Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

17 Sep 2022

Pijja Palace – Los Angeles (Silver Lake)

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I read the funniest quote in the Los Angeles Times just now in reference to how one influencer combats the negative reputation of food influencing:

“I always say ‘food blogger’ because it makes me feel better than ‘food influencer,’” Rodriguez says, seated at a table at Craft by Smoke and Fire, a restaurant client in Arcadia. “There are too many influencers trying to take advantage, so I don’t want to be intertwined with them,” Castro adds.
$10,000 for one Instagram post? How food influencers can make or break restaurants

Credible food blogger energy is definitely fueling this post…

I dined at Pijja Palace the first week it opened and have been smitten with the thoroughly delicious and awesomely chaotic Indian sports bar ever since. Owner Avish Naran and chef Miles Shorey are cooking up something decidedly different, and I can’t wait to see how the food and energy evolves over time.

On both visits to the palace of pijja, dinner started with a very strong, very cardamom-forward Old Fashioned ($16) made with Amrut Indian whiskey, jaggery, and cardamom bitters. My dining companion downed one too.

I am forever a member of Team Onion Ring (sorry, french fries), so the dosa onion rings ($9) coated in an urad lentil batter, deep-fried to a golden crisp, and served with a mango chutney were a must-order.

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Restaurant Review

05 Sep 2022

N/Soto – Los Angeles

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Chefs Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama of N/Naka fame opened their sophomore effort N/Soto this past April. My friend Kat and I met for dinner at the casual, Mid-City izakaya soon after it debuted. We sat in the spacious outdoor patio and per tradition, proceeded to order way too many dishes for just two people.

The crudités ($13), which were served with warm mochi flatbread, creme friache, and eggplant dip, made for an excellent starter.

A mountainous heap of daikon radish ($10) with sesame, baby anchovy, and nori.

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Restaurant Review

27 Aug 2022

Lulu at the Hammer Museum – Los Angeles (Westwood)

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The Astronomer, June, and I had a great Sunday brunch at Lulu back in April. It was so memorable, in fact, that June insisted that I write about it on the blog even though its been several months. “It might’ve been my favorite lunch,” she says. “It just had amazing food, baby birds, and the seats were like couches. It was a long drive, but totally worth it.” Consider this post the first-ever June x Gastronomy collaboration.

This bastion of California cooking from legendary chefs Alice Waters and David Tanis opened last November on the ground floor courtyard of the Hammer Museum. Lulu’s food and vibe are laidback yet confident, leaning into the season’s best ingredients and letting them do what they do best. The menu is reminiscent of what’s served at Chez Panisse Cafe, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well this East Bay import fit in here in Los Angeles.

With two menus available — a three-course prix fixe for $45 and an a la carte menu with dishes large and small — it’s easy to choose your own adventure. The kitchen’s commitment to coaxing the purest flavors from its impeccably sourced ingredients is apparent with every dish.

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