Natalie Peruvian Seafood Restaurant: Top Your Lomo Saltado with an Egg, Good Seafood Options

My friends and I wanted a seafood-oriented joint that wouldn't break the bank so we ventured to Natalie Peruvian Seafood located in a small, nondescript mini-mall in Hollywood. Let's just say this is our new go-to place and Mario's Peruvian's got nothin' on Natalie. The seafood was fresh, the meat was tender and the spicy green aji sauce enhanced all the dishes nicely. My personal fave is always the lomo saltado, except I had it with two over-easy eggs on top (called lomo montado especial). Seriously, what's not to like? Look at that beauty up top. The meat wasn't tough as in some cheaper spots (actually, even some fine dining restos like Mochica served tough meat -- what's their excuse?) and the generous portions of fries, tomatoes and onions were well mixed together and not too oily. 

We shared a bunch of plates including a mixed seafood in a cream lobster sauce with a giant potato on the side; fried whole fish with stir fried onions, tomatoes and shrimp fried rice (chaufa - Peruvian-Chinese food). The mixed seafood dish that included squid, mussels and shrimp was fresh and the sauce was not too heavy with just a hint of spice -- just wish it could have been a bit spicier as advertised (as well as the missing octopus from the mix). All in all, nothing that the aji sauce couldn't fix. The potato on the side would have been a good counterpoint to the spice but it ended up being just a garden-variety carb accompaniment to the protein. 

The fried whole fish was good in some parts but other parts of the fish tasted a bit like lead, much like Tilapia does sometimes. Not sure if it's a freshness issue but there were definitely parts that didn't have that taste. This dish came with steamed rice although we had a heaping plate of shrimp fried rice so barely touched the white rice.

The shrimp in the fried rice wasn't as fresh as the other seafood we had there and there were many but the rice itself was good -- not too oily or salty as in most fried rice dishes and well incorporated.

We got full from the get-go from muching on bread doused in that aji sauce before our meal came out.

I'd definitely return to try other Peruvian classics like ceviche featuring giant Peruvian corn kernels, papa a la Huancaina with all sorts of funky sauces over potatoes, and of course, the alfajor, aka crack. The description on the menu, "Peruvian shortbread cookie," doesn't even begin to do it justice. It's true that I'm mostly a fan of Chilean or Argentine alfajor but hey, as long as it's dulce de leche (or manjar, as it's called in Chile) sandwiched in a cookie, I'm going to guess I'll take to the Peruvian version just fine.

Check out my reviews of other Peruvian restos in Cali and of this fancier one in Marina del Rey. What about the venerable Pollo a La Brasa, you ask? Lovely people but not my cup of tea...

Mud Haven Tavern: Blandness is its Biggest Enemy, Has Good Service

I wasn't a fan of Street by Susan Feniger, which housed the former Mud Haven Tavern space. The chef is the same with more of a gastropub focus and once again, it disappointed. The burger that had gotten some rave reviews on message boards was the biggest culprit but overall, my biggest beef with her cooking is the same as it was before -- it's downright bland.

Let's start with the burger, which I always deconstruct only because I love them so much. The brioche bun was fine and held up to the patty and the works. The patty. Oh the patty. First it was overcooked but the second time around it was cooked medium rare as I had requested. The patty was oversalted and paired with the aioli smothered on top, it was sodium overload. I could barely taste the grass-fed beef and appreciate the texture. The works included tomatoes, lettuce and aged cheddar that I could hardly taste because of the overpowering salt and the over-vinegared pickles. The "homemade" pickles had been pickled in way too much vinegar and the reason I usually like homemade as opposed to commercially bought is precisely this vinegar and salt content they pour in the commercial ones. But alas, these homemade ones tasted almost as sour as ones off the shelf.

Don't get me started on the fries. First time around, they were so burnt they tasted bitter. They weren't crispy either and the dipping sauce that was supposed to be spicy didn't have any heat. The second time around, the fries were still a bit over-fried although not burnt and certainly not crispy. I longed for the twice-or-thrice-fried-in-duck-fat kind of fries from the bistros in New York. It wasn't to be.

The maple whiskey barbecue brisket sounded so promising and while my companion liked it, I wasn't impressed and found it far too bland. I couldn't taste the maple and it had a horseradish-like sauce that didn't add to much. The au gratin potatoes on the side came out cold although nice and browned on the outside. The cumin potatoes didn't have a hint of cumin in them. Bland, bland, bland.

We got a blood orange salad in a pomegranate dressing as a starter to balance out the meatiness but it, too, was a downer. The blood oranges were sweet and juicy enough but the greens were overdressed and dripping in the dressing and the accompanying bread with goat cheese and pomegranate sprinkled on top looked pretty but didn't work for me. I didn't think the combination of those ingredients in the salad worked too well.

The green eggs and ham were deviled eggs topped with a semi-spicy salsa and bacon bits. I like it when whatever addition like curry or salsa is incorporated into the yolk and made creamier but it wasn't a bad appetizer. The bacon was solid. The green salsa had some green chiles and cilantro for sure.

The lemon meringue custard was interesting but not to my liking. Again, this could be a matter of taste since my companion loved the mixture of textures and flavors. It was like a tiered cake with the bottom being meringue followed by a layer of lemon custard and this concoction is then sprinkled (more like poured on) with some brown sugar and fresh raspberries. Too sweet for my taste and I found the meringue too chewy.

Sabor y Cultura in Hollywood: Bland Breakfast Sandwich, Average Coffee and Very Slow Service

I really wanted to like the eclectic cafe, Sabor y Cultura in Hollywood, not least because I like supporting non-chains and also learned it is run by a Korean mother daughter duo. However, the slow service and mediocre coffee and food made it difficult to do so. I will have to return someday but the interior smelled bad and my soy latte was nothing special. The breakfast panini with ham, cheese and scrambled eggs was over 20 minutes late and very bland. They had forgotten about it and I had to ask about it to get it made. I only got an apology - nothing to make up for the wait. I had to douse the sandwich with hot sauce to add any flavor to it. It's a cute little non-chain cafe, which I liked, but it must have been on its off-day. I was sorely disappointed.