Ojiya!

Still on my search for good sushi in the area, I decided to check out a place in the Chino area. I had been here once before a few years back, and it had seemed to be a promising place.

To start, I shared an eggplant dish that had been simmered in some kind of soy sauce base and topped with some grated radish, which I thought was pretty good.

My sister ordered a combo that came with soup and salad.

For her main dishes, she got chicken karaage and some sashimi. I've only had that chicken once a long time ago, so I don't really remember it too well, but this version was a bit bland although decently fried.

I got the chopped yellowfish (or was it toro?) in ponzu sauce, which wasn't too bad.

An order of ikura, which was also average.

And a sample nigiri plate. None of the stuff besides the spicy tuna roll was very fresh. I had proceeded to mark single orders of nigiri, but when I saw that it was cheaper getting this, I jumped on it. Well, now I know why.

I found both the quality and their prices average for a sushi bar. Seems to be a neighborhood favorite as the place was pretty packed. But my search for good sushi in the area still goes on.

drink local

taking a break from the korea posts to share some favorite watering holes.

sunday nights at ra sushi, one of those americanized sushi joints. happy hour starts at 8 pm. they recently raised the sake bombers from 5 to 6 bucks, but still a good deal.

you get a small hot sake (about 3-4 shots) + a 22 oz kirin. the sake is pretty harsh, but just drop it in your beer and you'll be alrite kid. i've tried a few of their hh menu items, none of them very good. but when you're paying 3.50 for a roll, you've pretty much lost your right to complain. get there early cuz this place is poppin and gets packed fast! (i go to chino hills, but i can imagine it's the same all around cuz the drinks are cheap)

the next place is on an inconscipuous corner in fullerton in a warehouse. most of these pictures from here on out were taken courtesy of the young and upcoming jomo.

bootlegger's. i had been looking for some local microbreweries nearby besides the chains and thanks to a tip from my friend paestry (who has now been transplanted back in sd, god bless her), mission accomplished.

a list of their refreshments. i felt like a kid in a candy store the first time i came in here. (~20 beers god damn!)

the sample flight is a good way to go to be able to try a variety. 5 2 oz pours for 3 bucks, what?! in general, their prices are pretty reasonable and a little lower than what you'd expect at a craft brewery. you'll find no pretentiousness here as you're free to ponder life while wearing an old t and shorts while sipping on beer in a mason jar. my favorites so far would have to be their golden chaos and cherry Chernobyl (which sadly is no longer offered). oh funny story the first time i came here. i noticed these two older biker gentlemen, waiting for their beer. these were some tough looking mother effers, tatted up to the gills and donning their worn out jeans and leather vests. everyone had their eyes on them as they left...in a scion xB.

i did say it was in a warehouse right? a small but chill place, much like the bruery. my only complaint is that the tasting room is open only thurs-sat and they close at 9. you can often find food trucks here which is a bonus since you don't have to go chasing after them nor deal with annoyingly long lines. staff is friendly too even with an ignoramus like me.

speaking of which, the bruery is another small but rising player in the world of beer.

i was introduced to this place by a friend. same deal here...enjoy liquid bread in the same warehouse they make their beer...food trucks sometimes...mixed easy goin crowd. you can do a sample flight here too. it's around 8 or 9 bucks, but you do get to keep the glass to bring home for your kids. lots of interesting libations to enjoy although not as many offered compared to booty's.

holla

korea fo rea

the past 2 weeks just flew by and i'm back at home, wondering if it was all a dream. we left after midnight and oddly enough, about two hours into the flight, they served a meal. i don't know why, but i had a mad case of the munchies. A caveat to the weak of heart: these pictures may disgust you.

i opted for the beef, which was as drab as my picture, but beggars can't be choosers mang. it came with some potato salad w/ ham, a stale roll, and some cheesecake.

while my sis got the bibimbap (which I ate too). It came with some miyuk gook (seaweed soup) and some pickles with some fruit for dessert. not bad pig...not bad at all if you squeezed out all the gochoojang (red pepper paste) on it. After 3 glasses of wine (I amusedly watched the guy next to us down at least 5 glasses of wine, but no drama for your baby's mama), I passed out for a couple hours and awoke just in time for breakfast.

Green tea porridge. This was surprisingly good.

We arrived at Incheon a few hours later, only to be greeted by gloomy, rainy weather. Took a bus to a smaller airport and waited a few hours to go to Jejudo, an island off the southern tip, so we explored the airport.

loads of these machines all over korea.

Korea has been becoming more and more westernized over the years, and I saw plenty of these joints around Seoul.

A display of some of the goods. (At the time, the dollar was about 1200 won woot).

