Kotohira Restaurant

I'm not in this area often, but was attending an audiophile event in the area. What I love about traveling a few 10-30 miles outside of my neighborhood is that it really pushed me to find a new restaurant to try. Being at the event, walking up and down stairs, visiting rooms by rooms filled with amazing HiFi can really stir up an appetite. It can also make me very hangry. 

What sucks about being a nowaday foodie is no matter what, you are in charge of picking a place. Even if that baton has passed... it always comes back.

Kotohira was discovered by the love Yelp app. I'm not a fan of the reviews people leave, but I use it just to know what there is around me. I've been to this plaza before where Kotohira is located. I've eaten at Furaibo a few times mainly for their tebasaki karaage. 

I wanted something warm, hearty, and comforting. Kotohira was a perfect choice. It had the traditional Japanese lunch combos available with sizeable bowls that will make you take a nap. Here are a few things I was able to snap.

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Side udon that comes with a combo. Slurp away.

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Pan fried gyoza. Dip this in a mixture of vinegar and hot chili oil.

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Chicken Karaage. Another one of my favorite dishes as mentioned before somewhere in this blog. I love extra lemons. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Bento combination with tuna sashimi, chicken karaage, grilled saba, tempura, and Japanese root vegetable. When I went to Japan a few years ago, I ate a lot of combinations like this. It's really comforting and brings back a nostalgic memory.

unagi over hot rice. 

Subtle scoop of Neapolitan ice cream.

Edit 1747 W Redondo Beach Blvd Gardena, CA 90247

Osteria La Buca - Los Angeles

I got to visit Osteria La Buca during Sunday brunch over the weekend. Los Angeles. You would think the 101 is free or at least think people are at church. No. The 101 towards downtown will forever be filled with cars along with stop and go traffic. Oh the joy. Knowing this restaurant is located on Melrose is also another stinger to think you will need to drive into LA. Before I got all boo-hoo-crybaby-face. My gps told me my destination would be on my left in 1 mile. 1 MILE. Melrose blvd is no joke. But to know the restaurant is on the outskirts of the busy street was music to my ears.

And I got the ultimate VIP parking right in front. It was all luck and perfect timing coordination on my part. So Sunday, 12 PM, time to eat.

Aye Aye to a full bar. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever mood you are in, they will fix you up.

No cocktails for me that day. Played 9 hours of Final Fantasy XV the night before so coffee was definitely imperative that day.

California Toast - Toasted rosemary sourdough, avocado, soft scrambled eggs and an arugula herb salad. I loved the arugula herb salad. It was a nice touch and not something I expected when I took a bite. The eggs were perfectly soft scrambled for all the Chef Gordon Ramsay's out there.

Neighborhood pizza - Guajillo sauce, taleggio cheese, pancetta, pickled pearl onions and baked egg. What part of that do you not like? This pizza was delicious. I loved the pickled pearl onions touch. We keep a jar of these all the time and it's a great palate cleanser. The pickled onions helped by cutting the richness from the pancetta and baked eggs. The guajillo sauce and taleggio cheese was a nice touch. And Pancetta? Well, Pancetta.

Grab a slice, and swim it through the eggs.

The famous Bucatini Carbonara that I've been seeing everywhere. Made with house pancetta, poached egg, and freshly cracked pepper. The pasta was perfectly al dente that springs back with each bite. The egg was also executed beautifully with a soft runny yolk. The element that brought this home for me was the cracked black pepper. It gave it a nice heat element that warms your face and your throat as it goes down. It had great flavor too.

The steps to eat carbonara: Pop that yolk. Toss the pasta. Twirl your pasta from your fork in your spoon. Keep spinning. Eat.

Make your reservations.

 5210 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038