Interview on 1/21 with Hangry Diary on UCLA Radio’s The Menu
Interviewed by Beliz Urkmez and Henry Haprov. Transcribed by Adrianna Fuji.
*Some responses were edited for grammar and clarity.
Hello you're listening to UCLAradio.com, and these are your co-hosts Beliz and Henry with UCLA Radio's The Menu, online right now. We have two very special guests for you today... Jocelyn and Justine from Hangry Diary. Would you guys like to introduce yourselves?
Jocelyn: Yes... I'm the younger one, Jocelyn. For all of the people who have seen me on Instagram stories if they ever follow Hangry Diary. And I study at USC, but I love UCLA... just in case you need to know [laughs].
Justine: And I'm the older one, Justine. I graduated from UCLA, but now I'm working at USC [laughs].
Beliz: Yeah, rival schools. So before we get into our interview, we wanted to start off with a light-hearted question. What did you have this week? What food did you eat that you really really liked?
H: Oh, no way. Love Din Tai Fung.
Jocelyn: I think they have the best in LA
B: Oh, I still haven't tried that place yet.
H: Me too. I am a huge fan of Din Tai Fung.
Jocelyn: It's very juicy. It tastes amazing.
H: Big fan. They have a really good pork and crab, I believe.
Jocelyn: Yeah, they have pork with crab. Or even like pork... they also have fried rice and other stuff which tastes amazing, as well.
H: I think they're not originally from here, right? They're like an import?
Jocelyn: They're from Taiwan.
H: Taiwan, okay. Lovely. Do they have like a Michelin Star dumpling? Let's see... We're having a little technical difficulties...
B: Let's play one more song and then we'll get back to our interview once we solve our technical issues. Thank you!
B: Okay, we're back! We solved our technical issues, and everything is good. But yeah, you were saying about Din Tai Fung...
H: Just that it's wonderful. It's my favorite too. Anything else that you tried this week?
Justine: I went to Nightshade in the Art District. So it's like Mei Len from Top Chef and the sous-chef is Max. I really liked it.
H: We've heard a lot about it. Very excited to try.
B: Would you recommend it?
Justine: Yeah yeah, it's like fusion food. Like... because Mei Lin is from China, so she makes a lot of Asian food but with a little bit from American. So I really love the spring toast and the conjee.
H: Can you explain what those two are, a little bit?
Justine: So the conjee, she puts a lot of XO sauce and a lot of special ingredients on it, on top. And then it's a very small portion. Like, it's a little bit different than Asian sizes because like, when we go to Asian restaurants for conjee it's usually a big bowl. But it's very special; in her restaurant, everything is one-bite sized. So if you're going to share with like four to five people, every dish is very small portioned but you get to try all dishes.
H: Wonderful. Din Tai Fung and Nightshade. What about you, Beliz? Really quick, what did you have?
B: I went to Elephante yesterday at Santa Monica, and it is a great lounge seaside restaurant with a lot of outdoor space. And we loved the food. I got the aglio e olio spaghetti, and it was really nice. And I also got the broccolini which I highly, highly recommend. It tasted even better than the spaghetti itself. It had this really nice roasted onions and garlic on top as well as a cashew pesto. So it was a great blend of vegetables with Italian cuisine, and I loved it.
H: Nice. I already briefed some our listeners earlier... I went to Pasta Sisters in Culver City. [Jocelyn and Justine react] Fans of that?
Jocelyn: Yeah, both of those are great, Elephante and Pasta Sisters.
H: Mhm, I had a wonderful time. I wasn't expecting to love the pasta as much as I did because it's counter service, right? And you know, it's not all fancy, but it was delicious. Fantastic pasta.
B: Yeah, I love Pasta Sisters so much.
Jocelyn: And it's very budget friendly.
Jocelyn: I think that's the point as well. Like, there are a lot of Italian restaurants but if you were on budget, then Pasta Sisters is the place that I always go.
H: Absolutely. I went to Roso Blue recently, and it was delicious, but yeah the pasta is twice as much than Pasta Sisters. So yeah, it was nice to have change.
B: Do you want to start with your questions?
H: Yeah, you ready to begin? So you were born in Hong Kong, and you came here for higher education. Why did you choose to move away from home and come to LA?
Jocelyn: I think it's actually better for us to go somewhere else to study and then know the culture. And LA is definitely the place with like, California sunshine where you can also do like snowboarding in Winter. So it's like the combination of both. And I think in LA, there are a lot of good schools, especially like UCLA and USC, as well. Yeah, that's why we just wanted to come over and then further study.
