Was this a one off or an ongoing pop up?
1 Like
I talked to the guy whoâs been booking these for Bandini.
He said some cool stuff:
Wed/Thur nights seems like the plan for pop up food
Crumb will be back, as will III Mas and Ponchos Tlayudas. Love Hour will be there sometime soon. Pasta Sisters has a truck they might park at Bandini but thatâs not confirmed.
Probably my favorite thing: III Mas might be doing sausages one night
These pop ups have been great, makes Bandini even better
3 Likes
Thanks for the info! Yeah I noticed a lot of diff things going on at bandini through insta will have to monitor and check it out sometime. The ill mas chopped beef grill cooked pitas look amazing.
2 Likes
Looks great.
How would you describe their style? Looks a little less Neapolitan than La Morra. More Beddia-y?
1 Like
Great for sure!
Definitely less Neapolitan than La Morra. Havenât tried Beddia to compare.
Not soupy in the center, robust enough to droop a little but each slice carried its own weight. Beautiful spotting and char throughout.
The combo was an homage to the Costco combo slice, with the optional Coppa acting as pepperoni. I ate a fuckton of Costco pizza growing up so I loved that. And the Coppa was insane!
2 Likes
Love the Costco reference. Pizza should be fun!
Quite like La Morra btw, but find the other Neapolitan places here stodgy or underwhelming. Do not get me started on De Sano lol.
Anyway, appreciate the report. Have you been to Lupa Cotta?
You donât like Desanoâs??
You can go ahead and let your self out this wayâŚ
2 Likes
Yeah Iâm the same way. La Morra takes the cake.
Havenât had Lupa Cotta yet though Iâve been trying to catch them. You?
1 Like
Have you found any beddia-y pies in la?
1 Like
I know, I know! Almost didnât wanna bring DeSano up, as itâs truly a Skip Bayless level hot take. There are many, many places I love that most people find blah. So donât kill me lol.
Having said that, I find their pizza mediocre. The dough has none of the yeasty, tangy ferment of good Neapolitan. And the char / leopard spotting leaves a lot to be desired.
To be fair, itâs partly a style thing. Though I donât think DeSano is doing the best traditional Neapolitan, Iâve swung more to the Pizza Canotto, super puffy crust, which Una Pizza in New York seems to be doing.
For reference: https://www.instagram.com/unapizzanapoletana/
And @PorkyBelly, I wish! For a minute it seemed like Hail Mary, but cornmeal on the bottom crust is disqualifying for me.
3 Likes
Havenât tried them, though I want to. It looks good in the pictures.
Having a weekly residency at Tabula made La Morra easy to find. I keep forgetting to check out Lupa Cotta at Melody.
1 Like
Partner just wanted a salad for lunch. So it was easy decision where to go. The most interesting and complex salad and my favorite in LA:
Porridge and puffs fermented tea leaf salad. This is an instance where something new is better than more traditional tea leaf salads Iâve had in the past. Look at those jewels of pickled leeks!!
Usually donât get desserts much but if you like light clean, subtle and refreshing, the agar konjak jelly with bergomot is exceptional. The tapioca with coconut pudding and jujubes has all the familiarity of classic Vietnamese che, but she adds toasted buckwheatâ(traditionally sesame) adds whole new dimension of crispy and nutty. Soo good.
17 Likes
Craft (Century City)
I was in the neighborhood during happy hour and decided to drop in before heading home. The bar area is rather nice and calm compared to the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. It was nice to have a drink and a couple of snacks.
I had some type of cucumber cooler drink. It was refreshing and light. If I had been offered another one, Iâd have ordered another.
Avocado saladâŚloved the citrus dressing, pickled tomatillos and the crunchy spiced peanuts.
Schmaltz-fried potatoes with smoked ketchupâŚnice, crispy potatoes with a subtle note of chicken but the ketchup was not smoked
I need to come back for dinner sometime.
5 Likes
Baja Sub, Northridge.
From the outside at least, Baja Sub is just one of those local spots in Los Angeles that serve their neighbors and have been doing so for years. With a bright red pepper in between the words of the name, and âMexican Grillâ the only other food advertising offered to passersby on Reseda Blvd, it would take a stroke of luck walking in to buy cold beer or cigarettes or the word of a friend to know a Sri Lankan steam table and full menu was awaiting you inside.
Meeting a friend who lives in the neighborhood and had also been tipped off from an Uber driver, the restaurant had all the makings of a special food experience. Baja Sub is also a market and the corner shop does sparsely populate its shelves with Sri Lankan and South Asian packaged goods, but it seems the real life is squared directly with the non-Mexican and non-sandwich oriented side of the offerings.
Around 15 years ago, the popular Mexican joint was purchased by a Sri Lankan. Instead of replacing everything and starting over by attracting new customers, he left the menu in place and made sure not to push anyone away. Nowadays you will see mostly Sri Lankans and other South Asians here eating and chatting, but if you are in the mood for a burrito or huevos rancheros it can still be done seamlessly.
It also seems to be somewhat of a community corner, as people getting together to eat will linger around for much longer if they are talking and catching up. Unfortunately that cold beer for sale cannot be consumed while dining, something that is mentioned on a few ALL CAPS posters with exclamation points (!).
Those coming for the first time should prioritize their visit by going for the $14.99 all you can eat buffet. It does not appear like much at first, but there are always curries, grilled and fried meats, vegetable options, rices, and an array of fried appetizers with various fillings.
As seen above, a group of three tackled this option and was able to sample just about everything from the restaurantâs buffet, especially when second trips were made. The friendly staff kept bringing out new egg hoppers and string hoppers to make sure nothing cold was eaten.
A line of three vegetable curries ended up being some of the most delicious fare, seen above from front to back were lentils, potatoes, and a potato and vegetable mix. All three were added to those second helpings.
If they have biriyani on offer, this is recommended because they do rice very well. Even the simple stir fried egg rice that is always on the steam table is really nice. If you feel like focusing on one dish rather than many, kottu ($10.99 chicken/$11.99 beef or fish, not shown) is a stir-fried favorite made from torn up pieces of roti, egg, vegetables, the meat of your choice, and a good deal of heat.
A visit on Fridays and Saturdays will ensure that the hoppers are available, a fact that even makes the back of current owner Premil Jayasingheâs business card. Friday is probably the best night to come, when the buffet is dubbed the âGrand Hopper Night Buffetâ and both hoppers, kottu, pittu, and polroti are all available.
Regardless of the day you find yourself here, the food is destined to satisfy.
14 Likes
Thanks for the reminder. Keep meaning to try their Sri Lankan food!
I am intrigued by your method of eating chicken and wafflesâŚ
7 Likes
LOL - Inspired to BYO blender to Roscoeâs nowâŚ
4 Likes
i was thinking chicken n waffles with some wok hei! it looks stir fried
2 Likes
Itâs LA. A smoothie needs to be made. 
3 Likes