Zinque : Melrose Cafe

This is where the cool kids go to eat. Upon entering the cute courtyard, you'll notice all the hip couples with their equally hip dogs. There's a fireplace to the right where you can lounge with some friends while drinking wine. 

The interior entrance is to your left and there's a counter for you to order food as well as tables, counters and some sofas in the back for lounging with friends. 

The ordering process is quite confusing as no one greets you, no one is at the counter to take your order and busboys pass you by without offering any assistance. 

We stood at the counter for a while before the guy took notice and asked us if we were ordering food to-go or dining in. I said we were dining in and he told us to have a seat anywhere. We went to sit at a table and 5 minutes later, a busboy appeared with a carafe of water and some glasses. It took another 10 minutes for the waitress to acknowledge us and ask us if we were ready to order. I mean, really? The place wasn't that busy and she had walked by our table a few times already!

I asked for the brown rice bowl with rotisserie chicken but she said they were out of brown rice! She offered up quinoa as a replacement and informed me there would be a $2 extra charge for that. I declined the offer since them being out of brown rice does not constitute me having to pay an extra $2 for something that be offered gratis. 

I opted for the rotisserie chicken salad instead. My child got the pork banh mi and my bf got the zucchini quiche with a side of fries. Well, he wanted fries, but she told him that they were out of fries as well!!! So, he reluctantly got the salad. 

At this point, I was thinking WTF, why do people rave about this place? Out of brown rice and fries?! And these are two of your most popular items!

Anyway, 5 minutes later she returns and tells us that the fryer has resumed working so he could indeed get his fries. Well, hallelujah!

The food arrives shortly after and we all dig in. My salad was pretty generous and I liked the arugula and dressing. I wish the chicken was only white meat as I did get some pieces of tendon that I could have done without. 

The pork banh mi was tasty, but tiny for $12. Bread was also a tad bit hard and cut my mouth a bit. 

Quiche and fries were good as well, although kinda small for $12. 

Overall, the experience was nothing special, and the service could use some improvement. I spent $45 for this meal and we were all still hungry.

3/5***

Riesling. This was a separate visit, but really good.

Zinque
8684 Melrose
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Maru Restaurant Video Review

Check out West LA's delicious Japanese restaurant featuring fresh ingredients and amazing omakase.

Maru 
12400 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Phone number(310) 820-7240

Brunch at Bar Bouchon - Beverly HIlls

Bar Bouchon is located in the patio area right across from the Montage Hotel.

This past weekend was our second visit and the service was just atrocious. For an upscale place, you'd think they would hire competent servers.

We asked to move to a bigger table because one of our friends was planning to join us. The waitress said hesitated at first, but then said it was fine as long as it wasn't busy. If it got busy, she was insinuating that she'd ask us to move. Considering the place was 75% empty and it was already lunch time, she sure had some nerve.

What's with restaurants and their table reservation policy? If the place was packed, I would understand. But, nope - more than half empty!

Nonetheless, we sat down and looked over the menu. We waited another 10 minutes before we had to flag her down to tell her we were ready to order. She took our order without writing it down. Gotta love servers who *think* they have a great memory!

Food comes out after about 10-15 minutes. My bf had the tomato soup, I had the chicken liver mousse to start. Both were good. I thought the mousse could have been a bigger portion, but you know fancy places - presentation over portion.

chicken liver mousse 

We weren't even done with our apps when our salads arrive. Guess what? The steak salad my bf ordered had cheese on it, even though he specifically requested it without. Hm... guess you should have written down our orders huh?

flank steak salad

My chicken salad was good, but it was way better last time. This time around it had way too much mayo on the chicken and the grapes were green instead of red. Sure, I sound picky, but trust me, the red grapes tasted way better AND looked better than the green ones. Be consistent.

roast chicken salad

We finished our meals and asked for the check. Oh, forgot to mention that I had to ask for water a few times. Is it that hard to keep the water glasses filled? Especially if they are small glasses?!

Anyway, my bf asked for some toothpicks and the waitress brought our check. No toothpicks. He asked for them again. She brought them a few minutes later to the table next to us. LMAO! Seriously? Finally, she brought them to us, but just dropped them on the table without saying sorry or making any eye contact. WOW.

