Eating in LA...

I've been promising a few friends a list of my favourite spots to eat in LA, so I thought rather than enclosing it in top secret individual emails, I'd sit down on this warm Sunday morning and deliver the long overdue list here... Just in case anybody happens to stumble across my blog in their travels!

Hollywood Area:

Coffee plus Food (5630 Melrose Avenue) - This is one of my favourite spots to sit quietly, write in my journal and eat delicious food. I'm pretty sure I ate the same thing everytime I went there - a warm vegan (lentil and bean) patty with avocado salsa and a side of their shredded kale salad. The corn fritters are amazing too...and their house-made granola. Oh, and if you're home sick, they have VEGEMITE! This is definitely the spot to go if you're longing to hear an Australian accent, whilst munching on a piece of toast, smothered in that iconic, salty spread. Their coffee is also really good (compared to the other sub-standard hot beverages you're bound to find on every other corner in LA).

Larchmont Bungalow (107 N Larchmont Blvd) - Two words: Iced coffee. One of the best. A pleasant spot to sit outside and people-watch too...I didn't spend much time exploring the menu, but I've heard that their pancakes and french toast are outrageously good.

Lemonade (There's a few of these around LA, but the two I went to regularly are at 626 N Larchmont Blvd, Mid-Wilshire and 1661 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice): If you want healthy, fresh food when you're on the go, this is the place to hit up. It's set up kind of like a canteen, where you can mix and match gourmet salads (think raw beetroot; lentils; roast carrot, sesame seed and nori; shredded cabbage and kale etc.) with home-style hot dishes, rice and various proteins (the roast salmon is amazing). Also, just once, try their home-made lemonade. Thank me later...

Joan's On Third (8350 West 3rd St) - I became slightly obsessed with Joan's after an LA friend strongly recommended I go there one morning. Between seeing Javier Bardem walk through the door (at least, I think it was him) and me taking the first mouthful of my Southwest salad, I was very quickly roped in to the Joan's culture. I literally ended up there four days in a row within my first week in Hollywood. It's a bustling cafe/deli/gourmet grocer with seriously good food (go for an egg white omelette and grapefruit juice at breakfast or a crusty baguette apres-midi) and lots of interesting people to watch. You can also pick up essentials like an Ottolenghi cookbook (*drooling), a fresh loaf of bread, home-made ravioli, quality oils, vinegars, artisan chocolate and a bottle of prosecco (you'll need it after eavesdropping on some obnoxious 'Hollywood-esque' conversations, trust me).

Food Plus Lab (7253 Santa Monica Blvd) - Go for the chicken and rocket salad with mandarin segments and candied pecans...and the iced tea (think white tea with pomegranate or chilled earl grey with lavender). The vegan sandwich with grilled vegetables and pesto is also really good.

Cafe Gratitude (639 N Larchmont Blvd, Mid-Wilshire or 512 Rose Avenue, Venice) - This is where you go when you want to sit amongst fascinating people and eat delicious (albeit a bit wanky) vegan, raw, gluten-free food. I'm not the first to say it, but Cafe Gratitude certainly knows how to make vegetables interesting, though you can't help but chuckle at how funny the whole culture of the cafe is when reading their menu. The dishes are named things like "I am happy" "I am nourished" "I am alive"...how on earth the kitchen handles dockets like that is beyond me. I had a green juice (only for the brave) and this amazing sun-dried tomato/flax wrap with 'live' falafels and raw vegetables. Definitely worth visiting...I'm still dreaming about their vegan pancakes. 

Venice:

Gjelina (1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd) - I'm really not sure where to start with Gjelina (pron. jew-leen-ah as far as I'm concerned). This is the BEST food I ate in the US. It's simple, seasonal and wholesome food done exceptionally well. It is essential that you try the wood-fired pizza (even if it's just a slice of someone else's), the grilled asparagus with romesco, tuscan kale salad and the slow-cooked lamb if you're there for dinner. Just EAT IT ALL (and make sure you book, unless you're having an early dinner). If you don't want to wait for a table, go next door to their hole-in-the-wall pizza joint 'GTA', eat your pizza (or salad) on a milk crate and enjoy watching the crazies walk past, high as kites (them, not you, of course)...

