Hot Pot on Sawtelle: Morinoya

With the current chilly weather that LA is enduring, it's quite fitting that this review is for hot pot. 

Hot pot is usually associated with Chinese restaurants, but Morinoya serves up individual hot pots that hit the spot. 

You wouldn't know this restaurant exists since it's pretty much hidden on the second level of the Olympic Collection plaza, but if you're up for trying a new place, get yourself there asap.

They used to be open for lunch, but unfortunately have now made themselves strictly a dinner establishment. (boo)

On every occasion that I've been here, I always order the hot pot, either kimchi or the soy milk. Both are delicious, yet very different in taste.

Opt for the kimchi hot pot if you want more flavor and a bit of spice. There are small pieces of pork as well, so this would be good for meat lovers. 

kimchi hot pot

The soy milk hot pot is one-of-a-kind and I highly recommend it for fish lovers or those who prefer a milder flavor. It's more of a savory soy milk, so don't be scared off by the soy. It comes with bits of fish, mushrooms, and napa cabbage. 

soy milk hot pot

veggie tempura

Both hot pots come with a small salad, rice, and an appetizer of your choice. 

salmon + yellowtail sushi

I've tried the sushi here, but it's just okay. If you're here, take advantage of the hot pots and forgo the sushi.

Service ranges from good to just okay. I guess it depends on how busy they are, but the only complaint is having to wait for long periods of time if you are more than a group of 2.

They provide free parking validation for 1.5 hours, so feel free to park underground.

Morinoya
11301 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 473-3960

Tatsu Ramen: Sawtelle

The only good thing about this place is their iPad ordering system. 

Other than that, this ramen joint falls short on everything. 

The ramen runs around $10 per bowl, which is more expensive than other ramen restaurants in the area. 

Jinya down the street runs about $9 and tastes 100 times better. 

The ramen was salty, yet lacked real flavor. How is that even possible? The broth was this weird cloudy color, so not appetizing. 

Old Skool Ramen

The pork was inedible and tasted and looked like rubber. 

Noodles were like the ones you could buy at the supermarket for $0.35 each. 

Epic fail all around. 

Service was fine, but they didn't have to do much except bring the food, water and the bill. 

Pass!

Tatsu Ramen

2123 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

CoCo Fresh Tea and Juice - Boba in West LA

Finally, a good boba place in West LA!

Located in the Olympic Collection plaza, next to Pinkberry, Coco delivers fresh teas and juices with good boba. You know, boba that isn't all hard and nasty. *ahem Volcano Tea*

We happened upon this place after dining at Morinoya upstairs in the same plaza. 

The guys who work at night are way better than the girls who work the daytime shift. As in they know what they're doing and they pay attention. 

Good items to try: Vanilla milk tea with pearl and chocolate with pearl. You can also specify how much ice or sugar you want in your drink.

Drinks run about $4 - $4.50 on average. 

Wait time can go up to 15 minutes if the place is busy. 

Music could be turned down a few notches. 

The pudding is just okay, I prefer the boba..

And yes, they do take credit cards!

CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice

11301 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Seoul Sausage: The Food Truck Winners

Lots of people are loving Seoul Sausage, and while I did enjoy the food there, I don't think it warrants a 5 star rating. 

We came here on two occasions. The first time was during their soft opening where we tried the kimchi rice balls. I've never had anything like it, and was pleasantly surprised at the taste. Fried rice wrapped with kimchi. Pretty damn good! At $3 a ball, it's kinda pricey, but not over-priced. 

The owners were super nice and friendly, which is huge plus in my book. 

Our next visit was a few weeks ago to try their famous sausages. 

We waited in line for a few minutes and ordered the kalbi sausage and the spicy pork sausage. I've read the reviews raving about how fabulous the sausages were and was super excited to try them. 

kalbi sausage

spicy pork sausage

I thought the kalbi sausage was delicious and juicy. It came with a kimchi relish and garlic jalapeno aioli, but it could have used more of both. The bun was warm, but I felt it was too much bread. 

The spicy pork sausage wasn't spicy at all. It tasted okay, nothing special. Just a normal sausage. The apple cabbage slaw helped give it some flavor, but I wouldn't order this again, especially at $7. 

Overall, the sausages were good, but not anything spectacular. They should offer more toppings, especially at $7 each. 

Also, they charged my credit card 3 times!! I had to call my bank to get it resolved, which it did eventually, so if you're coming here,  bring CASH.

Lastly, there are only 2 tables outside to sit on, so plan on eating standing up at the counter or take it to go. 

3***

Seoul Sausage
11313 Mississippi Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005
(310) 477-7739

Nong La Cafe Video Review

I'm a regular here now and they know my name. It's kinda like Cheers. 

My go-to staples are still the pho tai, crispy egg rolls, and the steak banh mi. 

This westside Vietnamese joint is still the best, way better than that other place on Wilshire Blvd. 

Nong La Cafe
2055 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-268-1881

Nong La Cafe - Best Vietnamese On the Westside

If you're looking for some good Vietnamese food on the westside and don't want to sit in traffic for hours headed towards the SGV, you should try Nong La Cafe. 

This newish restaurant on the bustling Sawtelle strip serves up fresh Vietnamese fare with friendly service. 

I've come here 3 times in the past month and can't stop raving about the pho and the steak banh mi!

