Anarkali Restaurant: Indian Fine Dining

Visited this Indian restaurant when the ministers and delegates from Singapore visited Los Angeles, and we were in for a treat. Never knew Indian restaurants could look like this. It was grand yet homely at the same time. 

One thing I realised is that, there are a lot of northern Indians in the United States, while those in Singapore are mostly from southern India. The food served here tastes pretty different from what I was expecting from a "good Indian restaurant". The taste that we are used to is southern Indian style. The taste wasn't as strong as I was expecting, and there was barely anything spicy that day. However, this northern Indian from UCLA whom I met at this event said that the food was really good. There were items such as butter chicken, and all that I cannot name. It was buffet style, so this is what I got for myself. 

I ordered a mango lassi, thinking that I should try one when I can. I was slightly apprehensive about it because the word lassi made me think of ginger or some kind of spice, which didn't sound very appealing to me. However, it was a thick mango juice and I absolutely love it.

Mango Lassi

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Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose Avenue: Crunchy French Toast

When I successfully packed my classes into just 2 days a week, I was so excited for my free days on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and the weekends. Although it meant having 4 to 5 classes a day from morning till 6pm, it was worth it.

It gave me the opportunity to indulge in weekday lunch deals and to also avoid the weekend crowds. 

However, Blu Jam is so popular that we even had to wait for about 40mins to get a table for 2 on a weekday. (Also because the branch on Melrose has limited space.) But it wasn't too bad because Melrose Avenue is full of shops that you would love to explore. There is also graffiti very nicely done around the area for picture opportunities. I wasn't bored while waiting. 

Blu Jam Cafe interior

We came because Blu Jam Cafe is ranked one of the best in the area. Their signature dish is the Crunchy French Toast. We both decided to order it even though we could have tried something else. Most of the American diners ordered this as a dessert shared between 2 people, on top of individual orders of brunch items such as eggs florentine. However, I guess we kind of knew that we would never be able to pull that off and so we just stuck with the french toast.

Crunchy French Toast

I must say that growing up visiting Hong Kong so often has raised my expectations of french toasts. I have not been impressed by any in Singapore, while french toasts in Hong Kong cafes are usually very crispy and tasty. Nevertheless, although Blu Jam's crunchy french toast managed to impress me with its light coat of sweet cornflake that enhanced its texture and flavour, I wished the taste did not only coat the toast. Hong Kong cafes somehow always manage to give flavour to the whole piece of bread. The bread was also tougher than I would have liked.

However, I still love the crunchy french toast because it was so unique. There was also a dip that was tasted like sweet milk that went really well with the toast. They were also very generous with the berries. It was very satisfying, and if you're not a fan of sweet stuff you can always skip or go easy with the dip. 

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Boxwood Cafe by Gorden Ramsay, West Hollywood

Chanced upon this gem when I was looking through the list of restaurants and their menus for DineLA. For those of you who don't know what DineLA is, it is basically a 2-week long restaurant week initiative that restaurants can participate in by offering a set lunch or dinner at a fixed price that is usually discounted by varying degrees. It is to allow people to try food at discounted prices, while the restaurants gain publicity and exposure to the people in Los Angeles. After having such a great experience with DineLA, I hoped that Singapore had the same thing. However, from what I saw, Restaurant week Singapore seemed poorly executed, and the prices were probably not quite attractive. (But of course, that is my personal opinion.) At least I could pick cheaper options through DineLA. The price range is between USD$15-100 per course meal. Additionally, I wasn't able to find an exhaustive list of menus offered by the restaurants participating in Singapore's restaurant week. Meanwhile, I was spoilt for choice for DineLA, and I knew what I was in for because the menus were all displayed online. (Link included below if you want to know what I mean.)

I visited Boxwood Cafe by Gordon Ramsay in West Hollywood for the DineLA restaurant week in January 2015.  I went for a USD$25 3-course set lunch with 2 other friends, not including tax and tip. The tipping in Los Angeles is usually about 10-15% for lunch, although it is recommended to tip between 15-20% for fine dining.  I would say that it was well spent for the food and dining experience, and I would gladly return for the mushroom risotto and steak. However, I don't know how much it would cost to dine here on an average day.

The London Hotel, West Hollywood

Boxwood Cafe

Boxwood Cafe

Appetiser:

The best mushroom truffle risotto I had so far. I did not expect it to be cooked with truffle oil or for it to taste so much more like a truffle risotto because of its name on the menu. However, it was rich in taste, and the risotto was not runny. It was easily picked up by fork, and it doesn't collapse into a thick liquid. I was so impressed by it, and it satiated my tastebuds. 

Mushroom Risotto

I don't think my friend had expected chicken dumplings to be chicken balls. I guess Americans have a different concept of the word dumplings than Asians..? It didn't look very impressive, but my friend mentioned that it was pretty good, and the sauces were good too.

Crispy Chicken Dumplings 

Main Course:

All of us picked the prime rib cap steak although there were 2 other choices. One of the best steaks I had. I never imagined that steak could be tender and soft on the inside, while it remains crisp on the outside. Usually, we get everything tender or it becomes a tough piece of meat when it's poorly executed. I wish I knew where else I could get steaks that are cooked this way. 

Prime Rib Cap Steak

Although the Boxwood Cafe is known for its beef wellington, it was not available for the lunch menu for DineLA. It was offered for dinner at USD$70 though. 

Dessert: 

We ordered all 3 that was available on the menu. 

The English Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of their signature dishes. It was delicious, and resembled a fondant.

English Sticky Toffee Pudding

The coconut panna cotta was cylindrical, with a dollop of mango sorbet or puree and a sheet of sugar. It was a pretty good combination.

Coconut Panna Cotta

I think the St. Honore cake was a let down. The puffs were not crispy nor fluffy, and it lacked the strawberry taste as well.

St. Honore Cake

For those of you visiting Los Angeles in January or June, DineLA happens twice a year. Do visit http://www.discoverlosangeles.com/dinela-los-angeles-restaurant-week  and experience the magic of DineLA for yourself.

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