Korean Slate

If you missed the news on Twitter and Facebook, let it be known that the unique Oaxacan juicery NaturaBar has extended its sponsorship of @Koreatown for another two weeks!

Hurray for the Spanish-speaking part of our neighborhood. Sometimes, one wonders why it’s called Koreatown when the majority of residents have always been hispanohablantes, but that’s another story.

After soft-launching on July 3 with shorter hours, Natura Bar has found a regular rhythm, now opening at 7:00 am and closing at 8:00 pm everyday. The menus have been fine-tuned and they’ve added a community blackboard that has been popular with the Twitterati who are among the most loyal customers.

The board was made by Natura Bar manager and co-owner Fernando Lopez himself, and after two weeks, it’s so chock-full that he says the board will be erased soon to make room for new messages.

Check out the latest menus.  First, the”scraped” ice formed into a ball and flavored with syrup.  RASPADOS are the Mexican version of snow cones!

FLAVORS: Maracuyá (passionfruit), Guanábana (soursop), Tamarindo (tamarind), Limón (lime), Guayaba (guava), Mango, Coco (coconut), Nuez (walnut) and Rompope (eggnog). The small size is 3.50 while the large is four dollars.

Limonada Natura (house lemonade) 2.25

Fruta: mango, jicama, pepino aka cucumber 3.50

Fresas/Plátanos con Crema 3.75
Strawberries/Bananas with Cream

Coctel Natura (Fruit Cocktail)  4.00
plátano, melon, papaya, piña y sandía
banana, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple and watermelon
con yogurt de fresa y guayaba
with strawberry and guava yogurts

Gelatinas y Flan
Jello and Flan

My iPhone wasn’t able to snap a good photo of their updated menu of ice creams. This one below is from my visit in early July.

Among the flavors are mamey sapote, limón (key lime), leche quemada (burnt milk), tuna (cactus fruit), nuez (walnut), coco (coconut), vainilla (vanilla), and flor de piña (pineapple blossom).

Make sure to see for yourself what all the buzz is about. These menu offerings are natural if not organic. No sugar added; only organic honey from bees in Jalisco!

Natura Bar is right next to Guelaguetza Restaurant on 8th Street.

Address: 3335 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles CA 90005
Cross street is Irolo (extension of Normandie).  NORTHWEST CORNER

Phone number: 213-784-0943

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Thanks by the way to Fernando’s sister and business partner Bricia Lopez who answers most of my questions! And thanks to their Natura Bar for sponsoring the Koreatown Twitter account for most of July. The support gives a vital boost to a social-media channel that serves the most vibrant district of Los Angeles. Check it:  twitter.com/koreatown ~

Don’t forget to follow the juice bar’s updates http://twitter.com/naturabar

Like the Official Facebook Page! http://facebook.com/naturabar

Also, they will be at the LA Food Fest on July 24, Saturday, 4:00-9:00pm. Tickets are sold out, but if you’re one of the lucky few who’ll be there, hunt down their leche quemada (burnt milk), nuez (walnut),  and flor de piña (pineapple blossom) ice cream! Natura Bar on 8th Street will remain open on this day, 7:00am-8:00pm.

In case you haven’t guessed it yet from recent postings, the newest sponsor of the @Koreatown account on Twitter is NATURA BAR, the Oaxacan juice bar soft-opening this Saturday, July 3rd, at 10:00 AM next to Guelaguetza Restaurant’s location on 8th Street.

For those who don’t live in Koreatown, GUELAGUETZA is the premiere Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles, if not arguably the entire United States. The latter is actually the judgment of LA Weekly’s Jonathan Gold, the first-ever food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize.

The Lopez family that owns the Guelaguetza group of restaurants conceptualized NATURA as a Oaxacan juice bar that serves organic, all-natural juices, shakes, and homemade ice cream. Fernando is the manager of the 8th Street location of Guelaguetza and, along with his sister Bricia, has been developing the bar’s raison d’être and menu, and will be overseeing its operation next door.

What makes NATURA BAR’s sponsorship of the Twitter account exciting is that finally Spanish-speaking residents of Koreatown are being prominently represented, as should be, because los hispanohablantes have always comprised the majority of the actual residents in the area.

But beyond the ethnic aspect, one cannot overlook the excitement over the wholesome offerings of NATURA, which include leche quemada ice cream, pure jicama juice, and a unique fruit cocktail topped with a homemade organic guava yogurt that’s fat free! The sweetener is organic honey that the Lopez family brought in directly from Mexico. Honey from bees in Jalisco ~

NATURA BAR‘s sponsorship of the Koreatown Twitter account runs for two weeks and gives a much-needed boost to a growing social network that connects and strengthens the ties among the diverse elements of Koreatown online. To understand what this means, check out twitter.com/koreatown !

Don’t forget to follow the juice bar’s updates http://twitter.com/naturabar

Like the Official Facebook Page! http://facebook.com/naturabar

Address: 3335 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles CA 90005
Cross street is Irolo (extension of Normandie).  Northwest corner

Guelaguetza’s phone number: 213-427-0601

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Don’t forget the soft-opening on Saturday, July 3, at 10:00 am! Regular hours will eventually be 7am-8pm, Monday -Sunday.