Eating Asian in LA
February 11, 2017
That is the $18 chirashi lunch at Soregashi, a modest little sushi bar my friend’s Hiro and Lissa recommended. Lovely food – great prices.
But I’ve been eating well everywhere in LA. The day before that lunch, Hiro, Lissa and I dropped in at Aburiyaraku, a very trendy Japanese restaurant on La Cienega, where we indulged in this luxurious combination of poached egg, sea urchin and salmon roe; if there’s a more appealing spoonful of goo, I have yet to encounter it.
The restaurant also makes its own tofu,
arranges beautiful plates of sashimi
and if you’re in the mood, will gladly serve you slices of raw wagyu liver
Another night we indulged in Korean food at Gwang Yang BBQ, the most serene barbecue outpost I’ve encountered here. Ensconced in the luxury of a private room, the waiter (you summon him with a buzzer), covers your table with lovely panchan, the little side dishes that are the introduction to every Korean meal.
You can move on to icy steak tartare laced with cool crisp slices of Asian pear
Robust meat-laced pancakes
and all manner of noodles before the waiter fires up the grill and starts cooking your meat. What you want to try here is the galbi; it has a delicacy I’ve not encountered before, the garlic and sugar muted so you can really taste the excellent beef.
For an entirely different experience of Asian food, you might stop in at the always packed Pine and Crane in Silverlake, line up at the counter to order and then attempt to find a seat in the spare, sunny dining room.
These pea shoots are a fine beginning.
A fairly irresistible Taiwanese omelet….
and very clean-tasting Dan Dan noodles.
Categorised in: restaurants
4 Comments
Dear Ms. Reichl,
I don’t even know if you read these comments. I once left a few words after reading one of your blog posts that particularly thrilled my heart – no response. I also tweeted about you and two you a few times. Nothing. So perhaps you would think I am an irritated fan. Very much the opposite really. I have read your work. Loads of it. And every time I find a piece that amazes me – I sit back, let it absorb, and sigh with a smile.
Sometimes, I pester my husband and make him listen to me reading a particular sentence that stood out. I can’t help it. There are times when I taste every ounce of what you have shared from your plate. Other times I see and feel the environment that you’ve written about so much, that I feel I’ve already visited the location. There’s nothing more to know. Lame, perhaps. But your writing is so descriptive and decadent. And I love your work.
I’m an aspiring writer. And if you ever choose to answer a question on here, I would like to know, how long it took for you to identify as a “writer” in your own soul?
My husband jokes with me that one day, down the road, Ruth Reichl will come to YOUR book signing. And I just laugh. But the idea of that, sounds pretty great.
Thank you for your gift of words. Thank you.
P.S. Well, I can’t edit a comment on here. But I sure wish I could. I hit “Post Comment” and then saw errors above. Suddenly it only feels embarrassing. Then again, laughing at myself seems pretty important, so I’ll choose that option for now. 🙂
Dear Jenn,
Thanks so much for that; made my day. I look forward to coming to your book party – whenever it happens.
When did I know that I was a writer? That’s a hard one. On the one hand, I grew up around books and in the publishing business, and I thought everyone was a writer. On the other hand, most days I look despairingly at the words on the page and think “What ever made you think you could write?”
All I can say is: keep writing! And don’t ever think it gets easier. It doesn’t.
Ms. Reichl,
Thank you! I only checked the comments here tonight by chance. You just made MY day! I’m in the midst of a writing class. And the challenge has been to clearly and succinctly identify what it is that I am seeing, feeling, etc in my own mind. As our instructor has been attempting to pull extraordinary descriptions out of us, all I can think of is, your work. I pick up your books and sit spellbound by the sentences that roll off the pages. And I wonder if a particular sentence I am blown away by, took forever to conjure up or if perhaps you’re just so gifted that the words fall into place easily. Your encouragement – means the world to this California girl. And I am grateful. I’ll take your advice and see you at my book signing. 🙂 By the way, my husband made sure I printed out your reply, so he can frame it – for the invitation he says he will send you, when I publish a book. I adore this man. Adore!