Show 566, February 24, 2024: Bone Kettle in Pasadena with Partner Eric Tjahyadi Part One

Eric Tjahyad of Bone Kettle and Supa Coffee

Bone Kettle restaurant, a recognized neighborhood gem since 2017, is a Southeast Asian Kitchen and Bar located right in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Bone Kettle is a proudly family run and operated business by the Tjahyadi brothers (Chef Erwin and Eric) and their father (“Papa” & Chief Broth) Officer.)”

“Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, The Tjahyadi Family rarely found Southeast Asian businesses that succinctly spotlighted Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian and Singaporean food and flavors in an elegant and inspired way. From there, the idea of Bone Kettle was born.”

“The mission at Bone Kettle is to rethink what Southeast Asian cuisine is supposed to be. A reclaiming of the past and a reinterpretation of beloved dishes for the new generation.”

Think Bone Marrow, Clam & Donuts, Sticky Pork Ribs, Oxtail Dumplings, Nasi Goreng and 36-Hour Bone Broth. Bone Kettle is also known for their extensive Sake selection.

Bone Kettle is open for Dinner service daily from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Weekend Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A large, discounted Happy Hour menu is available from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. This is a busy place and Reservations are highly suggested.

Eric Tjahyadi joins us with a steaming bowl of the signature Bone Broth at the ready.

Show 566, February 24, 2024: Bone Kettle in Pasadena with Partner Eric Tjahyadi Part Two

Eric Tjahyad of Bone Kettle and Supa Coffee

Bone Kettle restaurant, a recognized neighborhood gem since 2017, is a Southeast Asian Kitchen and Bar located right in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Bone Kettle is a proudly family run and operated business by the Tjahyadi brothers (Chef Erwin and Eric) and their father (“Papa” & Chief Broth) Officer.)”

“Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, The Tjahyadi Family rarely found Southeast Asian businesses that succinctly spotlighted Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian and Singaporean food and flavors in an elegant and inspired way. From there, the idea of Bone Kettle was born.”

“The mission at Bone Kettle is to rethink what Southeast Asian cuisine is supposed to be. A reclaiming of the past and a reinterpretation of beloved dishes for the new generation.”

Think Bone Marrow, Clam & Donuts, Sticky Pork Ribs, Oxtail Dumplings, Nasi Goreng and 36-Hour Bone Broth. Bone Kettle is also known for their extensive Sake selection.

Bone Kettle is open for Dinner service daily from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Weekend Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. A large, discounted Happy Hour menu is available from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. This is a busy place and Reservations are highly suggested.

Eric Tjahyadi continues the conversation with a plate of Steak Tartare at the ready.

Show 565, February 17, 2024: Co-Proprietor & Executive Chef Macks Collins, Piccalilli, Culver City Part One

Macks Collins of Piccalilli

Piccalilli located on the busy corner of Culver Blvd. and Bagley Ave. in downtown Culver City is a cozy restaurant and bar (including a lush front patio) with shareable plates that take inspiration from Asia and the American South. The dinner menu is designed around local and seasonal ingredients with a focus on preservation, pickling, and freshness. The bar serves spirit forward pre-prohibition cocktails, local beer, and a small carefully selected wine list. The decor (artfully designed by Preen) has colors of lush green and purple, bright with open garage doors, centered around a beautiful U-shaped bar filled with local spirits.”

Think Thai Chicken Katsu with Jidori Chicken, Thai Bird Chili, Aromatics, Chicken Fat and Pineapple Achar, and, on the cocktail side, Bangtao Tea with Blue Ice Potato Vodka, Sweetened Thai Tea and Coconut Cream.

“Macks Collins is the Chef & Owner of restaurant Piccalilli in Culver City. A South Carolina native, Collins’ childhood dream of becoming a chef began after watching his idols, Martin Yan, Justin Wilson, and Julia Child cook on PBS. His professional career began when he stepped into a restaurant kitchen at age 16.”

Chef Macks Collins takes a break from his busy kitchen to join us with tongs in hand.

Show 565, February 17, 2024: Co-Proprietor & Executive Chef Macks Collins, Piccalilli, Culver City Part Two

Macks Collins of Piccalilli

Piccalilli located on the busy corner of Culver Blvd. and Bagley Ave. in downtown Culver City is a cozy restaurant and bar (including a lush front patio) with shareable plates that take inspiration from Asia and the American South. The dinner menu is designed around local and seasonal ingredients with a focus on preservation, pickling, and freshness. The bar serves spirit forward pre-prohibition cocktails, local beer, and a small carefully selected wine list. The decor (artfully designed by Preen) has colors of lush green and purple, bright with open garage doors, centered around a beautiful U-shaped bar filled with local spirits.”

Macks Collins is the Chef & Owner of restaurant Piccalilli in Culver City. A South Carolina native, Collins’ childhood dream of becoming a chef began after watching his idols, Martin Yan, Justin Wilson, and Julia Child cook on PBS. His professional career began when he stepped into a restaurant kitchen at age 16.”

