LudoBites 4.0

I don't tend to flock to things that are hip and happening, mostly because of limited energy and funds. But, sometimes, it happens by accident. Other times, it's fate. One night, I thought about it was too bad that I never got my act together enough to go to LudoBites (getting reservations isn't for the faint of heart nor those who aren't on the web minute-by-minute). The next morning, I got an email from Rants and Craves seeing if I was free to go to LudoBites! And the rest is history.

My other two dining companions for my first taste of Ludo's food were The Truck Chaser and Weezermonkey. A lovely group of ladies to consume butter with, non?


Paris ham soup: unreal. Ludo's take on ham and cheese means utter decadence with Guiness foam and cornichons thrown in for balanced hot-damn-goodness. My (savory) personal favorite of the night. I'll get to dessert in a minute.


White asparagus veloute: We missed the part about this dish being cold. Still, a delicate yet sexy way to highlight white asparagus. And yes, that salmon roe is beckoning you right now.


Foie gras black croque monsieur: are you kidding? Wonderful.


Squid carbonara: who needs pasta when you've got tender squid? I really enjoyed this interpretation, especially with the poached egg.

So, my pictures stop here because of lighting issues. You can check out Weezermonkey's LudoBites post here, chock-full of gorgeous photos per usual.

Now, I must tell you about dessert: my very first chocolate souffle. Pertinent background information: my dessert experience is limited because I don't really care about ending meals on a sweet note. If it's there, I'll eat it, of course (I'm not monastic about sugar, trust me). Now, back to the souffle. I took one bite and everything fell away for a split second. That good. Only the French could have concocted a billowy puff of a dessert that holds a slightly gooey chocolate heart. Souffle, je t'aime.

I'm now going to be chasing the dragon on this front, but I will take on that challenge gladly. Thank you to Ludo for giving me such a special food memory.

And of course, thank you to Rants and Craves, my LudoBites fairy godmother! I had the best time and it's times like these that I thank my lucky stars that I live in LA. Magic can happen anywhere, but living in a city like ours serves up possibilities on a silver platter quite often.

LudoBites 4.0 (through May 28)
Gram and Papas
227 East 9th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Lunasia

Rejoice! I finally got to knock Lunasia off my must-try list. And I couldn't have picked better partners-in-crime: Wandering Chopsticks, SinoSoul and his lovely wife, and Charles. Boy, did we do some dimsum damage! Preface: everything was seriously good (notes have been provided for particularly memorable dishes).


Pork dumplings


Shrimp har gow


Pork siumai: one of the best items. I was too stuffed to enjoy them properly at the time of the meal, but they were incredibly good even as leftovers later that night.


Fried taro (couldn't find this item on the menu, so SinoSoul just asked our server), beef chow fun and turnip cake.


BBQ pork bun: they tasted as perfect as they look.


Spareribs in black bean sauce


Rice noodle of sorts. We ordered the shrimp, but what arrived involved shrimp egg rolls and it was damn good.


Panfried potstickers


Chicken feet: while I wouldn't be able to polish off an order by my lonesome, I'm glad that I made the plunge. Tasted mostly like chicken skin to me.


Sesame balls: these were fantastic. I kept marveling at just how good they were.


Egg custard: good and loved the "charred" top, but the sesame balls stole the show for me in the desserts department.

Lunasia was one big blur that came out to $16 per person (including tip). I was giddy walking away with such a low bill. Dimsum is such a major bargain, though, that Lunasia's prices are considered high compared to their competitors (granted the quality is better here).

Big thanks to Wandering Chopsticks and SinoSoul for being my dimsum guides! I enjoyed our meal immensely and hope to break carbs with you guys soon again!

Lunasia
500 West Main St.
Suite A
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-308-3222

Ruen Pair (Take 2)

Although most of my restaurant meals are with Charles or solo missions, I also love to eat family style with a small group. I don't find myself in such settings often, so I took matters into my own hands and organized a dinner date at Ruen Pair, which I've written about before. The lovely ladies who joined me were Delicious Coma, Eat Sip Chew, Weezermonkey and Wandering Chopsticks. We ordered a little bit of everything.


Papaya salad with raw crab: I loved this version. I've had raw crab a la Korean, but never in this dish (I usually order it with dry shrimp). We also opted for what the server called "Thai spicy," which indeed was fiery, but not as unbearable as you'd think.


