Sushi I-Naba - Manhattan Beach

A box in blue, bought for a birthday. 

Unwrap for an adventure, a treasure box of riches over rice. 

In the upper left, you get three ways to tuna. Zuki Akami is meaty marination, Chutoro flaunts the fat and all that, and Otoro is fish butter in semisolid form. 

Go lower along the lovable left. Slow-braised is a silky subject, with sweetmeat scallops, exquisite eel, and standout shrimp.

Swim over to the lower right and try a triplet of trout. An unaltered Umi Masu slips like satin, slides with with a shimmery soy, and skates on a smoky sear.

Complete your collection and rotate upper right. An ooey-gooey Ikura is an icy sea, Kegani is sweet shreds of hairy crab from Hokkaido, and centerpiece is sea urchin, the creamiest Hokkaido Uni your tongue will ever taste. 

If you’re looking for a sushi splurge, I-Naba’s Jewelry Box is worthy. Wade through the water-gems of this Manhattan Beach marvel more than once...because diamonds are a girl’s best friend. 

The Dim Sum Co - Westminster

 

Packed in a car and driven for 45 minutes is no way to treat your dim sum, but sometimes you have no choice. 

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and even in these dire straits, there’s no denying that Dim Sum Co is legit. 

I don’t recommend ANY delay between plate and palate, but at least these Steamed BBQ Pork Buns keep their fluff. There’s some sweet roast pork inside that airy, three-corner pouch. 

The Shrimp Dumplings are standard fare; plenty of shrimp, good ratio with the wrapper, firm yet tender and tasting fresh. 

Pork and Shrimp Shumai are heavier on the meat, but the pork is juicy so the filling won’t fill you up too fast. 

The Shrimp Rice Noodle is made by hand, and this texture is a miracle. Soft yet slightly firm and chewy, exactly what a rice noodle should be. 

Crumbly crust on the Egg Tarts and a sweetened yolk-y filling. Enough sugar to define them as dessert but not too much to overpower the egg. 

Poke Buns are a crowd favorite, and I've never seen these anywhere else. Googly eyes makes them cute little Asian Cookie Monsters, and they release a river of sweet n’ salty quicksand-custard with the slightest squeeze.

I love dim sum, but I admit, it can be restrictive. There is a finite list of what you can and should serve so the devil's in the details. Dim Sum Company hits all the high points, but they add their own touch to some staples, making standard fare more memorable. I don't know what other dim sum is served in Westminster so I can't compare, but I would gladly bypass others to eat at Dim Sum Co again. 

Red Rock UPDATE - Torrance

Want a bowl of beef, get a bowl of beef. 

Have razor-thin, practically see-through slices piled sky-high, in the American Sliced Beef Don. Bask in the beefiness, crave the cracked pepper, and savor the sauces of ginger-soy and white yogurt creamy crack. A raw egg enriches the mix, but for obvious reasons is excluded in takeout/delivery.

Want meatier, beefier beef? The American Cut Steak Don is a flap cut so fabulous. Request it ruby-red so the medium rare juices can drip into the rice. 

They make a good omelet too, and their curry gets rave reviews if you’re looking to liven up your rice bowl. Keep it simple or complicate it as much as you care to - Red Rock leaves no room for regret.

Tsukiji Gindaco - Torrance

It took me a long time to like Takoyaki. I didn’t understand what they were about and resented them for not having more tako, so it wasn’t until recently that these one-tentacle wonders earned my appreciation. 

I can't say that Gindaco was the stall that changed my mind, but they sure did help. Takoyaki is a more subtle street food, and Gindaco does it well, rolling a balance of ginger, scallion, octopus, and dough into fresh, fluffy, batter-balls. 

The Original are the original, and sometimes basics are best. Topped with flighty flakes of bonito sticking to a savory brown sauce interlaced with stripes of mayo, these toppings are the best at fishing out the seafood flavor. 

The original are probably my favorite, but the Spicy Scallion & Sriracha add a stimulating burn. 

