J- Pop Sushi Lounge

Say what? $14.99 for a bento box lunch special? Ok.. I'll give it a try.

Was it worth it? Meh, not so much.

It took 5 days to get our food and the waitress just seemed to be in her own world. WTF?

My friend ordered a $5 cucumber salad and it was the smallest salad I've ever seen. It was the size of half a rice bowl and we both looked at it like WTF.

My bento box came with 4 pieces of california roll, 4 pieces of spicy tuna roll, 1 piece tuna sushi, 1 piece salmon sushi, 1 pice shrimp sushi, seaweed salad, 1 shrimp tempura, and edamame.



It was alright. I was stuffed. But, really, the wait made it just ridiculous.

And the $5 small ass cucumber salad was also insane. Blah.

J-Pop Sushi Lounge
Mandalay Bay Hotel
3950 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(877) 632-7800

Mr. Tofu

Hungover and driving back to LA after a long weekend of partying, we hit up Mr. Tofu for some grub.

Service was extremely slow, since there was ONE waiter. He seemed to favor the Korean patrons and served them first. Whatever.

I just wanted my noodle soup. I had the anchovy handmade noodle soup and it was ginormous. Noodles were handmade for sure, but where the hell were the anchovies?!! I didn't see any, and it sure didn't look like the photo they posted on the wall.


The noodles were decent, but kinda bland. OH well, it hit the spot and got rid of the edginess.

My friend had the seafood tofu and she liked it alot.

Total for two people was $20. Not bad.

But, probably won't be coming back here. I'll hit up the Pho place next door over this.

Mr. Tofu
3889 Spring Mountain Rd
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 388-7733

Market Street Cafe

OMG. I absolutely love oxtail soup! My Mom used to make it when we were kids and she rocked that dish!

So, after a long night of dancing at Tao, a bunch of us headed here for the famous oxtail soup!

There was a long ass line and it was 4 am. I think we waited about 30-40 minutes. I was tired and cranky already, so wasn't too happy for the wait.

But, when we sat down and ordered, the food came within 10 minutes.

It was so good! I loved the oxtail, perfectly cooked and huge, seasoned well and had good meat and some fat on it. There were about 6 oxtails per soup, but I was only able to finish 3 1/2 tails. I loved the minced ginger and cilantro on the side. It gave the soup a nice kick.



Sigh.. I wish I could have some now. $8 for a bowl of oxtail goodness!

Market Street Cafe
California Hotel
12 East Ogden Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 385-1222

California Vegan

We came here totally by chance, since we were actually going to Aroma Cafe across the street. However, I ended up parking in front of CA Vegan and had to go in to ask for change for the meter. Good thing for them, I saw the menu and decided to stay.

Service was spotty and I felt like they were more interested in having conversations with each other than really paying attention to the customers. But, whatevs. It's Asian run and you know Asians and service. :)

We sat at a booth and I ordered the yellow curry with tofu and a side of fried rice. The curry was delicious! It came with carrots, baby corn, cauliflower and broccoli. I was very impressed. Rice was fried brown rice and had some peas in it for good measure, but wasn't anything special. It was also $1 more to add tofu and $1 more for the fried rice. So, the curry ended up being $12. Sneaky sneaky.





I ain't complaining, the curry was good and there were lots leftover to take home.

They should work on service and maybe sprucing the place up a bit. It looks like a diner with the yellow booths. But, hey, maybe that is what they are going for.

California Vegan
7300 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 874-9079

Massimo

I'm very disappointed in the service we received last night.

For a restaurant that charges $24 for risotto, they better step it up.

At first, the waiter was nice and attentive, but after the main course was served, he disappeared. Like forever.

I had the scallop risotto and my boy had the risotto with artichokes. Both were decent, but not especially great. I didn't finish my entree, so my boy helped me out.



After we were done eating, the busboy came and cleared our table and asked us if we wanted any dessert or coffee. We declined.