TOMS (1344 Abbot Kinney Blvd) - Sooo, I may or may not be directing you to a cafe that just happens to shell shoes in the same space that it serves coffee and delicious, spicy chai lattes in large, hipster-ish glass jars. That being said, buying a pair of TOMS shoes (or sunglasses) means you're supporting an amazing cause through their One For One program. You buy a pair, a child in need somewhere in the world gets a pair of kicks (or a sight-saving operation on their eyes) too - simple, no? Makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Comfy couches covered in cushions (wow, that was too much alliteration), an open-air courtyard and free WiFi makes this a perfect spot to sit and wile your afternoons away...Eat a gluten-free cookie as large as your head.

3 Square Cafe + Bakery (1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd) - Full of sun in the mornings for a late breakfast (the omelette specials are always good) or early lunch. Eat the Mediterranean salad (grilled chicken skewers with hummus, crusty bread and a massive pile of witlof with tangy dressing) and admire the attractive waiters...

Honourable mentions in five words or less (i.e can't be bothered writing any more):

Forage (3823 W Sunset Blvd, Silverlake) - Colombian iced coffee; quiche; kale.

Whole Foods (You'll find one within a 5km radius of wherever you are) - DIY ORGANIC SALAD BAR. AMAZING.

Intelligentsia (3922 W Sunset Blvd, Silverlake) (Literally across the road from Forage) or (1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd) - Coffeeeeee. Good looking baristas in hats.

Magnolia Bakery (W 3rd St, Hollywood...just down the road from Joan's) - Coconut cake with meringue frosting. I have memories of it so fond I could cry.

I could go on forever, but I'm going to stop before my eyes go square and my neck-ache becomes unbearable. Probably should've picked a better place than the floor to type this out... 

P.S If you see a food truck on Abbot Kinney Blvd that has Korean/Mexican food - EAT IT. The tacos I mean, don't eat the truck...It's there most weekend evenings, as far as I know and the vegetarian tacos with some kind of sriracha sauce are stupidly good. I've heard the pulled pork goes down a treat too, if you're into that kind of thing.

xx

ELB 

LA Numero 4

I'm so tired, I don't think I can form a proper sentence right now, so I'm going to say a few short words about the pictures above...

SO. MUCH. DELICIOUSNESS.

(I literally feel like all I do is sleep, drive, write, eat, take pictures of what I eat and watch Sex & The City over here...and the scary thing is, I'm not completely displeased about that.) 

Thanks to a few speedy lunch recommendations via Instagram the other day, I was able to switch on the trusty ol' GPS, hop on my noble steed (a zippy white Yaris) and drive 10 minutes down the road to Joan's On Third (West Hollywood) - a bustling, white-tiled cafe/gourmet grocer with many waiters of the male species. Dee-light. Every time I walk through the double doors, I'm instantly transported to what feels like a lovechild of my favourite haunts in Sydney (i.e youeni foodstore, Bread & Circus, The Grounds of Alexandria and ham). The salads are fresh, packed with flavour and healthy, therefore I've come to the conclusion that I've found my "spot" for the next month in LA. (Though I'm told that I'll change territories once I visit Cafe Gratitude later on this week...we'll see.)

Amidst my immense excitement over Joan's, I happened to conveniently spot a Benefit Cosmetics store across the road (where I willingly let an overly rosy-cheeked woman apply many 'necessary' products to my visage), several vintage boutiques, and last but not least, the famed Magnolia Bakery...I couldn't resist a giant, lemon syrup-drenched, coconut-filled, meringue-frosted slice of cake. Sorry gluten-intolerance, I really am (no I'm not).

P.S I'm so in love with my furry Timberland's - they kept my feet so toasty on a couple of freezing days here, though now it's so bloody hot, I'm wondering why I didn't pack more t-shirts...Whassup with LA weather, you guys?

P.P.S Apparently there were a few minor earthquakes in California over the last 48 hours? I was neither shaken, nor stirred. (But I'll still take a 007 on the rocks any day...oh my goodness, did I just type that? Just kidding Nanna!)

P.P.P.S Can't. Stop. Won't. Stop. Drinking. Soy. Iced. Coffee

P.P.P.P.S I refuse to take standard tourist-y pictures of touristy shiz because a) I hate crowds and b) touristy things are usually overrated anyway...

P.P.P.P.P.S I may cave on that last one, if I become enamored by the sight of the HOLLYWOOD sign.

xx ELB

LA Day One.

You know you're delirious when a bag of baked snacks gets you excited about life.

