Just look how lucky we are! The average wait time at an L.A. drive thru is about 10 minutes. So I was wowed when I heard that there was a five-hour queue for a London pop-up of the burger chain In N’ Out this week.
The one-day pop-up – which had been slated to offer its fare from 11am to 3pm, took place at Estancia Brazil restaurant in Swiss Cottage in North London. And according to In-N-Out spokesman Eric Billings, they had to start turning people away by noon. He said a line started to form at about 8am, and customers began to get wristbands at 11am that let them claim a burger later. I guess this is the foodies’ equivalent of a secret Elton John show. Great marketing tool no doubt.
But while those who lined up were clearly familiar with the brand, it left Roberto Trevisan, general manager of Estancia Brasil, scratching his head. He told a local newspaper: “I know it’s an American company who are going to do some type of, well, American food. I have no idea which one.”
From epic burgers to fine French dining, from sushi to Korean BBQ, LA’s status as a food capital is yet another reason we all love it here. Just this week Eileen and I were lucky enough to be invited by Sandra and Anouska of Obića Mozzarella Bar in Sunset Plaza to try their fabulous Italian wares.
Obića is a casual Italian restaurant concept featuring the best Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, together with traditional recipes and high quality Italian handmade products, all prepared ‘in sight’ (and let’s face it, don’t we all love a little theatre while we eat?) Artisanal mozzarella is all the rage right now, and I have to tell you Obića’s is sublime. As for their truffle pizza…out of this world. Their portions are light and healthy and made fresh on the premises. We will be looking to do a tasting night there very soon so watch out for the details to follow in the next couple of weeks.
With other locations in Santa Monica and Century City it’s a great place for a lovely meal, and they have just been added to our growing list of favorite ‘key member’ vendors, where our members can receive a 20% discount off of their food bill. (Alcohol excluded) upon presentation of our key fob. Visit our website for details.
Judging by how busy our Pub Quiz and Breakfast Club were this week, there are a lot of Brits in town. And it’s nice to hear how well a lot of you are doing, both personally and professionally. Keep up the good work! Remember we like to hear from you, so if you are in a play, or have started a new business or just want to give a birthday shout out to someone, we are here. Send us a note at info@britsin.la. Also make sure to follow us on Twitter @BritsinLA if you want to keep up to date with all our news and events.
And don’t forget to come by and say hello at our weekly British Breakfast, held every Tuesday at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood, between 9.30am-11.30am.
Cheers!
Craig
