Entrance Tile Perspective, Photo Credited to Bella Xu
I have a confession to make...
I’m Asian and I have never tried Vietnamese food. It seems that I’m always greeted with a shock whenever someone hears that fact when in fact to me it seems perfectly normal since being Asian doesn’t mean we are all experts on each other. After hearing about the opening of a unique popular west meets east restaurant specializing in Vietnamese cuisine I felt like It was time for me to venture out and cross out trying Vietnamese food off my bucket list.
Traditional Vietnamese food encompasses a variety of flavor but each dish always reflects these common ingredients, fish sauce, shrimp sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables. The essence of Vietnamese food focuses on the balance of fragrance, taste and color. Vietnamese food constantly reflects five elements of taste: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty which has their own corresponding organs, colors, senses, and nutrients. With the idea of balance, most Vietnamese dishes are all served with a balancing counterpart to provide benefit to the body. Similar to Chinese cuisine, there is a deep understanding of the effects of each part of a dish. I suddenly felt incompetent to be reviewing food that carry such a deep understanding. After scrolling through thousands of westernized Vietnamese restaurants in my near vicinity, one caught my eye - Little Sister.
I’m Asian and I have never tried Vietnamese food. It seems that I’m always greeted with a shock whenever someone hears that fact when in fact to me it seems perfectly normal since being Asian doesn’t mean we are all experts on each other. After hearing about the opening of a unique popular west meets east restaurant specializing in Vietnamese cuisine I felt like It was time for me to venture out and cross out trying Vietnamese food off my bucket list.
Traditional Vietnamese food encompasses a variety of flavor but each dish always reflects these common ingredients, fish sauce, shrimp sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruit and vegetables. The essence of Vietnamese food focuses on the balance of fragrance, taste and color. Vietnamese food constantly reflects five elements of taste: sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty which has their own corresponding organs, colors, senses, and nutrients. With the idea of balance, most Vietnamese dishes are all served with a balancing counterpart to provide benefit to the body. Similar to Chinese cuisine, there is a deep understanding of the effects of each part of a dish. I suddenly felt incompetent to be reviewing food that carry such a deep understanding. After scrolling through thousands of westernized Vietnamese restaurants in my near vicinity, one caught my eye - Little Sister.
Storefront Perspective of Little Sister Downtown LA, Photo Credit to Justin Jakubisn.
Little Sister was established by Chef Tin Vuong, who grew up in San Gabriel Valley. It was originally started in Manhattan Beach and then opened up its chain restaurant in the downtown location. This restaurant has been featured in the LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and The Week as one of the best restaurant to visit in Manhattan Beach. What caught my eye aside from all the praise it seems to get from the media was the anti-fusion of Asian cuisine that countless other westernized Asian restaurants seem to do. Many reviews left on the web seems to indicate the explosion of flavors that Little Sister works hard to preserve in the traditional Vietnamese food. Despite the simple phrase the Little Sister Restaurant website promotes itself as like: “Little Sister DTLA feature East-meets-West inspired dishes served in a relaxed social environment that feels more residential than restaurant, as if you’re being invited into the Chef Tin's home”, It seemed to me there was more than what meets the eye.
“Little Sister DTLA feature East-meets-West inspired dishes served in a relaxed social environment that feels more residential than restaurant, as if you’re being invited into the Chef Tin's home.”
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I arrived at Little Sister with my friend filled with excitement. The storefront was surprisingly minimal and easy to miss, but it was the line that pushed out the relatively small entry that assured me the location was correct. I walked directly to the front, many seemingly agitated people in line ahead of me, and brought up my reservation to the host upfront. Immediately, my eyes were drawn to the combination of the wood panel inset coming down from the largely scaled coffer ceiling, the exposed white brick with painted graffiti, the antique mirror within the asymmetrical grid pattern created by the narrow wood strips created an atmosphere that immediately allowed me to reminisce an Asian household. The dimly lit interior created intimacy and privacy with the small-scale restaurant. I was seated along the graffiti wall directly across from the warmly lit bar that was showing my favorite new movie, The Martian.
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The First Course: Pork, Shrimp, and Crab Dumplings
The first course, pork, shrimp, and crab dumplings with spicy black vinegar dressing, chives, spinach, and peanuts. After 15 minutes of waiting, my stomach was getting impatient. Sitting so close to the kitchen didn’t help the wait. When the dumplings finally came out, it took no time for my fork to penetrate the dumplings and drag it into my mouth. With the first bite, my teeth ripped open the dumpling, spilling the flavorful moisture mixture of pork, shrimp, and crab complimented by the Vietnamese spices to create this masterpiece. As steam began to fog up my glasses, I was swimming in a sea of flavors and smells that overwhelmed my senses. What started as a plate of a daunting amount of food that made me doubt the capacity of my stomach became empty in a matter of minutes, leaving me heartbroken to be taking the last bite.
The first course, pork, shrimp, and crab dumplings with spicy black vinegar dressing, chives, spinach, and peanuts. After 15 minutes of waiting, my stomach was getting impatient. Sitting so close to the kitchen didn’t help the wait. When the dumplings finally came out, it took no time for my fork to penetrate the dumplings and drag it into my mouth. With the first bite, my teeth ripped open the dumpling, spilling the flavorful moisture mixture of pork, shrimp, and crab complimented by the Vietnamese spices to create this masterpiece. As steam began to fog up my glasses, I was swimming in a sea of flavors and smells that overwhelmed my senses. What started as a plate of a daunting amount of food that made me doubt the capacity of my stomach became empty in a matter of minutes, leaving me heartbroken to be taking the last bite.
