November 2018 Weekend Rundown

Sorry you’re absolutely right - what was I thinking? All the G’s I pulled from track time with the Ariel Atom really got me discombobulated…

Just a brief off-topic…

My main issue is that none of the cars from non-German brands under VAG look remotely like anything OTHER than heavy-handed German designs. The Bugattis are utterly vulgar, and the Urus looks more like an Arteon on crack than it does like a Lambo (the D-pillar especially). I don’t know if people spending that much $$$ on a car want it to share design cures w/ a VW, but they probably don’t know any better, anyways. Audi can’t seem to develop a new exterior design language for its own cars to save its life, and interior center stack of its upcoming cars looks like an alien that’s about to eat someone. All very unappealing, although Audi designs tend to look better in person.

Saw this in the parking lot of a Denny’s in Silicon Valley.

1 Like

Wednesday Lunch
The Red Rooster
Spanish Flatbread - great home made Spanish sausage, excellent crust


Bottoms UP

Friday Lunch
Ippudo Ramen
Bonito Shoyu Ramen - wonderful light seafood broth and nice firm slender noodles. Loved this. Though as @J_L mentioned the egg is fully cooked

Ebi Katsu Bun - excellent

8 Likes

Hi @CiaoBob,

Glad to hear the Bonito Shoyu Ramen was good for you, too. :slight_smile: (Definitely too bad about the egg though.)

And the Ebi Katsu Bun was good as well.

Kasih


It seems L.A. has recently had an influx in restaurants trying to introduce modern interpretations of Indonesian cuisine. Rinjani (in Glendale) opened, seemed intriguing, but was a disappointment (and closed). Following Rinjani, we now have Kasih in Little Tokyo, which sounded like a more ambitious and exciting attempt to elevate Indonesian cuisine.

kasih_001

Gado-Gado (Market Green Salad, Cabbage, Tofu, Egg and Pickles Tossed in Peanut Sauce):

This was fine. The Peanut Sauce tasted very much like the sweet, nutty, thick variation you’re presented with Satay Skewers.

Tempe Kering (Smoked Eggplant, King Trumpet Mushroom, Sweet Crispy Tempeh, Lettuce Cups and Fresh Herbs):

The Sweet Tempeh overwhelmed the dish, to the point of being saccharine. :frowning:

Bebek Goreng (Crispy Local Duck Quarters with Kasih Spice Blend, Galangal Floss and Sambal Hijau):

This was better. The Fried Duck was crispy like a Fried Chicken, but strangely this arrived barely above lukewarm. But the Duck combined with the Sambal Hijau Sauce worked pretty well. This was the most successful dish of the night.

Nasi Merah (Red Rice):

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Style Fried Rice with Sambal Terasi and Seasonal Vegetables):

Their Fried Rice turned out to be too greasy, lacking any breath of the wok that makes the best Fried Rice dishes stand out. :frowning:

Sayur Lodeh (Turmeric Coconut Curry with Grilled Napa Cabbage, Roasted Cauliflower, Butternut Squash and Chili Oil):

This was also merely OK: A touch on the sweet side, it tasted freshly made, and the veggies were well integrated into the Curry itself (except the Roasted Cauliflower).

Babi Guling (Roast Crackling Pork Belly, Balinese Salad and Chayote Chicken Broth):

Hoping for a revelatory moment of nirvana like Anthony Bourdain had when he tried the Roasted Pig on his trip to Indonesia (for his No Reservations TV show) wasn’t something we were expecting. We even brought along a friend who dined at the very same place Bourdain did in Indonesia (she loved it) to see how this version might stack up.

Taking a bite: Really old-tasting, dry, leftover Pork, with the Skin slightly crisped up. :sob: Terrible. :frowning: (While different styles, the crispy, crackling skin of the Roast Pork Belly at Ruby BBQ and Monterey Palace are orders of magnitude better in every way.)

Service was also quite slow and our server disappeared for long periods of time with no one attending our table.

Kasih sounded like a really interesting concept and menu, trying to do modern and elevated Indonesian cuisine, but in execution? It felt hamfisted and stumbled with nearly every dish. Perhaps we ordered wrong, but it was so disappointing we couldn’t bring ourselves to do a return visit (like we usually do).

Kasih
200 S. Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 266-8156

https://kasih.la/

Sidecar Doughnuts

Butter & Salt Doughnut (Vanilla Bean and Brown Butter Cake, Brown Butter Glaze, Sprinkle of Fleur de Sel):

We got a fresh batch of these (they were just putting them out on display). Airy, delicate, and the Brown Butter, Vanilla and Fleur de Sel were a great combination (as usual). :slight_smile:

Mango en Nogada Doughnut (Sweet Mango Glaze, Spiced Candied Walnuts, Pomegranate Seeds):

Tropical, a touch of tart giving way to a nutty sweetness. This was a surprise and pretty tasty. :slight_smile:

Buttermilk Old Fashion Doughnut (Buttermilk, Nutmeg and Cinnamon Cake, Topped with Vanilla Bean Glaze):

Huckleberry Doughnut (Wild Foraged Huckleberry Cake with Huckleberry Glaze):

Still my favorite at Sidecar, the Huckleberry Doughnut tastes of real berry flavors (not synthetic) and imparts just a backnote of piquant to balance the sweetness. :slight_smile:

Sidecar Doughnuts
631 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel: (310) 587-0022

Also in Costa Mesa:

270 E. 17th St., #18
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

9 Likes

Finally checked out the new-ish Pho Hue Oi in Redondo Beach and it’s now my favorite Vietnamese place in the South Bay. Very good broth and they don’t skimp on the protein. My SO and I are boring/basic and aren’t into offal or blood (the bun bo hue on the table next to us did look good, though) so we just got our usual pho dac biet and pho tom. Also some grilled pork summer rolls which were very tasty as well. Looking forward to trying their bo luc lac and banh mi next time.

(Yes, I like to “ruin” my pho with “too much” sambal oelek and hoisin. :roll_eyes:)

13 Likes

Oh wow that pho meat looks stellar

2 Likes

Made this for a friend’s party. Waiting for it to cool a bit b/f slicing.

14 Likes

Someone’s getting really good at bread making.

2 Likes

Thanks!

I also only posted one of the 2 loaves I made (cut the same dough). :wink: The other one was probably in a bowl that was a wee bit too big for the 2nd proof, and I put it closer to the oven light (I stuck in the oven w/ just the light on for the final hr or proofing since it’s very cold in my kitchen). Probably overproofed that second loaf a touch. A bit flatter and not as hollow when tapped. ::sigh:: It’ll still probably taste okay. I take solace in the fact that it didn’t spread out any further after being turned out…

Who the hell knew it would make such a difference in the shape of the final loaf??? I’m looking looking for a 2nd banneton b/c my technique has sufficiently improved that the container actually makes a difference in terms of the final shape (which means that my high hydration dough isn’t just spilling out all over the place :slight_smile: )…

5 Likes

That looks wonderful @paranoidgarliclover. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I need to learn this .

2 Likes

Do we have Chinese spots - Cantonese or otherwise - in L.A. who are cooking with Iberico Pork?

Bookmarking! :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like

Seriously!

3 Likes

I’m struggling for the word to use about using Iberico for char siu. With no offense, perhaps I’ll settle for at the least “silly.” “Wasteful”?

My concerns are more about how they’re raised than expense. I’m funny that way.

1 Like

Gotcha. But couldn’t a garden-variety pig be raised well? Oops, wait. “how they’re raised.” I guess I don’t know what that means.

Yep, yes they can.