20 minutes later during our conversation, we were like WTF. Where is the waiter with the check? He had vanished. We tried to peek inside the window to see if we could find him, but nope. So, my boy had to go inside and ask for the check. The waited of course said that he was "just coming out". RIGHT.

Dinner for 2 was $70. The bottled water that we shared was $8.50. Say what?! I'm suspicious that it was actually bottled water. It tasted like ass. But, I didn't want to be a drama queen.

Anyways, inconsistent service for an expensive restaurant is a no-no in my book. Next!

Massimo
9513 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 273-7588

Nijiya Market

This market rocks!

On a budget and don't want to shell out mucho moola for a meal? Come here!

I just went and got 4 items for $18! And this will last me a few days.

Salmon avocado roll with organic BROWN rice. Yep. Sushi with brown rice. Love it! $4.99 for 12 pieces.



Agedashi tofu!! My fave tofu ever! $3.49 for two huge honkin' pieces of fried goodness drenched with the special sauce and topped off with scallions. Yum.



Squid Salad, one of my latest obsessions. I love squid and had to buy this small appetizer dish for $3.99.



Eel Bowl- Rice topped with egg and a big piece of Unagi! $5.99. Can't beat that!



See? All this food would have cost at least $25 in a restaurant.

Due to the economic times, I'm cutting back and Nijiya is a savior.

Oooh!! All you winos out there must get the Choya plum wine. It comes in a cute pack of 5 so you can share with your wino friends. $10. And the best part about this wine is that there is an actual PLUM at the bottom of each bottle. That means, suck that plum to get all the wine goodness out!





See the plum? How cute is that?!


Nijiya Market
2130 Sawtelle Blvd
Ste 105
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 575-3300

Le Pain Quotidien

This place serves organic, healthy food but in a pared down fashion.

I felt like the service was amiss. The first waitress was good, but the second one was whatevs. She brought water for 2 people in the party cuz they asked, but didn't ask the other 2 if they wanted water. Umm.. usually, you just bring water for everyone.

Anyway, I had the smoked salmon tartine with avocado and scallions. It was delicious and only 390 calories. I like that they put the caloric info next to the food so you can forgo the 450 calorie cake.



I also had the chamomile mint iced tea which was quite refreshing. My DC ordered the butternut squash soup and it was scrumptious! Tasted so buttery, I couldn't stop. It had a bit of sweetness to it as well. Very good indeed.

Le Pain is good for the calorie counting, nutrition freak. Or for those who just want a wholesome meal. It's a bit pricey though. My tartine was $13.

Le Pain Quotidien
8607 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 854-3700

Musha

I've been hankering to try this place forever, with all the glowing reviews on Yelp. But, the food wasn't spectacular like I had read.

Service was decent, but there were times where we had to look around for someone to help us. It was pretty loud in there too, and the restaurant got packed soon after we arrived.

Food:

Miso soup- this was my favorite dish. It had bits of turnip which I loved and really appreciated. Best miso ever!



Tuna tartare with crispy rice- Tuna was good and a bit spicy. The rice crackers were a bit hard to bite into. Not bad.



Lobster roll- decent, tasty, but nothing awesome. *shrugs



Miso salmon- this was really good, till it became saltier and saltier. My friend agreed it was really salty too, so I know it isn't just my taste buds! We didn't finish it, but the sauce was good.



Scallop dumplings- I liked it! Puffy and soft egg on the outside, stuffed with a teeny tiny scallop in the middle. Yum.



Steamed clams- good dish as well, seasoned well, and not overly salty.



Chocolate Souffle- it was okay, not hot and creamy.. the ice cream it came with tasted better.



Chocolate Mousse- YUM!! I loved it! Mousse with strawberries.. perfect dessert.



We both had the Guava-Chu which was really watered down. I didn't taste any alcohol at all, nor did my friend. So, we had to get a bottle of sake. Yeahhhh!! Now, THAT is how we do it.

Dinner for two was $92 before tip. I'd probably come back, but in no rush to.

