Los Angeles Eating Adventures

Ever since I've been married, without fail, we head out to sunny Southern California for the holidays. Most winters, it's been a great reprieve from the harsh winters that we experience in Boston.

Boston gets dark so early (think pitch black by 4:30PM in the dead of winter),  there's a part of me that's secretly glad that I'm always in a region where the sun doesn't set until around 6PM during the shortest days of the year.

I digress.

This past holiday we again went to Southern California. This time around, we visited Disneyland (riding the new Star Tours ride FOUR TIMES), ate at our favorite Chinese haunts, and checked out a few new exciting places. This next series will highlight some of these fantastic restaurants.

Can you guess where we went?

Our favorite Northern Chinese hole-in-the-wall in Westminster serves gorgeously crispy beef filled scallion pancake rolls, handmade noodles, pot stickers, and many other dishes, all at prices that look like they haven't changed in over a decade.

Of course I had to stop by my favorite dumpling place.
By visiting this location, I have now visited every single one in the world. Aren't these cute snowman-shaped TKO's?

This highly regarded sushi place only offers omakase and provides one of the most authentic sushi experiences I've ever had in the US.

A premium ice cream shop opened by a food blogger?

Molecular gastronomy is prominently featured at this restaurant within a restaurant in Los Angeles.

This is what Christmas in LA is like - sunglasses and no jacket!

Hope you enjoy the next series!

Seared Sea Bass with Bok Choy and Yuzu Mushroom Broth

As a person who travels and eats quite a bit, I always struggle with the same issue of "feeling gross."

You know the feeling. You travel to some amazing destination so you want to take advantage as much as possible of the food there. You plan out your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Even though you aren't even hungry by the next meal, you soldier on.

I typically try to compensate by walking a TON during my trips. Still, after a few days of non-stop eating, I'm usually ready to go home, cook healthy and simple "spa food", and let my stomach take a break.

This seared sea bass dish is something I concocted recently. It's based off of other broth-based fish dishes I've had at restaurants, and the flavors are inspired by my first, unforgettable encounter with yuzu kosho, now one of my new favorite sauces.

It's clean, light and healthy. At the same time, it's complex and full of interesting flavors. I think it's the perfect antidote to a heavy week of eating out.

The broth served with the fish is based off of a dashi stock. Dashi is a fundamental seaweed based stock used often in Japanese cooking. I think it's one of the easiest and quickest stocks to make from scratch, as long as you have two key ingredients: kastuobushi (dried bonito flakes shown on left) and kombu (dried seaweed shown on right).

The stuff lasts forever, so I always just keep some on hand in the "pantry" (aka the shelf in the basement).

It's so easy to make this broth. Just soak the kombu in cold water for about 20 minutes. Bring the water to a boil.

Once boiling, just add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat, and let it sit for about 4 minutes.

Strain and use! So easy! For an even easier method, just soak everything in cold water overnight and drain the next morning.

The key ingredient in this zingy, flavorful broth is the addition of yuzu kosho. Yuzu kosho is a Japanese seasoning made from yuzu zest, chili peppers, and salt. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus that looks like a lime but is much more floral in its aroma. I first discovered yuzu kosho at a little izakaya in Tokyo where they added it to their dashi-based shabu shabu broth.

I was floored by the intense floral, spicy, and citrusy notes. Even though I was stuffed from the rest of the meal, I couldn't stop sipping at the fantastic yuzu-infused shabu broth.

Inspired by that meal, I decided to add yuzu kosho to my homemade dashi broth. To incorporate yet another dimension of umami, I also included some mushroom broth from these rehydrated morel mushrooms.

On the side, I sauteed some baby bok choy, though  you could really use any sort of green. Try pea tendrils, or maybe spinach. Any relatively neutral leafy green should work pretty well.

Finally, pan fry some fish to serve on top.

Homemade Dashi Broth
4 inch piece of kombu (dried seaweed)
1/2 cup katsuobushi (dried fish flakes)
3-4 cups water

Soak the kombu in a pot of cold water for about 20 minutes. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat, and let sit for 4 minutes. Strain and use.

