Oh Joy!

{oh joy eats} breakfast at sqirl... 3 Jan 2013

I've been a fan of Sqirl, the L.A.-based, jam company, since I first tried its delicious canned delights a couple years ago. So I was excited to visit Sqirl's new brick-and-mortar space—a tiny little cafe with an adjacent outdoor area—that serves a twist on cozy morning comforts.

Instead of PB&J, there's brioche topped with chocolate ganache, almond hazelnut butter, and fleur de sel. Instead of oatmeal, Sqirl serves the best sweet rice porridge I've ever had (and what I wish oatmeal tasted like!), topped with jam and roasted hazelnuts. Really, I dream about this porridge! And then (if you're looking for something more savory) there are some dishes inspired by Australian and Filipino flavors like the crispy rice salad topped with cilantro, lime, and a fried egg. Supposedly they have amazing freshly pressed almond milk tea, too. This is my new go-to spot when I need something quick to warm my belly...

Sqirl | 720 N. Virgil Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90029 | 213.394.6526

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: StyleMint tee, Lauren Moffatt skirt, vintage belt, Ban.do smooch brooch.}

{oh joy eats} no. 1 noodle house... 11 Dec 2012

One of my favorite places to eat in Philly (my hometown) is Han Dynasty. It's the best Chinese food in the city, in my opinion. And ever since moving to L.A., I've been trying to find similar Szechuan-style food here. Thankfully, out in Rowland Heights (about 40 minutes outside of L.A.), there's a mecca of Chinese food options. I was so happy to come across No.1 Noodle House and find a close-ish match to some of my favorite dishes back in Philly.

I loved the wontons in chili oil and the dan dan noodles. I love things on the spicy side, and there's a Szechuan pepper used in many of the dishes that has an intensely fragrant, citrus-like flavor and produces a tingly, numbing sensation in the mouth.

It's kind of weird, but also really delicious! I could seriously spend the day in Rowland Heights eating up a storm of noodles and other niche foods you can only get out there.

No.1 Noodle House | 18180 Colima Road, #B | Rowland Heights, CA 91748 | 626.839.7093

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My outfit: Coat by Crewcuts (a kids size 14 fits a women's size XS/S! or adult size here), eyeglasses c/o Rivet & Sway, corduroys by J.Crew, shoes by Madewell.}

{oh joy eats} diablo urban taco fabricator... 29 Nov 2012

One day a week—on Wednesdays—I have Ruby all to myself. It's our one day...just us. So, I love getting out and having a little ladies' lunch with her. There are so many great spots in Silver Lake that are great to go for a bite at times when they're less crowded and more manageable for parents with a little one.

Case in point: Diablo Urban Taco Fabricator in Silver Lake, which we recently visited. It's a new-ish spot that serves up fun combos of, yep, tacos!

We tried a bunch, including the Maple Fried Chicken, Pork Belly, Hen of the Woods (made with wild mushrooms). My favorite was the fried chicken taco...I mean, how does that not sound delicious? We made sure to get some veggies in, too, with a light jicama and cucumber salad. I look forward to seeing what other fun new taco combos the restaurant comes up with!

Diablo Urban Taco Fabricator | 3129 W. Sunset Blvd. | Los Angeles, CA 90026 | 323.666.4666

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang. My outfit: tee by J.Crew (past season), pants by J.Crew, flats by Loeffler Randall.}

what we did in austin... 15 Nov 2012

The last stop on my Blog, Inc. book tour was in Austin, Texas! We turned the trip into a long weekend and explored the city (mostly through food). It was the perfect ending to a whirlwind fall. Here's what we did...

{oh joy eats} c+m... 24 Oct 2012

I love finding hidden spots in this city. Tucked away in the beautiful Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in Mid-Wilshire, there's a sweet little cafe called C+M (Coffee and Milk) that serves up beautiful and delicious treats.

In between soaking up the lastest exhibits, we took a break to enjoy some tarts, pastries, and mini pies in the beautiful, light-filled space.

My favorite of the bunch was this lemon curd and lavender pop tart. It was just the right mix of sweet and tart...and I'm kind of really into lemon desserts these days. Oh, and C+M has savory bites, too (like brie and pear sandwiches), but the desserts are the real star in my book!

C+M (Coffee and Milk) | 5905 Wilshire Blvd. | Los Angeles, CA 90036 | 323.857.6180

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: Denim top by Madewell, vintage floral dress (similar), shoes by Liebling from a past season (similar), bag by Madewell.}

{oh joy eats} on the lot la... 1 Oct 2012

I love that LA has such a huge variety of food trucks all over the city. I guess the weather here really makes for easy eating on the fly, hunh? But it can be really hard to track those trucks down, and a lot of them tend to stick to regular locations which are often on the other side of town. So we love it when there's a bunch of food trucks all at one place. A sampling from each truck? Yes, please!

Almost every Monday night, Bob, Ruby and I head to Los Feliz for a weekly gathering of food trucks called On the Lot. They have different areas of LA they set up at on different nights, but on Monday nights On the Lot is in Los Feliz—which is the neighborhood next door to us. Eating there has become a weekly ritual, and we love meeting up with friends there, too. They announce their weekly lineup on Twitter, so it's fun to see what new trucks are coming each week.

Here are a few of my favorites from past visits...

These Crispy Pork & Shrimp Potstickers with Curry Aioli & Sweet Soy Reduction from the Asian Cravings truck...

