Saturday, August 5, 2023

Jatak@Copenhagen ★★★

Amazing Danish Dining with Asian Influence. Michelin Star restaurant. Reminds me a bit of Brooklyn Fare in New York. Great seasoning and sauces. The restaurant sources local, seasonal, and special ingredients. The special potato they used is only available in Germany, so one of the chefs drives to Germany to get them. Pre-fixe tasting menu $975 Danish Krone ($144 USD) per person. Wine pairing $800 Danish Krone ($118 USD) per person. Wine pairing was nice and well-balanced.

Cucumber
slightly salted shiso leaf with local cucumber and cashew butter cream

2022 Riesling from Germany

2022 Riesling from Germany

Brill
slightly salted with tomato, seasonal berries, & fennel

Burja from Slovenia

Burja from Slovenia

Courgette
cured egg yolk & basil sauce

Courgette with Burja from Slovenia

Mackerel
charcoal-smoked on skin side, beach vegetables, lettuce & sichuan pepper

barraco fior di blanco

barraco fior di blanco

New Potato (chef drove to Germany)
smoked in tea. pine nut & kombu



Varde Ådal Chicken (inspired by Cantonese style)
Swiss chard & spring onion

Varde Ådal Chicken
Swiss chard & spring onion

Bonus Dish: Chicken Thigh with Five Kinds of Peppercorn



Gooseberry
anise hyssop

Japanese Cheesecake
woodruff & chantilly

Fork from France

Black Tea $50 Danish Krone ($7 USD)
Homemade Mochi
with apricot and sage

Chicken

Restaurant Jatak
Rantzausgade 39, 2200 København
https://www.jatakcph.com/

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Yi Cha Pop-up@Melody LA Silver Lake ★★★

Yi Cha Pop-Up@Melody. July 31 - Aug 1. Nice Korean food with spiced flavors by Chef Debbie Lee, as seen on reality TV cooking show Morimoto's Sushi Master. Takacho “Regal Hawk” Sake is on the sweet side and pairs well with spicy Korean food. Very limited street parking in Silver Lake area.

Abalone Sashimi, Kimchee Mignonette $19

Kumamoto Oysters 1/2 dozen $30 (from Melody)
champan's cove, WA

Farmer's Market Crudite, Housemade Garlic Chive, Creme Fraiche, Preserved Meyer Lemon
+ House Marinated Ikura $13

Kongguksu, Northern Cold Soymilk Sesame Noodles, Tomato Muchim, Pine Nuts, Pickled Fresno
+ Shaved Bottarga (recommended) $23

Takacho “Regal Hawk” Sake $70

Hall Farmstead Wagyu Beef Robata, Scallion, Doenjang Sake Glaze $15

Braised Oxtail Tteokboki, Royal Stir-Fried Rice Cakes, Summer Vegetables, Ssamjang $23

Marinated Melon compliments of the chef

Chef Debbie Lee!

Melody
751 N Virgil Ave Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 922-6037
melodyla.com

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Sushi Tsujita@Sawtelle ★★★

Omakase Sushi with Good Pricing. Omakase Sushi for $49 (Osaka), $69 (Kyoto), and $89 (Tokyo). All includes same appetizer, hand roll, and dessert. It is not too filling but still a good amount. A la carte also available, but the Omakase Set has a much better deal. Happy to know that they also have Yamada Unaju Set (previous pop-up) for $59. Osaka Set is a good deal. Tokyo Set is also a good deal with higher quality fish, all from Japan. Dassai Blue cocktail has yuzu flavor and is on the sweet side (like the cocktails in Japan). Featured Chefs Masaru Tada & Yoshihito Hirata. Street parking is challenging on Sawtelle.

Kyoto Omakase Course $69

Awa Yuki Sparkling Sake (300mL) $20
naturally sweet & sparkling

Dassai Blue Cocktail $15
Dassai sake, blue curacao, triple sec, yuzu, tonic water

Seasonal Appetizer

Seasonal Appetizer: Oyster from Mexico

Seasonal Appetizer: Swamp Crab from Japan

Seasonal Appetizer: House Sunomono Salad

Tokyo Omakase Course $89 (all fish from Japan)

Ikura & Hokkaido Uni

Miyzaki A5 Wagyu Beef Sushi from Tokyo Course

Chef's Choice Handroll

Tsujita Signature Dessert made from Sake Rice from Japan

Tsujita Signature Dessert made from Sake Rice from Japan

Sushi Tsujita2006 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 231-1177
https://tsujita-sushi.com

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Taberu@Little Tokyo ★★★

Tokyo Comfort Food Restaurant in Little Tokyo. Great pricing and great quality. Love the Seafood Salad with fresh & crisp vegetables. Tried some Summer Menu items. Everything tasted great. Nice cocktails. Cocktails also available in 60 oz pitcher. Signature Lemon Sour had a nice Lemon Sorbet on top to mix with with a kick of sour. The Tokyo Beer Garden with 2 hours of unlimited drinking looks fun (see last pic below). Reservations available on OpenTable. Street parking at Little Tokyo is extremely challenging at night, especially on weekend nights. Opens late.

