Today I ate a mindboggling salted jellyfish salad at Highway 4 in Hanoi. The jellyfish was nothing like anything I’d ever had in the States – usually jellyfish is yellow, not clear white with spots, and its consistency is kind of chewy-crunchy. The salted jellyfish I had today was lighter in its crunchiness without the chewiness, and the herb salad and marinade had a sweet, savory and sour mix of familiar, perfectly executed Viet flavors.

This was the best salad I’ve ever had.

A few photos and videos from my new favorite restaurant Toranoko:

Aburiya Toranoko
243 South San Pedro St. 
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-621-9500
ToranokoLA.com
@ToranokoLA

People often ask where we like to eat and drink (the latter is for Jason, anyway), so I thought it'd be fun to make a map of a few of our favorite places.

View LA Eating & Drinking in a larger map

Galbi at Hodori. At a time when restaurants are scaling back their entree sizes, Hodori doles out more meat than I expected. Yay!

I've already had six oysters. Now onto spiny lobster.

Porkfolio: proscuitto san daniele, speck, lardo; salumi: toscano, finocchiona, salame cotto. 12
Heirloom tomatoes, plums, wild arugula, rustic bread. 9
Pickled apples. 3
Cheese plate: Brunet, creamy soft rind goat cheese; Monte Enebro, bloomy ashed rind goat cheese; Roaring 40's Blue, creamy blue cow cheese. 12

Devil's gulch rabbit, haricot vert et bulgar. 17
Scallops, roasted fennel + figs. 12
Dry aged beef, potato confit + tomato. 19
Santa Paula chicken breast, forbidden rice + glazed turnips. 17

Trenel Fleurie Clos des Moriers 2005 - Beaujolais. 41

palatefoodwine.com