H: Wonderful. Do you ever miss home at all?
Jocelyn: Yes, especially the food. [pause] And the Dim Sum.
B: I was wondering, is there a difference between Hong Kong food and Chinese food?
Jocelyn: I think Chinese food includes a lot of different types of cuisine as well. Like in China, they have like Sichuan food which is so popular in LA right now. It's so big. And then there's also Beijing food. They have like Shanghai-nese. There are different types because it's all over in China. So it's not only like... Hong Kong food is more towards like locals, so it's totally different. Like there are a lot of types of Chinese food actually.
H: Are there any restaurants here that remind you of food back home?
H: Do you have any Dim Sum restaurants in particular?
Jocelyn: Lunaisa in Alhambra. I think that's the best Dim Sum place in LA. And I think it was also written in the LA Times... so it's all over social media and news outlets as well.
Justine: And I think Delicious Food Corner.
Jocelyn: Yeah, that place is pretty good, as well.
Jocelyn: It's in Monterey Park.
H: Most good Dim Sum is out East, right? East LA.
Justine: Yeah, East LA. Where we actually live, San Gabriel Valley has the most Dim Sum restaurants so whenever you want to get a Dim Sum fix, then head over to San Gabriel.
B: Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I don't think I've ever actually had really good Dim Sum or dumplings because I'm from Istanbul, and we don't really have a lot of Chinese, Hong Kong kitchens there. We have a lot of Japanese and Asian fusion, but not particularly Dim Sum or dumplings. So the only time that I've ever actually tasted these foods was when I moved to LA. So, LA is also a great place to taste different cuisines from all around the world because there is so much diversity here.
H: So when did you decide that you wanted to be food bloggers?
Jocelyn: We started Hangrydiary three and a half years ago, and at that time we were taking pictures. We didn't even know that we should start an account, not until a friend asked us like "Hey why don't you just share the pictures on Instagram?" And then that's how we started Hangrydiary... "Hangry" was quite a popular word back in like three and a half years ago, so Hangry Diary actually is something that... because we get angry whenever we are hungry. So that's perfect for us to start an Instagram account with that name.
B: Wow, and around what time did you notice that your account was gaining popularity?
Jocelyn: I think around two years ago. Then, when Instagram hadn't changed the algorithm actually, so it wasn't that competitive. Back at least like two years ago. So we could get like 2,000 followers a day back in two and a half years ago, and because we focus on new restaurants as well. And cute restaurants. So that's why people always see new, cute things on our Instagram which kind of differentiates us from other bloggers as well. So that's how we started getting a lot of followers.
H: I noticed that you often frame your nails in your pictures. Does that help with the cute factor?
Jocelyn: Yes, we have over 75% female followers. And I think they enjoy looking at accounts with nails, so we do actually like... Justine and I do nails like every two weeks so that we have different styles every time. And sometimes when we go to Paris, then we will have a Paris theme. If we go to Japan, then you will see like sushi on our hands. All those cute stuff. So I think people actually enjoy looking at that as well.
H: Do you do your nails yourselves?
Jocelyn: No [laughs] That one is very difficult. But that actually took us three hours sitting there, to finish like a Paris theme. With the buses, with all those historical buildings on our fingers, as well as food. So that was crazy.
H: That's very fun. Do you get it on all 10 fingers? Or just two?
B: Wow, that's a lot of work.
B: Yeah. I guess we can move on to more blogging questions because this is a really interesting topic for us right now about Instagram and how to be food bloggers because we both like taking pictures of food as well. So it's really nice to have you guys here to tell us more about it. What kind of cameras do you use? Or do you use your iPhones to take pictures?
Jocelyn: I have a Canon 5D Mark III. So it's actually a professional camera, but I think the key thing with taking pictures is always to take it under the sunlight. And then, the better camera that you have is always better for the picture. But also, I think if you just have an iPhone, then always think about... never do it at night because it doesn't look good in that light. But also, you can always turn the dishes to the way that you think looks the best, and find the best angle. Like even for girls who take pictures, you always find your best angle, right? [laughter]
Jocelyn: Like the selfies and all that. You can also do the same thing with your food. So that's why we try to create other elements like our hands in it to be more interactive as well.
H: So what happens if you want to go eat dinner at a place and it's night time? What do you do?