Well well well, here I am in the big smoke - Los Angeles: The city of broken dreams. It's 2129 (I have to use 24 hour time or else, in amongst my jet lag/migraine hangover I will get extremely confused) and Hollywood Blvd is still abuzz with activity. I know this because I'm residing directly behind it for the next month in a little studio filled with all white furniture, a random orange elephant on the desk, a large gold foot stool shaped like a head (also quite random) and a mink throw on the bed (just to spice things up a bit). Apartment number 5 - all part of a charming block of flats owned by a super friendly guy with all the classic symptoms of anal retentiveness. (He had a check list of EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING in the apartment and insisted on me signing off on each item...including the knives and forks). Bless.

Beside me I have a half-devoured pack of Goldfish crackers, which were a cheeky treat in amongst the $150 worth of groceries I just unloaded into my tiny kitchen. Uh oh, here were go, don't get me started on the supermarket...I can't believe how cheap organic produce is here...and how they're allowed so many magical super strength painkillers on the shelf...and how many types of yoghurt they have. It's amazing! I could go on for days about the wonders I found in my local Ralph's, but I'll just let you in one bit at a time.

In amongst all the vegetables I bought, I also snuck in a cheeky box of corn pops too (my childhood dreams were shattered when they stopped shipping them to Australia...). Can't wait to get into those bad boys in the morning. (Mum, if you're reading this, don't freak out - I'm not going on some kind of sugar/wheat/salt binge).

2200: I'm going to eat a cucumber, drink my body's weight in Aqua Panna, take a bath and go to bed. Best to get straight on LA time, methinks. Tomorrow I brave the drive to Santa Monica for my first song writing session...Wish me luck!

P.S Wolfgang Puck has his own brand of pasta sauce here. Of course I bought it.

P.P.S I was tripping out big time as I drove myself from LAX to the apartment this afternoon, on the wrong side of the road, in the wrong side of a car...Not gonna lie, I had a few heart attack moments whilst turning corners.

xx ELB

Edible.

A few weeks ago I snuck into my sister's bedroom, rummaged through her shelves and found a book to cuddle up with on a particularly grey day. Countless glistening pastries, succulent pieces of meat, cute bearded men in aprons, one quirky roof-top garden and a caravan of mexican-y goodness later, and I was completely and utterly in love (and also very hungry). Edible Selby is one of, if not THE single most delicious book I have ever read. If you're stuck on a Christmas gift for a food-lover/photography-lover/just-about-any-kind-of-lover, may I suggest this beautiful compilation of pictures and stories by Todd Selby. Just try not to read it on an empty stomach, or if you suffer from acute wanderlust (guilty on both counts) or it's goodness may hurt a little.

E

x

All images are excerpts from Edible Selby.

You can beat an egg but you can't beat a root.

A root vegetable, that is. Gosh.

Minds out of the gutter please...

I am one of those pain-in-the-arse people who always posts food on instagram, but instead of apologising for it (I'm not sorry I make people hungry a lot more often than they possibly should be), I like to exacerbate the "problem" by posting recipes every now and again. 

Today I made a delicious, healthy silverbeet and sweet potato pie. I looks a little shabby but it tasted ahmazing.

Ingredients:

1-2 sheets PUFF PASTRY (I used gluten-free...hence the dodgy patching job half-way across the pie) (also depends on the size of your dish, so best of luck trying to figure out the logistics. Hah!)

1 bunch SILVERBEET, shredded (include a bit of stalk in there too, just for it's healthy goodness)

1 ONION, finely sliced

2 cloves GARLIC, crushed

1 cup low-fat RICOTTA

0.5 of a SWEET POTATO, sliced thinly

4TBSP PINE NUTS

Fresh ROSEMARY, SAGE, MINT, diced finely (roughly 1tbsp) (you can really use any herbs)

S&P

OLIVE OIL

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Layer sweet potato around the base of your dish. Place in the oven to begin cooking process.

Meanwhile, sautee onion + garlic + herbs in a little olive oil.

Add silverbeet and sweat down until soft and wilted.

Stir through pinenuts + ricotta.

Season with S&P

-

Remove pie dish from the oven and rest on a heat-proof mat.

Spread silverbeet mixture over the sweet-potato evenly.

Cover with puff pastry and brush the top with a little melted butter or milk.

Bake until pastry is golden...(I'd be lying if I knew how long this bit takes, as I wasn't watching a clock)

Enjoy!

x

E

An Ode.

To the tiny street corners and the holes-in-the-walls,

To the providers of meals that make my heart pause,

To the canteens of quirk and of produce so fresh,

To the chefs that contribute new pounds to my flesh,

You bring about magic when you open your doors,

You're like family - I love you - even with all of your flaws.

You give smiles, no judgement and keep secrets of mine,

For a tea, chat and tart, you always have time.

