Today I went to King's burgers. They sell breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc.) burgers, tacos, hot dogs, smoothies and now they even sell sushi! I ordered the crispy chicken teriyaki bowl along with 4 pieces of California rolls. The teriyaki bowl had a few pickled radishes, chicken drenched in teriyaki sauce, crispy tempura batter and white rice underneath all of this. I thought the bowl was pretty good at first, but the meal gets less and less enticing over time because every bite is the same as the last bite. The California rolls has avocados, imitation crab meat, cucumbers, rice and seaweed. These rolls were good just like any other California roll I've ever eaten. They were fresh and I liked how the cucumbers gave each roll a nice crisp texture. I've been here before and I highly recommend their hard shell tacos! Overall, the workers were friendly, the environment is calm, there are two TV screens, a self-serve soda machine and I would come here again, but most likely order something different.
Every Wednesday, the wings are 50 cents each! So of course I had to get some Cajun Wings. The sauce on these are super flavorful. It's spicy and sweet. I like the bone-in crispy wings better than the bone-out wings. The meat in the bone-in is juicy and the outside is crispy. The meat in the bone-out is drier than the bone-in, but it's easier to eat. Overall, this place was surprisingly good and I think this will be my go-to place for cheap, easy and fast wings.
WingStreet 20901 Lassen St. Chatsworth CA 91311 Phone:(818)772-0700
Today I went to Jersey Mike's Subs to try one of their sandwiches because friends around me were raving about how good they were. I ordered a #8, which is the Club Sub (consists of Turkey, ham, provolone, bacon, mayo, of course Mike's Way!). It was fun to watch them use the machine to thinly slice the fresh meat and cheese. There's a clear glass between you and the workers so you can watch them make your sandwich. If you tell them it's your first time there, they give you a free cookie of your choice. I got the m&m cookie and it was soft and yummy! The sandwich was actually kind of plain and the bacon was too salty for my taste. Personally, I didn't enjoy this sandwich and I felt like the sandwiches I make at home have more flavor. Don't get me wrong, all the toppings they used were very fresh, but it needs some tang to the sandwich. Maybe they need to use miracle whip instead of mayo. Whatever it is, they need to add something to give it more flavor for me to want to come again. Who knows? Maybe I ordered the wrong sandwich. I think I played it safe with a club sub and maybe I need to try one of their crazier subs. Overall, the workers were helpful, the place was really clean, but I wouldn't come here again on my own terms. If my family or friends wanted to go, I might tag along and ask to try some of what they have and maybe I will actually find a sub I like.
Jersey Mike's Subs 9840E Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Chatsworth, CA, 91311
(818)727-7827
It was getting late and I was craving Chinese food. I decided to look online and I came across this place. I took a look at their online menu and easily decided on three plates. The Dry Sauteed String Beans, House Special Fried Rice, and Kung Pao Chicken. The dry sauteed string beans were really nicely seasoned and tasty. I usually don't like vegetables, but I'll make an exception for this dish. Their house special fried rice was mediocre. I think it needs more seasoning and it was kind of dry, so I probably won't order this again. Their kung pao chicken on the other hand is the best I've tried in the valley. It's perfectly sweet and spicy at the same time. I salivate just talking about it in my blog. If you come here, definitely order this! Overall, I had a great experience. The people are helpful and the dishes were really flavorful. It's a place I would come back to again.
I've been to a few Baja Fresh restaurants over a course of a few years, but I realized the quality of food varies from place to place. I walked in and was greeted by very welcoming workers. I already knew what I wanted to order, so I ordered a large side of chips and the taquito meal. Everything seemed smaller here, like the taquitos were skinnier than normal and the side of chips weren't so large. The taquitos were still delicious nonetheless. Their chips are my absolute favorite because they are thin, crispy, freshly made and less salty than the chips you can buy at markets. Another part of this place that I like is the salsa bar. I love the Mild Baja Sauce, Pico De Gallo and I used to love the Salsa Verde (they changed the recipe and now it tastes like grass). At this place, the salsas didn't taste as fresh as can be and they were a bit warm for my liking. But they were still eatable. I probably wouldn't come back to this specific Baja Fresh unless I was in the area and there was nothing else to eat. So far my favorite Baja Fresh is the one in Chatsworth. Every time I've gone there, the food never let me down.
