Fish & Mex Grill

Damn good carne asada.  I know my Tex Mex food because I am from LA.  I gotta say, the taco giants like King Taco and El Taurino better watch out for the Fish & Mex Grill.

Lunch deals cost  $5.  Choose four tacos and one drink or1 burrito+ drink deal for 5 bucks.

Fish & Mex Grill recently upgraded to have two amazingly delicious salsa and three varieties of agua fresca.  The food has improved since the new head chef arrived.  They also sell bottled MexiCoke made with REAL cane sugar, not corn syrup crap.

The burrito is so good.  It is made with rice, beans, onions, cilantro, and meat.  The super spicy red salsa adds a beautiful smoky flavor to the burrito.  Then I change it up with the refreshingly green jalapeno salsa.  All of the ingredients inside are impeccable and made with love.  The cilantro was of such great quality, perfectly complementing the damn good carne asada. Also, the size of the burritos has indeed gotten bigger, too.

The nachos are delicious. A big appetizer to share, it has guac, pico de gallo, cheese, beans, sour cream.  Because each of the ingredients were fresh and delicious, it was pretty damn good.

Even the breakfast burrito, which I get with sausage, is very, very delicious.  It has hashbrown, eggs, cheese, and meat. I try to get here before 11am for the coffee and breakfast burrito deal for 3.95.

Come here for coupons which are good til Aug 2011!  New items are on the item like the jericalla custard and flan are available for dessert.  They accept cards but try to bring cash (it's a family business and card companies charge for each transaction).

Follow them on Facebook too!

Fish & Mex Grill

4949 W. Slauson Ave. (Fairfax Ave)
Los Angeles, CA 90056
Neighborhood: Crenshaw

(323) 295-3474

Weekend Champagne Brunch at India's Tandoori

Go here for weekend champagne brunch. Not crowded.

Stuff yourself silly. Smile from the champagne included with the buffet. Limit to two glasses.  3.95 for the third glass of champagne.

Spicy rice biryani and spicy vegetable curry were served on Monday the Fourth of July holiday.  I was in heaven.  I have tried all the Indian buffets in LA.  Only India's Tandoori has moderately spicy and flavorful items. I heard Indian food is spicy so I don't understand why so many Indian restaurants of LA serve the blandest food in the world.

Chicken tandoori

Come here early around 11:30 for fresh chicken tandoori because they do dry out by 1pm.

Chicken tikka masala is a must and I have seen it served at every weekend buffet.  The red creamy curry is the most popular food in Britain.  Eat it!  The tomato based curry is good for you, too. Small bowls are offered so that all your saag curry, daal, and tikka masala do not mix into each other.

Garlic naan is awesome

The buffet is comprehensive, offering garlic and plain naan to sop up the curries. Crunchy appetizers like samosas, eggrolls, or pakora are the rotating choices.  Condiments such as raita yogurt, mint and tamarind chutneys are offered.  


Single diners welcome!  Woo hoo!

Champagne buffet is served weekends and holidays 11:30am-2pm. Mention Yelp for a 15% discount.

India's Tandoori (Yelp link)

5468 Wilshire Blvd (La Brea Ave)
Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 936-2050

www.indiastandoori.net

Menu

Golden Indian Grill and Pizza

Indian food  is served Panda-Express style.  Eight curries are on display on a steam table. The $5 lunch special includes one vegetable and one meat curry for the budget-conscious.The yellow "mix veg" curry and eggplant are the tastiest choices. Selections vary except for the basmati rice.

Usually chicken curry and chicken saag (spinach) are there for the omnivores.  Chicken dishes use excellent quality chicken.  Chicken tikka masala is the best, the creamiest, tomato curry.  As the most popular dish in Britain, it is easy to taste why.  Chicken curry isn't bad with tastes of spice and good, rotisserie quality chicken.  Chicken Saag  is nicely spiced.

The chapati  bread is only 99-cents.  It is a tandoori bread thin like a crepe and  brushed with ghee butter.  It is very, very decadent.  Get some to dip into the chicken curry.  

Golden Indian Grill does offer a 7.99 all-you-can-eat option 11am-4pm daily for foodies interested to try all the choices of the steam table. Pro: All-you-can-eat; Con: You can get only four curries at a time.  

Saag (spinach), eggplant, lentils, vegetable curry on a Sunday

Eggplant, chicken tikka masala, saag chicken, vegetable curry on a Monday

Naan bread: use to sop up the curries

Samosas, appetizers stuffed with mildly spiced potatoes, are huge enough to be considered entrees! Served with tamarind and mint chutneys.  The crust is rich and flaky, almost like a potato Wellington. Dine-in samosas are served with generous pools of sweet tamarind and spicy, mint chutneys.  Two for 2.99 and tax. Highly recommended.

Gigantic samosas served with tamarind and mint chutneys

Samosa versus fork: samosa wins

 What is not recommended is the $5 pepperoni pizza, a product intending to compete against Little Caesar's.  The pizza was greasy and too salty, reminiscent of Domino's. However, most customers stop by the Golden Indian Grill for a pizza.

Pepperoni pizza: Ew...not recommended

Golden Indian Grill and Pizza (Yelp link)

5954 W Pico Blvd (cross street Fairfax Ave)
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles

(323) 930-2193

www.goldenindiangrill.com

Menu

Bosam (boiled pork) at Kobawoo House

When my friend invited me to Kobawoo, I wasn't too excited.

Although I was Korean, I wasn't crazy about Korean food. For my last meal, I'd rather have Mexican food. I checked out the photos on Yelp. The color of boiled pork belly was beige, not very appetizing. For the rare times I had Korean food, I usually got neng-myun noodles in the summer time or sul-lung-tang soup for those weekends when I would get a headache from missing my regular caffeine regimen at the office.

I was very surprised to find “mool” or water served was the plain tap water, instead of the traditional barley tea. I had to ask in Korean for it. They only had boiling hot barley tea rather than the iced version.

Bosam, or boiled pork, was the oddest platter I saw. Thin, pink slices of pickled radish “moo” also called “daikon” was served on a platter with boiled sliced pork belly on the side and some bright, highly spiced radish slivers and some pickled, marinated jalapeno slices. “It is like a taco,” she explained, assembling the ingredients on a lettuce leaf.

The taste of bosam was subtle, lightly salty, strong on umami. Anthony Bourdain would have enjoyed this porky meal. The sweet-and-sour of the cold moo mixed with the subtle, salty bosam and added final pungent notes of spicy from the radish slivers. As a garnish, a salty paste of baby shrimp was added to the taco mix. Salt, sweet, unami, spicy, sour. All flavors collided on my taste buds.

Side dishes were pleasing. The kimchi was perfectly ripe, unlike most at Korean restaurants. The golden noodles, or chapchae, was pleasing with hints of sweetness, soy sauce and sesame oil. The sesame leaves seasoned in spice added a nice sharp contrast in taste.

The damage was less than twenty bucks for two, which surprised me. It was a low-carb meal to keep two people happy.

Be aware of long lines around 7pm. While you wait, you can drink complimentary coffee, creamy Job's tears, and water from the dispenser.

Kobawoo House (Yelp link)

698 S Vermont Ave (cross street Wilshire Blvd)
Ste 109
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Neighborhood: Koreatown

(213) 389-7300