Galanga - West Hollywood

Galanga
7440 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 851-4355
Type: Thai / fusion
Map



It's been so long since I've been to this spot that I had to cheat a little and look on Yelp to get some ideas on what to talk about. Yeah I took notes, but as many of you know, they suck!



Whenever I go to LA or Hollywood or just somewhere out of my area, I'll usually do a little research on Chowhound to find some recommended eateries. I don't really remember why we went to Hollywood this time around, but I didn't do any reconnaissance ahead of time. Instead, we just drove around knowing we would find a spot. I mean it's LA/Hollywood. There's something around every corner and hip thrift store. I guess we were being picky cuz we passed on a bunch of stuff. After maybe a half hour of driving, we finally see this little spot with an interesting name. Aight. That's it.



Galanga Thai Fusion was the place. It's a small place near Fatburger with an equally small parking lot. We got there just after lunch so I'm assuming the drones had to get back to work at the hive. Luckily I wasn't them at the moment. From what I remember there were no booths. There's a patio dining area in the back if you want to enjoy your Thai burrito outside.

Speaking of which, I personally love fusions of any kind. All I remember from this place was the Thai/Mexican fusion in the form of the tofu burrito. We added shrimp to it. I don't remember what the cost was but my notes tell me it was sweet but good. I kind of remember that personally.

tofu burrito and a salad and a square plate. fusion at its best.


To go back a little, we ordered the crab roll appetizer ($6.95). Now that was really good. I don't know if that's considered fusion with the egg roll wrapper and stuff. Nonetheless, it was bomb. Usually my only complaints when something is good is 1) it costs too much 2) they don't give you enough. My complaint was mainly about #2, but seven dollars for an appetizer is treading around #1. But then again, it is called an appetizer and not a meal. Still. I'm cheap and I eat a lot.





I ordered the Spicy Crispy Basil Fish ($8.95). I think it might have been a lunch special. I got mine with white rice. I'm personally tired of brown rice because we used to cook it at my house all the time and I've associated it with dry.... just dry. The fish was good as well. Was it spicy? I think a little. Was it crispy? I believe so. If not I would've complained in my notes of knowledge.





Good. Fresh. Pretty light. That's Galanga for me. The cost is actually ok. If you've been around, it's obviously not the cheapest. The portions ain't huge like at Banana Bay or some other spots, but add an order of an appetizer and you're good. I definitely wouldn't mind coming back here if I'm in the area. Of course, I would like to try other things first, but you won't see me throwing a fit if we had to go here. Especially if somebody paid for me! Thank you kindly.

The Clubhouse - Costa Mesa

The Clubhouse
3333 Bristol St # 2802
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 708-2582
Type: American food / dining
Website
Map

.......must ..........post .............review ...................ughhhh .......



Back up on the horse with the first review of the year. Man. We went to this place probably in May or June. So I'm about 6 or 7 months behind with maybe 80 restaurants to still post up. Unless I get laid off or quit my job, the postings won't be coming along faster than I visit new places. Sometimes, I just go to old restaurants and order the same stuff just so I don't have to jot it down in my handy notes application on my phone. Sounds like I hate doing this, huh? Actually I love doing it, but it's a lot easier when you got nothing else to do-- which isn't the situation right now.

Anyways..... The Clubhouse. Costa Mesa. South Coast Plaza. Louis V. Bimmers. Yuppies. The End.

I went here and met up with my lady after a half day of work. She suggested The Clubhouse and I should've picked something cheaper cuz I was a little sick and my tastebuds weren't dead on (but when are they ever?). But here we were. In a fancy sportsbar where all the business guys go to ink deals and talk about how T.J., the CEO's assistant is rumored to be messing with the CPA from JDPA and he might have an STD. I don't know, but you didn't hear it from me.



On The Clubhouse's website, they describe the place as a stylish country club environment. Never been to one, so that's how the place looked inside. There were tv's everywhere playing sports channels and we got seated at a round table fit for about 8. The place wasn't dead, but it's pretty big so there's room for everybody. Plus, it might've been after the lunch rush.

This place is a little pricey, but then again it is a stylish country club environment. For appetizers we got the Flaming Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($12). See.... I told you it was pricey.



