Latte art, ramen burgers and French newspapers make the Bleu House a restaurant not to miss. Located on Halliburton Road in Hacienda Heights, it is a lively place where groups of friends and family can come to enjoy a unique but savory meal.

My father and I were seated almost immediately after the door closed, despite the fact that there seemed to be only two waiters on duty. I learned later that the restaurant was closing early due to New Year’s Eve celebrations. We chose to sit inside instead of out on the patio due to the wind, and we were seated at a small booth.

While it was cold and windy outside, the restaurant was comparatively warm and lively. There were more customers than I had expected, and most of the tables were filled. Something else I immediately picked up on was the noise. The restaurant’s warm atmosphere seemed to promote conversation. The sound of voices, coupled with the music playing in the background, served to create a nice, energetic aura, a quality that made me instinctively like the restaurant.

After spending a few minutes looking over the menu, we decided to order the Cheese Piggy Balls, Meatball House Pasta, Cajun Fries, and Smoky Salmon Bruschetta. My father ordered a large boba milk tea, and I ordered a caramel macchiato.

The walls were made of bricks, which gave the restaurant a kind of old-fashioned look. I paid closer attention to the music, which turned out to be trending songs and a lot of Bruno Mars—definitely not a bad thing for my music tastes.

The food arrived promptly. The milk tea and macchiato were served in large glass jars, and the coffee had an animal drawing over top, similar to latte art, hand-made by one of the staff. The fries and cheese balls were placed on French newspapers inside of plates, which was also a nice touch. The pasta had complementary garlic bread, and the salmon dish consisted of small chunks of bread covered with cucumber, salmon, and roe.

The food didn’t just look good: it tasted great as well. The fries had been cooked just right, not too hard or soft, and had an extra, almost spicy flavor—very similar to Cajun fries. The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, which complemented the creamy pasta. The salmon bruschetta was also suiting–with the cool tang of the cucumber pairing nicely with the silkiness of the salmon and the crunchiness of the bread. The best part, however, was definitely the cheese balls. When I ate the cheeseball in one bite, the cheese exploded in my mouth, swirling with the pork to create a succulent flavor.

When we were finished, we decided to order a ramen burger and chili cheese fries. The waiters both recommended the fries and burger, so we decided to try them out. The ramen burger was extremely greasy, and the newspaper encasing it did nothing to stop the flow of oil. However, it was a novel experience and very filling. The chili cheese fries were not too spicy, and the cheese coated the fries, making them softer—the combination filled my taste buds with delight.

My experience eating at the Bleu House was an unusual one due to the unique dishes. Sure to delight, The Bleu House is special in its menu choice and its attention to small details, and it is definitely a restaurant I would visit again.