Holy Basil

Thanks to @hppzz for recommending this place, they’re 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.

Enjoy a refreshing lychee drink at the happiness capsule while you wait.

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.

Holy Basil
718 South Los Angeles St
Space B
Los Angeles, CA 90014

https://holy-basil.square.site/

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Wow thanks for the trip report!!!

That Pad Thai and Krapow looks great!!

How do you like the flavor of Holy Basil vs Thai Basil? Safe to say these are some of the best versions you had?

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Yeah, it looks great @PorkyBelly!
Love the name Happiness Capsule.

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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.

excited to try this + thanks for the rec!

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So glad you liked it! They are the same folks behind YUM which was doing street food on york next to Chinese laundry for a few weeks last fall (which we really liked) as well as the Base Co which sells those delicious drinks at smorgasbord. Hope @Nemroz @attran99, @Hungrydrunk, @Ns1, @chinchi, @noddles, @TheCookie @NYCtoLA @JeetKuneBao
@Chowseeker1999 try it!

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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.

Here’s one meal we had back in early quarantine:

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.

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Wow they do/did Gaeng Som!

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.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrOYH7Dp-g/?igshid=y755wd6rocr2

Food Styling and photography @PorkyBelly

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The pat gra prow with that rice is definitely the best I’ve had and the pad thai is up there.

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ha, if i had know i would have taken my time, instead of rushing so I could shove it in my mouth.

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krapow with crispy pork belly today @JeetKuneBao

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpMQbdjBWP/

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Sundried. I wanna see slabs of pork belly hanging in the breeze in santee passage this weekend. :laughing:

if anyone goes, don’t forget to buy a bottle of their holy seafood sauce. You’ll thank me later.

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This place is :drooling_face: :drooling_face: :drooling_face:!


pad gra prow | holy basil, ground beef, garlic, fried egg, thai riceberry
this ground beef and holy basil stir fry is :bomb:. 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!

even though this isn’t saucy dish, at no point did i feel that i need a sauce of any kind.

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!

plump and bouncy

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.

noodles are slick and moist but not saucy. :+1:

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Where’s the crispy pork belly???

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couldn’t find parking so i did curbside pick up :sob:

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@hppzz what’s the story on holy basil? how did you find them??

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Somebody tell me more about this perfect rice!

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Nice plating, paging @holybasil for some more pics for your IG.

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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.

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