In-N-Out Burger

If you haven't had In-N-Out Burger yet.... you need to reconsider your life priorities. This is the BOMB. After a crazy weekend of EDC and clubbing at Vegas we left Vegas with a bang by going to In-N-Out and grabbing some glorious fries and burgers. We had some other meals in Vegas too but I will post those later (steak again so I wanted a break between that and Mastros). There are various locations (sadly none in NYC yet...) so just search them up and eat away!

Mastro's revisited (hell yes)

Hello! I am now in New York and have been SO busy getting settled along with orientation therefore has had very little time to update. I am absolutely loving New York and so excited to start my journey as a graduate student at Columbia. Moving to New York also means a whole new array of food reviews so I hope you all are ready! But before I can get onto the New York posts (I already have some lined up!) I still have a buttload of LA ones! I finally feel like my room is a bit less cluttered and orientation starts a bit later tomorrow morning so I am going to indulge in a bit of blogging :) Mastro's has long been a favorite of mine since that fateful first bite into the heavenly bone in ribeye. It was a MUST GO for me this trip and it did not disappoint. T and C felt that the steak was a bit too fatty but that was exactly what I loved. It wasn't that the steak was overly fat and of low quality, the fat distribution was just a bit higher and the flavor from the fat was quite strong (NOM).

We got the ribeye and the sirloin. Delicious delicious. I won't go into detail about Mastro's but I fugging love it.

Blu Jam Cafe

Blu Jam Cafe is known to serve the most amazing french toast in the world and the first time I laid eyes upon these babies were on my friend J's instagram. They truly looked out of this world and after reading review after view on Yelp I was SO happy that I got to actually indulge in these myself. Blu Jam cafe is located in Melrose Avenue so it was perfect as we wanted to do some shopping afterwards. There was a bit of wait but the food and service was definitely worth it. Note: the servings are FRIGGING MASSIVE. We felt a bit bad as we could barely finish the food and even though we really did try our best we hardly made a dent in the mountain of food. We also had a rather intense night the night before so perhaps we weren't on our prime eating form.

Tari's Gang woohoo! 

Migas - Spicy Combination of eggs scrambled with jalapeños, chipotle, beef chorizo sausage, red bell peppers, tortilla chips and mozzarella, topped with homemade tomato salsa, served with corn tortillas and potatoes 
Can you tell how ridiculously huge this plate of food was? It could seriously feed a dinosaur. The eggs were creamy, smooth, and bursting with flavor. The spiciness along with the tang from the tomato salsa provided the perfect kick to my taste buds and invigorated my appetite. The corn tortillas were perfectly crispy and went extremely well with the creamy eggs. The potatoes were also sliced to the ideal size so that each piece was nice and crunchy. 

Steak and Eggs - Grilled Niman Ranch beef tenderloin with gorgonzola cheese, caramelized onions, red potatoes, topped with two sunny up eggs and hollandaise 
This was C's dish and I only tried a bite but he said that it was very good. I could tell from my bite that the steak was tender and well flavored. Only downfall was that C forgot we were eating Mastro's that night so he had steak for both meals which could be a win for some.

Crunchy French Toast - Egg brioche dipped in batter, rolled in crunchy corn flakes and grilled to perfection, topped with fresh fruit, served with vanilla bean sauce 
Oh boy oh boy the infamous french toast finally arrives! This was absolutely diiiivine. The cornflakes made these the crunchiest most decadent french toasts ever. The crunchy exterior enveloped a creamy sweet inside and the fruits were fresh and sweet. The vanilla bean sauce was also smooth and delicious. Heaven on a plate.

Uptown - Oven-roasted turkey breast, sliced tomato, cucumber, mayo, Dijon mustard, avocado and provolone cheese on toasted ciabatta 
This was T's sandwich and I also got a small bite of it. The bread was toasted perfectly and the filling was generous and went together very well. The avocado was lovely and ripe and the mustard and mayo provided a tangy creamy sauce for the sandwich. A very solid sandwich.

Blu Jam Cafe served some delicious food and the ambiance was warm and cozy. Service was also friendly. The food was well made and very comforting, a definitely must visit particularly for french toast lovers! All the food was delicious but I felt that the french toast was what made this place stand out.

