Jay Eats Worldwide

I usually take the Metro Gold Line to Downtown Los Angeles.  Traffic is usually bad and then I have no idea where to park.  Although some of my friends who know I'm downtown a lot, think I know where all the places to park, this is why I take the Metro.  As I was heading into town on this trip, overheard 2 guys talking about only having $5 and wanting to get something to eat. I know there are places in Little Tokyo where you can get something to eat in the $5 range, here's what I've found: See What Jay Eats... Half California Roll and Half Spicy Tuna Roll (includes miso soup) $3.95 Little Tokyo Sushi This is a grab and go kiosk inside the Little Tokyo Market Place.  They have a variety of sushi combinations ranging in price from a $2.50 hand roll to $12+. Little Tokyo Sushi at the Little Tokyo Market Place (former Mitsuwa Marketplace) 333 S. Alameda St #100 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 617-0343 Niku (Beef) Udon...

As part of the 130th Anniversary of Little Tokyo, I've started to take a look at some of the hidden gems in the Downtown area.  For those who have followed my food adventure know that I grew up not to far from here.  We would come to Little Tokyo for dinner and to shop.  A lot of the shops are now gone, but a few of the food places are still around.  One of the places which has been open for over 40 years is Suehiro Cafe. Ginger Beef Friday Lunch Special with rice and miso soup $4.20  Suehiro Cafe on 1st Street between San Pedro and Central Ave. I love that they stay open late and have a variety of dishes and sushi rolls at night. See their menu HERE See What Jay Eats... Zaru Soba (cold buckwheat noodles) $8.50 with vegetable gyoza and rice $3.00 Kappa Maki (cucumber roll)  $3.50 Sushi is served after 6 pm It's also one of the 2014 Taste of Little Tokyo restaurants Read my...

I grew up eating chop suey, egg foo young, and bbq pork.  There aren't too many old skool places that serve this kind of food anymore.  I've passed this place many times and one night on my way home decided to stop in, saw a lot of people eating here, wanted to try their won ton soup. See What Jay Eats at Chinese Garden Restaurant Wor Won Ton Mein $8.50 Won tons, noodles, vegetables, bbq pork, and shrimp It was just OK I came back for the Lunch Specials, which I love at these old skool places. Lunch Specials Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 am to 3 pm   Crispy Nooldes with Egg Flower Soup (part of this lunch special)  Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and rice with an egg roll. $7.50 (including the egg drop soup, tea, and fortune cookie) Not a bad lunch deal for $7.50 and it brought back memories. Wasn't a fan of the egg roll tho, was more like a brick filled with meat. They have 20 different lunc...

Ton Chan Ramen (Now Closed) Lunch Special **Please Note: They no longer have the 1/2 1/2 1/2 Lunch Special anymore.** But what they do have is still pretty good... Ton Chan Ramen in San Gabriel (next to Golden Deli) Specialty: Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen Tokyo Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen Rich pork broth Read my first post on Ton Chan Ramen 1/2 Order Fried Rice Which is a lot considering it's a half order... Don't forget to get your Ton Chan Ramen Card et the 11th for FREE What's Next Monday? Lunch Specials are only offered Monday - Friday (Restaurant Now Closed) Photos by Jay Terauchi ©Jay Terauchi Jay Eats

Sorry, no ramen today... This week was 103 degrees and I'm NOT thinking ramen... Otafuku Japanese Cuisine Gardena It's been a few years since I've been to Otafuku, not you typical noodle house. But they do make the best soba (buckwheat) noodles this side of Japan that I've had. Most people know that buckwheat noodles are brownish in color and have a nutty flavor to them. A few restaurants in LA make their own noodles. But only Otafuku uses imported gozen-ko, flour milled from the white-buckwheat kernel. Seiro Soba (sarashina soba) $8 with dipping sauce, wasabi, and green onions Lunch Special Seiro Soba $8 + Shrimp Tempura Bowl $3.50 Seiji Akutsu, Otafuku owner, imports the white soba flour and uses bottled spring water and makes his dough. Rolls it out and makes thin cuts to make this delicate noodle. I tried to cut soba noodles once at a restaurant, it came out more like linguine noodles than soba. I love fresh soba noodles with the slightly chewy texture, served...

New Menu 1/2 1/2 1/2 is no longer available Ton Chan Ramen's Lunch Special Having heard me talk about Ton Chan Ramen, my biz partner @ Rhinofishfood wanted to meet up for lunch and try their famous tonkotsu ramen. On my first visit, I noticed the lunch specials, see my first visit ( Ramen Monday ) with Doreen Fang . The 1/2 Ramen, 1/2 Fried Rice, and 1/2 Karaage Chicken stuck in my mind. So today, while Jeff Nitta had the Hakata Shio Ramen with 1/2 Fried Rice, I opted for the 1/2, 1/2, 1/2... 1/2 Tokyo Shoyu Ramen 1/2 Fried Rice 1/2 Karaage Chicken served with corn, broccoli, carrots, and potato salad AND Mango Custard for dessert Everything was well cooked and tasted great. This is a place that I would definitely come back to... They'll probably see me on September 4th for the Ramen Speed Eating Contest. All for $8.95 Monday - Friday 11 am to 3 pm Ton Chan Ramen 821 W Las Tunas Drive San Gabriel, CA 91776 (626) 282-3478 Have to find an excuse to go back. Who wants to go? ...

Thai Food Tuesday? No, too many calendar days already... Just had a meet up with @vegasandfood and we tried the $4.99 Lunch Specials at Thai Patio in Thai Town. Thai BBQ Chicken Lunch Special $4.99 I ordered the 3 piece Thai BBQ Chicken Lunch Special, served with salad, rice, and two wontons for $4.99. The chicken had good flavor and not overcooked, something I hate about chicken. Consider this, KFC for 3 pieces of chicken, 2 sides, and a biscuit is $8.29...This place is a bargain. Pad Thai with chicken, ground peanuts, onions, and bean sprouts $5.99 (Lunch) We ordered the Pad Thai noodles, since their menu noted it as a "MUST TRY!!" Now with two exclamation marks, we just had to try it. It was good, but didn't think it was a Must Try... Overall, they had good lunch specials, although limited in selection. The service was very attentive, refilling water and removing plates. Thai Patio is located in the old Palms Thai space, I had been here a few times before. Thai ...

We're living in a time where the economy doesn't allow for extravagant lunches right now, we're all looking for GOOD lunch bargains. This week, I visited two Japanese places that really have that old skool flavor, taste, and price. Karaage Chicken Bento Bento Man $6.25 Bento Man is a small takeout place with picnic tables. All the food is "a la minute" or cooked to order and that makes it better than those found at the Asian grocery store. It's a bit more American taste, probably why I like it so much, without being too traditional Japanese. It's also a bargain, I've purchased the same fried chicken bento at Mitsuwa for $6.99, not sure how long it had been sitting in the grab & go case. My only concern, with a name like Bento Man, the bento menu is small. Other items on the menu are ramen, udon, curry, and sushi rolls. But the bento is the real deal here. Bento Man 1500 S. Western Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90006 (323) 733-5316 They just changed ...