Holy Basil

[moonboy403]

Yum Night - Holy Basil x Chinese Laundry

Too lazy to flesh out a full report but it was a nice pop-up dinner overall! I was full at the end of the night, but I do wish that they’ll include a more a substantial carb dish in the future though. I felt like I was snacking the whole time.

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Chef Leo Lamprides of Chinese Laundry grilling fish all night.

mocktail | apple, caramel, yuzu

yum poo dhong | raw blue crab, garlic, herbs, fish sauce, bird’s eye chili, white onions, yum sauce - Holy Basil
bold and funky start with this “sashimi” dish

yum pla dook foo | cat fish, thai green mango, green apple, yum sauce, palm sugar, fish sauce - Holy Basil
highlight…loved the various crunchy crispy textures and range of sweet and sour flavors

yum yen ta four | white mushroom, pickled bean curd sauce, scallion - Holy Basil
chinese should be very familiar with this pungent red bean curd and white mushroom flavor but it’s pickled here.

nam prik | roasted eggplant, jalapeno, shallot, garlic, chicharron - Holy Basil
never had an eggplant nam prik before…quite nice…smoky, spicy, crunchy

pek kai tod nam pla | chicken wings, fish sauce, garlic, onion - Holy Basil
very nice flavor but a bit overcooked

mee louk | vermicelli, pork loin’s fat bits, garlic oil - Holy Basil
a good palate cleanser with a slick mouthfeel, mild garlicky flavor and crunchy fat bits

mala jellyfish | white sesame, celtuce, lettuce - Chinese Laundry
highlight…very deft use of sweetness to counter the numbing mala sensation…loved the smokiness of the crunchy grilled lettuce and chewy jellyfish with big sesame notes

south of the clouds catch of the day | preserved ginger, mushroom, chili, cucumber, herbs - Chinese Laundry
can’t tell what fish it is but it was grilled and has a meaty yet chewy texture. the chewy julienne mushrooms (wood ear?) are very nice though.

saku | tapioca, coconut cream, pandan, corn - Holy Basil
salty coconut cream over slightly sweeteened and pandan flavored tapioca and chewy grilled corn. what’s not to like?

[paranoidgarliclover]

Sounds (and looks) delicious. That dessert seems right up my alley.

What’s the parking situation like?

[moonboy403]

@paranoidgarliclover

parking situation like?

Street parking is free after 6PM.

[hppzz]

south of the cloud fish dish was mackerel, and Leo might have caught it himself.

Agreed, the the crispy catfish mango salad was a highlight as was the whole grilled branzino with hunan spices.

The mala jellyfish with grilled lettuce was also a highlight for us too.

The chicken wings were prob the weakest dish—it was good but could be improved.

Now that holy basil has the kitchen open, looking forward to them having more unique specials and their take on boat noodles!

Chinese laundry is def one of the more underrated food operations but they always deliver. Hope they figure out something after lying low for past 8 months.

[NYCtoLA]

I’m late to the party, but thanks to @PorkyBelly for reminding me to check this place out and to @hppzz for the original rec to PB! This place lived up to all the plaudits and then some! Got the tom yum koong (regular heat), the Gra Pow Moo Krob - pork belly (Thai spicy), the Gr Pow Neu (regular heat), and the pad thai goong (regular heat). The flavors were so complex and deep, but not overly cloying. I’m definitely a believer now and will be doing repeat visits.

Only small comment is that my Gra Pow Moo Krob ended up being more American spicy than Thai spicy but I dont’ necessarily equate quantity of heat with quality of flavor, so didn’t change my opinion of this food! And the tom yum koong was pretty darn spicy.

P.S. they’re offering green curry for a limited time, per their IG.

[PorkyBelly]

love their new two-tier takeout containers.

[NYCtoLA]

Had to make a repeat visit here because they have a limited edition green curry (no pictures unfortunately). Came for the curry, but stayed for the drunken noodles and the Thai fried rice. Was told to use their Holy Sauce (garlic, fish sauce, lemongrass, chili peppers??) particularly with the rice, and

Drunken noodles with crispy pork belly crunch crunch for days but with the crispy skin giving to oily decadent softness beneath, with slippery noodles with a nice oomph of wok hei

Thai Fried Rice
P.S. the Thai fried rice comes with salted air dried Angus beef - do NOT make the mistake of subbing out the beef for, say, the pork like another FTCer who shall remain unnamed

[moonboy403]

@NYCtoLA

Thai fried rice

Serious wok hei for days.

