wat dong moon lek noodle. hi. i came to eat you because my friend read about you in the l.a. times and wanted us to go try your offerings. boy, you're a tiny space. tiny. your decor reminds me of my art projects in high school. by no means was i any good at it, but i tried and i can tell that with your home made decor that you're trying as well. cute space and i really like that personal touch you bring.
wall of stuff. menu items, collages, bruce lee?!
menu in a staples protective cover. apparently, the l.a. times article has generated an overwhelming amount of business for them. they are slammed silly on a daily basis and are ill prepared to deal with it. i warn you that your wait may be long, the food may never come, and you might have to flag down your server repeatedly. if you can deal with those little annoyances, then there are a few gems to be eaten here.
our meal started off with my iced coffee and my friend's thai ice tea. i'm always tempted to order them when i'm near any thai food so unless someone fixes that kink in my brain, i think ordering these drinks will always be a pavlovian move. these particular ones were way too sweet though. no thanks!
rambutan salad with shrimp. sweet little buggers these rambutans were. the shrimps were grossly overcooked, but this dish has the potential to be amazing. i would have liked a little bit of acid in it and a little more heat from the chilis. i would order this again.
the bite.
larb tod. limey kernels of fried chicken paste. high in salt but strangely alluring. popping a few of these in my mouth gave me a strange hankering for beer...and to watch baseball and scratch my crotch! hey wait a minute, these tods will turn you into a boy!
we shared a small bowl of pork noodles, their signature noodle dish. this bowl reminded me of a much diluted version of the boat noodles at sapp. they were still tasty though.
crispy pork belly with green beans and rice. DELICIOUS. it is an out of this world, chicharrones kind of meal since the pieces of bite sized pork belly are deep fried to a crisp. crazy bad for the heart but damn yummy for the tastebuds. i enjoyed this a lot and most definitely would order it again though i may have a heart attack mid forkful. a perfect example of a fried dish willed into creation by god.
crispy taro which was a no no for me. julienned taro wrapped up in what appears to be dry tofu skin and then deep fried. the taro itself was mushy inside and the fried outer layer did not provide enough texture to break up the mush. the sweet, probably tamarind sauce, did not add to the dish at all. i would not order this again. you shouldn't either.
greasy eats but the potential is there for some delicious happenings. i think once they perfect their dishes and can handle their sudden surge in business, i think wat dong can be a nice little hangout for this hood.
Wat Dong Moon Lek Noodle4356 Fountain AveLos Angeles, CA 90029(323) 666-5993www.WatDongMoonLek.com/price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!
cute! I wish Torrance had more cute places like this!
ReplyDeletebut you guys have that super huge marukai market don't you? it evens things out a bit :)
ReplyDeleteMmmm... chicharrones! Me likes. And yeah, the place kinda looks like a Kindergarten classroom in that picture.
ReplyDeletethe crispy pork looks delish! as does the shrimp - too bad they were overcooked. i def want to check this place out. and i wills!
ReplyDeleteafro- good description! it does look like a kindergarten classroom!
ReplyDeleteyjs- yup, you need to check it out. i think they have some interesting flavors going on there.