Jocelyn: We have lights, but we don't do that very often--to take pictures at night. So we try to avoid that because unless we bring like our umbrellas--we have a huge set up--but restaurants do not really allow us to do that. So we just don't usually take pictures at night.
B: I was going to ask do restaurants allow you to take pictures with your professional camera?
H: And I was curious, I get... nervous, I guess, taking photos in restaurants. How do you get the courage to... go and do it? Just stand up and take the photos.
Justine: I think that... for example, three years ago people found it very weird. But I think nowadays because they always see people taking pictures, they don't see us as weirdos anymore. 'Cause everyone is trying to take pictures and post it on Instagram to get engagement, to get likes. But back in three years ago, people actually would come over and ask us what we are doing. [laughs]
Jocelyn: And yeah, sometimes we actually ask for permission before we stand up on the sofa to get the best angles.
H: I think I did notice that at Pasta Sisters. I was hesitant to take the photo and then I looked around, and there were all these other people taking photos so I'm like "I'm just doing the same thing as everybody else." [laughs]
B: Yeah, my parents and my friends are really used to me taking a lot of pictures so they just like wait for ten minutes until I'm done taking pictures from all angles, standing up, you know. I think they just want to eat, but photos come first. [laughter] We actually have a question from one of our listeners, and they want to ask you "How has growing up in Hong Kong influenced how you approach food here in the U.S.?"
Jocelyn: I think growing up in Hong Kong, we definitely have a lot of Chinese food, a lot of Dim Sum. So we actually have higher standards of what people serve in the U.S. And especially when I talk about dumplings, why Din Tai Fung is always top of the list is because they actually have a very-- because I interviewed the owner myself before. So actually Din Tai Fung has a very high
standard of how to fold a dumpling. As I remember, I think the standard is 16 to 18 folds of each dumpling. So it's like everyone inside the kitchen that makes dumplings needs to fold at least-- I think 16 to 18. If not, they won't take that dumpling. So they have a very high standard, and they used the best ingredients to make that, with a very secret recipe that only one people [sic] at Din Tai Fung knows.
Jocelyn: That's what I heard. So we have a very high standard of what good Chinese food is in LA.
H: It's interesting too because you see at Din Tai Fung, they always have the glass, and you see the people making it, and how it's like... a line. One person is doing one thing--they have it down to a science, basically.
Justine: Yeah, I totally agree. I think they probably already have a very good way of training people and all that because it's worldwide. It's a Michelin Star restaurant in Taiwan. So everything is in very high standards. That's why there's always a line. Because back in the day, there was only one Din Tai Fung, and this is located in Arcadia. They still have that, but they start expanding it. So there should be one in Century City.
H: That's the one that I just went to. And then I went to one in Carson? Or Torrance? Down South in like Long Beach area too, as well.
Jocelyn: I think maybe in Irvine.
H: Yeah, they're all over now [laughs] But they're delicious, they're worth it.
Regarding Instagram, how do you think that Instagram has changed the way we eat and look at food?
Jocelyn: I think people love burgers, people love fries, people love fried chicken. So whenever you post a picture about burgers, fries, fried chicken, you always get higher likes than just a regular fried rice. Always with an egg. And there was an egg picture previously--
Justine: And then with a lot of cheese [laughter] And all that, that always get-- I think people always take pictures before they eat now, as well. That's why I believe your parents or even your friends have to be very patient with you. If not, they will just leave. Like our parents, our parents can't stand us taking pictures [laughter] They will just order their own sets and just let us do our
own... because they can no longer stand waiting for us-- they were so mad. [laughter]
B: That's a good idea. I should tell them that. Just be like "Okay, you guys can order your own food. I'll do my own thing here." [laughs]
H: Speaking of those high-calorie foods, I see you two very much like Howlin' Rays.
Justine: We love Howlin' Rays [laughter]
H: I waited in their line once, and I got the sandwich. And it was delicious, and I love how they all say "Yes chef", and it was a fun experience. But how do--and for listeners that don't know, Howlin' Rays is a fried chicken place, very popular in Chinatown, but the line is like three hours long, often, unless you go at the right time. I see you two go often--how do you wait in that line a lot? Or do you get passes to go to the front? [laughter]
Jocelyn: Yes, we do actually get them.
Justine: Yeah, we’ve known the owner since day one.
