Is/was this a pop up? Looks delicious.
not fancy, but ā Phuket Noodle LA
Tom yum noodle soup with pork, a ($7!) soft shell crab tempura fritter (doesnāt photograph well), pandan pancakes
In the parking lot of LAX-C. āRecovery mealā from the 10K earlier in the day. I didnāt have high expectations for the price but was impressed. Spicy, tangy, aromatic (caveat I havenāt been to BKK myself!), fishballs round it out. So glad to scratch that soft-shell itch without shelling out. Looks like a soft open for a new boba place in the plaza, thatās famous in Thailand ā huge line! Maybe next time.
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Iām not sure what to call it. They transformed the Nep Cafe near Mile Square Park into this supper club for February. I think only Friday and Saturday for one seating at 7pm. They are testing out this new concept. I sure hope they continue the supper club as there were a lot of good bites and drinks. We would definitely go back.
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Pic dumpā¦
Gjusta remains lovely as always. Not pictured is the vegetarian sandwich, which is one of the few skippable things there. Itās not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but itās not particularly special, either.
First time trying Tandoori Eats (thanks to @CiaoBob for mentioning it awhile ago). The shrimp tandoori didnāt have a chance (steamed in the container), but the flavor was very good, at least.
Paneer and veg biryani also very good. I think biryani can sometimes taste like an afterthought, but I thought Tandooriās Eats tasted a bit special. Does anyone know if something that resembles fruit pits are common in a biryani? The whole cloves didnāt surprise me, but there were a few large pieces that seemed like ginger to me; partner thought they were fruit pits of some sort. No discernible flavor, and they were a bit startling (and couldāve done a bit of damage, I think, had someone had bitten āhardā into one of them).
Not really a wine drinker, butā¦ One of the few wines Iāve enjoyed was a blend at Gjelina way back when of (IIRC) mencia, tempranillo, and grenache. Since then Iāve tried tempranillos (mixed feelings) and grenaches (didnāt like whatever I had once). So I thought Iād try a Mencia, and WIne House had one. Pretty tasty. Quite light and drinkable w/o being totally boring, which makes it a winner for me. 
Finally tried VIolet for the first time. I wonder if the hostess I had was the same one @rohto had. 
Not quite as inept, but the way misinformation rolled off her tongue wasā¦ off-putting.
Sorry for the pic quality; it is quite dark in there.
At any rate, the server and food were excellent, thankfully. Baguette not pictured but was delicious. Iāve never had creme fraiche + EVOO for dipping before, and I think the combo is magic.
Pan sauce for the half chicken was amazing. Chocolate mousse very, VERY dense, actually. And almost too intensely chocolate-y (so the cream and coconut crumble were much appreciated).
Ambiance (even crammed up against the entrance) was also very good.
Not pictured: Aliāi Hawaiian Grill. Does this place have new ownership? I think it used to be called Aliāi Fish Company. Cashier informed us a few mos ago that the menu was going to significantly change, and it has. No more fish nuggets (which were one of my fav items) or salmon sandwich. The menu has been greatly simplified (poke, hulu chicken, or misoyaki salmon in various iterations). No more umbrellas outside.
The salmon poke was still very good (not over-sauced), but partner and I felt kind of like something intangible had changed (and not for the better). 
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Late to the game visit to Radna Silom on a Sunday night yielded a table full of food. Standout items for me were the pad see yew, fried chicken skin, and grilled pork jowl. The noodle and papaya salads were appropriately sneaky spicy and left us with empty drinks sooner than expected. Kind of quiet during prime dining hours as the Thai street food crowds are probably at the other street food spot. Glad we went with a bit less chaos. We walked to the next plaza over to hit up the dessert spots.
Sorry only one pic of the grilled pork jowl from our 8 items ordered. The camera did not eat first last night. 
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My guess would be black or green cardamom pods, which are often sauteed whole and then cooked with the rice.
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Black cardamom looks a lot like fruit pits.
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Just looked up cardamom pods, and, yup, thatās exactly what they looked likeā¦ Thanks, all.
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Had a really lovely dinner at Barra Santos last week. Another spot that may not be a destination restaurant but is a great neighborhood place to eat interesting food and drink well. Itās definitely super popular, and was hard to get a table not long after open. Porto tonico was perfect, and the cabbage and beans, bifana, and endive salad were highlights. Also had a nice Madeira, and they were very generous about pouring some samples since I asked about the category in general.
On another note, any of yāall food influencer types have any experience with the Beefsteak? Itās an Eric Wareheim + Hollywood people thing, looks like itās this weekend.
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Followed up last nightās ridiculous pizza orgy at Sei with a bowl of chicken rice from Liuās in Koreatown for breakfast. Unctuous without being too oily, and punctuated by lilā pops of heat from the chili crisp. A bite of daikon every few minutes is a nice reset for the palate. (Not pictured: a perfect cup of black coffee.)
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Bombay Beach. This restaurant just west of DTLA would get my vote for best non-Westernized Indian food in LA proper. Decent ingredients, quality cooking, pulling no punches with the spices.
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