The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Year in Los Angeles, 2025 | Eater LA

"One of my favorite things to eat when I’m in Thailand is leng saap, a tower of pork ribs drowned in an aggressively spicy blend of fish sauce, lime, and Thai chiles often served with cubes of pork blood. It’s a dish that’s hard to come across in Los Angeles, but I enjoyed it recently in an unlikely place: Haemaru Sullungtang in Koreatown. The owners allegedly had leng saap on a trip to Thailand and loved it so much they decided to reverse-engineer the recipe and include it alongside their sullungtang and army stews. I, for one, am grateful — they completely nailed the tender pork and electrifying sauce. It feels like something that came out of a Thai kitchen, though I’m happy that I can order it alongside cozy kimchi samgyeopsal stew and crunchy mung bean pancakes. For me, this is just a reminder of how intertwined our cultures can be and how special Los Angeles is. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Matthew Kang