LA Food Truck Reviews #4: Kogi Truck

I've had Kogi Truck many times.  Occidental College love to have Kogi come and cater, and for good reason, the food is always amazing.  The famous Chef Roy Choi, has done an amazing job with the fusion between Korean and Mexican food and it's always a pleasure to enjoy the cooking.  This was my first time having Kogi outside of a school catered event, so I was pleased to explore the menu a bit more than usual.

The truck was parked on Eagle Rock Boulevard on a Tuesday night.  If I remember correctly, I got there just when it was just opening, and already there was a long line.  It goes to show you how popular this truck is.  I ordered the Calamari Taco, and a Short Rib Burrito with no cheese.

The calamari taco was an interesting order.  The grilled squid was covered in a very spicy looking sauce, which upon tasting was more of a sweet chili mixture, while still maintaining a nice kick.  The chopped onions provided a nice crunch to the taco and the cilantro helped round the whole thing.  However, there wasn't much flavor to the squid in itself.  It was very tender and easy to chew, but the sauce overpowered the squid.  You couldn't taste the squid at all.  Instead of the sweet chili, it might be more effective to replace the sauce with a lemon jalapeno marinade.  The lemon will lighten the flavor of the squid without overpowering its natural flavor and the jalapeno can provide a nice kick to the mixture.

Now the short rib burrito was something I've been looking forward to for a while.  I've had their short rib tacos before and I knew the burrito would be something of a beauty.  Boy, was I not mistaken.  It was a decent sized burrito, the beef was done very well.  The various components inside all made for an amazing experience.  Great crunch from the lettuce and pickled vegetables, which also produced a tangy flavor.  The scrambled eggs made for a great filling and also helped lighten the burrito.  It was an amazing product.  The sweet short ribs combined with tangy slaw and the egg made for an amazing meal.  What really surprised me however, was the last bite.  To me, you know a great burrito is made when the last bite has everything.  It shows that the placement of ingredients was not done haphazardly, but rather careful consideration to ensure equal distribution of each ingredient.  The last bite really needs to embody the whole burrito and not be limited to one ingredient or the other.  In this case, my last bite consisted of a great final piece of short rib, accompanied by the vegetables.  I was expecting just vegetables or egg, instead I experienced a perfect conclusion.

As Food Trucks go, Chef Roy Choi is amazing.  All the stories about him pioneering this eclectic type of cuisine are all true, and the fact that he does an amazing job of creating fusion cuisine is even better.  Like I said, Kogi Truck is always one of my favorites, and to be able to experience his larger menu, was truly something to remember.  You can find their three trucks on their website, or on their Twitter Feed.

LA Food Truck Reviews #3: The Crispy Cuban

So its finals season, and I'm taking a break from working on a paper about Marxism.  I'm deciding what to get for dinner, when I glance down at my Twitter feed.  Lo and behold, The Crispy Cuban is on there way to York Boulevard.  From a socialist writer to eating food from a socialist country, is this fate or what!

Anyhow, I get there at around 6:35, there's no line, it's parked in front of Block Party, a local bar.   I'm excited.  Of course I order "The Crispy Cuban", their namesake sandwich which comes with slow roasted pork, house cured ham, thinly sliced dill pickle, imported Swiss cheese (which I opted out of), mustard butter, all on a crispy Cuban baguette.  I also decide to try it "French Dip" style, which is their au jus served on the side for an extra $1.50.

Now before I go any further, it's worthy to note that there's signage that says that this sandwich is what inspired the Jon Faverau movie Chef.

So, first off, it's a pretty decent looking sandwich, about maybe 6-8 inches, cut lengthwise so that you have two halves at 6-8 inches.  This sandwich was really good.  The bread was very crispy/flaky.  It wasn't big, it wasn't stiff like a normal French Baguette.  It had a crust that came apart with each crunch, and a soft inside that didn't stretch or pull, but just gave way.  The sliced cured ham and slow roasted pork was amazing.  The pork had a great mixture of lean and fat, allowing each bite to be different.  The dill was super refreshing and really contrasted with the mustard.  With the au jus, everything is just accentuated.  It's made from the slow roasted pork shoulder and other meats to have this extremely deep flavor.  You could taste a little bit of a tomato base, which the sweetness and acidity really builds upon the sandwich.  I think what would make this sandwich better is a little bit of heat, something that the dill can really contrast on, because the mustard itself isn't that harsh. Otherwise, it was a good trip, $9.50 for the sandwich, and I probably won't get the au jus again, but I really enjoyed it.  If they're around again, I would love to try their fries or bowls.

