Chinese New Year Brunch at The Langham in Pasadena

If you're a high-rolling Asian who frequents the San Gabriel Valley, you may be escorted to a table at a popular dim sum restaurant without waiting in line. If you're a high roller but don't have any pull in the SGV, you should consider the Sunday brunch buffet at The Terrace at The Langham for Chinese New Year.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, for the month of February, The Terrace is offering a chinese inspired Sunday brunch buffet. Think dim sum, Peking duck, five spice duck, followed by almond pudding and egg tarts for dessert, amidst a white tablecloth dining room facing the swimming pool.

Walking down the stairs, you'd be hard pressed to miss the enticing dessert spread to your right, adorned with impressive chocolate sculptures celebrating the year of the Tiger with a sign for good fortune, and the ever-present symbol of the dragon.

Chinese New Year - themed chocolate sculptures at The Langham

Dim sum station offering shrimp dumplings (har gow), shiu mai, and pork buns is set up next to a carving station boasting a whole Peking duck.
I was pleasantly surprised by the shiu mai and pork buns, they tasted better than many dim sum places in the SGV! The har gow was quite good too although I prefer a thinner skin. The Peking duck was excellent, but I did miss the usual wrapping skin and green onion (they did have hoisin sauce) that I cannot separate peking duck from.

It doesn't end there. There were also a cold section of creative Asian inspired dishes.
My favorite was the smoked duck with black sesame sauce. The duck breast was flavorful and tender, but it was the unique black sesame sauce that lifted this dish.

Besides the special Chinese food offering, you can find your expected Langham brunch buffet throughout the month, including the cold seafood spread: crab claws, oysters, and shrimp.On the "br" section you'll find an omelette station spitting out very well prepared omelettes; choice of egg white available for that healthy adult in you.
Pieces of salmon, yellowtail, tuna, and unagi nigiri sushi line the sushi station. At the other carving station, deliciously tender prime rib and lamb loin is available. If you can still fit more, don't miss this.

The cheese tray is a nice selection of gouda, three blue cheeses, and more, along with a variety of condiments right next to it.

Last but not least of course, for us the sweet-toothed: the dessert stations. Petit fours, creme brulees, a Crêpes and waffle station, and a chocolate fountain.
I was still surprised to find chinese desserts like almond tofu pudding, pia, and egg tarts here, alongside their usual layer cakes, chocolate tarts, and more.
The almond pudding is served with canned lychees, just as you would find it at a Chinese restaurant. Don't forget the Crêpe with their amazing caramel sauce

A $75 brunch buffet would certainly not involve food only. You can of course expect your usual mimosa or champagne flutes to remain full, but if you want to spice up your Sunday a bit, there's a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar just past the dessert station.
Even though it's a buffet, The Langham spares no detail. With spot on service and delicious food (and champagne), my brunch was thoroughly enjoyable. Needless to say I wasn't even hungry until the next morning.

The Langham does brunch right, why not indulge on Chinese New Year here?
Oh, the valet is free too so forget fighting for parking spots outside of Elite.

*Disclaimer: The Langham hosted me for brunch here so I can report their month-long chinese new year special menu (i.e. I ate for free, and boy, did I enjoy it).

The Terrace at The Langham
1401 S Oak Knoll Ave
Pasadena, CA 91106
(626) 568-3900
http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com/en/restaurants/sunday_brunch_theterrace.htm

Petrossian is Revived. More than just Caviar

It occasionally happens that even a foodie can't figure out where to go for a nice Sunday brunch. The old places seem boring, but can't think of a new place to try. So when Petrossian came up as a suggestion, I suddenly remembered a recent article about its renovation in one of those daily newsletters like Daily Candy or Tasting Table. Perfect idea!

Petrossian is famous for its caviar, but its West Hollywood outpost has had a cafe attached to it for many years. This has recently been renovated to a spacious modern space.

The menu selection was surprisingly varied (including a foie gras salad! Hey, salad is healthy, right?), although I wasn't sure what to expect before coming there.

Besides the a la carte menu, they also offer a 3-course champagne brunch for $35. I opted for this and got a glass of Louis Roederer Brut Rose.

The first course was a choice of soup selection and I opted for the White Asparagus Veloute.
The veloute was smooth and creamy while maintaining the foaminess of veloute. It was outstanding, with a nice little onion kick. Highly recommended.