The first time we came here was on a weeknight around 7:30 pm. We had to wait a good 30-40 minutes for a table for 4. 

We ordered pho tai bo vien, bun bo hue, and spring rolls. 

The spring rolls were small and not that good. I would pass on these. 

spring rolls

The pho tai bo vien (pho with rare steak and beef ball was delicious! I've never had pho so fresh! Usually when I eat pho, I have to drink a gallon of water to offset the MSG. 

My friends said the bun bo hue was okay. One of them liked it, the other one didn't. The bun bo hue here does not contain blood, so yay for that!

bun bo hue

My next visit was during lunch on a weekday around 1:30 pm. Considering this was kinda late for lunch, we were surprised we had to wait. But, that's mainly because this one table decided to sit and talk FOREVER even after they were done eating! How rude! The girl actually went outside to put more money in the meter. Some people are so inconsiderate. She saw us waiting too!

Ugh.. at least the host was apologetic about the whole thing. 

I ordered pho tai and it was so tasty! I love how tender the beef is. 

pho tai

Since I read so much about the banh mi, I decided to get one to go. 

DAMN. The steak banh mi is amazing! It's loaded with jalapenos so make sure you pick some out if you can't stand the heat. No pate though, FYI. 

steak banh mi

bun with lemongraass and sesame steak

In fact, the banh mi was so good, I actually went back the same day to get another to go. The host actually remembered me and was like, "I told you it was good!". 

A couple days later, we went back again. My BF got the bun sesame steak and I got the pho tai again. What? I'm addicted. 

He said the bun was good, but not his favorite. The noodles are thicker than traditional bun, so that could be why. 

I do like the noodles in the pho here. Thick, flat noodles that don't stick together. Good stuff.

Highly recommended for pho and banh mi cravings! 

Closed on Mondays.



Nong La Cafe
2055 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, ca 90025

Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle

In the last few months, I've had the pleasure of visiting this popular noodle restaurant five or six times. On my first trip, it was definitely a five star experience. The last few times I've gone, it's dwindled down to 4 stars overall.

The wait can be ridiculous if you go anytime after it opens. I've gone there at 11:15 am, 15 minutes after opening and have waited 30 minutes. On a weekday, no less. On weekends, forget it, it's definitely at least 45 minutes. My advice, get there early, like before 11 am.

Tsukemen is the way to go here. These thick noodles are not ramen, but beat their ramen by a landslide. Basically, you dip the tsukemen  into a pork based broth that has pork, egg and bamboo shoots. The fatty broth is damn delicious and if you're really a glutton, you can ask them to fill the remaining broth with hot water so you can drink the fat. Yeah, I did that once and I was thirsty for the rest of the day. I also gained a couple pounds from that meal so don't do that if you're on a diet.

Tsukemen with egg

Tonkotsu ramen

The ramen is pretty good, although the portion size is smaller than other ramen places. However, if you're still hungry, you can ask for a side order of just noodles to add to your ramen broth. I think the bowls just look smaller, because after I was done with my ramen, I was stuffed! I still think Santouka has better ramen and it's cheaper too.


They have spicy tuna rice bowls on the menu as well for those who don't want noodles.

The service is usually good, but I have felt rushed at times. Not good for someone who has waited outside for a while.

BTW, cash only. Hit the ATM before going.


4****


Tsujita LA
2057 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 231-7373

Spaghetti House by Orris

Spaghetti House by Orris should not be confused with the original Orris. This restaurant now serves pasta and it's not even really Japanese.

I was pretty excited to dine here since Orris served such good food. However, the pasta was unoriginal and pretty plain.

We came here during lunch on a week day and it was pretty dead. The waitress was friendly and prompt, which I liked. Service is important to me.

I ordered the spaghetti with mushrooms and takana mustard greens and my dining companion had the spaghetti with bolognese. Both came with a side salad which was pretty bland.

Spaghetti with mushrooms & takana mustard greens

Our pastas were done within 7 minutes and looked like something i could whip up at home. I liked my mustard greens and mushroom pasta just fine, but there was nothing special about it. My DC said his bolognese was good, and it definitely looked like something you could get an Italian chain restaurant.

Spaghetti bolognese

Why did Orris have to close and replace itself with this pasta house? I don't get it, but oh wells. I doubt I'll be back for something that's pretty mediocre.

3***

Spaghetti House by Orris
2006 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Blockheads Shavery- Shaved Ice Goodness

Seriously, the best shaved ice I've ever had and I've had a ton of shaved ice. In fact, I'm not even a fan of shaved ice, but Blockheads has made me a believer.

Their ice is so soft and fluffy, it's not even like your typical shaved ice. More like buttery, flakey snowy goodness.

I had the black sesame with rice balls and coconut puree. OMFG. Heaven in a bowl!! The black sesame may sound weird, but it's really, really good. It has a unique flavor that is hard to describe. Kinda sweet, but not overly sweet. I also tried the taro, but it wasn't as good and didn't really taste like taro.

Black sesame with rice balls & coconut puree

Plain with mango puree and mango

Tip: If you check in on Foursquare, you get a free topping when you order a regular with a topping. Good deal! Regular is $3.50 and toppings are 50 cents each.  You really can't miss this new gem on Sawtelle.

5*****

Blockheads Shavery
11311 Mississippi Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 445-8725