Its Back: The 4th Annual Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon At The Pasadena Center (Sunday, Oct. 10 2010

Damn, this year flew by.



Chocolate: It Builds Communities


Excited to announce the return of the L.A Chocolate Salon going on at The Pasadena Center on October 10th.

I've covered this event since the very start. I was a in the taste panel last year and happy to announce that I will be gorging myself for the sake of chocolate glory yet again this year. It only gets bigger and better as each year passes by....

There are already over 35 Chocolatiers participating this year.

Divine Chocolate, Choclatique, Amano Artisan Chocolate, Essential Chocolate Desserts, Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates, Mignon Chocolate, Ococoa chocolates, Kika's Treats, Happy Chocolates, The Chocolate Traveler, R & R Chocolate Palace, Chocoveda, Marti Chocolatt, Clarine's Florentines, Amella Caramels, Moonstruck Chocolate, Suess Chocolates, Jer's Chocolate, The Toffee Box, Farm Fresh To You

Buy your tickets here for only $20



Pues, Hay De Sample Y Sample No Mas Hombre


The 4th Annual Los Angeles Chocolate Salon

Sunday October 10th 11AM - 5PM

The Pasadena Center
300 Green Street
PasadenaCenter.com

Maison Akira: Punks On Pâté

I don't have much old school friends that are really into food. Most of the time, I know more about their mom's homemade food than they know themselves. I mean, there always is drunk talk about "going out to go eat one day maaan!" whenever we hang out. And one time, I did take one of my vato loco friend's out for some Dim Sum once, but most of their money spending goes towards more altering sources of fun...

Then there is the homie Dan Barr. I first met the guy at a Guelaguetza dinner one of my readers from out of town had organized. I knew the guy was not like the rest when he knew the difference between a Huarache and a Memela. We've chilled out ever since.


Dan the Man

He told me his old man had given him a $100 certificate to Maison Akira a while back, and it was in our post-'mosh'-pit daze after a Fear and D.I show one night that he remembered about it, saying he was saving until it was ready...and it was time.

We decided to incorporate an early dinner into our crackin' Friday night this last weekend. I was pretty damn excited, the Kyoto-born Chef Akira trained under Chef Joel Robuchon for a good amount of years. Hence, his classical French themed menu with an innovative, deft Japanese flair.


A Little Fine Dining Before A Night Of Ultra Violence?

Mohawked and patched out, we were ready for an under $100 certificate feast to remember for the rest of our lives. Tonight, instead of power chord anthems, our theme music for the night was a fairly "ambient collection of jaunty, spring season classical" ballads, courtesy of Maison's smooth Muzak.


Frozen Butter: With Essence of Food Storage Fridge

Butter was colder than a mo'fo, with a lingering background taste of an economy food storage fridge. Not the Plugra, extra rich stuff I had envisioned. Good thing I'm not a butter snob.

Then came the small-portion onslaught. The menu was recently redeveloped to include a "Tapas" sized option, that was basically half the portion and price. We took this approach for every dish tonight to maximize our eating diversity.

First up, was an tiny Amuse of Salmon Rillete with a Sweet, Piquillo Pepper Sauce.


Salmon Rillete: Such a Tease!

A dolled up Salmon Salad, hmm...ok. Tasty though meager, that Piquillo sauce was like Ketchup without the Vinegar-y twang.


Duck Pâté: Umami...Straight Up ($7)

What's French Food without a forcemeat, right? This one was quite meaty with immense dark-meat nook and cranny chunks of the fowl. Green peppercorns were tame and engaging.


Venison Carpaccio: I Killed Bambie's Mom

Served with a Wasabi Aioli Sauce and Petite Salad ($9), this wowed both of us with its tenderness. Was unlike any Venison we've had before, not gamy in the least and that emulsified Aioli linked with its leanness to round out the rich experience.


Brandy Flamed Maine Lobster Bisque: Rich, Rich, Rich!

