Maneki, Seattle

Whenever I do a Seattle weekend trip, I never fail to make a reservation for Maneki for a quick Japanese fix. Located in a secluded corner of international district, with all the construction going on, you will often drive by and totally miss it. Street parking ard the area during dinner time isn’t easy to find. Without a reservation, you either have to head there right when they open or after 8.30pm. So be sure to make your reservations dayS in advance. All that aside.. the restaurant is pretty cozy and the food at Maneki is GREAT! never fails to perk me up after every meal at Maneki 😀

Sashimi

2 things not to miss! black cod collar miso and sashimi! The black cod collar miso is probably the best black cod miso i ever had! As for sashimi, I usually just pick what I like and they will lay it out in that gigantic plate. They also offer a chef choice for those that aren’t as picky.

Black Cod Collar Miso

Some Maneki trivial.. Apparently, the elderly woman that serves you at the front desk is the daughter of the owner. And they have been in operation since 1904!

More Sashimi

Maneki
304 6th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: (206) 622-2631
Cell: (425) 954-6469
Hours: Tue-Sun 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm

Tatsu Ramen, Los Angeles

Greeted by 3 ipads on the wall at the entrance of the ramen joint that opened 23 May by Ryu Isobe, a recent USC graduate, who walks around the restaurant and chat with customers. On the walls of the restaurant, there was a photo of him and a short paragraph that gives a brief introduction about his life. From what I could remember, Tokyo, Japan, son of actor, Hiroshi Isobe, Hawaii, USC, best entrepreneur program in Los Angeles, wanted ramen in US to be like that of Tokyo, learned from pro Jap chefs, Tatsu = Dragon. Pretty sure I missed some stuff but I think I got most of the main parts.

Naked Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen

Anyway, the concept was pretty interesting with the ipads on the wall and ordering and payment was done right at the ipads. The app was clean with a white background and nice pictures. The ramen was fully customizable with only 2 types of ramen, tonkotsu ramen and naked ramen. Customization includes amount of garlic, green onions, spiciness, pork or chicken or tofu and egg (sweet corn, seaweed and garlic cloves are free). Apparently they have “holy water” for free too LOL. The ramen was kinda too oily for my liking but I have heard many mixed reviews from friends that visited. Suggestions to maybe include the amount of oil in ramen and strength of soup base like that of Shin Sen Gumi would be good. Other than that props for opening till the latest on Sawtelle.

Tatsu Ramen
2123 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 684-2889
Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed, Sun 11 am – 12 am
Thu-Sat 11 am – 3 am

Nong La Cafe, Los Angeles

Not having to drive in the traffic for hours to Westminster or SGV for some legit vietnamese food? Finally, some decent vietnamese food on Sawtelle, sandwiched between SushiStop and Tsujita LA! Nongla Cafe, family business owned by mother, Khanh Phan, brother and sister, Victor and Elaine Phuong.

Thit Nuong Bun (Grilled Pork)

Nem Nuong Cuon (Pork Rolls)

Thit Nuong Banh Mi (Grilled Pork)

Bo Bun Hue

They opened their doors on 20 May but never had a chance to try it till a week ago. This place is always super packed. Partially also because there was only 10-15 tables thus seating is really limited. The food and service was great and everyone was really friendly! On the plus side, you can call in and do take out orders.

Nong La Cafe
2055 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 268-1881
Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun 11:30 am – 10 pm

Bao Dim Sum House, Los Angeles

All day dimsum? almost unheard of. The interior decor looks totally like PF Chang. Typical of asian fusion restaurants. Dimsum was alright to satisfy craving near the West Hollywood area. Not having to travel all the way to San Gabriel Valley was a huge plus. They have a bar area and eating dimsum at the bar does sound pretty cool. Dimsum with alcohol? (read: interesting)

Front: Pork and Shrimp Shumai
Back: Crystal Shrimp Dumpling (Ha Gow)

Front: Juicy Pork Dumpling (Xiao Long Bao)
Back: Crystal Shrimp Dumpling (Ha Gow)

Front: Radish Cake w/ Chinese Sausage
Back: Pork and Shrimp Shumai

Front: Hainan Chicken
Back: Steamed BBQ Pork Bun

If you wanted something really authentic and legit, go SGV. Otherwise this will be enough to satisfy your dimsum craving for a couple more bucks. Definitely with much better service than anywhere in SGV. By the way, they had quite a big vase of lilies at the entrance which made the waiting area smell really good.