You can find them at their website or their Twitter feed.

Big News! New Nick!

This is going to be a really long post. So for those who just want to skip to the end: I have gone through a rigorous self-imposed diet and exercise regime that has resulted in me losing about 35 lbs in the last four months. From 120kg (265lbs) to 105kg (231lbs) The goal was to be under 100kg but I realize that goal becomes harder and harder to attain as my workouts change from just intense cardio to now weight training and muscle workouts.

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Anyhow, this post is about my weight loss and the journey it took to get to where I am today. With all great stories, there's a prologue. 

Growing up, I was taught to not walk in one of my dad's footsteps. To not be like him and gain a bunch of weight. His peak was 100kg as a freshmen in university, which he lost almost immediately. I unfortunately broke that peak by the time I was a sophomore or junior in highschool. From there I didn't stop. I justified my unhealthy lifestyle as: this is my body and my life. I wanted to enjoy my life in the way I deemed it. I didn't care about living healthily, or about working out. All I wanted to do was live a good and fruitful life.  

Fast forward to last year. I posted this super inspirational post about this weight loss regime that I was attempting. I was working out 4 times a week and actively building muscle mass. Yet, by the time I posted that, the motivation had died. At the lowest then, I was about 117kg. I felt ashamed any time someone brought up that post, because it felt like a personal failure for not continuing. I hated that as soon as I posted, I basically stopped.  This year, my peak weight flirted around 120kg (265lbs). At this point I've had numerous doctors appointments and blood tests all telling me the same thing. This life is unsustainable. In my last few blood tests, the biggest concern was a high ALT and AST, basically liver enzymes that said that I was developing a fatty liver and that if I continued down that path, I would develop liver disease within the next 20-30 years. Even with this diagnosis I didn't stop.  

Come this January, I'm at our Spring IV leadership retreat and we are studying a parable about how Jesus is the True Vine and how He prunes the vines to sustain the True Vine (John 15:1-11). In our way of responding, us leaders were asked: what can we do to prune our own vines. In that one moment. I committed. I publicly declared to my leaders that I wanted to lose weight and become healthier as a way of pruning my vine. The analogy I used was: "downsizing the mega church" (our body is a temple...etc). So right there and then, I committed.  It was such a spur of the moment commitment, but it stuck.  I started eating significantly less and eating more fruits and vegetables. I cut out sweet drinks completely. I started exercising 4 times a week. Soon I began running 4 miles every other day. 

It was rough. The first few weeks, I was cranky and annoyed. The caloric drop made me angry. I was eating significantly less than what my body was used to.  It made me tired. Made me easily irritable. I no longer could enjoy food like I used to. I no longer could drink sweet drinks and just live this wanton life of enjoyment. Working out was a chore. I hated it. It was a legitimate struggle. What was even harder, was I decided to keep this lifestyle change to myself and to not post about it or talk about it that much. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it like last time and lose motivation. Yet, week by week. It worked. Within the first month I had lost 15lbs. I didn't feel different, but friends started noticing the difference and noticing a slimmer Nick. I personally could hardly tell, but I persisted. Then something happened. 

I woke up one day with severe abdominal pain and drove myself to the emergency room. To make a long story short: I developed early onset appendicitis and required surgery. While my recovery time was quick, I wasn't allowed to exercise for a month. That really killed the momentum. For the longest time, I was stuck. For a whole month and a half I struggle at this one weight and hated myself for not making any progress.  When that month finally rolled around, I hit the ground running. Literally. 4 miles every other day, every other workout smashing personal records. 

You may ask, why are you posting this now? Have you reached your goal of under 100kg? The answer is no. In the last few weeks, I've come close, but I've also increased my weight training and so I've come to the conclusion that being under 100kg and gaining muscle mass will be a whole new challenge. No, I write this as a celebration for tomorrow will be a milestone for me. Tomorrow I will be attempting something I never thought I would ever do. Tomorrow I'm running my first race. 

Granted it's only a 5k, which is about 3 miles, but for me, this is huge. I never imagined this year that I would be "healthier" and a runner and just someone who would do these things. But yea, tomorrow, I will be running my first race. I'm super pumped.

So yea. That's my extremely long post. I'll try and update this as I continue working out and eating healthy and just continue this pursuit of a better lifestyle. I just want to thank some people who have really supported me in this journey. Specifically my friends, Lisa, Eileen, Maxine and Liz.

Lisa: You were the one who always reminded me about my diet. "Are you sure you want to eat that?" and other questions similar kept me in check early on. Seeing a grimace, meant I should reevaluate the choice. 

