holy basil is currently a pop-up operating sundays 12-6 at the santee passage in the fashion district. enter through an alley off of los angeles st or go through the santee village parking lot off of santee st.
pad thai goong - black tiger shrimp, tamarind, fresh sen jaan (rice noodle), chives, baked tofu, roasted peanut, bean sprout, free range chicken egg
as @hppzz reported, this was fantastic. so much flavor (loved the baby dried shrimp) that was a perfect balance of umami, salty, sweet, acid, and heat. the head-on tiger shrimp and noodles were also perfectly cooked. @attran99, @Hungrydrunk, @Ns1, @chinchi, @noddles, @TheCookie, @NYCtoLA
pat gra prow - fresh picked holy basil, house special blend of ground beef, garlic, bird’s eye chili served over thai rice berry and topped with free range fried egg
another hit, this was delicious. loved the fresh holy basil (@JeetKuneBao) and that purple rice. somebody please tell me about this insanely addictive purple rice that i never had. oh and there’s that perfectly cooked thai fried egg on top.
They also have a vegan version with holy basil, japanese eggplant, and king mushrooms over that same rice @hanhgry
pad see ew - pork loin, flat noodle, chinese broccoli, free range egg, white pepper, fermented soy bean, black soy sauce
this was fine, a bit too salty.
oh wow. this is right down the street from my family’s (aromatherapy) shop at 6th/LA… and i remember when there used to be a didgeridoo player posted up at this exact corner (lol) all the time.
Like AnComLA, they used to do meal delivery. They really pride themselves in making the food just as how they would enjoy it in Thailand and not watered down and special attention to sourcing.
The kaeng som sour fish curry was outstanding and their nam priks are soooo good…hopefully they continue to hone their skills and refine their recipes and some of these dishes make it to their restaurant at santee passage when it opens.
IMO one of the best Thai curries. This is very much a loved dish by Thai’s but not a lot of places serve it! (Spicy BBQ, Jitlada, Hollywood Thai serve it as far as I know). Don’t sleep on this! I like coconut based curries but I find the non-coconut ones more flavorful and interesting. Gaeng Pa (Jungle Curry) also comes to mind. In the early days of N&M Song I thought Kris’s Gaeng Pa was really damn good.
The fact they are treating Krapow with the respect it deserves and also making Gaeng Som…wow. I could eat those 2 dishes forever.
pad gra prow | holy basil, ground beef, garlic, fried egg, thai riceberry
this ground beef and holy basil stir fry is . it’s got a garlicky sweet and salty flavor with a tiny kick. i love the nutty and slightly chewy purple rice and especially the aromatic and tiny touch of peppery notes of the holy basil!
pad thai goong | black tiger shrimp, tamarind, fresh sen jaan(rice noodle), chives, baked tofu, roasted peanut, bean sprout, egg
damn this is delicious. these chewy noodles are packed with sweet, salty, sour, funky, and spicy notes. all these flavors are so well balanced!
love the funk of these tiny dried shrimps that are scattered throughout. they remind me a lot more of shrimp paste rather than flavors of chinese dried shrimp.
It’s developed by Kasetsart University Rice Science Center. It’s a hybrid rice made from cross-pollinating Thai Jai Hom Nin, a non-glutinous black rice and Thai Khao Dawk Mali 105, a fragrant Jasmine rice, says Google.
. it’s got a garlicky sweet and salty flavor with a tiny kick. i love the nutty and slightly chewy purple rice and especially the aromatic and tiny touch of peppery notes of the holy basil!