Salty vegetable and ground pork soup: I rarely order soup when we go out for Thai unless it is a noodle soup as the main course, but I always WANT to. My wish was fulfilled and I really loved the humble nature of the soup and need I even say how much I adore salty vegetables (i.e. pickled foods)?


Stewed duck noodles (ordered dry): Duck is my happy food and with the wide noodles, it was an enjoyable mix. We got them dry as it was more conducive to sharing. Thanks to Delicious Coma, who suggested we do so.


Green curry chicken: Not particularly outstanding, just a solid dish and a hearty portion, such that I was able to pack the leftovers up only to discover later that I left the box at the restaurant! The dream of a satisfying next day lunch shattered due to my absent-mindedness.


Fried pompano with spicy chili dressing: My first time having pompano, which was not only tasty, but also had Eat Sip Chew exclaiming how cute the little guy was. Pompano is perhaps the Opie of the fish world.


And look at all that spicy chili dressing they bestowed upon us! It was comically awesome. And delicious.

Afterwards, we hopped over to Bhan Kanom Thai for some panchi and sticky rice. No pictures, but it is incredibly cheap and I recommend the place with both thumbs up. Thank you to my dinner dates for the fantastic company!

Ruen Pair
5257 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-0153
Cash only

Bhan Kanom Thai
5271 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 871-8030

Breed Street

First of all, I totally missed my 1 year blog anniversary by almost a month (my "debut" was July 9th, 2008)! Although a belated announcement, I'm very pleased to have kept up with blogging for a full year. I've had a fantastic time along the way sharing my food experiences and meeting people both online and in person. Here's to another starchy year!

And now for Breed Street, a Mexican foodapalooza where I tucked a horchata under one arm, ate messily with the other and enjoyed this oh-so-LA (but in an East LA way, not like big sunglasses and spray tanned) meetup with Charles, our friend Seve and a bunch of fellow bloggers.


My gordita with the illustrious protein, chicharron (pork skin)! The man in charge made the tortillas by hand to order, which made them chewier, more substantial and noticeably higher in quality than what I'm used to (i.e. mainstream Mexican food). I ladled on some salsa and avocado sauce; loved the pickled red onions: vinegary and spicy (a stellar combo)!


Seve's FRIED quesadilla with chicharron. The same man in charge slid this treat into a vat of oil where it floated happily until it was ready for Seve to tear into it.


Charles got a chicken sope. He is a big fan of sopes, I still haven't had one. By the way, all three items above were from Nina's. We had to wait a bit, but those folks have got their system down pat. It's worth the wait.


Seve and I split these fried chicken necks. Still dreaming of them. Sigh. I love the waste not want not mentality of eating necks.


Both guys got bacon wrapped hot dogs. Here is Seve's before he demolished it. Sad to report that I was weak sauce and could not rally to try my first bacon wrapped. But, it's gonna happen, do not worry.


Churros. I feel like I never really had them before Breed Street. A small bag of them for $2. Best money spent in a while! I wish the sweet (no pun intended) churro man could set up shop right outside my front door. These things will make you exclaim something loud.

Breed Street is a place where a sense of community makes it possible for so much delicious food to be brought to the public. The food is humble, most of it made to order and so unbelievably cheap. It can be a bit overwhelming in a dizzying way and if you're like me, you'll be disappointed in yourself for not powering through and making the rounds to all the vendors and their flavorful wares. But, it's a positive thing actually because as you drive home, you'll already be scheming for your next visit.

Thanks to my new pal Jocie for organizing this event!

Breed Street Food Fair
E. Cesar Chavez and Breed Street
Cash only (small bills are helpful and nice)

Ira's Gourmet

Indonesian food has always been a bit of a mystery to me, so I was delighted when Cathy of Gastronomy invited me to a dinner featuring dishes by Ira's Gourmet, an Indonesian caterer based in Pasadena. Charles and I were ready to be wowed when we arrived in Ira's darling backyard and we were not disappointed!


Bacem tempe: fried tempeh seasoned with onion, garlic, coriander and sweet soy sauce. I did not realize at the time that this dish was tempeh, although I do recall being perplexed by what this ingredient could be.