Eileen: You were the one who always listened. Whether it was: "this workout sucked and I hate my life. Can I just go back to eating fried chicken...etc" or "dang, that felt great. That run was amazing."  You were there listening to me and offering sage kinesiology advice that I promptly ignored. 

Maxine: You were the optimist. Every time I saw you, you would say: "Nick, you look good!" And every time I would deny it, until finally, one day I saw it too. I saw the change and the progress. You reminded me to celebrate no matter what. 

Liz: You, for some unknown crazy reason, decided to take up my offer about running early in the morning, and while I never had a workout buddy, just having someone to run with on the track was pretty cool. I'm glad we got to do it every other day!

While they weren't the only ones who were supportive, they really helped me along the journey. I don't know how successful this venture would've been without them. I'm extremely grateful for their care and I don't know how to repay them. 

So yea, that's what's happened in the last few months. Today, I'm 105kg (231lbs) and have felt amazing. These days, I run/weight train: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while I swim Tuesday's and Thursday's. I run about 3 miles and do a series of different weight exercises. The goal is still to be under 100kg, but I'm taking it step by step. 

P.S. I didn't really think abou taking before and after pictures, but this is what I have. Yellow is in January, Red is today. 

 

LA Food Truck Reviews #2: Eat Fig and York (Mandoline Grill, Peaches' Smokehouse, India Jones)

Wow, it was so much fun just writing and eating and writing and eating, that I'm going to do it again!  I ate such good food at my last food truck, that I just had to go find more, and lo and behold, a mini food truck fest right around my neighborhood.  Eat Fig and York, a mini food truck festival in Highland Park, usually showcases about 3-4 different food trucks each week.  This week I had the pleasure of trying out different things from the Mandoline Grill, India Jones Chow Truck and Peaches' Smokehouse.  I went with a group of friends (shoutout to Katherine, Liz and Evan), and got to share/try different things!

Mandoline Grill

Peaches' Smokehouse Truck

India Jones Chow Truck 

I ordered a grilled pork Bánh mì from the Mandoline Grill and a Fried Chicken Sandwich with Waffle Fries from Peaches' Smokehouse.  I'll talk about the Bánh mì and then talk about the Fried Chicken Sandwich afterwards.

Bánh mì from Mandoline Grill

When it comes to Vietnamese sandwiches, Bánh mì, outside of Vietnam, it's hard to find really good ones.  Lee's Sandwich is good, but it's hard to find.  I've been to Vietnam and I've come to realize that it takes a miracle to find truly authentic ones, but if I lower my standards, they're not bad.  Thus I ordered one from Mandoline Grill, and it was great.  The french baguette was quite long and skinny, but there was no skimping of the toppings.  It was a very full sandwich.  All of the requisite flavors were present, with the grilled pork, the cilantro, the tangy pickled vegetables and the heat of the jalapenos.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and my friends did too.  It was big enough for us to share without being super full, and it was nicely filled such that everyone had a bite of everything.  Like I said, it's hard to find extraordinary. super authentic Bánh mì, but even the ones I find here, are just as great.

Fried Chicken Sandwich & Waffle Fries

Now I'm not someone who is that familiar with southern cuisine, and my preconceived notions of them are: it's mostly fried, BBQ, great seafood.  That being said, I had one of the best Fried Chicken Sandwiches ever at Peaches' Smokehouse.  I cannot praise it high enough.  It was a substantial piece of chicken, like a boneless thigh I think.  Very juicy dark meat, not dry at all and the crunch was just superb.  Great flavors all around, from the chicken, to the garlic aioli that was in the sandwich.  It also came with house-cured pickles that acted as a great palate cleanser.  If there was one thing I would complain, is that it's a bit pricey.  Other than that, I truly enjoyed that sandwich.  Honestly, this sandwich is my guilty pleasure.  One that I can only enjoy maybe once a week or less than that.  The waffle fries, were a bit lackluster.  Wasn't that crispy (maybe because it was cold outside), but also didn't get as much as I would've thought, also based on the price.  However, I couldn't eat much because I had to try some of the other things that my friends purchased.