Food here wasn't that expensive (compared to the U.S although obviously more than what it would cost elsewhere). We ended up going into a random joint for a late breakfast/whatever meal it was in the US as the time was 16 hours ahead. I got the kimchi udon.

Kimchi ramen straight from the package (they didn't try to front here and proudly had the boxes out for all to see), but still good when you're hungry.

Needless to say, I got a lot of reading done. Goggles! Damn I'm still jetlagged.

Ickle Me Pickle Me Tickle Me too

If you don't know what the title is a reference to, shame on you. I had written about Honda ya once before and have gone a few more times since then. Here's a short blurb of the last visit w/ some family during Christmas break.

I noticed this time, as we were seated, we were given some free house pickled cucumbers or pickles, wtf? LOL (I hate that word, but it seemed right to use it here) seriously what's the difference? And more importantly, where did word pickle come from? It's a funny little word, giving a short, light tickle on my brain every time I say or think of it. (Research shows that 50% of the people who read this just said "pickle" aloud). According to WikiAnswers, "English got the word pickle from Middle Low German pekel, which means 'sharp in taste.' Words like pike and picket also derive from the same source as pickle." But I digress. These pickles (roffle) had a pleasant spicy note to it.

For the starters, we ordered some nasu miso (eggplant). If you like eggplant and have never tried this before, this is something worth checking out. Nutty and not too salty...I want to learn how to make this.

and stewed kabocha, which was served cold. Sweet and salty. I ate the rind too. Another thing to try making; I found a recipe on a blog called "The Sprout and the Bean."

My cousin went for the Udon with mountain yam (grated tororo), but she didn't like it because the yam made everything else too gooey.

After some deliberation (they offer a wide variety of food on their menu), I decided to be boring and ordered the kimchi ramen again. I was disappointed that it wasn't as spicy as last time, but still a nice thing to have on a winter night (take that with a large block of salt as I do live in southern California).

The service was slow this time around. The other times I haven't had any complaints, but our waitress just wasn't on the ball that night.

With some dessert at Yogurtland(my goodness, it's ridiculous how many of these are popping up with its dopplegangers right across the bloody street), we drank hot cocoa and ate popcorn by the fireplace while playing a lopsided game of Monopoly, in which my sister killed us all. Needless to say, I don't have a strong desire to play that game for a while.

Of course, we ordered some skewers from the grill, but I didn't take any pictures of those, seeing how I had enough already from the last post.

another mountain to climb

If you remember from a past post during the summer, I tried to go up Mt. Baldy w/ a few friends but was not able to complete it. This time, I was more careful in selecting people who were in better shape and able to make it to the top =)

The last mile or so. Definitely the hardest part of the hike.

Made it.

The hike took a good 8 hours or so, and we were starving by the time we got down. We quickly decided on whatever was nearest that urbanspoon directed us to and came along this place.

A Japanese fast food joint.

We ordered some hand rolls: spicy tuna, salmon, and tuna.

I got the chicken teriyaki plate that came with the choice of two salads. The first was with some stale dry noodles in a vinegar based dressing with red onions and cucumbers.

The other was some Thai style slaw with some peanut and sesame dressing.

The food wasn't that great, but having had trail mix and granola bars all day, I wasn't about to complain.

Mikuni Japanese Grill

263 Foothill Blvd

La Verne, CA 91750

And then we got Yogurtland for dessert. I think I conked out around 7 or 8 that day.

By the time you read this, I will be flying high in the air. I'm off to Kansas for an interview. Hopin to nail it. It's gonna be freezing!

gimme some soup

Sweet Jeebus. 1/3 way into November already and hot dog! 5 more weeks of school! Apologies to my few readers for the lack of updates. Along with working more hours because money makes the world go round, the start of the NBA season aka fantasy madness has put my productivity/motivation for the blog straight in the toliet. Go Clippers! That's right. I said it.

The semi cold weather (this is socal after all) has gotten me thinking about those summer nights. One particular night, leaving the Anthill's Pub drunk and hungry, I desperately wanted something else besides the usual fried and heavy bar food. My cousin suggested Gen Grill, a favorite past high school hangout of his that was right across campus. So off we went.


Sukiyaki Bowl around 7 or 8 bucks. I know this isn't really soup, but it sure hit the spot. Noodles, large blocks of tofu, thinly sliced beef, and some random bits of spinach(?) over a generous bed of rice drowning in a sweet, warm broth/sauce. I wished that they had given me a bit more than the sad thin layer of beef that meakly covered large amount of rice given. I always do appreciate extra rice, but not at the expense of the other goodies on my plate.