Lobster Tacos from Cousins Main Lobster...totally the California version of a Lobster Roll!

Strawberry shaved ice with blue honey boba and drizzled with condensed milk from the Fluff Ice truck...

...and the crazy awesome variety of boba milk tea drinks from the Boba Truck. I get a decaf almond milk tea so that I'm not wide awake that night and take home a jasmine milk tea for the next day's treat. While there are some weekly regulars, most of the trucks change every week, so we've been able to try so many new ones. Do you guys have food truck nights like this where you live? It's seriously one of my favorite things to do in LA! 

On the Lot LA | 2060 N. Vermont Ave. | Los Angeles, CA 90027 | 5:30-9pm

{First and bottom two photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. All others are Instagram photos by me. My outfit: StyleMint tee, necklace c/o A-Thread. }

{oh joy eats} duff's cakemix in west hollywood... 1 Aug 2012

I don't know about you, but I was a total Ace of Cakes fan back in the day when the show was on. I loved how real and quirky everyone was...not what you'd typically imagine of cake decorators. So, when I heard that Duff Goldman had opened a new shop in LA, called Duff's CakeMix—where you can decorate your own cake—I was there in a heartbeat. And this time, I had to bring Bonnie's daughter, Venise, because what 8-year-old wouldn't love this {you might remember Venise from our Sprinkles ATM adventure}. When you walk into CakeMix, it feels like a open air workshop with tables and stations all set up for decorating either cupcakes or a cake.

Venise wanted to decorate 4 cupcakes, while I opted for a mini cake. You can choose your cake flavor, filling flavor, icing colors, and even create your own colors of fondant with food coloring. I was in a blue/green mood that day...

{oh joy eats} sprinkles ice cream in beverly hills... 12 Jul 2012

After our visit to the Sprinkles ATM, we caught a glimpse while passing by of the first Sprinkles Ice Cream shop planned to open next door. So, it was only a matter of time before I returned to the newly opened shop to sample their newest frozen addition. And, it pretty much lived up to the branding awesomeness that I've come to know and love coming from this cupcake empire.

From the white and red decor to the ever-changing menu of ice cream flavors to the signature red velvet ice cream cones, it's a place to go and feel young at heart.

My treat of choice was the ice cream sandwich pressed between two cupcake tops. I chose vanilla ice cream {sprinkled with red velvet cupcake crumbs} to go with my chocolate cupcake ends. It was sweet, creamy, chewy, and the perfect summer indulgence... — Joy

Sprinkles Ice Cream | 9631 South Santa Monica Blvd | Beverly Hills, CA 90210 | 310.274.7890

{Photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: polka dot jeans from Anthropologie, tank c/o Hound, J.Crew clutch, watch from Anthropologie, ShoeMint striped flats.}

{oh joy eats} tsujita in west la... 26 Jun 2012

One of the best things about Los Angeles and the food here is the abundence of Asian food. From Thai Town and Korea Town to Little Tokyo and multiple China Towns, there are plenty of options for getting homestyle and authentic Asian foods of all kinds in and just outside the city. One of my guilty pleasures in life is a big bowl of ramen noodles. Now, we're not talking instant ramen like we all lived off of in college...we're talking real ramen like they make in Japan. So I was excited to try a {new to me} ramen spot, Tsujita Artisan Noodle in West Los Angeles.

Tsujita specializes in Tsukemen-style ramen in which the noodles come separate from the broth. It's a 3-step process in which you dip the noodles into the accompanied soup broth, mix the black shichimi {black seven flavor chili pepper} into the noodles, and finally squeeze lime juice into the noodles enjoying the last of the noodles and soup. It reminded me of my trip to Japan a couple years ago when we had ramen almost every day.

They also have Tonkotsu Ramen {1st photo} in which the soup is made of pork broth and slowly simmered for 60 hours for richness. It's so savory and full of umami. We added seafood and an egg to ours for some extra oomph. Now that's comfort food in a big ole' bowl if you ask me! — Joy

Tsujita Artisan Noodle / 2057 Sawtelle Blvd / Los Angeles, CA 90025 / 310.231.7373

{photos by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit: top from A-Thread, tank from StyleMint, nail polish is Essie's Cute as a Button.}

{oh joy eats} farmshop in santa monica... 20 Jun 2012

One of my favorite places to go on a leisurely morning is FarmShop in Santa Monica. I love speciality food markets, and this one full of my favorite things...

Um, hello cured meats and cheeses! It's the perfect place for picking up some pantry staples or to craft your very own charcuterie and cheese plate. FarmShop reminds me of Dean & Deluca in New York but with an amazing restaurant attached.

And, you gotta love it when shops and restaurants do a great job of branding. I loved the typographic paper bags they have for scooping up produce or picking up some pastries.

And, you really can't leave without a warm drink and a little sweet snack like this giant and light-as-air chocolate swirled meringue. Kill two birds with one stone, yes? The space is just gorgeous and so fun to shop in and peek through all the artisanal delights. Now, I only wish it were closer to my house. I'd be there every week!  — Joy

FarmShop / 225 26th Street {Brentwood Country Mart} / Los Angeles, CA 90402 / 310.566.2400

{Photo by Bonnie Tsang for Oh Joy. My outfit above: Nanette Lepore neon skirt c/o ShopBop, StyleMint tank, J.Crew blazer (similar), neckace By Boe, bag by Overlap, shoes are vintage Anne Taylor (similar here and here).}