Cheese & Mentaiko smell the strongest, but the cod roe is more subtle than the scent would suggest. It's tempered by teriyaki and blends with a melted layer of mozzarella and parmesan.

Even one order will fill you up as the carbs are weighty, but save some room for a croissant Taiyaki. Same lucky fish pressed in croissant dough for an extra layer of addiction. Dense like a pastry, flaky like a cronut filled with red bean or nutella. 

My friend KF is a die-hard fan of takoyaki, notorious for eating them in the Mitsuwa parking lot, lest they lose their freshness on her short drive home. But rest assured, they do retain a little bit of their crispy crust for at least 15 minutes even though they lose value faster than a new car being driven off the lot. A little more crispy or less, they are still worth an order, no matter how far from home you have to drive. 

Simpang Asia UPDATE - Los Angeles

“10 Things I Hate About You” is THE movie for teens of my generation, and Bianca Stratford said it best: “I like my Skechers but I LOVE my Prada backpack.” 

I like Mr. Sate but I LOVE Simpang. Simpang is LA’s Prada backpack of Indonesian food, and now thanks to lockdown, they deliver AND they deliver. 

Start with some Chicken Sate because you simply have to. The chicken is juicy and the peanut sauce is right on.

Tahu Tempeh Goreng is wedges of sauce-soaking fried tofu interspersed with bean-textured nuggets of firmly earthy tempeh. Very different and equally good. 

Never skip the Roti Paratha, and order two per person if you can. The bread is a shroud of a thousand fluffy layers, soft and chew inside to counter a crispy crust.  Dunk in a drinkable dip of curry for maximum addictive effect.

The Laksa features a sweet yellow curry, more soupy than dippy, with ropy yellow noodles. Seafood speaks through a surplus of calamari, fish balls, and shrimp, and the result tastes like a swim through the sea. 

Char Kway Teow may have been my other, other, other favorite because everything here is my favorite. The wide wok noodles are perfect, and they are simultaneously sweet and savory with slightly surprising notes of fish balls and shrimp. 

                 

You haven’t had nasi bungkus until you’ve had this Nasi Bungkus. They must have cooked it extra long because banana leaves infuse their aroma into every tiny grain of rice. The curried chicken melts into the rice beneath and fuses with a bolder beef rendang. A fried egg adds to the experience, and the veggie curry is runny and rich. 

A colorful menu at Simpang, as sweet and savory yellows blend with earthy browns to brighten up the beiges of the concrete that comprises yet another subtle strip mall. This part of LA may not look exciting but don’t judge a city by it’s concrete. In the case of Simpang, that concrete conceals some of the best food in the city.

Ruiji Sichuan Cuisine - Lomita

Finally, a Sichuan restaurant close enough to deliver. 

Ah, my favorite starter, the Spicy Mung Bean Jelly. A bit bland at first but the jelly is cold and refreshing and tastes amazing after a couple nights in the fridge to marinate. 

Dan Dan Noodle according to Sichuan tradition: chewy clear noodles, probably sweet potato and a spicy soup-sauce which is mostly chili oil. Not my favorite tradition but a numbing comfort for some, I’m sure.

Sichuan Duck Glazed with Brown Sugar Sauce is reminiscent of tea-smoked duck with a sweeter spin. The duck is decent quality and tastes fairly fresh. I would get this again. 

Probably my favorite Sichuan dish, Water-Boiled Fish in Hot Chili Oil. Plenty of chili and plenty of fish, but there are plenty of fish in the sea.

They do a fantastic dish job with the Sauteed Pea Sprouts - a perfect texture for a perfect vegetable. They have the ideal balance between leaf and stalk and cook just enough to keep their crunch. 

They won't win any awards, but they are an approximation of good Sichuan food. Everything is correct and the quality is alright. I am in no way disappointed, but I am a bit unimpressed. That said, if I need my Sichuan fix, I could do much worse than mediocre.