Orris: Going Big on "Little Dishes"

You know when you hear about something, made a mental note to try it out, then forgot about it for the longest time? Orris was one of those for me, but I finally suddenly remembered it yesterday!
I was considering trying out Simon LA although I've heard mediocre review, then I remembered Orris! And boy am I glad I did :)
It was one of the best meals I've had in LA!

Orris blends among the stretch of restaurants and shops on Sawtelle, so it doesn't particularly stand out when you drive by. Being on Sawtelle, the atmosphere is pretty low key and quiet (even though Jonathan Gold called the atmosphere "fancy" I don't really agree), so I was pleasantly surprised with all the delicious food that welcomed me inside.

Orris specializes in "little dishes" representing "world cuisine" created by Shiro of South Pasadena. Each dish has a recommended wine pairing, though we did not try any this time around.

First up was the Smoked Salmon Croquette. Very good, though I would have liked a bit more salmon.

Followed by the lobster spring roll. Also good (but I prefer my lobster grilled and drizzled with lemon and a bit of garlic butter.)









Next was sliced beet topped with Etorki cheese. This was excellent! The combination was perfect and it was my first time having this outstanding cheese. Loved it!










Also, tomato burrata. Yum. We had to order another one of these.

We also had dungeness crab and cucumber salad. The ingredients used were very good, although a different sauce may be better.

Next was the lamb loin carpaccio and the ahi sashimi with onion relish. Both were excellent dishes! The lamb carpaccio was topped with Spanish Manchego cheese which made a perfect combination.

After all this excellent dishes though, the final was indisputably the highlight of my meal ...

Seared Foie Gras with Eggplant, w/ Sweet Soy Wasabi Sauce.
Oh my god ... just thinking back about it now >_<
I can still remember the taste on my tongue, the texture ... OMG! The eggplant and the foie gras made an unexpectedly excellent combination, and the sauce! This was definitely one of the best foie gras dishes I've had!

I could not find this on the menu on their website, it might have been a special ... oh no ... the thought of not being able to eat it ever again!! I'm getting depressed ... I will look back on this photo and sigh when I'm old ...

Well, to not think about the depressing stuff right now, I will show you the dessert! We had the only dessert they had left: the flourless chocolate souffle. I must say this was a very very good dessert, but I don't quite see why they called it a "souffle." It sure was good though :)


Orris
2006 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025
(310) 268-2212

Some Aunts Are Good to Have

A few days ago I posted a photo of the mini cupcakes from Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go back there for brunch, so now I will do a formal review of it.

When I moved to Pasadena from West LA, one of the things that I missed terribly was the weekend brunches. Not the all-you-can-eat, champagne brunches, but the comfort-food, organic, good ol' breakfast fare, please-wait-in-line-for-30-minutes brunch places. The places the locals go to near noon after a night of partying, etc. And I finally found it in Auntie Em's Kitchen in Eagle Rock.

Besides the breakfast/lunch fares, Auntie Em's also boasts baked goods, including cupcakes, seasonal crisps or crumbles, bread pudding, etc.
They also have a marketplace, cramped with tables full of people eating french toasts, offering Starr Ridge crackers, deli meats, and a large selection of cheese, including cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery!!

The food at Auntie Em's are made with fresh vegetables from the local farmer's market. On the weekends, breakfast is served until 3 pm, so people who sleep in like me can still make it in time!

They have fresh squeezed OJ for one of the most reasonable prices I've seen in LA! $2.50/medium sized glass. The mint-iced tea was weak in my opinion, though still good and refreshing to drink after a heavy french toast meal. The raspberry lemonade is very good.

This time, I ordered their open-face breakfast sandwich with roasted veggies. This was excellent. The bread was very good, the eggs and vegetables go very well with the gruyere cheese!! (The picture was taken by the photoblogger from Erudite Expressions)

After your meal, you can step into the market, and pick up some interesting new cheese or your good old favorite, then while in line to pay your bill, your eyes will be inevitably drawn to the dessert display case. Then you might add some crisp, tart, cupcake, or cookies to take home ... then life is good.

Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041-3032
Phone: (323) 255-0800
www.auntieemskitchen.com

Cooking your own: Gaja

I finally got to try okonomiyaki at Gaja Restaurant in Lomita! When you first open the door to this place, it will smell and feel similar to a korean bbq restaurant - the smoke! At Gaja you make your own okonomiyaki on the teppans that they've built in the tables, although they will also make it for you in the kitchen if you're not confident with your own cooking skills ;)

The place is busy, so you go in and put your name down, then wait outside. They have a few chairs outside and a cart filled with games like othello, cards, chess, etc. So if you're quick enough to grab chairs and a game, the wait is easy. Next door is the bakery Chantilly (whose cream puffs Jonathan Gold raved about. They ran out that night, so I'll have to review them next time).

I wanted to get the full experience, so when they offered to cook it for us because it was just so obvious that it was our first time, I quickly said No! We got an order of the "Modan Mix" (Modern Mix) ... whatever that was. (They probably thought "Stupid gaijins")
They heated up the teppan and brought us our order. The bowl of ingredients. Yeah! A sheet of instructions, a bowl of stuff, and a hot teppan! I think we're ready!

First cook meat, then cook noodles,.. *hum* *hum*




Don't those bacons look GOOD?!

Towards the "Flipping" step of the whole cooking process though, we ran into some trouble :(
One of the chefs from the kitchen was making his rounds, so he grabbed the spatula from us and showed us The Proper Way.


Eventually, we got this amazing looking thing (left side with mayo for me, right side for the other party who for some obscure reason does not like mayo):
*sniff* so proud of ourselves. Now I don't know if I thought it tasted so good because I made it myself, but I'm sure other people would feel the same way :D

You can close the meal with one of their dozens of parfaits if you have room.
It was good okonomiyaki, and a totally fun experience :) You can either bring someone who knows what they're doing, or bring someone totally new and just have fun together.

Gaja Japanese Restaurant (misspelled as "Japenese")
2383 Lomita Blvd Ste 102
Lomita, CA 90717
Phone: (310) 534-0153