The Exchange Restaurant - downtown

Just opened few weeks ago. The restaurant is led by the team behind Bar Lab, who brought us the beloved 27 Restaurant at Freehand Miami, and Angeleno chef Alex Chang, best known locally for his Paladar dinner series. Similar to 27 Restaurant in Miami, where dishes explore the city’s many flavors through a Latin lens, the menu at The Exchange explores the multi-cultural flavors of urban LA through an Israeli lens. This is the first restaurant in California from the design team Roman & Williams.
They offer both lunch and dinner. There's dining area, but also there's bar/lounge area so you can come here just for drinks.

We got to try almost everything on the menu. Everything was healthy and delicious. But my favorites were fried rice, sweet potato, eggplant, lebneh, and hanger steak. 

menu

Grapefruit black pepper - Clarified California grapefruit & citrus with black pepper, tarragon,  absolut vodka, dry vermouth & seltzer, served long with fresh  tarragon leaves $10

Kefir & Honey - Lebanese yogurt with local honey, cucumber, citrus, beefeater gin, st germain & apricot brandy. Served with a cucumber ribbon & pomegranate seeds $12

Turmeric & pineapple $8, and pomegranate lemonade $8

This turmeric & pineapple was everyone's favorite drink! A must try. It's REALLY good.

Arabic Salad - cucumber, tomato, sumac, onion, local olive oil & citrus $8

Pate - chicken liver & foie gras mousse with tangerine jam & fermented date honey $12

Cucumber - smashed cucumber with sesame, chili oil & fennel $7

Pickles $6

Burnt eggplant - mixed with blue lake beans $8

Labneh  - shaved squash, preserve lemon ponzu, crispy fish skin $10

Beets - bbq beets, barberry pink peppercorn, mint & aged goat cheese $9

Avocado - jj's daughter cubed avocado, black sesame, long hot peppers & seasonal fruit $9

Fries - hand cut shortening with amba mayo $9
It was too salty for me. 

Fried rice - chef Chang's blue crab fried rice $14

Cauliflower - preserved lemon aiolo, almond, pecorino & pita breadcrumbs $8

Hanger Steak - grilled hanger steak with black harissa, fingerling potatoes, & charred leeks $26

Exchange Chraime - fish collar, prawns, squid, mussels & clams in spicy tomato dashi, & charred tomatillo $46

Lamb kabob - grilled lamb kebab with stuffed poblano chili, kale, feta, potato & pistachio $24

Sweet potato - grilled o'henry sweet potato, creamy almond,chile morita, local greens & cilantro $16

Pargiyot (chicken) - grilled chicken with shawarma spice. Carrot mole & yogurt $22

Daily catch - grilled sea bass with black olive & seaweed chermoula, fennel pollen & citrus MP

Exchange burger - burger with brown butter, american cheese, lettuce & grilled onion $16

Dessert time!

Almond milk custard - with strawberry granita, rhubarb & rose geranium $10

This was my favorite dessert!

Olive oil cake - with yogurt sorbet & pistachio baklava crumble $11

Dark chocolate cake - confit cherries, ricotta & mohleb sorbet $12

Date biscuit - with buttermilk ice cream, orange sorbet & puffed bulgur $8

The Exchange Restaurant
416 W. 8TH ST,
Los Angeles, CA 90014

Sunday: 8AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Monday-Tue: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Wed-Thurs: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30–11PM
Friday: 7–11AM, 11:30AM–3PM, 5:30PM–12AM
Saturday: 8AM–3PM, 5:30PM–12AM

https://freehandhotels.com/los-angeles/the-exchange/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-exchange-restaurant-los-angeles-2

Artelice Patisserie - West L.A.

Artelice Patisserie serves beautiful cakes and macarons. I tried two of their cakes and macarons, and they were delicious as it looks. Very elegant, right sweetness, and each cake has so much flavors. Absolutely lovely.

Tiramisu - lady finger sponge soaked in coffee and rum syrup and mascarpone mousse $5.75

Exotic - pistachio sponge, mango, banana, passion fruit insert with Caribbean cocktail (pineapple, coconut, lemon and passion fruit) mousse $5.75

The chef gave us 3 macarons to try.

Artelice Patisserie 
11301 W Olympic Blvd #125,
Los Angeles, CA 90064

(424) 293-8846

Sun-Thurs:11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri-Sat:11:00 am - 10:00 pm

https://www.artelicela.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/artelice-patisserie-los-angeles-2

Bumsan - Koreatown

Bumsan Organic Milk Bar serves premium 100% organic soft serve ice cream from the leading organic dairy producer in Korea, Bumsan Farm Co., who maintains sustainable farming practices and produces 100% organic USDA certified, non-GMO, antibiotic-free dairy products.

They have 40 locations in Korea, but this is the first U.S. store, and they are opening more locations soon. Also the owner's wife's sister is Sunny, from the popular Kpop idol group "Girls Generation"!

Their cones are customizable, giving customers the chance to pick their flavors and toppings. The most popular item is true milk soft serve. It looks pretty thick and heavy but it's really not. Also it melts fast.I do recommend to eat with spoon.

Dragon fruit lychee

True milk

Matcha / Milk swirl

Bumsan 
534 S Western Ave,
Los Angeles, CA 90020

(213) 908-5192

Sun-Thurs:12:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Fri-Sat:12:00 pm - 12:00 am

http://organicmilkbar.com/ 

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bumsan-organic-milk-bar-los-angeles