Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Haus of Sweets

One of my new favorite places to get dessert in Ktown is Haus. It's across from my favorite place for fried chicken in the whole world (Kyochon, more on that later), but I always passed by without going in because I was usually feeling too full and fatty to contemplate mixing dessert into a tummy filled with greasy goodness. However, a few weeks ago some friends were in town and after Sunday brunch, we decided to chill at Haus Dessert Boutique. Haus is a dessert, coffee, and tea cafe, typically Korean in their attention to detail and pretty decor. I love places like this! A great spot to come and chat and relax...half the seating is comprised of big puffy couches around tables. Oh, I forgot to take a picture of this, but I love how there's a button at every table to press when you want your waiter/waitress to come to your touble. It beats trying to wave them down. At Haus, they have 3 buttons! One to ask for more water, one to ask a general question, and one to get the bill. The waiters/waitresses have arm bands that vibrate whenever a table presses their button! So much more efficient!

Different view...that opening leads to the bathroom


Even the bathroom was pretty!! Look at those butterflies on the drawers :)

More importantly, it was nice and clean...........and had a cool sink haha


The dessert menu! Haus is a cafe, so they also have actual food like pasta and sandwiches there, along with many different kinds of coffees, teas, boba, and slushies!


My friend's green tea frozen yogurt. I was being very mature and laughed out loud when the waitress brought this out :x


Yummy tiramisu!!!



I ordered the Chocolate Truffle, basically a delicious ball of chocolate gelato with a creamy center and dusted with cocoa powder....so pretty!

The inside


What with all these impressive-looking desserts, it's so unexpected to find that my favorite one was the simple cheesecake with a chocolate crust. But OMG. This cheesecake was out of this world! I haven't tasted a cheesecake that good in a while. It was creamy and not too sweet...with a yummy crust and and and.....I don't even know what to say......It's too good for words? Haha

*****

3826 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 288-5311
www.hausdessertboutique.com


I would come back here just for the cheesecake! And maybe at night...because in their outdoor seating area they have a table that surrounds a fire pit! Perfect for those nice summer evenings :)

Monday, April 27, 2009

breakfast bento + kimchi bokkumbap

Sometimes when I get my full 8 hours of sleep, I wake up before the alarm goes off and realize I have some extra time in my hands before I have to run to class. These are the mornings when my breakfast consists of more than just yogurt and banana chips! :)

After I fry the bacon, I like using the leftover grease to cook my eggs. This gives them a subtle and smokey flavor that I loooove. Today I scrambled them. In the back are some grilled hash browns

Scrape scrape....

Coming together....

I ate some and packed the majority into a "breakfast bento" for the boy. Eggs, potatoes, perfectly-cooked bacon, half a grapefruit, and toast....what a way to start out the day!

***

My apartment-mate also loves to cook. She always makes some extra food for me, or leaves me some in the fridge. And she always always adds a little note haha

She leaves for work really early in the morning, and packs her own lunch and breakfast. This morning I was surprised with a generous bowl of her yummy kimchi bokkumbap (kimchi fried rice!)

How cute

She remembered that I like my eggs fried with a super runny yolk! I don't know how she did it, but it was perfect

Yummy yummy in my tummy for sure :)

Good day!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

fatty

Sometimes nothing beats a good juicy burger. That's when Fatburger comes in! I love my In-N-Out, but there's something about Fatburger that I can't deny. There are days when I could swear it tastes even better than In-N-Out!

Sooooo good. I always get mine with no pickles, no mayo, with cheese and a fried egg


Yes, an egg!!! And yes, it's bound to help me down the path to heart disease. But yes, it's absolutely delicious~


One thing about me, no matter how full I am from the meal, I always ALWAYS have room for dessert. I love me some Cheesecake Fantasy in a chocolate dipped waffle bowl from Coldstone

And for those late night cravings, sharing a patty melt, sweet potato fries, and fried macaroni and cheese is perrrrrfect!

Good night :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

meet me in malibu


Finally got to go to the Getty Villa! Also got to venture into Malibu for the first time ever! It was a beautiful sunny southern California weekend when I went with my friends. Perfect for exploring an architecturally breathtaking museum dedicated to some of my favorite historical time periods: ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria~

The entire museum consists of Roman-inspired buildings surrounded by gorgeous Roman-inspired gardens. It looks like what it is called--a villa.

(small photos are from my camera; bigger photos are from my friend Eric...thanks E!)





Amphitheater style


Do you see me jumping in the background? :)

The Villa grounds overlook the ocean...you can see it in the distance in the picture above

Some pottery pieces inside the museum

For lunch we drove to nearby Malibu for some seafood lovin' at Neptune's Net! Does this look familiar to you? It's the place where Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's characters ate at in "The Fast and the Furious"!! (first movie)


We got Neptune's Catch which included fries, fish, clams, scallops, shrimp, and squid...MMMM!!!


Afterwards went to the beach to chillax. It was so nice to just sit in the warm sunlight with your toes in the cool sand, listening to the crashing waves. I love the ocean. It's always so calming
My outfit of the day: leggings from Urban Outfitters, shirt from F21, belt from H&M, floppy hat from American Apparel (my new obsession), sandals from Madden Girl by Steve Madden~

Close up of my sandals...my friend Eric is a very talented photographer as you can see :)

Happy Thursday! I still have a lot more to update on, so stay posted!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

First Review: L'egere White Multi BB Cream


For my first make up review, I decided to talk about the L'egere White Multi BB Cream. I actually heard about BB creams through a friend, and while looking up reviews online I came across Fuz's blog. She gave such rave reviews about the L'egere that I decided to try it out myself. I bought it from the ebay user Japanese Products Lover (who now has her own site!) for about $27 and received it within a few days. BB cream aka blemish balm is popular in Asia, especially Korea. It is a bit like tinted moisturizer, but with better coverage. It's supposed to be an all in one facial cream that was originally developed as a treatment for patients who had just undergone laser surgery. Soon after celebrities began to follow the trend and then it became popular with the general public...I know my review is a little late compared to others, but I've only recently began to realize how much I love my L'egere bb cream!

