Orsa and Winston - DTLA

This is our 1000-day anniversary! I know, it sounds silly, but it is another excuse for us to try out a fancy restaurant. First time I saw this restaurant, I really liked its intimacy. It is a very tiny restaurant, with pretty simple modern decor, and it is a Japanese Italian fusion restaurant, two of my favorite cuisines! I was very excited of trying this place! 

O&W is located in downtown LA, on the 4th street, there are usually parking spots 2 blocks down on Los Angeles street, but that's where the neighborhood gets a little sketchy. They offer either a 6-course or 10-course tasting menu, and it changes according to what's seasonal. The whole table has to order the same thing, meaning either whole table of 6 course or whole table of 10 course. They also have something called "super omakase", which needs to be reserved 3 days in advance, and it is a 20-course tasting menu at the chef's counter. We chose to go with he 6-course, and with the amuse bouche and hors d'oeuvres, we ended up pretty full, so 10-course would have been too much food. 

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the menu, so can't remember exactly what everything is. But here's what I remember: 
Amuse Bouche
Artichoke soup with caviar on top- very creamy
Hors d'oeuvre (I might have missed one......)
Brioche with cheese, served with butter and raddish - interesting idea serving it with raddish, very good butter
Bone Marrow - I would like a little more seasoning
Thinly sliced apple with pear sauce - very refreshing
Official courses
Beef Carpaccio - Very tasty, I like the fingerling potatoes chips that added a little crispiness to the dish.
Squash with pumpkin broth - It is good, but not my favorite dish. 
Mushroom salad with arugula - I like the earthy taste of the mushroom, and it was balanced very well with the vinaigrette and pomegranate
Porridge with sea urchin - This surprised me! The menu says it's porridge, but it is more like a risotto to me. It looks very simple, but the taste of the sea urchin compliments really well with the porridge, and you can also tell there's a hint of lemon which works really well with the sea urchin.
Aged Duck with persimmon - Duck cooked perfectly, skin is crispy, and the persimmon gave it a little sweetness
Chocolate Napoleon, coffee ice cream - Perfect ending of the meal, I love the coffee crumble for the ice cream, and the napoleon was very chocolaty, yet not too sweet. 

Overall, it is good. My favorite dish was definitely the sea urchin porridge, which was very unexpected. I don't know if it is the menu today or what, but I didn't really get the wow factor that I was anticipating from all the reviews I have read online. I like the food, but I wasn't blown away. Let's put it this way, we ordered the 6-course, and I wasn't sorry that we didn't go for the 10-course. This is the second time we were at a restaurant with a tasting menu that did not wow us. When I was looking at the food pictures online and the reviews online, I was expecting so much more. As I mentioned, the menu changes seasonally. Maybe I am just unlucky..... I don't know.....  this particular menu might not be doing this restaurant justice, but shouldn't a place like this always be THAT good? 

*Excuse my blurry pictures...... it is pretty dark in there..... :(

INK.

Birthday or any occasion is often an excuse to go to fancy places for food. In celebration of a friend's birthday, we went to a restaurant called "ink" that is on both of our to-try lists. Happy Birthday!! <3 This restaurant is on Melrose, and on the way there, we found that they also have a sandwich place called "ink.sack" next to the ink restaurant, and the sandwich is around $6-$8, very reasonable! (Let you know next time after I try it) Ink is owned by a celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio who is known on the TV show "Top Chef". Although this is a relatively high-end restaurant, the ambience is very modern, casual, and relaxing, perfect for a date of 4-5 people group gathering. The food is mostly tapas size, with a couple more filling dishes at the end of the menu. What I like about this place is that this is no traditional restaurant, the menu is very creative with the ingredients and spices, and the dishes are full of surprises for your taste buds. 

Note* Sorry for the quality of the pictures, it was really dark inside and my friends were hungry.

Japanese Scallop - soy cured papaya, fermented chilli, basil

Basically, like scallop sashimi. The scallop was very fresh, and the texture of the scallop was very different, um.... it's almost like pudding. Papaya gave the dish a little sweetness, and basil gave it a refreshing after taste. It was very impressive that those ingredients go together so well.

Salt and Charcoal Potato - housemade sour cream, black vinegar

To put it in a simple way, it is potato balls with some sauces. It was good, but not particularly impressive. 

Oyster - half dozen, mignonette ice

The most important thing when it comes to oysters is the oyster itself. It has to be fresh, no way around it. Doesn't matter what kind of seasoning you put on it, if it is not fresh, it will not taste good. That's why I don't usually order or like oysters, because I can be very picky. But the oyster I had last night was very good. Especially with the mignonette ice, it is a very mild taste, but it complimented the oyster so well, and with a little scent from the flower they put on top, it was just perfect.  

Egg Yolk Gnocchi - mushroom brown butter, hen of the woods

I like it a lot, the sauce is slightly saltier for my taste, but it was good. The sauce has a very strong mushroom taste that I almost feel like they probably have used a mushroom stock. Apparently, this is one of the dishes they keep on the menu while the rest of them change according to seasonal ingredients. 