Jocelyn: 'Cause we always discover new restaurants. That's why before they became so popular, we actually met them since they opened. So we actually waited in line before ourselves, and then actually became friends with them. So that's why we still promote for them because we really love them. And when we promote for them, sometimes we get like a skip the line thing and then do our own pictures and post them up. But I think another thing is that we always run giveaways with it. So we really want our followers to actually get a chance to skip the line at Howlin' Rays.
H: Right, that's awesome. I just saw that. I'm gonna comment next time because I want to skip the line.
Jocelyn: Yeah, each month we do that, and a lot of our friends will call us like the night after like "Hey, is there any way..." [laughter]. I'm like "no..." because they pick the winner. It's Howlin' Rays, they pick the winner.
Justine: So before we picked the winner, but then we got a lot of message[s] from followers saying "How do you pick the winner?" like "Why'd you pick her and not pick me?" and I'm like "just randomly." And then they'd ask me "How randomly?" [laughter] And then I said like "You know, use the program." "Like how? You have to show us." And then at the end, I'm like oh I'll just ask Mario, one of the staff, and I said like "Mario, can you help me to pick it every time?"
So you know it's fair. It's more fair. And people won't ask me how. I said, "If you want to ask, ask Mario." [laughter]
Jocelyn: Yeah, I think we keep it very fair when we run giveaways. Like, our friends... I just told them like "well, everyone has the same chance of winning. It's just because we randomly pick someone." Or sometimes we just let the owners themselves pick the winner to make sure that it's a fair game.
B: Yeah, that makes so much sense. We actually have another question from one of our listeners. They're asking "Are your travels influenced by restaurants and food choices? If so, which was the best trip you went on?"
H: What'd you have there?
Jocelyn: So Japan has the most Michelin rated restaurants in the world. And I think why we love Japan so much is because Japan is very safe... and they have the best foods that we've had in our life, especially even in the convenience store. So I don't know if you have heard of--even the egg sandwich at the convenience store tastes so much better than anything else outside.
Justine: Like cup of noodles, too [laughter]
Jocelyn: Everything is so exquisite. And they're very nice, and also as well as like exceptional service over there. So I think that's why we always go back to Japan.
H: How often have you been?
Jocelyn: At least every--last year it was like, at least every four months.
Justine: Two times per year.
Jocelyn: Yeah, at least two times
Justine: And then I'm going to Tokyo in April.
H: Is it always Tokyo, or do you go to different cities as well?
Jocelyn: Osaka, Kyoto, yeah.. but we always want to go back to the restaurants that we really like. But we try to explore more as well because there are too many restaurants. And sometimes we actually--so people ask us "oh you get a lot of benefits or even great things from being a food blogger." But on the side, we actually felt so uncomfortable of eating a lot of food every single day. So when we first started, we actually went to eight restaurants a day.
Jocelyn: So that we have enough content to build Hangrydiary. So back in like, three and half years ago we actually went to eight restaurants a day during the weekend. So we have like 16 contents to line it up for the following week.
Jocelyn: Yeah that was crazy, back in the day.
H: How did you get from restaurant to restaurant. Did you walk? Are they close? Did you have to go far across the city for all these places in a day?
Justine: So we would make an arrangement and then, you know, map out all the restaurants' address. And then you know...
Jocelyn: We would check the time
Justine: Yeah, we need to check the opening time, close time, you know. Is it for breakfast, lunch, dessert... [laughter]
B: Oh wow. Was it hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle while doing that?
Jocelyn: Yes. I would say definitely yes. At least back in the days that sometimes I got food poisoning from eating too much or from eating something that wasn't very clean, then yeah. Back in the days it was actually pretty tough for us to start Hangrydiary. But now, we don't go to restaurants that often as before because we pull less content now. But actually, I think we are trying to build better content. More like focused on new and good restaurants.
H: So a listener says that they heard the 7-Elevens are amazing in Japan.
Jocelyn: Yeah, the convenience store. It's so amazing. I think you can just try to have breakfast there, lunch there, even dinner. Like you won't be disappointed at all.
Justine: The ice cream is amazing too.
Jocelyn: Everything is so good there
Justine: They have the mochi ice cream.
H: Do you ever go to Sawtelle? Right over here on the West side.
Jocelyn: Yes, I used to live at Sawtelle and even worked at the supermarket. So yeah, I had a few jobs like at the supermarket and Beard Papa’s, and all that. And even know how to make milk tea, and all that. So I know it becomes like a ramen street now, at Sawtelle.
Jocelyn: The empire. It's all over there, but I think it's a good thing because whenever you think about ramen, the people know where to go. And I actually love that the street is getting more and more ramen places. The more competitive it is, the better food we can get.
