Been there and would do that ad infinitum. Nice work!
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yes you’re absolutely right — the pastry at petite grain are top tier. i might be an outlier in what i look for in an almond croissant: dense, crunchy, buttery margins that converge on frangipane-filled center beneath a flaky, airy roof.
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Sababa is just tremendous. Everything is fresh, flavorful and the turnover is non stop. Warm hot fresh pitas and falafel coming out the kitchen the entire time you’re waiting.
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Barra Santos on the patio “patio” on Friday.
Appetizer special. Excellent ham and sausage. The melon ruled. Bread and olives great too.
Endive salad with lovely citrus, but the dressing was missing just a little something to put it over the top
Bachelau fritters. Probably the least successful this order, but still tasty.
*Whole branzino! Charred parsley topping. Completely deboned but for some tiny bones closer to the belly. My friend got the tail and we split the head. *
Charred octopus special. Probably the winner of the evening. Lovely char and protein was spot-on tender. Charred scallion sauce I think.
Off-menu egg tarts. Much sweeter filling than Chinese bakery variety. Sturdy but flaky pastry.
Spiced almond cake with some kind of orange zest sauce.
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I think that is the best donut in LA.
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I’m surprised Oliboli hasn’t expanded to LA or other cities in the OC. Freshly fried donuts should be the norm.
I was going to drive by M&M Donuts in Anaheim which is a few block from Sababa today but they close at noon. They open at 9pm and night time is supposedly when they are the busiest. Those warm blueberry donuts are yummy.
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I’m happy Oliboli seems to still be doing well (I haven’t been in a while; laziness and avoiding extra sugar) but I’m not sure expansion is in ours or their best interests. I’m not sure if you were aware but the co-owner that was the chef passed away almost 2 years ago now from cancer. From what I gathered, the family continues to run it (and use the recipes?) and it remains great.
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Oh I didn’t know that about the co-owner. That’s sad but nice to hear the family is continuing on. I don’t wish expansion upon them especially given the circumstances I’m just surprised there isn’t another location because the donuts are so damn good. But I’m happy to enjoy my Oliboli and Conservatory beans in old town Tustin.
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I didn’t know about the passing either; I must have discovered Oliboli through @JeetKuneBao’s dispatches about two years ago even. I wish them the success they strive for within their means.
Were it in the cards, I think Oliboli would do fantastically. I love Sidecar, and I am usually a cake donut person, but the quality of Oliboli is astounding.
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Vik’s Chaat House (Berkeley). Very good, better than anything in LA proper. Love the multicultural clientele, mostly old, wizened, and Berkeleyish. Few would guess that Berkeley is my favorite city in the world.
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On weekends I’ve seen a lot of Indian families there. Bigger menu too.
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You must be doing work at the best public universities in America.
My father taught at UofM, and I went to Berkeley as did my daughter. I loved it, but I think it has been going downhill a bit. Glad you had a great meal.
Hopefully Austin is next on your list so we can get your review of Franklin’s, or UVA so we can discover the best of Charlottesville.
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Thanks! I do enjoy all the great public college towns. I reviewed several Austin restaurants. No Charlottesville restaurants, even though—would you believe it—I lived there once. Charlottesville is one of my favorite places, but more for the hiking around there. It’s crazy gorgeous and nobody knows.
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@PeonyWarrior don’t forget to visit the best college town in America - Madison, WI.
Hanuman Thai in Costa Mesa. Quite a line for a Monday at 5:30: this place is always busy. Table for 8 took an hour.
Great crispy chicken wings. Several people said this was the best wings they ever had. A must order.
Papaya salad was good but could have been a little spicier.
Crying tiger. Nice pungent sauce and don’t forget to add the crisply shallots. Sticky rice is great. A little well done.
Yellowtail ceviche with shrimp chips. Good meaty pieces but nothing out of the ordinary. Take the left over crispy shallots and add to the top.
Great pad see ewe. Wok hei.
One of the better fried rices we’ve had in a long time. Sausage is the right protein. Again a lot of wok hei.
Penang and Massaman curries. Steak was better on these dishes. The roti was nice. Both are delicious but I prefer the Penang. A little more kick.
If you come during mango season this is a must. Tastes as good as it looks.
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That mango sticky rice 
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Yeah that’s the most gorgeous mango sticky rice I’ve ever seen!
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FTC LA it’s mango sticky rice season, gimmie your recs!
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I remember going shortly after hearing about it and it was still awesome. I recall one of the big reasons (edit: for why they are so good) was the dough and ingredients (like using Harry’s berries for strawberry donuts). It just shows care. Being a small seemingly family operation focused on quality, I am skeptical of scaling well so content they remain a single location serving awesome donuts.
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