Octopus - ink, shells, young fennel, pimenton

The octopus was perfectly charred with pimenton, and very chewy. I am a big fan of this eight-legged creature. The black shells were cooked to perfection. Delicious.

Pasta Paella - local squid, aioli, thai flavors

Definitely the highlight of the meal (Everybody on the table agreed)! Absolutely my favorite dish of the night, and we almost wanted to order another one. It is like a combination of Arròs negre and Fideuá. It comes with a side of fresh lime and crushed peanuts, and that definitely added the thai flavors to the dish with the basil on the side. The aioli added a little creamy texture when mixed with the pasta noodle. The squid was perfectly cooked. I would go back to the restaurant just for this dish. 

Branzino - roasted cauliflower, caper, fermented grape

Very interesting. Cripsy cauliflower with perfectly seared branzino, and a tad sweet and sour from the grapes. I love the added texture from the cauliflower and the added sweetness from the grapes. 

Lamill Coffee - Chemex two cup pot

We weren't planning on getting coffee, but the smell of coffee from the other table inspired the coffee craving. They use a Chemex pot and make the coffee right in front of you. The coffee was perfect with the dessert. 

Peanut butter, coconut, whipped strawberry, basil

The dessert menu was a little hard to understand as they just listed all the individual ingredients without telling us anything about the actual product made from the ingredients. Well, I guess you just have to ask. Anyways, the skillful combination of ingredients continues to surprise me. 

Apple, caramel, shortbread, burnt wood semifreddo

The burntwood semifreddo perfectly balanced out the sweetness of the caramel flan/puree at the bottom. The shortbread added a little texture to the dessert, and the apple added a little sourness to the caramel. I was very amazed with this dining experience, if you are looking for something different, creative and fun, this is the perfect place! I did not go in with particularly high expectations, but I left with awe and excitement. Highly recommended.  

Mélisse - A 2 Michelin Star winning French Restaurant

Bon Appétit! I have been dying to try this restaurant because of the 2 Michelin star and good reviews online. Since it is a fancy restaurant, of course we need an occasion, and that would be my birthday! Another year older, despite more wrinkles, hopefully wiser too.
We decided to go with the 4-course menu instead of "the ten", and we each chose different courses so that we can try more dishes. 

Amuse-bouche
On the left: tomatoes two ways, with goat cheese and pistachio
On the right, scallop on the spoon, tomato and cucumber pudding in the glass

Definitely very French avant-garde. The tomatoes in the spoon were prepared using molecular gastronomy technique and they burst in your mouth with goat cheese filling. The second tomato was covered in goat cheese and crushed pistachios. As for the pudding, it is very nice to have a cold jelly soup in this hot summer. 

The bread

There is a wide selection of bread, and they are baked in-house. From left to right, French country roll, basil brioche, brioche, ciabatta, black olive, and bacon focaccia. 

Personal favorite is the basil brioche and the bacon focaccia.  

They gave us some butter for the bread, and the butter tastes very different. It is so rich that it almost tastes like cheese. So, we were curious and we asked the server about the butter, and apparently, the butter is from a specific region in France, Normandy. This region is very close to the sea, and the diet of the cows gave the butter this unique rich flavor.

First course
On the left: Santa Barbar Spot Prawns, Celtuce, Citrus Chive Butter
On the right: Tomato soup

The prawns were nicely cooked and seasoned, the sauce is very nice, not too strong to cover the taste of the prawn but complements it nicely. As a soup lover, the tomato soup is definitely one of my favorites tonight. Very rich and creamy, it also has a very interesting texture with the tomato sorbet in the soup. The acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes were balanced so well. One of my favorite soups after the butternut squash soup I had in SPQR San Francisco. 

Second Course
On the left: Lobster Bolognese, Fresh Capellini, Basil, Brown Butter Truffle Froth
On the right: Seared Albacore, Olive Mousse, Artichoke

The lobster bolognese was a big surprise. This is probably the best bolognese I have ever had. The brown butter truffle froth bubbles in your mouth, stimulating your pellet for the flavors of the bolognese. Terrific. As for the albacore, I am slightly disappointed. The albacore itself is very fresh and well-cooked. The olive mousse was delicious, but the flavors of each condiment do not blend well together.

Entree
On the left: Liberty Duck, Eggplant, Bak Choy, walnut
On the right: Sweet corn agnolotti with shaved black truffle

Personally, I am not very fond of the duck. Don't get me wrong, I love duck. But this duck dish did not impress me. The sauce does not go really well with the duck. The duck itself was a little rubbery, very disappointed. The agnolotti was a supplement dish for an additional cost but was worth it. The corn filling offered a strong fresh sweetness and that balanced really well with the truffle. 

Dessert
On the right: Mango Pudding
On the left below: Cappuccino
On the right below: Salted Caramel

The Cappuccino was definitely one of the best Cappuccino I have had. The aroma of the espresso is so strong that you feel like you are drinking the espresso black, but with a smoother texture from the milk. 

