October 10, 2008 3

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar (San Francisco: Hayes Valley)

//// By in 04: SF+Bay Area

Gotta clear up some old entries. Went to the Bay area for the labor day weekend to visit Jon’s family. We crossed over to San Francisco one night to try go to this German place called Suppenkuche (means “Soup kitchen”) but it was closed that day. With disappointment we walked around the cool Hayes Valley neighbourhood and realized many other restaurants were closed due to the holiday too. Absinthe Brasserie & Bar was one of the few places that was open. We felt a bit under dress since it seems like a “scene bar” type of place. We got a table at the bar area despite no reservation, though it was a rather small table for 4 people.

The menu is standard French brasserie fare. It’s quite pricey but that’s expected at San Francisco.

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Papardelle with wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, herbs, red wine, shaved pate de cabra. It’s not mine but I had a bite, it was very good!

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Pan roasted duck breast with escarole, chanterelles, polenta with bacon, huckleberry duck sauce. Another outstanding dish.

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I was a bit sick that day so I just got a side dish of beets (see below) and a salad: Frisee – baby leeks vinaigrette, house-smoked bacon, fried duke egg. Fines herbs, caviar. Wow it’s really delicious. I love the vinaigrette and the bacon gave a ,

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Slow cooked pork confit with cranberry beans, padron peppers, cherry tomatoes, sweet herb aioli. Very Hearty. My side plate of Roasted mixed beets with toasted hazelnuts, orange oil, peppercress, sicilian sea salt. I was surprised at how something so simple can taste so wonderful. The orange oil gave a wonderful fragrance and love the combine of beets and hazelnuts.

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I forgot what the dessert was. It was tasty also.

We were actually surprised at how delicious everything was since it wasn’t our original destination and had little knowledge of the place (I’m not so familiar with the wonderful SF dining scene). Freda and I are heading up to Napa Valley and the bay area for a wedding this weekend, so more bay area entries coming soon.

Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
398 Hayes Streetm San Francisco, CA 94102

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October 9, 2008 9

Royal/T (Culver City)

//// By in 13: Culver City

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DSCN4479Last year when I first heard about Royal-T I felt rather ambivalent about it. The idea of reinventing “Maid cafe” into a hip artsy thing is just such an oxymoron. For those who’re familiar with maid cafes in Japan would know that they’re for otakus. It’s a geeky thing, it’s not supposed to be hip. It was meant to be a “safe haven” for male anime geeks to feel like they can be themselves without feeling self conscious and intimidated by “trendy/hip environment”. Of course the main attraction is the cute girls in anime style maid outfits who treat them like kings and call them masters. So yeah turning it into a hip artsy thing is such an irony as that was exactly the kind of place driven otakus to turn to the Maid cafe culture.

Anyways, I am however interested in the idea of a cafe right inside of an art gallery. I love the space a lot. Converted from a warehouse, it was spacious with expose wood ceiling and ceiling windows. Though I wish there weren’t all these big glass panels caged around the art works. The mod-rococo chandeliers and design flatware reminded me of La Mill Coffee. There were two maids working when we were there for afternoon tea and dessert. Thank goodness they don’t call you “master” ^^;; They do however have very cute maid uniforms!

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I got the Royal/T Milk tea. Black tea with rose petals, pieces of fruit and vanilla, brewed in soymilk. It was really good! The combination of rose and vanilla with black tea smells wonderful. It came in a big pot so it is big enough for 2-3 people.

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Espresso (love the cup, it’s so light) and Sesame bean sensation. The sesame mousse cake was tasty but pricey ($7.50). There’s breakfast, sandwiches and salad on the menu but my friend said they’re mediocre. I will give them a try myself next time I go there.

Toward the end one maid was gone and the other was tired and went on break so it was just a regular server serving tables instead. One table asked “where are the maids?” and the maid who’s sitting at the back just waved at them and then continue her break. Perhaps there’s a shortage of maids?

Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6300

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October 8, 2008 2

Cafe Flore (Beverly Hills)

//// By in 10: Beverly Hills

Cafe Flore is a lovely local neighborhood French cafe with a flowery exterior and interior, I passed by a few times thinking it was a flower shop. The menu include a range from breakfast, cheese plate, crepes to steak…all on the rather pricey side.

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Flammekueche Flore $14.95 French ‘pizza’ from Alsace, aka Tarte Flambée, Salmon, tomato and mushroom with sour cream, dill and lemon juice sauce. It didn’t look like Tarte Flambée, instead the thin crust is more like a puff pastry. Maybe that’s how it is it? The sautee mushroom provide a nice texture. It’s delicious nonetheless.

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Their logo bearing signature dessert is this mousse named Plaisir. The flavors du jour were Caramel Mousse and mango. It’s smooth and rich but a bit too sweet for me.

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Nothing can rival a simple Nutella Crepe~

I haven’t tried enough to form an opinion about the food, but my lunch experience was pleasant. The fact that I want to try most things on the menu is a good sign. It got very crowded after 1pm.

Cafe Flore
214 S Robertson Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211

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October 6, 2008 6

Kyochon (Koreatown)

//// By in 07: Mid-Wilshire

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It was one of those days I suddenly craved unhealthy junk food. So even though I’m not a fan of fried chicken, it was a good chance to give the Korean fried chicken chain Kyochon a try as my friend once raved about it. The interior was more designy than I expect, and it was packed.

It’s a fast food joint but the price is not exactly cheap. We got 4 small wings that cost $5 and a $15.99 combo that includes 6 small drumsticks + salad (with chop fried chicken pieces) + soda. The salad was not good at all, I wish I got the rice instead (or just stick with fried chicken only).

The fried chicken was outstanding! The skin was lightly battered and double fried, so it’s very crispy and thin — exactly how I like it. We got the garlic soy sauce flavor and it was very delicious! I prefer the wings over the sticks because the meat were more moist and juicy.

Pity they don’t serve beer, it would have been perfect with the food. My junk food cravings was satisfied though I felt unhealthy and regretted a little afterward.

Kyochon
3833 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 739-9292

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October 2, 2008 5

Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori & Shabu Shabu (Monterey Park)

//// By in 01: San Gabriel, Favorite Food Entries

This Los Angeles chain opened a Yakitori + Shabu-Shabu branch at Monterey Park a year ago. Last week they celebrated their first year anniversary with 50% off on all yakitori. My friend and I had to line up for more than an hour.

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The appetizers menu is surprising big. Baked Yam with Butter. Golden and buttery, yummy!

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Red Snapper Carpaccio with Pink Peppers and Lemon, good!

By the time it was our turn, most of the ‘specials’ were sold out, what a pity. But there’re still a lot of interesting stuffs to get.

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Heart (not too hard, good!), Thigh with Green Onion (Salt Flavor), Cartilage, Pig Intestine (thin and crispy, very good!)
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Liver (wow, not dry at all! Smooth and light~) and Beef Tongue (so good!)

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Beef Tendon (lightly crisp on the outside, tender and chewy on the inside, my favorite of the night!) Chicken Skin (grilled evenly and tasty, it’s my other favorite of the night).

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Bacon wrapped Quail Egg.

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Grill Rice Ball and Sausage.

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Pork Belly and Shiso Basil Wrapped with Pork Slice: the wrapping pork slice was very thin (better than bacon)! Chicken Meatball.

The hearty and loud staff with their constant greetings/farewell and beer drinking provided a wonderful party atmosphere. It’s a fun place to hang out. When the bill came, our jaws dropped at how cheap it was with the 50% off discount…the long wait was worthwhile!

Shin-Sen-Gumi Yakitori & Shabu-Shabu 626-943-7956
111 N. Atlantic Blvd.Monterey Park, CA 91754

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