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The Second Course: Ga Xao Xa Ot
The second course shortly came, "Ga xao xa ot", which was a spicy lemongrass chicken, fried garlic & dried chilies. I was sure that there was nothing that could top the flavorful dumplings that rendered my taste buds’ unconscious. Still sitting in grief, I reluctantly moved toward my second dish, the spicy lemongrass chicken. I have had chicken before and it’s all relatively the same, or so I thought. When the plate arrived in front of me. It seems for a second all spotlight was on the chicken, the way it glistens in frying oil sparkled under the dimly lit lighting made me feel as if it was adjusted specifically for this moment. I was enchanted as I slowly reached for one of the legs and brought it close to my mouth. As soon as it made contact, I felt attacked by the combination of a perfectly fried chicken leg complimented by the punchy vinegar and garlic mixture with the kick of dried chilies that lightly singed my nose. I knew at that moment, I was wrong, this was the best dish I had tasted in my short-lived life. I can only drool every time I think of this dish and regret every moment of my life that I am not eating this masterpiece.
The second course shortly came, "Ga xao xa ot", which was a spicy lemongrass chicken, fried garlic & dried chilies. I was sure that there was nothing that could top the flavorful dumplings that rendered my taste buds’ unconscious. Still sitting in grief, I reluctantly moved toward my second dish, the spicy lemongrass chicken. I have had chicken before and it’s all relatively the same, or so I thought. When the plate arrived in front of me. It seems for a second all spotlight was on the chicken, the way it glistens in frying oil sparkled under the dimly lit lighting made me feel as if it was adjusted specifically for this moment. I was enchanted as I slowly reached for one of the legs and brought it close to my mouth. As soon as it made contact, I felt attacked by the combination of a perfectly fried chicken leg complimented by the punchy vinegar and garlic mixture with the kick of dried chilies that lightly singed my nose. I knew at that moment, I was wrong, this was the best dish I had tasted in my short-lived life. I can only drool every time I think of this dish and regret every moment of my life that I am not eating this masterpiece.
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I can say this restaurant deserves all the press and food connoisseurs’ attention that it received on a regular basis. It is one of the best westernized Vietnamese restaurants in Los Angeles that everyone should try once in their life. Each plate is served with the intention of sharing between friends and family, allowing for a unique dining experience into Asian food culture. The well-designed interior optimizes the food experience by giving a well-rounded and positive sensory overload that contributes to the traditional Vietnamese cuisine style. After crossing this off my bucket list, I am finally able to answer I have tried Vietnamese cuisine when anyone asks. The pleasant surprise of how flavorful and intense each of the dishes had mesmerized me into trying out all Asian cuisines in the future. I recommend anyone to come to Little Sister downtown Los Angeles for a unique and positive sensory overload dining experience!
Final Review
Atmosphere 10/10
The dimmed down lighting creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere that makes you want to stay for long periods of time which seems rare to find in the overwhelmingly busy heart of downtown. The mixture of rustic metal and street art wall paintings gave a uniquely fulfilling atmosphere to go along with the flavorful foods available. The color scheme was mostly dark brown, gold, and black under the dimly lit lighting. It was a perfect place for a casual or formal meal whether it is catching up with a friend or a first date, this seems like the perfect place for that intimate moment in our lives.
Atmosphere 10/10
The dimmed down lighting creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere that makes you want to stay for long periods of time which seems rare to find in the overwhelmingly busy heart of downtown. The mixture of rustic metal and street art wall paintings gave a uniquely fulfilling atmosphere to go along with the flavorful foods available. The color scheme was mostly dark brown, gold, and black under the dimly lit lighting. It was a perfect place for a casual or formal meal whether it is catching up with a friend or a first date, this seems like the perfect place for that intimate moment in our lives.
Price $$
There was definitely a price to pay for the beautiful environment, the lowest price for even an appetizer was around $12.
However, most of the food is sharable among friends and family which makes a unique dining experience. In conclusion, the food is definitely worth the price for me!
There was definitely a price to pay for the beautiful environment, the lowest price for even an appetizer was around $12.
However, most of the food is sharable among friends and family which makes a unique dining experience. In conclusion, the food is definitely worth the price for me!
Convenience 8/10
During my visit, it was one of the busiest time of the day. My friend and I waited for around 10 minutes before someone was able to take us to our tables. It seems that there was a lack of staff prepared for all periods of the day.
Waiting to be seated is also a price to pay for such a popular and in-demand restaurant. Once we were seated, the waiting did an amazing job to make sure we were comfortable and fulfilled at all times. It is located downtown, so the parking is a bit of a hassle. Most people end up finding a parking structure nearby and walk a few blocks to the restaurant.
During my visit, it was one of the busiest time of the day. My friend and I waited for around 10 minutes before someone was able to take us to our tables. It seems that there was a lack of staff prepared for all periods of the day.
Waiting to be seated is also a price to pay for such a popular and in-demand restaurant. Once we were seated, the waiting did an amazing job to make sure we were comfortable and fulfilled at all times. It is located downtown, so the parking is a bit of a hassle. Most people end up finding a parking structure nearby and walk a few blocks to the restaurant.
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