Penniless or not, in my life ye shall stay,

My singular addiction, the humble cafe.

Yes folks, instead of doing what I should be doing (writing smash hit songs), I instead decided to (rather ridiculously) write an ode (yes an ode) (though not in proper iambic meter) to my favourite haunts. It has just become crystal clear that my love of sitting in cafes and indulging myself is probably not normal...

In my defence though, they all genuinely play host to top notch food, passionate owners and good musical vibes (tres important). To me, each spot deserves nothing short of a glowing review (particularly around the time of the day that breakfast is required - Helloo scrambled eggs). All special for different reasons...I suppose you'll just have to try them to see for yourself!

Images: 1,3&6: youeni foodstore (Like an old friend...I might only see them once every few months, but when I do, boy oh boy it's good)  2: HAM - Harry & Mario (My daily) 4: Bread And Circus Wholefoods Canteen (My weekend fling) 5: Alley Break (My new friend. I know I like 'him' but we're still trying to suss each other out properly...)

x

E

Sunday Muffins.

300GRAMS STRAWBERRIES, chopped (or any other berry of your choice)

2.5 CUPS SR-FLOUR, sifted

0.75 CUP SUGAR

0.25 CUP Shredded COCONUT

1 CUP Natural YOGHURT

2 TBSP COCONUT OIL

2 EGGS, free-range

0.5 CUP MILK

Medium bowl: Flour + sugar + coconut

Small bowl: Yoghurt + oil + eggs + milk

FOLD together dry and wet ingredients + chopped fruit

SCOOP into greased muffin tins 

BAKE for 25minutes at 180 Celsius

TIP: For a crunchy, golden top, mix a few tablespoons of brown sugar and crushed nuts such as pecans or macadamias in a small bowl then sprinkle over the muffin mixture before baking. Delicious!

x

E

Oh Happy Day.

I just discovered my new favourite .com.

Oh Happy Day! (even if the website were terrible, I'd still feel instantly smiley looking at that name) is a collection of delightful D.I.Y projects, recipes, lifestyle pictures (quirky parties and super duper CUTE kids) and inspiration boards that just make me feel, well...happy! Being the food enthusiast that I am, I'm particularly enthralled by their step-by-step guides on how to frost a cake properly. (Visit that link and come back......See, I told you! Amazing!)

Also, though not my favourite holiday, I now dream of making my children look like giant flower fields or clouds on halloween. Actually, let's not shroud the truth here, I dream of making myself look like a giant flower field or fluffy cloud on halloween. I refuse to conform to the cohort of girls my age that basically take any occupation they can find and turn it into something skanky completely distasteful (i.e nurse/policewoman/secretary/milk-maid/barely-clothed animal).

Plus, these lovely ladies do cool shit stuff like putting custom stickers on apples for their bubbas. Kitsch and probably slightly embarrassing for the boys to be whipping out of their school lunch boxes, but I'm in love with the idea. I want to do nerdy, mumsy stuff like that when I have kids!

 Click your way over to Oh Happy Day and tell me what your favourite post is!

x

E

Foggy Wednesday.

Catching planes has almost become a guilty pleasure for me. The quiet taxi ride to the airport, the purchase of several good magazines at the terminal newsagent, a severely overpriced vegetable juice and a four dollar bottle of water and finally, the sweet surrender of switching off my phone - guilt free - for a minimum of two hours whilst soaring forty thousand feet above the ground.

Today is no exception. Here I am, at the airport again waiting for my delayed flight to Melbourne...I've just been informed (not by the company, but by a chatty stranger) that it's been pushed back by another hour. Yay.

"No time to get a dress today and I've got no backup. Looks, like I'll have to go on stage naked" I say..."This sucks balls" says Gerard (my accompanist) (and quite frankly, he's right. It does.). I have to stifle my delirious laughter as he offers the followup statement of "I think it's about time to eat my second piece of corn." We are so not normal.

Anyway, I found the above dress whilst traipsing through Frankie magazine with my breakfast this morning (Courtesy of Bread and Circus Canteen in Alexandria) and I am in LOVE. Please make more dresses with pastries on them Caitlin Shearer. Perhaps I should commission her for my next red carpet event...what do you think?

With a smile,

x

Emma

P.S Oh, I almost forgot - Welcome! Hope you enjoy visiting my yummy little internet home. Prepare your eyes and ears for pages of jazzy tunes, classy frocks, deeelicious food and all round goodness. Time to step into Life With Birdsall...