For the main course, I went with the Paris Croque Madame (Ham, gruyere on brioche with Bechamel sauce, sunny side up eggs)
Croque madame is the perfect breakfast for me. Eggs, cheese, ham, toast ... Not to mention Brioche toast here. Perfect. Runny sunny side up, nicely toasted brioche, lots of gruyere. Even a bit of salad to cut all that richness so you can go for another bite, since the first bite was immensely satisfying.

As I was deeply impressed with the panna cotta with caviar at Ludobites, and since Petrossian is known for their caviar, for dessert I went with:
Classic Panna Cotta, white peach espuma, with an extra addition of caviar ($6 extra)
Beautiful layering here: panna cotta, white peaches, topped with the espuma.
The second time I had panna cotta with caviar in a week. The one at Ludobites, though, had caviar as the main focus while here the caviar is just an extra. That bit of saltiness does give it a nice touch, but it isn't the point here.

The panna cotta was very dense and rich, more so than the usual. The white peaches were sweet and crisp, and everything was complimented by the light peach foam on top. An excellent and very memorable dessert, I would recommend this to anyone and would definitely get it on future visits.

My first visit to Petrossian was such a pleasant surprise. The newly renovated space had a clean and spacious look, and the food was excellent. I hope they'll keep up the performance.

Petrossian Boutique & Cafe
321 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 271-0576

Cecconi's: My new Brunch spot

Feeling sinful, Cecconi's Ricotta Hotcakes sounded like the perfect solution to Easter Brunch. When I called they said they were booked until 4 PM but walk-ins are welcome at the bar. So off we went. The bar was almost empty when we arrived (11:30 AM ish) and there were quite a few tables empty, actually. Anyway. We were seated without a wait.
With no drink menu on hand and sitting at the bar, I just asked my server/bartender if they had fresh squeezed blood orange juice on hand. The answer was YES!

A big glass of fresh (but pulp-less) blood orange juice - $5.
My god ... you have no idea how long I've been craving this! So good. There's no brunch for me without fresh squeezed OJ! And blood orange juice just takes that up a few notches.

I got what I came for. Ricotta hotcakes with preserved blueberries ($8)
Amazing hotcakes! Fluffy enough yet retained some density due to the ricotta. The preserved blueberries actually tasted something reminiscent of dates, especially the 'syrup'. A much better alternative to maple syrup! I'll be getting this again very soon.

The portions here were small (remember your size comparison up there are blueberries) but I thought the prices were quite reasonable. What's the point of spending a couple of extra bucks to stuff yourself ? The size of the portions was just right for me ... to have two dishes instead!

Having finished the "br" portion of brunch, I moved on to the "unch" with some crab ravioli with peas and mint ($12)
Not enough crab, but otherwise delicious. A nice and light tomato-based broth. I loved the subtle kick that the mint leaves added.

Eggs Royale (english muffin, smoked salmon, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce - $11)
Interestingly Cecconi's poached eggs were more well-done than other places. This is probably an individual preference, but I liked it better less runny since I usually have a hard time eating the runny ones other than sopping it up with the english muffin. They're also pretty generous with the salmon, which is great.

Our meal ended on a light note. Chino Farms beets, buffalo mozzarella, and endives ($11).
A very well done dish with great ingredients! I also loved the buffalo mozzarella in this dish.
This might in fact be the best dish of our meal today. Do give it a try, it's light anyway!

The stools at the bar were heavy and not the most comfortable. Doesn't matter. Food's great with great ingredients, prices are right. I'll be back.

Cecconi's
8764 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 432-2000
www.cecconiswesthollywood.com

Old Standby Brunch and Best Apple Tart Tatin in Town

Rose Cafe is a long-standing brunch destination in Venice. With its patio seating, brunch fares, bakery, and an awesome gift shop, it was (still is) the quintessential brunch in Venice, bustling with families and joggers alike.

I used to go all the time back when I was at UCLA. An off experience one day and moving to Pasadena kept me away from this place for a while. But then I came back.

Rose Cafe offers classical brunch fares - eggs and the like, entrees from the kitchen such as seared tuna salad, and a variety of deli items.

This time I got the Frittata (Italian Style Open-Faced Omelette). Roasted Eggplant, Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes and Basil, Topped w/ Goat Cheese
Generous portions and healthy, the food here is still very solid with good ingredients.

