Sunday Brunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel

Seldom does Alex get Sundays off...but he did this Sunday and so he decided to take me to the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge for Sunday brunch!

Yay...I am soooo excited coz I LOVE Sunday brunch! We got there and were promptly seated in the garden booth. Why? Because we are VIP and we roll like that...LOL. I had my morning mimosa and Alex had his double espresso. Then our chef du jour, Chef Dan Olson came out to say "hi". We ordered from the 3-course brunch menu but Dan decided to kick it up a notch and as usual, sent us out some really delicious courses!!

So for our first course, we got a very decadent and precise poached egg (to be exact-63.9 celcius for 45 mins) with luxurious toppings of osetra caviar, balik salmon, poached lobster medallions, shaved perigord truffles on micro greens, double-shucked peas and prosciutto, truffle purée, creme fraiche and shaved chives. Oh yah, don't forget the extra cute and mini brioche toast! They were sooo heavenly!

After enjoying this luxurious course, out came our "real" first course. I guess that was just the amuse...mmmm...Mine was the tuna tartar, sweet mango, sesame-infused seaweed salad and wonton crisps.

Alex had the crab cake, velouté of cauliflower, vegetable á la greque, and toasted Marcona almonds.

By this time, we were almost full...and running out of time. We had a day spa retreat scheduled for 1:15pm and it was already 12:20pm. We were supposed to be at the retreat 1/2 hour early. Oh well, we still wanted to eat. So next came our main courses. I had the linguini pomodoro and it was just supposed to be pasta and tomato sauce but since we were "VIP" I got hooked up with some shrimp and scallops...ooOOooOOooo la la!

Alex's main course was very extravagant BUT scary. He ordered the steak tartar (freshly ground tenderloin tip) which featured table side service. He likes his tartar mild with extra anchovies. For one to eat straight up steak tartar is a little much, so it also came with toast points and some really crispy and old school french fries.
OMG...we are so full!! BUT I had to have this waffle that Alex has been telling me about. It's the true yeast-risen Belgium waffle. It is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. When you cut into it, you can hear that "crisp" sound. It came with fresh berries and the Beverly Hills hotel's own maple syrup.
Everything was fabulous...compliments to the chef!! I had to pack my pasta for my Tuesday's lunch as I was WAY tooooo stuffed. Live to eat or eat to live, you be the judge.

Now off to the spa!

Shopaholic Makes A Movie!!

Given the success of Bridget Jones' Diary and any number of other "chick flicks" based on chick lit, I'm ecstatic to say that a movie based on the Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic series is in the near future! I cannot wait to see a film all about Becky Bloomwood and her wacky adventures.

According to Sophie Kinsella's Vodcast, P.J. Hogan (Peter Pan, My Best Friend's Wedding) will direct Confessions of a Shopaholic, an adaptation of her bestselling novel. Jerry Bruckheimer will produce. Shooting begins this November and Isla Fisher will play Becky Bloomwood. For those of us who don't know her, she is Sasha Baron Cohen's (yes, that's right, BORAT!!) wife and her last movie was in Definitely, Maybe with Ryan Reynolds.

Murakami Exhibition at the MOCA...part 2

OMG...I wrote soooo much about our meal at Daikokuya that I had to create a new post for the actual Murakami exhibition.

So the main reason for me wanting to go to the Murakami exhibition was due to the Exclusive Louis Vuitton Store at the venue! If you know me, I am the ultimate bag whore.

Anyway, back to the store. Unlike your regular Louis Vuitton Boutique, this one that is specially set up at MOCA features only products specially designed for the occasion by Vuitton and Murakami. The exhibition store will feature a new Murakami-designed 'Neverfull' bag with an LV Hands print and a round Monogram canvas coin purse with the same design. In addition to that, Murakami has also designed a Limited Edition diary/organizer/Agenda/Year Planner featuring a new character called Chibi Kinoko (Little Mushroom printed on Vuiton's signature Monogram Canvas, Monogram Multicolore (available in both Black and White). Alas, most of the items were already sold out as it was the last week of the exhibition. Lucky Alex...LOL!

So since there was nothing for me to buy at the store, I was going to be artsy and actually enjoy the art exhibition. Too bad photography was not permitted at the exhibit. However, I did manage to find someone else's blog which had really good photos of the exhibit. So the following photos are credited to Supertouch blog. Enjoy!

Murakami’s masterpiece: This giant beast is finished entirely in platinum leaf, officially making it the ultimate piece of art bling…

KaiKai and KiKi...they are the mascots for Takashi Murakami's company, Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.

Murakami created an alter ego named DOB, whose name was taken from a line made famous by the late Japanese comedian Yuri Toru that asked the existential question: Dobojite dobojite?, (Why? Why?) As the complexities of Murakami's examination of his own identity evolved, so did DOB, in painting and inflatable form, morphing from a strand of DNA to a balloon-like form with innocent eyes.

