Mangoes continue to be glorious this time of the year. I asked politely for just a bit of extra mango for my order of mango sticky rice at Chilli Thai (West L.A.), and scored big!
Truly delighted in a cuppa’ siphon-brewed joe, and also snagged the last t-shirt at Balconi Coffee Company before their last day on July 31… (sniffles) Owner Sato-san hinted that he may be coming back soon to the coffee scene - Let’s all keep our fingers crossed!
Office lunch take-out from Konbi… The omelette sandwich with nori and crab was outrageous! Also, don’t sleep on that strawberry roulade.
I wanted to see how Pasta Sisters was doing, so I made a quick bang-bang takeout trek to Father’s Office and Pasta Sisters in Culver City. Both are open for outdoor dining. On my take-out visit, I found the Father’s Office burger was subpar - just a lack of balance in its tastes, with sad bread. I was hoping the kitchen was just having an off day. So, I got another FO Burger this time around - Not better. For now, I’m sadly declaring a ‘downhill alert’ for the FO Burger. The FO Spanish mushrooms were OK…
Fresh pappardelle pasta with porcini mushroom sauce, from Pasta Sisters… Such a great al dente bite! Not a high-execution type of dish, but honestly it doesn’t have to be to make me happy. This pasta really hit the spot that day.
Apricot pie… More of a torte than a pie, in my book, but those are just semantics, because this dessert item is simply delicious.
Time to journey to Far East (Plaza in Chinatown), to check out our fellow FTCer Chef Johnny Lee at his restaurant Pearl River Deli. In addition to @JLee, I met up with @chrishei. @Dommy also made a surprise cameo appearance as well! Chef Johnny was so kind and took time out to chat (all at a safe distance) with us in front of his shop. We talked for a while about current restaurant developments: How businesses must adapt, what’s been our favorite takeout so far, and even Mold-gate. I suppose this would qualify as a different sort of Pearl Jam (without the mold) altogether. 
Now, onto the goods:
BBQ Combo (chicken leg, char siu pork ribs)… Outstanding! This is comfort food I could eat every day. I wasn’t aware you could order a fried egg to be added to that (totally sorry Chef, I’ll order the egg next time), so on that day I brought my own fried egg in a Tupperware #BYOFE.
Hakka Pork Belly… Just like grandmama makes. Mustard greens on the bottom make this a perfect accompaniment for a hot bowl of rice.
Shrimp & Pork Wonton Noodles in Soup with Char Siu… WOW! These wontons are all that and a bag of chips! The rave reviews are no joke - These are the best wontons I’ve had so far in L.A.
Beef Short Rib, Tendon & Radish Stew on Rice… I took this home to enjoy later. Really nice in flavor. The only room for improvements would be smaller cuts on the meat, and bit less grease on the au jus.
J_L’s Sorrowful Rice: Char Siu Ribs, Yu Choy, Fried Egg… So beautiful, it brought a tear to my eye. (Or was it because of the onion?) Seriously though, Chef Johnny’s siu yuk is legit yum.
Impromptu Far East Plaza bang-bang at Amboy ensued:
Classic Double Burger, Fries, Badmaash Oat Milk Chai and Calamansi Cream Pie by @Laroolou… Damn fine burger!!! This is a wonderful smashburger - Its superb sesame seed bun (by Bread Bar LA) takes me back to the McDonald’s buns of my childhood (and young J_L loooved McD’s as a kid). I gotta come back and try their DH Burger, and soon!
Calamansi cream pie… This was a first for me. Nice representation of the calamansi in the custard, tempered by cream and crunchy crust - Nice!
Office lunch take-out with Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich: How do they make this thing so tasty?
Sugar Kiss Melon, from Nijiya Market… At the height of sweetness and juiciness right now!
You gave them a couple tries and it doesn’t sound like it’s in good shape.