Tofu Ya

It was raining, we wanted something warm and cozy. We decided on Korean soup. Tofu Ya gets packed at lunch. We got there just before noon and beat the crowd by a hair. I followed my friend's lead on what to order. Hot tea to start. I ordered the beef soup with kimchi. I already knew I liked kimchi but I didn't know what to expect until our order came out.

The soup bowls are filled with literally boiling broth. It comes with a raw egg which you crack into your soup so that it cooks and adds protein. The soup comes with several different toppings or mixins. I tried everything for at least one bite. The flavors are fantastic. I felt warmed and satisfied by the end of the meal.

The service was quick. Because there were so many people waiting out in the rain for a table, we only ate our soup leisurely because it was piping hot. Once we were finished, we left quickly to lend our table to another comfort-seeking group.

2021 Sawtelle Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90025

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Westside Tavern

Some friends and I decided to head to a movie after work last week. We needed dinner beforehand and while there were several options near the Landmark on Westwood & Pico we didn't want anything too exotic since there were so many different people. We decided on the Westwood Tavern - fusion American food. It turns out the place is attached to the theater. And guess what, they have FREE PARKING. Seriously.

The restaurant seated us right away at a large booth that easily accommodated five us--and later six. The drink menu had a few $11 mixed specialties and some of them looked good. Our table ordered two and liked them--I thought they were small for the price--but I guess that's the thing with drinks. We ordered quickly to make the movie in 45 minutes.

I had the cheeseburger. It was one of the best I've had in a while. It was served with a generous portion of sea-salted french fries. The fries were delicious, the burger was cooked perfectly, the cheese melted just so, the grilled onions, the aoili between a very fresh brioche bun was fantastic. I would drive across town just for that burger any day.

The salmon burger, chicken sandwich & calamari were said to be fine, but not amazing. If you're hankering for a great burger and a movie in a fancy leather-seated theater, head on over to the Tavern.

Westside Tavern
10850 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90064
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Furaibo

I'm always looking for somewhere delicious to eat in West LA. I don't really go out for lunch at work, but sometimes I want to meet someone and don't know where to go. Furaibo is one of my new go-tos.

Furaibo is one of the many Japanese restaurants on the short strip of Sawtelle between Olympic and Santa Monica Blvd. I am always overwhelmed by choice on that street--although I have tried very few.

Furaibo is Japanese Tapas, which is another name for small plates. At this restaurant, people generally order several small dishes and share with each other. We ordered several dishes and probably way more food than two people need. It was a couple of weeks ago now, so I don't remember every dish we tried, but I do remember the highlights.

Whitefish - I was wary of this dish. I thought it was going to be dry and boring like all the American-style white fish I had ever tasted. It wasn't however. The fish was moist and delicious with a nice flavor.

Chicken Wings - Furaibo is known for its chicken wings. They were fried but I found them dry and peppery. I think it was worth trying it, but I won't order these again.

Beef Carpacio - Usually thinly sliced marinated raw beef, this dish was actually a thicker piece of beef seared and in some slight marinade. Not as good as the Italian variety.

Garlic Sprouts with Pork - My absolute favorite--so delicious I ordered a second helping. Garlic sprouts look like long green beans without the inside bean with a flavor of garlic (obviously). They were fried with bits of thick bacon and tasted wonderful. I loved how the flavors melded together.

The service was pretty good at the place and we got there right when they opened at 5:30 so there was no wait. There is parking in the back--people double park and then put their names in so that they can move their cars when others want to leave. I will be back, my mouth waters for those garlic sprouts.





Furaibo
2068 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
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Javan Restaurant

I met a friend for dinner at Javan Restaurant a couple of days ago and have been trying to think of ways to go back ever since. Javan is a Persian restaurant in West LA. There is plenty of street parking as well as a lot nearby. Even though it is right on high-traffic Santa Monica Blvd, it blends in so with the other buildings that I passed it twice before finding it on the corner of Butler.

My friend and I decided that even though we weren't hungry, I should try everything and therefore we decided to over-eat from the get go. We ordered the sampler platter as an appetizer. This could easily feed four people appetizers, but we were just two. The sampler platter came with a variety of fresh salads made with cucumbers and tomatoes, homemade pickles, dolmahe (which are like Greek dolmades), a potato salad variety, and a bunch of fresh herbs with lemon. There was already some crispy bread similar to Indian Rhoti on the table. The herbs and the potato salad were my favorite parts of the appetizer plate. I never thought of eating fresh herbs before, but it's not unlike eating salad. Ever since, I have been mixing a variety of fresh herbs in salads I make at home and it really spices them up. I am especially enamored by lemon grass.

You'd think that after we devoured the entire plate of appetizers for four we wouldn't have even been able to think about dinner, but we thought about it. I ordered the Albalo Polo which is tender dark meat chicken on the bone served with a huge portion of sweet and sour cherry basmati rice. The chicken was red because of the way it is cooked but it just fell off the bone. The huge pile of rice was colored partially pink. It had chunks of cherries in it. At first I was a little nervous but once I tasted it, I knew nothing else. Rice is filling, so I saved half my meal to take home. My friend ordered the Zereshk Polo, which was just like mine except her rice had currants instead of cherries.

The servers were very attentive to us but we did stand out in a restaurant full of regulars. When we asked for dessert, they offered us menus showing different ice cream choices, had my friend not been there before, I do not know if we would have been offered the regular dessert menu. I imagine that when most people see noodles listed on the dessert menu they reel back and order the sorbet.

My friend urged me to get dessert because she was saving room her favorite. Faloodeh is a starchy noodle frozen with sugar and rosewater. Noodles for dessert sort of turned me off. I couldn't imagine how that would taste. These noodles, however, are more like sprinkles or Jimmies as some people refer to them. They stuck together during the freezing process and reminded me of a refreshing granita or crispy sorbet. I ordered the Zoulbia which was described as flour, sugar, honey and rosewater in a pretzel shape. It turned out to be a crispy friend dessert that looked like a thin funnel cake more than a pretzel. I broke off a piece and with each bite hone oozed out of the middle of the crunchy dough. It was delicious, but eating more than two bites was difficult because it was so rich. In the end, we had eaten a lot.




Javan Restaurant
11500 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
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