B: Yeah, do you have a favorite place on that strip?
Justine: Tsujita is pretty good.
Jocelyn: Yeah, I think that one is pretty good, but uh--
Justine: The line is not that good though [laughs]
H: Which one? Because there's like the regular one, the Annex...
B: Yeah, we actually are getting a lot of questions from our listeners for you. One guest asks "Do you have a favorite dessert place in LA?"
Jocelyn: Dominique Ansel in Alhambra. Have you ever tried that place?
B: No, because I'm vegan. But I went to New York, and my friend and I wanted to wait in line at 5 a.m. in the morning for the cronuts when they first came out. We were really excited, but then we couldn't get up in the morning. [laughs] So that was my whole journey with Dominique Ansel, and then I went vegan so I never had the chance to try it.
Jocelyn: I don't know if they have vegan dessert as well.
Jocelyn: I don't think so, but they actually... Dominique Ansel, the bottom part is actually a dessert place, but the upper level is actually a restaurant. And they serve really good pasta, but I think there [are vegan] items as well but on the dinner menu. So it's still a very good experience over there. They definitely serve one of the best desserts in LA.
Justine: This is a very challenging question.
H: Mine... I think I like Salt and Straw, honestly. I'm basic.
Justine: Oh, I love Salt and Straw, too.
Jocelyn: Wanderlust Creamery!
H: Oh, Wanderlust is very good, too. Oh yes, fantastic. I love Wanderlust.
B: For me, I really love Donut Friend. I don't know if you've ever tried it. They have a stall in Smorgasburg as well, on Sundays. And they have great donuts. I'm a huge donut fan, but other than that, I also really, really like the brownie at Gracias Madre. It's a really good dessert. And it's like so chocolatey, but they also put the coconut ice cream on top with maple syruped coconut shreds. It's really good. [laughs]
Justine: It tastes so good that I want it right now. [laughter]
Jocelyn: Yeah, I've been dreaming about food sometimes, actually. And when I woke up, I was like "oh my god, I have to go over there and make reservations." [laughter] And we have to make reservations as well. A lot of people ask us like "Oh do you get privilege of getting in the restaurant right away?" I was like "No, I still make reservations."
Jocelyn: Well, yeah. But I still wait in line. Like when I really want the food that we want to try immediately.
H: You can't say "I have all these followers, let me in!" [laughter]
Jocelyn: I think there are too many food bloggers in LA that owners cannot differentiate, and they can't tell you are. So our privilege is that we just go by ourselves, and then if they know us well, then they will actually invite us another time.
H: Nice. Speaking of reservations, I saw in another short interview that you did that you went to n/naka and Bavel, which are two very hard to get reservations. Can you tell us about that experience?
Justine: So for Bavel, I just walk in. [laughs] Yeah, if you go earlier, like 6 p.m., you don't need a reservation. They will just let you in. But then you kind of need to sit at a counter, not a table. So if you can't make a reservation, I recommend you just walk in--like earlier, not at like 8 p.m. And I really love Bavel. I think I went there like three times, four times already.
Justine: And my favorite dish is the oyster mushrooms. Yeah, and so the oyster mushroom is a little bit chewy. And then with a little touch of--you can taste the fire, the wood fire. And then they put a little bit of salt and mint. So, you know the whole combination is so simple, but everything is so balanced. So it's like excellent. It's my favorite dishes.
B: Wow, that sounds really yummy.
Justine: Of course, the hummus is really good. You know, the flatbread is excellent. Because they are the same group as Bestia. I love Bestia too. Bestia, the same thing--it's really hard to make a reservation. So what I do, I would just walk in at like 5:30, 6.
Justine: And you know, you don't want to go with a big group. Like only two people, three people is easier.
B: Yeah, I assume so. How about n/naka?
