Dish of the Month (DoTM) – SEPTEMBER 2016 – THAI

Sorry @PorkyBelly! I’ll edit out the Song part. It was W.hollywood.

Thanks @Chowseeker1999 & @bulavinaka -

I know a lot of posters have been to these places already. Short of trying to order different menu items, we figured to get a little creative.

Chowseeker1999 - This larb was tofu, so a little hard to compare to others we’ve had. It was tasty & spicy. But honestly, larb is not my favorite Thai dish. We already had the papaya salad at L2E so…

Thanks @PorkyBelly - Thought you’d appreciate that one. Jitlada is on the list. But I don’t want to hog all the spots :grin:. If we can get our vegetarian’s head out of the books for a minute we’ll next go to @MaladyNelson’s rec Bulan.

Happy Thai eating!

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Luv2Eat Thai Bistro

Yen Ta Fo (Pink Noodle Soup) (Noodle with Shrimp, Squid, Fish Balls, Fish Sticks and White Mushroom in Fermented Soybean Pink Soup):

I remember the early discussions on this pink(!) colored soup. We had to order it! :slight_smile: The Yen Ta Fo is definitely complex, a bit surprising in taste, different and something not everyone will enjoy. It was at once sweet, sour, slightly pungent (Fermented Soybean Soup), with a crazy textural layering from Shrimp, Squid, Fish Cake / Balls and the Noodles themselves.

My friend loved the Yen Ta Fo; I found it a bit too sweet, but definitely interesting.

Massaman Curry (Braised Beef Shank with Potatoes, Carrot, Onion, Peanut, and Coconut Milk):

Wonderfully complex, full of spices. The Beef Shank was really tender and great with the Massaman Curry. This went great with some Brown Rice. :slight_smile:

Fresh Ginger Stir-Fried (Bamboo Shoots, Fresh Ginger, Mushroom, Onion, Green Onion, and Red Bell Pepper):

Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables (Cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Chinese Broccoli, Broccoli, Carrots, Celery, and Mushrooms):

Rather basic stir-fry, tasting mainly of Soy Sauce, but a great way to balance out the meat dishes. :wink:

Pork Larb (Pork with Red Onion, Green Onion, Mint, Cilantro, Chili Flakes, and Roasted Rice Powder):

Their Larb with Pork tasted like a solid version of the commonly found dish: A nice balance of salty, tart, and spicy. There’s a nice use of Mint and Cilantro to add a refreshing, herbal flavor.

Kua Gling (with Pork Spareribs, Southern Thai Style , with Hot & Spicy Turmeric Herb Curry Paste) + Sator:

Finally, the Kua Gling arrived. First, a huge thanks to @CiaoBob for the recommendation, we ordered the simple-sounding Kua Gling, with Pork Spareribs, and we made sure to add the Sator Beans. The result is one of the most interesting dishes on Luv2Eat’s menu!

It starts with their Homemade Turmeric Curry Paste, which leans on the salty side, but paired with some Rice and it’s just right! :slight_smile: It’s extremely complex, with lots of interesting layers. Some heat, but the wonderful little “Riblets” (Pork Spareribs) that were tender, fall-off-the-bone, and the Sator Bean (which the server warned us is a little “stinky,” but said it’s a very traditional add-on) added an enticing funk (better than stuff like Blue Cheese or Durian for sure ;)). All of it combined to make it my favorite dish on the menu! Delicious! :blush:

Papaya Salad Tum Thai (Shredded Green Papaya, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Carrots, and Thai Eggplant Seasoned with Dried Shrimp, Lime, Fish Sauce, Tamarind Sauce, Chili, and Peanuts):

On another visit, we started with a beautiful Papaya Salad. It hit all the right notes; refreshing, bright, crisp, a little crunchy. :slight_smile:

Hat Yai Fried Chicken (Southern Thai Style Fried Chicken Served with Sticky Rice, Fried Shallot, and Sweet Chili Sauce):

I think after reading multiple FTC’ers warn me about how plain / not worth ordering their Hat Yai was, we still ended up ordering it, because it seemed every single table was ordering it! :yum: I figured, we might as well try it once.

It is what @TonyC @Aesthete and a few others said: It’s rather mediocre. Sort of plain, overcooked, deep fried pieces of Chicken with no breading, done Southern Thai Style, sprinkled with Fried Shallots. The idea sounds great. The execution is ultra fried Chicken (way overdone). :frowning:

Still there’s something oddly enticing about it (maybe the Fried Shallots), which added enough fragrance. But it’s something we probably wouldn’t order again.

Phuket Style Fish Curry Kanomjean (Vermicelli Rice Noodle with Fish Curry, served with Hard Boiled Egg, Pickled Carrots & Papaya):

Finally, the most recommended dish on their menu arrived, the Phuket-style Fish Curry Kanomjean. The server confirmed it takes multiple days to make from scratch, and you can tell from the first taste. I don’t have the vocabulary to describe it properly, but it’s got a very sneaky amount of heat:

The server recommended we take a bit of the Noodles, some Bean Sprouts, Carrots, Papaya and Herbs, then ladle a little bit of the Phuket Fish Curry on top and mix it up and eat. Slowly add more until the desired amount of heat.