Dan has a soft spot for Lobster anything. This soup packed a briny punch, Lobster Bisque if there was ever a thing man. It seemed like a roux-base, with no cream. Hence, the drowning-in-the-beach unadulterated taste.


Zucchini Flan N Canadian Scallops: Tasty Eyy

Sautéed Canadian Scallops with King Oyster Mushroom Sympatic and Zucchini Basil Flan($16) I love me some Scallops. And these were creamy, sweet and tasting of a fresh shuckling . The creamy, green Flan's texture was a molecule away from the scallops texture, both creamy and sweet, a magnificent side for the shellfish.


Smoked Duck: Blazing That Duck Out

Pan-Roasted Smoked Duck Breast & Duck Leg Confit Parmentier in a Calvados Sauce($18). The smoke was deep and complex, enough to appease the bacon loving masses and lovers of juicy, rare cooked fatty birds. The Parmentier was pleasant too. The chef really loved those king oyster 'shrooms though, used it without abandon through out the night!

And last but not near the savory least.


Miso Marinated Grilled Chilean Sea Bass: A Bad Ass Savory Clincher Indeed


Miso Marinated Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Grilled Ratatouille in a Honey Lemon Jus($19). Chef Akira's esteemed signature dish that he served to the Emperor & Empress of Japan during their visit to Los Angeles in 1994 was a bad ass savory clincher indeed. Buttery was an understatement here. Not as bold as the Nobu typical Black Cod preparation but in fact, the exact opposite. Subtly seasoned, minutely sweet and downright moist. The grilled Ratouille was served like a pilaf on top of extra wide grains of rice that were like whatever. But that fish!

And I nearly did a back flip when I saw a Baked Alaska's on their dessert menu. I've only gawked at pictures and read about this super-elusive dessert since I first started with food. You know what they say about your first...


A Baked Alaska: Four and A Half Years in The Making

Akira's version was revamped with a generous amount of well balanced, green tea ice cream and a tangy Rasberry Sauce ($12). And hell, even flambeed table side, literally. The waiter pours a couple of ladle-fulls Mandarin Liqueur that he torches up himself onto the thick, layer of soft peaked Meringue. This creates a rather pleasurable charred s'more like texture to mix with the chilled green tea ice cream and thin sponge cake inside.


Igloo Destruction is My Middle Name

Dan and I don't really remember the rest of that night much but I'm sure we will never forget that blue ember burning Alaska...

Maison Akira Restaurant
www.maisonakira.com
713 East Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91101-2111
(626) 796-9501

35 Chocolatiers Later: L.A Chocolate Salon (Taste Panel & Hanging)

Oh, how stoked I was, to find out that after two years of consecutively covering the Los Angeles Luxury Chocolate Salon, I was finally elected to become part of the tasting panel.

I thought "cool", then I got there and realized...it has more than doubled in size-- both vendors and space--since the first one.



With categories such as "Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience" and "Best Dark Chocolate", this was going to be the utmost test of my high threshold for indulgence.

First up was my annual favorite: Amano Chocolates



A Utah based company, Art Pollard of Amano is the most serious purveyor of chocolate I have ever met, strictly poignant in his entire chocolate fruition process: guaranteed single sourcing, small batches, figuring exact fermenting times for different beans etc.

(this picture from site)

Montanya: Rare cacao that grows on the Venezuelan mountain range, "the only way to get there is by horseback".


Tcho: Technology + Chocolate was actually founded by a Space Shuttle technologist turned chocolate maker.

An impressive new addition to this years salon, incorporating pre-set flavor profiles on single source cacao, tasted out to be pretty accurate.

There is just something about single source chocolates, might sound dumb but it somehow has a more condensed, pronounced flavor than typical chocolate, as if each molecule was integrated perfectly alongside each other or something.

