For a delicious break from shopping at the Promenade, skip the greasy snacks and commonplace chains on Third Street and walk down the block to Buddha’s Belly. And don’t let the cute name fool you; they offer a full bar, quality food and a classy atmosphere.
Buddha’s Belly is located conveniently on Broadway and Second Street, in walking distance of the Third Street Promenade and busing distance from UCLA. (Take the Big Blue Bus, Line 1.) It offers a diverse Pan-Asian menu with favorites from China, Korea, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam.
The restaurant’s high ceilings, thick wood tables and clean, classy decor are faintly reminiscent of P.F. Chang’s, the popular Asian-fusion chain.
However, Buddha’s Belly achieves what a chain often cannot. It not only serves fresh, delicious food, but also shows goodwill in its support of a hearty recycling program, energy-saving electricity devices and local farmers. There are plenty of vegetarian options and some organic fare.
The menu offers Asian food favorites, such as pad Thai, ramen dishes, and Thai and Japanese curries, but also exciting new choices like ginger fried rice, blue lake beans, and spinach miso ramen.
Don’t expect any boring iceberg lettuce salads doused with oily oriental dressing at this restaurant ““ they offer plenty of fresh, densely packed salads like the seared ahi tuna salad, vegan tofu salad and spicy crispy calamari salad.
Even the dishware is interesting, as water is served in pretty, bamboo-shaped glasses, and the meals are presented in uniquely shaped, deep white bowls, modern square plates and authentic sushi dishware.
Our food arrived right on time as we finished our appetizer of organic edamame (young soybeans in their pods). The soybeans were lightly salted and steamed to perfection. They were served in one side of a two-compartment, peanut-shaped dish, eliminating any uncertainty as to where to discard the bean pods.
The yakisoba entree had thick chow mein noodles, crunchy, colorful bell peppers, and the perfect amount of rich, deep-bodied sauce. It had plenty of tender, thin steak and was served with cold, spicy red ginger on the side. The dish was impressive; not too oily and beautifully presented with a sprinkle of nori (edible dried seaweed).
My foodie friend Sarah chose well with the Japanese vegan curry, which was served with a more-than-generous portion of curry and fluffy white rice. The brown curry was thick and spicy and included hearty portions of potatoes, daikon pickles, corn, carrots and blue lake beans. It was also served with red ginger and a side of finely chopped onions.
The dishes are a little pricey for the starving college student but well worth it for the generous portions that leave one or even two extra servings to take home. The prices are the same for lunch and dinner.
The restaurant’s bar is also a lure for customers thirsting for hot or chilled sake, cocktails or a cold Japanese beer.
An additional treat is the array of nonalcoholic herbal tonics served hot or sparkling over ice with names like “Mind Over Muddle,” which claims to improve focus, and “Virtual Buddha,” which claims to make the drinker feel elation. And, if you are unlucky enough to wake up needing a headache remedy, there is even a tonic called “Morning After.”
The service was friendly; however, when we wanted to pay the bill, we were forced to wait about 15 minutes as our server flitted around to other tables.
Service blunders aside, Buddha’s Belly is perfect for UCLA students. It will soothe your hunger pains, supply you with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, and energize you so that you can continue shopping and errand-running on the Promenade.