Butter Chicken with Rice from India Jones

My friends ordered things from India Jones, which I had the opportunity to try.  They first had a garlic naan, which was super good.  It was what I expected a naan to be, like from an actual restaurant.  Often times, I'm skeptical of naan outside of a restaurant, but this was just amazing.  It was amazingly garlicky, almost like a garlic flatbread, with such bold flavors.  We destroyed the naan, even before we received our curry.  It was that good.  They also ordered a combo, which came with a curry, butter chicken, and two Indian tacos.  I unfortunately, only had one bite of the butter chicken.  I wish I had more, but from what I can remember, it was good.  The chicken was done quite well, wasn't too dry.  The curry was sweet, but also had a subtle kick to it, much like what I would expect from a butter chicken.  If I see them again, I'll definitely have more than just one bite next time.  The other part, was the taco chaat.  They were two blue hard shell corn tacos, one with chicken and one with lamb.  It was also filled with some spicy slaw, and topped with a really nice sauce and crispy vermicelli.  The chicken had a nice spicy kick too it, and the texture was so good with the crunch of the shell and the vermicelli.  The chicken was also quite well done, with it not being dry and being quite flavorful.  The lamb was a little bit chewy, but had great flavor and also had a nice kick.  Both of them were great examples of the fusion cuisine.

Chicken Taco Chaat from India Jones (not my hand)

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Eat Fig and York.  The parking situation was super convenient and there weren't a lot of people there, so there were hardly any lines.  I wished there was some seating arrangements, like benches or tables and chairs, but my friends and I were content with just sitting on the lot and enjoying our bounty.  I'll definitely come by next week to try out some new trucks and even revisit some old ones.

LA Food Truck Reviews #1: Okamoto Kitchen

I've been meaning to publish a new post, and here it is.  My first food review on my blog in a long time!  I have recently taken to Yelp to post some of my reviews, but I figured that it was about time to get back into what I missed.  As such, I will try to review some of Los Angeles' Food Trucks, that I happen to stumble upon.

A few months ago, I read a Buzzfeed article on the "19 Best Food Trucks in L.A."  I followed all of their Twitter accounts in order to find out their locations, so that if I were ever in the area of any of them, I would stop by.  Over the months, I've continued to add more accounts to my list of notifications and when I stumbled upon @Okamoto Kitchen, I knew I had to follow.  Today I had the privilege to try them out as they parked by Eagle Rock Boulevard, 3 minutes away from Occidental College.  I ordered the Nom Bomb Sandwich and the Okamoto Curry Plate.

Okamoto Kitchen parked on Eagle Rock Blvd

The Nom Bomb Sandwich is a lightly fried-chicken (or tofu) sandwich with shredded cabbage, teriyaki sauce, tartar sauce and jalapenos on a toasted brioche bun.  It's like the menu says, both sweet and sour, due to the teriyaki sauce and the tartar sauce.  It is/was a good sandwich.  It tasted great, was very filling and had good texture as a result of the cabbage and the fried chicken.  It wasn't really "Bomby", or what I assumed it to be, spicy.  The jalapenos was not spicy at all, and while it did provide a crunch, I expected some more heat.  Maybe a different sauce combination, something that had a bit more kick.  This could be a spicy mayo mixture, or adding sriracha into the tartar sauce, or even something into the chicken.  I liked it though.  This was a good sandwich and would definitely order again.

Nom Bomb Sandwich (not a flattering photo I understand)

The Okamoto Curry Plate is normally curry with some rice and shredded cheese on top.  I opted for no cheese and added a Chicken Katsu to it.  As I was speaking with the owner, he described the curry as being extremely rich and deep.  He said it was their oufuu curry, a Japanese curry that has a more European influence.  Their base is a veal stock that comes together with spices and other ingredients to make this deep and rich thick roux.  It was amazing.  Not sweet, like Japanese curry that I'm used to/grew up with, but full of flavor.  It was very filling and very hearty.  Something I would eat on a cool day like it was.  It had a great subtle kick.  It wasn't overpowering, but I could feel the heat as I continued to eat.  I just wish there was a small palate cleanser with it.  Maybe some Beni shōga or pickled ginger, or even shibazuke, which is pickled cucumber and eggplant (though I may be biased to that choice as it is one of my favorites).  The curry did look a bit oily, but that's only probably because I didn't eat my curry until 30 minutes after purchasing it.  The beef chunks and the chicken was extremely flavorful and worked very well with the curry.  I would definitely order it again.

Okamoto Curry Plate (also not flattering, you can see the oil though)

All in all, it was a good meal.  I probably would've been satisfied with just one or the other, but I wanted to order what I thought were their flagship products and I came away deeply satisfied.  Next time they're around, I would be happy to stop by.  Their website is linked about and their Twitter feed is @Okamoto Kitchen.

Stay tuned for more reviews, books, food, other...

I'm not dead!