And then there were the chocolate products:


BACON: Christopher Michael Chocolates brought home the bacon, along with pop rocks and smoked sea salt, a lot going on, kind of underminded the bacon-age factor of it.


Sterling Confections

Purveyors of the "Truffle Bar", an unfair favorite really with probably quadruple the amount of ganache to chocolate exterior ratio...won my vote for "Most Luxurious Chocolate Experience" on the ballot.

Now for the non-chocolates:



a stand was handing out complete samples of fresh caramel crusted with whole roasted almonds...nice palate cleanser and change of flavor finally.

And last but not least:



Plush Puffs artisinal marshmallows, yup, made with high quality ingredients, not usual by-products. Their little gas roaster added a terrific toasty, burnt sugar taste, reminded me of my wannabe s'more's I used to make at home since I never got to camp out and do it, vs. Jet Puffed? No comparison man.

Not even one fourth of what I tasted today really, but I will admit by the 27th sample--I was chocolated the hell out. Kept on telling myself "alright, this is my last" but you all know me.

I saw a stand called Marti Chocolatt--actually a Filipino Chocolatier-- slanging something interestingly different, revamping my taste buds with a lovely potent Chevre Truffle and dare I say it...a Durian Truffle?! Filipino variety Durian to be exact, even more onion-y than other Durian's I've had before, hitting you hugely at first bite, letting no chocolate flavor pass through it whatsoever, it wasn't until a couple of seconds later that the chocolate whimpered a little aftertaste.

By huge bias, this was my favorite of show. Even chose to enjoy it wholly, and blogger-duty free; no picture sorry!

Every year this gets bigger and better, I'm already looking forward to next years!

Now...to eat ENTIRELY salty and savory for the rest of the week.


Other bloggers that joined in on the gorging and fun:

Gastronomy Blog
Kung Food Panda
Choisauce
Food She Thought
Diana Takes A Bite

And the Winner for Two Tickets to the L.A Chocolate Salon is.....

By order of true randomness , I announce the winner of two free tickets to this years L.A Luxury Chocolate Salon to be...


(really fast drum roll please)

...Hanh Nguyen!

"My Glutster moment - I had a bag full of fancy, spiced truffles melt into a soup of yummy chocolate in its original bag, so I poured it into a tupperware box and then used that as a dip for granny smith apples. I won't say how many apples I went through."

A full bag of truffles eyy?

Good start, but the Chocolate Salon will be like eating 40 full bags of truffles, enjoy!


Congratulations!

I will submit your name and email to the people over at Taste TV and two tickets will be waiting for you at will call.

As for the rest of you?

Thanks for trying your luck, this was the first time I do something like this but it will not be my last.

And don't forget...it's only $20 presale for over 40 Artisan Chocolatiers!

That is really nothing compared to other food events I've covered (some up to $300-$500? not kidding)


hope to see you guys there!

Two Free Tickets to the L.A Chocolate Salon, Who's Down? (Giveaway!)

So after covering the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon since its L.A premiere in 2007 , I've made it up to the ranks of the "Salon Awards Tasting Panel" for this years event.

Why is this significant to you guys? I'm the one going to be gorging, I mean diligently "tasting" every single chocolate they have available, right?

...Well, now you can too!

Thanks to kind folks over at Taste T.V. I'm giving away TWO--count them, TWO--promotional tickets to this year's Chocolate
LOS ANGELES LUXURY CHOCOLATE SALON on October 11th, 2009.

Now for the catch...

Just be kind and leave a comment!

Stating:

A) Your full name

B) Your email (chose to be private, just email me: theglutster@gmail.com)

&

C) A Glutster moment in your life...what is the most chocolate you've ever eaten in one sitting?

Be it all the chocolate from your trick or treat bag when you were younger, five times over Chocolate soft serve at a buffet somewhere or even just a complete bar of anything...be honest!

I will select a random winner by midnight on Thursday, October 1st.

...All of a sudden I feel like Willy Wonka with the last golden tickets or something.

