Battle of brands (Coconut Water)

I'm not a huge fan of coconut. I don't like Almond Joy, and I don't like coconut curry; what I especially do not like is coconut water. Despite my distaste for coconut, I've decided to try coconut water once more (at my own risk) since my best friend had acquired a new love for it after disliking it for quite some time. I couldn't eat tacos up until I graduated high school and had grown to love them afterwards, so I figured why not. 

Afraid to try a "natural" coconut water, my first choice was O.N.E.'s pink guava flavor. I figured okay, I like pink guava, and if anything, it'll taste like pink guava. 

Not bad... though my first impression was: where is my straw? I think I was meant to just peel back the silver foil part and drink without a straw. Damn. 

This was 33 cents at the 99 cent store- the place my best friend got her crazy 1L Zico branded chocolate flavored (eew) coconut water for 99 cents. Good buy. :) 

My second choice was Naked brand. I like Naked in general, their fruit juices are super delicious, and once again, why not. So this one was two for a dollar, so I got it at 50 cents. If I wasn't going to like it, I would like to think that I didn't completely waste my money. So this was a good buy. 

My friend from Trader Joe's walked by just as I was about to open this up, and suggested that I store it in the freezer so it would get crazy cold. I followed her suggestion as this was the "natural" flavor and didn't want to be completely put off by the nastiness again. (Apologies to all the coconut and coconut-water lovers out there. I just don't like it... and can't describe it any other way) 

Two hours of chilling in the freezer later...

...and... I'm still totally put off. it's like... a stranger's backwash who drank too much milk... or just super watered down milk. it just isn't tasty! but could it have anything at all to do with the "no sugar added" part? I dunno, but I can definitely say that I'm still not the biggest coconut fan. I'm gonna finish this though! I'm gonna savor (the least I could do is try!) every sip of this "good-for-you" drink. yeah. Let me just say that I won't be buying a natural flavored one again. 

The pink guava flavored one was delicious compared to the natural one, but I'll just stick to good old H2O. 

What started out as a battle of brands turned out to be a lesson in sticking to what you know is better than trying something new. Lol. Fail.

Copa Vida (Pasadena)

A while back, I was walking on Green St. in Pasadena on my way to Old Town, and noticed that a familar establishment had disappeared. Since I had never been a patron, I couldn't remember until one day when I went to the Food Truck block party thing on a Thursday in front of Zona Rosa (El Molino St.) where that establishment had moved to. In place of that now vacant spot in Old Town came, JUST LAST WEEK, a new coffee boutique called Copa Vida. Can we please stop making such a big deal about coffee and do something new already? We already have Intelligentsia on Colorado and Jones Coffee on Raymond, not to mention Zona Rosa on El Molino and Jameson Brown on Allen... HA! I'm just kidding, I love coffee! And I love trying new places, especially when they're so close to home that I don't even have to get on a freeway.

So my best friend and I worked up the courage (and found the time) to try this new place out. We were slightly intimidated by the massive crowd that was there on the day it opened, expecting the same amount of traffic as it is a "brand new" place. But when we got there around 9:20pm, the place was pretty chill and there weren't too many people there.

exterior

I like their simplistic deco

Really simple menu

"condiment" bar- syrup, agave, honey, cream, utensils...

My friend and I stood at the counter for a while deciding our menu... I had my heart set on iced chai latte, but they were unfortunately out of it. Boohoo! My friend's preferred drink was also unavailable, so we both had to choose something else... I got the iced sweetened latte and she got this white tea I don't remember the name of. After we placed our order, we went into this other room that was quieter and had more decorations to look at.



view of the "slow bar"

"slow bar"

 

a very eye-popping brick wall design...

 

 My friend's order came in this really cute tea set, and her pastry looked pretty darn good as well.

 

 

I read somewhere that they get their pastries from a place called Cake Monkey.

some blueberry something crumble something...

