New favorite brunch spots in LA

I've been having really yummy brunches these days, but I keep forgetting my camera so I'm borrowing these pics from other reviewers from yelp.

First up is BLD, which I discovered is super close to where I live. I've never noticed it before though, shame on me. I've gone to Toast and Doughboys many a times, but after awhile, it gets a bit old and the lines are out of control. The line at BLD was not that much better, but I'm always on the hunt for good brunch spots (aside from the usual IHOP which is unavoidable with Papa Choi), so it was worth it.

We had to wait quite a bit so we looked at their menu beforehand and firmly decided on the ricotta blueberry pancakes and the turkey sausage frittata. However, once we got seated, we eyed the couple next to us who was grinning ear to ear and raving about their fried egg sandwich. It looked really good, so we caved and ordered that instead.

The fried egg sandwich ($13) consisted of toasted sourdough bread, nueske's thick cut bacon, gruyere cheese, aioli and a side of potatoes. I feel like I could attempt to make this sandwich at home, but where can I get my hands on some nueske's thick cut bacon? It was thick and salty and paired wonderfully with the runny, golden egg yolk. Oh my lord. Wanda and I thought it was a bit oily and couldn't figure out where it was coming from, but now that I read the ingredient list, I think it was from the aioli, which melted from the heat.

Wanda and I also shared the Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes ($13), which were so fluffy and light. It was served with warm butter and Berkshire maple syrup, which was housed in a cute log cabin tin. Adorable!

I am usually not a big fan of pancakes because they end up tasting a bit bready and dry and I end up dousing the whole thing in syrup, but these made a believer out of me. I need this recipe pronto.

My second recommendation is the Alcove Cafe and Bakery in Los Feliz. We came here after hiking in Griffith Park. It's an outdoor cafe and it feels like you are eating in the front porch of someone's house. It kind of reminded me of The Cottage in La Jolla. They have tables out in front of the cafe and all along the sides. It's a cute place to just sit out and enjoy the California sun with a newspaper in hand and some yummy breakfast.

Wanda got the peach crepes ($11.95), which had about 4 thin crepes stuffed with fresh whipped cream infused with espresso and caramelized peaches. It definitely was not enough food for breakfast, but would be a tasty snack or dessert to share. I couldn't find a picture of the crepes.

James got the crab cake benedict ($13.95). It had Maryland style crab cakes made from sweet blue crab meat, fresh spinach, two poached eggs on focaccia with hollandaise and fresh chives.

I ordered the cobb omelette ($12.95), which had grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, point reyes blue cheese, tomato and avocado in it. I don't know why no one thought to make a cobb salad into an omelette before, but it's genius I tell you, genius!

They also had a huge dessert case and I am pretty sure they get their cakes from Susina. Usually when my friends have a hunkering for dessert, Susina is my go-to place, but their tables fill up pretty quick, so I think I'll take them to Alcove next time. They have the same desserts and you can sit outside on a warm night.

BLD

7450 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Alcove Cafe & Bakery

1929 Hillhurst Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Seoul in 2010

According to a recent NY Times article, Seoul is one of 31 places you should visit in 2010. Good thing I got an early start by visiting in December/January. Here's the excerpt:

Forget Tokyo. Design aficionados are now heading to Seoul. They have been drawn by the Korean capital’s glammed-up cafes and restaurants, immaculate art galleries and monumental fashion palaces like the sprawling outpost of Milan’s 10 Corso Como and the widely noted Ann Demeulemeester store - an avant-garde Chia Pet covered in vegetation. And now Seoul, under its design-obsessed mayor, Oh Se-hoon, is the 2010 World Design Capital. The title, bestowed by a prominent council of industrial designers, means a year’s worth of design parties, exhibitions, conferences and other revelries. Most are still being planned (go to wdc2010.seoul.go.kr for updates). A highlight will no doubt be the third annual Seoul Design Fair (Sept. 17 to Oct. 7), the city’s answer to the design weeks in Milan and New York, which last year drew 2.5 million people and featured a cavalcade of events under two enormous inflatable structures set up at the city’s Olympic stadium.