I decided to come to this place because of the grand opening and the funny name of the restaurant. As I walked in, I realized it wasn't your typical Vietnamese restaurant. You order at the the front with the cashier and they have a soda machine where you fill your drinks yourself. I think there is a lot of interior work that still needs to be done. For example, this place used to be called "Flames", which was a BBQ restaurant and they still have leftover signs (rotisserie, musical notes, guitar, etc) that do not pertain to this new restaurant. After you are done ordering, you can choose wherever you want to sit. The place is really clean compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I've been to, but then again this restaurant has only been open for a week or two. The menu has your typical soup noodle dishes,
I ordered the #2, which is the smaller version of the #1. The first thing I like to do to test if the pho is good or not is to take a sip of the broth. I personally think a flavorful broth can have a tremendous effect on the dish. So I tasted the broth and it wasn't bad, but the flavor just wasn't all there. I think the pho was fine because I always end up drenching my noodle soup with sriracha hot sauce and hoisin sweet sauce. My boyfriend actually had a more difficult time finishing his bowl because he felt the pho tasted pretty bland since he doesn't add sauce to his bowl. Usually the pho we order elsewhere has so much beefy flavor goodness, we don't even need to add sauce.
Overall, the waiters were extremely nice compared to a few Vietnamese restaurants I've been to. This place is fairly new so I think there is time for a few improvements and if they listen to some advice, I think they will do well. I think I'd only come back here again if they somehow made their pho more flavorful. Their prices are decent. After reviewing this place, I'd have to say I'd much rather go to Pho So 1, which is a few minutes away, but it's worth it for their food.
Pho King Delicious 9350 Corbin Ave. Northridge, CA, 91324
I came to this place because many people told me how good their chicken dish was so of course I needed to come try it out for myself. As I walked in, the workers basically kept doing their own thing and barely made an effort to notice my presence. Finally someone got up and seated me, so from that point on I just felt a bit out of place.
The dish comes with a whole seasoned chicken, pickled vegetables, rice, and oyster sauce. The chicken is deliciously moist and the oyster sauce goes perfectly with the chicken. I personally love the sauce, but I can see this sauce being a bit fishy or overpowering if you've never tried it before. They don't give you enough sauce for the chicken so you're more than likely going to have to ask for more. When I asked for more sauce, I received some attitude, almost like it was just a pain to go back and pour some sauce for me. When I got the sauce I said, "thank you" and got no response. He basically just walked away in an annoyed way and I felt even more awkward. Basically to sum it up, the food is good, yet the environment has a negative impact on how I view this place.
Overall, the customer service is lacking and needs major improvement. I don't think I would sit in here and eat again. If I do eat at this place, I'd probably call ahead of time and order to go. It's difficult to eat in such a negative environment. I feel as if it's not worth my time. I'm sure there are other places that have chicken that tastes just as good or better. This place is also cash only.
Today I decided to try Blue Lotus because it looked like a nice place to eat. The inside is calm and peaceful. There was no wait, so I was seated by the waitress right away. The menu was easy to read and there were pictures included, which helped me in choosing what I wanted to order. As I looked through the menu, I decided I would try the eggrolls, (consisted of ground up pork, shrimp, crab meat, along with vermicelli, and cloud ear mushrooms) which came with lettuce, sliced cucumbers, pickled radish/carrots and fish sauce. The eggrolls were delicious and crispy. I thought the sauce was perfect with the eggrolls, but I think some people would be turned off by the smell. I love fish sauce so I have no complaints about it. I also ordered the thai iced tea with boba & whip cream. The thai tea was good, not too bitter and not overly sweet. The boba was nice and chewy, which tasted fresh. Overall, this place had good Vietnamese food especially for the price. The waiters were sweet and patient. If I'm in this area again, I would be happy to come back to this restaurant.
Blue Lotus 21705 Main St. Carson, CA 90745 (310) 518-9538 Open 7 days a week 10am - 9pm Weekdays 10am - 9:30pm Weekends
Today I went to a Hawaiian restaurant in Alhambra. The environment is really diverse. They have a dining area and a sports bar area with three large flat screen televisions. The decorations they use are really interesting and they even have a huge Hawaiian statue which looks cool. During the day you can order your food at the cash register and choose a place to sit and wait for the waiters to bring you the food. At night, they actually seat you and then they take your order from the table.
I ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad. It contains: Fresh Romaine, Thinly Slice Grilled Chicken Breasts, Fried Won Ton Skins, with their Homemade Dressing. The salad is really big and filling. I think the sauce is one of the best Asian dressings I've ever had (it's perfectly sweet and tangy) and I wish I had the recipe for it. Everything tasted fresh and I would order it again for sure.
Overall, I would come again if I was in this area. It's definitely worth trying out. The customer service is pretty good. The other things I would suggest trying is their spam masubi and Shaka plate (this is great for newcomers since it offers small portions of their popular items).
