R23 is Japanese restaurant + Gallery where Nhien and I went to with Rose/Token Asian and her friend Jenny last week.

The place is tucked away in Downtown LA warehouse district. When I said tucked away, I am not kidding. The general direction is Alameda and 2nd, but you have to go down this alley way and all to get there. R23 shares the building with other hip cafe and gallery.

Zagat guide listed on their website explains the place best:

A hidden back-alley spot in the Warehouse District Downtown…means…this “private” Japanese venue whose decor is “minimalist” and “stylish without being pretentious”; “arrive early to sit at the sushi bar” or just kick back “in the cool Frank Gehry designed cardboard chairs”; either way you’ll find “artfully presented” sushi as well as cooked items like a “lobster tempura that’s a must-see.”

And the chairs are REALLY cool. And the food is REALLY good.

The lunch menu didn’t say much of what’s included (although the online version does). Originally we thought we’d end up with fancy little plates, but we were mistaken. The lunch items came with a salad (dressing is KILLER!), miso soup, and rice. We were stuffed to the gills!

It was revealed to us that that day was Nhien’s first anniversary with our company! More reason to celebrate! Not quite close enough to bust out sake at lunch but, hey, there is always next time. ;-D

I ordered fried oysters. Nhien got the Chef’s special with sashimi, fried something and something else. Jenny got grilled chicken with ponsu sauce. Rose got salmon roe chirashi, what I call an “open faced sushi bowl”, essentially everything that goes in a sushi but instead of being all rolled up, it comes in a large bowl instead.

Not to repeat the mistake of our first meeting at Palms Thai, Rose and I actually took some pictures this time! She has better pictures of us, taken in her “I’m smarter that you!” smart phone thingyamagicky. I included her stuff here. (Thanks, Rose!) More on my Flickr album.

Tonight, I am catching up with my best friend Nora who just got back from a 2 (or 3?) week trip through Scotland and England, and my other high school friend Jen. It’s mainly because I am once again trying, perhaps in vain, to reconnect everybody.

You see, Jen and Nora have been acquainted mainly because we share common friends. Me, Amber, Mel, Jen, Nora. The big five. Not everyone is everyone’s best friend, but that was high school. We’re 10 years past that now. And I hope today I could have Jen and Nora get to know each other all over again and see if anything comes out of that.

Having more friends is better than having less friends, as we all learn around here recently.

Thanks to the Blogosphere. Seriously.

Meeting new people and making new friends here through the blogosphere really gives me the confidence to try to connect with others outside. If I can connect with complete stranger, I sure can get back in touch with lost friends and reacquainted with those I barely knew. If only they’d open up to me in return, like you fine folks here, it could all work out.

So, wish me luck in my adventure in friendship! 🙂