Always make reservation, and Pumpkin Zenzai for dessert. Go with a group of four and get Kurobuta Shabu. Gill beef anything is always good.
Oh yeah, Pine & Crane gets an honorable mention for veggie-intensive Taiwanese.
Being that I went to Dallas a few weeks ago I have to say you will be in for a treat as I found Dallas to be quite boring except for some decent BBQ. So letâs have a look at your list: I made remarks on the ones worth commenting, if I left it alone its prob because I donât know anything about it or think its an good option.
Chinese/Taiwanese (looking for dim sum, fresh noodles, other interesting dishes):
Shanghai No. 1 Seafood - Dim Sum (Havenât been but I would not go here over Sea Harbour, check out King Hua or Lunasia Alhambra instead)
Sea Harbour - Dim Sum (best dim sum in Los Angeles)
Hunan Mao Restaurant (I would skip unless you really want gigantic fish head)
Thai (Looking for a solid North, South or Issan place):
Pailin - skip
Sapp Coffee Shop - Jade noodles, BBQ chicken are great here
Ruen Pair - Skip
Pa-Ord Noodle - Hoy Ka is another good option.
If you want good Thai food you donât have to limit yourself to Thai Town as Isaan Station in Koreatown does great Northern Thai, Luv2Eat Thai Bistro does great southern thai (go for pork leg rice, crab curry, fried chicken), Night + Market does a great mix of everything but with a heavier Northern Thai focus (Isaan + Chiang Mai).
Vietnamese (looking for great Pho, Banh Mi, Bun, any other specialties):
Pho Filet
VP Tofu - this is not a restaurant but a tofu shop FYI.
Little Shop of Mary - no idea
Tip Top Sandwich - garbage (I prefer Mr. Baguette but there are plenty of opposing thoughts, yet I think most agree Tip Top is mediocre at best)
Japanese(looking for ramen, izakaya, okonomiyaki):
Tsujita LA - go early or be prepared to wait
Santouka Ramen - Torrance location might be the best one since the Mitsuwa in Torrance is the coolest and biggest one and has a Hannosuke Tendon as well.
21 Mini Tapas - never been but there are probably better choices for izakayas (Morinoya, Kinjiro, Raku would be my top choices)
Patisserie Chantilly
Gaja Japanese Restaurant - skip
Oumi Sasaya Restaurant - Personally I think Marugame Monzo has the best udon in LA.
Other Asian:
Yoma Myanmar
A Frame - garbage Asian fusion
Chego - garbage rice bowls (Ricebar is better and doesnât make my stomach hurt)
Mexican:
Carnitas el Momo (get a mulita for sure)
Loteria Grill - skip
Gracias Madre - skip
Leo Taco Truck - Leoâs isnât as good as it use to be IMO but if you have time for it sure otherwise I wouldnât put it high on the list.
The other places on your list look good.
Other Restaurants
Sqirl - skip go to Canele for lunch or brunch in Atwater instead, the real chef talent left to go work there
Baco Mercat - I donât understand nor like the food here
Saint Martha - trying to be unpretentious food which turns out to be a bit overly precious and just not good IMO way better places to eat in town.
Haven Gastropub - if you have to eat in Orange this is probably one of my choices
Anaheim Packing House - go Grand Central Market instead and save yourself the trip to the OC. This place has the flair of money spenty but food is terrible overall, typical 2nd rate talent from OC chefs.
1 Like
At Langers I recommend getting the pastrami platter. You get pastrami, fixinâs, and a scoop of chicken liver to make your own sandwiches. I think this is a much better proposition for two or more diners that want to have pastrami.
Partner and I went to Canele for the first time a few mos ago. We loved it, but the wait was VERY long for Sunday brunch. Not sure if the wait is significant shorter during the weekdays.
what about the best fucking iced café sua dua in town ???
I have to say since they began all-day ramen service tge lines are not what they once were. I have gone at peak times recently with minimal - or no - wait.
2 Likes
Hannosuke in the Torrance Mitsuwa sucks.
Has it already gone downhill? The Mar Vista went noticeably went downhill a year after opening. I tried the Torrance once within the 1st month and thought it was good.
It sucks because I didnât get a chance to go to the Tokyo HQ location to relive their tendon at its prime and I donât know if I can ever have that same experience from the early days again in the states.
Sea Harbour for dim sum and dinner.
Hunan Mao for lunch.
Summer Rolls in Rosemead for Central Vietnamese food, especially their nem nuong rolls.
Fosselmannâs Ice Cream in Alhambra for dessert.
I went once to the Centinrla locstion shortly after it opened. It was decent then. I went to the Torrance location a few months ago, and my friend and I ate in the food court there a couple of weeks after; he went to Hannosuke.
The Tenpura crust was too thick, it was greasy, the sauce way too damn sweet, and they made my Kakiage out of a damn ring mold - it was shaped like a hockey puck. They also now have a âspicyâ Tenpura sauce that tastes like Teriyaki sauce with some chili pepper sauce in it. Iâve never seen any place in Japan serve a âspicyâ Tendon sauce.
Itâs inexpensive, but itâs crap.
Can confirm. I was there Sunday at noon and waited less than 5 min.
Re: Fosselmanâs. I have mixed feelings. I love the old-school feeling, the fact that they make it all themselves, the interesting flavors. But does anyone else find the ice cream so rich that it ends up muting the flavor? Or it is just me?
1 Like
My experience with the Torrance location was the same. Disgustingly thick batter, overly sweet sauce drenched the entire dish. I ripped off the thick batter and it was heavy and dense and soaked in oil.
Can you give more details? Thanks.
I liked Fosselmanâs a lot a few years back but the ice cream game in LA is so strong now I have little desire to return, unless Iâm already in the area.
The issue with Fosselmanâs, for me at least, is that itâs a bit fossilized.
In other words, the state of the art of ice cream craft has passed it by.
Places like Mother Moo, Carmela, Salt & Straw, Long Beach Creamery, among others, have so upped the ice cream game in SoCal that Fosselmanâs, while not bad, just feels like something stuck in time.
With âtimeâ being the 1970s and 80s.
1 Like
I like Carmela best for scoop shop but that peanut butter ice cream at Connie and teds was the best for me recently.
Not tried LBC creamery. On the list. Mother moo is really good too.
There are a few thatâs pretty light, e.g. sesame, coconut, and I think lychee. Check out their seasonal ice cream: water melon, grapefruit and peach sounds promising.
1 Like