Travel black book: Laid-back in LA

Rachel Lim's Travel Black Book

Who: Rachel Lim, 27, co-founder and creative director of local fashion label Love, Bonito

Favourite city: Los Angeles

Why: It's a very laid-back place and the people are so cool. It's a city, but not fast-paced like Singapore. People generally take the time to talk, eat and enjoy one another's company. You can see that in cafes, people don't rush through their meals and conversations.

Best place to stay

The Sofitel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills (8555 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, tel: +1-310-278-5444) is great because of its location. It's close to West Third Street, where there are a lot of cafes and good food, as well as the Beverly Centre (8500 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, tel: +1-310-854-0070), which is great for shopping. You can get anything you want there, with a lot of brands common in American malls, such as women's clothing stores New York & Company and White House Black Market, and Bath and Bodyworks.

Rooms start from US$249 (S$312) a night.

Best place to eat

West 3rd Street has many great places to eat, but if you go to Los Angeles, you must try Gordon Ramsay at the London (1020 North San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, tel: +1-310-358-7788, open daily from 6 to 10pm). It's located in the glamorous London West Hollywood hotel. It's very hard to get a reservation. I had to make one 11/2 months in advance. The restaurant serves fine-dining fusion cuisine. I had a main of cod fish, and starters that included sushi and foie gras. All of it was delicious. I think I paid between US$300 and US$400 for my meal.

Favourite breakfast spot

I love a little bakery cafe called Toast (8221 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, tel: +1-323-655-5018, open daily from 7.30am to 6pm). Its brunch portions are huge and I'm a person who usually wants to fill my stomach well at the start of the day, so I don't have to eat again till much later.

It has a huge variety of breakfast options, with waffles, pancakes, French toast and a selection of at least 15 egg dishes, such as breakfast burritos and Eggs Benedict. It also has many different types of bread. Breakfast here costs about US$12 for one person.

Best day trip out of the city

From Los Angeles, it's easy to drive out to Santa Monica on the outskirts of the city.

The drive itself is less than an hour and you can easily spend half a day or a day out there. The beach there is beautiful and I'm a big beach person, so it is a must-do for me. You can go for a leisurely stroll or stop at one of the many nice cafes along the beach to have a meal and chill. One in particular that I love is the Blue Plate Oysterette (1355 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, tel: +1-310-576-3474, open daily from 11.30am to 10pm). I had an amazing lobster mac and cheese there. It cost around US$20.

Best way to get around

I'd recommend renting a car as the city is sprawling. Hailing a cab along the street is not easy as you just don't see as many as you do here. Cabs are not too expensive, around the same price as here, but it's easier to have your own car. Public transportation there is not spectacular either, with the bus system not very reliable or easy for visitors to use.

Best time to visit

Los Angeles is always sunny, so it's a great place to visit all year round. Unlike Singapore that can get quite uncomfortably hot and humid, it's never humid in LA. I went in October and the temperature hovered between 18 and 24 deg C, so it was very comfortable with a nice breeze, while still being sunny.

Events to bookmark

LA is the home of the famous basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers, so if you're a fan of the sport, you should go during the regular basketball season from October to April to a game at the Staples Centre, where the team play their home games.

Travellers planning to head to LA should also check who are performing at the Hollywood Bowl during their stay in the city.

It's a huge amphitheatre in the Hollywood area and many big-name music stars hold shows there. I went to a Coldplay concert there.

Best hidden find

The best find I made was a Thai restaurant called Ruen Pair (5257 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, tel: +1- 323-466-0153, open daily from 11am to 3am). I found it when I was walking around the area and saw a long line outside and a huge crowd inside. I figured it must be good so I waited in line and it was worth it because it serves amazing, authentic Thai food. It's better than what I've had in Singapore. I loved it so much I went back every day for the next three days, even though there was always a queue to get in.

My favourite dish there was the fried prawn cakes with sweet chilli sauce. I've eaten this dish a lot, even in Thailand, and I think this was one of the best I've tried.

The restaurant is affordable too. A meal with three dishes would cost about US$15 or US$20.

jennanid@sph.com.sg

This article was published on May 4 in The Straits Times.

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