Two weeks ago, I went down to LA for a quick trip, a trip that was quicker than I thought, but that's OK.
One of my main goals for this trip was to eat at new places. We'e been to LA a bunch of times over the past years, and we just kept eating at the same places because they were too good (hi, Daikokuya and Toe Bang). And? Mission accomplished. Of course, I couldn't skip out on getting Horchata boba from Boba 7 though. It's just way too damn good.
FAIRFAX, ORANGE JUICE, SLUT
eggslut // Los Angeles, CA
First up was eggslut. I saw this place on an episode of Best Ever on Foot Network. I looked it up on Yelp and knew it had to be on the list. Apparently, their lines can get very long, but luckily, it wasn't too bad when we went. And... YUM.
On the left is Fairfax, which is soft scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo in a house-made buttermilk biscuit (instead of a brioche bun) with bacon added.
On the right is one of their specialities, Slut, which is a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar, served with a demi baguette.
And of course, we had to have orange juice. I'm not a huge breakfast fan, but this is definitely on the top of the list.
PORTOBELLO FRIES, LOBSTER NAGE, CLAM LINGUINI
Bottega Louie // Los Angeles, CA
Next, we had Bottega Louie. I heard about this place before and saw that they were one of the top rated places in Yelp - 4 stars in 10.5k reviews. Little did I know, it was RIGHT next to Boba 7. Passing by, you can't really tell it's Bottega Louie unless you really look up at the sign.
We had the portobello fries, served with aioli, and the lobster nage soup, which has a piece of poached Maine lobster, cauliflower panna cotta, golden raisins, and roasted almonds.
For our entree, we had the clam linguini with manilla clams, cockles, white wine, shallots, garlic, red chili pepper, fleur de sel, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil.
PISTACHIO, EARL GREY, STRAWBERRY, BANANA FOSTER MACARONS
Bottega Louie // Los Angeles, CA
Bottega Louie's house special dessert is the chocolate souffle, but knowing that there were macarons AND we were getting Boba 7 after, I decided to skip out on it.
Their smallest box only comes in five flavors, so I picked up pistachio (Sicilian pistachios & white chocolate ganache), earl grey (earl grey infused milk chocolate ganache), strawberry (strawberry buttercream & candied strawberries), and two banana fosters (fresh banana ganache with caramelized chocolate and dark rum), which was the special flavor of the month. Definitely the best macarons I've ever had!
APPLE MINT LEMONADE, SPICY SALMON RICE BOWL, CHICKEN PLATE
YUKO KITCHEN // Los Angeles, CA
The next day, we went to YUKO KITCHEN. I honestly don't remember how I came across this place -- I might've been craving for some sort of poke, saw it on Yelp and bookmarked it. But oh my, this place was SO good. It was a little confusing on how to get in -- another customer who was trying to get in were just as confused as us. There was patio seating all around (SO CUTE, by the way!), and the door just wasn't very obvious that it was the front -- it seemed like it could've been a backdoor for employees.
I had the spicy salmon rice bowl with spicy salmon, smelt eggs, cucumber, raddish, green onion, rice and greens. ABSOLUTELY loved it.
The chicken plate is a "special plate," which has teriyaki chicken, rice, four pieces of spicy salmon roll, green salad, shot of tomato bisque (soup of the day), and a mini dessert. The mini dessert had three pieces of cookies, including green tea strawberry, which was cold, served with whip cream. YUM!
We also noticed a few people getting this green slushy drink. Curious, we asked them what it was and it turns out it was their mint lemonade, which also comes in an apple flavor (fresh lemonade, fresh mint leaf, apple, and crushed ice). It was so, so refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.
ROCKY ROAD, CHOCOLATE-COVERED BANANA, BANANA SPLIT, WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA COOKIES
Milk Jar Cookies // Los Angeles, CA
Our last stop was Milk Jar Cookies, which happened to be right around the corner of YUKO KITCHEN. The place was also totally adorable. I read on Yelp that the banana split was a must-have, and I just love anything banana (real bananas, of course -- artificial banana flavor is gross).
We got the banana split, chocolate covered banana, rocky road, chocolate chip, and white chocolate chip macadamia. They're thick, but I loved how they have banana flavors -- not your typical cookies. (Anthony's Cookies still the top in my book).
Overall, I'd say this was a very successful foodie adventure. Because the trip was so short, I am looking forward to next time so I can try some of those places I missed (e.g., Eight Korean BBQ, Churros Calientes, Bossa Nova, and more!). Until next time, LA.