Emporium Thai Cuisine: Southern Thai for the Westside

In recent years, Jitlada has shot to fame as the dining destination for authentic southern thai in L.A. - introducing a whole new world of much spicier (and much more exciting) fare to the limited mainstream palate that had thus far only gotten acquainted with the reliable rotations of northern thai dishes like pad thai, satays, papaya salad and pineapple fried rice.

That said, I have to admit that I had yet to make it out to the restaurant: as someone who doesn't normally eat very spicy to begin with, I wasn't sure that I could handle dishes that built its fame primarily from the levels of scorching heat.  And conceptually, it was hard for me to understand how beyond a certain point of taste buds being on fire, how I would possibly be able to savor any flavor beyond 'burn'.

So, I was excited when I received an invite to check out Emporium Thai Cuisine: the restaurant that served southern thai to Westsiders, long before Jitlada.  For the last twelve years, in fact. Say what you will about asian food on the Westside, Emporium Thai did seem to promise authenticity in preparation and flavor, with an eye to making the cuisine more accessible via options to customize the level of spice.

And I loved the story behind it all as well: Emporium Thai is now owned by John Sungkamee, youngest brother to the chef co-owners of Jitlada: one of twelve siblings in a family blessed with talent and passion for bringing a taste of home to LA.  (Jitlada is helmed by the eldest and third eldest siblings).  They take pride in serving the freshest and best.  Their 86 year old mom, who ignited this fire within her children to serve and share their culture, can be seen most nights in a corner of one of the restaurant, quietly enjoying the reactions of diners.

The tasting started with Seafood Hor Mok ($12.95) shrimp, crab and scallop baked with chili, coconut and Thai basils.  I loved the fun presentation with this dish - which to me seemed inspired by both Spanish tapas in terms of being featured small bites style, and French cuisine in the escargot-like dishware, and delicious bites revealed under a 'shell' (ceramic vs. organic).  Beyond looks, it was also delicious and very skillfully balanced, with beautiful, fresh, generous bites of seafood in a sauce that is creamy and sweet from coconut, herbaceous from the basil, and punctuated by a bit of spice from chili (at a pleasant level that makes its presence know and cuts through the creaminess, without overpowering every other ingredient).

That salads are not my favorite thing in the world to eat, would be an understatement.  Though I do love fruit over veggies, even fruit salads are usually something that I would only choose on a 'need to eat' basis (because they are typically uninspired, with blocks of flavorless chunks of garden variety fruit).  All that changed when the Coco Mango Salad with Shrimp ($12.95) arrived - with its shredded raw mango mixed with dried coconut, fresh chili, lime juice and shrimp.   The mango was just the perfect level of ripeness, succulent and sweet, yet still structured.  The dried coconut reminded me in texture of dried scallop, and added to the fresh chili, made it taste reminiscent of XO sauce - and this cut through the mango nicely.  Add to that the soft, juicy tender crunch of the freshest, plump pieces of shrimp, counterbalanced by the crisper crunch of peanuts, made this possibly the most boldly flavored, exciting and fun to eat fruit salad in memory.  I would definitely go back for this dish.

When my server Honeybee (owner John's niece) recommended Crying Tiger Beef ($12.95) - I was a bit apprehensious.  I had tried a sample of the same-named dish from Jitlada at a previous food event, and had to down several bottles of water to extinguish the fire in my mouth, from just one single bite. So when the name came up again at Emporium Thai, I was afraid that it would also end in tears.  But Honeybee reassured me that they would adjust the heat level - and that I would love it.  For spicy dishes, Emporium allows you to choose the level of heat from 1 to 10, ten being the spiciest.  The heat level she recommended, and that I tried, was "4".

And Honeybee was right on all fronts: the Thai-style chargrilled beef, marinated with homemade chili sauce - was flavor packed, but was more like the concentrated intensity of jerky, applied to fresh juicy tender pieces of beef - and I loved it.  The heat was there, but it enhanced the flavors rather than exterminating all hope of taste for anything to come after.  Honeybee suggested I eat this with the coco mango salad as well, as another way to balance the heat and add sweetness - this too worked very well as she said.  For those who aren't into red meat, this dish can also be made with pork instead.  