The L'egere claims to be a "sun protect + make up," "base + skin cover + foundations for 24 hrs," and have "multi herbal extracts" to maintain "skin White, Transparent, Moisture and Elastic."The description on the back reads:

"White Multi BB Cream acts effectively on irritated skin, concealing dermal blemishes and helps skin rejuvenation with innovative active ingredients. Blocking the penetration of UV rays and other harmful factors. This silicon-based formula defines a natural, long-lasting complexion, with gentle calming effects of natural, plant-derived soothing particles not only on oily and sensitive skin, but also on irritated skin following peel care."

It is good for: "Skin that needs protection, irritated skin by peeling and laser procedures, sensitive and troubled skin."

Directions: "After following the daily skin routine, apply generously on face & sensitive area. For skin protection and natural-looking coverage, lightly pat a small amount of product over entire face in the final stage of basic skin toning."

The color of the cream when it comes out of the tube

Spread out onto the back of my hand...as you can see it blends in quite nicely with my skin tone. I'm pretty pale, so I'm not sure if this particular brand is good for those with tan skin (although I have seen and heard of this cream working for darker skin tones because it supposedly oxidizes to match your color). I do find that L'egere sometimes looks gray on me, though, so I counter that by priming with Make Up Forever HD Primer in #2 which is mauve. The mauve color really helps brighten up my skin and balance out the gray-ness.

Me looking very haggard in the morning. This is after I have cleansed, toned, and moisturized.

You actually need even less than this amount to cover your whole face!

After I have primed and added a thin layer of the L'egere White Multi BB Cream...see how flawless it looks? And my bags and redness are virtually gone! I still added a little more concealer for my bags, but definitely not as much as I would have had to without the bb cream

Liner, mascara, brows, and lip balm...

Today's blush is Paul & Joe's Bambi blush from the Disney Collection....love!

Finished! That's pretty much my everyday make up routine. Nothing fancy. I like to keep it really simple with a clean bright face, eyeliner (or not if I'm feeling lazy), lovely lashes (a must for me), groomed brows, a little blush, and lip balm. I'll usually add on some lip gloss or lipstick later on in the day if I remember to, and sometimes if I'm particularly adventurous I'll do a nice silver/white/champagne-colored shadow on my browbones and inner corners of my eyes to look more awake.

Later on in the day...approximately 4-6 hours later....still looking quite fresh and not very much--if any--shine at all! The oil control and coverage remained as good as when I first applied the cream. I actually like the cream a lot more after it's been given some time to sink in and oxidize. I feel like it looks even more natural. It feels very light and smooth and continues to be so after hours of being out and about. It is very low-maintenance and can be spread on with your fingers or a make up sponge. Overall, a good investment, considering its capabilities and reasonable price. The bb cream hype is definitely justified :)

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Golden State

One of the best things about living in Socal is the great variety and quantity of restaurants to choose from. There are always new places opening and old favorites to rediscover. It's like a treasure trove for a foodie such as myself. The multitudes of places to eat is so concentrated in just the Los Angeles area alone that you can sample endless different cuisines from around the world without ever having to wander to a different city. I love reading restaurant reviews and adding them to my list of places to try; it's one of my favorite hobbies haha.

Last week I was able to cross off a name on my list while dining at The Golden State. I was interested to try this cafe because of their philosophy: "The Golden State is a talent show for the best makers of food and drink in California. We love Samir's food. We love Scoops gelato. We love breweries like Craftsman and wineries like Topanga Vineyards. We think products like these deserve a stage of their own. California is an easy place to love. It's where we grew up. It's what we know. And it tastes very good." A place showcasing some of the best culinary skills in the nation, The Golden State uses primarily Californian ingredients in their cooking, choice of beverages, and even dessert. I was very interested in this concept when I was doing research on them. We went during lunch on a Wednesday so there was hardly any wait. Anyway, enough talk, time for some pictures!


The menu's beverage list was very impressive. I love how they let you know the origins of the alcohol and even the ingredients in their food. Also, the food side of the menu was very simple and clean, with only six choices on the sandwich column. Perfect for an indecisive eater like me! My friends and I all decided to go for Golden State's burger, called, simply, The Burger.


My burger, made with Harris Ranch beef, Fiscalini Farms cheddar cheese, glazed applewood smoked bacon, arugala, and housemade aioli and ketchup. You got a choice of one side so I got the fries with housemade hazelnut romesco. The fries were ok, but the burger definitely did the rave reviews justice!


Cut in half....

My friends make fun of me for liking my meats served "still alive" haha. What can I say, I love my steaks medium rare - rare! The same goes for my burgers. I hate seeing a good cut of meat gone to waste with well done-ness :( I die a little inside when I don't see enough pink in the middle


D got potato salad as his side. It was pretty good too!


J got sweet potato fries as her side. The garlic aioli that the fries came with was super pungent, just the way I like it.


After the meal, of course we had to top it all off with some Scoops gelato. How could I pass up the opportunity to have some Scoops again?? The Golden State is the only other place besides his own that Tai Kim will allow his delicious frozen dessert to be sold. Very very convenient considering that The Golden State is a lot closer to the original Scoops. To the left we have my goat cheese fig, and to the right is D's vanilla malt. We'll have to come back next time for the artisan root beer float with a scoop of Scoops! :)

Overall, an impressive burger and a great place to chill with friends over some delicious fares. I'll definitely be coming back!

Check it out:

The Golden State
426 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-8331