too many meals a day: Los Angeles

When I was doing my research for places to visit and eat before our LA trip, I came across Basix Cafe which was highly rated and calls itself a West Hollywood tradition that is a favourite with the locals. Located on a corner lot of 8333 Santa Monica Boulevard, Basix’s menu boasts a large selection of breakfast offerings, from power breakfasts to muffins and buttermilk pancakes. The lunch menu is extensive as well, with interesting sounding pizzas, sandwiches and pastas.

We arrived at the Cafe at around 12.30pm and already the inside was packed to the brim. Luckily for al fresco seating and for outdoor heaters as the chilly wind almost froze our socks off.

The Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup (US$6.50 per bowl) was a slow-simmered thick broth with ripe tomatoes, basil, rosemary croutons and a parmesan cheese crisp. Certainly tangy and refreshing.

The Chicken Tequila Pasta (US$12.50) was a hit; fettuccini with red & green peppers, red onion, cilantro and a jalapeno cream sauce. The cream wasn’t overpowering and you could really taste the tequila in the sauce.

For an additional US$2.50, you can add a mini Caesar salad to your meal.

Chicken & Sundried Tomato-Pesto Fettuccini (US$12.50), chicken breast & sauteed mushrooms with a tomato-pesto cream sauce.

The Turkey Club (US$11), applewood smoked bacon (yummers!), bibb lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo and house-roasted turkey on toasted sourdough. A little bit on the dry side but delicious nonetheless. Portions are seriously huge on this side of the globe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs (US$12.50), 100% certified angus beef meatballs with fresh herbs. Look at the generous heaping of cheese topping!

Basix Special Scramble (US$8.50), 3 eggs scrambled with Italian chicken sausage, mushrooms, caramelized onions & fresh spinach with toast and choice of griddled potatoes, sliced tomatoes or fresh fruit.

Perfect breakfast food with a twist; Crabcakes Benedict (US$10); two poached eggs on crabcakes with chipotle hollandaise sauce, served with griddled potatoes. Wils absolutely loved this one, being a huge fan of eggs benedict.

Came with a side of fresh fruits (raspberries!!).

Great food at reasonable prices, I can definitely see why Basix is described as a place with “well-made, uncomplicated Cal-Italian eats with a decent price”. Definitely a must-visit!

Address:
8333 Santa Monica Blvd,
West Hollywood
CA 90069, United States

Map *here*

Once again, it seems like we’ve left our blog lying under a thin layer of dust, especially after we took a ~~long~~ break after coming back from our holiday in the States (!!), and especially after getting over that severe jet lag that I was feeling. It’s been 10 years since my last plane trip and I’ve never travelled further than South East Asia before, so the long-haul flight and 16 hour time difference was especially hard on me. The first few days I looked absolutely horrifying in photos because I was so god darned tired. XD

Anywayyyyy, I only have one word to summarize our trip: FUN! :D
Especially Disneyland... gosh, it’s like my idea of heaven. I know, I know, I sound like an absolute child. But really, I had such great time. The rides were awesome, the “cast members” were ultra polite, and everything was super whimsy and vintage and old-school Mickey.

Food there was pretty expensive though, but on our last night at Disneyland Park, Wils and I decided to splurge and have a meal at one of the park restaurants, and we went for Carnation Cafe which has made a name for itself for serving honest American fare at prices that are not too cut-throat (for American standards that is).

I had a Warm Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken (USD14.99), Grilled Chicken, Spinach, Boiled Eggs, Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms, and Pickled Onions tossed with Warm Pancetta-Mustard Seed Vinaigrette.
One thing good about the USA is that all portions are at least twice the size of the ones you get here in KL. Salads over here would hardly be enough for a snack let alone a meal. So anyway, this warm spinach salad was one of the best salads I had over there... it was such a change from the generic romaine lettuce, and the dressing was tangy and savoury.

Wils had his Main Street Cheeseburger (USD11.99): Angus Chuck Patty, Tillamook Cheddar, Tomato, Red Onion, Lettuce and House Sauce on Toasted Brioche. He told me it was one of the best burgers he had (or maybe we were just super hungry haha).