Friend got the Eggs Scandia (lox, poached egg, croissant, dill hollandaise)
Another classic brunch fare. The amount of lox in this dish is lacking - wonder if they've cut back due to the recession :/ It's otherwise very good with flakey buttery croissant. Just ... more lox, please.

Rose Cafe has a large selection of pastries and baked goods that you can either have there or take to go. It's hard not to when you're passing the gorgeous display case on your way out. I often get their apple tart tatin.
As I ate it at home that night, I was reminded again of how much I liked Rose Cafe. They still have the best apple tart tatin around! Sweet, plump, and juicy caramelized apples. Flakey pastry crust. Loved it. It might be the flakey crust that makes it better than the rest. Or maybe it's the apple to crust ratio.

I also remembered that I liked their cobblers. And bread pudding ... and ... what was I thinking only buying the apple tatin? *sigh*


Rose Cafe
220 Rose Ave
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-0711
www.rosecafe.com

Huckleberry: Pastry Gastroerotica

You wait in line for 5-10 minutes along the pastry case to place your order, staring at all the pastries. How can you not buy pastries? Staring at these:
And these:

I came in for brunch. I came out stuffed, carrying leftovers and a box of pastries to go. ("You know you want me," they were saying!)

Putting off eating the pastries, I chowed down on the Green Eggs & Ham (La Quercia Prosciutto, housemade english muffin - $12.00)
Poached eggs. Pesto sauce. Prosciutto. Arugula. A combination that I'll never turn down anywhere. Nicely poached eggs, good prosciutto. Pesto sauce was also great, flavorful but not overwhelming. English muffins were nicely toasted, except that the bottom became too hard to cut easily with a regular knife and so some were left on the table. I can eat this any day and be happy.

My friend had the Niman Ranch beef stew, which was a special that day, served with some baguette.
Hearty, and delicious! the beef was moist and tender and full of flavor. The stew was a little salty but eating it with the baguette (which was also great by itself) was just perfect.

Portions here are quite generous, I certainly came out full.

Back home, I munched on some pastries, including this Kouign Amann ($1.50)
Crispy, flakey, moist and nicely dusted with cinnamon & sugar. It wasn't too sticky nor too sweet. A great little treat. Now I just need my tea and I'm set.

The donut was also quite good. It was right in the middle in terms of dense vs. fluffy.
These pastries aren't anything 'fancy' but they are all made very well with high quality ingredients. They're also not cheap but you sure get what you pay for (although, no, I haven't been able to get myself to buy the $8.50 crostata. Can't pass that "What? $8 for pastry?" barrier). I haven't had a single disappointing thing. Yet. But again, ain't cheap (the cooked food, in comparison, was actually relatively inexpensive).

Huckleberry Cafe
1014 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-1322
www.huckleberrycafe.com

Royal/T for Light Lunch, Art, and Maids - but No Sweets

Royal/T in Culver City is known for its servers' maid uniforms, inspired by maid cafes in Akihabara in Japan, and the use of its space for art exhibits.The maid uniforms themselves are much tamer compared to maid cafes in Akiba with their dark brown and white color scheme. And no, they don't call you "Master" here.
As far as their brunch offerings go, you'll find light fares such as salads, sandwiches, rice bowls and "baked eggs" (more on that in a bit).

The tea selection is fairly interesting featuring "modern brews" on top of classics like sencha and darjeeling. Tea selection was fairly small though. It seems that most of their "modern brews" is supposed to be better iced, so I asked for a yuzu sencha iced. Pretty solid, but not particularly memorable for me. The yuzu flavor was not as strong as I would've liked and the tea itself was slightly overbrewed.

I decided to just have a simple salad: Shrimp with Asparagus, Avocado, and Tomatoes ($10)
Their prices are pretty reasonable, the ingredients used are good. The shrimps were good, and the salad overall is pretty good, although the combination didn't work 100% for me. Regardless it was enjoyable.

My friend also got some sort of egg scramble with tofu, served with salad.

Their baked egg dish was interesting and actually pretty good. It's literally baked.
I only had a bite of this but I think I'll get it next time - with something more than tomatoes though. There were only 2 slices of tomatoes in it, but the baked egg itself was good.

