In winter, a flu shot is always an option for warding off illness, but it’s more fun and flavorful, and significantly less painful, to stick with edible cures. Los Angeles restaurants are drawing on Eastern traditions, science and ingenuity to produce food and drinks that have healing powers.
It’s serenity now at Hyun Sook Kim’s branch of a popular Korean chain thanks to its high-backed blue chairs, spa-appropriate music and soothing bowls of porridge. Bonjuk’s 17 varieties include Octopus with Kimchi, which "helps digestion and is good for recovery from weariness and illness." The generous helpings of risotto-like rice grains are interspersed with chewy tentacles and draw fire-red color and acidity from kimchi. If octopus isn’t your thing, consider Shrimp Porridge that touts “rich protein and taurine helps children's growth and keep beauty for women," and deluxe Abalone Porridge Special, a "traditional dish for Royal households which helps to build up the liver function.” The porridges are topped with dried seaweed and crushed sesame seeds and appear with cool dishes of crunchy kimchi, soy-soaked short rib and a chile-stained dish minced garlic condiment, and a dish of cool, bracing radish soup. - 3551 Wilshire Boulevard, Koreatown, 213.380.2248
Catherine Fang previously owned Lu Din Gee in nearby San Gabriel, and across the valley, now continues to offer deluxe specialties like Peking duck and Buddha Jumped Over A Wall, a Taiwan style shark's fin soup that costs over $200 and requires a day's notice. The six healthiest dishes all feature konnyaku, a fibrous plant that is high in fiber, carries no calories or fat and reduces cholesterol. They've got Parsley Lover with stir-fried jellyfish strips, shredded pork, konnyaku and parsley; and cold spicy konnyaku salad with konnyaku “noodles,” carrots, spinach and sesame sauce, but we prefer spicy konnyaku, fish and tofu stew. Firm flounder fillets, absorbent tofu sheets and spongy strips of konnyaku are all treated with a supercharged broth that includes garlic, chilies, red and green pepper strips and black beans. - 501 S. Atlantic Boulevard, Monterey Park, 626.284.3227 www.pearlcatering.com
The latest venture in the nearly 400-year Tsunoda family hospitality odyssey sprouted out of their Chaya chain and is headed by executive chef Shigefumi Tachibe, who practices “macrobiotics” at M Cafés on Melrose and in Beverly Hills. He “stresses the importance of whole, natural foods eaten in season, and as minimally processed as possible,” building on the principles of Japan’s macro-zen master Michio Kushi. M specializes in salads and sandwiches, including the grilled teriyaki-glazed tuna burger, and packs their display case with a variety of sushi, baked goods and mix-and-match sides. Scarlet quinoa salad also involves beets, strands of orange zest and tangy ume vinegar. Kale complements spicy peanut dressing and crushed peanuts, showcasing a green that’s high in calcium and iron that’s supposed to strengthen the liver and gall bladder. Kale even appears in lemonade at M Café, along with the Green Machine, a bright green blend of cilantro, spinach, kale, ginger, lemon, cucumber and celery. Cilantro naturally encourages "heavy metal detox," and spinach and kale also detoxify. - 7119 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, 323.525.0588, www.mcafedechaya.com
This classic deli dates to 1945, when Al Mendelson and Nate Reimer set up shop in central Beverly Hills. The Mendelson family continues to run Nate ‘n Al, which is very, very brown, complete with rows of booths and a jam-packed deli case. Chicken Noodle, Rice and/or Kasha Soup is available by the cup or bowl and served with complimentary rye bread. Kasha is a nutty grain similar to unhardened Grape Nuts. The soup's chicken-free—just chicken broth—but feel free to ask for chicken meat, since it's already in the pot. No matter how you order, colds beware. - 414 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 310.274.0101, www.natenal.com
For more than 14 years, this brightly lit Hong Kong-style café has produced a number of dishes that are hard to find in the San Gabriel Valley, most notably, the Black Chicken Soup with Four Mixed Herbs. A bitter, murky broth is loaded with chunks of chicken sporting black-grey skin, thin-shaved sheets of what may or may not be mushroom, strips of spongy black herb and fibrous slices of a root known called ginseng, which is supposed to reduce stress and stimulate sexual performance in men. Slurp the brew under a 3D mural of cranes by the riverbank. - 312 W. Valley Boulevard, San Gabriel, 626.570.8333
Local farmers markets served as an incubator for Rey Koo and Robby Whitelaw’s Hollywood sugar cane juice bar, which features locally grown stalks that come packed with minerals, alkalines, chlorophyll and antioxidants. Order the fresh-pressed, Diabetic-friendly liquid straight-up or opt for Fortify Detox Elixir if you “love your liver.” The spicy juice also packs chunks of ginger, cayenne powder and lime juice and promises a detoxifying effect. They also have smoothies and an Alkalizer Tonic to “clean your blood,” combining cane, lemon, lime and alfalfa chlorophyll. - 5301 W. Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, 323.537.6611, www.sugarcanejuice.org
Mixologist Justin Pike draws on pre-Prohibition traditions to produce medicinal cocktails at the chic Abbot Kinney restaurant. He named the Federal Reserve for some regulars who liked to discuss politics and finance. The aromatic, stirred drink involves Sazerac 6-year rye, Carpano antica sweet vermouth, Cynar artichoke liqueur and an allspice dram, which adds “wintry notes.” Pike considers his 57 Chevy “smooth, an easy ride.” The frothy cocktail combines dry Bombay Sapphire gin, Noilly Pratt dry vermouth, pineapple and lemon lemon juices, a reputedly aphrodisiacal Mexican herb called damiana and elecampane tonic, which Pike swears is "good for the bloodstream." He recently started barrel-aging cocktails, including a Manhattan with rye, Punt e Mes sweet vermouth and mamajuana, which Dominicans are convinced has healing powers. Mamajuana involves rum, honey and a blend of Dominican barks. Technically, you're supposed to use Dominican rum like Brugal, but Pike likes Smith & Cross. He said, "They say a shot a day makes you live longer. It also gives you sexual power." - 1633 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, 310.392.6644, www.thetastingkitchen.com
Helene An and daughter Catherine took the family behind Crustacean in a more casual direction last year, opening up a Vietnamese café in Santa Monica’s MTV building. An herb garden frames the brick-lined patio, including the café’s eponymous herb, which packs vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and immune boosting properties. The purple and green leaf is also “considered to be the most flavorful of the perilla (mint) family.” An uses tiato to garnish Tiato Eggplant Tofu and Villager's Favorite. The latter involves cubes of simmered pork tenderloin, lettuce strips, pickled jalapeños, crunchy carrots and cucumbers, minced pork and shrimp sauce. The dish comes with brown or white rice and a cup of warming chicken broth. For dessert, they even have a tiato macaron, with violet and green almond paste cookies befitting the herb and a tiato cream filling.
- Tiato, 2700 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, 310.866.5228, www.tiato.com
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