 

My fricking latte was way overpriced at $5.18, but it was fricking delicious... The inside smells a lot like a museum gallery (we think because the paint on the wall still needs to set) but the atmosphere is wonderful. I wouldn't come here during daylight hours, but this place looks like a good place to wind down and catch up with friends once in a while. I'm just happy to see a new cafe is here for good in my town.

oops on the flash

Copa Vida
70 South Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 213-3952
copa-vida.com

Sunday Funday (Silver Lake)

I have always admired the neighborhood of Silver Lake: it houses the first small live music venue that I went to (for my friends from Oregon, the Parson Redheads) and it's also the home of the beautiful Silver Lake Reservoir that glistens under the sun. I've spent my fair share of time in Silverlake, using it as a way to get to Koreatown mostly. One day last year, I wanted to escape the routines of jogging at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, so I drove all the way out to Silverlake in order to jog around the reservoir. The change of scenery and the occasional inclines and declines were refreshing to both mind and the body. After the jog, I walked over to Lamill Coffee, and that's where I noticed that there were more to be appreciated in this neighborhood than just the reservoir and the convenience of getting to Koreatown.

Recently, I've gotten to know more about Silver Lake- like how my favorite model from Canada/ New York, who also makes music, comes here to record, and that Norah Jones stayed in Silver Lake for her session for her newest album. But that doesn't concern me as much as the fact that there are some really delicious restaurants around here, namely a ramen place, very conveniently called Silver Lake Ramen.

Located on Sunset Blvd., just past Silver Lake Blvd., the exterior is not so fancy... so much so that I actually didn't take a pic of it. But be assured, it's not the Bar Method building, the exterior of which is, in fact, super fancy. I used to come here all the time for Silver Lake Lounge, actually, and coming here brought back some good memories.

My sister and I came here on Sunday, with the kids in the care of their grandparents, for some quality sister-bonding time. Street parking was free on Sundays, but there is also a small lot right adjacent to the restaurant itself. The walk from the car to the restaurant was horrible only because there was a strong odor of trash. AND there were people eating outside from neighboring restaurants! How could you eat outside whilst smelling all that funky trash?
Anyway, the inside was nice and cozy, and that's all that really mattered... We were seated promptly by a really friendly waitress and given this simple menu to look at.

 

 

Though it wasn't necessary, we ordered an appetizer just because I really wanted to try this marinated chicken karage. It was a mixture of just enough amount of crispiness on the outside and moist on the inside. The sauce kind of killed the flavor though. 

karage

tonkastu spicy ramen\

 



the broth is extremely flavorful, but my sister's regular tonkatsu ramen tasted better.
the pork belly topping is a killer: super moist and melts in your mouth.

I'll definitely have to come back for a Sunday lunch. I like the atmosphere, and I don't have to drive all the way to Little Tokyo for a bowl of ramen anymore. Plus, I can get a really yummy cup of joe afterwards at Lamill and do a bit of shopping next door at LAMerch and at Yolk.



Silver Lake Ramen
2927 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
http://silverlakeramen.com/

Four Cafe, Eagle Rock CA

I love restaurants with seasonal ingredients; that means the food is guaranteed fresh and as tasty as possible, and the menu changes each season so there will always be something new. Whenever I need a really good salad-fix, Four Cafe in Eagle Rock always comes to mind. It's not always my first option though because their portions, even the half-portions, are humongous... and to me, this place is so "gourmet" that it's best left as a treat than a regular thing.

So today my sister and I treated ourselves with the summer salads of Four Cafe while the kids played at Peekaboo Playland just up the block.

half-portion Picado Salad with half-portion of Tofu (choice of protein)

(substituted cucumber and cherry tomatoes - mixed - with black beans)

 

 

half-portion Miso Chopped Salad with half-portion Organic Free-Range Chicken



I got these two salads and two iced passionberry black tea to share, but my sister ended up with the Picado and I ended up with the Miso. They were both super delicious, the Picado with fuller flavors than the Miso, due to the rather light vinaigrette dressing. But there were bits of what seemed like deep-fried onion (?) that added sweetness to the possibly-bland salad. The chopped greens was a good choice for the vinaigrette to thoroughly mix in, with flavors in every bite. The Picado's dressing was creamy and delicious; the tofu seemed to have been tossed in soy sauce and was surprisingly good (not a big tofu fan here.) I think I'll go with the Picado next time, while my sister tries the chimichurri burger.

