Kinda cheating and haven’t been in about 2 months but chargha house near culver city/fox hills mall has the best lunch special ever. You can’t really beat a beef kabob, tandoor chicken, rice, veggies, naan, plus chicken curry for 6.99 (photo from Yelp)
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Ramayani Westwood Indonesian Cuisine: Had a lovely meal, with frekadel jagung, martabak, garlic fried noodles with shrimp, and nasi goreng istimewa. Washed it down with a refreshing fresh lime soda. Dessert was awesome: Ice teller with really nice, ripe avocado and jackfruit. All the flavors were deliciously familiar and home-style - Very comforting stuff.
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Was too hungry to take pics but I had a delicious dinner of saag (i.e., just greens) and gobi paratha from Samosa House West. The gobi paratha, in particular, is really worth trying.
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This.
We’ve been pretty loquacious this month.
I drive by biryani kabob house all the time and have never stopped by. I’m definitely going to give this one a shot.
Hi @Bigmouth -
I’ve got your back
I had the Daal (lentils), BBQ Soy Beef, Butter “Chicken” Masala, Basmati Rice, Samosa, Garlic Naan.
The “meat” dishes were generically labeled, egs. “Chicken Curry”. It was kinda’ busy so I didn’t pepper them with questions. I’m basing my description on taste & color (I could be wrong).
The beef was chewy and un-beef like, but the faux chix w/creamy yellow sauce and the lentils were very satisfying. Surprisingly, their namesake, Samosa, wasn’t my favorite. Also, don’t let the friendly vegetarian label fool you; everything was hella’ spicy.
Samosa House East
10070 Washington Blvd
Culver City
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Checked out Rice N’ Spice in Anaheim today and loved it! Super happy to find a Sri Lankan restaurant that reminds me of back home. I used to like Apey Kade in Tarzana, but I feel like they have been going downhill lately. 
Anyway, the food…
Kottu roti with fried chicken:
Plain godamba roti and egg godamba roti (godamba roti is similar to murtabak, and is also what’s used in the aforementioned kottu roti but in that it is chopped up) with pol sambol (grated coconut with various spices):
Beef curry and wambatu moju (eggplant which is first deep fried, and then sautéed with chilies, onions, etc.):
Plain hopper and egg hopper (Hoppers and stringhoppers are available on Tuesdays and Thursdays only):
I also had the Sri Lankan iced coffee which is thick and creamy with cardamom. So good. Really looking forward to going back and trying the rest of their food. 
Rice N’ Spice
1732 Euclid St
Anaheim, CA 92802
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I actually feel the same way. Try the cauliflower parkoras next time, if you’re craving something deep fried. I like them a lot more than the samosas,
Have you tried Baja Subs in Northridge for Sri Lankan? I’m no expert but really enjoy their kottu roti.
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Thanks for the report @thechez5! Looks delicious. 
Would you recommend Rice N’ Spice as the best place to try Sri Lankan food in So Cal right now?
Thanks.
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Hi @Bigmouth -
Sorry, it was late. I spelled it wrong and spellcheck didn’t stop me.
I’ll probably get flack for this. But I liked the samosas at Saffron on Beverly Dr, which some might consider the Chipotle of Indian food places. But they weren’t dense like Samosa House. They had a lighter, fried crust and the potatoes and peas were soft, but intact (not mashed) and they had a flavorful seed (carom maybe?) and were quite spicy. Anyway, I work near Beverly and was sorry to see them go. They were a pleasant fast-casual alternative to Jersey Mikes and those type places on that block.
I wish we could roll back the clock a little. I’m never in Northridge, but happened to be there twice at the beginning of the month. Baja Subs seems pretty interesting.
Happy South Asian Eating!
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Two quick clarifications:
First, the dish I recommended at Baja Subs is only available on weekends. Maybe even just Sundays? I feel like someone (@paranoidgarliclover?) tried on another day and was denied.
Also, it looks from your picture like you were at the Samosa House right by Overland? I personally prefer the original Samosa House west of the 405, especially for fried items.