Musha
424 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 576-6330

London West Hollywood

I had a lovely time at the London this weekend for Mother's Day.

We booked a Veranda Suite, which had a HUGE balcony overlooking Weho and a huge bathroom. I liked the big ass rooms along with the 2 flat screen TVs. However, I did not like that this hotel does not the option for 2 beds. Also, we were in a handicap accessible room and the shower did not have a curtain. Water was everywhere after we showered. Ummm.. next time I'm gonna have to get a diff room.

Other than that, the service was amazing! Everyone was so polite, accomodating and happy to please. Of course, this didn't come cheap. But, hey, you get what you pay for right?

My favorite part of the hotel was the private rooftop pool, complete with cabanas that guests can rent for $250. We got one overlooking Sunset Blvd and it was just divine. My daughter loved the heated pool and spent 75% of her time in there. She tried to get me to go in, but I'm too prissy for that. I was drinking, tanning, and talking with my buds. We had a blast!



Chillaxin' by the pool


View from our cabana


The white wine sangria was very good. A pitcher of that will put you out for a good hour. :) London Sliders were pretty good too, albeit the buns were too dry for me. I did love the fries and ate my friends' fries too. oink oink! Scallops steamed dumplings were ok, not worth trying.

Me in the cabana


Everyone on the roof was very good and came by to check up on us consistently. When it got cold, the waitress Aurora even brought us blankets! Yeah, I think we were by the pool for a good 6 hours.

The bed was decent, but I had a hard time sleeping on the down pillows. In the middle of the night, I ended up on the couch cuz I couldn't sleep anymore. Couch was pretty damn comfy.

We had room service for breakfast and enjoyed it on the huge terrace. I loved the hash potatoes! I love potatoes! My kid stole 2 of them though. Ehh.. I'm a Mom, I'm used to sharing.

Breakfast on the terrace


Eggs Florentine with hash potatoes


Yogurt with mixed berries


Hash Potatoes!!


Pastry basket


Valet is $32 overnight with in and out privileges. I'm coming back for sure.

London West Hollywood
1020 N San Vicente Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(866) 282-4560

Toscanova

I've been wanting to try this new Italian restaurant at the CC mall for a while now, so we came here last night for dinner.

Ugh. What a disappointment.

The food was way overpriced and way over salted. If I wanted to eat salt, I would just stay home and lick it off a plate. Seriously.

We shared the baby octopus and potato appetizer dish. This dish was the only decent one that we tried. I love octopus and potato, so good combo! However, salty as hell.



My entree was fettucine with scallops and zucchini. It was so damn salty that I couldn't eat much. I just picked at it and downed massive amounts of water. In retrospect, I should have sent it back. I just didn't want to be a diva.



My man had the salmon with asparagus and green beans. Sooooo boring and bland. I guess they put all the salt in my dish.



Service was alright. I couldn't really understand what the server was saying with his "Italian" accent.

Our bill was $61! WTF? I ain't coming back.

Toscanova
10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 551-0499

Angel Maid Bakery

I've been searching endlessly for a bakery that has cakes that aren't so icky sweet. I finally found it thanks to my friend's rec.

Ordered a cake for a bday recently and it was absolutely delightful! A 7" chocolate chiffon cake with layers of whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top. OMG. So good.



It was funny to hear everyone's first reaction to the cake. "Wow, this is good" "mmmmmm.. this is really good" or pure silence because they were too engrossed in devouring the cakey goodness.

I also like the guava cake they had, which was light and fluffy and perfectly sweet.

Yay, now I don't have to drive to BFE to fulfill my Asian cake craving.

Prices are decent. The 7" cake was $17. Smaller cakes are more expensive at $3.50 each. I would opt for the big cake, but the my ass would expand.




Angel Maid Bakery
4542 S Centinela Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 915-2078

XIV

I experienced Heaven on Earth the other night. And I'm an atheist.