Jocelyn: So n/naka, I went there I think... two years ago. Um, I think she is the queen of kaiseki in LA Yeah, so the whole process of kaiseki dinner is kind of a storytelling element. So from the first dishes to the end, so it's like a floor, it's like music. And I think I really loved the service at n/naka, they were like super, super, super attentive. So, I remember even though we ordered wine, right? Like I got alcohol. And then we couldn't finish it--the wine. So at the end, they just told us "Oh the wine is already at your car." Like you know, they put it in your car and then they would tell you like "left side." It's done. Usually, you know, if you go to restaurants, they're like "Oh leftovers, okay here's your leftovers." You have to take it out and then put it in your car by yourself. So they remember which car you drive, where they park... they marked out every single thing. And you don't need to ask them to do anything. They are there already. So when like, your cup is almost empty of water, they would just pour it. And then they would remember everything you don't eat, and every dish they explain. And then sometimes you might forget what's inside, and they would just come and "Oh yeah, yeah, don't worry. I will just explain again" until you get it. And I really loved the experience. And when you return to n/naka again, the second time, nothing will be repeated. So they mark down everything. Yeah, and they mark down "oh you love these dishes." So they would give you these dishes again, but then the other dishes would be different.
Jocelyn: They're just very, very detail minded.
B: Oh wow. That sounds amazing.
Justine: And the chef came out by herself to introduce and you can take photos. It's very friendly and welcoming.
B: Wow, that sounds really nice.
H: That was n/naka sushi omakase place in Palms and Bavel Mediterranean in downtown. Do they have sort of that all over Tokyo? Is that a thing? Or is n/naka still special or do they have that in Tokyo as well?
Jocelyn: They have a lot of that in Tokyo actually [laughter] 'Cause I think it's just the Japanese culture. They always have the best service. We already experience the best service in Japanese restaurants, as well. They explain things very well, they take notes of things that you eat, they ask you of dietary restrictions in advance, and they always remember like--if there's a second visit, they always give you something new or remember what you like and what you don't like. So I think overall, it's an exceptional dining experience that people really have to try once in life.
H: Okay, I'll have to go. I want to go.
Justine: I think Tokyo is kind of beyond traditional, like we went to Den.
Jocelyn: Yeah, that was like another kaiseki restaurant
Jocelyn: Yeah, it's like a Michelin two star. It was so difficult to make a reservation. It took us six months, and you also need referrals from chefs or like really renowned editors or editors to recommend you to eat there. So that is one of the difficult restaurants to get into in the world.
H: Wow, well I probably won't be eating there any time soon [laughs]
Jocelyn: I want to go a second time, but I don't know if that will ever happen, too.
B: I took a note of that, and I want to go. Now, especially after you talked about Tokyo, I've always wanted to go to Japan. But now after hearing all about the food, I am going to make an effort to go there sometime soon.
Jocelyn: Definitely! We'll send you the best list, don't worry. [laughter]
H: What do you think--you know, the Michelin stars are very prevalent in Tokyo and other places. What do you think about LA not having any of that guide?
Jocelyn: We heard about that actually, coming back every year. And then I see a lot of editors writing that "We hope the Michelin Guide will come back." And that might actually happen in one or two years. Because it will be more renowned restaurants coming into Los Angeles this year. Or even in Asia, there will be some new restaurants coming in with Michelin stars as well. And there is like one Dim Sum place opening up in Irvine. There's another dumpling empire coming in as well. And there is another restaurant in Chicago it's called...
Jocelyn: Yeah, coming in to LA So people always hope that Michelin Guide will come back for all of these.
Justine: And then we have a lot of you know, top chef restaurants in LA
B: Do you think it will come back?
Jocelyn: I think they will come back, but maybe not this year. Maybe next? Also because of the Olympic Games and all those, they said that there will be more restaurants coming back in LA.
B: I was wondering, why do you think, especially right now, there's such a boom in Los Angeles restaurants--especially quality restaurants. Because when I first came to LA, you know, Catch and Ysabel, they just opened. We didn't have a lot of really great chef-centric restaurants, but now there are new openings every day. It's an exciting scene. Why do you think it increased all of the sudden?
Jocelyn: I think people actually love eating food, and maybe also because of a social media wave as well. People love taking a picture to share about it, and they get more likes, more engagement, so people actually go to new places every time. I think it's also because of the trend, but also maybe... the sense that Michelin Guide will be coming back so restaurants actually are moving to LA I think it's a combination of all the elements and that shapes the LA food scene.
H: That's very exciting. Can I ask you what are some of your favorite Dim Sum dishes? Just some of your favorite.
Jocelyn: Steamed barbeque buns.
Jocelyn: They're so amazing. And that's actually one of the most difficult Dim Sum dishes that a chef can make. So I ask the chef "What is actually one of the most difficult Dim Sum dishes that you ever..." Then he said, "it's the barbeque bun." But it's actually, at the price point, it's pretty cheap as well compared to all the other items on the list. And it's always my favorite. And I have my secret list as well that I haven't shared on Hangrydiary, and the best barbeque bun that I've ever had, in Hong Kong. It's very exciting. But there is still other Dim Sum... like steamed dumplings. There are like, rice rolls and all other dishes. You can just eat a lot when you go to Dim Sum, and just come with a lot of friends. And it is not expensive at all.
