F2 LATIMES.COM
3 p.m.
Cafe Demitasse at 135 San
Pedro St. is a coffee shop that
satisfies nerds and normies with
specialty brews and zero snobbery.
The cafe cycles through an impres-
sive seasonal roster of craft beans
and concoctions, but the real draw
is its signature Kyoto iced coffee
($6.25). Made using a one-drop-at-
a-time method, the result is like
drinking summer — bright, sweet,
with an effect that lingers long
after it’s gone. Open 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. weekends; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays.
3:15 p.m.
Across Weller Court on the
second floor is Kinokuniya Los
Angeles at 123 Astronaut E S
Onizuka St. #205. Along with its
extensive selection of books and
magazines Kinokuniya is a cornu-
copia of imported, cutesy nov-
elties. Items like furoshiki— a
traditional Japanese cloth used to
wrap and carry — are sold in clever
designs, as well as Kayuragi Japa-
nese incense in scents like ginger,
aloeswood and mikan orange.
Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
3:45 p.m.
Tokyo is famous for its fashion
subcultures; and while Little
Tokyo is no Harajuku, it also slings
its share of unique clothing,
namely vintage. Head east on 2nd
Street until you hit Raggedy
Threads at 330 E. 2nd St. Filled
with Americana decor and the
smoke of burning palo santo, its
racks are home to a chambray
skirt from the 1940s; a Japanese
sukajan(or souvenir jacket) from
the 1950s; and a Dodgers T-shirt
from the 1980s. Open Monday
through Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.;
Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.
If ’90s nylon is more your speed,
keep east on 2nd Street until you
hit Popkiller Second at 343 E. 2nd
St. Along with dresses, tees and
tracksuits from decades past, the
store carries caps and beanies
embellished with lighthearted
Japanese phrases like kawaii
(cute), yabai(a slang word for
awesome) or nikukyu(cat’s paw
pad). Open 11 a.m. to 10:45 p.m.
Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m.
to 11:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
No Little Tokyo vintage store
inspires the Goldilocks effect more
than Space City Vintage at 339 ½
E. 1st St. To get there, keep head-
ing east on 2nd Street until you hit
Central Avenue, turn left, then left
again on 1st Street. On your right,
up a narrow flight of stairs, is
Space City’s sprawling space. It’s
stacked with the stuff of second-
hand dreams, all in the midprice
range. Owner Zac Vargas rents the
space to other apparel vendors,
such as Sister Kokoro, Delinquent
Bros and Dunrite Leatherworks,and is adding a record shop. “It’s a
rock ‘n’ roll mall,” he said. Open
noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through
Sunday.5:15 p.m.
Make your way back to Central
Avenue, turn right and walk south
until you see Poketo on the corner
at 374 E. 2nd St. Pop into the mini-
malist digs to browse beauty,
home and style goods like the
locally made Boy Smells candles
or Noto botanics’ “uni-sexy” gen-
der-fluid cosmetics. Open noon to
7 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.Tuesday through Sunday.5:30 p.m.
Keep heading south on Central
Avenue until you hit 3rd Street,
turn left and you’ll see Little Tokyo
Galleria on the right. Unassum-
ingly located on the third floor is
Shojin — the reason the term
“hidden gem” was invented. An
open mind is necessary at this
elegant Japanese eatery, which is
100% plant-based and organic and
caters to those with food allergies.
Shojin’s Dynamite Roll 2.1 ($16) is a
bestseller for a reason. Smoky,savory and slightly sweet, it’s one
of the countless creative sushi rolls
the restaurant is famous for, mi-
nus the fish. The mood lighting
and close quarters make Shojin
the perfect place to treat a loved
one, especially if it’s yourself. Res-
ervations are highly recom-
mended; make them at theshojin-
.com. Hours are 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday and Thurs-
day; 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday; noon
to 10:30 p.m. Saturday; and noon to
9:30 p.m. Sunday. Closed Tuesday.7 p.m.
It’s not over until someone
sings. Head back toward 2nd
Street and find the entrance for
Japanese Village Plaza. Where the
plaza and Little Tokyo Mall meet,
on the second floor, is the intimate
and quirky karaoke bar Tokyo
Beat at 319 E. 2nd St. #205. While
private rooms are available, sing-
ing in the main area is free with
any purchase, so grab a Japanese
whiskey or soft drink like Calpico
and browse its massive binder of
tunes. Lyrics on the monitor show
up in English and Japanese. And if
you’re more of the sing-in-the-
shower type, watching someone
else at the bar belt out a soulful
rendition of New Order’s “Bizarre
Love Triangle” is a cathartic expe-
rience all its own. Open 6 p.m. to 2
a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Closed Monday.FOUR HOURS IN LITTLE TOKYOLet the juxtapositions surprise you
MICHELLE PHAM, left, and Vyvy Pham look at a Japanese art
book at Kinokuniya Los Angeles, which also has novelty items.PORTFOLIOSand day planners are popular items at Poketo,
the housewares, apparel and accessories shop in Little Tokyo.