At first, I couldn’t notice much heat, but the flavors were incredible! Really complex, it tasted like no other typical “Thai Curry” that I’ve had before. But the heat slowly started creeping in. After a few bites, I noticed the heat building and I was sweating! :sweat_smile: :persevere:

Luckily we had some Brown Rice nearby and that helped. :wink:

Overall, between the Phuket-Style Fish Curry and Kua Gling (with Spareribs), that’s enough to bring us back again and again! :slight_smile:

Luv2Eat Thai Bistro
6660 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel: (323) 498-5835

http://www.luv2eatthai.com/

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I still don’t understand how you eat so much so frequently. :wink:

Is that all (mainly) pictured in the ginger stir-fry??? I can’t imagine eating that much ginger at one time. :frowning: Too bad about the fried chicken! It looks great in photos. The pork spareribs sound delicious.

I would describe the fish crab curry (from my one and only visit) as tasting like dirt, in the best way possible. Someone else described it as “earthy,” I think. Perhaps a more diplomatic word. :wink:

On a totally random note, I just realized that I’ve barely looked at the Sept weekend rounddown. I have a LOT of posts to look at…

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As lovely as the food reporting and photos are, I like the non-food photos even more. :slight_smile: Very evocative.

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I’ve always gotten the crab curry, i have to try it with fish. any idea what kind of fish they use?

Hi @paranoidgarliclover,

There was a protein, I think, but I forgot (it was a long day and I forgot to write it down). :sweat_smile:

That’s a good adjective! “Earthy.” Thanks. :slight_smile:

Hi @PorkyBelly,

They use Sole (I just called them to find out ;)). For the Crab, did you find it to be too much of a pain to shell and eat, or was it OK? Thanks!

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I find that there’s enough crab meat in the curry already to keep me satisfied at the restaurant. I don’t get my hands dirty with the shells until i’m at home and standing over the kitchen sink.

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Very nice @Chowseeker1999!

Luv2Eat’s Kua Gling and the Curried Beef Shanks seem melt in your mouth divine.

Although we like the Hat Yai Fried Chicken more than some. The meat was too stiff from overcooking to get off the bone and mix with the rice and crunchy shallots. Just picking it up and eating was more satisfying.

You’re probably right about the fish curry being better suited to mix with the toppings. Dealing with the crab legs and the toppings was too complicated. We ate them like a side salad. @PorkyBelly’s idea is good though. There’s enough crab meat in the delicious sauce to mix with the sides. Then take the legs home to eat over the sink :yum:.

This is the great thing about Thai Month. Although there are just a handful of good, authentic restaurants to visit, the menus have such a delicious variety of dishes. We can go to the same places and have an almost completely different experience.

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Ooops. I hit reply before I was finished.

Thanks @paranoidgarliclover! A few of us had been discussing the evolution of N+M. When I realized this was the locale @PorkyBelly had researched I had to do a little extra. Some places are all about the food. But some places are so sweet they cry out for pictures.

Hi @paranoidgarliclover,

I remember what we ordered: Bamboo Shoots with the Fresh Ginger Stir Fry. :slight_smile: Thanks.

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We took @paranoidgarliclover’s advice and tried out Ekkamai Thai over the weekend. I’d driven by countless times but had never stopped in to try it for whatever reason. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I’m no Thai expert, but to me, everything had great flavor and spice. They have a dinner special that is pretty solid - soup, egg roll, salad & entree (smaller size than main - but still big)… And most were under $15. The Tom Kha was bright and the Panang Curry taster’s choice. Oh, and $2.50 bottles of beer! Overall, a great Westside Thai option, I’d say. Thanks, 'noid!

Ekkamai Thai
13223 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 827-2777
http://www.ekkamairestaurant.com/

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Lunch last week was Pad See Ew at Swanya Thai.

Not “authentic” East Hollywood Thai, but it is good quality, suburban Thai food. Similar to Natalie Thai, but with less fussiness and pretension, and a more limited menu. I always ask for extra Thai basil or chilies or whatever.

Swanya Thai Cuisine
4322 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230

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Sanumluang’s duck isn’t as good as Rodded’s. I suspect thai roast duck noodle soup is Chinese in origin or influence (it’s that 5-spice powder) and Rodded’s takes me back to a childhood year in San Francisco…

Hi @MaladyNelson -

Bulan Thai Vegetarian / Melrose

We ordered togo, so most of our pictures did not do justice to the meal. Everybody was very satisfied though!

Spring Rolls - Crispy, not greasy.

Corn Fritters w/cucumber sauce - I
expected more of a pancake type fritter.
But a fritter is probably not the best
choice to go anyway.

Pad See Ew w/“chicken” - I don’t know
how they do it. But this has all the savory,
meat gravy flavors!

Crispy Rice Salad - Crispy brown rice
w/fried tofu, ginger, onion, carrot,
peanuts, & spicy lime dressing -
We loved this! The crunch from the rice
and that spicy, sweet, lime dressing was
the bomb. I doused it on everything. Only
complaint was over-cooked tofu.

Your picture :relaxed:.

I also had a nice, cold, fresh coconut water w/shavings.

$39.00 + tip

We are looking forward to sitting down at this restaurant and exploring more of their offerings.

P.S. It’s right by Murakami, your other solid rec.

Thanks!

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So glad that you mostly had hits at Bulan, @TheCookie! Thanks for reporting back. Hopefully the vegetarian was happy with his meal too.

I love that crispy rice salad! It’s so satisfying, particularly during hot weather.

He loved it. They scarfed down everything so fast. Thanks!

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I finally tried khao soi, FTC’s favorite Thai dish. It seems to be laksa. I’ve eaten laksa many times, I really like it, but how is khao soi different?

I tried it at Sticky Rice at GCM, if that matters.