Joy

Joy on York Review: Hit Highland Park’s Main Drag for Bowls of Comfort | Eater LA

"From its brick corner storefront at the intersection of Avenue 51 and York, this 2018 anchor of modern Highland Park serves casual, contemporized Taiwanese cooking like sister Silver Lake spot Pine & Crane, but with its own twists: what you lose in beef rolls and three cup chicken, you gain in puffy clamshell buns, sesame bread, and thousand-layer pancakes. Chef Vivian Ku’s Bakersfield farm roots show up in heaping piles of garlicky sauteed pea shoots and gai lan, making this an easy weeknight staple, while the funky list of beer and wine makes it a worthwhile weekend event. Start every meal with a rotating spread from the deli case—crunchy lotus root rounds, squishy-sweet braised peanuts, and marinated wood ear mushrooms—then cure any bad day with the minced pork on rice: braised Korobuta pork over steamed rice with a jammy-yolked tea egg and fresh scallions; stir it all up and shovel it in. For the puffy clamshell bun, pork belly and beef are options, but the ribbons of braised beancurd are a unique-to-here pleasure, and piles of creamy, sesame-sprinkled dan dan noodles land on just about every table because they complement everything else. It’s a counter-service, metal-chopsticks, grab-your-own-water situation, and the nightly line snaking out the door proves the experience isn’t fussy—just that the food is worth the fuss. Insider tip: the fluffy scallion bread used for the sandwiches can sometimes be bought by the loaf to take home if it’s on the chalkboard menu." - Lesley Suter