goodness that is durian.  Yes, I went there.
The durian macarons definitely have the distinct smell and taste of durians.  I don't honestly like the smell of durian but the taste is exotic and flavorful, albeit an acquired taste.  Their macarons are light and chewy.  If you love durian and macarons, it is definitely worth it to come here for a quick grab to satisfy your craving.
Don't forget the full flavored fresh durian smoothie they have.  Be sure that you are with people who love durians when you eat all this because if they don't.... they just might turn around and run away lol.
Brodard does have one of the best nem nướng in town.  I love the crispy bits inside the Vietnamese spring roll.  You can choose to have the grilled pork patty or shrimp paste patty.  I never remember if I like both and order the combo platter.  Their nem nướng is a bit pricier than most outside but the flavor and texture is very good.  They also have a nice hot fish and egg sauce for you to dip in.
Honestly, the pork nem nướng is better but if you haven't had the seafood paste ones then you should try them both out to compare.  After you have some, you can always order more and take some home for later! Although I wouldn't recommend buying too much because you want it fresh when it is still crispy inside to give the spring roll that extra bite!

Brodard
9892 Westminster Ave 
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 530-1744

It's been a while since I last went to a Cha for Tea.  They use to be located in Garden Grove.  For a while it seemed like a flourishing business but many locations shut down.  This location in Alhambra was packed for a Sunday night! They also offer free wi-fi.
What caught my eye was that they had brick toast.  I was craving for some sweet brick toast lathered with the tasty milk powder.  If they only added more of it on top, it would be good.  They only had a thin layer, which was still tasty but nothing too special.
For drinks, I made the bad choice of the honey milk green tea.  It's been one of my new favorites lately but only from one place as I have learned.  Ms. Lin Guide chose the better drink.  She got the mango green tea.  At first I was very wary because most places don't do a good job mixing the flavors and the drinks often taste like soap.  I must say the mango was very sweet and flavorful.  So here is the trick that they do not tell you, you can get refills for only $1.99.  Do you know where that information was found?  In the bathroom! Talk about keeping it secret! lol
They had a few Taiwanese snacks.  The sausage was not bad and tasted like it was from Sinbala, which could be very likely in these neck of the woods.  Their popcorn chicken was fairly priced and the portion was not bad.  Not sure why they offer a sweet and sour sauce and for a fee.  The chicken itself usually has enough flavor and nothing else is needed.
All in all it was a good place to hang out with friends.  It is quite cramped on Sunday as every table was taken inside and outside.  They made a big mistake with our bill and had to explain to them.  For four people, they brought us a bill of almost $100! DANG! What did we drink and snack on??  Be careful with their bill as the refills were entered as a full order plus the refill charge.  They had a ton of employees for a small place.  At least they were all very friendly.  I'd definitely come back for the mango green tea.

Cha for Tea
2 E Main Street Suite 2
Alhambra, CA 91801