kagaya.

shabu shabu at its best in little tokyo.

so i finally dined at kagaya. i don’t know what took me sO long to get here, i’ve been missing out. a shabu dinner at kagaya consists of 3 courses of appetizers/small plates/soup, shabu veggie plate, meat of choice, congee or noodles, then dessert. i feel that their pricing is fair for the excellent quality served.

the appetizers/starters are pics complied from 2 separate visits.

some sort of whitefish sashimi with ponzu.

duck meat soup.

lightly fried fish with ponzu.

baked oyster with miso.

i just realized that i don’t have a picture of the veggie plate.. my attention was ALL on the gorgee wagyu. perfection. but i can’t finish an order by myself, its a bit too much for me. for me i think a wagyu shared with 3 diners is the perfect amount. others can finish an entire plate but i like to have some prime beef as well.

the prime beef.

seafood shabu.

for dessert, i was impressed that we had a selection to choose from, and were served “proper” desserts.. not just a scoop of ice cream or mochi ice cream.

this is the green tea mousse cake, overall all their dishes are very well plated.

the banana pie with vanilla ice cream. flaky pastry, delicious.

the apple pie with ice cream. the caramel sauce is sO good, this may be a favorite.

b also ordered the creme brûlée, on a different visit, which was very good as well.

overall the quality of kagaya was excellent. a new fave, better late than never!

 

xx

sushi gen, lunch.

lunch in little tokyo.

i finally had sushi gen’s $15 sushi lunch special.

my gf was awesome, and got there 45 minutes before they opened on a tuesday to wait in line.. thats dedication to food!

so much goodness.

xx

 

 

pine & crane.

taiwanese eats in silverlake.

a dear friend of mine has recently been consulting at this new restaurant nearby, and we couldn’t be happier! for b and i, this is comfort food. we were invited to a tasting before the soft opening, and here are some of the photos.

you order at the counter, get a #, and grab a seat. theres a long communal table, and a row of doubles that can be pushed together. it already gets crowded.. i was there early once, before doors opened for lunch, and i was shocked to see that  line had formed in front of me while i took a call in my car.

there are a variety of cold small dishes in the front display case. i always order the seaweed, pigs ear, and my favorite- the peanuts! before i continue, to address pricing; for ex, three cold appetizers for $7.50, which for taiwanese food seems a little expensive, but remember you’re in silverlake. take a look around. this isn’t your normal hole in the wall sgv chinese restaurant setting. you’re also getting quality ingredients, sourced from their own farm in bakersfield, and dining in a well designed, comfortable setting- with great service. try getting that at sgv. i know  we’d gladly pay a few extra dollars and eat closer to home.

continuing on..  heres a shot of the seaweed and shredded potato salad appetizers from the tasting.

taiwanese sausage with garlic.

one of my fave items: the beef roll. i’ve loved this since i was a child. pine & crane’s version is not greasy, and full of beef and scallions. lOve it.

three cup jidori chicken. basil, garlic, yum.

zha jiang noodles. chewy noodles, slightly sweet sauce.

minced pork rice. YUM. this picture is of the tasting sized portion, if you order it it comes in a bigger bowl. with the classic seven spices, and delicious pork fat, which makes the dish what it is. another one of my childhood faves.

pea sprout veggies. fresh, light.. because we shouldn’t eat carbs all day- which is what usually happens when i eat taiwanese food.

b’s fave. beef noodle soup. their version is lighter, not spicy, and does NOT have a layer of fat/oil floating on top. i approve.

loose leaf tea service. this was the high mountain dayuling.

and for my sweet tooth, i usually get a jasmine green milk tea (not pictured), and my gf told us that they may be adding some sweets onto the menu soon.

sO glad there’s some asian food that i actually like nearby now. you guys know i usually avoid chinese/taiwanese food.. especially greasy, or seafood banquets.. ugh. but, pine and crane is everything that i actually like to eat.

cheers! congrats on the soft opening!

xx

 

http://www.pineandcrane.com/