4143 Campus Dr
Suite C-196
Irvine, CA 92612

We wanted some dessert afterwards, so on the suggestion of Elmo Monster, we checked out Strickland's, which specializes in frozen custard. Having frozen custard is rare, and I can't really think of a place that offers it. The last (and possibly only) time I remember having it was about 2 years ago in Philly.

When we went, we were taken aback that they only four flavors were being offered: vanilla, chocolate, mocha, and ? I forget. We were sad as we were hoping for some more exciting and interesting offerings.

I also saw that they offered pineapple and strawberry (?!!) Dole Whip. I remember some of my friends who all had Disneyland Passes would go on some days just to get this treat at the stand near Adventure Land (I think...wherever the Jungle Cruise is located). I opted for the good ol pineapple.

A beautiful tower of the soft serve, which I had no problem devouring.

Read about Paestry's experience with the whip, in which she one ups me by getting the float at Dland.

On a partially related note, I finally found out what "ghost riding the whip" means. Hilarious.

4523 Campus Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612

Been craving some floats and ice cream lately, so time to look around the area for some good eats. Hope you had a good weekend!

Revisit to Foo Foo Tei

One of the many posts that is long overdue. A couple months back I went back to Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda to get a bowl of ramen before class.


The usual suspects.


Nasu miso to start. It was a little too salty for me. I'm no expert though on this dish, only having it at one other place, which made it more on the sweet side. Anyone have a recipe for this?


Yasai Shio Ramen with Chasu. Lots of veggies in a good sized bowl. Personally, I am a miso fan, but I decided to take a risk and to go for the shio. I didn't like the consistency of the broth because it was kinda thick. If you ever cooked those non freeze dried / "fresh" noodles in the soup base instead of cooking them separately, you'll know what I'm talking about. Not sure what was going on that day. While I did enjoy the taste, I still like miso better =)


Oodles of noodles.


Friend ordered the Shin Shin ramen. It was supposed to be very spicy, but he said it wasn't too bad.

I finally experienced the horrendous wait here, so it's best to come during the off hours. Service was quick and efficient despite the growing crowd.

Foo Foo Tei
15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

Have a nice Sunday!

K-town to J-town

Location: Los Angeles, Koreatown, The Corner Place.

Objective: To take grandpappy out for lunch.


The menu.


Banchan to the right of the gas grill: Some sweet black beans, vinegary radish and carrots, and some cool radish kimchi chilling in a light salty broth. Also some sesame oil and some scallions in a light oil dressing and lightly dusted with red pepper for the meat.


Banchan to the left of the grill: Kimchi, sprouts, some nonspicy cabbage kimchi, spicy squash, and I forget what the last dish was. It looks like ginger, but it wasn't...Overall a decent selection of sides.


The bulgogi. One thing you immediately notice is that they give you a lot of meat. We just put in one order, and this was about half of the serving. I'd say 1 order of bulgogi is good for 2-4 people, depending on how hungry you are.

*Caveat: I was a bit wary this time around when we ordered. On a past visit, I bit into a piece of meat that tasted horribly off, like it had been wallowing around on the dirty floor and then decided to jump back into the tub with the rest of its doomed brethren. It didn't happen this time, and I thank the sweet lord above for that. My cousin also said this had happened to her once. =/
Otherwise, the bulgogi was good. The meat was tender and marinated nicely with a good ratio of sweet and salty.


If you read the menu and were wondering what in the world was "Cold Noodles in Soup," it is dong chimi gooksu, a dish that Gil Mok/The Corner Place is known for. Above is the regular size. A very minimal dish made up of noodles, green onions, and a slice of tomato for garnish in a cool radish soup...the same salty brine that the white cabbage/radish kimchi, but slightly modified. It was a bit sweet, which made me wonder if they used sugar or even 7 up. I remember when I was younger and visited Korea, we visited this nengmyun place that used Chilsung Cider (think 7up/Sprite) in their broth. Some may find it plain, but I enjoyed it with the banchan and found it to be a nice remedy for the hot weather.

Service was prompt and friendly, and no real complaints besides that one time w/ the meat. My grandpa seems to like the place, and although he is a bit demanding to say the least, the staff was patient with him.


2819 James M Wood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006

*Parking can be quite a hassle since everyone in the tiny plaza decided to each put "Parking only for ___" on a few spots in an already small parking lot. I hate that! So, if you park in the wrong spot, you may be chastised by the local parking security officer and shooed away. So far though, I've been lucky*

We also stopped by Little Tokyo to pick up some manjoo. I ended up dropping my grandpa off to get the goods while I aimlessly circled around trying to find parking.


These were freshly made and still steaming...


and filled with red beans that had been sweetened with honey.

Simple and delicious.

I never did find out where he got it, but he told me it was from a little street vendor in the plaza between 1st and 2nd. Perhaps you readers have a better idea of where it is than I do.