This is also set in an unassuming strip mall behind the Walt Disney Concert Hall. After having been to Shojin for our first meal, I wasn’t sure there was going to be much left downtown to try, and certainly nothing else could impress me the way I’d been just he night before. But then I found this place and saw I could make a reservation. I reached out to Sweetie to confirm approval for the spot, and came to find out he had eaten here nearly every time he’d been in town in the past and had been planning to suggest we stop in. He’d never actually been inside and had only ever ordered takeout in the past. It was a good thing we stopped in, too, as we were able to hear about what was popular and what were considered specialties. Needless to say, we had a second stellar dinner in a row here.
First, let me wax poetic about their Salt & Pepper Shrimp! – lightly battered yam “shrimp”, sautéed with purple cabbage, jalapeño and cilantro. Do you know what’s better about yam shrimp that taste just like regular shrimp? No cholesterol, and no poop! I’m completely sold on the fake shrimp. Tell me what’s wrong with them! I freaking love these things.
And then the garlic noodles! Their Garlic Basil Noodles were fat an chunky rice noodles, tossed needlessly with apple sage soy sausage chunks, baked garlic cloves, a little lacinato kale, some pine nuts, a dash of nutritional yeast, a splash of spiced olive oil, an garnished with fresh Thai basil and non-gmo sriracha – I could make a meal of the shrimp and garlic noodles. Two orders of each please! Delicious.
We tried an order of their Crimini Pesto mushrooms, which were good, though nothing terribly memorable.
We were advised to try their Ginger Mint Bean Rice, sold as a sort of specialty to wow friends. A mixture of wild rice and kelp noodles mixed in pesto and ginger bean sauce, an topped with marinated mushrooms, corn crisps, jalapeño, shallots, hemp seeds, and microgreens. This wasn’t my favorite thing of the evening, and I can’t put my finger on quite why I didn’t care for it, but I would give it another shot in the future.
We finished the meal with their Tirawmisu – layers of creamy dark cacao, espresso and cinnamon with fluffed macadamia cheese, Demerara sugar and maple syrup.
Âu Lạc is 100% vegan and therefore has a VegScore of 100.