Four Cafe
2122 Colorado Blvd  
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(they just recently opened up a new location)

Four Cafe- Fairfax

519 South Fairfax
Los Angeles CA 90036

 

fourcafe.net

"Tuesday Dinner"

"Tuesday Dinner" has become somewhat of a tradition for me. It all began about seven weeks ago when I first visited Heirloom LA's food truck parked outside of Everson Royce on Raymond in Pasadena, CA. Prior to my first visit, I inadvertently educated myself by becoming familiarized with the company Heirloom LA via Instagram. Mesmerized at some of the pictures of edible goodness and sometimes becoming puzzled at their event photos- because I didn't know what this company's objective was... clearly it wasn't a restaurant based on their numerous outdoor activities. It turns out they are a catering company based in Eagle Rock, CA, and they showcase their delicacies on a weekly basis in three cities via food truck: Silver Lake on Mondays at Silver Lake Wine (@silverlakewine on Instagram,) Pasadena on Tuesdays at Everson Royce (@evrowine,) and in Los Feliz at Barsdall Art Park (@barnsdall.)

I was educated very briefly in person on my first visit by a neatly dressed man after I got my first-ever "farm-to-table" meal about the mission of Heirloom LA. As I remember, this company utilizes locally-grown produces and grass-fed meats to make the most scrumptious, tasteful well-balanced flavors in superb presentation. The food spoke for itself, and I no longer needed an introduction from this well-groomed man from the truck who thanked my "follower-ship" with a complimentary panna cota (the dessert of the day.) Now, this kind of great customer service deserves a second visit. 

Anyway, my second visit turned into a third, then a fourth... and now, dinner at the Heirloom LA truck on Tuesdays has become a delicious tradition. 

My first meal from Heirloom LA- "Breakfast for Dinner" night. 

Complimentary panna cota. Thank you, Heirloom! You've got yourself a regular! 

Quite possibly the best thing I've ever had. Roasted pork belly with crispy polenta and treviso salad with accugatta sauce. Second Tuesday Dinner at Heirloom LA. 

Fast-forward to Tuesday Dinner #6- pappardelle with grass-fed meatballs. they make their own pasta, and this particular dish was phenomenal. 

I look forward to what's in store tonight, my Tuesday Dinner #7! 

Follow Heirloom LA 

on Instagram and Twitter: 

@heirloomla

www.heirloomla.com

 

First Entry!

My blog has finally materialized! I've been wanting to do this forever, but never had the courage to create something and let it rot... which is what I usually end up doing with everything... But every time I do something fun, my first passing thought had always been "I should blog this..." so why not!? It's always better late than never! So from now on, every time I have that "I should blog this..." moment, I will. :) 

I love having fun (I mean who doesn't?) and I enjoy everything from reading, movies and music, festivals and traveling. The newest way I've been having fun is being a foodie- which has been allowing (?) me to gain all this weight... but the good thing is that I also enjoy yoga and fitness classes. The bad thing is that I'm super lazy... and it takes all sorts of motivation for me to get up and running. Once I do, though, I go full-force. So I'm hoping to learn to balance the food consumption and the fitness... 

I also love concerts, and I go to quite a few- one thing I've learned from being picked out and many a times asked to show a "media pass" for taking pictures with my non-DSLR camera that so many security people mistake it for is that I shouldn't take so many pictures as much as just enjoy the music. So whereas in the past I took a bunch of pictures and videos at some really good concerts, now I go to a venue and get fully immersed in the scene. I love it.