The last main dish was a personal one for John and his family - one that is an original recipe passed down over 30 years, and made with the freshest ingredients found in their yard back in Pakpanang, Nakhon Sri Thammarat Thailand.   Southern Curry Chicken ($11.95) - was made with jicama, basil, bell pepper, served with  side of jasmine rice. Enthralled with the story behind the dish, I really wanted this to be my favorite, but I found the chicken a bit on the dry side and wanted to get more interplay of flavor in the dish.  You can also get this curry with lamb or shrimp, which I may try to give this another shot on my next visit (and there's also a version with crispy pork, which is less stew-like).  The heat level I got was 3 - and I think I'm surprising myself by saying that if I try this again I may venture to crank it up to 4.

For dessert: where most Thai restaurants in LA may stick to the tried and true mango with sticky rice, Emporium also offers up Thai Donuts ($6) served with a side of condensed milk and chopped peanut.  Served fresh fried to order, piping hot with an instantly addictive crispy gorgeous golden brown crust and sweet, super airy and flaky interior - and dipped in the spreadable, sweet condensed milk with a bit of counterbalancing crunch from chopped peanuts - these were little bites of heaven.  Weeks later, I still dream of these beauties, and need to plan a return visit soon, just for them (and the coco mango salad - yep, it's all about balance). 

Definitely a great option for lunch or dinner for those on the Westside, for BOTH adventurous / heat seekers, AND for those who might want to proceed more cautiously to expand their experience with southern Thai cuisine.  Emporium Thai Cuisine found a way to serve both, and the Westside is all the better for it.  Can't wait to go back soon!

*Disclaimer: This meal was hosted.


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Emporium Thai Cuisine
1275 Westwood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90024
Ph: 310.478.2838

Website: ethaicuisine.com
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Saffron & Rose Ice Cream: A Dessert by Any Other Name Would be as Delicious

With the official start of summer, I can't help but have ice cream, that almost universally beloved frozen treat, on my mind.

A few weeks back, Dorkyfoodie and I got a headstart on summer after a Science and Food lecture at UCLA one night.  Yes, Westwood is home to that beacon of budget-conscious ice cream lovers, Didi Reese - but I was excited when Dorkyfoodie recommended a much more unusual and intriguing alternative, just south of Wilshire, where saffron ice cream is served.

The shop is Saffron & Rose, a Persian ice cream shop that is no frills in terms of decor but instead pours all their focus into amazing, homemade ice cream in unique flavors - all made with rosewater -and it definitely shows in the quality in every scoop.

This place instantly turns functioning adults into kids in a candy store.  We nearly got whiplash jumping from case to case, pausing every few seconds to shout out a new fun flavor sighting: "ginger made with real ginger"! "Rose!" "Cantaloupe!" "Saffron with Pistachio!!" 

The shopkeeper is incredibly nice and friendly and seemed to enjoy our excitement, offering us sample after sample. 

As the tasters revealed, their ice cream is beautifully subtle, clean and refreshing in flavor - you won't fall into a sugar coma after indulging here. Still, after a filling meal at 800 Degrees, I reluctant cowed to reality of physical limits. 

It was tough narrowing down the choices to two, but I finally went for Saffron with Pistachio, and Cucumber.  Loved the Saffron for its subtle savoriness mixed with the delicately floral taste of rosewater, with a texture that is creamy but clean and not overwhelmingly rich.  Studded throughout with pieces of pistachio - not in the annoying, hard pebbly (ha!) way that nuts in Rocky Road ice cream cut into your mouth - but soft, and cohesive not obtrusive to the rest of the ice cream.

As for the Cucumber - it was amazing.  For those into artisanal cocktails - tasting this Cucumber ice cream was sort of like the revelatory first taste of a cocktail actually made with fresh fruit or veggie juice / syrup / infusions versus a pre-packaged "[insert fruit/veggie name] flavored" liquor.  It tasted soul soothingly real, and delicious. 

Apparently, Saffron & Rose's ice cream is 100% natural, made with fresh fruit, veggies, etc., whole, organic, hormone-free milk and homemade rosewater.  And some of their recipes date back 2400 years - so attention health nuts and history buffs - when you indulge in one of these treats you're tasting better for your body treats whose origins are traced back to times of Persian kings...

OK enough with all that, what's important to know is - this is some delicious ice cream in some cool flavors that are hard to find at other ice cream shops on the Westside!!!

Thanks, Dorkyfoodie for introducing me to this place!!!