H: Do you like Dim Sum places that have the cart or do you like the menu?
Jocelyn: I like cart. But I get why they can no longer actually serve in carts because of the size as well. And even in Hong Kong, there aren't a lot of cart Dim Sum style restaurants anymore as well. It's because of the land, because of the size, it's kind of expensive to have someone to actually pull out the carts every single time. So I don't get to see a lot in Hong Kong as well. But it's fun.
B: We have another question from one of our listeners, and they ask "What is everyone's favorite comfort food?"
Jocelyn: Hm... chicken noodle soup. Whenever I get sick or I'm like so sick of having too many burgers, greasy food, then I go for that. That's my comfort food. But also, Chinese food also because we grow with that. We grew up with that.
Justine: Me too. Chinese food. You know, porridge, chicken soup. [laughs]
H: I think my mom's pesto pasta. That's simple, easy. I love pesto, it's my favorite thing.
B: Yeah, I think mine is Turkish lentil soup. It's basically a bunch of vegetables and red lentils boiled, and then you blend them in a blender, and it's a soup. And it's always whenever I'm sick, whenever I feel nauseous, whenever I don't feel well, I just--and it's so easy to make--I just make myself a batch of that soup and have that with some bread, and it's really good. It reminds me of home.
H: So you've been doing Hangrydiary for three and a half years. And you have other positions? Occupations? Or is this a full-time job, Hangrydiary?
Jocelyn: Hangrydiary is just a hobby. We still have our own full-time jobs. So I used to work at hotels, actually as a PR person. That actually brought us a lot of good networks in the community as well. And then, through Hangrydiary, we meet a lot of other talented bloggers, YouTubers, and all of them. So it's a great community since we started that.
Justine: Hangrydiary is my hobby. I work at USC as an accountant, actually. So this kind of balances my life. You know, accountants are like a lot of men, and you just sit there the whole day... In the weekend, we just go out taking photos, chatting with the chefs, enjoying the food. I think it's kind of a life balance. [laughter]
B: I completely understand because we're both students, and we study all day. We have finals and a lot of readings to do. But then when you're out in Los Angeles trying out new food, being a part of that culture, it's a really nice feeling. And one question I had was, you talked about balance, but does it ever get hard for you guys to maintain the Instagram account and also go on with your daily lives?
Jocelyn: Before, yes. Because we had to do our own research, and then after going to restaurants, coming back we have to edit the image and definitely write a caption and all that. But because we do it more and more often, it becomes an easier job for us. And we still enjoy it a lot, like trying out new restaurants. We can never get tired of it, as long as the restaurants are good. [laughter] That's the point.
Justine: Yeah, I still get excited every time I try something new and good.
B: Have you recently had an experience where you were like "I really don't like this food"?
Jocelyn: Yeah, and we started doing more reviews on our stories.
Jocelyn: And we actually waited in line and then we paid on our own and then we started doing reviews on what's actually good on the menu. Because a lot of times people said that it's good on Yelp, but that isn't really the case when we go to the restaurants ourselves. So we did a few reviews where people say it's like five stars, but it turns out to be only like two for us. So we put it on Hangrydiary. [laughter]
H: Yeah, Yelp isn't so trustworthy. It's just people, other people, you know.
B: Yeah, and I guess when you're not really interested in the industry and you... have more of an understanding, you look at different things when you eat food. Like price, how convenient it is. Especially for a lot of American citizens, I think convenience is really important. Like, sometimes I look at a restaurant on Yelp, and the only reason that is is because the service was kind of slow or their delivery wasn't that good. And yeah, I don't think that's really fair to the restaurants. But service is also really important. You always have to judge for yourself, I guess. I actually had another question. Do you have a trend that you think will become popular in Los Angeles or in general this year?
Jocelyn: We see more Filipino restaurants getting more popular in Los Angeles right now. And also Mexican restaurants. Because before it used to always be a truck, but we see they're actually turned into restaurants now in the food scene. And one of the best tacos... well I really like Guisado's. What is your favorite? I need to know. [laughs] Guerilla Tacos in downtown LA. I really like that as well.
