Star Leaf

Star Leaf is a beautiful place that hits all the perfect notes of service, flavor, decor, and location to create a truly wonderful melody that not only makes me smile, but has me humming the tune until I can experience it again! They have 43 locations worldwide, but this one is the first in the US!

Walking in the entry is a harbinger of the delights to come with a tiled walkway, pond, and greenery that transports diners to a Southeast Asian "railway" with plants and stars (lights) that are as unique as the fusion of Asian cuisines on the menu.

They had only been open 4 weeks when I dined before a show at the Pasadena Playhouse, 1 block away on a Sunday evening. This location is perfect pre-show evening at the theatre, and I highly suggest allowing 2 hours before curtain to truly savor the delights of your meal with plenty of time to enjoy your drinks and coffee. Come even earlier to enjoy happy hour between 3-5pm Sunday-Thursday. There is a public lot at 44 Madison Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

I chose a nice dry Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand for $16 a glass and then ended with a Bali Mary for $17 that was ridiculously beautiful and sublimely spicy. My dinner companion drank a nice rich coffee after dinner for $6.

Trying to balance out a bit of everything, my dinner companion and I chose the vegetarian Saigon Summer Spring rolls with a mango habanero sauce that was slightly sweet and very mildly spicy. If you want a "salad" this is an option you might want to try instead, carrots, cucumbers, avocado and mango filled rice paper for $20. It was a large enough portion to share with at least 1 or 2 other people.

After hearing the description of the Thai Royal Curry, we opted for the shrimp version for $38 and the slow roasted sambal rempah coconut cream, duck eggs and mashed potatoes was a divinely flavored rendition of fusion curry that was savory and hearty without being too spicy hot for those with a low tolerance for heat (personally I would have liked heat but this was perfect for my dining companion's tolerance).

We also chose the grilled New Zealand Lamb chops with cauliflower purée with minted chimichurri and roasted cherry tomatoes for $42 grilled medium rare, which were done to our preference and the minted chimichurri was a fantastic bright addition to the rich lamb chops.

We had plenty of time for dessert, so we split the tropical panna cotta coconut bowl made with coconut cream and fresh seasonal fruits of mango and strawberries with a few chopped cashews for $15 that was easily enough to share for a table of 4!

Can't wait to go back and try happy hour and more things on the menu!

Ricebox

The Stay at Home mandate for Los Angeles has some silver linings, like restaurants that are normally not delivering to West Los Angeles, making deliveries (and not via an app). I've been wanting to make a trip to DTLA to eat at Ricebox for some time, but did not have the energy to battle DTLA traffic and parking. 

Since the change in how restaurants do business, many are now offering curbside pick up and/or delivery with their own staff (in this case for no extra charge on orders over $50), so when I saw I could get delivery not having to use an app, I immediately DM'd them on Instagram and placed an order for delivery! They take Venmo, but will also take a CC# over the phone, which is what I did. I ordered one of every rice box (except the duck which is only available for pick up or app delivery on Sat). They deliver to the West side, SF Valley, and SG Valley about once a week, although the day may change.

They use Duroc pork so I had to get the triple roasted porchetta crackling with five spice for $12.75, served over jasmine rice with a side of steamed vegetables and pickles. You can sub brown rice, quinoa, salad, or fried rice for slightly more. It was still a bowl of crunchy crackly deliciously spiced pork belly after it was delivered! I think this was my favorite, but since I haven't tried the duck yet, I will reserve that designation until I have eaten their duck!

The soy sauce chicken for $11.95 is made with Mary's chicken and comes with the usual sides, and the ginger scallion sauce was fantastic!

The OG pork char siu for $10.95, again made with Duroc pork had the perfect tenderness, char, and sweet savory glaze.

The mapo eggplant for $10.50 was just the perfect balance of spice with tender eggplant and the usual accompaniments.

I also ordered the beef curry for $11.50, but I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of it before I ate it! It was the perfect comfort curry with chunks of carrot, potato, and a warm curry that was not spicy at all.

After tasting all their rice box offerings, I can't wait to try their duck, made with Mary's duck (of course) so a trip to DTLA may be in my future...

Dim Sum Company

My motto has always been that I will travel for great food, and in Los Angeles traffic, driving over 30 miles on the 405 may take several hours, so I strategically planned my trip to the Dim Sum Company between lunch hour and rush hour. I checked traffic on Google maps before heading out to make sure there were no accidents or construction delays, and made the round trip in 90 minutes, which is the best time I could have made during hours when they would be open!