The salted caramel was pretty good. It comes with the nectarine fruit, nectarine mousse and nectarine sorbet. Nectarine has a very mild flavor, so it is kinda hard to stand out in a mousse/sorbet form. (I regret not ordering the pineapple souffle)

On the other hand, the mango pudding blew my mind. The very bottom is frozen mango sorbet, top with tapioca, diced mango, pudding and mousse. The combination of all these different texture was just AWESOME. 

The Petit Fours
From left to right: Pate de Fruit, Chocolate truffle, Canele, Green tea macarons

They are all very delicious. The petit fours concluded the dinner nicely. The green tea macaron was definitely my favorite. The softest macaron I have ever had, and the green tea flavor was very strong. I have always loved canele, one of my all-time favorite french pastries, and it was very delicious too. Crispy burnt sugar outside, soft custard on the inside. 

The dinner was a blast! Impeccable service and delicious food. However, for the price, I expected a little better than what we had. Not exactly disappointed, but not impressed either. Didn't leave with a great satisfaction like I did when I left Hatfield's. In short, I am not crazy about it, a little underwhelming. Mélisse does change its menu according to the food in seasons, maybe I will have a better luck next time?  (If there's next time... it's not exactly cheap to go there.....)   

Bestia

One of the best Italian places I have been. This is my second time and tonight is my dear friend's birthday! Happy Birthday!!! I am very happy that I found the perfect excuse to come back to this place. We reserved this place a month ago because it is hard to get a table with 5-6 people. Bestia is located in the art district of LA. You might know that it is not a very nice neighborhood, but I have found a couple good restaurants around this area and I love them! One thing I like about this place is that it was an abandoned building, and they renovate the inside of the it to a very nice restaurant but kept the outlook of the building. I just have a thing for the decadent beauty.

We are a group of 5 girls, and we do not eat much, so we decided to share everything! (The way I like it!) We ordered 3 appetizers, 1 pizza, 2 pastas and 1 dessert. This is what we ordered:

Appetizer
Whitefish Crostino - I really like the homemade bread, and it tastes like a really good version of a tuna sandwich. (That's everybody's conclusion lol)
Grilled Octopus & Calamari - Fresh seafood, and I couldn't taste too much of the salad dressing.
Roasted Market Vegetables - I don't know whether it's on purpose or what, they looked a little burnt to me.
* For some reason, the appetizers that day were a little heavy on the salt, but overall good. As I mentioned before, I have been here before, and last time, I ordered the Roasted Bone Marrow and Butter Poached Lobster, and in my opinion, those are better choices than the appetizers we ordered this time. And I have heard really good things about the Foie Gras Terrine and Chicken Liver Crostino.

Pizza
Burrata. San Marzano tomatoes. Castelvetrano Olives. Oregano. Fermented Chillies.
- The pizza was piping hot when it got on the table and so delicious! We actually had to wait for a couple minutes before we can cut the pizza. The crust was crispy but just thick enough. The Burrata cheese was so smooth, and the fermented chilles gave the pizza a little kick at the end of the bite. Absolutely recommended.

Pasta
Quadretti alla Carota. Mushroom Ragu. Fried Jerusalem Artichokes. Carrot Puree. Grana Padano. Carrot tops.
- My absolute favorite in this place. I had it last time and again this time, and if I go there again, I will order it next time! This is how good this pasta is! One of the best Ragu I have ever tasted. It is a vegetarian pasta, and everything just goes so well together, yet you can taste individual ingredients. Very well seasoned. 
Spaghetti Rustichella. Sea Urchin. Quid Ink Bottarga. Garlic. Calabrian Chilles. Breadcrumbs.
- The sea urchin was definitely fresh. Very tasty. The pasta was cooked al dente for both pasta dish. A very tiny teeny bit fishy, but for me, I actually like a little taste of the sea. 
* Last time I was here, I had the Grilled Branzino, and it was amazing. The fish was cooked and seasoned perfectly. It might seem like a simple dish, but it was very well done.

Dessert
Ricotta Fritters. Maple Butter. Huckleberry Jam Ice-cream.
- One of us are not thrilled about this dessert when we order it, but turned out everybody loves it. It only has a hint of sweetness from the maple butter, which by the way, was awesome. Although it is fried, it does not feel greasy at all. This pairs very well with the ice cream. Highly recommended. 
*Last time, I ordered the Bittersweet Chocolate Budino Tart, and I normally don't like chocolate dessert, but that was really good. It is not too sweet at all, and the tart crust was also made with a rich dark chocolate, in which the chocolate flavor was highlighted rather than the sweetness. 

Maude - A restaurant by Curtis Stone

Just found an interesting restaurant called Maude, opened by an Australian celebrity chef. It is a very small restaurant with only 25 seats. What's special about this place is that they have a theme each month, focusing on one key ingredient, and using that ingredient to make a nine-course dinner. I really like the idea, and here's what they have for this year. I love asparagus, but it is already the end of April...... OH MY! November and December are white and black truffles!!!! I love truffles (who doesn't!?), I am soooo going! I haven't been to this place yet, and none of my friends have, but it does look very appealing. I will keep you posted!