Eric L.'s Profile

Boo on you, Taco Bell on Fairview. You do not carry the Fruitista Freeze. For that, I award you two stars.

I used to get my pants hemmed at a tailor shop in Downtown LA for really cheap, like $3 cheap. Since moving to the OC I've been trying to find something similar. I imagine I could find one in Little Saigon, but my Vietnamese contacts are limited.

Original Hems hems my pants for $2. Two dollars. I don't even think they charge tax. And it takes 15 minutes to get it done. I believe they also do original hem for a little bit more, but I haven't had the need to get that yet.

They lose a star because the first time I went there, there was nobody in the store, and I kinda wandered upstairs to their "lounge" area for a bit before someone finally came out and helped me. Also, I can't speak for any other sorts of alterations - these guys get 4 stars for shortening my pants for $2.

You see that four stars up in the corner? That's for their breakfast burrito. Da bomb. It honestly might even be a five star, cause I don't think I've had another breakfast burrito that tops the one from Qwik Korner.

Big tortilla, eggs, cheese, salsa (if you want), and then your choice of two meats - sausage, ham, or bacon. I think you can even opt for three if you're feeling extra meaty. And the eggs, oh my, the eggs - they make them slightly over easy, so the yolk dribbles out over the rest of the burrito when you bite into it.

I'm not sure what else about the burrito makes it so good, as they don't use any special ingredients (that I know of) that other places don't use for their breakfast burritos.

Other reviewers are mentioning that it's big enough for two meals, which it honestly is, but I could finish it off in a single sitting if I wanted - I just feel like a total glutton if I do. But $6 for two meals is pretty sweet.

Don't forget to grab some packets of tapatio on your way out.

Fuji Yama's become a weekly lunch spot for me and my coworkers. We usually all go for their two-item lunch combo for $9.99, with Tokyo Steak and Crunch Roll being the more popular choices. I opt for the tempura sometimes which comes with two shrimp and I believe three pieces of vegetable, or even their sashimi is a great choice, although I believe it only comes with four pieces.

They also offer sushi lunch combos, sashimi lunch combos, and roll lunch combos which are all very good values. Their quality has been very consistent and no liquid poo so far. That's right, I said liquid poo.

Even arriving at noon, we've never had to wait for a table, and the food comes out way fast. After tax and tip it's maybe $15 a head, but the amount of food you get does not disappoint.

Mmm Santouka. Comparing the local ramen joints in the area:

-Kohryu
-Mentatsu
-Daikokuya
-Shin Sen Gumi

Santouka is still my favorite. The noodles are cooked just right and the broth is definitely on the rich side, yet for some reason I can easily drink it down. The prices are on the high side - something like $7-8 for a regular bowl of ramen I believe? Still worth it in my opinion.

I've gotten their little side dishes a few times and never felt they were woth it. A coworker of mine actually got food poisoning from the roe, so be wary.

I saw a sign on the weekend saying they were finally offering small and large sizes of the spicy miso starting Monday (the 26th). I have no idea why they couldn't offer it before, but I'm glad cause it's one of their best flavors.

I've heard Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights is better than Santouka, so I'm holding out for them. I also still sorta have hope in Daikokuya since I loved the one in Little Tokyo, but the one on Harbor doesn't quite cut it. Need to go back there. And please don't talk to me about Shin Sen Gumi. Overrated.

Granjenal is now my preferred place for Mexican food. It's a shack in the middle of a parking lot in a not so good part of town. There's even a Mexican bar in the corner where you would most likely get stabbed.

I've tried a lotta stuff here, so I'm just gonna go down the list.

Kim's Tacos - Awesome. These are Korean tacos. They offer pork and beef, both of which taste great. They're on the spicy side, so you've been warned. As the sign says, they're $1.79 each and three is just enough for a meal. They also take a little bit longer to make than the other menu items, but totally worth it.

Burrito - I've ordered the carne asada a few times now and love it. Their asada isn't too dry and has a good amount of flavor. The burrito is about the size of a baby's arm, and it's extra great because if you can't finish it, you can just hold onto it and finish it through the afternoon.

Torta - Yummy

Quesdailla - Also yummy

Breakfast Burrito - Eggs, bacon, ham, and chorizo. It tastes exactly how you imagine it tastes, and about five minutes afterward you'll regret eating all of it. Not cause you'll get sick, just cause you'll realize what you just ate probably wasn't the healthiest choice.

I usually get their horchata or naranjas drinks, although the naranjas is a bit on the sweet side. I also got really watered-down horchata one time, so just make sure the tub's full before you order it.

I used to go here a lot more often when I worked closer, but even now it's still my first choice when it comes to getting seafood. Prices are all very affordable, and as long as you go with something from the charbroiler versus fried, I imagine it's fairly healthy food.

Both of the sauces they offer to go on your fish are good - garlic butter and cajun. I usually go for the cajun just cause that feels a bit healthier than the garlic butter. The dishes also come with a choice of rice or fries, and if you ask they'll let you get half and half.

Their fried seafood is also good, without the batter being too thick. I've also tried their burrito which was tasty, but got boring about halfway through. I doubt I would get that again.

The place is a sit-down restaurant, although you order at the counter and find your own seat. They give you a number and the waiters bring the food to you. It gets crowded too, so you've been warned.

I'm a big fan of chicken teriyaki bowls. For $3.90 I get white rice, some broccoli, and chicken teriyaki on top, and they somehow manage to cook it in minutes. I swear sometimes by the time I'm done paying they already have my bowl ready. I'm not gonna ask how they do it, I don't care, it's good.

However, sometimes I do mix it up a little and go crazy and splurge on their lunch special, which I think is around $7 and includes a cup of miso soup, salad, tempura, california rolls, and chicken teriyaki. The tempura/rolls/chicken are actually an option and you can choose other items instead, but that's what I go for. Again, for the price and speed I'm always satisfied.

I tried their sukiyaki bowl one time and didn't like it and haven't tried it since.

All the other reviews of this place seem to be complaining about their sushi, which I'm sure is rightly justified. There's no way in hell I'd order the sushi here.

I started out loving this place, but as I've gone more and more and tried ramen at other restaurants to develop my palette, my rating of Mentatsu has dropped.

The ramen here is just okay. It's not bad, but it's not amazing either. The big plus here is they give really big portions. I'm a big fan of their mabo tofu, and it goes surprisingly well with their ramen.

I've heard their rice dishes are pretty good, but I've only had their fried rice and thought it was fairly good, so I can't comment too much. A big plus is that they're open late.

Probably more of a 3.5, but I'm not feeling too generous today.

I found out about Pho Thang Long after my coworker told me they serve Pho with filet mignon. The restaurant is quite different from what I expect from a standard Vietnamese restaurant, as their decor is really nice, and even have water falling down the wall behind the main counter. Kinda makes it look like you're in a fancy hotel.

As for the food, the filet mignon is pretty damn good. You have the option of getting it in the broth or being served raw on a plate so you can put them in at your leisure. Their broth, however, is rather bleh. Disappointing, because if it was up to par with other places then their Pho could be one of the best.

My suggestion is to go here at least once to try out the filet mignon, I just really wish they had better broth.