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 5.5 bites
Presentation - 4 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 4 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 95% 
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Saffron & Rose 
1387 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Ph: 310.477.5533
Website: golobolbol.com
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800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza: Hot Spot for Good Reason

Adam Fleischman, mastermind behind the fast-growing Umami empire, has a perfect recipe for success in portfolio diversifying 800 Degrees: a restaurant that combines a quick service concept (assembly line style), with fresh and tasty ingredients, mass customization in a rugged individualist increasingly personalization-crazed culture, and given its offerings - the perfect location right by UCLA (what budget conscious college student doesn't love pizza + alcohol in an affordably hip space?)

The assembly-line customization concept has been compared by many to Chipotle - but while that comparison is apt with respect to unexpectedly high quality and some amount of customization - Subway would be a better comparison in terms of format (quality is obviously much higher at 800 Degrees).  You go through a line, starting with a bread/pizza dough, then pick your fill/toppings from an 'open bar' of sorts. At 800 Degrees you can start with a basic plain pizza starting from $5.15 (marinara), then build on that by taking your pick of more than two dozen toppings at $1 each.

800 Degrees uses fresh produce, mozzarella and even slices their own meats - a machine is on display at the far end of the queue.

While you are in line to pay, the pizza has gone into the namesake wood-fired oven (high heat at 800 Degrees so your pizza cooks in about a minute!).  By the time you've selected your drink (beer, wine, and soft drinks at the sleek soda fountain or originally sounding bottled drinks from pineapple soda to Ramune, that Japanese soda with a marble in it), and finished paying for your meal, your pizza is ready to go and you can take it to the nearest open table in the self-service seating area!

Aside from the create-your-own pizzas, 800 Degrees also has a few classic pre-packaged combos on the menu - as I was starving, and I guess quite predictably, I went for the Tartufo ($11.65) with truffle cheese, roasted mushrooms, caramelized garlic, arugula. The interesting thing about this pizza is that there is no tomato, and they use huge chunks of caramelized garlic that are incredibly soft - melt in your mouth like the ones they make for the "Bagna Calda" at The Stinking Rose, but much sweeter.  And you'd expect that pungent garlic to overwhelm everything else - but the truffle cheese shines through, very fragrant and the arugula is added after the pie is pulled out of the oven, so that it's still nice and fresh, great texture to counterbalance the melted toppings underneath.  And the crust?  Beautifully crisped outside, soft, warm and yieldy on the inside - with a lovely smoky char.  Is it the best pizza I've ever had? No but it's possibly the best for that price and speed of service. And it fed two averaged sized asian girls - dorkyfoodie and I that night.

Aside from pizza, 800 Degrees also offers some very affordable (burrata) salads and tasty side dishes. Dorkyfoodie got a side of Broccolini ($5) roasted with garlic, Calabrian chiles and olive oil. Roasted in that beautiful wood-fired oven for a deliciously intoxicating smokiness. It was actually a huge serving for the price - and again very fresh tasting and flavorful.

All in all, 800 Degrees is turning the heat up on good eats in Westwood - the lucky students at UCLA (and those who work/ live / attend events in the area) are no longer relegated to the 'utilitarian', quantity over quality, eat-to-live restaurant chains - in that mid-tier price point anyway - of yesteryear. 

Next time I have occasion to be back in Westwood, and am armed with patience to find parking, will be back to 800 Degrees for the affordable, quality quick pizza!!
 
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800 Degrees Pizza
10889 Lindbrook Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Ph: 424.239.5010
Parking: Limited street meters on Lindbrook

Website: 800degreespizza.com
Twitter: twitter.com/800degreepizza

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BLVD 16: Commuters' Refuge at the Hotel Palomar

Raise your hand if you knew of the existence of a hotel on that stretch of Wilshire between Westwood and Beverly Glen?  Yeah, me neither.  Even after over a decade and a half of living in LA.

So it was that when I received an invite to a media tasting - to check out the new drink and food menu at Blvd 16, located inside the Hotel Palomar - I was intrigued. Hidden in plain sight on busy Wilshire Boulevard, the hotel sort of gets lost among the towering glossy condos on the row.  But once I stepped inside I wondered why it took me so long to make it there.  With its modern, chic yet relaxed interiors, it's kind of a perfect pitstop for those with long commutes, like me, looking for refuge from LA's notorious road congestion during rush hour.

We started off with a round of cocktails mixed in the lounge for us: The Lyder Side ($14), made with Bols Genever, hibiscus liquer, fresh lemon juice, splash of orange juice and agave nectar was balanced and refreshing.  An expensive drink for sure on the regular list. But love cocktails that use fresh ingredients and treated with culinary care - paying attention to how flavors work together. And love restaurants that see cocktails as an integral part of their dining experience.  Hoping some of the Happy Hour 'well cocktails' that are actually affordable will be pretty good quality as well.