Good Luck!

Almost "All You Care To Eat": Whole Foods (Arroyo Prkwy)

It's just what you expect: two floor's of guiltless--but expensive--bliss!!!

A Juice Bar, Seafood Bar, Hot Food Bar, Sandwich Bar, Salad Bar, Dessert Bar, Bread Bar, Pizza Bar, Raw Food Bar, Tapas Bar...even a Hot Nut Bar! (went back for that warm Garlic Rosemary Brazil Nut every time their was a different clerk)

I actually came with the intention to work here just so I can get the 25% discount, but to no avail.

A Flagship store indeed.

I still didn't buy anything though...

Whole Foods Market
465 S. Arroyo Parkway
Pasadena
(626) 204-2266.

2007 Scam, I mean Taste of Old Pasadena

$25 to eat around Pasadena as much as you want?! And to dip it in chocolate...Old Town Pasadena? Sure, it's a chain junk pile but underneath the corporate facade, there actually are a lot of respectable restaurants around there. And if that wasn't sweet enough, the site made it seem like EVERYONE was participating in this realtor-funded event. I was actually excited over something for something, a rarity nowadays.

Twenty-seven restaurants, in bolded sixteen point font. As if to force the list to barely fit the little leaflet, with such lovable establishments as Hooters, Barneys Beanery and Johnny Rocket's. All with fifteen-twenty minute lines of poor souls waiting to get a different variation of a cold, deep-fried concoction.

I can't say it wasn't a total loss. Here are a brief synopsis--in order of preference--of some surprising samples that were actually scrumptious.

Cafe Bizou: Chicken and Tofu stuffed Mushroom in Balsamic Froth, Salmon And Lobster Mousse Ravioli, Spinach and Shrimp Phyllo Pastry

Barcelona (surprisingly): Seafood Paella, Crab Cake

Sushi Roku (another surprise): Spicy Tuna Hand Roll

Tibet Nepal House:This thin curry with Naan-ish flatbread

All India Cafe: This puffed rice sweet & sour dish with Chicken Tikka Masala

...that was about it. I knew it was too good to be true

In the Midst of Chaos (and still making every meal count!)

Everyone always associates college with an excuse to eat corporate mush, but I beg to differ. Just because you go to college does NOT mean you have to eat the same old food, every single day or not eat at all. In my refusal to be a creature of habit, I strive to stay somewhat adventurous throught my burden: preparing breakfast's the nights before, getting up illogically early to be packing rather gourmet sandwiches, and going out as much as I can humanly afford. If anyone does read this, please accept my apology for the lack of maintenance lately.

Anyways, here a couple of new places that i've sacrificed for in trying:

1) Soul Vegetarian
Strips of tender Pot Roast smothered in a dark savory gravy, crispy crab cakes that are still soft on the inside and--of course-- served with all the fixings; buttery, golden cornbread with a dallop of butter all to smear it with, mashed sweet potatoes spicy enough to catch your attention, creamy coleslaw and an even creamier mac & cheese. All vegan! Yes, even that Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
(thanks Brent)

Soul Vegetarian
4067 W. Pico Blvd (corner of Norton)
Los Angeles CA
(323) 734-4037

2) Shaab Restaurant
By far, the best value in pasadena you can get, seriously. Japanese shabu-shabu, perfected. Be itSeafood (Salmon, Squid, Clams, Mussels) or Beef, whatever you fancy, with plenty of veggies and a duet of noodles (udon and glass) and 8-10 little bowlfuls of that wondrous spicy miso broth (make sure to ask for it) for under $10! It's hard to believe it's actually in Old Town Pasadena where just next to door you would pay 4 times as much for a similar meal. Thank You Shaab, thank you.

Shaab Restaurant
77 N. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91003
(626)683-1150

Straying from "the usual": Thaitalian and the Alcove Cafe

Thai and Italian, how does that work you say?

