Vietnamese - Pho 36

Pho 36
1147 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90006
(323) 766-5329
personal rating: 3.5/5.0

Jun claimed that he has not yet had pho in Los Angeles, and so we decided to go to Pho 36 -- a restaurant that Jen and I found a while back. Our party of four -- Jun, Xiaoxun, Jen and I -- got summer rolls and eggrolls for appetizers. They were up to their usual standards and were absolutely delicious. I personally find them to be the main reason why I keep coming back to this restaurant. Jun and I decided on the pho tai, and we were slightly disappointed as the soup lacked its usual flavor. Xiaoxun ordered a vermicelli rice noodles with steak and shrimp while Jen got the vermicelli rice noodles with eggrolls and shrimp. The steak, shrimp and eggrolls that dressed the rice noodles were well flavored resulting in an enjoyable dish. I know I will definitely come back here again, but I'll probably avoid the pho and go for their vermicelli or rice dishes.

	Summer Rolls Charbroiled lemongrass steak & shrimp.* $4.50
	Eggrolls Chicken, shrimp, mushroom & vegetables.* $6.50
	Pho Condiments Complimentary
	Pho Tai Rare steak, rice noodles soup with fresh herbs.* $6.50
	Vermicelli Rice Noodles with Shrimp & Charbroiled Steak Shrimp, charbroiled steak & vegetables.* $7.50
	Vermicelli Rice Noodles with Eggrolls & Shrimp Eggrolls, shrimp & vegetables.* $6.50

* Food description is taken from the menu.

Vegetarian - Cafe Flourish

Cafe Flourish
5406 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-3932
www.cafeflourish.com
personal rating: 3.0/5.0

Cafe Flourish is one of those hole-in-the-wall snugged in the middle of Miracle Mile that we could have easily missed. Their very simple decor and their menu with "limited opening menu" stamped on it gives the impression that the cafe has just recently opened and is not fully set up yet. Jen and I initially ordered the rueben and BLT&A only, but after seeing the flourish roll on our neighboring table, we knew we had to order it. We did not regret it as the roll was really tasty. We only wished it was wrapped much tighter as we had difficulty keeping the fillings in. Our sandwiches arrived next. The rueben was disappointing as the sauerkraut overpowered all the other ingredients, and the BLT&A was rather ordinary. We'll probably give it some time to settle in before visiting it again. It definitely has lots of potential.

	Flourish Roll Carrots, red bells, cucumber, cilantro, sunflower seeds, green onion, mint, peanuts & rice noodles snuggled in a leaf of red lettuce with a coconut tamarind sauce. Addictive.* $4.95
	Love, Rueben Savory marinated tempeh with house-made "Swiss", sauerkraut & avocado with Russian dressing on rye.* $11.95
	BLT&A (Be Love, Thanks & Abundance) Smoky tempeh bacon, red-leaf lettuce, ripe roma tomatoes, avocado.* $8.95

* Food description is taken verbatim from the menu.