"Chef Johnny Lee is teaming up with Last Word Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Los Angeles favorites like Queen St. and Barra Santos, to open Rasarumah in Historic Filipinotown. This is Lee's follow-up to the much-loved Pearl River Deli, where he created a menu of Cantonese comfort food. Fans have awaited the chef’s next move since Pearl River’s closing in February. At Rasarumah, which means “flavor house” in Malay, he’s celebrating Malaysian and Southeast Asian cuisine. Diners can sample satay skewers, Malaysian fried chicken with nasi lemak, and noodle dishes in a checker-floored space meant to feel like the bustling cafés of Penang. Lee will also spotlight lesser-seen dishes like Penang-style char kway teow, a rice noodle dish stir-fried with lard, shrimp, and Chinese sausage, or kueh pie tee, a Peranakan canapé that features a crisp tart shell filled with braised jicama and crab. Last Word Hospitality’s wine director, Evelyn Goreshnik, has curated a selection of sake and soju, as well as beer and wine, to pair with the food." - ByKate Kassin