Chef Macks Collins takes a 2nd break from his busy kitchen to continue with us.

Show 564, February 10, 2024: Pine & Crane in Downtown Los Angeles – A Profile

PINE & CRANE DTLA is a casual Taiwanese restaurant located artfully designed by Preen in the South Park neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. This location follows up their original, far more compact restaurant in Silver Lake “and aims, as ever, to bring their guests delicious Taiwanese fare in a comfortable, modern setting. They are passionate about what they do, and take pride in preparing their food using simple, fresh ingredients.” 

“In addition to familiar favorites from the Silver Lake location, DTLA features dishes specific to DTLA, still offering a variety of small plates, traditional cold appetizers, dumplings, noodles, and rice dishes. Along with an extensive tea menu, Pine & Crane also features beer, wine, unusual whiskies and specialty cocktails.”

Standout dishes are the Dan Dan Noodles with sesame-peanut sauce, cucumber and cilantro ; Beef Roll with 5-spice beef, hoisin, cucumber and cilantro; and Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken.

They are currently open every day, with all day service running from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Breakfast Hours are 8 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and Lunch & Dinner Hours are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Producer Andy Harris provides the salivating overview of Pine & Crane DTLA based on his recent dining experiences there. They really know hospitality and the staff is well-trained and helpful.

Show 537, August 5, 2023: Restaurateur Courtney Kaplan of OTOTO, Echo Park, Los Angeles Part One

Courtney Kaplan of Tsubaki and Otono

OTOTO in Echo Park is operated by the dynamic team of Courtney Kaplan and Chef Charles Namba (wife and husband) is Los Angeles’ premier sake bar, the little brother to Tsubaki located next door. It opens at 5:00 p.m. nightly and it’s walk-ins only.

“OTOTO, launched in 2019, offers 50 plus sakes by the glass with an enticing full menu of creative and classic Japanese dishes. A standout item is the Chicken Katsu Sando which is a fried chicken sandwich with snowy cabbage, pickled jalapenos, katsu sauce, kewpie and served on toasted milk bread.”

OTOTO was the recipient of The James Beard Foundation’s prestigious award for “Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program” presented in Chicago at Lyric Opera on June 5th. This is the first time the award has been extended to include “Other Beverages.” Quite an impressive honor for Los Angeles, California and Courtney Kaplan & Chef Charles Namba.

Sunday afternoons from 4 to 5:00 p.m. are educational Sake tastings. Also on offer is the OTOTO Sake Club of the month with the 3 seasonal selections each month personally curated by Courtney Kaplan.

Courtney Kaplan joins us to tell us a bit about sake and the guest experience at OTOTO.

Show 537, August 5, 2023: Restaurateur Courtney Kaplan of OTOTO, Echo Park, Los Angeles Part Two

Courtney Kaplan of Tsubaki and Otono

OTOTO in Echo Park is operated by the dynamic team of Courtney Kaplan and Chef Charles Namba (wife and husband) is Los Angeles’ premier sake bar, the little brother to Tsubaki located next door. It opens at 5:00 p.m. nightly and it’s walk-ins only.

“OTOTO, launched in 2019, offers 50 plus sakes by the glass with an enticing full menu of creative and classic Japanese dishes. A standout item is the Chicken Katsu Sando which is a fried chicken sandwich with snowy cabbage, pickled jalapenos, katsu sauce, kewpie and served on toasted milk bread.”

OTOTO was the recipient of The James Beard Foundation’s prestigious award for “Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program” presented in Chicago at Lyric Opera on June 5th. This is the first time the award has been extended to include “Other Beverages.” Quite an impressive honor for Los Angeles, California and Courtney Kaplan & Chef Charles Namba.

Sunday afternoons from 4 to 5:00 p.m. are educational Sake tastings. Also on offer is the OTOTO Sake Club of the month with the 3 seasonal selections each month personally curated by Courtney Kaplan.

Courtney Kaplan continues the conversation with us about sake and the guest experience at OTOTO.

Show 537, August 5, 2023: A-Sha Foods USA with President Young Chang Part One

Young Chang of A-SHA Foods

A-Sha Noodles is the cult-favorite imported noodle brand known for its patented, 100-year-old legacy noodle recipe from Tainan, Taiwan. All of A-Sha’s noodles are simply made with wheat, salt and water, and receive a unique 18-hour air-drying technique (never fried or frozen).” This is a big (and healthier) departure from the familiar instant noodles which are fried. A-Sha noodles are made with finely sifted and fiber-rich whole wheat flour resulting in each serving having at least 10g of plant-based protein.

