On Sawtelle, away from the long lines and commotion of popular spots like Tsujita LA and others, is Bar Hayama. Highlighted by a beautiful outdoor seating area, this bar offers four seating options and multiple menus worth of food. As a result, being seated and served takes far less time than eateries closer to Olympic. Still, as Hungry & Fit, the most important dining aspect is the food, but let’s take about what makes this fiery location worth a visit.
Restaurant? In a sense. It’s not the best word I’d use to describe the atmosphere at Simply Pho You on Vermont (just off Wilshire Center–Fit things it’s a hilarious name) in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Tucked in a strip mall on a crowded corner that gets loads of foot traffic, there isn’t any space for outdoor seating. While the inside also lacks square footage, management has loaded family-style tables with plenty of seating. No over the-top-decorations, no attractive hostess at an over-sized station, no wasted space. They just want to serve you food, and I love it. Efficiency bursts out of the kitchen with one of the hardest working wait staffs I have ever seen. The food is well worth the small price you have to pay. Restaurant? Again, not quite. I’d imagine this is what a Vietnamese block party feels like and I have few complaints.
The sun is down and it’s a cool night in early December. The allure of downtown Culver City draws us in and after parking, we walk Main Street. It’s a hip area for that demographic that loves small plates and craft beers but we LOVE food and we want a meal. After checking out a few menus and feeling the auras emanating from each location, we are seated at Cafe Ugo.
Service:
It was impeccable. 4/5. We wanted to sit outside and they brought us our own heating tower. It wouldn’t work so they got someone to fix it on the spot. We were slow to decide and our waiter put down the load he was busing in order to take our order when we looked ready. We didn’t even call him over. He had recommendations (and they weren’t based on price), he had patience, he had class, and he had a personality. My water was almost always filled, and if it wasn’t for a lapse near the end of the meal I would have given a perfect 5. When our heater went out, they immediately swapped out the propane tank for a new one. Just excellent.
Atmosphere:
A large restaurant with indoor and outdoor options, busy bar fronts and quiet back rooms. 3/5. The tables were just not a comfortable size. It was awkward but everything was clean and orderly. I didn’t love the makeshift walls for the patio but recognize their convenience for weather changes. While I had no major issues, there was nothing to set this place apart from a normal restaurant, dare I say, even a Cheesecake Factory.
Food:
There are always faults when you aren’t at a Michelin restaurant but they aren’t significant here. 3/5. The ravioli needed more sauce. They were dry and the spinach filling did not compensate for the somewhat dry pasta. Still, they had flavor. The pizza was a true delight to eat. It hit every flavor profile. Salty cheeses with acidic tones from balsamic that were tied together nicely on a well made crust. The structural integrity was questionable, but this is pizza from Naples and not New York so that can’t be taken into consideration. The fried calamari was well cooked but the sauces were a necessity because the breading was not seasoned.
Pricing:
Let’s just say they could have easily charged us more and while the portions were not massive, the food quality made it a good value. 4/5. It’s downtown Culver City, it’s a prime location, and it’s a specialty. Authentic Naples style pizza is not a common dish around here, especially with an 1000 degree oven and serving it uncut. We were more than happy to pay the price on the bill and tip accordingly.
We were glad that we stopped by Cafe Ugo that night. It was enjoyable, we were relaxed, well fed, and left happy. We recommend it to groups of 2, 4, or 6 that are passing by or in the area. It might even be worth a little drive in non-peak hours. We’ll be back if we’re in the area and we’ll bring some family next time. And as always, stay hungry and fit!
Although Los Angeles brings its hardships in living and finding our way, Koreatown is certainly not lacking in its culinary scene. Get ready for a ton of reviews on Koreatown restaurants. We love to walk around our neighborhood and find hidden gems to feast our faces on. We almost always come out smiling. Especially from places like today’s review– Cafe Korobokgur. Sound like a mouthful? We think so, thus we call it “that little gnome place.” And we mean it in the best way possible.
Cafe Korobokgur is an American-Korean fusion cafe. I keep wanting to call it “little” but it’s actually quite large for a cafe. It’s adorably decorated with cute things here and there (with Miyazaki things too which is a plus). It has an incredibly friendly atmosphere. It is certainly a place I would call “hip” but not overcrowded with people, which is nice. It has its own character and feel to it, which I really appreciate in food establishments. They are them and they aren’t afraid to show it. You’ll find cute quotes, sayings, and pictures all over this place. There’s a little “cafe front” and then we assume the kitchen is in back. This cafe is not just for drinks, but for food too. They also have an adorable restroom.
Can you find the Cat Bus?