Ayam goreng: fried chicken (my favorite item of the evening). Ira's chicken will make you lose any sense of decorum; I made a mental note to order a tub of this stuff sometime for a party.


Bakmi goreng: fried noodle. Charles liked this dish the most; I see an unsurprising pattern emerging of fried delights being the stars of the show. Although, let the record show that he really loved the lemper (sticky rice filled with chicken in coconut gravy), which I failed to photograph.


Bacem tahu: tofu. I love a simple tofu dish that doesn't skimp on flavor; this was prepared like the tempeh.


Empal: sweet fried beef. I remember thinking of it as almost a beef jerky, but not dehydrated. Another good one in my book!


Sambel goreng terong: eggplant in chili sauce. I know I had some of this, but I cannot remember much besides "spicy," sorry!


Telor balado: egg in balado sauce (a tangy tomato topping of sorts with some chile heat).


Dessert: fruit in coconut condensed milk. A refreshing ending to a laid-back summer meal.

I thoroughly enjoyed having authentic Indonesian fare made with that homemade touch; I would, in fact, call Ira's food "Indonesian soul food!" Big thanks to Cathy and Ira for a lovely night!

To read more about Ira's Gourmet, see Cathy's post about Ira's lunch boxes and menu here.

Ira's Gourmet
704 W. Howard Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 345-9931
Cell: (805)708-9888

Yu Chun and Scoops with Delicious Coma

This milestone snuck up on me, but lo and behold: this is my 100th post! Writing this blog has been very rewarding and has helped preserve my sanity in the face of life's monotony and drudgery. Thank you for reading and I hope you'll stick around for a hundred more! Moving on...

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with Anjali of Delicious Coma. We had lunch at Yu Chun, a Koreatown naeng myun hot spot. I had never eaten there, but chose the place based on its street cred and it was a winner (what a relief)!


Their famous kimchi mandoo: these babies were big! The filling was surprisingly full of flavor, which I appreciated (I hate it when mandoo are lackluster and unmemorable).


Naeng myun: I loved their version. Glorious broth and ice chunks to keep the bowl delightfully cold. No wonder this place was packed when we went. I wholeheartedly endorse Yu Chun for naeng myun cravings!

And for dessert, where else but Scoops?!

Anjali chose peach red wine and mascarpone Oreo.


I had coconut green tea (would be great at the end of a sushi meal) and brown bread (the Grape Nuts really work and I liked it, but I didn't fall in love with it).

It was so lovely to dine and gab with Anjali, can't wait to do it again!

Yu Chun Chic Naeng Myung
3185 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(213) 382-3815

Scoops
712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 906-2649

Jitlada

I have most exciting news, friends: I attended my first ever food-blogger-related event last night at famed Thai restaurant, Jitlada! And it was a whole lotta Jitlada. I didn't keep count during the 3 1/2 hour meal, but I'm told it was 17 courses! Not surprisingly, I was the laziest out of the photographing bunch, but with some encouragement and prompting from the other more dedicated diners (thanks, Sharon and Po!), I clicked a couple:


Khua Kling salmon: turmeric flavored Southern style dry curry with green beans and salmon. The salmon was fine, but the fish paste was quite strong (thank you to Wandering Chopsticks for identifying that exquisitely singular ingredient for me!).


Softshell crab mango salad: one of the highlights for me, mostly because I am passionately in love with softshell crab.

Jitlada is known for its punishing and astounding spicy heat (hello, jungle curry!), but thankfully not all the dishes were of the "my mouth is numb and I need a block of ice" variety. Other items I enjoyed a lot: Crispy Morning Glory Salad, Kung Phae Chup Krung Thawt (fried ship with fried basil/tea leaf), Sun Hang Wua (mild and sour oxtail soup) and Kaeng Tai Khai Mang Kon (Southern style curry with jicama and housemade fish ball stuffed with duck eggs).

I'm pleased as punch that I was able to meet my fellow food bloggers and hope that there are many more food-centric gatherings to come! There were 33 of us, so I didn't get a chance to talk to everyone, but there's always next time. Gotta give a heartfelt shout out to the orchestrator of this intense Thai madness: Tony, thanks so much for the lovely event! You're going to throw these parties every week, right?

Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 663-3104