Mushroom Broth
Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for about 10-15 minutes. Remove mushrooms and reserve for another use (or you can saute them and serve them alongside the bok choy!).

Yuzu Dashi Mushroom Broth
3 cups dashi broth
1/2 cup mushroom broth
1-2 T soy sauce
1-2 tsp yuzu kosho

Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat under just under boiling. Keep warm until ready to plate.

Pan Fried Fish
1 lb white, firm fleshed fish (e.g., sea bass, cod), cut into single serving sizes

Heat a skillet on high heat with 1-2 T of canola oil until the oil is smoking hot. Sear fish in a pan for about 2-3 minutes and then flip and sear for another 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is done to your liking (I tend to like fish more on the semi-rare side!). In a separate wok, saute baby bok choy with a little bit of dried shrimp and dashi soup base (recipe here).

To plate, layer baby bok choy on the bottom and fish on top. Pour in the broth on the side, and serve!
Enjoy!!

The Trout Inn (Oxford)

This is the fifth and last post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard, Kitchen W8, Fernandez and Wells, and The Turf Tavern and Jamie's Italian.

It's sort of awe-inspiring to stand in an old, old building that is so replete with rich history.

Welcome to the Trout Inn, an old, storied pub in Oxford that's been around since the early 1600's (!). The Trout Inn faces the Thames River and is a fantastic place for outdoor dining in the summer. The food's solid and the ambiance inside is warm, cozy, and all around really inviting.

There's so much more to the pub, however.

Because it's so close to Oxford University, it has a ton of cool history associated with it. For example, did you know that on this same riverbank Lewis Carroll (a lecturer of mathematics at Christchurch College) entertained Alice Liddell and her sisters with imaginative stories that would later become Alice in Wonderland?

Or that the Trout Inn was one of CS Lewis's favorite hangouts, where he and his literary buddies would often "sit on the wall with the Isis flowing below us and munch cheese and French bread"* ?

For some reason, knowing that these literary greats used to hang out at the pub makes it that much cooler to visit. It's like you're experiencing a bit of the past when you step into that warm, cozy bar.

I absolutely loved the ambiance inside this place. It was warm, cozy, and had the perfect blend of old and new. The building is quite large, but it's split up into so many smaller rooms (including a fireplace in one!) that it doesn't feel cavernous at all.

I'm not really familiar with European beers, especially English ones, so I relied on the bartender and my gracious hosts for helping me pick out a beer!

We enjoyed a drink in the front before heading into one of the cozy back rooms for dinner.

Cool wines in one of the cozy dining rooms.

Although the service was woefully slow (I've noticed that service all over Oxford in general seems slower than in the US), the food was quite solid. I loved the roasted garlic that came with the fresh, homemade bread.

The hamburger was decent, though in general there are much better hamburgers to be found in the US!

I ordered a fish pie, something that I had never tried before which seemed decidedly British. It's sort of like a shepherd's pie in that there's a baked mashed potato topping. The bottom was a mixture of a white fish and shrimp. I thought it was alright, but not something I would order again. I think I like shepherd's pie more!

I will say that we did all loved the strawberry and black currant crumble with vanilla custard (pictured at right). The vanilla custard was my favorite part -- warm, creamy, and super rich, it tasted more like hot vanilla made from fresh, heavy cream than a typical egg-based custard. I swear, the milk here must have a higher fat content or something, the cream here always tastes so good.


Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you don't come to the Trout Inn specifically for the food. If you did, you may be disappointed (unless if you just get that crumble, hee hee). The food is fine but nothing that particularly stands out. Instead, the draw of this place is the cool history, incredible ambiance, excellent bar, and the unique Thames-facing al fresco dining experience.

Winter in London Series
This ends the Winter in London Series. I'm not sure when I'll return to London again, but I typically have opportunities from time to time (I work with those UK folks a lot!), so hopefully soon! Until then, I have many more series in the queue (several are travel related, but one is Boston-focused), so stay tuned!

* Collected Letters, Volume III, p. 1481

Oxford: The Turf Tavern and Jamie's Italian

This is the fourth post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard, Kitchen W8, Fernandez and Wells, and the Trout Inn.

