I haven’t had the cod roe soup, will have to get an order of that on our next visit!
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Having enjoyed Al Watan for brunch with friends during the summer, I finally found time to go back on a Friday to try the weekday $11 lunch set:
It came with Indian Pakistani versions of Chicken korma; Aloo Palak (potatoes and spinach); Dal Chana (yellow split pea); chicken tandoori; seekh kabob; fluffy basmati rice; and scrumptious sesame seed naan. I also had Al Watan tea (aka “chai tea”).
All the curries were delish and the chicken tandoori drumstick and seekh kabob tasted fresh, not meat cooked from frozen. The Pakistani style of cooking doesn’t seem to use much dairy like Northern Indian/Punjabi so it was easier for me to digest.
I definitely found this more satisfying than some of the Northern Indian buffets I went to earlier this year such as Ashoka the Great in Artesia (vegetable dishes thawing out in the buffet; flat seasoning; dry meats; meat curries reheated from frozen) and Bombay Tandoori in Torrance (meats tasted off; not a fan of the seasonings).
I’m still on the lookout for a good Northern Indian buffet, though. Indian Oven in Brentwood was ok. Maybe I’ll try Indian Restaurant in East Hollywood next.
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Went to Night + Market Song a few nights ago for dinner because my husband was craving it and who am I to say no. On a chillier Thursday evening there wasn’t much of a line and so we waited only about 20 minutes.
Nam khao tod/crispy rice salad (vegan version) to start. We always order this. Love the textures and all the flavors. Also, I love onions (maybe because my name is pronounced similarly to the Vietnamese word for “onion,” haha).
Chilled peanut sesame noodles (Vegetarian. It would be vegan except it’s made with egg noodles). This was one of the specials of the day and since NMS’s specials are almost always something with meat, we were excited to try it. This was really, really good and I hope it’s on the menu again. It was topped with finely crushed peanuts and whole peanuts for a nice contrast in textures with the silky sauce. The sauce tasted mostly like sesame with a lot of umami and the egg noodles had a good bite to them.
Garlic green beans.
Pad see ew with tofu. I like how light their version is. Pad see ew can get really oily at other restaurants.
Mango with coconut sticky rice. I don’t know where they are getting mangoes that still taste this good because the last few mangoes I’ve bought at grocery stores have been just ok (not sweet enough, kinda fibrous). This was perfect. The coconut sauce is a more liquidy rather than thick or viscous, but it was flavorful.
Went to Little Sheep Hot Pot on Friday night, no pictures but I like their vegetarian broth and get a bunch of vegetables and the tofu platter with several different kinds of tofu. My favorites are the frozen tofu and the crispy tofu skin roll you dunk in the broth for only a few seconds.
(photo from yelp, ignore the meat) the tofu skin roll is on the top of the tofu platter. Not sure what the Chinese name for it is.
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Poke Etc (Cerritos)
Here to report because Yelpers and the average customer doesn’t care but they STOP with the Limu Seaweed. If you haven’t had these Hawaiian/South Pacific Seaweeds like Limu and Ogo you are missing out. The shoyu flavor is fine.
Jus Poke in Redondo and Kawamata in San Clemente still keep it real
Al Noor
It was good/okayish. I just don’t have a taste for Indian food I guess which is shame because other aspects of Indian culture is a part of me (Buddhism, Yoga, Meditation, Krishnamurti)
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Was in Gardena again for work on a weekday so I called Zam Zam market ahead of time to confirm they’d have food for me around 3:30p.
This is what I got:
Pictured: 1/2 orders of Chicken Karahi curry and chicken biryani; curry puff and naan; 2 beef kabab w complimentary yogurt chutney sauce.
I didn’t have $23 in cash on me, so I had to use my credit card (there’s a $10 minimum). Reminder to self: Carry more cash so I can get the discount.
The quantity of Indian/Pakistani food ordered at Zam Zam was double the amount of what I got at Al Watan the week before, albeit more protein and no vegetable or pulse/legume offerings.
I like both restos located side by side In Hawthorne, but prefer Al Watan for the moist kebabs and tandoori meats while the colorful and spicy biryani rice dishes rein supreme for me at Zam Zam.
PS: Don’t worry @hungryhungryhippos - I only ate about 1/3 of it in one sitting 
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Lol that would have been one impressive undertaking if you were able to eat all that in one sitting!
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Hah! It’s not a mistake to try it. It’s a mistake to compare it with HR! 
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Biriyani Kabob House, Little Bangladesh.
As with any street in this general area, you will also see signs in Spanish and Korean, but the bright white sign here is the simple advertisement for a simple place. Enter via 3rd Street or the mini mall’s tiny parking lot to find a workaday dining room and order at the counter. A very long menu for such a small place greets diners, as do specials on bright TVs, which may actually be to its detriment as it becomes overwhelming and may steer folks away from what the shop does best.
