That butter is special. I’ve been so tempted to make a pie crust using that butter.
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Blue Star Donuts
Dear co-worker was nice enough to pick some up for everyone. My first time trying. 
(Note: Names might not be the official names since they were conveyed through my co-worker. ;))
Mexican Hot Chocolate Donut:
Lemon Curd:
Really citrus-y and lemon-y.
Dulce de Leche:
Green Tea Matcha:
This was pretty light, although the Matcha flavor wasn’t really pronounced.
Real Maple Bacon:
This had a lot of Bacon on top, LOL. 
Surprisingly, it wasn’t very oily.
Cointreau Creme Brulee:
Visually this one stood out immediately with everyone because there was a little pipette stabbed into the middle of the Donut. The Vanilla Custard filling was pretty delicious with the torched, slightly crisped top.
P B & J:
I like Peanut Butter, but sadly, this Donut was mainly the “J” part of “Peanut Butter & Jelly”. 
It wasn’t bad, but there was barely any hint of Peanut or Peanut Butter.
Overall, we’ve been scared off on trying Blue Star (even though it’s pretty close) since all the wildly mixed reports on this place. Sometimes it looks like some of our trusted FTC’ers got really oily, bad Donuts. Other reports said they had great Donuts.
For today’s batch that we got, they weren’t very oily or dense (thankfully). But I’m not sure if this is the aberration, or how it is normally. I thought some of the flavors were pretty good, but nothing blew me away.
Blue Star Donuts
1142 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90291
Tel: (310) 450-5630
Mayura
Like @bulavinaka and a few others, we’ve always found Mayura to be mixed. Sometimes it’s OK, sometimes it’s not. I haven’t been back in years. But I remember a post from @Nemroz extolling the wonders of their Tandoori Chicken (using real Charcoal), so we stopped by again to give it another try.
Masala Dosa (Golden Grilled Crispy Crepe with Mildly-Spiced Mash Potato Filling):
Their Masala Dosa was very thin, crackling-crisped shell, with a lightly spicy Potato filling.
We were originally going to order individual dishes, but our server said they just made a fresh batch of Tandoori Chicken and it was part of the lunch buffet, which was about the same price as a plate of the Tandoori Chicken by itself, so we went with that option instead.
Rasam (Sour and Spicy South Indian Soup with Cilantro):
This had a nice little spicy kick to it, but quite flavorful with Cumin, Pepper notes dominating.
Sambar (Vegetable Soup (Vegan)):
This tasted like a mild version of the Rasam, but with larger chunks of Vegetables stewed down to a very soft consistency. Not bad.
Cabbage & Carrot Poriyal:
This was lightly salted and quite tasty, a saute of finely chopped Cabbage and Carrots in a variety of spices, but it wasn’t “chili spicy.” It tasted of Turmeric, Cumin and light Curry flavors.
Green Beans Poriyal:
This was even better than the Cabbage in some ways. I noticed a distinct tropical flavor with the Coconut here, the Green Beans cooked to a soft consistency.
Daal Masala (Lentils Cooked with Spices):
Their Daal was only OK. It wasn’t bad, but the spices and flavor just tasted rather straightforward. I would say the recent Daal we had at Samosa House was more flavorful, and Bawarchi (when they were vegan / non-meat) was also much more tasty.
Kerala Special Fish Curry with Appam (Fish Cooked in Kerala Style with Coconut and Spices):
Their Kerala Special Fish Curry was recommended on this board, and it was quite tasty. It was a rich, creamy flavor, with Turmeric, Coconut really infusing into the Fish. The Appam (soft Rice Cakes) went really well to sop up the Curry Sauce.
Chicken Tandoori (Marinated Bone-In Chicken Cooked in a Tandoor Oven):
I guess I never paid much attention to the Chicken Tandoori the only time we tried it (a couple years ago), but this time I was looking forward to it: Wow! @Nemroz was right. Their Chicken Tandoori had a very pronounced, deeply smoky flavor in each bite. Clearly due to the real Charcoal used in the Tandoori oven.
Definitely the most smoky Tandoori Chicken I’ve had in recent memory. We would go back just for the Chicken. Thanks @Nemroz.
Mayura Special Dum Biriyani (Flavored Rice Cooked with Chicken & Spices Kerala-Style):
We decided to try one of their Biriyani as well, and their Kerala-style Biriyani with Chicken and Egg was pretty flavorful, but the Rice was rather lackluster. The Chicken was marinated in a totally different flavor profile than their Tandoori Chicken, and the dish was quite spicy.