Service sucks here! For a $55 lunch, the service better be on point! It wasn't and really left a sour taste in my mouth.

not so sure about this place

Food is important, but service at an upscale place is just as if not MORE important.

Keep it classy and keep it real. Bar Bouchon, you need to step up your game.

Bar Bouchon
235 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Zankou Chicken

What's so special about this place?

The prices are expensive for what you get, and the food is just mediocre at best. 

I got a lule plate for $11.99 and my DC got the try-tip shawerma wrap for $6.99. 

We had to wait 15 minuted for my plate to be done, and then we headed home. 

Um, the lule meat was overcooked and dry and so not worth the $11.99. Also, the onions had a weird, old, stanky flavor to them. Disgusting. The hummus was decent though. 

Lule plate

My DC liked his wrap and ate it pretty fast, however for $7, it was pretty pricey. 

Overall, I would not go back. The food at Panini Cafe is better and is a tad bit less expensive.

Zankou Chicken
1716 S Sepulveda Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 444-0550

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

New Valley Ramen Joint: Tamashii Ramen House

tonkotsu shoya ramen

I was so excited to see a new ramen joint in the valley, but alas, it wasn't that good. 

Let's start with the positives of this place.

#1: Free parking the back lot. It's tiny though, so you might have to end up parking on Ventura Blvd which isn't that easy.

#2: Service was friendly

#3: Cute decor

Now, on to the negatives.

#1: Ramen wasn't very flavorful. I ordered the tonkotsu shoyu ramen which came with bamboo shoots, green onions, 1/2 of a hard boiled egg, crispy onions, and "succulent" pork. 

The pork was not succulent at all. It was quite chewy and hard to eat. The noodles are huge and curly. I'm more a fan of the thin, straight noodles. I felt the noodles were comparable to the ones in Top Ramen

#2: They charge you $.50 for garlic. Really? It's just a side of garlic! Throw it in for free, like most other ramen places do.

#3: The huge wooden spoon provided does not make it easy for you to drink your soup or put your noodles in. We had to ask for a regular soup spoon. 

#4: Portions are on the smaller side for ramen.

All in all, the place wasn't horrible, but I won't be coming back. There's way better ramen places in the area.

Tamashii Ramen House
14531 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 990-1268

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

FIG Restaurant at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel

Located at the swanky Fairmont hotel in Santa Monica, FIG serves up seasonal ingredients on daily basis. 

If you can, ask to be seated in the sunny indoor patio area, with a nice view of the pool. 

Also, keep in mind that the menu is seasonal so if you see something you like, you should order it!

With that being said, the pork banh mi sandwich was quite delicious and juicy. It also came with a huge pile of grilled shishito peppers that were awesome. I love how they didn't skimp on the peppers. 

The steak and fries were just ok. Hanger steak isn't my favorite cut, but it's decent enough for what it is. The fries were mediocre as well. I would probably pass on this dish and go for one of the more eclectic entrees. 

It took a while to get our food, so we asked for some bread. The waiter said they only had rolls which were $5 for 3. Kinda disappointing that they charge for bread, but to fair, the rolls were really yummy! And, they even brought us fancy butter in a jar. 

I would recommend this place if you're in the mood for some fresh, seasonal ingredients.

FIG

101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111

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

Fatburger - Westwood

The attitude of the cashier girl is beyond apprehensible. I'm not sure what she's so pissed about, but she should be grateful she at least has a job!

Whatever. 

Moving on to the food. Well, for $2.99 I got a small burger, 2.5 oz and boy was it tiny! My bf got the large burger and it was huge, but cost over $5. 

I also got an order of skinny fries, and he got an order of chili cheese fries. For all this fatness, we spent around $22. 

Was it worth the price? I think not. Sure, the burger was decent enough, but for less than $2.99, I could have gone to In-N-Out down the street and had a a regular burger served with a side of smile. 

I do have to say the fries here are better than In-N-Out. Chili fries were okay, nothing special. 

Bleh.. we know better. We just wanted to try something different, but this is what happens when you stray. 

