SAAM at The Bazaar by José Andrés: A gastronomical experience

"The Bazaar offers a magical dining experience from James Beard Award-winning Chef José."

The Bazaar was named on the the Top 10 hotel restaurants in the United States. I would recommend splurging on a dinner at the SAAM once if you ever set food in Los Angeles. The SAAM is a high-end tasting room, where you order tapas and it is recommended that you order at least 4 items to actually start to feel full and so that you don't look like you're unwilling to pay for dinner. 

We started off with ordering drinks because we would be charged for water anyway. Although the menu only offers a list of alcoholic drinks, they were able to give us non-alcoholic ones since the legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years old. Our mocktails were also cheaper than the price listed on the menu as well. My friend ordered a Passion Fruit Up! while I had the Magic Mojito. The waitress drizzled the drink from a shaker onto the cotton candy in front of us. Bonus points to service! (I guess it is called Magic Mojito because the cotton candy dissolves as the liquid is poured over it.)

Magic Mojito ($12)

Passion Fruit Up! + Magic Mojito

I came to the restaurant prepared. I had been eyeing on this restaurant for a couple of weeks, and I had read many reviews on the place and identified their signature dishes. I came to try their famed Philly cheesesteak, cotton candy foie gras and caviar cone.

Cotton Candy Foie Gras + Caviar Cone + Passion Fruit Up!

My friend decided to try their mussels thinking they would be the huge ones with the shell. I guess it was rather disappointing because it looked like canned food. The sauce was also kind of sour and spicy, which further made it seem like canned food. But I was surprised there were so many pieces in that little tin tray.

Mediterranean Mussels ($9)

Philly Cheesesteak: Air bread, cheddar, wagyu beef

It looks nothing like the average Philly Cheesesteak, and it was only about the length of my palm. Although it didn't look impressive, I fell in love with it after taking my first bite. The air bread was basically a hollow and thin soft shell that enclosed a thick, creamy cheddar cheese filling. It was heavenly. It was also topped with tender semi-raw wagyu beef, which made eating it an amazing experience. I thought I wasn't going to be full, but there was a generous portion of cheddar inside the air bread which kept me satisfied.

Philly Cheesesteak ($11 each)

Cotton Candy Foie Gras:

I'll have to admit that it was tinier than I had imagined, because the foie gras was only a tiny cube on the skewer. I was slightly disappointed by the size when it was presented. However, I guess it was to also balance out the ratio of cotton candy to foie gras, so that a perfect mix of the 2 can be tasted. The cotton candy was also bite sized, which was helpful. Nevertheless, the combination was impeccable and the foie gras was so creamy and soft that it melted in my mouth. It was a salty and sweet indulgence.

Cotton Candy Foie Gras ($8)

American Sturgeon Caviar Cone:

Bonus points to service and providing us with a gastronomical experience, because the cone was made in front of us. A push cart that resembled a classy version of the ice cream carts came to our table, and the server pumped the cauliflower cream into the cones, and then scooped the caviar onto the top of the cone. I appreciated that extra personal touch. It made the cones special.

American Sturgeon Caviar Cone ($9)

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks: Mojo Rojo

I ordered a meat dish because I knew my other orders were going to be tiny. I picked the braised wagyu beef cheeks because it was only $15 on the menu, which I thought was a steak for wagyu beef. I'm not familiar with the prices so I guess my instinct was to to compare it to the average price for steak. I was expecting it to just be a few thin slices like how pork cheeks are served at Santouka Ramen, but I was wrong. The portion was much larger than I had expected, and my friend ended up ordering the same item after seeing how successful I was with my order.

It was very tender and well executed, although I hoped that they didn't use the spanish chili because the taste was pretty weird to me. It reminded me of hot sauce that was not spicy.

Braised Wagyu Beef Cheeks ($15)

When the bathroom is also an experience of its own...

Now on to desserts. There is a separate dining area that is much more like a high-tea kind of setting for desserts. It was worth every dollar spent. 

The Sphere ($15)

 Vanilla mousse 

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Syrup: Dessert in Downtown

Syrup is a popular dessert cafe in downtown LA. Apparently they make their own ice cream, but unlike such cafes in Singapore, they dont display their ice cream nor the flavours of the ice cream. It's kind of annoying especially when they run out of a certain flavour that you wanted and you don't really know what you're getting into when you join the line. 

They are mainly known for their waffles, ice cream and milkshakes. It's a pretty comfortable cafe as well, although I would recommend non-locals to avoid sitting outdoors. Downtown LA is full of homeless people, and some of them would "harrass" you by asking for food. Locals deal with it fine, but I think non-locals would feel extremely uncomfortable about it. To be honest, they are pretty harmless and if they do come up to you, onlookers will help you to chase them away for you. Americans aren't exclusive at all. But I mean, you wouldn't want to be in that situation anyway.

Florentine ($7)

Strawberry and Banana Waffles

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Bacaro LA

This was my last meal before leaving LA. I had 2 "knights" who were so kind as to help to house my luggages before my flight (because I was kicked out of my dorm) and to even treat me to dinner and boba (milk tea). I'm ever so grateful for these 2 guys.

