Luv2Eat (Thai Town): A Pictorial Essay

thanks for the info. are you referring to thai food, or just food in general?

Unless you have some sort of evidence that all Thai cooks follow an instruction manual that lays down One Correct Way That Every Dish Should Be Made with Exact Scoville Ratings for Peppers Used I expect Thai food works the way all other food works. It seems to be a particular anxiety of the contemporary American foodie that “ethnic” restaurants are denying them the “real” experience.

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All I know is the mild jade noodles I had last night registered at about a .5 in the heat department for me. I’ve had hotter from del taco.

wow, i have to give you an A+ on self awareness, re: your name.

i was asking a simple question. no need to get snotty.

thanks anyway.

Hmmm… Not sure where you eat or maybe work. I don’t find that to be true. In my experience they tend to recommend the most popular dishes. But if the rec doesn’t sound like something I’d like I don’t order it.

I have heard it quite often from different servers who worked at different restaurants. (In addition, I have to admit I don’t understand why asking in general a person you have never met before (and you don’t know how much he/she cares or knows about food in general) - and just because he/she works at the restaurant doesn’t garantue any help) should help you to make a decision in your dinner or do you also ask people at other tables for their recommendations ?

Why would I care what you think?

You seem to care a lot about opinions from random people

Actually, not random. Although the L.A. board is quite prominent on FTC, it’s tightly knit. We have come to know regulars’ likes and dislikes. Therefore seek opinions and recommendations.

You on the other hand are random. You don’t seem to add much beyond bad writing and a penchant for criticizing other posters’ comments. I shouldn’t listen to a waiter who works in the restaurant, but I should listen to you? Excuse me. But who the F are you?

You’re welcome!

I wonder how true it is that waitstaff will push whatever food they are trying to get rid of. Not arguing the point, I just hope it’s not true, since I ask waitstaff what the crowd favorites are all the time. While once in a blue moon they pull a transparently dickish move of simply recommending the most expensive items, I do feel good ones typically point out the dishes they feel the chef does particularly well or customers love the most.

I suppose you’re subject to their unique tastes, but recommending excess inventory seems sleezier than I’m inclined to believe most of them are.

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I think it is worth building a telationship to waiters over multiple visits but otherwise especially with a tip based system pushing for more expensive dishes or specials (which sometime can be items the kitchen wants to get rid off) shouldn’t be too surprising.

Yeah, I just don’t think this is an issue at casual Thai (and Chinese) places. I’d guess they’re more likely to tell you what they think you’ll like (based on profiling) than to try to move something in particular.

It just depends on the type of person you are. I waited on a lot of tables when I was young. I loved it. It wouldn’t have crossed my mind to be anything other than genuine and helpful.

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This thread has strange juju.

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It does indeed have strange juju

For the record I have found the jade noodles and other ‘regular’ dishes I asked for it “a little spicy” and got just enough heat to be stimulating and leave my lid tingling but never so much that I had issues.

The only exception to that is the previously mentioned crab curry which I knew going in was killer. I was told even mild on it would be very hot. They don’t lie. It’s absolutely the hottest dish I’ve ever eaten. But it was so hot that the burn just sort of became too big to notice and the flavors of the curry were amazing. You could still find all the spices and the zing that f lime at the end.

Get the Thai iced tea with it. Burn / sweet / burn / sweet. So good.

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Hit up Luv2Eat last night for a light meal.

A couple of Thai Iced Coffees to start off in anticipation of heat. Turned out to be unnecessary, but they make an excellent rendition here. Darker flavors of coffee, and fresher cream than at most Thai places.

Spicy Shrimp Paste Fried Rice w/ Fried Mackeral and Sweet Pork was way better than the non-spicy variant. The rice was almost like sticky rice, but laced with lovely spices, where the rice in the other version was terribly bland. A touch of heat that was pleasant enough, and went great with the sweet pork. The chile sauce on the side is quite pungent, getting close to that “raw sewage” aroma that some Thai herbs seem to yield. It went great with the intensely savory, unctuous fishiness of the mackerel. The fresh veggies on the side were of surprisingly high quality, a clear step above most Thai places it seems like. They sort of add a simple, bland component; for me, it was just nice to have some fresh veggies on the plate, especially the simple broccoli.

Luv2Eat’s Pork Jerky is intriguing. The pork seems to be higher quality than other Thai spots, and it is less crispy, but far tenderer with porcine juices creating a rather butyraceous effect; the dip is not spicy at all, but rather sweet, yet earthy; I would prefer if it came with a spicier sauce, but it was still a rather nice dish. The quantity of pork is also quite generous.

I didn’t feel like getting messy, so I ordered the Fish Phuket-style Kanomjean Curry. I tried to order it as spicy as possible, but it just didn’t register as that spicy to me. It was super flavorful, though. Unlike any other curry I have tried in terms of pungency and earthiness. There heat that is there is on the finish, and it does clear the nostrils as bit, which was nice. The accompanying plate is superb. The noodles are chewy without being mushy, and all of the greens are really fresh. The herbs in particular accent the curry splendidly. The pickled onion wisps are also delightful in adding an acidic component. The fish in the curry itself is also quite tender, yet it retains some bite, and is most pleasant. Simply a delectable curry dish.

One thing that is particularly nice about Luv2Eat is that the meals are frequently quite light. I think they must use less oil in general, or the bump in ingredient quality versus other Thai spots helps somewhat, but this felt like eating so-called “health food” in many ways, with the exception of the pork jerky and the creamy coffee.

My only wish is that the Jade Noodles were kept in stock, but I guess they must fly out of the kitchen; I am not sure how I ever managed to try them before, but it seems I may never get the opportunity to in the future with how rarely they are available.

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Finally made it out my fellow FTC’ers

Jade Noodles. Great bowl. Noodles cooked perfect. BBQ Pork on par with non-Canto places…sad. BUT that roast pork! Would make any Michoacán natives happy. Duck was juicy. Portions and price are higher than other Thai Town places. Damn good bowl.

Hokkien Mee. Every bit of squid, fish ball, and fish cake was tasty. The gravy and noodles mixed well together and with the fried and carmelized shallots to give you a delicious savory taste. Big bowl!

Fish Curry. Wanted to try the signature dish. My taste buds must be amateur. Not for me personally tbh.

Edit: Why are my pics sideways when posted but normal on my poverty iPhone 5?

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What didn’t you like about it?

same happens to me.