I stopped by late this afternoon and this is definitely a chef-driven labor of love for Chef Donaldson. The food is fresher and better than 99.9% of restaurants in the vicinity at this price point, and frankly better and fresher than many restaurants around in the vicinity at much higher price points.
I do realize now why I have driven by so many times and not noticed the appearance of this restaurant. The restaurant is quite small and its storefront sign is obscured by a tree. It’s exactly three storefronts east of Gyu-Kaku on the north side of the street. I had no problem parking on Memorial Day, but I’m guessing that during the week, at least during the day, parking could be an issue (and I saw a few people on Yelp complaining about the parking situation with meters being full and the neighborhood having parking restrictions).
I’m hoping the restaurant’s location is not its death knell because we definitely need better food options in the vicinity.
The restaurant is quite small. Four four-top tables (which I assume could be pulled apart to make 8 two-tops) and bar seating. Very bare bones, but we are here for the food and actually the atmosphere turned out to be nice between the affability of Chef Thompson and the soft jazz playing in the background.
When I got there shortly after 4:00 p.m., the door was locked and I wasn’t sure if the restaurant was open. But Chef Thompson quickly unlocked the door and she said she had locked it because she was there by herself.
The in-person menu is a bit different than the UberEats menu and I wanted exactly what I had had yesterday (spicy Pad Prik Gaeng with kafir lime leaves) so I described it to the Chef and she made it for me. It was interesting to watch her work in the open kitchen and of course the dish came to me steaming hot off the wok.
Chef at work.
Chef also made me fresh Chrysanthemum ice tea – we are not taking about ice tea mixes here, but iced tea made to order - which was delicious. I think I would come back just for the fresh ice tea in a real glass, while the hordes line up at the Century City mall for their Chagee sugared ice tea in plastic cups. 
Chef coming from the back kitchen where she made me my ice tea.
There is a a very small dessert menu. I didn’t want mango with sticky rice because I had had sticky rice with my main course, so I ordered coconut ice cream even though I am not the biggest coconut fan. The ice cream comes topped with peanuts and fresh jackfruit. After I told Chef I actually never previously eaten jackfruit (somehow I managed to travel throughout Southeast Asia without having tried it), she promptly brought me a separate piece of fresh jackfruit to eat and told me to hold it up to my nose and take in the aroma.
Coconut ice cream with fresh jackfruit and peanuts
With my ice cream, I decided to have hot Chrysanthemum tea since I had been so enamored with the iced version.
Since I was so enthusiastic about everything, the chef brought me some steamed taro to try in the ice cream. Another food I had somehow gotten through life without trying.
Fresh taro for ice cream
This place definitely needs some love from the community. Hopefully I was just there at an odd time (no other customers came in while I was there, although there were a few delivery orders that Chef was also working on while while preparing my food).
She did have an assistant chef and a cashier arrive around 5:00 p.m. (hopefully for the dinner rush).
