Howdy friends! If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that I’ve been in Los Angeles for the past week or so eating up a storm (what else would I be doing?). The actual reason I’m over here is because my brother, who is back from his semester in Shanghai, got an internship over here. LA is pretty non-public transportation friendly, so my dad and I flew out here to go car shopping. Fun stuff, I tell ya. At any rate, we were able to squeeze in some gastronomical adventures and shenanigans of the random variety. So without further ado:
My brother introduced me to a chain called the Veggie Grill. If anything could convince me to turn vegetarian/vegan, it would be this chain. // Half & Half, what is it about your boba and pudding that makes me weak in the knees?
I’ve heard from multiple people that the Korean food in K-Town is better than Korea due to the availability of fresh ingredients. After spending a few days in Seoul this past winter, I’m inclined to agree. The panchan at Beverly Soon Tofu was delish. // Spotted a bunch of cute terrariums at the Grove that make my terrarium look deplorable. It doesn’t help that Nugget has eaten 2 of the 3 plants in mine =\
Bought some Venezuelan chocolate at the Grove’s farmers market to bring back to Darren. And a bar of fudge for me. // Took our dad hiking at Runyon Canyon. We took the easy path and had our dad huffing and puffing in no time.
Spent a quiet day at Hermosa Beach // Viet food at Saigon Dish – my dad’s find. Tasted allllmost like mommy’s.
Dim sum at King Hua in Monterey Park. I have never seen har gow and shiu mai this large.
More food from King Hua. As delicious as this was, I am pretty certain they put MSG in their dishes. About 30 minutes after we left, I was dragged into an MSG-induced coma. Doh.
Explored Arlington Garden near old-town Pasadena. This quite sanctuary would be a perfect place for a picnic. I was enamored with all the succulents that sprouted around the grounds. // Not just Hi-Chew. Individually wrapped Hi-Chew. Once again, Daiso wins my heart.
The bistro that we stayed at (Courtyard El Segundo by LAX) served up the cutest oatmeal . I took notes for any future guest stays at the Darwin residents. // Ramen. There is so much ramen in LA. This bowl is from Hakata in Little Osaka. I loved that the restaurant allows you to specify the hardness of your noodles (I prefer mine on the al dente side).
In case you didn’t see our previous post, our e-sesh is on the Washingtonian. Check them bad boys out.