braised baby bok choi with rice noodles & a miso chicken broth or 'mall soup'
hating the mall & why simple dinners can still be elite
this meal all started because my friend
convinced me to go to the mall the other day—uniclo had just had some amazing new bits just come into the store.i had met kate the day before at our new favorite, low-key breakfast spot— forage. and her new pants were so good, i had to get myself to uniclo immediately.
unfortunately for me, that involved a trip to the mall.
why does the mall always smell bad?
so there, i found myself at the arcadia mall. a place that i so vehemently detest—in fact, i detest most malls if i am being honest. they smell bad and have weird, unnecessary shops like crazy golf scattered in next to H&M. some people might think that’s fun, but i find it all so chaotic and claustrophobic.
apart from century city mall, i like that one. it’s completely outdoors and the shops are all pretty good. but mainly because eataly is there, and they also have little beds that you can lay down in and sunbathe.
i suppose i don’t mind the grove either. again—because it is fully outdoor and they play frank sinatra year-round, over the speakers. but there is a special place hell reserved for anyone that openly enjoys the beverly centre. it’s horrific.
but i digress!
after picking up a dress that looked like an issey miyake dupe, from uniclo, i forgot that a new 99 ranch market had opened at this mall. and let me tell you, it was glorious.
so sparkly and pretty! organized perfectly, with fancy deli counters and special goods isles. an entire counter for wagu beef! safe to say, i was impressed. maybe my trip to the mall wasn’t going to be as bad as i was first imagining.
indeed, it wasn’t!
despite the weather getting decidedly warmer in los angeles, as usual—i was craving soup. i found some gorgeous baby bok choi in the produce section at 99 ranch and so decided to make something with those.
i also found some cool-looking mushrooms. they were called shimeji and almost looked like a larger enoki.
once i had everything i needed, i headed home. successful mall trip complete! it was now time for soup!
you can find the recipe for my ‘mall soup’ below.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to anchovies & soup to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.