Lastly, Milk and Cream, a pair of multiple-panel paintings, accompany Hiropon and Cowboy. Each depicts a graceful arc of white fluid against solid pastel pink and green backgrounds. The grand stroke of fluid, be it milk, semen or paint, recalls the paint drippings of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollack. At the same time, the foamy white fluid resembles the crashing waves of Edo-era printmaker Hokusai. The influence of woodblock printing and screen painting show Murakami's training in nihonga, a school that sought to revive traditional Japanese art forms. Murakami remixes modern Western art and traditional Japanese art, while denying the hierarchy of high "art" culture vs. low pop culture.

Off to the Murakami Exhibition at the MOCA...part 1

I am so excited to go to the exhibition of Takashi Murakami, the artist who popularized the Superflat style of modern art. Murakami's art appears on the limited collection Louis Vuitton handbags, Kanye West's Graduation album cover and in his recent music videos.

But before we hit the exhibition, a girl has to EAT! So my friend, Janet, and I head off to fill our bellies with some ramen. Yummmm...we went to Daikokuya which is only a stones throw away from the MOCA. This place has a reputation of being "one of the best ramens ever" in LA. We were seated quickly as it was still early. Usually, you will have to sign your name on this clipboard they have on the chair right in front of the entrance and wait for a seat. We made our orders and the food came out like lightning too! This is what we ordered:

Japanese green salad–this was included as we ordered a lunch combo. It is different from the regular japanese green salad that you may be familiar with. The dressing still has the citrusy flavor, however, I think there is a little bit of mayo and garlic in it as well. A very appetizing start to our meal!

Then came our gyozas which were buried in green onions. They really love their green onions here which you will see in all the other pictures.

By this time, we are craving our ramens...I can smell the fragrance of the pork broth so strongly as we were sitting by the bar. They were roasting off some pork as well, I think for the preparation of broth for the next day. I WANT MY RAMEN!

OK, the ramen was not ready yet so they brought out our fried rice–this is also part of the combo! It has their famous shredded pork in it. I didn't eat the fried rice because I am packing it for my lunch on Monday!

Finally!! Our ramen is here...So what makes Daikokuya ramen so good? Well, according to their website and menus, the ramen broth is made up of pork bones that are simmered nearly all day long along with some shoyu. They soak their hard boiled eggs and use tender cuts of pork with tons of green onions, sesame seeds, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. MmMMMmmm...I put my face over this steaming bowl of ramen and inhale...it smells like heaven...LOL.

Janet insists that we have to show how yummy their pork is. It is soooo soft, it melts in your mouth like "buttah"...LOL...and don't forget the egg!

It was a great start to the day...except now I am too full to be walking around at the Murakami exhibition!

My latest mini-splurge: LANVIN ballet flats

WHY, you ask?
Coz every girl NEEDS a pair of LANVIN ballet flats!!

LANVIN ballet flats seem to be quite popular these days. Even though the flats were last years collection they are still the most sought out item. And why wouldn't they be? They are comfortable, they are colorful, they are absolutely gorgeous! And since they are flat - they make superb walking shoes!

My latest mini-splurge are on a pair of LANVIN ballet flats in white perforated calf leather. They are true to size and are OoO-sooo-comfortable (I feel like I am wearing nothing when I put them on). When I saw them, I was actually thinking of buying them and flipping them on eBay (which is my 3rd job...LOL). But after I brought them home, the more I look at them, the more I fall in love. So I think I am going to keep them and wear them for the Spring/Summer 2008 season.

Dinner Date at A.O.C. Wine Bar

Alex and I seldom have time to go out for dinner but we did on Saturday, Jan. 26 and I am so glad we did! We went to this great little tapas restaurant called, A.O.C.

This tight, bustling wine bar and tapas restaurant offers a vast array of fresh, flavorful, simple plates. Well-sourced Italian and Spanish ingredients, a wood-burning oven, and a carefully selected cured meat and cheese selection provide the perfect accompaniments to their 50-plus wines by the glass. An L.A. legend, expect a wait or make reservations, but “worth it” is a definite understatement when it comes to A.O.C.

We started off the night with a plate of charcuterie. We had speck with apples and arugula. Then we had the duck confit, friseé salad with grilled sour dough bread (from La Brea bread company). From the wood burning oven, we ordered the clams which were simmered in garlic and amontillado sherry. This was also served with bread, some very crusty french garlic bread...yummy! I think the clams were my favorite dish-they are highly recommended! After that, we had salt cod fritters on a citrus salad. I didn't enjoy this too much as the texture was a little mushy. The last course was the skirt steak with roquefort butter. But obviously my darling husband asked them for the butter to be on the side coz you know me and dairy! :P The waiter then came with a rabbit ragoût with dijon, chestnuts and tarragon (we didn't order it, it was compliments from the chef). I didn't eat that one coz to me, rabbits are pets and they are too cute to be eaten. Sorry to all the hardcore foodies out there! But Alex had it and he said it was OK.

