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

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

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