Shakas 101 Main St #C Alhambra CA., 91801 626.293.5520
I decided to make a trip to the Topanga mall and stop by for some food. The place that caught my eye was Sorabol since all the food looked appetizing. This place is a quick-serve restaurant known for their Korean BBQ and noodles. They also claim to prepare the food fresh throughout the day without using MSG additives. All the food is laid out behind a radius glass so you can pick out what you want to eat. My boyfriend and I ordered a BBQ short rib plate and a lemon chicken lunch bowl.
The BBQ short rib plate includes chap chae (Korean style glass noodle), 2 pieces of short ribs drenched in teriyaki sauce, 2 side orders of vegetables (I picked carrots and bean sprouts). The ribs were really tasty, but kind of hard to eat since they don't offer sharp knives to cut into the meat. The vegetables were nicely seasoned and fresh. The chap chae is my favorite and I could eat this everyday if I just knew how to make it.
The lemon chicken bowl included white rice, lemon chicken, and 1 side order of vegetable (I picked seaweed). The lemon chicken was also really good. It tasted somewhat like Panda Express's orange chicken, except this one was lemon. It was sweet and the chicken was caramelized. The seaweed had a nice texture and the right amount of saltiness, but if you don't like really "fishy-tasting" seafood, then this is not for you.
Overall, I would come again. The food was fresh and the workers were really helpful. This is a perfect place to stop by especially if you're shopping and start feeling hungry. The cost for everything came out to about $22, so it's not extremely cheap, but the quality is great.
Sorabol 6600 Topanga Canyon Suite FC-12 Canoga Park,CA, 91303 (818)888-1959
On this trip, my boyfriend and I decided to try Casa De Tacos. This place is pretty small, but the food smells good and the prices were reasonable. Their menu consists of taquitos, quesadillas, tacos, nachos and much more. It's also great how their open 24/7, so if you're hungry in middle of the night, there's an actual restuarant that is open.We ordered the supreme nachos and a quesadilla.
The supreme nachos consisted of nacho cheese, onions, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, shredded jack cheese, shredded carne asada, and sliced avocados (usually it's guacamole, but they ran out) on tortilla chips. The meat was delicious and tender. I liked how I finished these nachos without any of the chips becoming soggy, which is the case with many nachos I've tried before. On the other hand, I felt that these nachos were good, but they would taste much better with guacamole instead of the sliced avocados. The onions were a bit spicy, but luckily they didn't put too much on there. It also cold have used more nacho cheese and it would have been perfect.
The quesadilla consisted of jack cheese melted in a tortilla. They also added sour cream and pico de gallo with lettuce on the side to complement the quesadilla. This was pretty good, but I feel like most quesadillas tastes generally the same and you can't really go wrong with a quesadilla unless they decide to use an unusual tasting cheese.
Overall, I'd come back here again especially since I love how this place is open 24/7. The workers are friendly and they make you feel right at home. But if you do plan to come here, make sure you bring cash since it's cash only. The total cost of the supreme nachos and quesadilla came out to $8.64.
Casa De Tacos is located at: 7300 Topanga Canyon Blvd. , Ste 8 Canoga Park, CA, 91303 (818) 888-8750
On this trip, I decided to stop by the food-court in Glendale Galleria as a nice break from shopping. As I looked around, Kyochon Chicken caught my attention with the slogan, "Chicken like you've never had before". I just had to try it to see if it's as good as they claim it is. Their menu is pretty straightforward and easy to pick from. Their signature meals are their wings and crispy rice chicken strips, but they also offer a few specials (teriyaki fried rice, crispy chicken bowl/wrap/sandwich/salad) and some side orders to pick from.
I ordered #9 Combination plate, which included 3 Soy Garlic Sauce wings & 2 Hot and Sweet Sauce wings (you can get them all one flavor, but I wanted to try both of them) , 5 Crispy Rice Chicken Strips, and fries. Everything came in nice little boxes, which I thought was really neat. The Soy Garlic Sauce wings were nice and tasty, just the right amount of favor. The Hot and Sweet Sauce wings were really tasty at first, but in a matter of seconds, your mouth will feel like it's on fire so I'd only recommend this one to those who enjoy spicy food. The Crispy Rice Chicken Strips were awesome, especially with BBQ sauce. I loved how these chicken strips had the right amount of crisp to them and the inside was nice and moist. The fries were nicely seasoned and fresh. The total of the meal & drink comes out to $13.71
I felt that everything had a wonderfully crispy texture bursting with delightful flavors. The customer service was awesome. The wait takes about 10 minutes because they make the wings/chicken strips fresh. Some cons are the steep prices and size of the wings (super tiny), but these cons wouldn't stop me from coming here again. It was a yummy experience!
Kyochon Chicken 1140 Galleria Way Glendale, CA, 91210 (818) 552-2449
Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Dog with a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry Soda
For this trip, I decided to go to Fab Hot Dogs because it was on the show called, "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" featuring Guy Fieri. Everything shown on TV looked drool-worthy so I knew I had to go to this place the next day. They have regular hot dogs, specialty hot dogs, fries, hamburgers and other delicious side entrees. I felt that they have a nice variety of items to choose from and I love how you can customize your meal.