They sell Dim Sum all day in a fast casual space inside the huge My Thuan Market in Westminster. The quality of ingredients and the freshness is remarkable for the prices, so do not expect any fancy presentations (everything is sold in take away containers) or service other than behind the counter, so you get into line cafeteria style, pay, and seat yourself if you wish to eat there. 

I ordered enough to feed several people because I went hungry and I wanted to taste everything! Most items are sold several pieces for one order and most orders were around $3 each, so you will probably be stuffed if you order more than $10 worth of food!

Of course I had to order the classic xiu mai with pork and shrimp ($3.45 for four). They are about TWICE the size of other xiu mai and LOADED with shrimp and pork as you can see from the second picture! Even the wrapper was flavorful and tender :)

I don't know what these are called in English, but like everything else for sale, you may simply point and tell them how many you wish to order. they are chewy fried balls filled with ground pork with other goodies that take me back to my childhood dim sum outings in NYC. The receipt says they are BB Nuong and they were $2.95 for three pieces.

My only disappointment was their chicken feet, which were falling apart tender, but bland despite their colorful appearance.

Probably my favorite was the baked BBQ Pork bun, three to an order and only $2.95! As you can see from the second picture, the ratio of BBQ pork is about HALF the bun! Very tasty filling, and nice consistency to the pork bun. 

I came for the sticky rice after seeing the pictures on Instagram. At $2.95 per order, you get two pieces, and they are extremely fragrant and chock full of goodies, just like my aunt used to make, but the rice was almost like plain rice, not very sticky, and more like eating a rice bowl than a sticky rice Xoi la Sen.

I am glad I have plenty of leftovers to reheat the next time I crave Dim Sum without having to calculate the drive to Westminster!

Rainy Day Soups

June Gloom usually starts in June, but this year it came in May, bringing Brigadoon like fog, drizzle, and a chill that called for hot comforting soup. Eboshi Noodle Bar is in the same plaza as Hikari, the fabulous Japanese BBQ place. My local foodie friends said it was good, so I stopped by for lunch one day. 

Bullet trains are precisely on time in Japan, and Eboshi is true to their posted opening and closing times, so if you arrive 5 minutes early or late, you will not be allowed inside. I appreciate this kind of precision because it translates to the food that is served by Japanese to Japanese (I was one of only 3 non-Japanese in the packed lunch time crowd).

As you can see from the handwritten menu items, prices are very reasonable, and I loved the variety from grilled beef tongue to fried oysters from Japan, in addition to the full page of ramen choices.

 I chose the classic miso spring onion, and it was a gigantic US sized bowl, loaded with so much spring onions, it was almost an even proportion of onions to noodles! The flavor was deep and slightly sweet, with bits of ground pork, and hearty enough that I was full for the rest of the day. I have no idea how the others at the counter ate an entire bowl AND gyoza too! At around $12 including tax and 20% tip, this was also a bargain.

The same friends who told me about Eboshi, also said that Ramen Ko-Ryu was their favorite, so that was my next stop.They are famous for their spicy soup with a board of fame for those who have conquered the challenge, but I was just seeking a warm hearty bowl.

I chose the garlic bomb with spicy miso, at under $10 this flavor bomb combined crispy garlic bits with two thick slices of char siu, green onions, and bits of pork in a mildly spiced broth and springy noodles. Around $12 including tax and 20% tip, this was also a bargain, and it came out literally 3 minutes after I ordered it!

My favorite soups are at Din Tai Fung, with locations across the globe, and three in the greater Los Angeles area. Their shrimp and pork wonton soup has the clean flavor of freshly made tender wontons in a consommé broth that is both light and complex as only masters of soup can execute.

My favorite soup of all (so far) is the braised beef noodle with 3 or 4 big hearty melt in your mouth chunks of tendon rich meat, baby bok choy, and perfect noodles in a heart warming broth, all for an incredible price of around $14 including tax, and 20% tip. I could eat this every week, and will probably be back next week for another bowl :)

Fourth Post For Rock Sugar

Since my first visit in 2009, I've been enamored with Rock Sugar. (For those of you who missed my previous posts, here are #1, #2, and #3) I wrote my first back to back posts on Rock Sugar because I just couldn't wait to go back to eat more and share the beautiful space and excellent food.  

It's always comforting to go back to a favorite and find that it is still a favorite; as I found with A Food Affair recently :) Even though the Westfield Century City Mall was literally torn to the ground and rebuilt into a completely modern chic mecca of food and shopping (Eataly is now here), some of the older restaurants and stores remain in the same place and still draw their loyal clientele.