Very Nice Actually

As for the latter...not so much unfortunately.

I understand how it can be hard to stray from your "usuals" every once in a while, sometimes we need some security in our lives. But there are so many great options out there, but along with those oppurtunities come great risks. Sometimes the oppurtunity cost is great as in Thaitalian in Pasadena, but more often, it is dissapointing as in the Alcove. (I usually don't thrash on places or write about bad experiences since stuff happens sometimes but just to prove a point...)

Thaitalian...man, a Squid Ink Risotto with a Thai Basil Seafood Stir-fry, a tart, authentically fish-y Tom Yum soup packed with cubed veggies. This was just one of those meals, the creamy, pallid pitch-black Risotto actually Al Dente, circling around tender mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, scallops hell....i even swear their was one of those chewy "veggie shrimp" that they serve at those vegetarian chinese places. With my new veneration for bivalves, probably my new current "favorite dish" at the moment. They also have curry Pasta, Pizza and Mozzarella Egg Rolls if you're into that sort of thing.

Alcove on the other hand...*sigh*. I was dissapointed with this place, it was good....but just not as good as i expected. It sounded so promising. Don't get me wrong, i'm willing to come back and get their juicy Lamb Burger again with a cup of their Immortal Tea blend but maybe I'll go somewhere else for dessert, somewhere where they actually bake their Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons on premises. A cool place to hang out for wine, coffee, tea and conversing though.

Thaitalian
49 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-585-8808

The Alcove Cafe
1929 Hillhurst Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 644-0100

Green on The East Side: Fatty's & Co.

Organic conscious eateries have been a standard site anywhere West of Dowtown, dishing out food that even the most stubborn omnivore would enjoy. Especially with this recent "Go Green" Vogue that everyone has been advantageously following. But the East Side...that's a whole different story, still stuck with Iceberg-Lettuce Salads, GardenBurgers, Bean Burritos and your occasional Asian restaurant, that was about it. At least...this is what i thought.

Fatty's & Co. has everything a westside place would have with it's savory Strudel , a delicate phyllo pastry filled with meaty 'shrooms, lentils, pecans, macademias, and roasted garlic with a light creamy sauce. Millet, Barley, Soy Loafs with creamy spinach sauce, whipped purple potato dill Salad and maple and tarragon sauteed purple carrots and wax Beans?...still not enticed?. How about a warm steamy Vegan Fudgie? (meant for two), a MOIST vegan chocolate double bundt-cake with creamy chocolate ganache in between and crispy pecan and coconut flake crust that you'll finish all by yourself.

that fudgie...i think that's just what i needed. I mean, look at me...i'm actually writing about it!

It's about time Damnit...

Fatty's & Co.
323 254 8804
1627 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles
CA 90041

Typical Teenage Review #2: Burger, Fries and a Shake, well sort of...(Orean's Health Express)

Remember when you (well, most of you) used to be able to eat that ridiculously huge burger, a whole order of fries, and gulp down a whole Chocolate shake without even thinking twice about it? Well...I still can, but i still prefer this place over anywhere else.

It has everything a fast food joint needs: acne-scarred teenage employees, a drive-thru and even an overly angular rooftop.
But this place is not your typical fast food. The Salad Burger looks like something a stoned hippy would make. A huge stack of house-made "Special Sauce", Sprouts, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles and a Black Bean, Sunflower and Wheat berry Patty all stuffed inside Whole Wheat Buns. The Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich is tender--not cardboard--my dad actually confused it as Veal actually, and its as big as a football for all you starving students. Not feeling that? How 'bout an African Burrito? Quesadilla? or perhaps even a Tostada? Don't ask me what makes them "African though...

Whatever you decide on getting, make sure you complete the experience with an order of their Air-Baked Spiced Fries and one of their thick-as-butter Shake, any Shake. trust me, you'll finish it. The burgers might not always be adequately proportioned, or they might take a little longer than that pre-cooked stuff at any other fast food, but i doubt you'll complain.

