L.A.

was very fun. Better than what I had expected (then again, last time I went I was 8 and don't remember seeing anything since I pretty much slept through the whole trip)

I hearted:

- the giant Asian supermarket in Koreatown. Was amazing. They carry every snack I loved as a child. Went on a mini snack binge with Jenn and had a hotel room picnic. Just like the old boarding school days :d

- Spago: The food was simply amazing. $80 for a 3 hr trip to culinary heaven. I was never convinced that Americans can produce Michellin star level food... until dinner at Wolfgang Puck's fabled restaurant.
Started with a sumptuous v. strong, v. creamy and chocolatey chocolate martini (which I sipped a few times over dinner, with the aid of J & J as am ridiculously lightweight drinker);
then had foie gras done in four styles - pan fried, puree mousse, terrine and served with balsamic, jams and fruity preserves like fig and apricot. Was the creamiest I've ever had in my entire life, and the sweet and sourness of the jam spiked the flavour by miles.
Entree was a rack of veal in mushroom sauce with lemon polenta. Am not usually a fan of veal, but this was the best I've had in my life. Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Simply perfect. Polenta also far exceeded my expectations. It was so smooth, so creamy, lumpless and lemony.
Last was dessert that was a napoleon, topped with creme brulee and layered with berries. I would never be able to have a napoleon pastry without remembering this again. The caramel on top was nanometer thin yet oh-so-crispy. This is going down onto my lifetime best desserts list...
We also got to take a pic with Puck himself. He was making rounds in the restaurants, greeting customers and signing autographs. Was wicked to meet a celeb chef with flair and substance.

- Dok buk gi (spicy Korean rice cake dish)at the Korean Galeria mall food court: huge plate of garlicy / kimchee yumminess ... Jenn said it rocked compared to East Coast restaurants' versions.

And and and and and...

spotted Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon strolling with their son(?) at Santa Monica on Ocean Av.!! Being all teenybopper like, I got hyper excited. And apparently I have a facial expression coordination problem cos Jenn thought I was getting really scared or something. Anyhow, Tim Robbins was super tall... like 6'5" if not more. Did not know that. Susan was all covered up casual-Hollywood-star-in-public like, with baseball hat and sunglasses.

Also spotted star-wannabe Nicole Richie (daughter of Lionel Richie and Paris Hilton's sidekick on The Simple Life) when lunching at Fred Segal. Would not have known who she was if Jenn didn't tell me. Said starlette was carrying a tiny palm-sized pup that looked something like a miniature fox with beige fur like a Persian cat's. The pup was much, much, much cuter than its owner, who couldn't quite pull off boho hippy chic. I've decided that it's criminal for starlettes to be seen in public sans makeup... this girl was fugly by Hollywood standards.


I did not heart:

- lunching at Fred Segal: the place reeked of money so bad. Almost all the women were blonde, skinny, beautiful, and dressed in Barbiesque day-glow attire that should not be seen on real people. That or see through hippy-chic tops paired with day-glow bras. Mwah-mwah fake air-kisses all over the place *shivers*. $$$ without subtlety / edgy cool / elegance / good taste is bad bad bad.

- Lines of screaming / running / poking children at Disney

- The closing of the Space Mountain rollercoaster til '05: I so very wanted to revisit my first coaster ride, after which I puked, aged 6.

- In 'n' Out burger. OK it's better than all chain burgers put together, but compared to Mr. Bartley's in Harvard Sq it's still "eh". The Dutch still do better fries.