The Astronomer turned 34 earlier this summer and requested we celebrate at Lasa, Chef Chad Valencia and his brother Chase’s highly-lauded Filipino-American restaurant. Here at the former Unit 120 space in Chinatown, Chef Chad harmonizes traditional Filipino flavors with seasonal ingredients and a kind of contemporary culinary sensibility previously honed in the kitchens of Sqirl and Canale.
Named after the Tagalog word for “taste,” Lasa serves up small, medium, and large plates intended for sharing. Our enthusiastic server guided us through the menu and offered excellent recommendations all around.
First up was an addictive dish of “Adobo Peanuts” ($5) with black vinegar, tamari soy sauce, and plenty of fried garlic.
Chef David Chang opened his first Los Angeles restaurant Majordomo earlier this year. Located a little north of Chinatown in an area inhabited by warehouses, the restaurant serves small and large plates of Korean-inflected fare. Note: If you’re interested in how Majordomo launched from soup to nuts, I recommend listening to the “Pre-Opening Diaries” series on The Dave Chang Show podcast.
Parking is ample and easy in this part of town; however, the same cannot be said about reservations. I secured a table for two the day before out of sheer luck—someone must’ve just cancelled as I was perusing possibilities. Pro tip: plan ahead.
I find it impossible to discuss David Chang’s cooking without first acknowledging his reputation. For better or worse, the two are very much intertwined. As a culinary personality, he always seems to be bad-mouthing something or another or espousing self-assured yet unnuanced views on food and culture. All of this makes me shake my head in disappointment.
As a chef, however, his point of view in the kitchen has always piqued my interest. Since visiting Momofuku Noodle Bar back in 2007, I’ve kept close tabs on his whereabouts whenever I visited New York City—from Ssam Bar to Má Pêche to Milk Bar to Fuku.
While I have my views of the guy, both good and less-good, I wanted to experience Majordomo from a fresh perspective. All preconceived notions dissipated with each sip of my heady Old Fashioned ($14) made with rye, Bonji (a fermented, cold-pressed liquid seasoning), and bitters.
