Jeanine D.
Yelp
Idkwtf to say about this place fr fr.
Maybe come for the vibes, stay for the cookie... leave cuz of the food.
So lemme set the scene:
Ya girl was driving home after a Uber weird ass doctors appointment (39 is a clusterfck y'all- stay far away)
& wanted to pick up something tasty on the way.
slide thru Uber eats and seen this place had great reviews & was close
Say less. We on the way.
By "we" I mean.. my single ass.
Parking - classic LA--circle the block or double park like an asshole.
lucked out with a meter across the street, but then couldn't figure out where the entrance was.
The sidewalk's a bit chaotic.
Beautiful but also TF going on here?
Inside - Total wonderland. Art, plants for sale, high ceilings, and two floors of visual overload--in the best way. eclectic, whimsical, uber hippy dippy.
you a "woo woo" crystals, sage & affirmations type? this is 4 for u. lol
I had ordered through Uber Eats,
but I showed up early cuz my spidey sense said "they efficient af over here"
and yep, my food was ready when i walked in. Major points for that.
I ordered two dishes because it's a new restaurant and so basic gambling math would assume that at least one of them would be good
I ordered a teriyaki chicken bowl and a salmon Poké bowl.
Now, like most reasonable people ...
I hate cold food that's supposed to be hot .
And bcuz I had a 15-minute drive,
I busted that thang (by thang we mean teriyaki chicken) open in the car
#allPunsIntended
And mind you... they gave me chopsticks.
But it was LA traffic (Mid-Wilshire to South LA), so I had plenty of time to finesse during them tragically geriatric red lights.
S/0 to chopstick appropriate traffic.
Anywho....
Food looked great, but ....
they put the cold salad right next to the hot rice and chicken in the same to-go box.
The steam wrecked my salad. Annoying.
As for the teriyaki chicken:
Lord where do I start?
I guess you can say this chicken had me fck'ed up.
dry, overcooked, & kinda flavorless.
It gave "end of the day, get-rid-of-this-chicken before more fresh & better chicken" energy.
Super disappointing--especially since the reviews was going AWF about it.
The parts of my salad that were not soggy were tasty.
But hey, it was a "Buy One Get One Free" item, and sometimes that means you get what you pay for. Still, PROMO or not, quality should be consistent, yes? Yaassssss.
The salmon bowl?
Welp... My odds was off AF.
Just as bland but somehow worse.
Like a pink, flavorless purée with pretty plating.
Let me tell you about iceberg lettuce.
It is the devil.
The best part was the pickled radish. Seriously, outshined er'thang.
Now... the real MVP?
The butter cookie I impulsively bought from their interesting little bakery display before I shook
Hands down one of the best cookies I've ever had.
I was skeptical--American hippy bakery and authentic Japanese food?
I aint click for ya girl--but this cookie was a 10/10.
also tried a walnut apple cookie, which I hated but gave to my neighbor... and she loved it....
So, to each their own.
Overall: Super cute space, good vibes, but the food was a miraculous letdown.
I won't be back for a meal,
but I will swing through for that cookie--and nothing else.