July 2020 Rundown

[beefnoguy]

@JeetKuneBao

I would make the trip for that Futomaki.

Do you think Akira san can make that after a omakase? (If when everything is back up to normal)

You mean like two rolls of kaisen futomaki for an add on for dine in, or a box to go? Very much doubt that when things go back to normal he will have those available (ie a box to go after the meal, unless you request it way in advance and if he even has the additional time to do it). If adding on say, a seafood futomaki (two pieces), that could be do-able but it will depend on what he has remaining, and it will likely not be as packed nor as thick. Right now he is down to doing everything himself… and doesn’t have the luxury of a full staff anymore, and even if dine in were to resume (and be safe) it’s uncertain what that will even look like. Which is why he could use all the support he can get right now…

I just had the regular and maguro futomaki’s for lunch and am already super stuffed.

[Chowseeker1999]

@JeetKuneBao

Do you think Akira san can make that after a omakase? (If when everything is back up to normal)

I see the OG, legendary @JeetKuneBao is back! And you had that post a few months ago claiming you don’t think you can do a bang x bang anymore! I couldn’t imagine eating more after Yoshizumi-san’s wonderful Omakase (we were stuffed!). You’ve been training with your Uncle Bruce, to be able to down that wonderful looking Futomaki after the extensive Omakase course!

[hungryhungryhippos]

Holbox is top of my list when I get back to LA .

[J_L]

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!

[PorkyBelly]

@J_L

Classic Double Burger, Fries

No love for the fries? I thought they were excellent, maybe even better than the burger.

https://ftcsfo3digitaloceanspaces.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/1/7/1710cdc3131fd4e4d0c54b4784d7da7d690330d1.jpeg

[J_L]

Thanks for mentioning. The fries were tasty indeed! The smashurgers and fries were both serious contenders for Best in Category.

[beefnoguy]

I’m Sorrowful with joy you did the ultimate char siu comfort donburi (weeping a tear remotely from NorCal)!!! Stephen Chow would be so proud. #GodOfFTCery #CharSiuFuHustle

[Chowseeker1999]

@J_L

I wasn’t aware you could order a fried egg to be added to that

! I didn’t know either!

Thanks for the info @J_L and the great report. Glad you liked Pearl River Deli’s Wontons. So good right?

And thanks to you, I now understand what Sorrowful Rice is (yes we watched the movie).

[Chowseeker1999]

Hi @J_L,

Thanks for the downhill alert on Father’s Office, very unfortunate. You gave them a couple tries and it doesn’t sound like it’s in good shape.

I’m glad Pasta Sisters is still holding up well during the pandemic; we miss going there.

And were they serving that Badmaash Chai at Amboy? How was it? Thanks.

[J_L]

Regarding the sad state of the current FO Burger, hopefully Sang Yoon is aware, and making the necessary adjustments.

Pasta Sisters: I still like the original (Arlington & Pico) location, which is just a tad better taste-wise, but the Culver City is still quite solid.

Badmaash: Lovely little serving of iced chai for a hot day. I wanted a liter of that stuff.

[hungryhungryhippos]

I never loved the Father’s Office burger, it was solid but never earth shattering. I do give him credit for kind of kicking off the burger revolution but Cassell’s burgers have always spoken to me more as a “high end” burger.

[Sgee]

I’ve always had good luck at the original SaMo spot. It was definitely one of my burger Wow moments. Love that location - BC.

[JeetKuneBao]

I think Fathers Office was kinda one of my beginning “foodie” experiences. It seems so cool at the time…they check your id, you seat yourself, they had a big beer selection, no substitutions on your burger, etc. it blew my mind on what a burger could be. Before that I was fine with In-N-Out but having that Office Burger…wow the bacon onion jam, the high quality beef, the cheese, it was so freaking good. If I had one in front of me I wouldn’t turn it down! Sad to hear it might be on a downward slope. IMO it’s a modern LA classic, and a trend setter in making a higher end burger

[NeverEnough]

Agreed

[hungryhungryhippos]

Same it was one of my first “foodie” excursions way back in the day.

[paranoidgarliclover]

@Sgee

I’ve always had good luck at the original SaMo spot.

Ditto. I’m almost 100% sure that the burger during one of my first visits to the FO in Culver City looked NOTHING like the burger at the SaMo location. Haven’t been to the SaMo location since the lockdown, but it was just fine prior to that.

[hungryhungryhippos]

I always thought the Culver City location was the OG location?

[J_L]

Nope. SaMo.

Thanks for the latest SaMo FO intel. I’ll hit it up soon.

[Dommy]

@J_L

@Dommy also made a surprise cameo appearance as well!

HA! Thanks so much for calling me out. It’s so hard to tell folks with masks on…

I did my own Chinatown Bang Bang that day. I had a rare few hours free before a late afternoon and needed to run a quick errand in Downtown, so I felt that I could pull it off… I ALMOST did… ugh…

Aside from visiting PDR, I also visited the new Katsu Sando location. I ran home and instantly stuffed my face with the Walnut Shrimp Sando…

I really liked Katsu Sando when I had them at Smorgesborg because of how nice their panko crust is. And this was no exception. Even on a longer than expected trip back home, it was super crunchy! They used just enough slaw… but overall… the flavor profile was walnut shrimp. It was great… especially if you share it. I usually have two bites of walnut shrimp and I’m good… so this was just ENOUGH.

Then I had a meeting… when ran super long because… REALITY… And sadly the item I really wanted to try had steamed too much. I’m actually not the biggest fan of Sandos. I was mostly excited about their curry… And I wasn’t going to fall into the trap of comparing them to Kagura… So I ordered Chicken Katsu, which I also really like…

First, I was really suprised they used a pounded chicken breast. So it wasn’t soo surprising having it sit around for 45 minutes, even uncovered, some of the breading steamed off… le sigh. But when I took a bite… I was SHOCKED at how good the chicken was!! Tender and juicy! I can’t remember the last time I had a chicken katsu that was this good. Just wonderful and I’m sure even better FRESH. The star however was the curry… it was wonderfully balanced but robust Not too salty or peppery or gingery (But they pile on pickled sweet ginger which I LOVE) but with a deep curry flavor.

It was a hefty serving. It also came with a scoop of potato salad which is okay (Better with the pickle mixed in) and rice which was very good. Look forward to ordering this again maybe with the Menchi

After having this giant bowl of curry…even sharing it… there was no way I was going to be able to have the won ton soup. I didn’t want to do it… but i had to reheat it for another day… And amazingly it all held up beautifully!!!

’

The won tons are are good as they say… just stunning. The egg noodles held up beautifully, especially since they were packed with the broth on the side. As other have noted, the broth needs some umph like vinegar. On a tofu run recently I bought the S&B Chili Crisp that @js76wisco’s recommended and it was super tasty! I think I still perfer the Trader Joes for a most crispy and toasty taste. But this one melded well with the broth and won tons. The Chasu was perfect. I am a huge fan of Harlam’s Kitchen version of this with braised beef…but this one is truly next level.

Finally… Like @J_L I would not resist the mini pies I spotted at AmBoy (along with the Badmaash Chai). I also got the Calamansi Pie and it was indeed wonderful. The crust was a perfect specimen of a graham cracker crust which was impressive because it was rather thin.

Great food… a quick chat of with good folks… supporting some wonderful makers… Even when I was doing this on the regular… it was always such a special thing…

–Dommy!

[chaumein]

Was the badmaash chai hiding somewhere? I was looking through the window and didn’t see it so I moved on.