Sanya Korean BBQ Restaurant

Sanya Korean BBQ Restaurant
2897 W Olympic Blvd.
Ste. 105
Los Angeles
213-383-1144

An all you can eat Korean BBQ for $9.99? Sounds like a good deal. But, as with anything you get what you pay for. Sanya Korean BBQ is filled with college aged kids, looking for a cheap meal. That should have told me, that the quality of the meats isn't going to be that high.

There are a few options for all you can eat, at Sanya. The $9.99 options includes brisket, marinated beef, pork belly, chicken.




Brisket- I'm not a fan of brisket at Korean BBQ since it is not seasoned or smoked. I'm not big on dipping meat into sauces. Hell I would bring a bottle of A-1 steak sauce than dip it into some of the sauces I've seen at Korean BBQ restaurants. This brisket was sliced very thin, so it cooked very quickly and was pretty good. I put it on top of rice or wrapped it in lettuce and dipped it into soy sauce.




Marinated beef- This had a sweet marinate to it. Not the best quality meat, lots of fat and gristle. But I trimmed off some of the fat and this was a pretty good item.



Potato salad-This was the highlight of the dinner. A smooth and creamy potato salad, with very little to no mayo. This had some raisins and carrots mixed into the smooth, very well cooked potato. I really enjoyed this dish.



Pork Belly-Another non marinated meat. The only time I've ever seen pork belly with some of the bone attached. Very fatty, yeah I know it's pork belly and suppose to be fatty. But the actual meat wasn't good. I only ate one piece of this.




Chicken-The chicken has a light hint of marinate, some soy sauce and some sugar. Most of the meat was dark meat, I believe thigh meat, and this cooked up pretty good. It was a tender but lacked flavor. You can tell this was a poor quality chicken.

Another thing that was poor, was the service. First it was raining that night and where we were sitting, the ceiling was leaking. The server, who maybe the manager or owner, tried to downplay the issue. Well I don't like sitting at dinner and having water drip on me. So after some discussion, we wanted to move to another table.

The banchan, side dishes are meant for the entire table, not for each person. That's fine, but the banchan is served in very small portions for the entire table. I mean a scoop of potato salad for three people? Yeah, that's going to work. They were very slow in refilling the side dishes and they had attitudes when you asked for refills!! At our table, we just had the potato salad and left most of the other side dishes alone.

The general attitude of the server is really bad. They are rude, not helpful, and lazy. They have a rule that any leftover meat is charged at $6lb. Since they were very slow to take away empty dishes, we stacked the dishes and when the server finally came by, she actually checked each dish-most of them were side dishes, to make sure we didn't leave any meat. Yeah nice.

I wouldn't go back to Sanya again. Poor quality meats, terrible service, and bad attitudes.

Jack Shrimp-Closed

Jack Shrimp 2400 W Coast Hwy Ste M Newport Beach 949-650-5577 Jack Shrimp-a New Orleans/Cajun style restaurant in Newport Beach, has been on my list of places to try for a long time. I was joined by a very nice woman, who had been to the Jack Shrimp in Irvine that closed down and wanted to see if the Newport Beach location was as good and a man who had never been to Jack Shrimp. Half portion of JACKshrimp, $13. This is what they are known for, shell on gulf shrimp in a savory spicy sauce. They give you a ton of french bread to dip up the left over sauce. There are five shrimp in the half order. I assume the shrimp are from the Gulf of Mexico, but wherever they are from, the shrimp was cooked perfectly, tender, sweet, and delicious. Now the spicy savory sauce. This was pretty good. The sauce starts off nice and clean with a slightly sweet taste, but then the spices hit you. It doesn't overwhelm you, but you know it's there. There is some butter, rosemary, chili powder, paprika, and coriander in this sauce. I liked the sauce, but wasn't in awe of the sauce. I did think the price was a bit high for the amount of shrimp. But, if they are from the Gulf of Mexico, I can understand why it is priced so high. Jammin Jambalaya, $13, andouille sausage, chicken breast, onions and green bell peppers over rice. You have a choice of rice or pasta, but the server never asked. But, I prefer jambalaya with rice, not pasta. This was a good dish, but the portion size is very small and not a good value for the price. The andouille sausage was a bit bland. I like more flavor in my andouille sausage. The chicken breast was well cooked, good flavor and not dry at all. But, there was barely any rice; the rice was long grain rice and well cooked. The bell peppers weren't that fresh, a very very bitter taste to them. Also, the portion size was very small for the $13 price tag. Service was good. The server was nice and friendly. We didn't lack for refills on drinks and our orders came out quickly. But, she did forget to ask if I wanted rice or pasta, with my jambalaya. Not that big of a deal, but something I wanted to point out. I liked Jack Shrimp, but I wasn't overwhelmed by Jack Shrimp. I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't rush back. This is more of a restaurant, that if you're in the area, you would go, but it's not a destination restaurant.