@NYCtoLA

pork like another FTCer who shall remain unnamed

Pro tip: READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE ORDERING

[PorkyBelly]

in that ftcer’s defense he or she may have been in the middle of eating their first bang whilst ordering and didn’t notice the fine print.

[moonboy403]

#fineprintseeker1999

[moonboy403]

Holy Basil’s killing it.

handmade mama’s egg rolls | glass noodle, wooden ear mushroom, ground chicken
Crunch for days on the outside and snappy on the inside without any hint of oiliness.

keang kew waan kai | bone-in jidori chicken, housemade curry paste, coconut milk, thai eggplant, thai basil
Got some serious heat going on here. I was sweating while eating this but eating this creamy curry is so rewarding. Sweet, spicy, funky, and salty…it’s an explosion of flavor. The dark meat are succulent but the breast pieces are dry. Word is…Holy Basil may switch over to all dark meat some time in the future.

thai fried rice | salted angus beef, chinese broccoli, free range egg
So damn simple but it’s crazy good. You can literally see the incredible wok hei here with those specks of brown spots on the rice grains. If you wanna add some kick with a bit of acidity and funk, request holy sauce on the side and liberally drizzle it over these grains of goodness.

Pro tip: read the fine print on the menu and stick with the air dried beef

Concentrated and bold flavor packed into these small chunks of air dried beef. They have a nice chew and will definitely amp up some of your rice bites!

[hppzz]

@NYCtoLA @moonboy403 man, you guys are killing me need to go back soon. And they are doing it a skeleton crew too.

[raihan]

This spot is walking distance from my family’s shop so (1) thanks to all of you for the recs, as always (2) if you are in downtown, this is the spot.

Pad Thai Goong reminded me of Krua Thai’s pad thai, with huge Ecuadorian shrimp (head-on!), tofu, egg and that separate tray of bean sprouts, lime and chili powder. Per their IG stories, they are also making a “shrimp head butter” that they put on top of the pad thai, which would explain why it was a bit oily (not overly so, IMO) yet extra-packed w/ flavor.

The pumpkin/eggplant rice bowl made my mom crack up in a good way, as it reminded her of Bengali village food Al dente chunks of pumpkin, soft eggplant w/ great wok hei and a healthy dose of heat (make sure you truly love spicy food before ordering their “Holy Fire” level!!). The purple rice was a treat as well.

[hppzz]

Thanks for the report! Can’t wait to see them expand the menu bit more and see their version of boat noodles!

[Starchtrade]

Happy to see they opened up their operation hours. I think this is going to be our next takeout meal!
Thanks for all the reports.

[PorkyBelly]

I heard this place has pretty good thai food…

they even have a vegan eggplant and pumpkin dish and wok-fried veggies @hanhgry

shoutout to the friendly service from joy and deau

thai fried rice, chinese broccoli, free range egg
this had enough flavor and wok hei for two dishes. make george clinton proud and turn up the funk and ask for some holy sauce (fish sauce, lime, garlic). thanks @NYCtoLA
(ignore the pork loin behind the curtain)

pad kee mao moo krob (drunken noodle) - crispy pork belly, woked-fired smoke flat noodle, bird’s eye chili, thai basil, garlic
the pork belly was much better than my first time, every piece was succulent with delicious crispy crunchy skin.

kang kew waan kai - bone-in non gmo chicken, house-made curry paste, coconut milk, thai eggplant, thai sweet basil, bird’s eye chili
just the right balance of funk, heat, and sweet. the dark meat was perfect, the white meat was a touch dry.

Holy Basil: Online Menu - 718 S Los Angeles St Suite A Los Angeles, CA...

[hppzz]

we just gave them our entire harvest of makrut limes for more curry paste! will have to actually try it soon!

[hanhgry]

Eggplant and pumpkin sounds delicious. I’ll have to make my way over there to try it out. Thanks for the heads up!

[TheCookie]

Chicken! Chicken!

[raihan]

Very great amount of wok hei and heat on today’s vegan drunken noodles. only “downside” is that there’s always a bit of steaming in the containers - not so bad for curries, but detracts a bit from the noodle dishes, imo. again, not a huge knock, as much as it is excitement for the post-vaccine future when i can actually sit at those tables and scarf down some noodles!

(edit: the tofu is SO good. daaaang.)