Japanese Fusion Food

Bust out your wallet because this post is a little on the pricer side!

The Open Door is a small Izakaya-style (tapas/small plates) Japanese restaurant in Diamond Plaza. It can get pretty pricy, but if you love Honda-Ya or Furaibo, then TOD will absolutely blow you away. Seating is limited and TOD has some awkward hours. So beware! FYI, they’re only open for dinner. They're also closed Monday and Tuesday. Since Open Door likes to switch up their menu frequently, I like to pop in periodically to try out new dishes. Here are just some of the dishes I've tried. 

 Whitefish with Yuzu sauce 

 Oil seared scallop with chives, cherry tomatoes, and garlic. 

 Edamame Vichyssoise with uni and quail egg.

 Beef tongue carpa with chimichurri & crostini.

 Beef Tataki 

Tuna on crispy rice sushi. 

Two sashimis in one! Uni on scallop sashimi. 

 Salmon sashimi.

Clams.

 Fried soft-shelled shrimp.

Japanese shishito peppers. 

 Bone Marrow.

 Pork belly – which came with a little fried pork skin on top.  It comes with a poached egg which you need to mix and pour over each piece.

Beef Stonepot Rice.

Yes, The Open Door seems a little out of place in Monterey Park perhaps, even to the point of being a tad pretentious for the San Gabriel Valley. They also have Happy Hour for cheaper prices!

If you like watching the game, then this may be perfect for you. They have a good happy hour, decent parking, and allow  you to store your unfinished bottles of alcohol. I loved how they had typical tapas dishes for the people in my party that didn’t like to try anything out of the ordinary and more of the unique dishes for the more outrageous eaters like me.

122 S Atlantic Blvd

Monterey Park, CA 91754

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Happy Eatings! 

Guizhou Chicken Pot

Here's something you don't see everyday-Chicken pot! I had a mala chicken pot from Spring Trinity in North Point in Hong Kong. After you finish eating the chicken from the pot, the servers pour pork bone soup into the pot to shabu shabu. 

You choose which veggies and meat you want to add to your shabu! 

 

 It was very tasty. A little on the spicy side! 

 

I'd say you'd need at least 3 people to enjoy this dish. It's a very filling and big dish. They don't offer individual mini pots so come hungry and come ready to share!

Happy Eatings! 

Make Me Drool!

I told the guy to make me drool. I'd say he delivered, aye?

Cold cuts are so delicious and City Super in Hong Kong is one of my favorite places to wander around looking for food and snacks. I'm usually eating 3 things in my hand while trying to shop for other foods while I'm there. Damn you amazing Japanese supermarkets!

I'm posting from Hong Kong right now. I'll be back in L.A. in a few days. Until then, for the latest follow me on Instragram at: kristiehang


Happy Eatings!

What's an Authentic Chinese New Year Meal?

Chinese people are very superstitious people. Depending on where you may be from, the New Year traditions can vary immensely. Certain fruits and foods are seen as auspicious in certain Chinese cultures are seen as a sign of bad luck in others. But let’s be serious, many of the so-called “Chinese New Year” meals you read about aren’t really special. Chinese people make up nice-sounding names for all the dishes and tell you that it’s a “unique” New Year dish. So, here’s your look into what’s in a real, authentic Chinese New Year dinner. This is what I had for my New Year Dinner.

(Here's my poon choy. Don't let the picture fool you, the pot is very deep.)

Poon Choy, which translates to Big Bowl Feast, is a traditional type of dish originating from Hong Kong. According to legend, it was said the dish was invented during the Song Dynsasty when Mongol troops invaded China. The locals apparently tried to aid the Emperor and his army which fled to Hong Kong and Guangdong, by collected whatever foods they had and threw it all into a big bowl.

(I was really full so I picked out just a few of my favorite things-abalone, fish maw, and sea cucumber.)

Today’s moden poon choy has ingredients such as abalone, ginseng, shark’s fin, duck, fish maw, crab, radish, shrimp, lamb, beef, chicken, mushroom, eel, squid, goose feet  tofu, to name a few. The dish is eaten with everyone using their chopsticks and mixing the food to bring good fortune in the coming year. 