Chez Melange/Bouzy-Closed

Chez Melange/Bouzy 1611 S Catalina Ave Redondo Beach 310-540-1222 Chez Melange is the name of the restaurant and Bouzy is the name of the gastropub, that is in one building. This review is only for Bouzy, the gastropub. Yes, it is a weird setup, but of well. The interesting thing, as you can see, is that there is no sign for Bouzy, just Chez Melange. A good friend told me about Bouzy and we finally got a chance to try Bouzy. Now, she was telling me about the Pancho burger-bacon, avocado, chile relleno, and Frank's hot sauce vinaigrette. But, I'm not a fan of chile relleno, so I didn't order it. My friend did and the smell of Frank's hot sauce was a bit overwhelming. I'm glad I didn't order it. I did get the Bouzy burger, $8.90, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar, and mayo. I asked for and get a burger cooked medium rare. The meat was only OK, it lack a bit of seasoning. The toppings were fresh. This burger was ok, but nothing outstanding. This tasted more like a burger you got a chain restaurant, than a burger from a gastropub. Service was a bit lacking. The server greeted us about five minutes after we were seated by the hostess. That's not too long of a wait, but he must have passed us ten times during that time. He should have at least acknowledge we were at the table. Then after taking and bringing our drink orders, he forgets my ice water, he doesn't come back to the table for at least ten minutes. He knew we were going to order food. We got menus from the hostess. He was slow at refilling drinks, taking empty drinks and plates away from the table. He was nice, but needs to get better at being a server. I wouldn't go back to Bouzy, again. I wasn't really impressed with the burger, again it was just average, and the service was a bit lacking.

Pomona Fish Market

Pomona Fish Market
295 S Park Ave
Pomona
909-622-8693

I've must have passed by Pomona Fish Market a thousand times and never stopped in. But, I decided to finally go into this long time fish market. This is the typical, you buy they fry fish market.



Lunch special, four fish, three shrimp, fries, and soda, $6.48. I got red snapper for the fish and it was very good. The batter is very light cornmeal batter, that was cripsy and kept the fish, very moist and tender. I was impressed, but the batter is a bit salty.

The tartar sauce for the fish was nice and tangy, but for four good sized pieces of fish, there was a tiny container of tartar sauce. Come on, don't be so cheap, use a larger container or give two containers of tartar sauce.

The same batter covered the very small shrimp, which was a bit dry and not that flavorful. Instead of cocktail sauce, they gave straight hot sauce. I would much prefer cocktail sauce.

The fries were undercooked and a waste.



Jumbo shrimp, $5.50, for five jumbo shrimps. In contrast to the very small sized shrimp, that came with the lunch special, the jumbo shrimp were very big. They had the same light cornmeal batter, but was also more flavorful, tender, and sweet.

Service is ok. The lady, who I believe is the owner, isn't too friendly, she's all business.

I would go back to Pomona Fish Market, but I think I would only order the fish and jumbo shrimp, and would stay away from those smaller sized shrimp. David Allen reviewed Pomona Fish Market and provides some great history. Did you know the Pomona Fish Market has been in business since at least 1937?

