Friday, August 26, 2016

Simbal is the Vietnamese Izakaya You Need to Try (Los Angeles, CA)

Simbal is a bit of a sleeper gem in Little Tokyo, which opened last summer and has since gotten plenty of critic accolades. The space is tucked away in Little Tokyo mall, but it's worth finding the place for Chef Shawn Pham's truly wonderful Southeast Asian food.

Simbal has been dubbed a "Vietnamese izakaya", so the small plates menu certainly has plenty of dishes that are meant to accompany drinks, like the Yin's wok fried seasoned nuts, anchovies, seaweed ($5)
Simbal
Chef Shawn Pham is doing some fun takes on Vietnamese classics, like he does with the Banh mi salad, with pickled daikon and carrots, Vietnamese sausage, head cheese, cucumber (banh mi, low-carb style?)
Simbal
Chef Pham has worked in some powerhouses such as the shuttered Sona, Craft, and The Bazaar, and Simbal's menu marries his fine dining experience with his four years in Vietnam. You'll see this in dishes like the beef tartare, larb seasoning, served with a puffy sesame bread.
Simbal

The warm, puffy bread is a fun and great complement to the beef tartare, and makes appearances in other dishes, like the Edamame hummus, roasted sesame, chili powder, puffed sesame bread ($8)
Simbal
Sometimes, you'll see items that seem very traditional as well. This next one is one of my favorite dishes of recent memory: Braised pork belly, coconut juice, marinated egg
Simbal
This dish may look simple, but I can't begin to tell you how I loved this dish. The combination of the fatty pork belly and the sweet and savory coconut broth over rice was one of the best flavors I tasted recently. I couldn't get enough of this umami-bomb, this is a must-try!

There are also dishes that lean toward the fine dining side with some Southeast Asian touches: Arctic char, roasted cauliflower, chili fish sauce vinaigrette
Simbal
The arctic char was nicely cooked, and as usual I love the crispy, charred skin.

Simbal also has some nice cocktails that go well with the food. I started with the Sandia Negroni (tequila, aperol, fresh watermelon, ginger, lemon, $13) - which is not a negroni in any way, but tasted good nonetheless.
Simbal
William's Affair (scotch, strawberry black peppercorn and pineapple shrub, all spice, fire water bitters, $13)
Simbal
Desserts at Simbal also can't be missed. I tried two different ones and I have a hard time deciding which one I love more. One is the Coconut flan, tamarind caramel, coconut snow ($7.50)
Simbal
The flan is not overly sweet and the coconut snow is such a fun and unique touch, both flavor and texture-wise.

The other dessert was the Thai tea panna cotta, tapioca, candied peanuts ($7.50)
Simbal
I discovered Thai tea back in high school, and I was obsessed, so I love this dish - perhaps partially for nostalgic reasons. Nostalgia or not, the food at Simbal - from appetizers to dessert - was just as good as I had heard. If you have not tried this restaurant yet, you need to make a reservation soon!
Simbal also has a great 4-course tasting for just $40 per person! It gives you a choice of each price category, rice, and dessert - all in all one a great value.

Simbal
319 E 2nd #202
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-0244
http://www.simbalrestaurant.com/
Simbal Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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