Seafood Salad $18
tuna, salmon, yellowtail, herbs, mixed seaweed with citrusy yuzu shoyu onion dressing

Signature Lemon Sour 34oz $18
fresh cut lemons

Mango Tango High $13
fresh mangoes, shochu & soda topped w/ signature homemade 100% mango sorbet

Shiso n' Gari Maki $5, Oyako Salmon Maki $11

Shiso n' Gari Maki $5

Tomato Cheese Ramen $20 (Summer Special)

Tomato Cheese Ramen $20 (Summer Special)
tomato, onion, cheddar cheese, chicken ramen, a lil' spice to beat the heat

Tokyo Laksa Noodles $19, add Soft Boiled Egg +$2
coconut curry base with shrimp, fried onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, & fried bean curd

 

Tokyo Beer Garden Promotion with food & 2 hours of Bottomless Drinks for $75-$90

Taberu
806 East 3rd St Unit 140
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 278-0198
http://Taberu-la.com

Friday, July 28, 2023

KazuNori@Mid-Wilshire ★

KazuNori Original Hand Roll Bar by Sushi Nozawa. Fast & Inexpensive. Came for late night dinner and done in 30 minutes. Don't expect high quality. Crab was good. Seaweed is a tiny bit crispy but not very crispy. Fish was not too fresh (but justified by the price). Yellowtail and Salmon were all chopped up and a bit gooey. 6 Hand Roll Set Menu is $28, which includes Toro ($5.75), Yellowtail ($5.75), Salmon ($5.50), Bay Scallop ($5.25), Crab ($6), & Lobster ($8.50). You pay $28 for $36.75 value, which is a great deal. Uni Hand Roll $17 but didn't want to try it there. The more hand roll you get in a set menu, the better deal. Opens late. No wait for later in the night. 2 hours free validated parking in lot.

Toro Hand Roll

Yellowtail Hand Roll

Salmon Hand Roll

Crab Hand Roll

Bay Scallop Hand Roll

Lobster Hand Roll

KazuNori
6245 Wilshire Blvd Ste 101
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 642-6457
handrollbar.com

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Cheng Can Cook: Sakura Shoyu Glazed Salmon Recipe ★★★

Sakura Shoyu Glazed Salmon with Cold Ume Shiso Soba Recipe from Yama Seafood. Have been wanting to try this recipe for a while. Finally get to make it. It's great. Perfect marinate for the Salmon with a kick of garlic. Soba tossed with spring plum ingredients. Great dish for spring and summer. Only thing is that the sakura/ plum ingredients add up to be a bit pricey (375mL bottle of Sakura Shoyu, Ume Shiso Salt, Plum Paste), but it's worth the investment. I would have never tried these ingredients if not for this recipe, and these will expand my culinary palette. I think adding cucumber or radish slices to this recipe would be nice too. Nice marinate and sauce. This recipe is capable of variations – the salmon could be served with rice or pasta. The soba can also be substituted with udon or pasta or serve alone. I enjoyed this recipe a lot.


Sakura Shoyu Glazed Salmon with Cold Ume Shiso Soba
Recipe from Yama Seafood:
https://www.yamaseafoodla.com/recipes

Ingredients
Salmon & Marinade
4 salmon fillets (~6 oz each)
½ cup Haku cherry blossom shoyu (soy sauce) (bought at Yama Seafood)
1 tbsp Kinjirushi plum paste (bought at Yama Seafood)
2 tbsp honey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp neutral oil

Noodles
8 oz soba noodles (can be substituted with udon; can make more noodles or make sauce 1/2 less for a milder taste)
1 tbsp ume shiso salt (bought at Yama Seafood)
¼ cup shiso leaves (perilla), finely chopped
¼ cup umeboshi (pickled plum), chopped
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil

Toppings (optional)
Furikake, green onions

Instructions:
Marinate the salmon:
● Combine the Haku cherry blossom shoyu, plum paste, honey, garlic, and ginger in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.
● Place salmon fillets in a shallow dish or plastic bag and pour marinade over salmon, massaging gently & ensuring all pieces are coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours)

Prepare the soba noodles:
● Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles and cook according to package instructions (usually 4-6 min).
● Drain noodles and rinse under cold water to remove excess starch (optional: keep noodles in ice bath until ready to assemble).

Bake the salmon and prepare glaze:
● Preheat oven to 425F. Remove salmon from marinade (set marinade aside), allowing excess to drip off to prevent salmon from burning. Place salmon, skin-side down, on a lined baking sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork (120F internal temp).
● Pour leftover marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, lower heat to medium and slowly drizzle in half the oil while stirring. Once oil has mixed in completely, add remainder of oil and continue simmering until glaze has thickened.

Assemble and serve:
● Combine the cooked soba noodles, chopped shiso leaves, chopped umeboshi, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ume shiso salt in a large bowl. Toss until mixed and noodles are evenly coated.
● Place salmon fillet on top of soba noodle salad, drizzling the sakura shoyu glaze on salmon. Garnish (optional) with furikake and green onions. Serve and enjoy!