Demitasse Update – Pain au Chocolat and Samo

Word out of Cafe Demitasse in Little Tokyo is that they will open a second location in Santa Monica! The third wave coffee revolution continues to spread across LA, saving citizens from the clutches of Starbucks.

Ikemen – Ramen and Tsukemen Vying for Little Tokyo Dominance

Just when you thought little Little Tokyo could not have any more ramen openings, Hollywood’s Ikemen opens a branch in the very recently shuttered Curry House To Go space. Does this new entrant have anything to say?

Yong He – Soy Milk King in Taipei!

Traditional Taiwanese breakfast is a bowl of soy milk alongside xiao bing you tiao — small bun, oily stick — an unsweetened cruller inside a flaky bun. We went to one of Taiwan’s most famous shops for this treat, Yong He.

Gong Cha – Salty Boba?

Gong Cha is a Taiwanese chain of boba shops that gives an interesting twist – salt-laced milk froth on top of tea. For a drink that is often candy-sweet, will salt be sweet or an abomination?

What Kind of Douchebag Would Take Pictures of Their Food?

The New York Times has weighed in and officially condemned taking photos of food at meals. That’s it. Blog’s over.

Here’s what happened when a woman had the nerve to take a photo of her $125 meal at Momofuku Ko in NYC:

Then came the slapdown. A man in the open kitchen asked her to please put her phone away. No photos allowed.

Restaurants Turn Camera Shy – N.Y. Times, Jan 22, 2013

L.A. Chicken – Tastes Like Lexus!

Never has the combination of an exclamation point and a question mark been so appropriately combined as they are on this sign for L.A. Chicken that announces, “La Chicken . . . Where the chickens taste like Lexus!?”

Shin Yeh – Taiwanese Food Elevated

While Din Tai Fung is Taiwan’s most famous restaurant, and the one all the ABCs flock to, Shin Yeh may be Taiwan’s best Taiwanese restaurant.

The Park’s Finest BBQ Revisited

A quick update to my post on the Park’s Finest BBQ.

Tsujita – Holy Moley! Second Location! Night Noodles?

Huge news! via Grubstreet

Grubstreet claims to have confirmed that the now-shuttered Miyata Menji (nee GReats) space across the street from Tsujita will become the new second location of Tsujita. There is speculation that this new location will relent to the cries of millions of desperate tsukemen-seekers and start serving noodles at night. They’ll have to retrain their wait staff to now greet every person to come in at night with a different greeting: “You know we don’t serve noodles for dinner here? But you can go across the street.”

Fooddouche review of Tsujita lunch

Fooddouche review of Tsujita dinner

Smiling Face Update – No Boba for Another Week!

I went on Sunday to boba-up at Smiling Face and heard from the owner that her supplier in Taiwan won’t be sending boba for maybe two weeks! That was on Jan 13, so you can do your own math. Keep in mind that she wasn’t sure when she would get them for sure. Until then you’ll have to either queue up at Half and Half or get one of Smiling Face’s amazing fresh grapefruit drinks. No boba, but it’s a heck of a deal when you consider what a pain the butt peeling grapefruit is.

Fooddouche review of Smiling Face