We came here for a romantic dinner and it was spectacular. Service was superb, food was amazing and ambience was spot on. What more could one ask for?

My initial thought upon entering was "Wow, this place is opulent". It felt like being invited to a rich person's home and eating in their upscale and awesomely furnished dining room, complete with bookcases.



Even with this much grandeur, I never once got a snooty vibe. And, I despise attitude. Everyone was friendly, helpful and eager to please.

We were seated at a table for two along the couch area towards the front, but they ended up seating this extremely obnoxious couple adjacent to us who wouldn't STFU, and stop putting their damn arms on our table so we asked if we could be moved. Two minutes later, the manager appeared and apologized profusely for the inconsiderate fools and whisked us away to a much better table by the kitchen area.

This attention to clientele satisfaction earned them good karma points from me.

Our new table gave us a great view into the kitchen and I was hoping for some Hell's Kitchen drama, but nope, everyone was working smoothly and everything was being handled extremely well. Very impressed.



On to the food:

Appetizers -

Hamachi with strawberries: OMFG!! OMFG!! This was insanely delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi and the strawberries complemented the fish perfectly. The mint leaves and olive oil completed the beautiful presentation.



Tempura scallops- OMFG!! Another awesome dish! Scallops were seared to perfection and the tempura bits gave it a nice textural boost.



Entrees-

Tai Snapper: Yumo! Snapper was crusted with tapioca and sat on top of a rice cake. I didn't much care for the rice cake because it was a bit too chewy for me. The broccoli rabe accompanied the fish and gave it a nice veggie kick.



Halibut- Hmm.. this dish was alright. It was kinda bland and not something I would recommend for a high end place like this. I just felt that this was a dish you can get an ordinary restaurant, not XIV.



Desserts-

Vanilla Custard: OMG! The beignets were so soft and fluffy, I felt like I was biting into a cloud. Dusted with powdered sugar, this was the best beignet I've ever had, hands down. I would eat these beignets forever if God promised me that I wouldn't gain any weight. Then again, I am an atheist. There goes that fantasy. The vanilla custard was creamy, delicious and smooth. Topped with a crispy citrus slice, this was my fave dessert ever!



Root beer float with chocolate chip cookies: Cookies were soft, warm and scrumptious. Root beer float was good, but not memorable. SImple presentation, kinda like something Mom would make you before going to bed. Well, substitute the milk for root beer of course.



In a nutshell, I would highly recommend the Hamachi, Tempura Scallops, Tai Snapper and Vanilla Custard.

And for the martini lovers out there, get the Star Daisy. It's tangy and sweet at the same time. Don't get the drinks on ice, unless you like your alcohol watered down.



Service was impeccable. We were always tended to, but not in an intrusive manner. I have only high praises for this place.



XIV was magical. I can't wait to come back. Dinner for 2 was $200 before tip. Totally worth it.


XIV
8117 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 656-1414

Beul Dae Po

We came to this restaurant last night for my friend's going away for one month party. If you are not Korean, it will be really hard to find this place. Why? Because there is no English signage at all! I was completely lost and unable to communicate with the hostess who spoke no English.

Anyway, good thing my friends saw me and waved me over. Valet parking was completely packed in the small lot, so lucky me, I found a street spot across the street.

The food was decent, but I wasn't floored by it, and it was very smoky. Also, the grills were insanely hot and I almost burned myself a few times. I was disappointed with the sides dishes and they didn't have any salad or the rice wrappers! Side dishes were various kinds of kimchee, potato salad, seaweed salad and more kimchee.



My highlights of the meal were the kimchee fried rice and the spicy squid. The squid came out as an entire squid! It was scary! We were all like wtf? But, it tasted better than it looked. Thank goodness. Really really spicy though.



I can't comment on the meat since I didn't eat any, but my friends seemed to like it.

Not sure I'd come back. Service was good when they showed up. But, there are other KBBQ places I'd rather visit.

Beul Dae Po
601 S Ardmore Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 389-9292