Xegyn's Cyberspace

Last weekend, Jessica and I had the idea to go hiking and eat lunch in Malibu. Conveniently, Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market and Patio Cafe (Yelp) is adjacent to the Sara Wan Trailhead at Corral Canyon. We got to the parking lot a little after noon. The lot is divided into two sections: one for the restaurant and one for the hiking trail. The parking for the trail requires a $5 payment and yes, they do hand out tickets if you do not pay. The restaurant is pretty popular and their parking is frequently full.

The Sara Wan trail is a pretty easy loop hike that gives you great views of  the ocean, beach, parts of Malibu and Santa Monica. We encountered a lot of small lizards on the trail as well as many birds including Scrub Jays and Hummingbirds. There were also a lot of plants with yellow flowers that I did not know the name of. The hike is pretty straightforward with few forks to get lost on.

After we finished our hike around 2pm, we walked from the trailhead right over to Malibu Seafood at which point we had built up an appetite. We ordered the ahi burger, the chicken sandwich, and ceviche which we enjoyed outdoors on their patio with a view of the beach. We had also brought some cold beer in a cooler from home. The restaurant does not sell alcohol but allows you to bring your beer and wine. The restaurant also has fried and grilled seafood and various seafood cocktails on their menu. The very meaty (and no shell) crab cocktail is one of my favorite items.

The hike and meal is definitely something I would do again and I highly recommend it if you are looking for something to do outdoors and have a hankering for some fresh and casual seafood.

If you are looking for a Japanese-style pizza with obscure toppings in Los Angeles, Strawberry Cones (Yelp) is the place to go. It is located in San Gabriel in a small shopping center at the intersection of Valley Blvd and Abbot Ave.

One of the interesting pizzas they offer is the Teriyaki Mochi Chicken. The mochi surprisingly goes well on pizza and also goes well with my favorite Japanese pizza topping the Teriyaki Mochi Chicken comes with: mayonnaise. Other unique pizzas offered are the Salmon White, the Seafood Genovese (with squid), Mochi Mentai (with mentaiko, or pollock roe), Pizza Edamame, and California Walnut & Raisin, to name a few. I did not have a chance to try the California Walnut & Raisin, but I would definitely like to try it next time I am there. Some of their pizzas also include bamboo charcoal in the dough, making it a black crust. If you can’t decide on just one pizza, they also offer a Four Seasons pizza which combines 4 of their signature flavors.

Strawberry Cones also carries Japanese style pastas, salads, and appetizers. They also offer free coffee and tea with your meal.

OB Bear (Yelp) is a small Korean bar in Koreatown that really knows how to do bar food right. I have been to OB Bear three times and  I have been satisfied every time. The first thing I should tell you is that this place has massive portions. Usually we get one dish less than the total number of adults at the table and it ends up being enough food.

The best dish this place has is by far the Spicy Chicken Wings. The glaze they use on these wings are absolutely delicious and have a great balance between sweet and spicy. In fact, sometimes I crave these wings so bad I just have to drive out to Koreatown to get these. The regular wings do not have any glaze on them so make sure you get the spicy wings.

Another great dish this place serves is soondae. Soondae is a pork blood sausage stuffed with vermicelli. At OB Bear, soondae is served with a spicy sauce and vegetables.

OB Bear is a great place to hang out if you want a bar with delicious food that won’t let you leave hungry.