Date Place:Pink Pepper Thai Restaurant

1638 N. La Brea Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 461-2462
Open Everyday 11AM-11PM

I'm not going to sound over enthusiastic about another place or at least try not to in this post but I must say it...I haven't had a meal this good in a long time. I have never even noticed this place as many times as I've been up and down this little strip of La Brea in fact it's right by one of my other places I've written about (Sultani) and didn't even see it. Pink Pepper Thai is tucked away in the smallest area and shaded by much greenery on the edge of La Brea and Hollywood Blvd area.

It was great finding this place as my wife and I are always one the lookout for great restaurants since we meet up at Reality LA for their wednesday night meeting. So Celeste (the misses) googled that area for restaurants and found this fantastic find. I'm still flabberghasted that I hadn't noticed this place! Okay so onto the food...

We went in and were seated in a booth (which happened to be huge) and were treated very graciously by our hostess and waiter. We decided on a light dinner which turned out to be perfect for us. We started with the steamed dumplings which were flavorful and done with love. Our main which consisted of prawns in a light red curry coconut sauce (not too spicy at all but super flavorful) on top a bed of broccoli (some of the best broccoli as well as it was steamed but still crisp) with sides of white and brown rice. MAN IT WAS SOOOO GOOD! Okay I'm trying not to be too amped over this place but it was THAT good. I can hardly wait to go back there. For the grand finale we shared the Fried Bananas ala mode a dessert that was complex but simple in your mouth. If my mouth would have cried tears of joy and gratitude if it could have...in fact at one point I think I was reaching for reaching for a kleenex subconciously. Seriously I could go back for the dessert alone. Extraordinary!

While not the cheapest place, they have pretty decent prices and it is worth going there if you and someone else don't mind sharing a plate (which is pretty easy to do as the portions are generous). The decor is nouveau Thai hipster vibe and isn't the largest place (so give a call and check for for reservations if need be...especially on the weekend). They have indoor seating as well and a nice patio area if you feel like breathing in the lovely LA smog we've all grown to love and depend on. Fantastic service and fantastic food is what this place is all about. Oh and don't worry about parking they have free 2 hour parking(w/their validation I should add) in the structure right behind the restaurant. Seriously people, try this place...but bring tissues for your mouth.

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range:$8 to $13 (share a plate and grab an appetizer and dessert though cause it's soooo worth it!)

Buddha's Belly

7475 Beverly Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90036

ph: 323-931-8588

M-Th 12-10pm

Fri-Sat 12-11pm

Sun 3pm-10pm

This is precisely what I'm talking about! Last night I drove around for about an hour and a half in LA looking for a place to eat! I have driven by this place countless times in search of food and thought..."hmmm, looks a little pricey for me right now. For this part of town and having valet...yeah has to be expensive. Maybe I'll catch it some other time." I WAS WRONG!

Let me start by saying the prices are shockingly affordable! The food, which is glorious Pan-Asian, was dynamite! The service was exceptional! This place is deceptively excellent. We had these Albacore andAvocado Spring Rolls that were crafted by masters!

(Had to take a pic with the camera phone)

The Har Gow (steamed dumplings with chinese hot mustard soy dipping sauce) was large and well balanced. Celeste had the Wok tossed vegetables and I had the Ahi Tuna Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. Everything was just great. We'll DEFINITELY be returning there for more of there amazing food.

The staff was friendly and the cooks looked like they love what they were doing:

By the way, we parked on the street and didn't do valet though valet is cheap enough if you want to use it (as can be seen by the top picture).

Free Drink Refills: Yes

Entree Prince Range: $8 to $16 (only one dish was $16 most were way less)