#52 Los Angeles - Beverly Hills, Cheesecake Factory and Sushi!

On 23rd Dec morning, I embarked on my virgin trip out of Asia!
to Hollywood's hometown, LOS ANGELES

In total, I flew 18 hours ALONE 

stopover at Narita Airport, Tokyo

In an attempt to avoid jet lag syndrome, I adjusted my watch and spammed movie after movie 

sleeping only when it is time for bed in LA

sort of helped I must say, was pretty energetic the next day though I still crashed early

1st glimpse of America's city lights

You know you are in California when you see palm trees everywhere

Had my first meal in the states at the famous Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills!

Debut photo of this handsome boy, Yuhua

He had been on school exchange in University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for the past 5 months

and we maintained our relationship through Skype!

God Bless the inventor of webcam

Connection was pretty shitty though, only till the end did I discover the magic of Google Hangouts

many of the restaurants here has an open kitchen
totally love this concept. cos this way we can watch how the chefs prepare our food
all the hassle and bustle in the kitchen 

and basically there's always a bread basket at every table in a western-cuisine restaurant

the bread came warm and fluffy but contain the excitement about free food people

gotta keep the carbs down and save more calorie space for even better food!

My first encounter with the legendary large portion sizes here

Got a Moroccan chicken with barley drizzled with pesto off the healthier choice menu

but woah the portion sizes are HUGE still

though more protein is always welcomed for me 

vegetables were very sweet and fresh especially the juicy tomatoes *-* 

Yuhua ordered grilled salmon with mash potatoes and bacon

You can never go wrong with salmon

and what's a trip to the Cheesecake Factory without trying out their cheesecake!

ordered the best-selling house specialty Sour Cream Cheesecake

the mix between sour cream, sweetness and umami cheese is amazing

the crumbly crust wasn't too thick and held the cake well together

advise you to leave the whipped cream alone though 

never understood the usage of whip cream in food other than for decoration purposes

Remember to always give a tip or Gratuity (the formal term)  in addition to the amount stated on the bill!

As a general guideline, it's about 15%-25%. Give more if your group is big.

Seems alot but the service standards are seriously much better here

Staff are always smiling and friendly, and really try their best to cater to your preferences

Answering with a "of course" instead of  a straight no 

and most of the time they do deliver what you asked for

which I really appreciate 

because I always tend to ask to substitute carbo sides like rice and potatoes to vegetable options

the other cheesecake options available

Had a nice walk around Beverly Hills area after the meal 

catching up on all the lost time from the past 5 months 

so glad to visit US during the christmas/new year period

coloured lights dolled the already pretty city making it even more dreamy

like how I pictured US to be from the dramas and movies

the 1st day approaching its end as the sun sets

walked abit further down the street to meet the rest of the exchange students

who were in the same group as Yuhua to UIUC 

Tip: Download the Yelp app to find places to eat/visit/shop

it simply has everything you want to find, plus reviews and location settings

Dinner at a Sushi Bar

woah angmoh chef 

and the sashimi fanatic in me continues her legacy

this was freaking good! especially the salmon and hamachi (2nd from the right)

the dragon roll in the background is gorgeous. didn't manage to get a good photo though ^^"

ending my post on the 1st day of  my 14 day-trip with a group shot!

Really enjoyed the time spent with my new friends made and especially yuhua

p.s. Thanks for the roses darling <3