JACOB,left, Albert and Joseph Riestra browse in Popkiller Second, a purveyor of ’90s-era clothing and accessories plus novelties.Photographs byDania MaxwellLos Angeles TimesBARTENDERPortia Juliette prepares a cognac drink at Tokyo
Beat, a bar, restaurant and karaoke place in Little Tokyo Mall.SHOJIN’Spopular sushi roll
dish the Dynamite Roll 2.1.DANIMiller prepares a Kyoto
ice coffee at Cafe Demitasse.By Julissa JamesOne of the special things about
L.A. is you can travel the world
without ever getting on a plane.
Little Ethiopia on Monday, Korea-
town on Tuesday, Little Armenia
on Wednesday, Olvera Street on
Thursday, Thai Town on Friday ...
and Little Tokyo on Saturday. Not
unlike its namesake city, this
stylish downtown neighborhood is
both sleek and flashy, futuristic
and steeped in history. It’s also
L.A., where a fine-dining restau-
rant and arcade sit side by side in a
sleepy mall because of course they
do. Little Tokyo is a place of unex-
pected juxtapositions, which
makes for the exciting afternoon
you didn’t even know you needed.
Normally, I can take or leave
bell peppers. Even though their
brilliant colors are irresistibly
shiny, they still elicit no more than
mehwhen eaten. But chef Lior
Lev Sercarz showed me how to
make bell peppers essential to a
dish.
The secret is spices.
Sercarz owns La Boîte, an
online and specialty food shop in
New York City that sells well-
sourced spices and his signature
blends. When he asked if I wanted
to help him write a cookbook a few
years ago, I immediately said yes.
Despite years of professional
kitchen training, I knew little
about spices and wanted to learn
from the master.
One vital lesson: Spices bring
out the sweetness in bell peppers.
This is especially true in shak-
shuka, the Israeli dish in which
eggs simmer in sauce sunny side
up. Born and raised in Israel,
Sercarz ate countless versions of
this breakfast dish before cre-
ating variations of his own.
My favorite is green shak-
shuka, for which cooked leafy
greens replace the more common
tomato-based sauce. Sercarz’s
easy recipe is ideal for brunch, but
I am a nonfunctional human on
weekend mornings, so I came up
with a shortcut. Palak paneer, an
Indian spinach dish, comes al-
ready spiced and cooked. Addedto a simple base of peppers
sautéed until sweet, it’s an in-
stant, super-flavorful base for
your eggs. (It’s the dish I turn to
when I have leftover palak paneer
from restaurants or takeout from
Indian groceries, but freezer aisle
options aren’t bad either.)
Sercarz taught me how spices
fluidly cross borders in the
kitchen, and you can taste that
here. You’ll want to sop up the
savory sauce with bread. Pita,
naan, chapati, challah — it all
works.THE SATURDAY COOK
Ta k e a
shortcut
to spicy
shakshuka
By Genevieve Ko
Indian Palak Paneer
Shakshuka
20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.Saag paneer can be substituted
for palak paneer. It’s the northern
Indian version of this dish and
sometimes includes other greens.
The cubes of paneer cheese add a
creamy richness, but it’s just as
good without if you don’t eat dairy.
Simply start with plain palak or
saag instead.2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
oil(^1) large yellow onion, cut in
½-inch dice
2 sweet bell peppers, preferably
red and orange, cut in ½-inch
dice
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper
3 cups palak paneer or saag
paneer
6 large eggs, room temperature
2 Fresno or other mild chiles,
thinly sliced, for serving
Cilantro sprigs, for serving
1 Heat the oil in a large skillet over
medium heat. Add the onion, bell
pepper, and a pinch each of salt
and pepper. Cook, stirring occa-
sionally, until the onion is trans-
lucent, about five minutes.
2 Add the palak paneer and ½ cup
water. Cook, stirring, until the
mixture begins simmering. If the
mixture is too thick, stir in another
tablespoon or two of water; it
should be saucy. Crack an egg into
a small bowl, then slide it on top of
the simmering mixture. Repeat
with the remaining five eggs, spac-
ing them apart.
3 Cover the skillet and cook until
the whites are just set and the
yolks are still runny, seven to 10
minutes. The whites and yolks will
continue to cook as they sit in the
hot mixture. Remove from the
heat and top with the chiles and
cilantro. Season the eggs with salt
and pepper and serve immedi-
ately.
Mariah TaugerLos Angeles Times