I guess it's a bit misleading to call my series "Winter In London" when a large portion of my trip was actually in Oxford.

Oxford is a beautiful city and definitely worth a visit if you have time. The train ride from Paddington Station in London is less than an hour. If you travel during off-peak hours (e.g. something like anytime after 9AM), you can save close to half off the fare of the ticket!

The city center itself is quite small, and most sites are within walking distance of each other.

This is Christ Church, an awe inspiring building whose dining hall was actually used in the Harry Potter films (yes, THAT dining hall with the sorting hat and all . ..).

I spent about 3 days in Oxford and had a chance to check out some of the famous pubs in the area.

The Turf Tavern was the first place I visited. Legend has it that former U.S. president Bill Clinton, during his Rhodes Scholar years, infamously "did not inhale" here. The building itself has been around since the 17th century, sitting on top of a foundation that dates back to the 13th century (!!).

The pub is definitely off the beaten track (you drive through a bunch of small, windy roads before arriving at your destination). If it weren't for the cars, you could almost convince yourself that you've traveled back in time a few centuries.

I only stopped her for drinks, but they had a  pretty cool selection of beers, most of which were unfamiliar to me (I'm not really a beer expert by any means).  The inside lodge area was full, so we sat outside in the tent area and enjoyed our drinks. It was definitely a nice, cozy experience and felt so authentically British.

For dinner, we went to Jamie's Italian, Jamie Oliver's chain of Italian restaurants across England. Huge prosciutto hams hang alongside the window, giving the entire place an air of Italian authenticity.

Although some of the dishes, such as the burrata and the carbonara, were solid (no fresh pasta here, but it was cooked a nice al dente), other items were clear misses. The black truffle risotto was not cooked properly (too watery and mushy!) and neither dessert succeeded in impressing us.

The person who brought me here assured me that the risotto has been better in the past, so perhaps we just stumbled upon a bad night. Nevertheless, it may take me quite awhile before I decide to come back and give this restaurant another chance. There are too many other good places to try!

Circling back to my original point, I definitely think it's still worth visiting Oxford. The architecture is stunning, the history is rich, and it's just a fun place to walk around. You could probably make it a day trip.

If you do plan on a day trip, I would head back to London for dinner, since I think food is still generally so much better in London. However, if you do decide to stay in Oxford, you may want to check out the other pub that I visited, which I'll write about next in this series!

S'mores by the Fire + Giveaway!

I absolutely cannot believe it's already February and there's not a speck of snow on the ground.

I swear, I've never, ever experienced a winter like this before. In many ways, it's absolutely wonderful not to have to deal with slushy sidewalks, slippery driveways, and salt-laden shoes. On the other hand, I feel like we missed a season somehow.

It feels weird, and I'm starting to think I'm a seasons kind of gal, someone who actually enjoys the changes in the weather throughout the year. I wonder how I would fare in a place where weather never changes?

In any event, I'm still loving this mild weather we've been having. I couldn't ask for a nicer, gentler way of being initiated into the joys of traditional homeownership (shoveling, salting sidewalks, high heating bills, etc.). Perhaps we'll be in for a shock next winter.

Despite the fact that it's "mild" outside, the evenings still get chilly. Our new house has a fireplace, something I've never had the privilege of owning.

This past Valentine's Day I did something different. Bryan was out of town on a business trip, so I invited a couple of friends over, and we had a quiet girls' night in.

I did have a moment of panic because I had bought marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate, but did not have skewers on which to roast the marshmallows! Then I remembered the handy-dandy grill set that Mr. Bar-B-Q sent to me to test out a couple months ago. (I had used them to make grilled skirt steak tacos).

I pulled it out and - viola! Shish kabob sticks that would double perfectly as marshmallow roasting sticks! The cool serrated edge spatula worked pretty well at holding graham crackers and chocolate!

We made s'mores, talked about life, and just enjoyed soaking in the warmth of the fire.

It was one of the most relaxing nights I've had in a long time.

Happy February!