This place is pretty cool, and it's a popular hangout among USC students because it's pretty near school. They serve decent food at decent prices. 3 of these tapas only come up to USD$21. It's a pretty good deal for a variety of food choices that are tasty and appetising.

Baked/fried eggplant

Mac & Cheese

Crab Salad Brioche

Mushroom and shrimp toast

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Cafe Gratitude, Arts District: Delicious Vegan Food

As far as I know, there are 2 branches in the Los Angeles region: Melrose Avenue and the Arts District. I've only been to the one at the Arts District, and I was pretty impressed by the cleanliness and elegance. I absolutely love it. In contrast, I heard that the branch in Melrose is less grand because it is an older branch.

Interior of the cafe

Apart from serving vegan and healthy food, the cafe also aims to create positivity among its patrons. Its probably a marketing strategy but I really liked how their menu brings out this whole idea of being grateful and appreciative of people and things around us. Each item on the menu is named after a value, principle or a positive and motivating word. The servers will also present you with a question of the day to give customers a topic to talk about while waiting for the food to arrive. Impressive, although slightly forced in my opinion. But in return, they do expect a higher than average gratituity a.k.a. tip. Talk about being grateful towards your waiters. They recommend a minimum of 18% for tipping.

I really enjoyed their vegan bowls. It was super healthy and natural tasting, and I do applaud them for being creative about it as well. Chewy seaweed, azuki beans, quinoa and all sorts of healthy goodness in a bowl. It was pretty delicious because they knew how to add natural ingredients to enhance the flavour of other items in the bowl.

They also had super healthy flax seed chips with guacamole which was slightly too healthy tasting in my opinion. The chips were hard to chew and tasted like card board. But it's not too bad. Just not something that I enjoyed much because of the texture of the biscuit.

We also ordered a tostada which was topped with avocado and mushrooms. Delicious.

All the food that we ordered

Girls being girls, a meal is not complete without dessert. We got a flourless chocolate banana cake which was really smooth and creamy. I also really liked how they reflect their theme on the plates too.

Flourless chocolate banana cake

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After You Cafe: Decadent

Famed for it's Shibuya honey toast, After You is almost a must-visit for any tourist. From what I heard from my Thai friend, After You was opened by a Thai girl who was very passionate about baking. That's a success story.

After You is almost always crowded, and we had to wait for about 10-15mins for a table even though it was 8-9pm and we picked the branch at Siam Paragon. The original branch attracts the most tourists though, but the location itself is pretty inconvenient. Glad to have been told that there was one at Siam Paragon because we gave up the long trip to the original branch earlier on in the day.

I'm not really a huge fan of the shibuya honey toast though. I thought it was too sweet for my liking. The toast was salted with butter and sprinkled with sugar. It was slightly overwhelming. I had honey toast when I was in LA (trust me, it is sold in many Asian cafes and restaurants). They served larger servings of ice cream with just honey butter toast. The extra sugar was unnecessary. I am also not a fan of whipped cream. But these are all just personal preferences.

Shibuya Honey Toast

The chocolate mud pie was decadent. It was rich and heavenly, although I wouldn't recommend finishing all that by yourself. Share it so that it wouldn't be too overwhelming due to its portion and thick chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Mud Brownie

The earl grey squash jelly tea tasted like aiyu jelly in sweetened earl grey tea. Not really my thing because I prefer my tea pure without adding anything else. On the other hand, they named their iced chocolate 'the world's best iced chocolate' which I thought was a mistake. I dont know what kind of iced chocolate are available in Thailand, but to raise customers' expectations by claiming that it is the best is just a huge mistake. Godiva and even McCafe do iced chocolate better. But of course, some of you would refute that McCafe does not serve "real" iced chocolate (Habitat Cafe claims that the streaks of chocolate on the sides of the glass are indicative of a "real" iced chocolate). Fair enough, but I've even had thick hot chocolate in Europe where hot chocolate resembles pure melted chocolate. 

So what is the best hot chocolate in the world? Definitely not at After You. It was slightly bland as well, and I would have appreciated a strong dark chocolate taste that flows smoothly. 

Earl grey squash jelly tea & the world's best iced chocolate

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Somboon Seafood: Lacklustre Curry Crab

Sure, seafood is considered pretty cheap in Thailand. However, I don't think their curry crab really lives up to the hype. Or maybe I just went to a branch of Somboon Seafood that did not cook it as well as the original branch.

The Thai curry crab felt almost like a poor imitation of Singapore's chili crab. Their curry sauce was mostly thick like a gravy with hints of egg mixed in it, and did not really taste like curry. Or maybe I'm too used to the flavourful Indian curry that has a strong aroma and taste. The curry crab was also served lukewarm which is pretty questionable. I'll stick to Singapore's chili crab.

Curry Crab

One thing that I liked about the stir fried morning glory (kangkong) is that it was spicy and aromatic because of the onions and garlic. Probably on par with the sambal chili version that Singaporeans love.