Oh, and to add to the irony... it's located right across the street from the good 'ol Trifecta Americana: Mcdonald's, KFC, Carls Jr....and Roscoes Chicken And Waffles. Ah, the beautiful...

It might be a bit out of the way, but it's Vegan Fast-Food, East of L.A (sort of) and for that, I'll go anywhere.

Orean Health Express
817 N Lake Ave (Cross Street: Boylston Street)
Pasadena, CA 91104-4561
(626) 794-0861

Yak Momo's and Backbends: My start to a New Year

Tibet is known for it's spiritual avail's and great Buddhist monasteries. Food here not only nourishment the hunger of the body, but also of the mind and spirit. Being right between Asia and Tibet, the cuisine is something truly extrodinary.

Yak Momo's are dumplings that are filled with many spices and the lean etherealness of their common protein of Yak Meat. Not as thick as the countless dumplings i've ate around Alhambra and served with a Mint and Chili chutney, instead of the accustomed soy/vinegar mixture. Yak meat is surprisingly meaty but without the heaviness of beef, something that must be personally sampled in order to be understood.

Their Curries are also not as heavy as Indian Curries but just as packed with flavor. Try the Arun Valley Saag for a twist on your usual take on Bok Choy. When ingesting these amazing concoctions don't be confused by these little bursts of flavor that you'll taste here and there, for they are just part of a handful of Fennel Seeds that are steamed in with the rice.




A new year for me, usually would mean new problems, new pressures, new worries. But with meals like these after a 2 hour session of Urdhva Dhanurasana's (Yoga Backbends) and finally making my own path and eating at a place that HAS'NT gotten written up by Jonathon Gold, this year is suddenly looking a lot brighter.


Tibet Nepal House
36 E. Holly St.
Pasadena CA 91103

My Warm, Buttery, Flaky New Year (Europane Bakery)

Having to camp out in near freezing temperatures with my Dysfunctional Family, sleeping on the cold, uneven street, having to get up from sleeping 4 times to go to the port-a-potty that was 2 blocks away!

Of course, i didn't get any sleep. But at least i finally had the chance to finally have a Croissant and a couple of bites of other pastries from the famed Europane Bakery. And when, i was literally sleeping a couple of paces west of the place, i had the chance to have them seconds out of the oven(6:00 AM!), still hot enough to scold your tongue. And believe me when i say that in near freezing temperatures, this crisp, steamy, flaky Croissant seemed unreal.

Flaky, where other croissants were bread like. Not too sweet, or salty. With the perfect density, hollow but not too hollow.
Well worth the calories
With a tall cup some steamed soymilk from this little coffee place across the street....
Was In Heaven?

Oh yeah, and the Rose Parade was pretty cool too.

Europane Bakey
950 E Colorado Blvd,
Pasadena, CA
91106

Appetizers, I mean Lunch at Elements Kitchen

This place had all the features of being one of those "little places" that you surprise your friends with; it's tiny, hard to spot, always has been there but you never noticed it. Their menu is pretty impressive too, always alternating with the differing seasons with things like their Veggie Burger with Cranberry Ketchup, Pumpkin Spiced Quinoa Salad with Almond and Cranberrys on top of some Mixed Greens. They also had different specials everyday. They made Everything from scratch, Potato chips, some sort of Herb Foccacia. And i was even informed that they were always trying to perfect everything in their menu, i'm guessing since most of them graduated from the Le Cordon Bleu Program a couple of blocks away. But of course like everything in this world, if you want the good stuff, it's gonna cost you a pretty penny. Here, it was a gonna cost you a gorgeous penny.


Unfortanately, they were still "perfecting" their Veggie Burger's Cranberry Ketchup, so i substituted with a half order of their Pumpkin Spiced Quinoa Salad and a Half Order of their Fall Vegetable Soup with Garlic Pistou. I saw the prices, but didn't mind them since it was some pretty good stuff coming from this side of town but i ASSUMED that they were going to be pretty decent sizes.


