Power move against Odd One Out
6 Likes
Emporium Thai (from Westwood) has just opened a location at the Santa Monica Blvd end of Sawtelle, straight across from Tuk Tuk Thai.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the original, but it’s owned and operated by John Sungkamee, brother of Tui, the late owner of Jitlada. When my wife was a grad student at UCLA, we went occasionally, mostly to gawk at John Cleese who was a regular.
In the last couple of years they’ve apparently really leaned into their celebrity cred, adding dishes named for Cardi B and Akon.
7 Likes
@JeetKuneBao: now THAT’S a power move… 
I wasn’t, either, even when it considered was pretty good for the area. Do you know if they are closing the Westwood location?
We now have multiple Thai, Chinese, Korean, and of course Japanese eateries all along, what, a half mile stretch? Unbelievable.
5 Likes
Same, though it’s been 10+ years since I’ve been.
So far so good! I was one of their first customers in the newly built out space at Emporium Thai Market. The GM told me that the concept is to more closely adhere to the traditional Thai recipes in this restaurant than at its sister Westwood location. I had only space enough for their crab fried rice and a dessert that night (it was my second bang). Both were solid. The dessert was especially tasty: A mung bean, coconut milk sticky rice concoction - something that did transport me back to my past trips to Thailand.
10 Likes
Ooh, that sounds good… Perhaps I’ll try it this weekend (and hope that the food doesn’t cause significant GI distress, as was the case w/ my only 2 trips to the original Westwood location).
The Akon salad is pretty good. Also like their yellow curries and the wings.
2 Likes
Sawtelle adjacent: a pupusa stand has opened just east of Asakuma on Santa Monica Blvd.
7 Likes
anyone tried?
Yep. Their stated vision is a people pleasing Korean inflected American gastropub à la Hillstone.
They achieved it.
Haven’t tried Super Peach which sounds like the same idea.
5 Likes