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I tried Baja Subs a while back, but not their kottu roti. I only had their lamprais which I thought was just ok. I have been meaning to go back and try their other food, but keep forgetting about it. 
Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m qualified to deem what’s best just because I’m Sri Lankan. Lol. 
Plus, I don’t think I’ve tried all the Sri Lankan restaurants in So Cal. I just know that I personally liked the food a lot. Although, I will admit that I wish the food was spicier as I have a very high spice tolerance and prefer everything I eat to be 
(yes, I know that’s ridiculous).
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I’m too lazy to search, but that’s my memory of it, too. It actually might’ve just been available on Sundays.
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Hi @Bigmouth
[quote=“Bigmouth, post:25, topic:5387”]
Also, it looks from your picture like you were at the Samosa House right by Overland?
[/quote]Right again! I think this will be my record for most edits in a post. I saw SH East locale online; but living on the Miracle Mile, we don’t consider anything west of Robertson as “east” 
. I thought it must be downtown or Silverlake. Plus they’re on the same street! So that was confusing. Anyway, I’m still pleased with my pictures 
.
I also need to retract that “generic” criticism. What I had probably was just “Curried Chicken”. I went to another place tonight (report to follow) and when I asked what the Indian name was for their Curried Chicken he said “Curried Chicken”, same for the Curried Goat. In searching for authenticity I might be over-thinking things.
Anyway, I wish I started this journey sooner in the month. I have more to learn than I thought. I’m going to continue to do a little exploring after the month of April. I’ll post and hopefully you, @thechez5 and others will give me some observations, tips, etc.
Thanks!
technically SE asian, but…you know.
having operated as a house restaurant for at least a decade, ah may burmese recently officially opened earlier this year & a few of us checked it out earlier this month.
do not be fooled by what looks like a limited menu; over of the half of the stuff i saw coming out of the kitchen was not on the menu but ordered by long time customers.
the other mohingas i’ve had were much more watery compared to this version. this earned bonus points for me (maybe it’s supposed to be more watery, but i personally prefer it this way)
the chicken/coconut soup was also very good.
the udon noodle salad had a dressing that clung to the noodles in a way i wish more italian sauces would cling to pasta and was also uniquely flavored.
sadly, the tea leaf salad suffered IMO from a lack of unwilted greens resulting in a lack of fibrous crunch in the mouth feel compared to other versions i’ve had.
the beef curry was cooked to tender, yet retained its shape when cut. i appreciated the attention to texture, which is a good way to sum up the visit overall; diverse blend of flavors and textures from dish to dish. and with everything being only $6 or so, you could try more dishes with fewer people.
i need to ask about the secret menu the next time i go and before i order; i saw an offal dish that included ears and intestine that i must try…
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Hi -
[quote=“CiaoBob, post:11, topic:5387”]
especially since the board itself is as active as I’ve ever seen it.
[/quote]I think that’s the reason; there are a lot of other threads. It could also be a lack of really good or new places in this category.
I still have a sentimental attachment to DoTM though. And the nomination threads are classics. Which reminds me…
Yeah, there’s only a few noms right now. Not sure if it’s just a temporary thing or if there are so many other (wonderful) threads going on that there isn’t the interest there used to be. I’m happy to con’t w/ the DoTM, but if people think it’s repetitive/unnecessary/etc., I think the board is more than busy enough that we could also let it go.
I’d have to say for South Asian (I didn’t vote for it), I wasn’t able to contribute much because I was hoping for recommendations on where to go actually. 
We were interested in trying out some places for South Asian, but didn’t see many places talked about to try Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, etc.
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Hi -
[quote=“paranoidgarliclover, post:31, topic:5387”]
I think the board is more than busy enough that we could also let it go.
[/quote]Nooo! Maybe it will get smaller. But we should always have it. Just my opinion.
But, it could be the topic. I plan on writing a few thoughts about it… suprise, suprise. @Chowseeker1999 just touched on a couple. But I’m actually enjoying it and wished I started sooner this month.
Thanks!
I can only speak for myself, but the Indian restaurants around here aren’t that exciting and I can’t travel to Artesia to eat the good shit. Thus, no contributions to the DOTM for me this month.
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