Nom nom nom

Giveaway!
Mr. Bar-B-Q has offered to giveaway one barbecue tool set to a lucky Tiny Urban Kitchen reader! Just "like" them on facebook and comment below letting me know your facebook name (so we can confirm that you follow them). Of course, you're welcome to tell me your favorite way to use a fireplace or a campfire! I'm a newbie at this fireplace thing, so I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions!

Giveaway opens today and ends Friday, March 2, 2012. One entry per person; US shipping addresses only.

Good luck!

Fernandez & Wells

This is the third post in the series Winter in London. Other posts include Bob, Bob, Ricard and Kitchen W8.

Fernandez & Wells has only been open since 2007, but they already have four locations and a loyal following. It comes down to their simple yet effective philosophy:

"To provide freshly made, well-sourced food and drink in a space that is uncluttered, where the aromas are enticing and the service is friendly."

The menu items at Fernandez & Wells mostly hail from Spain - everything from chorizo sandwiches and morcilla (Spain's version of blood sausage) to one of Spain's most highly prized offerings, jamon Ibérico (Spanish Iberian ham).

One my last day in London right before my flight back to Boston, I met up with fellow food blogger Jackie for a fun-filled Spanish-focused lunch. Luckily, Jackie grew up spending her summers in Spain. She not only speaks Spanish, she also knows a ton about their food.

It was tough to decide what to order, as everything looks so fresh and delicious! We finally decided we would start by sharing a few Spanish appetizers, and order more food if necessary.
Black pudding is typically associated with English food. Interestingly, the Spanish have their own version, called morcilla. Morcilla is Spanish blood sausage that's typically filled with blood, meat, and spices. Some versions have starch as a filler, such as rice or potato.

I totally thought these looked like olives, but they are actually blood sausages!

spreading some morcilla goodness on a piece of toast

Jackie is very familiar with Spanish food and instantly started telling me how much she loved morcilla. Though I had never tried it before, I was happy to give it a shot.

I guess I learned I just don't really like blood sausage. The iron-laced, blood flavor along with the fatty, paste-like meat was just not my favorite thing. Jackie thought it was great, and I was happy to let her eat most of it!

The chorizo was smoky, deeply flavorful, and all around delicious.

My favorite part of the meal was the incredible 36-month cured jamon Ibérico de Bellota (Spanish Iberian Ham). Spanish Iberian cured ham is prized for its rich savory flavor. The pigs roam freely in oak forests and are fed a diet of only acorns at the last stage of their lives. Because of this diet, the fat in these pigs is mostly monounsaturated, "healthy" fat (oleic acid). The Bellota breed is the finest because it eats purely acorns during this last stage (as opposed to a mixture of acorns and grain, or grain only).

It was a bit weird, but the entire leg was just hanging out in the corner. Once you order some jamon, the server just cuts a few slices straight from the leg and hands it to you.

It's hard to put into words how good this jamon was. Let me just say that it was intensely flavored with  deep, porky, savory goodness. The fat added richness to the salty meat, and it tasted fantastic with bread. Seriously, it's one of the best cured meats I've ever had in my life.

And what better accompaniment than a cold glass of sparkling white wine? I almost never do this, but I actually ordered two glasses of the bubbly stuff since it just went so well with everything.
Afterward, we stopped by one of the other Fernandez & Wells. This one focuses more on coffee, another one of their specialties (in fact, they started out as a coffee focused shop!).

Beautiful "latte" art? The cappuccino was delicious, and exactly what I needed as a pick-me-up in the afternoon.

Fernandez & Wells is really the perfect place to sit down with a friend and just chill. Jackie and I sat at two barstools at the counter and just chatted for a couple of hours. We slowly picked at the various small plates while sipping on sparkling wines.

I would definitely go back, if nothing else just to have another taste of that jamon Ibérico de Bellota.

Yum.

Fernandez & Wells
43 Lexington St
Soho, UK W1F 9


Related Posts:
Jamon Iberico in the form of Tonkatsu in Japan?
Spanish tapas on Newbury Street in Boston
Five Basque region Michelin star chefs cooking one fantastic tasting menu?