Rasarumah

4 Restaurants to Try This Weekend in and Around Los Angeles: January 3 | Eater LA

"Opened in late November in a repurposed warehouse along Beverly Boulevard from chef Johnny Lee (Pearl River Deli) and Last Word Hospitality (Found Oyster, Barra Santos), the space balances playful and stylish: marquee signage offers verbal quips, checkered linoleum gives a daytime-diner nod, and dim lighting plus front foliage make it equal parts romantic and vibrant. "I admit, I am smitten with its new look." Lee’s menu weaves through Southeast Asian favorites executed with brightness and texture: a crisp little gem gado-gado that 'doesn’t carry the heaviness of the Indonesian classic,' barely steamed eggplant and okra topped with layered sambal that offer 'an ineffable tender bite that Asians really appreciate,' and (on a subsequent visit intended) a hefty wagyu beef cheek rendang. The crisp chicken wings, topped with wilted basil and slivers of chile, are described as the best fried wings the reviewer has had in a very long time: juice dribbles out while breaking them apart, the skin remaining crisp to the very end even after getting dipped in yet another complex sambal. Rasarumah is already a hit in the reviewer’s mind, and they can’t wait to return. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Eater Staff