Then came the food: starting with a giant bowl of hummus and pita chips. 

Then a vibrant, beautifully plated Crudo ($10) tuna, compressed watermelon, pickled chilies, ginger aioli. In the flurry of activity, none of us really caught what the callout of ingredients when the plate was set down, and when swooping to grab bites from the communal plate, were surprised when our forks met with resistance where we expected them to make easy passage through soft fish.  Turns out the whitish bits under the avocado were albacore tuna, and the pink pieces underneath, which we all assumed to be the tuna, was really compressed watermelon! I LOVED this dish and its pairing of creamy, buttery avocado with savory, tender fish, with crunchy, juicy, sweet watermelon. And those lovely colors! Not sure if this is the size offered during regular service but if so, I would definitely come back for this on my way home one night.  

They were generous with the pours that night and all cocktails were full sized! I could barely make my way through them - such a lightweight. But I really liked the Pisco Sour ($14) Kappa pisco, fresh lemon juice, egg white and Angostura bitters. Something in the way the 'bouquet' of this drink hits the nose reminded me of those Coca-Cola candies from Haribo that I used to have as a kid - yes, a sophisticated analogy, I know - but I loved this drink for that reason.  

Then came the Flat Bread ($7) - toppings change daily according to the "chef's daily creation".  The first we tasted was with asparagus, salmon and feta cheese - this was fairly good, though I wanted more fragrant bread that had more resilience to it.

The second flat bread had more unusual toppings: squash blossom, stinging nettle pesto and burrata cheese. I liked the creativity and risk-taking...but something in this flatbread was a little too pungent for me. Same comments on bread flavor and texture as above. The flat breads are both offered as "Bar Bites", but at the same price as full menu.

Next up: Short Rib Slider ($3 each regular or 2 for $5 / 3 for $8 / 4 for $10 at Happy Hour) robbiola cheese, crispy onions.  Everyone loved these little sliders, with the cute cornichons speared with a bamboo pick at the top.  These sliders were juicy, flavorful with buns that held up nicely, and crispy onions for textural contrast.  Not bad, and you can fill up on a bunch of them with drinks at Happy Hour.

The last savory dish was the Fish Taco ($4 each regular menu or 2 for $5 / 3 for $8 /4 for $10 at Happy Hour) - corn tortilla, pickled habanero, shredded cabbage, creme fraiche. Most of the other tasters seemed to like this, but it was way too spicy for me - I had to gulp down all liquids within reach to stop my tongue from burning.  So not a fun one for me - but those who enjoy heat in their food may like these.

For the sweet finish: Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee ($8) I think these were created for the media tasting, so while I loved the presentation on spoons, I would think the $8 charge on the regular menu gets you a bigger serving - the menu does mention that it comes with lavendar cookies.  I really loved the creamy, fresh flavor and carefully controlled amount of torched sugar on top (sometimes people overdo it and it's a too hard/crunchy sugary slab instead of a delicate crust!).

A note for those into live music: when we had just started the tasting, two random looking guys came in playing acoustic guitar and wandering through the clusters of guests.  The music actually was pretty good, but they were 'plain-clothed' (if memory serves correctly, in sporty looking shirts and shorts or cargo pants) and with the wandering we thought at first that they may have been UCLA students looking to pick up a few bucks - and just haven't been kicked out by hotel staff yet, due perhaps to initial surprise at their boldness.  Turns out, they are officially sanctioned performers who will play there Thursdays 5-6:30pm.

All in all, drinks are on the pricey side, but a nice spot to provide reprieve from the madness of LA roads if this is on your commute route - there are a few nice bites that I would come back for, perhaps during "Rush Hour" to catch drink and bar deals.
                
[Deal alert:
"Rush Hour" (Happy Hour)
Daily, 4pm - 7pm
Bar Bites menu daily, 4-10:30 PM
Fab $5 Well Cocktails, $4 Selected Beers, and $3 House Red/White Wine Bar Bites served daily 4pm - 10:30pm
Saturday and Sunday bottomless mimosas]                

*Disclosure: This meal was hosted.

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BLVD 16
10740 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood,CA 90024
Ph: 310.474.7765

Parking: Valet $7

Twitter: @blvd16
Website: blvd16.com
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