Blu Jam Cafe

7371 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles

CA 90036

USA 

Ink

As you all must have expected, I did a crazy amount of research and planning before my trip to LA to ensure that I would be able to savor all the newest restaurants along with my old favorites. It was actually slightly stressful trying to cram everything in and I knew I would probably have to stop eating for a few days after this pig out trip galore. Ink is the signature restaurant of Michael Voltaggio, the winner of Season 6 of "Top Chef". This fact alone can already guarantee that this restaurant will create a substantial amount of buzz and Ink has been described as the most eagerly anticipated restaurant in years. As if this weren't enough, Ink was also named "Best Restaurant in America" by GQ and Voltaggio was also awarded the Best New Chef Award by Food & Wine. With such impressive accolades, I knew I had to make a reservation ASAP and get my butt over to Ink. Another reason we had to go to Ink was because T is a complete nutter for steak tartare and Ink is rumored to serve some of the best in LA. Making a reservation was surprisingly not stressful at all with OpenTable (I laaaave OpenTable) and making changes to the number of people was also a breeze. The decor at Ink was quite simple while maintaing a edgy and modern vibe. The hostess and servers were all friendly and service was professional and swift. It was really dim in the restaurant so it was quite hard to take decent photos therefore some used flash while some didn't.

Charred Avocado, Dungeness Crab, Almond Sponge, Smoked Oil
The flavors in this dish was quite interesting but it was not my favorite by any means. The crab was nice and sweet and the avocado was charred nicely to result in a smokey and creamy taste. I quite disliked the almond sponge... it tasted like overly mushy bread soaked in a strange almond liquid. 

Oysters, Half Dozen, Mignonette Ice
The oysters were very fresh and the mignonette ice was a nice innovative touch as it made the oysters even more refreshing.

Asparagus cooked in hay, Goat's Milk Ice, Medjool Date
The first thing that we noticed from this dish was the interesting plating. ALL the food was swept to one side of a large place. The asparagus were cooked perfectly, maintaining a great crispy while not undercooked. The flavoring however was nothing to get excited over, the goat's milk ice was a bit strange for my palate but I will give credit in that it is an interesting approach. 

Beef Tartare, Hearts of Palm, Sea Bean Chimichurri, Horseradish, Rye
The dish that T has been watching for... and it didn't disappoint! The tartare's flavor was less savory and acidic as the traditional version which I personally preferred but my dining party still enjoyed this dish. This version was slightly more sweet but the flavor combination was still well executed and harmonized. 

Hamachi, Citrus Kosho, Smoked Buttermilk, Tomato, Oaxacan Cheese
The textures of this dish was what stood out. The flavors weren't very exciting, it tasted fine but was not particularly innovative. I do praise the usage of various ingredients though to achieve a nice balance of textures. The hamachi was firm and smooth, the smoked buttermilk was creamy and soft, and the cheese provided that much needed crunch. 

Cottage Toast, Broccoli, Quail Eggs, Uni
This dish was definitely a treat for the eyes. I was lucky that my friend C did not like uni much so she gave me extra :)! This dish was quite comforting as the ingredients created a enjoyable flavor yet I felt the addition of uni may not be needed as all the ingredients actually mask the flavor of the uni. The addition of uni is actually optional on the menu. 

Buckwheat Noodles, Golden Roe, Smoked Cream, Espellete
Blech I hated this dish. I was actually rather excited for this but it was nauseatingly fishy. Our table was very divided on this dish, some quite liked it while I found it to be quite repulsive. 

I actually forgot the name of this dish..... I tried to search on yelp but can't! 

Octopus, Ink, Shells, Young Fennel, Pimento
This dish was one of the stars of the dinner. The octopus had a gorgeous smokey flavor and was grilled to perfection. I never really thought I would enjoy octopus much but this changed my mind. 

Suckling Pig, Mustard Bavaroise, Green Apple, Miso, Chicarron
I was near exploding point by the time this dish came. I had a small bite and remember it was quite nice. The suckling pig was tender and the skin was crispy and nicely colored. The addition of green apples also provided a tangy sweet element to offset the fattiness of the pork.

