Enter through the gift shop at "Royal-T" - Culver City

It's always nice when Livingsocial sends you an offer you would actually enjoy instead of a manicure in some obscure nail salon in Gardena. So when they had a special coupon for Royal-T, I didn't hesitate to jump on the offer since I really enjoyed going there in the first place.

After smoking a few joints during the morning, I jumped in the car to go get brunch on a Sunday, two days after buying the coupon. Needless to say, it wasn't the best idea since they had sold quite a few of these offers so there was a thirty minute wait before being seated. The good thing about this place is that it is not just a coffee shop. It's also an art gallery and has a fun gift shop with overpriced but unique items from around the world. The art is never great but it's a strange mix of pop art and modern art and is definitely catering to the younger crowds. After tripping out in the gift shop, we finally sat down and stared at the menu. My eyes were going back and forth between the delicious items on the menu and the delicious waitresses in the restaurant dressed in maid uniforms. I was drooling at one point but I don't know if it's because I was very hungry or very horny.

We ended up having their signature Tea:  "ROYAL/T MILK TEA" blend of black tea with rose petals, pieces
of fruit and vanilla, brewed in soymilk. You can share small pot with one person and it is an exquisite mix of spices (I usually don't like tea). We shared a Kobe Beef burger and a French toast with berries (They are made with brioche). They do have mimosas on sunday but we did not try any

Everything I've ever tasted there was good and the dishes are filling. Royal-T has all the ingredients of a cool spot for the local hipsters, and that's why I love it.

http://www.royal-t.org 

"Waitresses dressed in playful maid uniforms with a Lolita-esque touch, serve guests a menu of French- and Japanese-inspired cuisine with local California style."

Breakfast at "The Wood Café" - Culver City

You know I've been living in America too long when my drink of choice is Dr Pepper, when I dream in English, and when I wake up with a craving for biscuits and gravy for breakfast. This dish is usually easy to find at the small diners around town like Rae's or Pantry's and it always brings back good memories like the time my boss' wife cooked us breakfast before we hit the slopes during our trip to Mammoth (Warning: Eating too many biscuits before snowboarding makes it very hard to bend down to strap the bindings).

After discussing our options with my mother who is in Los Angeles for a short vacation, we decided to go to "Green Peas" which is a great restaurant in Culver City with great healthy and vegetarian options and orange or cucumber infused water. However, it seems like every time I try to take my mother to a restaurant, it's either closed on that day or it doesn't exist anymore. Do I learn my lessons? Do I call ahead to see if the restaurant is open? Do I try to make reservations? Nope.... "Green Peas" was being remodeled and we had to jump in the car again to look for another restaurant.

We ended up not far from there at "The Wood Café" in Mar Vista. It's a lovely restaurant with a fire pit outside for dinners and late drinks. Their breakfast menu was very enticing and the colorful dishes on the tables around me looked flavorful. The best part: they even offered a "Southern Biscuit" (eggs, biscuit, sausage and gravy). Their menu says (No Side) but strangely enough you do get a choice of potatoes or salad. After ordering my Arnold Palmer (Iced tea and lemonade for those of you who didn't know what that was) I started stressing out a little because my phone was slowly running out of battery (I never learn that lesson either) and I thought I wouldn't be able to take a picture of my delicious breakfast. As soon as my biscuits came, I took my pictures and started devouring my breakfast. It was probably the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had at a restaurant and the service was great (I ended up with two glasses of Arnold Palmer at the same time at some point when the waitress saw how thirsty I was).

For more information go to their website: "The Wood Café"

"Enterprise Fish Company" Happy Hour - Santa Monica

Every time I leave this place, I get confused. Not because of the Pinot Noir that was served in big glasses, but because of how much the bills ends up being at the end of this so called "Happy Hour". However I do tend to come out very happy and It's always a feast of small appetizers that are original and include fresh seafood such as the steamed mussels and oysters. We did order six oysters and they fresh and easy to pull out of the shelf. It came with a garlic marinara dip and a butter sauce.

We also shared their famous traditional Ahi Poki. It's a salad made of cubes of raw tuna, onions, lettuce and roasted bell peppers. It's always a crowd pleaser and a great item to share. We stayed at the happy hour from 4pm to about 10pm (actually the happy hour on saturday goes from 4pm to 7pm and then starts again at 9pm to 11pm. The bartender refilled our glasses at a good pace and the waitresses were all adorable. The food came quickly and it was perfectly cooked.

A lady sitting next to me at the counter spilled her glass of red wine all over my crotch and my brand new favorite wool jacket, so I can't say it was the perfect experience but I was sharing these drinks with one of my best friends who was visiting from France, and catching up and sharing stories while drinking a full-bodied wine and eating Kobe beef sliders made me forget my pants looked like I played paintball again.

"Tahoe Galbi", Koreatown - Los Angeles

Yesterday I went to Santa Clarita with some friends to play paintball. Because I had played the game before and I knew what it felt like to get shot, I started the day with a clever mix of medicinal herb and a giant beer at the "Halfway House Café" located a mile away from Paintball USA.

I had a french dip with my beer and it was far from extraordinary but I was expecting no less from this restaurant lost in the middle of nowhere. Once my body was numb enough to take the abuse it was going to go through during our friendly games, we went out to the paintball field to shoot as many people as we possibly could. It was a great day of fun where we were served BBQ briskets and chicken for lunch. It was a little cold but it was tasty and helped us stay alert for the last games of the day. . When we left the field, I could barely walk because I fell on my knee and I got shot where I should have been wearing a cup. So we decided to go for some comfort food and more meat at "Tahoe Galbi" because there's nothing like throwing some raw meat on a grill after pretending to kill people all day.

This Korean BBQ is one of the best ones I've been to in Los Angeles. It is $16.99 for all you can eat, and they specialize in beef short ribs. The decor is elegant and each table is equipped with its own fan. We sat down and started feasting. We had a sample of everything from the beef to the pork belly and the briskets, we tried most of the meat on the menu. My least favorite was the marinated pork, which I thought was a little too sweet, but the service was perfect and I had never been at a Korean BBQ where the waiters were so attentive before. They have a parking lot with a Valet Service. It was a delicious meal and a memorable experience and I will definitely return to that restaurant next time I feel like binging on meat.