Skip bed and head straight for the pancakes at The Griddle Café

November 20, 2011

LOS ANGELES, USA – On weekend mornings, the lines for the manhole cover-sized pancakes at The Griddle Café snake out the door and around the block. It would be the kind of place you’d want to wake up early for in order to secure your spot. Except, with its vaguely… (more)

Get rude with your ramen at Daikokuya

November 12, 2011

LOS ANGELES, CA – How many times when you were little did your mom tell you not to slurp your soup? Pursing your lips into a tight “o” and drawing in the noodles with a satisfying whoosh was also a no-no. But, really, what fun is that? Luckily, there’s a… (more)

Surfer girls get stoked with Learn to Surf LA

November 9, 2011

VENICE, USA – A recent exchange of Tweets on surfing has led me to recall my own foray into the world of surfing a few years ago. Though surfing was once dominated by men, women have been making serious waves in the surfing world in recent years with their own… (more)

Star gazing (and navel gazing) on Rodeo Drive

September 24, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS, US – By now, the Pretty Woman references are wearing a little thin, but the film is such a convenient shorthand for capturing the fairytale ethos of Rodeo Drive that it’s hard to resist the mention. Who hasn’t watched Julia Robert’s “hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold” character transform into a thing of… (more)

Boho chic with a beachy backdrop in Venice

September 3, 2011

VENICE, US – When you think of shopping in LA’s Venice Beach, images of street vendors hawking string bikinis, knock-off bags, and el-cheapo sunglasses on the Boardwalk may be the first to pop to mind. While it’s true that loads of tourist shopping dollars are carelessly disposed of in this… (more)

Cool, commitment-free cuts at Rudy’s Barbershop

September 1, 2011

WEST HOLLYWOOD, US – I readily admit it: I have a hard time staying faithful. To a hairdresser, that is. Sometimes I’ll hit on a stylist that cuts my hair with inspiration and I think I’m ready to settle in for a long-term commitment. But inevitably, I’ll grow restless and… (more)

‘Cures for all that “nails” you at mani/pedi spa Bellacures

August 24, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS, US – This may sound provincial, but living as I do in the Hancock Park/Koreatown area of Los Angeles, I do my best to avoid driving west of La Brea. Small minded though this may seem, crossing into West Hollywood and Beverly Hills territory inevitably means threefold increases… (more)

Seafarers meet starlets at the HMS Bounty

August 22, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – Hollywood has long had a romance with tales on the sea, especially the kind that intertwine love and disaster (Titanic, anyone?). In Hollywood’s imagination, the ocean’s expanse is like the “Wild West,” uncharted territory where anything is possible and the rules on land don’t necessarily apply.… (more)

The Brite Spot: a beacon of love and tofu enchiladas

August 8, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – It may sound farfetched that a late-night, throwback LA diner could bring two soulmates together, but I’ve lived to tell the tale. Well, not my tale exactly, but the tale of my close girlfriend, let’s call her April. One summer night as April and I shared… (more)

Shop ’til you rock in Silver Lake

August 6, 2011

LOS ANGELES, US – In LA’s Silver Lake neighborhood, the focal point of the boho shopping district is known as “Sunset Junction,” located at the intersection of Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards. But it might as well be at the intersection of Hip and Hipster. Chock-a-block with organic cafés, crafty… (more)