Kushiage Dining Horon

Japanese place that is so chill for lunch..

Although Kushiage Dining Horon seems more like an izakaya at night( a Japanese bar/restaurant that has skewers and other Japanese food), during lunch time, it turns into a cafe. You pay first at the counter (they only accept cash), and then they bring the meal to you.

The lunch combos are a very good value. For around $8 you get a bowl of ramen, and a side order ( The chicken bowl is the best value in my opinion).

The ramen was a bit oily for my taste, but never the less it was still very good. Don't add any spicy sauce to your ramen. I am a chile head, but the spiciness here doesn't really go along with the ramen in this case.

This is an awesome place, and it is very good value. Would come back here any time.

2143 W 182nd St
Torrance, CA 90504
(310) 515-6147

85C Bakery Cafe

Yes they have fresh and hot bread and but...

1)The lines are stupid long (like 30 minutes)

2)You have to fight for the fresh bread..because there are moms who just take the whole trey of bread when it comes out.

3)There are other places with sea salt coffee now.

I have to admit the bread is good despite all the criticism.
The Taro Bread (purple marble covering on top) has to be the most popular item.
This place has a lot of hype.., but it's a great gift for someone not from LA or to show off to someone.

17170 Colima Rd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 839-7889

Mitsuru Cafe

Mitsuru Cafe has two parts. There is a restaurant, and a counter in the front which sells snacks and finger food. The most famous of these snacks, are the imagawayaki which is a pastry the size of a hockey puck. On the outside it has the consistency of a pancake and in the middle has a gooey red bean paste. When it is hot, it is very good.

From the window you can see the process of cooking the imagawayaki. For $1.25 for one, I think it is well worth the experience.

117 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 613-1028

Sushi & Teri

Fast Japanese food located in the middle of Little Tokyo

Sushi and Teri is located right in the middle of the main Little Tokyo Plaza. Sushi and Teri serves mainly sushi, bento boxes and very typical type of Japanese food. The food is average and not that bad, however being in Little Tokyo there are plenty of other options to choose from.

This place is a budget restaurant and doesn't get too crowed (which may or may not be a good thing), so if you are in a rush and and do not have too much cash this place would be ideal.

All in all, if you are in Little Tokyo,unless you are very lazy, there are other places to explore.

116 Japanese Village Plz Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-8368

Maxim Cafe

A Chinese Denny's....

Maxim Cafe is a Hong Kong style cafe, that serves all sorts of Chinese food. It is open pretty late which is always a good thing. While Denny's serves breakfast, burgers and steaks, Maxim Cafe servers fried rice, noodles and Chinese style steaks. Combo # 2 and 4 are pretty good. $8.95 for a pork chop and chicken steak, with a drink is still a decent deal. The baked rice with fish is also pretty good, and a favorite of mine

The food here used to be a lot better. Now the flavor is just not there any more. The Thai ice tea used to be unlimited refills, but now there is only one free refill. The waiter that wore cool ties, used to be really friendly, but now the service is average.

Used to be a lot better...try some other places first..

18904 Gale Ave
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 913-7777

Guppy House

Shaved Ice galore!

Simply put, Guppy House is known for their shaved ice. They have other items, like other boba places, but shaved ice is their niche.

Gone are the days that the shaved ice comes stacked like a tall mountain. It instead comes in a  large cereal bowl. This makes it easier to eat, but definitely not as fun. Now that a lot of boba places serve shaved ice, Guppy House is not as unique as before. Other than shaved Ice, they serve a pineapple fried rice dish inside a pineapple.

Since Irvine is kind of dead at night, this place is a pretty cool hangout spot open late.

2730 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 851-9788

Kotosh

Japanese Peruvian Food?

Having tried El Pollo Inca, another Peruvian Restaurant in the South Bay area, my expectations were high in regards to Kotosh.