I ordered a customized hot dog called the Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Dog, which isn't even on the menu, but I saw someone order the Teriyaki Dog on the show and a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda. This hot dog contains a bacon-wrapped sausage, onions, pineapples and teriyaki sauce. This hot dog was delicious and totally worth the trip. The only warning I have is to wait for the hot dog to cool down before you eat it because the oil from the sausage can burn your mouth/throat. Also, this place is pretty small so you might have a hard time finding a place to sit, but that shouldn't deter you from giving this place a try and make sure you get there early because when I got here at 4:00pm, they ran out of hot dogs so they had to close for the day. Overall, I see myself making plenty of trips to this place. The customer service and food is fantastic.
Fab Hot Dogs 6747 Tampa Ave. Reseda, CA, 91335 (818) 344-4336
I decided to eat at Waba Grill since my friend suggested this place to me. This restaurant claims to be cooked fresh using no oil in their food, low fat, low calories, high in protein, served with fresh vegetables and most importantly their food is delicious! There isn't much variety in their menu, which makes ordering a lot easier. They offer chicken, steak, salmon or ribs, with their special teriyaki sauce over rice. You can either order a "bowl" or a "plate" of food. The bowl of food just comes with your choice of meat over white rice. The plate comes with your choice of meat with a side serving of salad and either vegetables or oranges. They also have one type of salad which is the chicken salad plate.
My boyfriend and I ordered #3, which is the steak plate and replaced the oranges with some vegetables instead and a medium coke. The steak is thinly sliced with a drizzle of sweet, savory teriyaki sauce with a pinch of green onions on top for taste. I usually don't like food that claims to be low in fat because I assume the food will most likely be tasteless, but in this case, I have to say the steak was extremely flavorful and delectable. The steamed vegetables, on the other hand, were kind of bland and I felt it needed some sort of sauce. The side salad was okay, but I wouldn't be able to eat a huge portion of it. The dressing was somewhat sour and became overpowering when it was time to eat the other items on the plate. The cost for this plate with the drink was: $10.85. Overall, it was a great experience and I would definitely go again.
Waba Grill 21534 Devonshire St. #B Chatsworth, CA, 91311
Today my boyfriend and I went to a restaurant called “Lee’s Sandwiches” located in Rosemead. They offer a variety of delicacies including Asian sandwiches, European sandwiches, pastries, iced drinks, hot drinks, gourmet coffee, Italian soda, fresh squeezed juice, desserts, smoothies, ice cream and much more. As I walked into this restaurant, I looked at the menu and it took me the longest time to decide on what to order. Eventually my boyfriend ordered the Lee’s Combination sandwich and I ordered a B.B.Q. Pork Sandwich, Sweet Rice (Xoi Man) & their famous iced coffee. The total for all of this came out to be $10.45, which I felt was a pretty good deal for two people. This place does not take credit cards or checks, so make sure you have some cash handy.
The B.B.Q . Pork sandwich ($2.45) consisted of sliced Chinese barbeque pork, house pickle (daikon & carrots), onions, jalapenos, house mayonnaise, salt & pepper, and soy sauce on a 10-inch baguette. I felt that this sandwich was delightful and fulfilling. The vegetables were fresh and the pork was sweet and delicious. It’s definitely not your typical subway sandwich. The only complaint I have about the sandwich is that the baguette is a bit rough to the point that it kind of scratched up the roof of my mouth. Other than that, I would definitely order this again.
Lee’s Combination sandwich ($2.45) consisted of sliced jambon, headcheese & pate, house pickle (daikon & carrots), onions, jalapenos, house mayonnaise, salt & pepper, and soy sauce on a 10-inch baguette. My boyfriend liked the flavors from the sandwich. He didn’t really like the pickled vegetables, but I think it’s more of an acquired taste.
Lee’s Iced Coffee ($2.25) consisted of filtered coffee mixed with condensed milk. I had to try this since it’s so popular amongst the customers. Personally, I thought the coffee was too bitter and needed more sugar. Maybe I’m just not a coffee person, but I probably wouldn’t order this again unless I had some sugar with me.
Special deals going on at the moment:
$1 baguettes
Buy two 16oz frozen café latte concentrates and get one free
Buy a pork roll and a get a free baguette
Overall, the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. They even have a drive-thru, so if you’re feeling a bit lazy then this is a perfect place to swing by. I like how they offer a wide assortment of food to eat, which left me feeling satisfied. And I thought five dollar foot-longs were a good deal, but this takes the cake!