 Another dish with similar meaning eaten for the New Year is “lo hay”.  “Lo hay” is particularly a South East Asian custom very popular in certain regions of China as well. Lo hay is, is a dish filled with vegetables, crackers, nuts, sweet and sour sauce, spices, raw salmon, and fruit. Each of the ingredients symbolizes some form of prosperity.

 (Some mixing in action!)

Everyone then raises their chopsticks and mixes the platter by picking up the items with their chopsticks. This action is to signify good luck by mixing all these symbolic forms of prosperity.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Need Valentine's Day Plans?

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I'm currently on a short trip to Hong Kong, but for my L.A. readers, here are some ideas for your V-Day or Single Awareness Day out with Friends! DineLA may be over, but here is your next chance! 

For lovebirds who are true foodies at heart, the Downtown Center Business Improvement District  has put together a few “Romance in the City” dinners, including:

• Four-course Valentine’s Day Dinner – For fun and flirty Mexican food, Border Grill is offering its V-day package for $65/person excluding tax and gratuity. MentionDowntownLA.com when making a Valentine’s Day reservation and get a Free Border Guacamole with purchase of a prix-fixe dinner.
• Fine Dining on Historic Bunker Hill – At the Omni Hotel, couples can celebrate Valentine’s Day at its romantic Noé Restaurant & Bar. Executive Chef Glen Ishii has prepared a special four-course menu for $75/person (excluding tax and gratuity) that includes entrée choices of Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Petite Filet or Butternut Squash Risotto. Receive a free glass of champagne by mentioning DowntownLA.com.
• Downtown’s “Most Romantic” Dinner – Try the best in al fresco dining at Café Pinot, which offers a contemporary California menu all in a setting situated in Maguire Gardens with landscaped lawns shaded by olive and jacaranda trees and underneath the grand Central Library.
• The Edison’s Valentine’s Celebration – Go back in time for a night of romance and entertainment in this world-class lounge with the Francesca Vannucci band. Complete Lover’s Dinner for two, complimented by Perrier Champagne, is $115 excluding tax and gratuity.
• Chaya’s Love at First Bite – Chaya Downtown is offering a three-course selection of Chef Kenjo’s favorite romance-inspired menu for two topped of with a Valentine’s dessert medley that includes peanut butter soufflé glace with chocolate sauce; chocolate-dipped strawberries and a heart- shaped strawberry shortcake for $65/person excluding tax and gratuity. 

For the full list of love-ly Valentine’s Day dining, hotel packages and activities in the heart of the city, visit DowntownLA.com/valentines. 

Happy Eatings! 

The Start of DineLA 2013!

Anyone that loves food, knows that eating well is quite an expensive hobby. Fortunately and unfortunately, Los Angeles is one of the most unique and dynamic cities for food. Luckily for us, twice a year, many restaurants participate in a two-week period known as DineLA.

For those unfamiliar, DineLA is when a number restaurants in L.A. have a special discount prixe fixe menu for patrons. The menu includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert. What makes DineLA great is that it allows foodies that normally wouldn’t eat at high-end resturant to experience a taste of their food without blowing their budget. Lunches are priced at $15, $20, and $25, and dinners at $25, $35, and $45.

 Complimentary Meat Balls from the Waiting Room. For me, Lawry’s Prime rib is the best DineLA deal. Typically at Lawry’s, the cheapest prime rib is approximately $40. Everything is a la carte-sides, dessert, etc. If you add in a drink, a side order, and dessert your typical cost would be about $70.

The Lawry’s DineLA meal is $45 and includes complimentary bread, salad, 8 ounce prime rib, lobster tail, and dessert! What a steal!

 Lawry’s famous spinning bowl salad.

 Here is the bulk of my dinner. You have the prime rib, the Yorkshire Pudding, and the lobster tail!

English Trifle for dessert!

DineLA runs from January 21 to February 1^st. You can find the entire list of restaurants participating here. I’ll probably be going to a few more DineLA resturants before it ends.

Do you have a favorite? Have you been taking advantage of the deals?