Jonathan Gold is the Pulitzer Prize winning food writer for the LA Times. This week he reviews Pok Pok Phat Thai, the first LA outpost of chef Andy Ricker’s growing Pok Pok empire.
“Phat Thai is a dish that a lot of us stopped ordering 10 years ago,” he says. “It’s usually sweet, it’s orange, it’s gloppy, it’s everything mall about mall Thai food,” However, Gold is impressed with Ricker’s nuanced style (the noodles are cooked slowly in freshly rendered pigs fat) and ultimately finds the do-it-yourself noodle experience a win for Chinatown.
WHAT TO ORDER: Phat thai, kuaytiaw khua kai, phak buung fai daeng (water spinach) and the Chinese celery flavored drinking vinegar.
WHERE IS IT? 727 N Broadway Ste 130 Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 628-3071
You can read Jonathan’s LA Times review here and find all of Jonathan’s restaurant recommendations on the Good Food Restaurant Map.