6.21.2011

Restaurant Review: Ktchn 105

A couple weekends ago, I met up with my friends Jimmy and Michael. These are the clowns I met while living abroad in London. They're both from the Southern California area and we usually meet up a few times a year to pig the fuck out.

Take note readers: These two are single and ready to mingle.

Anyway. Jimmy suggested a place that supposedly has the best brunch in LA, Ktchn 105.

This place is like one of those eye-magic-voodoo-stare-at-me-long-enough-and-you-see-an-image kind of places. It's on a small street that's almost more like an alley, in the middle of the Produce District, and has a gate where you need to be buzzed-in in order to enter the premises. There are no signs or blinking lights or golden arches. In fact, if you weren't specifically going to this restaurant, you wouldn't even know it existed.

View from the main gate.

We sat outside in the patio area. It was a nice day.



Apparently, Ktchn 105 has a rotating brunch menu that changes weekly. There are about eight entrees to choose from and they're all a bit on the fancy pants/ "organic" side. I went with the Harissa Scramble. Not knowing what harissa was, all the other ingredients sounded pretty inhaleable.

Harissa Scramble: Eggs, harissa, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. Topped with crispy shoestring onions and some green shit. Includes side of fried potatoes and a brioche bun with lemon butter and raspberry jam.

I was pleasantly surprised with my meal. The scramble was nice and soft, not overcooked. The goat cheese and pumpkin seeds turned out to be a DELICIOUS combination and are even making my mouth water as I type this. Potatoes always get a thumbs up in my book. Not to mention, when I first sat down I was feeling all weak and nauseous and fainty, so I wasn't really looking forward to trying something new and adventurous. As i started eating, I felt better in no time. Added bonus: Harissa Scramble has magic healing powers.

The check was presented with freshly made complimentary chocolate chip cookies. I actually don't like chocolate. But I managed to push through my distaste and ate my cookie in .2 seconds flat.

Meal + water + tip = $15

Word on the street is, the owner of Ktchn 105 actually lives at the restaurant. Apparently, this place was originally his loft-style apartment.

According to my sources, that wall of tubes serves as a separator between the main restaurant area and the space where the owner sleeps.

This whole story may be totally made up, and if so, you didn't hear it from me.

I give this restaurant 5 out of 5 chins.

In other nonsense...

Check out my latest post at Sprocket Ink where I recap the season finale of Game of Thrones.



15 comments:

Bonnie said...

A rotating lunch menu? Like a weekly merry-go-round of deliciousness? As in, you can never get tired of eating the same thing all the time?
DREAM COME TRUE.

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Trude said...

Oh wow that looks gorgeous. The meal and you and the guys! :) Yummm.

Crying is the New Croquet said...

Why don't you ever take me somewhere nice, like this.

I'm surprised you were down with the harissa. I thought that shit was esspicy.

suki said...

Yum! I'm going to have to try this the next time I'm down that way. ;)

the Tsaritsa said...

Wow, how very cool. I love little secret spots, it's like being part of a special club. And how rad would it be if the owner slept in the restaurant?

The Sweetest said...

Have been wanting to try it but always wary of bringing the tot somewhere new. Did you happen to see anyone there with kids?

Veronica M. D. said...

You don't like chocolate?? Whoa. You just blew my mind hole. But I also now want to try whatever that h-word food is you ate, so there's that.

Simone said...

your friends from London are hot!

M. Hicks said...

That's a way decent price for frou frou organic. I though when you started the post it was obviously out of my price range. Good find!

Sara Louise said...

Brunch is awesome.
And how cool are complimentary cookies! Nice touch.
(and admit it, if you could live in a restaurant, you know you would)

Deidre said...

Wow, this sounds delicious!

MRanthrope said...

I would have finished those cookies in 1 second. BOTH of em. ha

VEG said...

Hahahaha magic coding techniques on your blog and it totally made it look like you said you don't like chocolate!!! Hahahaha!

......?

Dude? The fuck?

Little Chicken said...

Dude... that place looks fucken amazing. I wish I could teleport so I could travel over to Cali and eat there. Stupid Ohio.

TILTE said...

BONNIE - yes, in some ways the rotating menu is a dream come true. but you never know what your options are until you get there. so it's kind of like a grab bag.

TRUDE - the meals did get major presentation points. i'm not used to fancy stuff like this. my lunches usually involve an Uncrustable and Pringles. :)

CRYING - i didn't know harissa was a fucking ingredient! i thought it was the name, you know, like marissa or clarissa. i was trying to skim through the menu quickly bc i was the last one to get there (shocking.) and we were all chitchatting. it's probably better that i didn't know what it was bc i might have changed my order.

SUKI - you definitely should. i think you'll really like it.

TSARITSA - yeah, i couldn't believe when my friend told me the owner lived there. again, if this is misinformation, you DIDN'T hear it from me.

SWEETEST - i THINK i remember one table had an infant with them. i don't see why you wouldn't be able to take a child to KTCHN105. it's a pretty relaxed atmosphere. however, the table spacing is pretty tight and i would be very surprised if they had a child's menu.

VERONICA - no, i'm not really a chocolate lover. esp chocolate cake. barf. but i do like Lindt white chocolate truffles. does that count...?

SIMONE - ha! i'll let them know they have a blog admirer. ;)

M.HICKS - yeah, i agree. the pricing was totally reasonable and i would recommend this place to anyone in the LA area who wants a quiet relaxed meal, that's still very "LA".

SARA - you're right, i would love to live in a restaurant. but i guess when it's your JOB and you never really leave the place, it probably gets old after a while.

DEIDRE - it was! every part of it went so well together.

MRANTHROPE - if they had been non-chocolate cookies, the waitress wouldn't have even been able to put them down on the table before i'd have inhaled them

VEGETABLE - i know. i just don't like chocolate. but trust me, i make up for it in other departments (see: Uncrustables and Pringles).

KIM - well, if you ever plan a trip to LA, you already have a place to visit. :)

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