Corn, Housemade Doritos, Nori, Green Onion
I felt that the corn could be slightly less mushy and more creamy... the doritos were a nice touch and the idea overall was very interesting. The flavors were also quite delicious but the only complaint is the texture. 

Overall, I think Ink was a very interesting dining experience, but would I make a point to return? Probably not. Maybe I am just not a big fan of these innovation cooking techniques but I just didn't think it was a dining experience where I would be eagerly urging my friends to go. I can definitely see the passion and the creativity involved so I do think that if you are into this type of innovative cuisine it could be worth your while.

Ink

8360 Melrose Avenue 

Los Angeles

CA 90069

USA

Korean Marinaded Chicken Filet, Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze, and Toasted Avocado

Hello! When I first started this blog, I had a lot of posts that featured my own cooking and recipes, but as the blog developed, it mostly revolved around restaurant reviews. I have had a couple of friends telling me about how much they enjoyed my recipes and how they learnt how to make a specific dish from my blog. Hearing such things has always made me so happy so I will make it a point to include more cooking/recipe posts!

This was a meal I made for T and I didn't take too many step by step pictures as I was not originally planning to post this! T is always talking about his salads and chicken breasts and I wanted to make him something just as healthy but a little bit more interesting. I got my Brussels Sprouts recipe from The Pioneer Woman and just made some minor adjustments. The recipes here are super simple and T seemed to have quite enjoyed it even though he was suffering from a raging hangover :)

Korean Marinated Chicken

Ingredients
- Chicken filets
- Korean Marinade (you can get these in most supermarkets but I am certain they have it at City Super and the supermarket in SOGO. The one I used was actually for beef kalbi but it worked really well with the chicken too!
- Ziplock bag (This is not essential as you can also marinade the meat in a bowl but I had to bring the ingredients to T's house to cook it therefore the ziplock bag was very convenient)

Directions
1) Wash and pat dry the chicken filets with paper towels.
2) Poke holes into the chicken filets with a fork. This will help the marinade penetrate the meat more. 
3) Place chicken filets in the ziplock bag and pour in a decent amount of marinade. I did not measure the amount but you need to make sure that there is enough marinade for all the chicken pieces to be submerged and exposed to the marinade.
4) Close the bag (duh) and massage around the chicken to ensure that the marinade is distributed evenly and that all the pieces of chicken are covered. 
5) Place in fridge and marinate overnight. 

The next day

1) Heat olive oil in a frying pan and allow the pan to get quite hot in order to get a nice browning on the chicken.
2) Cook each side for approximately 5 minutes. After browning the chicken for around 1 minute, turn down the heat or else it will be burnt. 

Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze 

Ingredients
- 2 packs of Brussels Sprouts (I forgot to check how large each bag was but you can get a estimate of the amount from the pictures. These were washed and trimmed already but I still trimmed off some stalks and gave them a quick rinse anyways)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 
- Salt and Pepper 

Directions 
1) Preheat oven to 375˚F/180˚C
2) Trim and wash the Brussels Sprouts. Lightly pat dry with paper towels. Do not get rid of the leaves that fall out, they turn deliciously crispy when baked! 
3) I preferred my Brussels Sprouts to be halved but I kept the smaller ones intact. 
4) Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and pour in the Brussels Sprouts. 

5) Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss to distribute evenly. 

6) Bake for around 25-30 minutes or until the Brussels Sprouts are nicely golden. The glaze takes around 15 minutes to make so plan accordingly. 

Tip: do not be fooled by the color on the top, it will be slightly golden but the bottom of the sprouts which are touching the foil will be very nicely browned. If you wait until the top is very brown the bottom will most likely be burnt! 

Making the Glaze 

1) Pour 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar into a pot and simmer for 15 minutes until the vinegar is nice and thick. The Pioneer Woman recipe called for sugar too but I felt that the reduced vinegar is quite sweet enough. 
2) Drizzle the glaze over the Brussels Sprouts and toss around. 

Toasted Avocado

This is pretty straight forward, you can easily eat the avocado as it is but T wanted to contribute to the cooking and I do think that the toasting of the avocado does make it slightly more creamy :) Sprinkle with some black pepper. 

Tada!