Front: Egg Custard Tart
Back: Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Bao Dim Sum House also recently created a new site that lets customers order online on both desktop and also a mobileapp. With a prep time of 25 mins and a section where you can addon special instructions for each order. Pretty cool interface.

Bao Dim Sum House
8256 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-6556
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am – 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am – 10:30 pm
Sun 10:30 am – 9:30 pm

Johnson House Boo Dae Jji Gae, Los Angeles

Boo Dae Jji Gae

Special Hot & Spicy Assorted Soup Restaurant located in the Boiling Crab plaza in Ktown. They used to only have a korean menu but they also included an english menu. The staff don’t quite understand english though. Valet parking is available in the plaza for 2 bucks and they are open till 5am daily!

Anyway I was looking up Boo Dae Jji Gae and found out that it originated from a city called Uijeongbu in Seoul after Korean war. It is also commonly known as Johnson Tang. Apparently, Johnson being a common American last name and Tang meaning soup. People made use of remain food like spam and hot dogs from US Army and added it into their traditional spicy soup with gochujang and kimchi. Over the years, the recipe was modernized to include ramen, American cheese, ground beef, bacon, green onions, sliced sausages and mushrooms like the Boo Dae Jji Gae available at Johnson House.

Johnson House Boo Dae Jji Gae
3377 Wilshire Blvd
Ste 100
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Neighborhood: Koreatown
Tel: (213) 389-9946
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am – 5 am

Golden Gate Bakery, San Francisco

A chinese bakery located in the hearts of Chinatown in San Francisco. They are famous for their egg tarts and probably one of the better ones I had in the States. You can hardly miss this place if you walk by Grant Ave as there’s always a long line. Trust me. As long as they are open, the traffic never ends. However, they are frequently out on vacation or they are just not open. It doesn’t help that the service is like that of a classic asian place but what do you expect in Chinatown right?

Egg Tarts

My first encounter with their egg tarts were when my aunt bought home a dozen of them. She refused to eat them unless she just got them at the bakery. They tasted pretty good even when its cold. So I had to make a trip down to Chinatown to check them out myself. Obviously it did taste better when it was freshly baked. Definitely get a dozen for 15 bucks when you happen to be in the area. Oh one last note, as usual Chinatown = Cash Only.

Golden Gate Bakery
1029 Grant Ave
(between Jackson St & Pacific Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Tel: (415) 781-2627
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun 8 am – 8 pm

Boiling Point

A definite to go to whenever I drop by Los Angeles or Seattle for the weekend. If you like fermented tofu/ taiwanese hotpot, be sure to give this place a shot and you will not regret! Go with number 1 if you dont cant take/ dont like excessively spicy stuff. Go with number 8 if you love spicy stuff (be warned.. not for the faint-hearted!)

Taiwanese Spicy Hot Soup

Boiling Point
153 W Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
Tel: (626) 288-9876

11075 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
Tel: (425) 455-8375
Hours: Mon-Sun 11 am – 11 pm

Komasa, Los Angeles

Sashimi

Shrimp Tempura

Restaurant Komasa
351 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 680-1792
Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat 5:30 am – 10:30 pm
Sun 5:30 am – 10 pm

Yojie Japanese Fondue & Sake Bar, Los Angeles

the sumo sukiyaki
12oz. certified angus beef

Yojie Japanese Fondue & Sake Bar
501 W Olympic Blvd
Ste 102
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am – 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am – 12 am

Seoul House of Tofu, Los Angeles

Latest addition along Sawtelle Blvd. A dark sushi spot, Place Yuu, used to occupy this spot and apparently closed as of 24 December 2011. The place just opened recently, hiring new staff and blasting kpop music like 2NE1 when I was there. This place is rather big as compared to Tofuya thats along the same strip and have a menu thats identical if not exactly the same as Tofuya. Currently, several waitresses working here works at Volcano Tea House too.

Oyster Soon Tofu

Seoul House of Tofu
2101 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Tel: (310) 444-9988