I don't know why I took so long to try Noon since it's walking distance from me!…read more I know we have a lot of options when it comes to treats in the South Bay Area but Korean bingsoo is in a class of its own. For me, regular shaved ice usually lacks enough syrup or the ice is too hard. I'm such a wuss, I know, but I hate feeling like I overpaid for a cup of ice. It has been brutally hot and today seemed like a great day to have some shaved ice. The cafe is located in a Korean plaza on Western and 154th. Smoking Tiger coffee is also in the same plaza. The cafe is on the smaller side but there's lots of seating and you can take your orders to go if you want. It's cashless and you take your tray and trash to the counter once you're done. The menu has everything from fruity flavors to Asian flavors like hojicha and injeolmi to Cinnamon Toast crunch. You can get an individual size or larger size to share. The interior is minimalist with vintage-looking posters of the business. They have WiFi and complimentary water. We ordered matcha and mango flavored bingsoo. Both had a tall pile of ice with ample toppings and more syrup layered inside the ice which I think is an important very often overlooked step. I can't wait to return to try out more flavors!

I finally got to try Noon last week after craving something cold, but not ice cream…read more It was about 8pm Sunday of Labor Day weekend and the store was packed! Great sign and it got me ready to dig in. My husband and I ordered the single serving portions of black sesame and mango. At first we thought, damn did we just buy a mountain of ice with minimal filling? Proved wrong so quick and never been happier. The middle was generously filled with mangoes and black sesame paste/powder. I did wish there was some consistency with the mangoes - only the top piece was ripe and sweet. All the other pieces piled under the bingsoo were really hard and sour. The bingsoo was airy, light, and so satisfying to eat. Unfortunately they were really messy to eat since they're piled high. I'd come back again for my next cold dessert craving!

Tucked away in the mall almost like a gem in the rough. Those that love gelato craftsmenship made…read morewith care and charm, this is it. Open your mind (or tongue) and try the different options! Great for couples, family, and friend. If you have a foodie friend who doesn't judge on exterior but rather the taste, this is a worthy spot. The lady helping us allowed us to try different options until we landed on Thai tea, almond amaretto, riceberry horchata on The Special (3 flavors) on a waffle bowl. It was placed on coconut sticky rice. At first I raised my eyebrows but when I tried it, I was blown away how GREAT of combo this is! 5/5 I would go out of my way to try this. What I also love about this is that it isn't sweet like typical dairy icecream but just sweet enough like the true gelatos you have in Italy. You must at least try this with the waffle bowl - it was quite the delight. The portion is big and you'll be surprisingly full. The special (3 flavors) is best for 2-3 people (regular serving). If you're going to eat this by yourself I'd just get 1 serving or the gelato cup. Restroom? No Seating? No

Tried Moom Maam at Smorgasburg Los Angeles at ROW DTLA, the big Sunday pop-up food event downtown…read more The event itself was pretty cool, although a few of the vendors I was hoping to try apparently didn't show up that day. Luckily this was one of the stands that had good reviews, so I gave it a shot. Between the language barrier and my excitement for dessert, I somehow ended up ordering more than I planned. The ice cream was good and the Asian-inspired flavors were definitely different from the usual. It didn't completely blow my socks off, but it was a solid treat. I kept thinking a little syrup or extra topping would've taken it up another level. Overall, glad I tried it. Half the fun of these food events is randomly discovering stuff you normally wouldn't eat anyway. I'd probably check out their Torrance brick-and-mortar location sometime and give them another shot.

I normally don't eat sweets, but the chocolate chips cookies from this place is better than I…read moreexpected. I like that it's soft; it tastes rich but not over sweet. It was perfect with a cup of espresso as an afternoon snacks.

There are no words to describe this bakery. I have been a serious foodie but this bakery literally…read moretakes the cake. When you say decadence - this is simply the epitome of that. Every bite is a perfect bite. I ordered my christmas gifts here to ship to my family and friends all over the US and it did not disapp

Will forever by a regular customer! I have been coming to this cafe since they first opened over 9…read moreyears ago, owner is the sweetest man ever and had great passion in making his drinks, treats and customers happy! Always has welcoming energy and always a positive vibe

Stopped by for some boba because we were in the area. Got two Taro smoothie with boba. Forgot to…read moretell them 50% sweet but it wasn't too sweet when we got them. I really can't stand boba, when it is too sweet. The worker was really friendly so shout out to the worker! I would definitely recommend this place for your boba needs.

Tried the shrimp Alfredo pasta, and I paid for extra chicken. Not happy with the dish. They just…read moreadded a few little small pieces of chicken almost nothing. And wasn't happy with the Alfredo sauce. It was ok. I might try another one of their dishes someday.

Eat this or DIE!!! Die of regret said Erik, JK! Erik at Unico basically said this Tokyo Mentai…read moreSando is crazy good that you will now crave it and I do after 3 days. That salty umami flavor bomb is what I miss and my 2 sons demand to return asap. Remember it's only on the lunch special menu during the week. That simple looking sando was my gateway to the unique fusion of Japanese & Italian pastas and it was incredible. You must love spaghetti noodles and UNICO knows how to handle pasta to sauce ratio. I have eaten at other Japanese Pasta spots and Unico is levels better. Which pasta did we devour? Uni pasta with shrimp top fav, one kid ate the curry bolognese filled with ground beef and veggies, Mentai pasta was a bit tangy and you can't go wrong a chicken Alfredo. If Erik is working that day, you will have the best service. The ambiance is spacious with lots of natural light and seating. Lots of free parking!

