2121 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
About a month ago, when I was in Southern California for a cousin’s wedding, I wanted to meet up with a friend for lunch. Given both my flight later in the afternoon and my friend’s location, we decided to try something in Los Angeles’ Sawtelle neighborhood. Originally we had planned, for time and convenience, to try this Japanese curry and sandwich place, but upon arrival we realized there was limited seating and it was outdoors on one of the many unusually cold days this winter in California.
We wandered down the block to Spoon & Pork, another place on my list to try, but initially I wasn’t sure if we had time. We checked out the menu and given that there was plenty of indoor seating so there was no wait at all, decided to eat there.
Upon entering, I noticed that the decor was very contemporary minimalist with a lot of wood and clean lines, as is typical for many mid range restaurants nowadays. We were seated very promptly (given we were just one of 2 parties on that Sunday around noon) and proceeded to peruse the variety of options on the menu. We eventually settled on 4 dishes, mostly small plates with one larger plate to share amongst us. They were:
Lumpia Shanghai – The first dish to come out, the lumpia were fairly big and long, filled with ground pork, shrimp, and mushrooms. They were fairly good and the savoriness of the lumpia was cut well with the sweet and sour sauce
Frizzled Brussel Sprouts – These were pretty good brussel sprouts with a lot of delicious brown butter and garlic. They were crispy and savory. I’d say that they could have maybe used a little acid (like a side of calamansi?) but otherwise the dish was great.
Pancit Canton – Normally I’m not a fan of pancit Canton because I think most pancit Cantons are essentially second rate chow meins (after all, it’s a Filipino version of Cantonese chow main). HOWEVER, I’m very glad I took the recommendation of some I saw online because this is *the best* pancit Canton I’ve had. The carrots, jicama, and shallots gave both an earthy yet a little sweet and tart element that balanced out the dish really well. The noodles were cooked perfectly with a little spring in the chew. And the tiny bits of fresno chile gave a little bit of spice without overwhelming the dish.
Patita – If you’ve ever taken a look at Spoon & Pork’s Yelp or Instagram pages, this is the dish that really stands out. It is incredible. It’s a deep fried pork shank where clearly the meat has been marinated and braised for a bit with a tasty chile garlic glaze making for very juicy and flavorful meat. However, the deep frying makes the outer layer crispy and that is a real heavenly bonus. It’s not just good tasting meat but an excellent balance in texture. Well worth the price tag.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about a little more fancy and modern Filipino cuisine, especially given that I grew up eating homestyle Filipino food at friends’ houses growing up, but Spoon & Pork was a fantastic example of doing modern, American style Filipino cuisine. Nearly everything here was a hit and I would definitely go again to try some of their other dishes. It is another solid addition in the growing pan-Asian selection of eateries in Sawtelle.
SINO IN SOCAL 