For a supposed "tea" place, Royal/T unfortunately has a very limited selection sweets and pastries - besides croissants at the bar area, they had three items on the dessert menu. Their online menu certainly boasts much more, but they were nowhere to be found that day.
I decided to try the chocolate banana bread.
The bread was good, but not enough to satisfy my cravings for sweets. It was pretty light and not that sweet, and I have no idea what whipped cream was doing next to a bread.
I tried ordering their brownies, but they were out so I had to settle for the lemon tart.
The lemon tart was good- the whipped cream was entirely decorational and superfluous. But again ... not quite enough for my cravings. But that was all that they had as far as desserts go - such a shame!
I headed to Boule and splurged afterwards.

I didn't get the afternoon tea set this time but now I'm not sure if it will even be worth it. No scones? No pastries? What's the point?? I would still go to Royal/T because their simple food is good enough and the space is cool, but until they fix this lack of sweets problem I won't be there too often.


Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6300
www.royal-t.org

Brunch and Mochas at LA Mill

After hearing so much about LA Mill, I finally made an excuse to have brunch there. I was going to the German Beer Tasting at Loft218 that afternoon and LA Mill was only 6 miles away, so I convinced rumdood (pretty easily, I think) that this was the best bet for lunch.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur and do not even normally drink coffee, so my main attraction to LA Mill is the Cimarusti-designed menu. However, I thought I would order some sort of coffee based drink anyway and when I saw "Valrhona Mocha" on the menu, my choice was easily made. Put Valrhona in front of anything and I'll probably order it ...
Not a coffee connoisseur but I can say I did enjoy this cup of mocha. Not sweet, but smooth and very enjoyable. Not bitter and doesn't leave a bad lingering aftertaste either.

Eggs being my staple brunch food, I had to skip the paninis for today and went for the Soft Scramble with Dungeness Crab:
The eggs scramble preparation was absolutely perfect for me. Very soft and moist. The sprinklings of green onions gave great pizzazz to the flavor of the dish as a whole. The dungeness crab was nice and fresh although I would've liked a little more :)
The dish itself is relatively small. A nice, light breakfast. Which is probably good for me for a change, but at $14 was not entirely a bargain.

There was nothing particularly interesting on the dessert menu that day. Having had an enjoyable lunch, I definitely want to go back for dinner AND dessert on another day.


LA Mill Coffee Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Ph. 323.663.4441
www.lamillcoffee.com

Finally, a bit of yumminess on the Promenade

There was never much on Third Street Promenade as far as food goes. A couple of edible choices here and there, but no "destination" places. In fact, I haven't been back to 3rd street promenade in a couple of years. But when Anisette Brasserie opened its doors a few weeks ago, that all changed.

We were seated on the second floor, where we got a nice view of the the first floor.
Our waiter was young and seemed to be new at the job - there were awkward moments when he was taking our orders etc. But he was really nice so, oh well, on to the food.

The hostess recommended the peas gazpacho, so I ordered it.There's a touch of mint that really made the soup that much better, but I realized I'm still not that big on gazpacho. Trying to eat this whole bowl was too much for me.

I actually ordered the croque madame, but they brought me the croque monsieur instead :/
The waiter apologized and then brought an egg on the side. He was a cute frenchie so I guess I'll forgive him ...
Here's the gruyere-cheese-goodness:
Delicious - and better with the egg! That melted gruyere cheese on top of the bread really made my day. It came with the "chef's fries" which I thought were just like regular fries. I was never big on fries though so I'm not one to judge ...

Someone else got the brasserie burger, cooked medium rare.
Avocado, tomatoes, ... and brie! Who would've thought of putting brie in a burger? Awesome! The bread was great and -of course- I loved the cheese :D
Overall a really good burger ... hm I think I still like the Grace burger with truffle cheese... I'm gonna have to do a double take on this one!

Desserts were $8 and based on what we got that seemed a little steep. I don't remember what this one was called - but it's the one with strawberries and lavender ice cream (when they put up their menu online I'll let u know what it is ...):A bit too much whipped cream and meringue for me personally. I really liked the lavender ice cream, though.

We also got the chocolate mousse:
Now this was a delicious chocolate mousse! And the toast was also a nice touch. It seemed a bit like eating toast with nutella (which, who can argue, is awesome? ;> )

Thanks to Anisette, I've been to the Promenade twice in the last two weeks. That's more than I've gone in the year before that! :D
Since it's new and has a nice atmosphere, and plenty more dishes to try out (such as the Feuillete of Scrambled Eggs with White Crab Claw Meat that's supposed to be *amazing*), I'll be back some more and recommending it to people.

Anisette Brasserie
225 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA
(310) 395-3200