I think when it arrived it was flaming on top. I forgot. The dip was good. Not too salty nor too bland. Just right. Some might say it was worth the twelve bucks. I say it is if I'm loaded.

flaming spinach & artichoke dip minus the flaming part


My girlfriend got the Salmon Salad. I don't remember the cost. Maybe $15, but it was one of the best salads I've tasted. (I haven't tasted many salads so my credibility in this department is laughable) I just remember the salmon was a little raw or lightly seared. I'm assuming they used sashimi grade fish for it cuz it was bomb. The combination of the sauce they used on it and the fish and salad was pretty impressive for a salad hater liker myself. If I had the money, I would get that everytime along with my main dish.

the salad that wowed me


After the amazing salad, my order came. I got the Tilapia ($15). Since I wasn't feeling in top-top shape, I didn't write too much in my notes and put "tilapia was good. fish was light." Yup. LA Times here I come! No, but I remember liking it with the creamy sauce and the rice and that green stuff in the back. If you like fish you probably won't be too disappointed.





Oh yeah, there was free bread in the beginning too!


I want to thank my girlfriend cuz she paid and it was our 2 year anniversary this year. Happy Anniversary, honey! She's the one behind the scenes of this blog doing many of the better describing that should soon come in time. Clubhouse was a good place if you got a little dough. The food is pretty good (atleast the ones we tried) and you can walk it off after by shopping. Oh wait, you might not have any money left after.

.....even lazier

With the New Year's and all, you'd expect people to have more motivation to do the stuff they should/want to be doing. Nope. Not me. I've been so lazy to put up reviews cuz I'm so beat from work. I'll get on it though. Sorry. and Happy New Year!!!

Ami Sushi - West Covina

Ami Sushi
2560 E Amar Rd # 3
West Covina, CA 91792
(626) 581-4148
Type: Japanese / sushi
Map

Ami Sushi is a small Japanese spot located right next to Jeun Tong Tofu House in West Covina. I've been here many times before. It's not the best sushi around, but like Taquisa, I go back for proximity's sake. The prices here are also not bad. My favorite deal here is the 12 piece Shrimp Tempura Roll for only $6.95! I don't know if they've raised their prices recently, but even for a dollar more it's still a relative bargain.

On this particular day we got it to-go (cuz we didn't want to pay for tip). We got the mentioned Shrimp Tempura Roll, the Alaska Roll ($8.95), yellowtail sushi ($3.75), and albacore sushi ($2.99). The Alaska Roll is the one with raw salmon on top. It had spicy tuna inside. This one I wouldn't get again. Nothing great or good about it. The two sushis though, weren't too bad. They were good sized and had a fresh taste to them. The Shrimp Tempura Roll as always, was consistent. There's nothing bomb to crave about but it's good and the price makes it better.



Like I said, this place gets my business cuz it's close by and they got the cheap Tempura Roll. If you're not too picky about sushi, or maybe just getting into it, I would tell you you might like the place. Sushi snobs need not apply.

Buffalo Wild Wings - Rancho Cucamonga

Buffalo Wild Wings
8188 Day Creek Blvd # 140
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(909) 899-9832
Type: wings / American / sports bar
Website
Map

I don't really know what I wanna say about this place. For one thing, I'm just not a big wings/sports bar kind of guy. The other reason is I didn't jot down any notes about the place (again). So let's see....

Buffalo Wild Wings started popping up maybe a year ago or more in the Inland Empire, and I think they have one in Palmdale. This place is a Hooters competitor minus the hot girls in orange. It's not exactly where you would go for a romantic night out unless that's what you and your date are into. It's loud, there's drunk fools watching sports, tv's everywhere you turn, and fried food. A yuppie's nightmare. Unless you're a cool yuppie, that is. (??????????)



Man, I really don't remember too much about this place. I didn't drink that much I think. We went here for my homey's birthday. Went to the bar, drank, sat down at a table, drank, ordered food, drank, ate mediocre food, drank, threw up, got in a fight, blacked out, woke up, couldn't find my pants, some girl asked for her money, I didn't have any, I ran out, then drove home. Most of that didn't happen. I didn't even throw up. I'm just compensating for not having any material for you guys. Apologies.

Now on to the food-- with little to no commentary/memory:

Sampler ($10.99). I see onion rings, cheese sticks, nachos?, and saucey stuff in the back.



I ordered the shrimp basket ($7.99). When I was a kid, I thought fried shrimp/popcorn shrimp would be bomb. Overrated. I've never had any that was super bomb. This was no exception. There was some sauce but I forgot what. Remind me not to order fried shrimp/popcorn shrimp again.

hopefully my last order of popcorn shrimp


You go here for the drinks, and also the wings. I didn't eat any and I have no idea if my friends liked it. I know you can pick your sauce and maybe how hot you want it. Ummm, yeah.



