Ed U.
Yelp
Now here's an Instagram moment waiting to happen. Even though Jamie W. and I have walked by it in our past WeHo jaunts on Santa Monica Blvd, it wasn't until I saw it identified in an Instagram short as one of the five most beautiful restaurants in LA. I decided we should have lunch here since we were in town for PRIDE. The flurries of colorful flowers definitely make a statement as we walked toward the entry arch.
They're not real, but that's beside the point. It felt like walking onto the set of "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy overdoses on fields of scarlet poppies. But now they're violet wisteria. We were the first to show up, so we sat down in the terrace next to a wall of flowers and perused the extensive menu. Even though Jamie just had a Diet Coke, I decided I wanted one of their signature cocktails.
The fruity $16 Tipsy Queen came with its own botanical arrangement of mini-roses and a lemon tree branch. It consisted of champagne, strawberry syrup with mixed berries, mint, sliced blood orange, and a sorbet popsicle (photo: https://yelp.to/XmnSkPmJdB). Refreshing though as potent as a spritzer. For his meal, Jamie went for the $20 Drunken Noodle, his usual pick at a Thai restaurant since he doesn't like to get adventurous.
Rice noodles were mixed in a spicy brown sauce with chicken breast, onion, green pepper, and basil (photo: https://yelp.to/OygPHJzBHt). It was savory good but nothing that exceptional. Mine, however, was a standout, a chef's signature Northern Thai curry soup, the $30 Khao Soi. Kale noodles, lime, red onion, cilantro, and pickles were steeped in a rich coconut milk curry soup crowned with two fall-off-the-bone tender short ribs (photo: https://yelp.to/43nMrgrsUy). That was worth a return visit.
FOOD - 4 stars...everything was tasty enough, but the winner was in the coconut milk curry soup
AMBIANCE - 5 stars...the floral scape was indeed impressive
SERVICE - 4.5 stars...very attentive server
TOTAL - 4 stars...almost 5, more potent cocktails might help
RELATED - Exploring WeHo? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3TBgdOP