“Founded by Young Chang in 2015, A-Sha Foods USA is an AAPI-owned brand that has quickly become the go-to for healthier, more nutritious instant noodles. A-Sha’s signature air-dried noodles originated from a small factory in Tainan, Taiwan that began producing noodles with a century-old recipe in 1977. Starting in just one market in California a decade ago, A-Sha Foods USA is now available at some of the most wide- reaching retailers, including Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, T&T, Sobey’s and H-Mart. A-Sha Foods USA has been featured as one of the top 100 fastest growing private companies recognized by Inc. Magazines‘s Inc 5000 list 2020, 2021 and 2022, and selected as one of the Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time for more than five consecutive years.”

In addition to their best-selling noodles, they’re also known for their buzzy noodle collaborations with iconic brands like Hello Kitty and David Chang‘s Momofuku, and limited-edition pop culture noodle sets. The NBA Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson is their Global Brand Ambassador. He discovered A-Sha Noodles in college as a healthful alternative to the ever-popular instant ramen. Since their introduction to the USA in 2015 A-Sha Noodles has aimed to consistently give back to their local communities by partnering with organizations throughout their local Los Angeles community and beyond.

A-Sha Noodles original product in the United States was the Vegan-friendly, Hakka Wide Noodles. They are air-dried (not fried) to seal in freshness, flavor and nutrients. They quickly reconstitute in boiling water.

Young Chang, A-Sha Foods USA’s President is our guest with a bowl of Hakka Wide Noodles in hand.

Show 537, August 5, 2023: A-Sha Foods USA with President Young Chang Part Two

Young Chang of A-SHA Foods

A-Sha Noodles is the cult-favorite imported noodle brand known for its patented, 100-year-old legacy noodle recipe from Tainan, Taiwan. All of A-Sha’s noodles are simply made with wheat, salt and water, and receive a unique 18-hour air-drying technique (never fried or frozen).” This is a big (and healthier) departure from the familiar instant noodles which are fried. A-Sha noodles are made with finely sifted and fiber-rich whole wheat flour resulting in each serving having at least 10g of plant-based protein.

“Founded by Young Chang in 2015, A-Sha Foods USA is an AAPI-owned brand that has quickly become the go-to for healthier, more nutritious instant noodles. A-Sha’s signature air-dried noodles originated from a small factory in Tainan, Taiwan that began producing noodles with a century-old recipe in 1977. Starting in just one market in California a decade ago, A-Sha Foods USA is now available at some of the most wide- reaching retailers, including Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Target, T&T, Sobey’s and H-Mart. A-Sha Foods USA has been featured as one of the top 100 fastest growing private companies recognized by Inc. Magazines‘s Inc 5000 list 2020, 2021 and 2022, and selected as one of the Top Ten Taiwanese Instant Noodles Of All Time for more than five consecutive years.”

In addition to their best-selling noodles, they’re also known for their buzzy noodle collaborations with iconic brands like Hello Kitty and David Chang‘s Momofuku, and limited-edition pop culture noodle sets. The NBA Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson is their Global Brand Ambassador. He discovered A-Sha Noodles in college as a healthful alternative to the ever-popular instant ramen. Since their introduction to the USA in 2015 A-Sha Noodles has aimed to consistently give back to their local communities by partnering with organizations throughout their local Los Angeles community and beyond.

A-Sha Noodles original product in the United States was the Vegan-friendly, Hakka Wide Noodles. They are air-dried (not fried) to seal in freshness, flavor and nutrients. They quickly reconstitute in boiling water.

Young Chang, A-Sha Foods USA’s President continues as our guest with a tasty bowl of Hakka Wide Noodles in hand.

Show 517, March 18, 2023: Restaurateur Van Tan of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack, Long Beach Cambodian Restaurant Week Part One

Van Tan of Phnom Penh Noodle Shack

“The inaugural Long Beach Cambodian Restaurant Week launches March 19-26, 2023. “Long Beach Cambodian Restaurant Week will be a occasion to bring everyone to the table, from all walks of life, to showcase the city’s delicious Cambodian food scene.”

“Organized by United Cambodian Community of Long Beach (UCC) a California registered 501(c)3 non-profit, along with Chef “T” Visoth Ouk, a renowned Khmer chef and pillar of the local Cambodian community, Long Beach Cambodian Restaurant Week will be an eight day event devoted to celebrating Cambodian and Southeast Asian fare in and around Long Beach. The event also seeks to highlight Cambodian-owned food businesses as well as Cambodian chefs and bartenders.”

Phnom Penh Noodle Shack is one of the participating restaurants in Long Beach Cambodian Restaurant Week. A standout in the Long Beach Cambodia restaurant community it was started modestly by the Tan Family in 1985 and is currently overseen ( 3 expansions later) by the 2nd generation of the founding Tan Family who are responsible for thoughtfully updating and expanding the establishment.

They are known for their Noodle soups, especially the Phnom Penh House Special with sliced pork, ground pork, thinly sliced stomach, liver and shrimp and garnished with cilantro, green onion and fried garlic. Soup can also be served on the side.

Van Tan (representing the 2nd generation of Family ownership) is our guest with a piece of house-baked Cha Quai (bread stick) at the ready.