6 piece chicken tenders


For me, I'm not into these kinds of places. That's because I don't eat chicken wings for the most part. If you do on the other hand, you might wanna hit this place up. I can't say it'll be bomb but some of my friends like coming here once in a while. They're wack though. Just kidding. If you want credible opinions on this place, hit up Yelp. And don't come back to this blog again!

Kamon

Kamon
17855 Colima Rd
City Of Industry, CA 91748
(626) 965-5895
Type: Sushi / Japanese cuisine
Map



For some odd reason, thinking back about this place doesn't get me excited about eating here. Even though the food is good and it's actually one of the better sushi places around the area, it hasn't popped in my head to come back. Because I'm so uninspired by the place I'll make this a no thrills/frills review. Actually I'm just lazy as usual and I'm in a bad mood. My 5 day weekend is over already and I probably won't get another one til late next year, or unless I quit.

On that note, I apologize to Kamon for taking it out on them. Now let's get this over with...

Okay. First thing we ordered was a combo dinner ($18). You get to pick 2 items from the menu. We got an 8oz. salmon teriyaki and sashimi. We asked for all salmon sashimi. It was all surprisingly good. The portion was bigger than I expected. The salmon sashimi was good, fresh, sweet, and fatty. The combo also came with salad, miso soup, and some fried chicken.



what the?


Next up, we got the dynamite appetizer ($6.50). The picture is very deceiving cuz I took it real close. That mother was small. The spoons weren't regular-sized spoons. They were like the spoons you use for chilli oils at Chinese restaurants. But man was it good. Or maybe it was just psychological. Since you only got so little, you cherished and savored every bite. Sneaky.

maybe actual size


We ordered two sushis (yellowtail and cajun albacore) at $4.50 per pair. They were both good but they put wasabi on it. Damn. I gotta get used to that.

We also got a spicy scallop hand roll. It was good but we've had many that were better. Probably wouldn't get that again.



Last and least, we got a tempura roll ($5.75). I think this was ordered just as a filler and cuz it was cheap. All I put in my notes is that I wouldn't get it again.



Man, it seems like we ordered a grip of food. It was mostly me that killed it though. But anyways, Kamon is a decent place. It's a little pricey and if you check Yelp, it got mixed reviews. Some gave it 2 stars while a few gave it 5 stars. I wouldn't give it 5 for sure. Maybe 3.5 stars. I'm right. Everybody else is wrong. F******************K work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5C's Louisiana Seafood - West Covina

5C's Louisiana Seafood
1034 West Covina Pkwy
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 337-2530
Type: Cajun / Southern / Soul Food



2 in the morning. I gotta leave my house in about 4 hours to go to work. What should I be doing? Sleeping? Getting rest? No. Doing a review on 5C's Louisiana Seafood in West Covina. That's what you call dedication (insomnia).

So after having M&M's in Long Beach, I've been craving soul food every once in a while. I don't know how I found out about this place, but next thing you know there's a spot that opened up near my house by the West Covina mall. It's in the same plaza as Panera, Sizzler, and Fresh & Easy.

I've been here maybe about 3 or 4 times as of this writing. I always get their fish dishes. They have a lot of seafood choices: red snapper, catfish, sand dab, trout, sole, shrimp, and oysters. They also have jambalaya, gumbo, chicken wings, and various sandwiches.



The inside of the place is kind of small with not a lot of seating available, especially for large groups. I don't remember much about decor, but looking at the picture there wasn't too much of it. It's a regular hole in the wall spot dressed up a little. All that's important to me is the food...

Unfortunately, I didn't take notes again so I'll just base everything from my photographic memory. Ummmm...... It was good. The End. Just kidding. This particular day we got the combination plate ($12.35) which consisted of 3 jumbo shrimps, 6-8 deep fried oysters, and 3 pcs. of fish. We got the red snapper. It also came with lettuce, tomatoes, french bread and some hush puppies. The fish and oysters were tasty, but I remember the fish having lots of bones. The fried shrimp was just fried shrimp to me. We had these with different sauces but my personal favorite is tartar sauce with this kind of stuff. The lettuce and tomatoes I used as neutralizers and juicifyers(?). I'm not a fan of pickles and hush puppies.

deep fried frenzy


neutralizers and juicifyers. except the pickles and hush puppies


My friends got something similar except they just got the fish and chips ($5.50). They got the filet catfish. This was actually better than the red snapper for some reason. Maybe there wasn't as many bones.

hot sauce, tartar sauce, you're good to go.


