I vote Ricebar
I also vote Rice Bar, though I am not sure if they are open on Sunday nights. Would make a lot of sense.
Why no Vietnamese at LS?
Can you tell me where to get Autumn rolls of the same magnitude as theirs for cheaper please?
Of course you’re probably right. I’m just messing with TonyC.
He prefaced with he was starving then refused to give up the name. Sounded like a guilty pleasure he couldn’t publicly admit to without losing street cred 
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Summer Rolls in Rosemead.
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Charles would never let me walk out hungry like that.
[quote=“Aesthete, post:22, topic:1545”]
Why no Vietnamese at LS
[/quote]cuz SGV and Little Saigon exist and are accessible to me on a near daily basis. YMMV.
Dollar for dollar, Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa’s “spring” rolls can’t be beat.
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And you can get an order of that fantastic banh beo to boot.
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Where can you get imperial rolls, sugar cane shrimp, bo kho, etc… ? (Is bo kho usually made with oxtail + tendon?)
To me, ordering the rolls at LS is like an accent to the meal usually. If you want to eat some awesome rolls while noshing on sweetbread ramen, and salt and pepper lobster, etc… you can have them. Some people wouldn’t want to drive 30 miles out to pick up rolls after the meal I imagine.
I doubt anyone goes there JUST to eat nem nuong…
Seems to me like they deserve a convenience factor allowance of some kind.
Well maybe not, idk, but I like their bastardizations of various Asian foods I guess, despite usually not enjoying bastardizations. It seems like everything at LS tastes good to me.
Is there anywhere that makes Singapore noodles that rival theirs? (MB location only sadly).
Well, this place is surprisingly good. I too was a little skeptical but the flavors are pretty spot on except for the lobster leftover fried rice.
pho banh cuon with beef & tendon was superb. An instant favorite.
Vietnamese crepe. So good it makes you wonder why the traditional version doesn’t contain pork belly. Genius.
Lobster. Good but not great.
Lamb curry. Flavors in the curry are spot on. Tastes like the curry you would get with roti canai. Lamb shank was tender but oddly enough the curry flavors didn’t permeated the lamb.
They offered to make lobster fried rice for a $5 charge. Sounded great but it was so oily it was inedible. The only dud of the night.
Good stuff and I would definitely go back for that pork belly crepe and th beef rolls. I wish they used a little more of the Vietnamese mints. That would make the beef rolls and crepe pop even more.
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Just curious, why do you say “surprisingly good”? Did you eat out at the original in MB one and it sucked? Or just surprised that a white people place did Asian food up to par? lol =P
I’ve always avoided that lobster dish because it’s all anyone ever talks about in the Yelp reviews…I’ve thus assumed it probably is one of the worst dishes on the menu (it’s on at both places). Glad a food hound type finally ordered it to confirm that lol
Too bad you didn’t try the crispy sweetbread ramen though, there’s a difference of opinions on that dish, would’ve been interesting to see another one!
Interesting.
I think he liked the MB one better, but he still loves that tartare at both of them apparently lol
going tonight
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that tartare is great
I went to the MB one last night under the impression it had a different menu with the old Singapore curry noodles…sigh, they lied at the DTLA one. The menu is the exact same at both locations now, and no more of my beloved Singapore curry noodles =( Now I have to drive to SF to get them I guess…fuck…
Oh well, despite the disappointment, I still feel like Little Sister is very consistent in their cooking, and pretty much always really good. I will probably never bother going to the MB one again since the DTLA one is the exact same though.
Salt Cod Fried Rice Omelette was tasty enough with the pork ragu and samabl. I wouldn’t call it masterful enough in technique to order again, but it was tasty, and simple.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCpLJfek0EC/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
The Lemongrass Chicken that Gold recently raved about is really fucking good. For frying, fairly juicy, though some pieces a bit dry, nothing worse than the chicken at Republique the other night that was almost 2x the price shrugs. The sauce is sticky, a little spicy, tangy, slightly sour and super addictive though. I am hoping someone will reply telling me where to get this same dish for less $$$ in the SGV or whatever.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCpLUlJE0EM/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
E-fu noodles were an alright replacement for the Singapore noodles. Dry with fried pork flecked throughout them, and a tasty egg on the side. They were SUPER chewy and pretty hard. You really have to love chewy al dente noodles to be into them, but I pretty much do, so it was a pleasant dish of noodles for me, YMMV.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCpLa9Ck0ER/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
Overall, Little Sister meals usually leave me pretty happy. Plus the cost was like $72 (including tax and tip) for these three dishes and easily fed 2 people. They said they made the portions smaller and prices lower… but that is undetectable as far as I can tell. I don’t know who would call any of their portions “small”, and the average price of a plate is probably close to $20. I still enjoy the cooking a lot.
However, if you happen to be dining with a sober friend, expect service to falter at the place as they seem to be pretty pissed if you don’t order alcohol. I guess I should’ve ordered a bottle and just asked them to pour it out or something… had to actually get up and go ask to pay my check after trying to flag someone down for like 20 minutes to pay. I liked service better at the DTLA location where it seemed much more attentive, but I guess I ordered alcohol when I was there on my own, so who knows.
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Where do you get Singapore curry noodles in SF?
Mandalay. Might be some nostalgia at play though, I’ve been eating them there for a decade there.
Went for dinner because I wanted the crepe and it did not disappoint. Slightly sloppy execution but overall very good, better than all but a couple I’ve had at traditional Vietnamese places. Worth a detour.
Baby octopus were not bad.
Somehow my photo of the sweetbreads didn’t happen. Ill-conceived dish, crisp sweetbreads should not be served on something damp. First couple of bites were the best. By ramen they mean the stuff in a plastic bag that college students eat.
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The $14 SGV Special Banh Mi is so fucking good at Little Sister.
Maybe the pate could be funkier, and there could be more jalapenos…but holy shit, between the shattering crust of the baguette, perfectly fluffy interior, and the obscenely great grilled pork, tender head cheese, etc… this is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten in terms of pure unrestrained flavor, and it’s really overstuffed with ingredients.
While I am sure it will piss everyone off…I can’t wait for the responses about where you can get the same quality and flavor for $4 instead of $14. None of the reported joints that serve God’s own banh mi in the SGV or Lil Saigon in OC have ever tasted this amazing to me.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDEfpoKE0Np/?taken-by=compulsiveaesthete
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cuz even your camera hated that dish. and I concur. that was really gross and a foul combination, with the ramen evocative of overcooked dorm food. my original conclusion holds: avoid all the “Chinese-Viet” dishes (noodles, fish filet, spring rolls, etc, banh xeo) from “meats/poultry” on down to “noodles/rice”. the cold line is putting out more interesting food: tartare, okra, pickles (hi Justin! please save some okra for me next time). the exception is probably that black cod/mussel dish.
tartare’s still fun and enjoyable but… can’t really taste the beef ala Gwang Yang:
best thing from the back kitchen that night:
the desserts were all fantastic, and a bargain compared to Otium’s output:
some loved the red velvet cake:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC7I8FEhPWN/?taken-by=olcrom
h/t @olcrom
others that night loved the lemon tart:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BC9BAUxCeWk/?taken-by=sassykittytron
h/t @sassykittytron
I’m not paying $14 for a sando cuz a $3.50 banh mo fresh out of saigon sandwich with the fried eggs and tons of headcheese is bril, with parking, with che ba mau for dessert. so, whatevers.
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