Dina's Cafe

This one is a quickie, inspired by dinner I had Thursday night after a show in Westwood. Since it was after 9 o'clock, and Westwood is a lame college town, I found my go-to sit-down restaurant (KoalaT) closed. Most of the other dining options I knew of involved clogging my arteries with saturated fat (I had already eaten an apple fritter for breakfast) so I whipped out my Yelp app. When I ranked the restaurants by customer review, I found dina's cafe near the top. This surprised me because I had passed by last December and recalled pulling up no reviews when I then checked for the place on Yelp and Google maps. Furthermore, the advertisement of $1.50 empanadas I encountered when passing by on the street during the daytime suggested a restaurant too desperate to be worthy. 

Nevertheless, the pangs of my stomach and foodie-ist curiosity led me to a low-rise brick edifice on Gayley Avenue, where Dina's sandwiches between a hair salon and smoke shop. When I walked in, I was a surprised a little by the colorful menu displayed above the counter: given the restaurant's name I had expected the restaurant to serve tuna sandwiches and baked goods (e.g. Empanadas).  Instead, the menu not only included Tortas but burritos and tacos. 

Although my hunger normally dictates that I order a burrito (when presented with the opportunity), a combination of Asada, potatos and crema attracted to me the Torta de Estilo DF. 

While I waited for the food to be served, the cashier offered me a taste of a fruit drink (I believe it was Jamaica) he had stored on the counter. I assented and he scooped out enough to fill a normal-sized plastic cup. It was not as cold as I would ideally like but quite refreshing nonetheless! 

Many places grill the bread and the ingredients for their Tortas seperately and stack them together at the end. The cook at Dina's however seems to grill the sandwich after it has been composed, like a Panini, and serves it in a wrapping of parchment and aluminum foil.

The combination of cheese and crema gave the sandwich a rich flavor, comparable to a white cheddar mac, that I unexpectedly enjoyed (I usually dislike rich, cheesy flavors). The chunks of roasted potato seemed to supplement the crema-cheese flavor, However, the asada was a little tough and less piquant than I normally like.

Nevertheless, the outstanding service offered by the cashier and the food's reasonable price (only $7.99 for the sandwich) ingratiated me to this restaurant. The meat might have come from the bottom of the barrel (which I could understand because it was near the end of the day), but the chef still did a reasonably good job at her Torta

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Westwood needed a reasonably-priced, non-chain Mexican food joint. This might be it.

I hear they make a good breakfast burrito, so I will try to return in the morning sometime soon and update this post!  

Jose Chiquito

I am finally writing about the Grand Central Market.

Its not Eggslut or Wexler's Deli that I praise, but Jose Chiquito.

This modest stall wedged between Tacos Tumbres a Tomas and Golden Road Brewing has neither long lines nor brioche buns. But it more than compensates with its breakfast burritos.

Within a warm tortilla, toasty hash brown potatos pad a filling of eggs, tomato, pepper, onion and (most crucially) avocado. The saltiness of the hash browns, the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes, and the tangy sourness of the avocado hit all the right gustatory nerves. .

True "comfort" food, the burrito (pictured below) bursts to it's seams and will certainly stuff yours: the vegetarian variety--which I order because I can't eat pork-- always keep me full from breakfast until dinner.

By the way, one burrito only costs about $7.00 including tax, a rare find these days at the market (or really anywhere in downtown)..

Remember to always eat your breakfast, kids.

NADI Myanmar cafe

I took the bus to Alhambra Thursday morning for an interview. While I waited for the return ride, I began to feel hungry and, like all good foodies, consulted my Yelp (mobile) app. 

The second listing down from the top of the "restaurant" search results (with 4 and a half stars) read "Nadi Myanmar Cafe." 

I had never eaten Burmese food before and adored every southeast Asian cuisine I have tried so far. Therefore, I decided to postpone the hour and 45 minute bus ride home in order to give the restaurant a try. 

My first impression upon entry was the sweet waft of incense that permeated the air. A mural on the left wall depicts/immerses you in the round pagodas and rainforest of Myanmar's countryside. Amulets and boddhisatvas crammed a shelf on the opposite wall. 

Mural display

I skimmed through the list of curries and soups before settling on the chicken noodle salad (which a Yelp reviewer had positively commented on).  I then sat back in my chair and waited for the meal's delivery while taking in the Burmese ballads playing on the radio. 

Chicken Noodle Salad

The dish was served with artistic flair in an undulated ceramic bowl, accompanied by garnishes of chopped egg and dried (golden)  noodles.

Eager to satisfy my stomach's grumbling, I dug into the display with chopsticks. 

The noodles had a rich umami flavor, with a hint of Vietnamese fish sauce, that was occasionally punctuated by the sharpness of cilantro. Crumbling up and mixing in the egg added a richness that accentuated the umami quality.

In between bites of noodle, I slurped on the small bowl of rich (but not salty) chicken broth given as an accompaniment.

On the balance, my lunch at Nadi Myanmar Cafe made a wonderful addition to my trip (in terms of both nourishment and excitement). I will definitely return to the restaurant if I visit Alhambra again, and look forward to digging deeper into Los Angeles' Burmese culinary scene.