This water wall on the patio was a soothing sight on a busy week-end.

The most soothing of all is eating comfort food like Singaporean noodles with shrimp, done so perfectly that you have no desire to even attempt to recreate it at home. The balance of spices, textures, and seasoning was so completely satisfying that somehow we finished the plate even though we said we were full halfway through it.

The short rib banh mi was a nice counterpoint to the noodles, with slightly sweet beef, crunchy pickled vegetables, and a side salad with crispy taro strips.

 Even the bathrooms are every bit as delightful as the food :)

The saddest part is leaving, but we must leave in order to return again :)

Rui Ji From Best to Worst

After reading glowing reviews of Rui Ji, I made it a point to try it. On my first trip, I tried a spicy numbing soup that had such complex, spicy and numbing flavors that I couldn't wait to go back. This spotless, calm, and very hospitable restaurant is a good choice for anyone who wants a nice ambiance with their authentic food. I may not be an authentic Asian, since I never drink tea with my meal....

I enjoyed the beef tendon dry pot very much. It had the perfect amount of heat and a melody of flavors that infused the dried tofu, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots with a savory satisfying melange of textures and spices that intoxicated me.

The roasted duck was a perfect crispy delight of sweet and moist duck on one occasion, and a mediocre barely warmed flaccid plate of poultry, on another. I think the chef de cuisine on Sundays needs a refresher course, or perhaps they lost their great chef from Saturday :(

 The baby bok choy and mushroom dish was superb.

The spicy shrimp hot pot was both delicious and uneven. The shrimp were slightly overcooked, and the seasoning was uneven, with very salty wood ear mushrooms, and perfectly seasoned vegetables.

The heavy handed salt addition wasn't a distraction in the spicy beef noodles, which had excellent hand cut rice noodles and bok choy. The very salted beef eaten with the noodles and vegetables was a balanced dish.

The hot and sour noodles were so overly salted that we sent it back. The bits we ate, we had to eat sparingly as if it was a salty condiment instead of a dish.

All in all, I was happy with the flavors and the complexity of the condiments, but depending on the day and the chef, you could either be ecstatic or disappointed by the simple crime off too much salt or not enough heat to make the duck skin crispy.

Asian Soup

February is the height of cold and flu season, so for me that means it is soup season :) While I love making my own, there are times when soup is just better when someone else makes it for you! Aside from their phenomenal Hainan Chicken, the roasted chicken soup at Side Chick is an excellent alternative; it combines the crispy skin of a roasted chicken with chicken bone broth, noodles, and tender greens all in one hearty, healthy bowl. As with many of the soups in today's post, this is a great take out option for a sick friend or yourself if you are not feeling well.

I've been wanting to try Killer Noodle since they opened, and when a friend on the Westside was running several hours late, I decided to stop in for a 'snack". Tsujita now has THREE storefronts all in the same area, including the original, where I ate right after they first opened in 2011. This latest outpost is radically chic, from the moment you walk in, the black backdrop and colorful containers let you know that this is not your hole in the wall ramen shop.

 For newbies to noodles and soups, every condiment is labeled.

I got the medium spice, which was perfectly hot to be able to finish the entire bowl

 of delicious rich broth with ground pork

 while using about five napkins to blow my nose and dab my eyes :)

For a much less intense soup, but hearty complex flavors, a Vietnamese Oxtail pho is a great choice. Pho Ha Noi (get it?) serves a very large portion for their version. Easily enough to share, I took half of this home and had two more meals with the leftovers! As you can probably tell from the photo, the oxtails were not really warm, but since they were going into the soup, they were fine, especially since they had great flavor and were very tender.

 The broth was very good, with enough flavor to infuse the beef.

 The usual side accompanied the soup.

One of the times I went to HMart hungry I got their kimchee soup which perfectly hit the spot on a rainy gray day, delivering a spicy bubbly tonic to brighten the day.

The last soup in today's post is from Ruiji, the Sichuan place that came highly recommended; I found it worthy of all the recommendations after just one taste of their food. I ordered the Mao Sih Wong, a melange of blood sausage, intestines, and a plethora of vegetables. This immense, intense bowl is definitely not everyone's cup of tea, and although I enjoyed it, I'm not sure I would order it again, but it was so complex, so intense, and so unique, it made me want to go back for more dishes.

This is the bowl after I mixed it a bit....the amount of blood cake was overwhelming to me, especially since I found I love French and Spanish blood sausage, but not Chinese. I loved all the vegetables, and the chewy intestines and tripe :)

Does anyone have any South Bay ramen favorites to recommend?