H: Yeah, I was going to say Guerilla. Guerilla, Guisado's, and Kogi's settled down in a permanent location too which was delicious. So yeah, I love those. Hm, favorite taco? Oh... maybe not favorite, but Tacos Tu Madre right here on Westwood is really good.
B: Yeah, I like that too.
Justine: For a midnight taco, I think King Tacos. [laughs]
B: I've never been there.
Jocelyn: They're very famous like for when you crave tacos at night.
Justine: Yeah, 1 a.m. and you're craving tacos. [laughter] You go to King Tacos.
B: Where is it? Is it a food truck?
Justine: Oh no, they have a restaurant, and they also have a truck, too.
H: How far are you willing to drive for food? Especially if you're going at night, and you're in East LA, how far do you come in to go for food?
Jocelyn: Well, an hour to two is fine. It depends on the restaurant as well. If this is like my favorite restaurants, then it doesn't really matter much.
Justine: Yeah, it's like if I want to try a restaurant in Tokyo and I have a reservation, I would just buy a ticket, you know... [laughter] and fly there. Because in April the only reason I'm going to Tokyo is because I got a reservation at Sushi Saito... the top sushi place in the world. So it's like kind of impossible to make a reservation unless some regular customer brings you in, and in Japan, the regular customer means that they have to go once a month.
Justine: Ever since the restaurant opened. So those are called "regular customers." It's like they will go there more than 80 times, 100 times.
Justine: So you know, Tokyo restaurants are very small. It's only for six to eight people. So this restaurant, they only allow regular customers to bring you in. Usually people would just make the next reservation at the moment. So the next reservation would be one year later. So, you know? They won't serve any new visitors. [laughter]
H: How much does that menu cost?
Justine: So usually all around $300. I mean, it's okay because if you eat at a fancy sushi restaurant here, like omakase, it's around $300-$400 per person.
B: Yeah. Someone asks "Is that the sushi place that's in Jiro Dreams of Sushi?"
Justine: Oh no, it's different. But Jiro is in Tokyo too.
H: Have you been to that one?
Justine: Oh no [laughter]
B: Well, I think we're coming to an end of our show. Before we close off, one final question. Are you guys excited to try anything new this week?
Justine: This coming year...
Jocelyn: Well we are hoping that the Dim Sum place will open in Irvine, because it was very good in Hong Kong. But we heard different mixed reviews when it opened in New York. So that's actually one of the places that I will line up for like an hour for the Dim Sum. So that's a place that I'm looking forward to.
Justine: And I'm waiting for Girl & The Goat [laughter] because I used to work in Chicago for nine months, and this is my favorite restaurant.
Justine: New American and a little bit Asian fusion. So, the price is very reasonable. So if you finish the whole meal, it's only $50 per person. But then, every time I go it's so good. So I'm waiting for it to come [laughter]
H: Oh, anything I'm excited to try this week. I haven't thought of it. Maybe Uovo pasta.
Justine: Oh I love Uovo. [laughter]
H: Oh you do? Okay. [laughs] Good. I haven't made reservations yet, but I'm probably going to Elephante later this month.
Jocelyn: Yeah, I love Elephante--the view, and the servers look amazing. Like very handsome, the guys, and the girls look like they're from Hollywood. [laughter]
B: Yeah, everyone looks really cool.
H: Everyone's beautiful. [laughter] How about you?
B: I actually have reservations for Majordomo tomorrow
H: Tomorrow! Are you kidding me. That's no fair.
B: [laughs] Yeah, tomorrow night.
Justine: I love Majordomo, too.
B: Yeah, I got reservations for my whole family while they were visiting my dad wanted to go to a good restaurant, and I heard great reviews. So I have a lot of expectations. I'm really excited. I wanted to go there since it opened. So we'll see. I'll let you guys know.
Jocelyn: It's really good [laughs]
H: Well, thank you so much for joining us. Is there anything else you'd like to say before...
Jocelyn: If people ever need recommendations, they can just direct message us and we will give you our secret list. Because we always have a new updated list, but it's also pretty long as well. So whenever people ask us, we will just give them the best list--the most updated one.
B: Oh, that sounds great.
H: You can message them at @hangrydiary on Instagram.
B: Yes, and make sure to follow them as well. They have great food pictures.
Jocelyn and Justine: Thank you!
B: Well, this was The Menu on UCLAradio.com. Thank you for tuning in and listening to our interview with the lovely ladies from Hangrydiary. Want to close off?
H: Thank you very much. Have a great week.