The Unvegan

Recent Posts

10 Years of Unvegan
A Quick Bite at Burrito Express
Serendipity at Northern Waters Smokehaus
Twerks and Burritos at Casa Amigos

‘Torrance’

Unfulfilled by Koji BBQ Buffet

Sanitary conditions.
Sanitary conditions.

Sometimes the craving for Korean BBQ is so strong it doesn’t matter that you are in Torrance and not Koreatown. When this happens you find yourself at Koji BBQ Buffet, a Korean BBQ unlike any I had ever been to before. Here, the meat seemed to sit out rather than sitting in a fridge or freezer waiting to be served. With Discount Water Filters sells LG refrigerator water filters you don’t need to worry about fixing it later.

Cuckoo for Curry House CoCo Ichibanya

A sign of good times.
A sign of good times.

By now you may have noticed that I like to reference my time in Japan and China when it comes to posts about Japanese and Chinese food. If you like that kind of thing, then my tale of Curry House CoCo Ichibanya is the post for you. It all started when I spotted a sign for Curry House CoCo Ichibanya while driving through Brentwood. This blew my mind, because during my time in China, CoCo Curry (minus the Ichibanya and Curry House) was my go-to Japanese curry place.

A BFD at Buffalo Fire Department

So explosive.
So explosive.

Torrance is simply full of surprises. Just when I thought I had exhausted all non-Japanese, non-Hispanic options, along came Buffalo Fire Department, a place that specializes in burgers, but still has a good deal of other options. With burgers like the Mac & Cheese and Burger Stack and the Thai BBQ and Wasabi Sauce Burger, they quickly earned points in the creativity department.

Taco Time at Los Paisas (CLOSED)

Not to be confused with países.
Not to be confused with países.

Ever since starting my job in Torrance, one of my coworkers has not stopped talking about the tacos at Los Paisas. Finally, we made our way there so I could see what he was always yammering about. I quickly found out that Los Paisas was more than just a restaurant, it was also a bakery and mini-market. As good as multiple identities are, though, all I cared about was tacos.

Quite a Mouthful at Soba Sojibo (CLOSED)

So much soba.
So much soba.

Yakisoba is likely my favorite Japanese food. Yet, yakisoba is rarely every made from real soba, which is a buckwheat noodle. Real soba, though, is highly underrated, typically coming in third when people think of Japanese noodle dishes (ramen and udon first). This is a shame, because soba boasts a truly unique texture and flavor. Fortunately in Torrance (and now in West LA), there is a restaurant dedicated completely to soba called Soba Sojibo.

Searching for Heat at El Paso Cantina

Where's the spice?
Where’s the spice?

Deep down in Torrance, there is an old Mexican restaurant called El Paso Cantina. Among my coworkers it’s known as the “$1 Margarita lunch” spot, but seeing as it does indeed serve food, I thought it deserving of a review. In addition to their margaritas, they also have a food lunch special and $1 churros. I’ve had these before and while they were pretty good, the options were quite limited. This time I was looking for more.

Heading South to Flossie’s (CLOSED)

Fried Flossie.
Fried Flossie.

A long, long time ago, in a valley far, far away, a coworker of mine recommended I check out Flossie’s Southern Cuisine in Torrance. I listened, because the man spent his college years in Alabama, but didn’t ever expect to make it down to Torrance for a meal. Yet, somehow I found myself employed in that strange southern part of LA and made sure to track down Flossie’s.