Ice Cream 5/5 Yum!!! I had their matcha/hojica soft serve…read moreand loved every part of it. Tea Master in Little Tokyo still wins my heart when it comes to matcha ice cream since theirs is really creamy. However, this is one of the best hojicha soft serves out there. Service 5/5 Standard, nothing special. Ambiance 4/5 Located inside Mitsuwa. Busy grocery store with lots of seating in the food court.

Yamari is a matcha shop located inside the Mitsuwa food court in Del Amo Mall. There is a new 2nd…read moreYamari location at the Mitsuwa food court in Cypress. Yamari specializes in Uji matcha straight from Kyoto. [Parking]: The parking lot for Mitsuwa can get busy during the weekend, but it is not impossible to find an open spot. [Ordering]: There was no long waiting line and I was able to get my order within 5 minutes after placing an order at the counter. [Menu]: Yelp's top highlighted items are Iced Matcha Lattes, Strong Uji Matcha Green Tea (sweetened), and Stone Ground Uji Matcha (contains no sugar or milk). They offer small, medium, and large sizes for their drinks. In addition, they also sell hojicha drinks as well as parfaits and soft-serve ice cream. *** Strong Uji matcha green tea (sweetened - small $4.50): The matcha flavor was strong alright. The drink did hit the spot and the sweetness level was about right. Mixed Soft Serve (half matcha and half hojicha - $6.75): Ice cream had a strong matcha flavor, but the texture didn't hit the spot. It would be nicer if the flavor was slightly less dense as this ice cream really made me want to drink more water afterward. The milk chocolate was a nice add-on, but I am not sure if it was really needed. *** I would stick with their drinks and there are better soft-serve matcha ice creams in Los Angeles (e.g. Meccha Matcha in Artesia or Tea Master Matcha Cafe & Green Tea Shop in Little Tokyo).

Okrumong is consistently my stop for bingsu after having lunch next door at Jang Su Jang…read more We usually either get the black sesame or oreo bingsu (snowball). Sometimes we add extra rice balls, but I appreciate that the toppings are also mixed into the snow and not just placed like a cherry on top of a sundae. I haven't tried any of the other desserts, but they do have some tasty looking treats on the counter and in the display case.

I really want to like this place but the price and size proportions force to feel like this is…read moreincredibly overpriced and not ok. THE GOOD: There are tons of options here and the flavors are great. They stay traditional to Korean bingsoo while also having items that aren't. I love how everything tastes and it's great quality! THE BAD: The size of one bingsoo is literally smaller than my hand and costs ~$20 with a side of mochi. The mochi is also tiny and dinky little guys. $20 for a bingsoo that is smaller than rhe size of my hand is just diabolical, im sorry but this is so overpriced and ridiculous. It's shaved milk I've and some red bean paste for christ sake it can't be that expensive to buy. The best advice i would give is to just make these darn proportions larger because what the heck am I paying $20 for a tiny bowl of ice. Absolutely ludicrous and greedy, you should know better.

I have just tried the Holiday Crystal Sweets Gift Box from Misaky Tokyo !!…read more I can't believe they are really "edible"? They are so delicate & gorgeous! They really look like "crystal". They are perfect holiday gifts, totally one of the kinds. These sweet treats will definitely put a smile on your face! They are vegan & gluten-free. I love their packaging, so stylish and I don't even need wrapping paper for this gift!

I saw this business online at first, and while I thought the candy was beautiful, the price was…read morecompletely out of my price range; it never occurred to me to place an order. Then the owner was at the Japanese garden for December Nights so I could see how nice the candy looks in person, she was offering a discount... and I placed an order. In recent years it feels like everyone I know has been placed on one special medical diet or another. It's so hard these days to find pre-prepared food that multiple people can enjoy, and when I do it usually isn't particularly impressive. These candies are dairy free, gluten free, sodium free, low in sugar, and beautifully packaged in a way that feels like you're really getting something special. The taste of these is mildly sweet and mildly flavored. The texture is the best part, with soft centers, firm exteriors, and fun crunchy "rock" bits: great contrasts. I'm not a big fan of Japanese sweets, but if you are, these are a prime example. But honestly? Mostly I'm grateful for having a special food to share with my loved ones.

Churros, coffee, breakfast burritos, sundae, avocado toast, horchata lattes, marzipan latte…read more Came here to sooth my sweet tooth! Classic Churros and ice cream for me. 3 whole churros. All was good. Parking is a challenge and is mostly street parking. They were open until 10pm on a Saturday which is a plus! Overall good food and good value.

Coffee was AMAZING, I ordered two mazapan lattes. But don't…read morecome here thinking you will get good customer service. We understand places get busy with little staff but the cashier/barista yelled at both my boyfriend and her co worker. When I ordered there was four seperate customers behind me which we all ordered similar items as me. We thought she called our order first which was a misunderstanding on our part the barista then yelled at her co worker saying "it's not his" "i said it's not his" then when my boyfriend backs up she yells "it's not yours!" It was a simple mistake but did not mean she could yell at her co worker and a paying customer. Like I said we understand first hand being understaffed since my boyfriend and I work in the hospitality/food business. But the barista was just wiping the counter while she had 4 drinks without lids then it took her even longer to take our order plus 2 other customers orders came out when we all ordered similar items (just beverages.)

This super casual Thai spot is a fantastic gem for satisfying classic comfort food cravings…read more The boat noodles delivered a rich, flavorful broth. My friend shared some of her Khao Soi with me and it was equally comforting with its deeply savory curry taste. We finished the meal with some mango sticky rice and it was a lovely sweet touch! The ripe mango and sweet coconut rice were delicious, even if a quick sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top would have made it perfection.

Geezus - 12/10. For some reason it had been a few years since we had been here but my gosh - where…read morehave we been??!! Ba Mee Haeng Duck porridge Yellow curry with chicken Pork stew Mango sticky rice