We came here for dinner one night. There were other Koreans and Korean-Americans here–mostly our age–that brought their study supplies or friends to enjoy. Again, we come in with a smile to a relaxed atmosphere. When we are in good, generous moods, we like to spoil ourselves with food. And that means 3-course meals. After bringing us some fruit-and-cucumber-infused water, our waiter took our order. For appetizer, we got seasoned fries and fried calamari. They served different seasonings for the fries which was fun to try out and it was certainly delicious and cooked well. The fried calamari also pleased us. After appetizer, it was time for our main dishes. I got the kimchi fried rice and Hungry got Don Katsu. We were both satisfied with our entrees, though I couldn’t even finish mine. The kimchi fried rice was nice and spicy, so that I had to take slow. For dessert, we got something original by this place called a “Jarming.” Basically it is a mini mason jar filled with a dessert. We decided on the banana nutella sponge cake Jarming and it was absolutely fantastic. I seriously cannot stress enough how good this little thing was. They also make them in tons of different flavors and make seasonal ones too!
Fried calamari
Full of YUM
The service was a bit slow, so don’t come here in a rush. However, it is part of the relaxed atmosphere, I think. We are definitely going to head back to Cafe Korobokgur again and enjoy its adorable details and its yummy food soon. The drinks were rather expensive, but if nothing else, that Jarming will reel me in for another round for sure. If you’re in Koreatown, be sure to stop at Cafe Korobokgur and don’t leave there without a Jarming! I promise, you won’t regret it. And as always…stay hungry and fit!
BONUS KITTY PIC
Sajah resting in between a set of reps
Recently, while Hungry was out of town, I spent some time with my brother in Downtown Los Angeles. Now my brother is a very generous man. He will always take me or us (if Hungry is around) out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner–no questions asked! That’s why it’s always a treat to go around to new places with him. He knows such a great variety of restaurants. That night I had slept over, so the next morning we decided on a breakfast place before I headed back to Santa Monica. Sophie (Kai’s partner) and Kai agreed we had to go to Bottega Louie.
Me, my mum, and my brother
Wow. What an experience. First of all, this place is huge. It used to be a department store building, so you can only imagine. Tall, tall ceilings, with incredible square footage–think 4000 (not kidding). You enter and the first thing you see is their lovely bundle of treats at a huge counter. You don’t have to sit down to eat here in order to fix your sweet tooth. You can just order from their bakery section. I’ve definitely had macarons and more from there–YUM. Every worker there is dressed impeccably in black and white–it brings you to a fine dining atmosphere. We are seated immediately as we arrived just as it opened for breakfast.
Our waiter was unbelievably professional and catering. He waited on our every word and treated us like kings and queens. Our bellies were very anxious at this point, especially after Kai’s been telling me about all the incredible things he has eaten here in the past. He orders “the best grapefruit juice he’s ever had” and I get a water. This place is fancy–they change your silverware for each part of the meal and clean up after you. The service is absolutely incredible.
Beyond drinks, we start with the beignets with raspberry sauce. Many of you know my affinity for New Orleans, so I was all over this. Kai isn’t a big sweets person, especially when it comes to pastry. However, these are very different from traditional New Orleans beignets so I was a bit cautious. Throw caution out of the window for this one, folks. We both bite into these steaming round beignets with granulated sugar (not powdered sugar) and both look at each other with wide awed eyes. WOW! Absolutely incredible, fresh off the press. I’m literally drooling as I write this. It’s hard to describe how good they were–think puffy, delicate, and dream-worthy. The raspberry sauce (I usually don’t dig dessert dips) was out of this world fresh with subtle tart flavors that completed this dish. Yes, I did just dedicate an entire paragraph to the beignets. THEY WERE THAT GOOD!
The magic
We moved onto our final course. Kai ordered portobella mushroom fries for us to share and mushroom ravioli with an egg baked inside. Sounds crazy, right? The ravioli is huge, enough room for them to somehow (I suspect magic), cook an egg inside. I got the eggs benedict without the meat. Oh boy, were we a happy pair. I had never had mushroom fries before. They were incredibly long, deep-fried in some batter and served with a pesto aioli. Absolutely wonderful. The mushroom-egg ravioli was fantastic. My eggs benedict knocked it out of the park–executed perfectly. It was such a happy meal and experience and we could’ve really used some wheel chairs after the meal. We were FULL.
Ravioli
Eggs Benedict
Overall, dining at Bottega Louie was such a wonderful experience that is somewhat unusual to me. I usually don’t go to fancy restaurants, but it was just so great on all levels: the service, food, and atmosphere get an A+! I can’t wait to take Hungry there. They also serve lunch and dinner so the options are endless! Next time you’re in Downtown LA, stop by Bottega Louie at least for a sweet at the bakery, if not a full meal! As always, stay hungry and fit!
Our friend and client in Colorado has been talking about this place, Comida, since I’ve met her. She said the first time she had a taco there, she cried because it was so good. She’s been trying to get us to go and finally on our last day in Colorado, we went with her for some lunch. Comida is located in Longmont, Colorado, but could easily be placed in New York or Los Angeles–it’s trendy!
