… while trying to figure out if there are more Cajun crab places or dry hot pot restaurants in the SGV.
But I digress.
Here are a few random thoughts on some notable exploits in the last fortnight that aren’t really worthy of their own thread.
Twenty40 – go for the kouign amann (which is very good), but the real incredible edible here is the oatmeal toffee cherry cookie.
Soom Soom – if you like purple phallic fruits, or just a fan of eggplants, then ditch the urge to order some sort of kebob, and opt for the Sabich here, and feel free to thank me later (I take Bitcoins).
Stamp Proper Foods – all hail the return of the bison meatloaf sandwich, and beware of their PB&J milkshake (in a good way).
K Town Express – might be the best food court eatery in the SGV, not the best Korean food court eatery in SGV, but just the best food court eatery in the SGV, period.
@ipsedixit, is this thread just for your random thoughts or can any one of us contribute our own random (food related) thoughts as well? And if so, can this thread be pinned?
I like the random thoughts thread, since I often don’t have enough coherent thoughts about one place for a “regular” post!
Tried Pastina (Westwood) for the first time last night. Pretty good, although nothing mind-blowing. My farfalle special had a nice amount of crab on top, although it really needed some sort of sauce to tie it all together (adding a bit of marinara from partner’s lasagna did the trick).
Plus there was a group of men 2 tables over that totally looked like they had stepped out of a movie about the Italian mafia (esp the young, leanly muscular, and hungry-looking one wearing a wifebeater). Cool!
Did I mention I made it out to the Popcorn Chicken place on Sawtelle this weekend. Thanks., y’all, for the recs, b/c it was really good. I didn’t know that the Formosa black bear was a point of cultural pride, BTW.
There’s a new little takeout Taiwanese spot here in Torrance called Mindi’s Kitchen. It’s located in the same plaza as Mitsuwa, next to Torihei. So far we’ve tried the popcorn chicken (extra spicy level) and deep fried pork belly bento boxes and really liked them. Meat was nice and crispy and seasoned well. They’re only open until 6pm, so good for lunch or early dinner. I wouldn’t say it’s a destination type place, but definitely great for the neighborhood.
Random thought: Woks are very heavy and, when I think of it, I’ve never seen women (on tv, internet, restaurants) actually using them in a “shake and toss” maneuver. Only men seem to do that.
No, Bookwich. With all respect, professional woks are very thin and light. The heat comes from the insanely powerful burners that restaurants can provide under them.
That’s what makes stir-fry cooking at home problematic. Very few home burners have the power to provide enough heat. So the solution for the home cook is to switch to a heavy cast iron or much thicker and heavier wok that you can leave on the burner to heat up and then retain more heat. This helps, but is a compromise.
What do you mean by professional woks? If by professional woks you mean those used in restaurants, then they are anything but thin or light, and in fact they are so unthin and unlight that they are impossible to flip, and no one really flips woks. That’s really for show, and to make good TV, not good food. You flip food by using the utensils.
Anyone trying to flip a wok like this is either Hercules, or stupid.
Sounds like some decent eating. Thanks!