I've gone to Seoul quite a bit this year and it gets nicer and nicer every time I go. There's tons to see, do and eat and Seoul is such a fun city to roam around in and public transportation makes it so easy. I'll share with you some of the areas my cousins and I visited this time around.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

It used to be an elevated freeway in the middle of the city, but five years ago they did a massive restoration project to create an urban, recreational space and to reestablish the running stream that had since dried out. My mom claims it was a major eyesore when the freeway was there, but now, it's a beautiful place to rest and relax in the middle of downtown Seoul. During the summer, it's packed with people cooling off, enjoying the cool breeze from the running stream. Even in the dead of winter, it was quite lovely.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung is an old royal palace situated right in the middle of modern Seoul. It was first built in 1394 during the Joseon Dynasty, later destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20th century and is still being restored to its original form. It's very historic and is a lovely oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city right outside its walls.

Kimchi Field Museum (Coex Mall)

The Kimchi Field Museum is a really small museum that explains the history of kimchi and shows plastic displays of different types of kimchi. Kind of cute, but it would be really cool if they had Korean grandmas making kimchi there. Wishful thinking, huh? It would be very informative to someone who is new to Korean cuisine though.

Gangnam

The area around Gangnam subway station has a lot of restaurants, bars and cafes and is known for its nightlife. It's also now known as the "U-street" not for its shape, but because it allows "ubiquitous" access to the Internet and media. What's up with Koreans using American words or terms to refer to certain areas in Seoul? (Why, oh why, would you want to have a "Rodeo" Street in Apgujeong? Sorry for the digression.) Do you see the tall white LCD display thing next to Baskin Robbins? That's one of 22 media poles showing various images and ads facing the road side. There are constant multimedia images being projected on it.

If you walk up to these poles, you will see that there are ads on the top and at eye level, they have these touch screen that allows people to search maps, read the news and check transportation information. No fret, you don't have to know Korean to use these media poles, you can read the information in English, Chinese and Japanese. You can even play video games (my cousin Allen will appreciate this feature) and can also send yourself an email postcard, yes, these media poles even take pictures of you. I didn't get to verify it, but apparently, these media poles also provide free wifi. They are working on teleportation features for next year. I kid, I kid.

Myeongdong

Myeongdong is basically a shopping area, but there's tons of good eateries nearby. It's especially fun at night when street vendors come out in full force selling clothing, accessories and our favorite, street food. It's jammed pack at night and on the weekends.

Insadong

Insadong is known for its antiques, artwork and Korean crafts. I love the pottery here. The district is known for its traditional Korean cuisine as well.

Hangang Park

Hangang Park is a park right along the Han River where city dwellers can get some fresh air while walking, running or biking. They have basketball courts, soccer fields and several outdoor exercise equipment. For those that want to just enjoy the view, there are several restaurants and cafes set up along the river as well. During the summer, you'll even see some ferry boats and jet skiers. Here's a gorgeous sunset my mom and I saw one day while going on a walk.

I hope you enjoyed my recap of my Korea and Vietnam trip. I hope you guys get to visit Seoul for yourself soon along with the other 30 places to see in 2010.

Pete - guess which country is on the list?

Ch-ch-ch-chia what?

I've been lazy these days and haven't been cooking much. I've just been devouring mounds and mounds of soba noodles these days because it's so hot, it's easy to make and it's healthy. I just grate up some radish, chop up some green onion and add the garnishes to my store bought bottle of soba dipping sauce and I have a simple and quick meal all under 10 minutes. I've been going through bottles of the soba dipping sauce like diet coke in my hay day so I may have to start making my own sauce at home. That might be worthy of a upcoming post.

So anyways, since I haven't been cooking much, I will take this time to introduce two new staples in my kitchen.