Also, this location has a weird vibe. The clientele there is kinda ghetto, and after dining there, we slathered on Purell. 

Enter at your own risk.

Fatburger
10955 Kinross Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-7365

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

Wurstkuche Video Review

Curious about rattlesnake and rabbit sausage?

Check out Wurstkuche restaurant with 2 locations in LA - Downtown and Venice.

AYCE KBBQ - DON DAY

You know it's a good AYCE KBBQ dinner when you get drunk off soju!

Ok, well, that might just be me. 

A group of friends and I came here for my birthday dinner and wow, we sure ate and drank till our tummies exploded! I confess, I drank more than I ate, but my friends all loved the endless amounts of delicious meat bestowed upon us. 

We opted for set A, which is highest and most expensive option, priced at $24.99. If you check-in on Yelp, you also get a free bottle of soju for your table! 

Was it worth it? Hells yeah!

rib eye + chadol 

I remember the chadol (brisket) and the huge ass rib eye steaks being amazing! I recommend those two for sure. Kalbi is good as well, but there is a limit of 1 kalbi rib per person. 

Service was pretty good. They kept bringing the food and alcohol and even did it with big smiles. 

making a wish on my birthday cakes

Would I go back? I think this is my new favorite AYCE joint for KBBQ.

P.S. Free parking in the back lot!

4****

Don Day
300 S Hobart Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213-380-9292

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

West Restaurant and Lounge - 17th Floor Dining

I booked reservations at West last weekend for a birthday celebration and was so looking forward to good food and service, but alas, it did not deliver.

My first visit at West was for a CMYE event where we were treated to a 10 course tasting menu. It was pretty damn amazing and the crispy egg was off the charts. 

However, last Saturday, the food was short of impressive. 

I had been raving about the crispy egg forever to my friends and was so disappointed to find out that it was no longer on the menu! WHAT?! Apparently, they switched chefs, and I guess the egg was his signature dish. *sad face*

So, we asked the waitress what she recommended and she said the loup de mer was bomb, which is European seabass. 

It sounded good, so 4 of us ordered it. 

And what a letdown!

Loup de mer with ratte potato and truflle: Presentation was boring, skin was on, and it just looked like it was slapped on there without care. I didn't think it had much flavor, so I switched my dish with my bf's. 

loup de mer

Beef fillet with red wine onions, gem lettuce, and short rib ravioli: This is the dish I swapped my fish for. It wasn't much better, but at least it had more flavor. Beef was too chewy for me. Presentation was whatevers. 

beef fillet

Hanger steak with English peas, tamworth bacon, and twice baked potato: Best dish out of the 3. Beef was cooked well, and the peas were a nice touch. Presentation looked more appealing than the others. 

hanger steak

My friends had mixed reviews on their dishes, but the overall consensus at the table was blah. No flavor, cold cheese for the cheddar cheese brûlée, and too expensive. 

On a positive note, the pear-tinis are delicious! Sweet with a nice pear flavor. At $12 a pop, they are totally worth it, albeit a tad small. 

pear-tini

In terms of service, it seemed our waitress was lacking in experience. She was nice enough, but she kept forgetting people's drinks, not filling water glasses, and she charged us for the "free" popcorn that we got for checking in on Foursquare and Yelp. 

Considering each popcorn was $8, and we got 4 of them for the table, that's $32 extra that we had to pay. 

Also, she mentioned valet parking would be free for everyone in the group since I had a "preferred" diners card, but it wasn't. 

In fact, the valet guy was pretty rude about it and wouldn't even give me my card back until they pulled my car up. Wtf. So, everyone else in the party had to pay the $7 charge. 

Please have the valet and the servers coordinate to make sure this does not happen again. 

We did get a 15% discount off the food bill (not alcohol) because of said card, but it was still pretty expensive for the quality of food we received. 

I wish Chef Matt was still working here! Had I known he left, I probably wouldn't have dined here. 

3 stars overall for decent service, good views, tasty drinks, and subpar food.

3***

West Restaurant and Lounge at Hotel Angeleno
170 N Church Ln
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 481-7878