Having more flavorful Biriyani from places like Zam Zam, it’s not something we’d order again.
Mayura
10406 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
Tel: (310) 559-9644
Hangari Kalguksu:
Hangari has been bookmarked for a long time, but despite driving by many times, we just never got a chance to try it until now. My friend who’s been to Hangari a few times, noticed that on this visit, Hangari has remodeled and expanded, leaving much more space for diners (taking over the next door space).
Complimentary Banchan:
Their Banchan were limited to just 3 offerings, but they were pretty solid. Their Kimchi was on the fresh side, but it was nice that they had Oysters embedded throughout. I really liked their Barley Rice.
Bibim Milmyeon:
Our server (who seemed like the manager / owner) was friendly, but also strongly insisted that we try this Bibim Milmyeon dish, so we went with her suggestion. It turns out these are Chilled Noodles in a Gochujang-like Sauce. The Shredded Cucumbers and Radish helped break up the texture a bit. The Noodles were OK, a bit soft.
Drinking it with a bit of the Broth on the side helped to smooth out the one-note taste of the Gochujang Sauce. Not sure I’d order it again.
Chicken Kalguksu:
And then their Chicken Kalguksu arrived. I remember @hungryhungryhippos recommending this dish, so we couldn’t wait to try it.
It’s a huge bowl of piping hot Chicken Soup, a half Chicken and Handcut Noodles. It was pretty tasty, and a nice “Chicken Noodle Soup” dish if you were in the mood for something like this.
Their Noodles had some good bite and chew as well.
Although after having this, I’m in the mood for Samgyetang (Korean Chicken & Ginseng Soup). If anyone has any recommendations for that, let me know please. Thanks!
Hangari Kalguksu
3470 W 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: (213) 388-2326
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A couple of streets away from me is Buil Sam Gye Tang. I haven’t eaten there, but this is their specialty. I did eat @ that location in it’s previous life (I believe it was either a general Korean restaurant or Korean/Chinese place). Here’s the address: 4204 W 3rd St (the corner of 3rd & Hobart). If I recall correctly @TheCookie ate there a while back—she may have some details.
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Do they still serve Malibu Chicken?
That Tandoori Chicken looks great @Chowseeker1999. I’ve been craving it since April DoTM, and was planning to go to someplace local, but maybe a trip to Mayura is the ticket.
The Green Tea Matcha donut is really pretty 
.
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Thanks @LAgirl -
I’d be curious about @Chowseeker1999’s opinion. He/she is good at discerning subtleties; it’s very subtle.
Keep in mind, this is what you get. IIRC there are only 4 menu items - all soup 
, which is what I wanted… but just sayin’.
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Table next to me had it. I have no idea what it is.
One of the cheaper items on the menu IIRC
Hi @Chowseeker1999 -
Yes, if I lived as close as @LAgirl I’d stop by often. Samgyetang can seem bland; so utilize the little pot of salt. It’s also the perfect medicinal for a cold.
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Breaded chicken cutlet, topped w/thin slice of ham, melted swiss cheese and a mustardy sauce on the side.
unless one of the fountains is old bardstown or its equivalent, youre not getting this aarp member to sizzler.
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I think that perception is whats kept me from trying it out—it does look somewhat bland. I also assumed (possibly incorrectly) that it would be too much food for me to dine there solo.
That…sounds amazing.
I want to put that in between two slices of cheese toast with a side of Lipitor
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Hi LAgirl -
It’s the color (can be off-putting). It doesn’t have that yellow-tinged, chicken-y fat look Americans grew up with. But the ginseng and the starchy rice w/sweet potato in the hen is nice and silky and thickens the broth. You just have to really salt it. I love soup, but most don’t realize how much salt goes into making soup tasty. Without salt - no matter what aromatics and meats you put in - soup tastes like dishwater.
If you’re not a big eater you may want to take it home and make two meals out of it.
@secretasianman can probably describe samgyetang better than me.
Try it 
.
Perfect
Speaking of Korean - Jun Won re-opened at a new location on Western. Has anyone been?
That would be some damn deliciously rich pie crust. 
Please post the results if you do decide to make it.
I ate squid balls and had a boba Vietnamese coffee at UCSD today. These kids eat good nowadays.