When our food came, the portions were more like Spa style. Just to tease you. It looked beautiful, but that was about it. The Quinoa was underneath the Mixed Greens rather than on top. And it was all sculpted in a perfect circle by one of those cookie cutter things. It was good, nice and chewy Quinoa with an abundance of little pieces of pumpkin and perfectly roasted Almonds. I even tasted a little mint in their. Nice balance of flavors. Although the greens were a little overdressed with their oily House Vinagaraitte. But after a couple of bites, everything disappeared.


Their light Fall Vegetable Soup was just as toothsome. The fluorescent green vegetable stock's flavors were well macerated and the garlic pistou added a bright garlicky punch. It was full of Baby Carrots, Broccoli and Cauliflower Florets and tiny little Bird Tongue Pasta. All evenly cooked. The real star for me was the Herb Foccaine, since i LOVE CARBS. Crisp, flaky and buttery but with Olive Oil not butter. Giving a different kind of richness. Perfect for soaking up the wonderful green broth. But like the quinoa, after a couple of spoonfulls, it was gone.


With my overwhelming demand for calories, this was really just an appetizer for me. When the check came with the $13.99 circled in the center. I felt kind of cheated, dissapointed. They did have some pretty good sounding desserts, but was scared to experience the same thing. And it turned out that they had "perfected" they cranberry ketchup since the morning but had forgotten to take off the post it. Typical luck for me.


Everthing was good, but i needed more, a lot more.
I found myself eating right when i got home.


Elements Kitchen
07 South Fair Oaks Ave., Ste 110 (at Dayton St.)
Pasadena, CA 91105

Serenaded at Saladong Song.

There's nothing worse than going to a place when you're starving only to find out that it's closed in between the peak lunch or dinner times. We are fortunate that we don't have it as bad as they do in Europe though. If you don't get nothing to eat at the standard lunch or dinner times, you're literally screwed. Everything is closed, it's either you eat or starve.
Luckily, not every establishment carries this, Saladong Song being one of these.


I had heard about this place but didn't feel the urge to go since no other place i tried compared to Thai Purple, in Alhambra.(not to mention the complimentary coconut dessert). But with Tibet Nepal House in Pasadena being closed and i've been trying to broaden my restaurant reportoire, i didn't care were we went anymore.


We didn't know were to go between Saladong and Saladong Song, but we ended up going to the Latter since i remembered it being mentioned alot. The place was really bright, since it had Windows instead of Walls, better alowing the food to showcase it's plentiful hues. The place was definetely health-conscious, offereing "steamed multi grains" if you wanted some. I sampled the "Limited Edition" Hah-mok-pla, a fish-curry cake steamed in a Banana Leaf. my brother ordered the Yum Eggplant Salad and also ordered their Pad Thai instead of rice.


The Hah-Mok-Pla is what makes this place different than any other Thai Places. The Fish Cake was faultless, with the essenses of Thai Basil, Cabbage and Sweet Peppers, it just dissolved in your mouth. This had a right to be a limited Edition Item. With the Eggplant being labeled under salads, i thought it was going to like an actual cold salad but was deceived when the dish came. A whole Japanese Eggplant grilled and cut into three slices topped with butterflied Shrimp and the perfect tangy dressing. Squishy, in a good way. I ended up dipipng everything else into the dressing also. The Protein-Rich Pad Thai was unusually served in a omelette style, with the noodles and everything else inside, but the change was a good thing, especially for me right now. Although i must of ate more than half of everything, i didn't feel stuffed.


Saladong Song had serenaded me.

363 S Fair Oaks Ave (Cross Street: W Bellevue Drive)
Pasadena, CA 91105View Map
(626) 793-5200
Fax: (626) 793-7030