To my non-existent readers, I want to say: "I'm not dead!" At least not yet, but that's a different story. Anyhow, it's been a while since I've blogged and I find myself wanting to write more, except not just life stuff or essays that I've written. I want to get back to the roots of this blog. "The Critic Says". It's been a while since I've written a critique of anything and I want to have a go at it once more. So as of right now, I hope to release two new reviews very soon. One of this book series that I fell in love as soon as I first started reading it: Throne of Glass by Sara J. Maas. The other being a good review of a food truck that I will try out in the near future. 

Despite my lack of presence on my blog, I have written some food reviews in Yelp which I will also link in the near future. Anyhow, that's it for tonight, but stay tuned. 

My Thoughts on the Demonstrations at Occidental College

I want to preface this by saying that what I am about to say is my opinion and I understand that it may be different from the narrative but I hope that people who do read what I have to say don't take it negatively. I write this in a posture of love and care and not in a place of ignorance or indifference. I recognize that my experience is in no way shape or form like anyone else's and that I do have privilege as an Asian and as a person. I welcome dialogue and I welcome critics but I ask for the sake of discussion and discourse that for those who do comment to refrain from harsh language and cursing.

I am afraid. I am afraid of speaking out, of posting, of letting my voice be heard. As someone who does have privilege. Who does witness discrimination and has been discriminated on, I know that there is injustice here and everywhere. However, I am afraid to speak because I know what I say doesn't follow the narrative. I'm afraid to speak because I know my thoughts and experiences differ and as a result, it is possible that people will misconstrue or misinterpret what I believe. I am afraid to speak because people potentially will ignore what I say and focus on the fact that I have privilege and that I have no right to speak. I'm afraid of being labeled as a member of dissent when I believe in many things that are being discussed. For example, I have lost faith at Oxy's administration, but I don't believe that as a result we must verbally harass and publicly shame individuals. I don't believe that if we are calling attention to a point of view that we must completely disregard another. I am afraid to argue, because while I do support the need for racial equity and almost every point on the list of "demands", I don't believe that the methods and means of what went on is going to achieve that. I want it to be clear: I support the need for racial equity. I support the following "demands" from CODE: 2 - 8, 11, 13 and 14. I believe there is so much injustice on this campus and in this world, and that there needs to be change. I hope to be a part of it, but I don't know how, especially with the methods in which students on this campus are currently applying.

To me, freedom of speech is an amazing thing. Yet I believe there are times when we champion ones speech, we push down another just because of disagreement. On Thursday my heart broke one way when I saw the demonstration because I saw so much unity, and yet my heart broke another way when the language being used was so hurtful and violent that I didn't know if I could stay. I was uncomfortable and scared and when I prayed, I cried. I wept because I didn't know what to do. I find vitriolic language to be counterproductive and often times unnecessary.

As a Christian I am taught to love each other including my enemies. I am taught to see the oppression being carried out upon me, and love my oppressor. I am taught to seek justice and reconciliation because that is what Jesus did. I am taught to pray and care and also fight injustice. Yet I fall silent because I don't believe in an impeachment or forced resignation is an appropriate solution. I fall silent because I don’t agree an occupation of administration buildings will help with the demands. If the administration can’t work or meet, how can we expect the demands to be carried out? I get people are angry and fed up and scared, I get it that people are tired of waiting and hoping and to be honest I don't know if there is a right solution. All I know and pray is that Jesus has done so much already to rid the sin of this world, and I feel resorting to scare tactics and violence, just puts us in a never ending cycle. Matthew 5:38-48 tells us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies. However unrealistic this may be, it's still something I hope that I can continue to strive for and to encourage those around me to do as well.

I hope that for those who read this and disagree with me, first have patience. If I am wrong, talk to me about it. Don't rant on this and post abusive epithets. Come to me and talk with me. We will probably disagree but that doesn't mean I don't believe in your points or seek to invalidate or obstruct it (except in the case of violence which I am seriously against). Second, please be graceful. I hope this to be a meaningful dialogue and discourse and if someone else posts and comments something that disagrees with you, don't immediately jump the gun and accuse them of something that in most cases they're not. Finally, I ask that we all be open minded. One of things that really encourages me is the call to listen. To become cognizant and aware of what is going on. Listening is something all sides must do. Listening to the narrative, listening to the opposing answer, listening to the dissent. I believe everything has something to contribute in some form.

Finally, to my family, friends, peers, acquaintances and just people that I am around. I am sorry for any injustice that I have brought upon you intentionally and unintentionally. I am sorry for the times I am "trying to be funny" or "just joking" because I know I can be hurtful. I ask that you have patience and grace and love me. I ask that you call me out and remind me that what I am doing is hurtful. I am a broken person, and all I ask is that you see that before everything else.