So how does this place stack up against M&M's? If you put them side by side, I'd go to M&M's. But if you put M&M's in Long Beach, and 5C's in West Covina, I'll go to 5C's once in awhile. I mean it's not a bad spot. If you like deep fried seafood and live close by give this place a try. I read on Yelp and it got decent reviews on average. One dude gave it 5 stars. I'll be back, but I'm going to M&M's first. Actually, next week! Yay!

Yoshinoya's Clam Chowder

tastes goooood!!!!

It's not super rich or creamy, but it packs lots of flavor. For $1.89 it's hard to go wrong.

Update: One World Vegetarian Cuisine

I was invited back to One World to check out some of their changes. Click here to read about my return.

The Beachcomber - Newport Coast (Crystal Cove)

The Beachcomber
15 Crystal Cove
Newport Coast, CA 92657
Type: American cuisine
Website
Map



Here's yet another spot to take out-of-town guests to make it seem like you're hip with the in-crowd, even though we all know you read this blog or searched the internet under "hip places to eat" to find this place. It's all good. Your secret's safe with me. I'm almost as cool as you, but I found out about this place from my girlfriend. She's a little more hip than I. She told me her dad eats at this place that's right on the beach/sand and he sometimes sees dolphins while chowing down. She also said he saw or sees Karl Malone eating here sometimes. Aight. If it's good for The Mailman, why not?

Before you decide to go to The Beachcomber, know a few things: it gets really packed on the weekends, so waiting times could go from an hour to maybe 3; you can't just pull up to the place and park in front (it's on the sand and yards from the ocean); it might be a little chilly so bring a sweater; and you can't make reservations for large groups (large being more than 4?).

That being said, my girl took me there on a weekday so we wouldn't have to wait long. We went in the morning for breakfast. Like I said, you can't just pull up to the parking lot-- unless you're handicapped and have the sticker for your car. It's kind of a little mission you go on. First, you drive up PCH in Newport Coast/Crystal Cove, then you turn onto Los Trancas away from the water. Some days you might not have to pay for parking, but expect to give the city about $10 for that, just in case. So after you park you can choose one of two things. You can walk to the spot via a tunnel which takes you to the other side of PCH, or you can wait for the shuttle and pay $1 per person. Guess what we did? Here's $2 good sir. I know walking would be the proper thing to do at the beach, but nope.

lazy ass's view


Bye! and don't forget to pick us up later, cuz I ain't walking back. Thank you!


We gave our driver a small tip cuz he was cool. The ride isn't that long, so we got dropped off at the stop and proceeded to walk to the restaurant. I didn't think to take any pictures, but there's a bunch of small houses/cottages surrounding the restaurant that you can rent. Pretty cool if you got the dough.

Luckily for us, there wasn't a wait, but the place was still packed. We decided to eat on the patio cuz it's the beach and all. There was a tent over the patio cuz I guess it was drizzling earlier, but I seen pics on the website and there's usually no tent. One other thing was it was cold. I didn't bring a sweatshirt forgetting that the beach in the morning ain't like the pictures you see on postcards. There's blankets that you can ask for though, but I was too manly to get one. Moron.



The Beachcomber serves separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. I don't know the exact times for each, but we were there in the morning, so breakfast it was. The menu was pretty limited. I ended up getting the Egg White Frittata ($7). I don't remember what it was exactly, but I know there was spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese. I think it was whatevers to me. Nothing wow about it. I got it with the roasted breakfast potatoes. After looking at the menu again, I realize I shoulda got their French Toast. Next time.

Frittata ain't a manly name


My girl got the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($10). Again, I also don't remember what she thought about it. Oh quit whining. If you read my blog often, you'll know I'm horrible at describing food anyways. If you really wanna know how it was, maybe you can read the comments and she'll have put her two cents in there. I'm guessing it wasn't super great, although on the website they claim,"The best hash served this side of the Waldorf!"

read the Comments section for comments on this dish


So after what I can't remember was decent food at somewhat pricey prices, would I go back? That is probably gonna be a yes. Although the food we ordered wasn't memorable, I read on Yelp that it's hit or miss and you might get some bomb food. But in my opinion, and many others', you come here for the surroundings. The food is just something to do between conversation and to keep you alive while enjoying the scenery. I'll take friends and family here if they're feeling somewhat touristy. If you come in the summer, don't forget your boogie board!