We ended the night on a sweet note, Alex ordered roasted pineapples, almond cake with crème chantilly and I had the chocolate and hazelnut dacquoise with gianduja mousse and salted caramel ice cream...mMmMMmmMm...how can you say no to that?!?! I always end the night with some chocolate dessert when I am out having dinner. In summary, the presentation of the desserts were not a focal point for the pastry kitchen but the flavor, texture and taste were bang on.

I would totally recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves food. It has a romantic atmosphere even though it can be quite cramped/crowded. We sat upstairs in the corner so it was perfect for us. I really love the "small plates/share plates" concept. It's a very intimate dining experience. I will definitely come back!

And oh, dinner for 2 without wine was about $50 per person. I think that is very reasonable for consistently FABULOUS food!

Entering 2008

Happy New Year, my dear friends! I have been very behind updating this blog. Something called "life" had caught up with me and taken away all my free time.

Anyway, I wanted to start the new year with a little update to my blog. And why not start with the crazy times I had on New Year's eve, which I spent with my dear little sister, Danielle. The last time her and I spent New Year's eve together was about 7 years ago (before my move out east) and we went to a NYE rave together. So this New Year's eve celebration was long called for!

We started out the night at 8:30pm. Actually, we wanted to start the night out at 8:30pm but was already late getting out the door. You know, 2 girls getting ready and only 1 bathroom to share...you get the picture. I wore a dress with a jeweled collar by Milly and Danielle was in a flirty silk dress from Forever 21.

Dad was nice enough to drive us down to The Eatery, where they had an "All You Can Eat and All You Can Drink" party. By the time we left the house and picked up a couple of Danielle's friends, we arrived at the restaurant at around 9:15pm. (By the way, he was already pissed at us coz we were late leaving the house and he had to go to work the next day at 4:30am.) There was a line up outside the restaurant and they started letting people in at around 9:30pm. Once we were inside, there was a free flow of food and drinks. Food was OK. I didn't want to eat too much coz you know what happens when I overeat and then drink...LOL. Anyway we ate till about 11:30pm when the music started getting louder and people were getting more excited, looking forward to midnight.

Then the clock struck 12 and everyone went into a frenzy wishing everyone else "HAPPY NEW YEAR"! By this time, I had a great buzz going on and was pretty hammered. We stayed for another hour at The Eatery and then Danielle suggested we go to Sonar, where her boss was spinning that night. She said she was on the "Super VIP" list and assured me that we did NOT have to wait in line as we were in our little skimpy dresses and it was freaking FREEZING outside. So off we went to hail a cab...

It didn't take us too long to hail a cab and we zipped over to Sonar. And Danielle was right, we didn't have to wait one bit at the door. The doorman quickly ushered us in after checking us off the list. It was totally happening at Sonar. The music was booming and everyone was in a party mood. I got to meet Danielle's boss, GMan, who is one of the biggest club promoters in Vancouver. Super nice guy! He also bought a round of drinks for us.

And we also bumped into one of my good friends, Steph, who was doing some club photography for the night. By this time of the night, I already had about 6-8 drinks and if you know me, I am a cheap date. I was up there, having a great time.

I looked at my watch and it was already 3:30am!! MAN, I had to catch a 7am flight that morning to go home. That means, I have to be a the airport at 5am. That means, I am already LATE coz I had to go home and finish packing. We quickly left the club to catch a cab home. OMG..........we could NOT find an empty cab AT ALL! People were already starting to leave the club and there were throngs of people EVERYWHERE!! I have no idea how far or where we walked to but we walked and we walked and I wanted to cut my feet off. They were hurting from wearing my heels (Nine West ecru 3" satin heels) ALL NIGHT. And we stumbled into the very seedy area of Hastings. Man, I was freaking out with all the drunks and addicts surrounding us.

It was now 4am and I was contemplating on calling my Dad to come get us. But Danielle said we shouldn't coz remember, he was already mad at us BEFORE we left the house. GAWD!!! But I am desperate! As soon as my fingers ran over the numbers on the cell phone, from the corner of my eye, I saw this cab in the left lane turning left. Some people tried to jump into it while it was at the light but they got kicked out. Little did I know, this cab driver turned onto the street we were on and signaled us to get in!!

MY SAVIOR!!! We climbed our drunkened-asses into the car and some other people were trying to get in behind us! The cab driver told them to get out and he was only taking 2 passengers. Lucky for us! At this point, my buzz had left me from all the stress and trauma we've been through. But I was very relieved to be in a cab on the way home....

Got home, got an earful from the parents, got packed and got out!

When I was on the plane, I realized that this old, tired body of mine is not able to take abuse like that anymore. Passed out on the plane and had sweet dreams of being home in LA...