Stir Fried Morning Glory

The crab rolls served here taste like Singapore's ngoh hiang, but with a tougher fried skin.

Crab Rolls

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Kei Kee Dessert: Famous B仔涼粉 (B-zai Leung Fun)

Kei Kee Dessert is a famous chinese dessert spot in Yuen Long, Hong Kong. They are known for their fresh fruits, cheap prices and massive portions The giant bowl below only costs about HKD$75. It's really cheap for the massive bowl of fruits and grass jelly. We couldn't finish it despite splitting it among 5 of us (after dinner of course).

They also serve a large variety of other fruit bowls, such as with ice cream or shaved ice. It is also less inaccessible these days after opening MTR stations in Yuen Long. 

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Ya Kun Kaya Toast: A Local Snack

One thing that I'll really miss from Singapore is Ya Kun Kaya Toasts. Heard pretty terrible reviews from other overseas Singaporeans about how Ya Kun fails to deliver the same quality and taste in Hong Kong. That's depressing...

For those of you unfamiliar with kaya, it is actually a green coconut and pandan jam. Thin white bread and grilled thoroughly till crisp and brown as well. The slabs of butter between the hot bread would melt and the aroma will fill your tastebuds. It is also a very local habit to dip our toasts in runny half-boiled eggs mixed with a little dark soy sauce and pepper too. 

Kaya Butter Toast

French Toast with Kaya + Runny Half-Boiled Eggs + Iced Teh (Singaporean milk tea)

Steamed Bread with Peanut Butter and Kaya

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Santouka: Affordable Quality Japanese Ramen

Not gonna say much for this post but I guess I just really love Santouka, especially since they seem to always have offers for Jpassport users. Finally decided to splurge on Iberico Pork Cheeks Ramen when they were having a one-for-one promotion. Don't think I will pay $23++ for it on an average day. But they do have the average ramen with decadent and flavourful soup for $13++ which are my regular orders.

Their pork cheeks and charsiew and whatnots are always tender and delicious. Their soup base is also one of the best in Singapore. But one thing that left me slightly unimpressed was that their pork cheeks were so salty. Or maybe it's just me?

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Saveur: Affordable French Cuisine

I think there has always been a lot of hype over Saveur for $10 duck confit. However, that's no longer the case because the prices have been raised to $14. Not sure if that is still considered cheap for duck confit. 

Ordered a small portion of their famed pasta for appetizer. It was pretty good although I guess I prefer my pasta soft.

Pasta tossed in chili oil, fine chopped Japanese konbu, Sakura Ebi with minced pork sauce

Also decided to try their foie gras for $9.90. Not quite impressed with it though. It tasted pretty weird to me.

Foie gras with apple

I think their duck confit was pretty well done. It wasn't too dry nor salty, which is a mistake made by many restaurants. I liked it but I wished it was more balanced for a main. Some vegetables would be great.

Duck leg confit, homemade mashed potato, shiitake mushroom, orange jus

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Monochrome Cafe: Photogenic but Lacking

We had hearty local fares at Maxwell Food Centre before heading to Monochrome cafe. They are about a 5mins walk apart.

Old school buildings

Store front

They have a pretty interesting menu, and I wouldn't dismiss the idea of coming here to try their mains. They have a wide variety of dishes that play with light colours and black. Fits their concept really well.

Interior

Interior

Came here because I bought a groupon for churroffles, thinking it could be the best thing ever. What more can I ask for when you can have waffles and churros at the same time? But I guess I was proven wrong.

While everything was pleasing to the eye, the churroffles was nothing like churros nor waffles. It tasted like stale and soggy cinnamon sprinkled bread. Hope they change their recipe soon. I wished there was something crispy like churros, yet fluffy and light like waffles. The only redeeming factor was the mini biscuits that reminded me of my childhood. Bonus points for that little detail.

Churroffles

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Lum Noodles: Clean and Hearty Thai Boat Noodles

This place called Lum Noodles เตี๋ยวเรือหลุม; Thai Style Noodle was recommended by my Thai friend. She was sure that Singaporeans will definitely get food poisoning from dirty 10 baht Thai boat noodles along the streets or on the boats at floating markets. I guess I'm not adventurous enough to eat Thai street food either. (I did not eat any of those delicious and aromatic street food except fried chicken from a decent looking stall at JJ Green.) Plus this place was a walking distance from the hotel that I was staying at. Perfect.

Noodles live cooking station at the store front

I don't know if this can be considered the best boat noodles because I've not had others, but I should think that this place serves really good and delicious boat noodles since my friend's mum recommended us this place. Additionally, this establishment is filled with local Thais, which probably means that it isn't a tourist spot. But nevertheless, their menu has English translations which is a huge bonus for tourists. It was also really cute how the tables had hollow holes cut out for us to fit our bowls into. I guess that's the solution for eating on a rocky boat!

Their soup was aromatic and well seasoned. I enjoyed every single bite and I even savoured the soup as well. The portion isn't really big so we ended up getting 2 bowls each. Or maybe because it was just so good..? Do come here if you're near MBK or Siam Center.

Thai boat noodles, glass noodles (60-70 baht)

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