As might be determined from the name, biriyani is the absolute star here and nothing like some of the dishes labeled as such around town. There are too many instances of spiced rice and meat dishes getting this name, but kacchi biriyani (here spelled kachey) needs a long cooking process, the meat and the rice must slow cook together. This type of preparation requires someone with extraordinary attention to detail to make sure the meat is cooked just right.
Kachey lamb biriyani ($9.95) is excellent. The spices and aromatics pour out of the basmati rice when the plate is placed in front of you. It is a marvel how well everything is cooked together, at this price point in Los Angeles there might not be a better version.
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I find the only reason to go to phorage is if you have some poor friend who can’t or shouldn’t eat gluten and wants Viet food. Agree with you on the pho, though ours wasn’t rotten, just boring. I got the pork broken rice once, wasn’t very good, the pork is actually better at Pho Shop (and it’s not very good). I’ve heard that Nong La on Sawtelle is better, though just passable. Honestly I just end up at Pho So 1 in Van Nuys, it’s a 15-20 minute drive from west LA after traffic.
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The South Bay now has a legit Vietnamese restaurant in the form of Pho Hue Oi which is right off the 405. Worth skipping over anything on that is currently on the Westside…
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Oooh, would be a good option for mid-day, but probably not for dinner. Unfortunately closes at 8:30PM, traffic is still bad on the 405 south. Pho So 1 closes at 9:45, and Pho 999 closes at midnight.
We’ve had no problem getting there for Dinner leaving the Culver City area at around 7p on Friday nights. The folks are super nice and it’s busy! We have never felt rushed.
Returned last night for extended autumn omakase goodness (Sushi Yoshizumi). Some highlights
Start of season seiko gani
Straw smoked and seared sawara (katsuo style)
Hokkaido Kinki steamed with sake
Ishikawa prefecture saba (bousushi)
Insanely amazing kohada (Kumamoto)
Akagai from Miyagi prefecture
Aged Bluefin futomaki
Incredibly fatty piece of anago, a pinch of sea salt causes a natural flavor and sweetness explosion
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Springbok Bar & Grill, Van Nuys.
A look at the menu reveals all the sports bar favorites a Dodgers or Rams fan might want, but a fun reason to come is for the sprinkling of foods from South Africa, a true hodgepodge itself. In addition to wings and burgers, there are hints of peri-peri, samosas, and Durban curry.
One way to stay in the zone of a sports bar while sampling a South African favorite is by eating the Jan Van Riebeecks boerewors roll ($14.95), named for a Dutch colonizer from the 1600’s. This all beef sausage is made in house but in the style of a typical South African link, which has standards of low fat content, spicing, and never using offal or processed meats.
While it may not be grilled over charcoal as tradition dictates, the sausage still has a nice smokiness and is full of flavor. It is paired with the tomato and onion gravy they call “train smash.” The roll is essential, a delicious fluffy bread with crisped exterior, hardly an afterthought.
In addition to unique foods, the bar also welcomes anyone in and has a very friendly atmosphere. It can be rowdy during important games and Sunday for American football, but come during a down time and settle in for their South African fare, plenty of beers, and become a regular.
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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan pie at Nickel Diner
Spicy fish soup at Pacific Fish Center at Redondo Beach pier
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Vaca (Costa Mesa)
Finally got around to having dinner at Vaca. The cocktail program here is fantastic…I quite enjoyed my refreshing Vaca Tonic. Their play on a gin & tonic is a citrusy slushy with the right notes of gin. I could have easily drank a handful of them without realizing it. I had a couple of others and I was really impressed with their drinks…and all under $15 to boot.
We ordered a selection of tapas. Cabrales blue cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Pan con tomate…the tomatoes are cooked down to a thick sauce and served in jars where you slather on the toasted bread, drizzle with Spanish olive oil, and garnish with Maldon sea salt flakes…an interesting take on a classic dish that you can serve all year along. Our garlic shrimp were overcooked…but since it arrived sizzling at our table, we were too afraid to eat them right away…didn’t want to gamble with burning our palates. The beet salad and the asparagus with romesco sauce were great winners…I’m always impressed when a restaurant can treat vegetables well. Also loved the potatas bravas…nice bit of heat in the aioli. We wanted to try the ribeye, but they only had 2 lb sections left and that was more than we wanted for the night. We had the flan and sorbet assortment for dessert. Chef Santana’s flan is way richer and more along creme brûlée’s custard to me…Jose Andres’ flan remains my favorite in the LA/OC region. The strawberry lemon sorbet was delightful and perfect and the guava sorbet wasn’t too shabby, either. It was a fun evening. I think we’d both return.
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Yes. How the hell did ketchup get on your corndog?
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