Although the dishes are done in a little different manner, Kotosh has the same quality of Peruvian Food compared to El Pollo Inca. The dishes, especially the lomo saltado, is on par with El Pollo Inca. The meat is very tender, and the green sauce makes is very tasty.

Kotosh does not have the same quantity of Peruvian Food as El Pollo Inca however;with less Peruvian food, Kotosh offers sushi instead. The sushi rolls are decent, but I got a feeling that Kotosh was just a restaurant that serves Peruvian food and sushi. I didn't get the fusion  feeling. Regardless, Kotosh has good food.

2408 Lomita Blvd
Lomita, CA 90717

(310) 257-1363

www.kotoshrestaurant.com

 

Eatalian Cafe

Wow...a place with some great Italian Food and thin crust pizza!

Although more on the pricey side, and located in a Industrial area, that doesn't look too safe, the Eatalian Cafe is by far a hidden gem within the South Bay area.

The thin crust pizza, although the size a personal pan pizza is very good. The "Rock: pizza ($10.95) is especially good for first timers. The cheese is a bit sharper, but gives you a very unique flavor. The Divola ($10.95) is a good choice is you are looking for something more traditional.

Definitely coming back here for more!

15500 S Broadway St
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 532-8880

Sushi Mori

Decent Sushi place, if you're walking around La Jolla

My friends and I happened upon Sushi Mori because we were in the La Jolla area.

Sushi Mori doesn't have mind blowing sushi, however the sushi is a least tasty. This restaurant is probably one of the better deals for restaurants in the area.

There are plenty of pieces for each dish, so this place is good for groups. The prices are decent ( the rolls are under $10)

Most of the rolls seem to come with little American Flags...I guess this place is patriotic...

2161 Avenida de la Playa
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 551-8481

Portola Coffee Lab

A must go for a coffee aficionado!

I'm not that into coffee, but I must say that this place takes coffee to the next level.

This place is very un-starbucks. There are no big sofas, and music playing in the background. Instead there are gigantic and strange looking coffee machines brewing coffee. Most impressive is the Kyoto Dip Machine which "drips" coffee, and takes 8-9 hours to complete.

All in all a very good coffee shop. The Kyoto Drip is the best selling coffee, and sells out really fast. It has a lot of caffeine, but is the perfect pick-me-up in the afternoon

3313 Hyland Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(949) 284-0596

Berkeley Dog

Ever More sausages!

Berkeley dog is basically a OC/university style of Wurstkuche. For those that have not gone to Wurstkuche, it is a downtown LA bar/restaurant where you can choose from a variety of sausages and have some beer.

Some of the main differences:
Berkeley dog is not a bar it is almost self serve restaurant, however they have a very awesome touch screen soda machine.
Berkeley Dog also has a wide assortment mustard  and ketchup, that are very fun to play with.

The Hash Dog ($4.99) is a decent deal, however the other sausages are a bit on the pricey side. If you are looking for an adventure, without the bar scene, this is the place to go!

4249 Campus Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 387-2111

India Tandoori Grill

One of the best places for Indian Buffet Food in Torrance.

Most of the curries are very good. Although there are some curries that may be a little too exotic, there is a enough good variety and enough for anyone to enjoy. In addition to curry, there is chicken tandoori, and other various Indian deserts.

Overall service is great, if you're in the mood lunch time for some Indian food, I would suggest coming here.

3160 Pacific Coast Hwy
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 784-0846

Astro Karaoke

A nice, quaint Japanese place to relax, eat and have some sake.

Astro Karaoke isn't really a karaoke bar, its more like a small restaurant, that has a bar. The atmosphere is very relaxed, since the restaurant can only fit maybe 20 people at most.

The prices are a bit more for alcohol, but they do have a collection of different sakes. I would suggest getting the sake sample ($15 for a premium sake sampler). The sakes have their own unique flavors and they don't burn and sting like what most people think. They are generally sweet, and have some type of fruit flavoring.

I didn't get to try any food, but this place is a great place to hang out

2150 Lomita Blvd
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 530-4800