Indian - Mayura

Mayura
10406 Venice Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-9644
mayura-indian-restaurant.com
personal rating: 4.0/5.0

As Manish has been craving gobi manchurian for a while, we decided to go another Indian restaurant, despite just having gone to one the day before. This time, together with Mark, we went to a South Indian, specifically Kerala, restaurant in Culver City. I decided on one of my favorite Indian dishes, bhindi masala; Manish naturally ordered gobi manchurian (despite it not being on the menu); and Mark got lamb biryani. The bhindi masala arrived first, and it was spectacular, easily one the best I have had. The gobi manchurian arrived next, and it was even better! I have not had cauliflower tasting so good before. The lamb biryani arrived last, and it did not live up to its high expectations, expectations brought high by the amazing first two dishes. Nonetheless, our appetites were very satisfied after the meal. I will definitely pay Mayura another visit soon.

	Bhindi Masala Okra, onions, tomatoes and spice.* $7.95
	Gobi Manchurian Crunchy deep fried cauliflower in an Indian-Chinese sweet and spicy sauce.*** $7.95
	Lamb Biryani Rice dish made from a mixture of spices, basmati rice and lamb, served with raita and pickles.** $8.95

* Food description is taken verbatim from the menu.
** As there was no description on the menu, the description is taken from elsewhere.
*** As the dish is not on the menu, the description is taken from elsewhere.

Sanamluang Cafe - Thai

Sanamluang Cafe
5170 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-8006
personal rating: 4.0/5.0

This is the one restaurant we go to most often in Los Angeles. It has a large menu selection, all with great value for money. It is open late at night (not so much early in the morning) and has the most amazing shrimp cakes. Of the condiments, the pickled green chillies goes best with the various noodle soups, for example the kou-teaw-kae below.

	Condiments Complimentary
	Fried Shrimp Cake Ground shrimp deep fried and served with sweet and sour sauce.* $7.50
	Pork Leg Over Rice Chinese stew pork leg, served with Chinese pickle over rice and a side of hot chili sauce.* $6.25
	Special Rahd Nah Flat rice noodles with Chinese broccoli, baby corn, chicken, pork, B.B.Q. pork, squids, pork stomach, shrimp and special gravy sauce. Topped with fried egg.* $7.50
	Kou-teaw-kae Clear soup with tiny noodles, fish ball and tofu stuffing with ground shrimp.* $5.95

* Food description is taken from the menu.

Ramayani - Indonesian

Ramayani
1777 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 477-3315
www.ramayani.com
personal rating: 4.0/5.0

Jiunjen and I were looking forward to getting some comfort food from Ramayani (Indonesian food is very similar to Malaysian food) and we were not disappointed. The highlight of our meal was their sambal bajak, which is to die for! It is by far the best sambal that we've had in a while so much so that we bought a jar of the sambal bajak to bring home.

We started off with otak-otak which I was REALLY looking forward to since I have not had it in a while. Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing as we are used to having it with more turmeric. The tahu telor had a wow effect as we didn't expect it to be presented in a such a big loaf. The accompanying soy sauce, which we think is a mix of soy sauce and shrimp paste, was also a pleasant surprise (Jiunjen loves shrimp paste). The martabak didn't meet our expectations. The tumis udang dan pete was excellent as it was cooked with their sambal bajak. And the bubur ketan hitam was a very delicious wrap-up to a satisfying meal. Overall, we felt that it was a little on the expensive side, but we will definitely go back again.

	Otak-otak Gourmet fish cakes grilled in banana leaves.* $6.95
	Tahu Telor Hand-cut tofu and egg, breaded, deep fried into a loaf, and served with our original soy sauce** for dipping.* $8.95
	Martabak A pan-fried flour tortilla filled with beef, onions, and eggs. Served with pickles.* $8.95
	Tumis Udang dan Pete Tender shrimp sauteed with pete, lemongrass, onions, spicy shrimp paste, and tomatoes.* $14.95
	Bubur Ketan Hitam A warm, sweet, black wild rice pudding topped with coconut milk.* $4.95

* Food description is taken verbatim from the menu.
** We think it's a mix of soy sauce and shrimp paste (rojak sauce).