I have been so busy for the past few months that I haven’t updated the blog in F-O-R-E-V-E-R! A lot of exciting changes happening in my life: Guai lo graduated from his PhD, both of us decided to move to the bay area, finding new jobs, new apartment, etc.
Anyways, although there are so many great restaurants for me to explore in San Francisco (can’t wait!), there are still so many in LA that I haven’t tried. So, while I still can, I went to this place called “Otium”, the owner / chef of this restaurant was the head chef in the French Laundry for years! This place is of course, way more affordable. The original plan was to have dinner there, but last minute reservation didn’t work out, so I tried their brunch instead.
The restaurant is right next the Broad museum and MOCA, which makes it a even more perfect weekend brunch spot. As you can see from the pictures above, it has a very casual California vibe (more south cal), definitely going to miss this!
Here are what we ordered:
Chicken enchiladas, egg, avocado, Salsa Roja - the rolls are crispy, salsa is great, a dish I can’t complain!
Fried chicken, hoe cake, maple butter - this is out-of-expectation amazing!! The chicken is super moist , even the chicken breast (I usually hate eating the breast)! The crust has some lemon taste, which is quite nice and “lighten” the greasiness of a fried chicken dish (not that it felt greasy at all). And I absolutely love the hoe cake, same theme, very crispy outside but super moist inside, the maple butter added a tad of sweetness and made it perfect. Highly recommended.
Mille Feuille, Vanilla, Mousseline, Hazelnut Praline - this is absolutely another delight. Just sweet enough, super flaky, and love the nutty flavor.
Overall, this is a place I would go back to (especially to try their dinner) if I still live in LA!