LA Tourist: Sawtelle

SAWTELLE

Thursday, I took my guests to the Sawtelle area of West L.A. Since they live in a suburb of Washington, D.C., they do not know ramen the way us Angelenos do. Two of them had real ramen in New York, and the others don’t know it outside of the block of noodle fat and MSG we grew up with. We arrived at Daikokuya a little after it opened, so there was no wait. There were 5 adults and 2 children in our party. Since the restaurant is not that large, our party split into two groups so we could all be seated. Two sat at a table, and the rest of us sat at the bar. They had high chairs, which was reassuring, and the women’s bathroom even had a changing table. I was happy to see that because not a lot of places are accommodating to children. I ordered gyoza for my daughter and Tsukemen (dipping noodles with broth on the side) for myself, which is perfect for a hot day. I’ve been to Daikokuya’s Little Tokyo location several times (and have waited about an hour), so I knew I was going to get the same quality, delicious ramen. The West L.A. site did not disappoint. The wait staff is friendly, and they even have a sign to make sure you are happy with your order:

ramen_sign

Afterwards, we walked to Daiso Japan. I bought several cute things there, including table corner covers, table side covers (made of rubber), and a cabinet baby-proofer,  all for $1.50 each. It’s like a cross between the home goods section of Ikea and a 99 cent store – everything is cute, functional, and cheap!

Then, we walked to Blockheads Shavery for dessert. If you haven’t had Japanese shaved ice before, you really must try it! It’s like fluffy, icy yogurt that you add toppings to. It’s so delicious and popular, several shaved ice spots with different names have popped up. My daughter loved it, and I didn’t feel too terrible about giving it to her. This is what I ordered (and shared with my niece) – small size, regular flavor with chocolate sauce, Oreos, and rice cake balls (mochi):

After that, I headed home with my daughter so she could take a nap (and so I could rest). They all headed out to Lakewood to drive 2 hours in traffic for some groomsmen duties.

westsidemommy

I am a new mom to a baby girl. I live in West Los Angeles. This blog is about my experiences as a new mom and navigating my way through kid-friendly L.A.

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