Comida is basically gourmet Mexican. I don’t necessarily love gourmet, but I do love me some Mexican. The menu was fairly small, which I like. Most of the options had meat, so I opted for an egg and bean quesadilla. Chris and Crystal got three varieties of tacos and we all split a plate of nachos. Crystal got a watermelon jalapeno margarita and a pomegranate lemonade, I got a Jamaican margarita, and Chris got a Boylan’s soda. It was a wonderful array of food.
Presentation is beautiful, no doubts there. They definitely make it look appetizing so that you can’t wait to dig in. The plates are stylish as is the way they lay everything out. Prices are decent. It’s gourmet, so it’s a little more expensive than your typical Mexican joint–about $4 per taco. However, on most dishes, the flavor is worth the slightly expensive price. Hungry really enjoyed the tacos (especially Stella’s Pork Carnitas) and I couldn’t get enough of the Not ‘Yo Nachos. The quesadilla was slightly less in flavor, but luckily I had some salsa to dunk it in. My margarita was also delicious!
All in all, I would come back. We got to sit outside, which was very nice and peaceful. The flavors are great and are enough of a reason for us to return if we have the time when we visit Colorado again. All in all, Comida gets a thumbs up from Hungry and Fit!
Gotta love Tibetan food
Getting ready for Dagabi Cucina!
Great meal for us and Chris’ friends visiting
Great walks with the pup
Cuteness
Shopping…
Pizza
A trip to Estes Park!! (yes that is a fanny pack)
Homemade cookies
Homemade donuts
Stanley Hotel…
Elk!!
Passed out pup
Epic mini golf
Arcade games
Bowling
BONUS KITTY PIC
I’m appalled we haven’t written a post about this wonderful wonderful food place in Boulder. Anyone who has visited so far should know about this place: Tibet Kitchen. This place was our spot when we first got to Boulder. It had free wifi and $5 lunch specials. It really can’t be beat. It is absolutely one of my top five spots here in Boulder and it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Cheap, quality big portions. Is there really much else you would ever need?
Momos!
Tibet Kitchen is a perfect place for a wholesome, healing meal. Whenever I meet Chris for lunch in Boulder, we usually go here. It makes us feel good and keeps us happy. It’s healthy–full of vegetables and well-cooked and seasoned meat. It leaves you feeling very satisfied without a hole in your wallet. Lunch specials run as low as $4.95–no joke! It is incredibly affordable. The most expensive item on the menu is probably $8.75. Yeah it’s that cheap.
The staff is all of the same Tibetan family and they are so accommodating–you will always be offered a cup of their free chai. And that chai is the only chai Hungry will drink. It’s pretty darn good. And boy are they generous with portions. I always have to take something home and it’s a great place for Chris. He can easily get filled up for under ten bucks. I’m telling you, this place is a gem!
MORE MOMOS
I’m sure not many people have had Tibetan food, after all, it’s a pretty small country with not a lot of recognition–especially food-wise. It is similar to Nepali food if you’ve had that. If you haven’t, I would say it’s a cross between Indian food and Chinese food with its own distinct flavor. It’s all made with wholesome ingredients, there’s basically no way to be unhealthy here. The flavors are warm and savory and some dishes have some spice. One of my favorite parts of the Tibetan cuisine is the ting-mo. It’s a Tibetan bread roll, basically dough folded time and time again to make a fist-sized ball of delicious steamed dough. I will eat tons and tons of them. I have a problem. Another star of Tibetan cuisine are the momos. These are dumplings filled with vegetables or meat. Tibet Kitchen makes them from scratch to order every time with fresh ingredients. They are so delicious and so filling. Otherwise, there are plenty of curries and such too.
From top to bottom….momos, ting-mos, and a main dish
If you’re in Boulder, please do yourself a favor and go to Tibet Kitchen. It’s affordable, filling, delicious, and healing. The people are wonderful and the atmosphere warm. I always leave happy. The only negative is that the parking lot is tiny, but can’t blame them too much for that. Eat at Tibet Kitchen to stay hungry and fit!
BONUS KITTY PIC
Nymeria being a ball of cuteness
Friday lunch at Oskar Blues…
Friday dinner at Oskar Blues….
Chris’ plate
Lots of drinks!
Huge brownie sundae
Morning walk
Green Smoothie Breakfast
Our favorite local donut shop (really healthy here)
Video games with Nymeria of course
Sunday morning banana pancakes
Frisbee golf! beautiful day
happy for warm weather
cutie girl
Dressed up for once to go out to Dagabi Cucina!
Pharrell’s “Happy” is what goes on in my head
Oh so good. We were STUFFED
Nymeria passed out
Video game Saturday
Getting Noke some new stuff
Korea House Saturday night…
Happy girl
And of course…the Oscars where Ellen ROCKED IT (Source)
Just because it’s fun to share. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are rocking the March Madness for Health! Enjoy your weekends to stay hungry and fit!
