Andrew G.
Yelp
Man, the feeling of a last-minute invite to a beloved, new-to-me mom n pop eatery in the SGV...
On a late summer Sunday, where the pollution hung in the air and gave the purple light of sunset a presence that evoked an Ed Ruscha text painting gradient background. In me, at least, but what you gonna do, I'm hungry, feel me?
FFT has the kind of textures and ambience only some can appreciate: green-tinged fluorescent overheads, pink walls, and then a very warm tungsten bulb in the bathroom hallway. The kitchen lighting is straight out of a Greg Girard photograph and there is a huge printed photo menu on the far wall.
It turned out that the night we went, they were short staffed (does this happen often, FFT?) so only certain dishes were available. And tradtional Omurice was not, something about the demi-glace.
So we pivoted a little. The Omurice w/ Curry + Katsu was delish. Great texture on the egg, curry gray having a homemade mouthfeel and flavor. Miso Eggplant was nice too. I could have used some steamed rice to offset the saltiness but we were very hungry at this point so it went right down. As did two cold Sapporo drafts.
I grew up in Torrance until I was 10 years old, and there was something familiar about the faces I saw at the three or four tables eating around us, a suburban energy different from who I am and where I live now but still part of my identity.
Will be back to try more dishes.