JuJu Cereal Bar

Posted September 23rd, 2008 by Meg

I have been going to JuJu Cereal Bar in Westwood ever since it opened in October, 2007. It is a cereal lover’s dream. They offer so many cereal brands, toppings, candies, and milks it would be ridiculous of me to post them all. However, I want you to know how many options this place gives you, so time to be ridiculous!

For $5.25 you can get:

Step One: (2 Scoops)

Sweet Cereals : Apple Jacks, Captain Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Coco Krispies, Coco Pebbles, Coco Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Corn Pops, Crunchberries, Eggo Waffles, Frosted Flakes, Frosted Mini Wheats, Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Golden Grahams, Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Comb, Honey Nut Cheerios, Life, Lucky Charms, Smacks, and Trix.
Cereals : All Bran, Barbara’s Puffins, Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins, Cheerios, Chex, Corn Flakes, Fiber One, Granola, Grape Nuts, Kashi Heart to Heart Blueberry Oat Flakes, Kashi Golean, Kashi Golean Crunch, Kashi Heart to Heart, Kashi Puffs, Kix, Muesli, Mueslix, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, Shredded Wheat, Smart Start
Special K, Total, and Wheaties.
Organic Cereals : Acai Apple Granola, Blue Corn Flakes, Cheetah Chomps, Crispy Brown Rice, Grape Nuts, Hemp Granola, Kashi Autumn Wheat, Kashi Cinnamon Harvest, Raisin Bran, Weetabix, and Weetabix Flakes & Fiber.
Hot Cereals : Organic Steel-Cut Oatmeal and Organic Steel-cut Oatmeal with Soy Milk.

Step Two (3 mix-ins)

Fresh Fruit : Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Kiwi, Mangoes, Peaches, Pineapple, Raspberries, and Strawberries.
Dried Fruit & Nuts : Apples, Apricots, Blueberries, Coconut, Cranberries, Goji Berries, Mangoes, Pineapples, Raisins, Yogurt Raisins, Almonds, Flax Seed Powder, Peanuts, Pecans, Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), Sunflower Seeds, Wheat Germ, and Whey Protein Powder.

Sweets : Chocolate Chips, Chocolate chip cookies, Chocolate Pretzels, Graham Crackers, Gummy Bears, M&Ms, Malt Balls, Mini-Marshmallows, Nestle Crunch, Oreo Cookies, Peanut Butter Chips, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Sprinkles, Sugar Wafer Crumbles, Vanilla Wafers, and Yogurt Chips.
Dollops & Drizzles : Caramel, Chocolate, Condensed Milk, Frosting, Honey, Maple Syrup, Nutella, Peanut Butter, Whipped Cream, and Yogurt.

Step Three (Pour)

Dairy : Nonfat, Lowfat, and Whole.
Dairy+ : Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, Organic Nonfat, Organic LowFat, Organic Whole, Lactose-Free 2%, Plain Yogurt, Plain Nonfat Yogurt, and Vanilla Yogurt.
Non-Dairy : Organic soy, Organic Vanilla soy, and Rice Milk.

My JuJu Bowl was composed of: Barbara’s Peanut Butter Puffins, Hemp Granola, Bananas, Blueberries, and Strawberries with Nonfat Milk. I never had either of these two cereals before. I chose the peanut butter puffins because I have seen them at the grocery store and thought they looked good. The hemp granola was recommended by the friendly guy behind the register. He said he pairs the puffins and granola often and that it was  great combintion. And it was! I loved it and plan to order it again, but next time with organic milk. My boyfriend chose just Frosted Flakes with Lowfat Milk; boring! They also offer frozen yogurt (Plain and Pomegranate) that I have yet to try. Also, if you can’t figure out your own creation they have a huge menu of select mixes. I never have gotten a mix before, but the two that interest me most are the: Let ‘Em Eat Cupcake - Chex, Coco Pebbles, Frosting, Raspberries, M&Ms, Sprinkles, and Chocolate Milk; and Darker the Berry - Double coco krispies, fresh strawberries, Nestle crunch, Ghiradelli chocolate, and strawberry milk. They sound sugarific.

JuJu Cereal Bar
1248 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Get Directions(310) 474-8571

MILK

Posted September 8th, 2008 by Meg

For lunch on my birthday, my boyfriend took me to MILK. In 2007, Bret Thompson and Richard Yoshimura opened MILK. Both owners came from the downtown Los Angeles restaurant, Patina; Thompson was Corporate Executive Chef and Yoshimura was the Pastry Chef. In the press, MILK has been noted to have amazing milkshakes and malts. I have not had one, but watching this video of Bret Thompson sharing his popular malt recipes, almost makes me want to go out and buy an ice cream machine and start making my own creations. But, I would rather just go to MILK instead. 

Since I am on my ongoing quest to find the best salad in Los Angeles, I ordered their Chopped Cobb (turkey breast, aged cheddar, tomato, hard boiled egg, bacon, avocado, and green goddess dressing). I found the turkey to be quite refreshing, the lettuce to be crisp, and the dressing was delicious (green goddess is usually made from mayo, sour cream, and something green like chives). I was unable to finish all the cheese and bacon, but overall it was satisfying and good.

Since it was my birthday, I decided to order some desserts for tasting: Blue Velvet Cake and the Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich. The Blue Velvet Cake is divine. I love the neon blue color and believe the moist cake/ cream cheese frosting ratio to be perfect. Not too much, not too little. Most people do not know, but a Velvet Cake (whether Red, Blue, or any other color) is made from buttermilk, butter, flour, and cocoa powder. The Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich was also amazing. Most notable to me were the actual mint pieces in the ice cream along with the “cookie” part of the sandwich being a macaron. I have talked about macarons before, but will sum up what they are again: a French cookies usually made from egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. It is delicately crunchy on the outside, while moist, chewy, and flavorful on the inside. To have the texture of the cookie combine with the creamy mint ice cream was certainly an unexpected delight and changed my definition of ice cream sandwich. Although a little messy, it was quite a treat!

The service at MILK was friendly and efficient, making my visit pleasant and enjoyable. I would recommend trying everything I ordered, along with their signature bonbons (I have tasted them before this visit). I also saw that they were selling Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Cone. Apparently, this concoction is a traditional dessert at birthday parties for children. I had never seen them before, but I think they are really fun and could see the cone and the frosting tasting great together.

MILK

7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 939-6455