One is chia seeds. I know, what you are thinking, do you mean a chia pet? Well, they are definitely related. Remember those clay figurines that you would water and in time sprouts would grow making it look like fur. Well, those sprouts are in fact from chia seeds and it turns out those seeds are quite healthy for you. Who knew? According to the package, chia is native to Central America and has been used for over 3000 years. Chia has a high fiber content, making it absorb more than 10 times its weight in water. Chia contains a rich source of pure omega 3 fatty acids and contains other antioxidants. Chia's soluble fiber forms a gel that slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, binding it to toxins in the digestive system and helps eliminate waste.

My friend J is the one who first told me about chia seeds (along with flax seeds, goji berries, kombucha, basically anything health related, I hear from J first). She went on and on about how delicious they were in pudding and how they tasted like tapioca, so I thought it was worth a shot. Here's what I found when I opened the jar.

It looks like miniature black and white sesame seeds. The only qualm I have about them is the smell. It's what I imagine a chia pet to smell like, if in fact they were real. So as you can see, I'm not the biggest fan of the smell and my goal these days is to try to incorporate it into foods that mask the smell.

The first concoction I made was to make the pudding J raved about. J suggested putting the seeds in soy milk or almond milk and making a pudding out of it. All you do is get a cup of soy milk or almond milk and stir in a scoop of these seeds. I suggest putting it in the refrigerator and stirring it from time to time because it will clump up. It's pretty neat to see it absorb the liquid and form into this gel-like substance. It definitely has an easier time absorbing the almond milk than the soy milk, I'm not sure why. I've tried eating it after it's absorbed the milk with some sweetener, like agave nectar, but again the smell kind of gets to me.

While J, who genuinely loves the taste of kombucha and raw kale smoothies, thinks chia seeds taste like tapioca, I will provide the soomeenshee review of this pudding. Although it does have the look of tapioca, the seeds don't get completely soft, so it still has a bite and a weird smell. So while some may be convinced that it tastes like tapioca, I prefer to add some other texture to it so the bite isn't as noticeable. I prefer to leave it in soy milk or almond milk overnight and then in the morning, I add some more milk, crunchy cereal and blueberries to it. It makes for an interesting bowl of cereal/pudding that is far more appetizing than eating it plain with milk.

Another way to enjoy chia seeds is to put them in aqua fresca. You can make any variation you like, but I add scoops of chia seeds to a jar of lemonade. Refrigerate the lemonade and let the chia seeds get bloated and happy. When you gulp it down, you might mistake the chia seeds for lemon segments, but you've just fooled yourself into consuming a spoonful of dietary fiber and omega-3's. Now if you're curious where to get these seeds, I think there are cheaper sources online, but I bought my jar of chia seeds from whole foods for $20.

Last but not least, next to the bottle of chia seeds, you will see a package of Good Earth "Sweet & Spicy Herbal Tea." A friend introduced this tea to me awhile ago and it tastes exactly like Korean cinnamon tea (sujeonggwa) that you usually get at Korean restaurants as dessert. It's so good. I would never in a million years attempt to make sujeonggwa, which apparently is made from dried persimmons, cinnamon and ginger mostly because I don't want to know how much sugar goes into the drink, but who knew the good people at Good Earth, made a sugar free version in easy to brew tea bags. The great thing about this tea is that it is naturally sweet. Yes, you heard me, no sugar. I'll list the ingredients here for you.

Ingredients: Red Rooibos, Chicory Root, Artificial Flavor, Rosehips, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Papaya, Chamomile, Panax Ginseng Leaves, Anise Seed, Ginger Root, Dandelion Root, Orange Peel and Orange Oil.

I have no clue what makes this tea sweet and delicious but you really have to go out and put some in your cupboard for when I come to visit. It's caffeine free and sugar free, what more could you ask for? I bought mine at Trader Joe's, but if there isn't one near you, tell me and I will mail you some.