Louisiana Hometown Seafood-Closed

Louisiana Hometown Seafood 17944 Avalon Blvd Carson 310-538-5889 I had planned to go back to Family Fish Market but on my way there, I saw Louisiana Hometown Seafood and decided to try it. I'm glad I did because Louisiana Hometown Seafood, was great. Mainly a take out restaurant, but there are about three tables inside. On the white board, they have their daily specials, so I got the #5 Daily special; $11, 3 piece of red snapper and four jumbo shrimp, with fries, hush puppies and cole slaw. The red snapper was coated with a nice cornmeal batter and was nice a crispy. The fish was tender, moist and flavorful. Some cornmeal batter can be salty but this was perfect. The shrimp was so good, coated with the same cornmeal batter and fresh and tender. To my surprise the hush puppies was great!! After you bite into the crispy outside, you get a nice moist flavorful inside but then a late hit of spice. It maybe a bit spicy for me, but it was great. Maybe the best hush puppies I've had. Service is good. The owner and his wife are nice people and friendly. When I asked for more tartar sauce, he gave me a whole bottle, not one of those small containers. I would go back to Louisiana Hometown Seafood, anything. It is so much better than Family Fish Market.

Bertha's Soul Food-Carson-Closed

Bertha's Soul Food
675 E University Dr
Carson
310-515-0050

I was surprised to find out that Bayou Grille, in Carson closed and replaced by Berth's Soul Food. I've been to the Bertha's in Los Angeles and really enjoyed the food. So I was looking forward to enjoying some soul food.




I got the half order of smothered steak, with mac and cheese and creamed corn; $8.23. The steak, itself, was so tender it melted in my mouth. There was very little fat or gristle on the meat. I'm guessing the cut of beef was a rib roast, but the meat was so tender and had good flavor, when I was able to take off the gravy.

But, the gravy was just way too salty. It ruined the taste of beef. The beef itself was great, but the gravy ruined it.

The mac and cheese was a bit undercooked. But, well seasoned, not salty and a good cheese to macaroni ratio. This would have been a very good dish, if the macaroni was cooked properly.



Creamed corn was the second side, and it was a bit too sweet for me taste. But the corn, itself was fine. But, what I didn't like was the creamed corn was just barely above cold. Creamed corn should be served hot, not warm. They need to check their warming trays.

Service was below average. When I walked in, there was a young girl sitting at a table and watching TV. I had no idea, she worked there, until I went to the counter and she said "Do you know what you want?" What a terrible way to greet customers. No, Hi, how are you? or Can I help you? She wasn't helpful or friendly at all.

I'm sad to say I was disappointed with the Bertha's in Carson. The food and service wasn't up to the quality of their LA restaurant. I may go back, but with one of my favorite soul food restaurants, R & R Soul Food, just a few blocks north, I'm in no hurry to come back to Bertha's.

Congregation Ale House

Congregation Ale House
201 E Broadway Ave
Long Beach
562-432-2337

Congregation Ale House, located on Broadway, just east of the hectic and every changing Pine Ave, maybe the first gastropub in Long Beach. They opened in October, 2010 and seems have to attracted a good following. Their happy hours are called "mass" and "mass" is served up all day Monday. During mass all beer is $1 off and burgers are $6.

As you enter Congregation Ale House, you go to the cashier, place your order, both drink and food, and then find a seat. You can keep a tab open with a credit card, and a server will come by your table and bring your second round of drinks.

A bit different setup, but it helps prevents dine and dashers, which Long Beach is filled of.




Grilled rib eye and white cheddar burger, regular $8, $6 during "mass." The burger comes with roasted roma tomato, grilled onions-which I asked to leave off, arugula mixed greens, and rosemary garlic mayo, on what looked like a potato bread.

The burger was pretty good, though it wasn't that juicy, since rib eyes do not have that much fat. The burger was tender and the meat, itself, had good flavor. But the rosemary garlic mayo just overpowered the burger for me. A plain mayo, even a garlic mayo would work, but not that rosemary garlic.

The burger is fairly small but for $8, it's a decent sized burger.




I wanted to try the turkey burger $6 during mass, so I got a turkey burger with white cheddar cheese, an extra 50 cents more, and the regular toppings; roasted roma tomato, arugula mixed greens, and rosemary garlic mayo, on what looked like a potato bread. This time I left the grilled onions on.

The turkey pattie was white, like a processed turkey pattie. Not what I was expecting. The turkey pattie was a bit dry, this needed more of that rosemary garlic mayo. I was surprised the rosemary garlic mayo didn't overpower this turkey burger,but actually complimented the burger well.



Fries are $2 during mass, so I figured what the hell, order a batch and see how they are. All fries comes with your choice of two dipping sauces, I got the sweet chili sour cream and a chipotle mayo.

The fries were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But they were short fries, like I got the leftovers or something. I know they grow potatoes much longer. The sauces were a nice touch, if you picked a good sauce. The chipotle mayo was very good, nice and creamy with a good kick. But the sweet chili sour cream, just didn't work, even mixed together.

Service at the cashier, is below average. They aren't really that friendly or welcoming. They certainly didn't tell you about any specials and didn't ask if you wanted fries with your burger.

The worst part is, around 9pm, some guy who is suppose to be a priest of burger or something starts talking to the entire bar. Well, the servers and cashiers come around and asks, can you hear that guy talk. WTF is that? They need to inform customers about this "tradition" Personally, I don't want to hear some blowhard talk about beer. I'm there to enjoy the company of my friends, not to hear somebody yelling about beer.

I doubt I would go back to Congregation Ale House. The food is slightly above average. But with the service being below average, there are other gastropubs to try.

Tangier Korean BBQ of Tokyo-Closed

Tangier Korean BBQ of Tokyo
2138 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles
323-663-2000

What do you say to all you can eat, US Kobe beef, for $24.99? Well, Tangier Korean BBQ of Toyko offers this great deal, everyday of the week. Interesting name, huh? Like the LA Angels of Anaheim?

Anyways, I've heard good things about this and wanted to give Tangier a try. Kobe beef is specially raised beef, that has more marbling and very tender and flavorful.

Tangier offers five all you can eat items, with three US Kobe beef items; Harami, short plate, and kalbi, along with chicken and pork belly.



Short plate. I think this is a brisket. These are unseasoned and sliced very thin. They grill up quickly and need to be dipped into their sauces to add any flavor. I didn't really like this short plate.




Harami with short plate. Harami, isn't marinated, but is well marbled as you can see. This was pretty good, very tender and flavorful.




Chicken, kalbi, and harami. The chicken, which was white meat, was marinated in a sauce that was kinda of salty and actually pretty tasty. These grilled up pretty well, was flavorful and pretty good.

The kalbi, is the star of this show!! It's marinated in a light, slightly sweet marinate and grills up pretty quickly. Just a lot of flavor, so tender, and juicy.




Pork Belly- as usual with Korean BBQ, I'm not a fan of the pork belly. So, I'm suppose to dip this into a sauce, maybe wrap it in some lettuce. But, I can't get over the fact the pork belly is not seasoned at all, and dipping it into any sauce doesn't add any flavor.

I had a few of the side dishes, the potato salad was very good. It was creamy, almost liked a mashed potato salad, wasn't drowned in mayo. Just light, smooth goodness. The veggies, I got lettuce, carrots, and onions were very fresh. I didn't care for the black beans, which was pickled, and wasn't completely cooked, very hard.

Service was great. Ok, the restaurant wasn't busy, but we had two or three servers waiting near our table, ready to help. The best part of this, they didn't make this a bitch session about their job or other customers. They were standing their quietly, waiting to help us. At many restaurants, when two servers are together, it becomes a bitch session. Very unprofessional. But, not a Tangier, they only talked about work or they were quiet.

What isn't quiet, is that they scream, I mean SCREAM, whenever somebody walks in or leaves. It can be very unnerving and then annoying.

I would go back to Tangier anytime. A great deal, with great cuts of meats, better than any other all you can eat Korean BBQ, I've been to.