If you’re looking for an innovative evening filled with culinary treats, inspired sake and spirits, set in an environment, surrounded by architectural wonders and hip international urbanites, then head downtown to LA’s Bank District. There’s plenty on the plate, on pour and in the room, sure to sate any appetite.
As an East Coaster, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to cities. I grew up in Philadelphia, our countries first city, went to school in DC, the nations political city and capitol and I lived in New York City, what I consider to be my first city, after college and a few years since. New York wasn’t my family’s city or my schools. It was the first place I chose as my home.
It’s a hard bar to set in your head, New York. How can another city compete? Just like people, it can’t, as no two are alike. Yet, one can’t help but compare and contrast. Over time, I have fallen in love in and with several cities. I have lived in many and made a few more my home, in London and in Barcelona, but I have oddly and ambivalently lived more years of my life in LA than any other city, other than Philly.
Back in my early LA days while waitressing at the diner at The Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, pre Dodd Mitchell and the major renovation, you could feel the foreigner’s disappointment in the room. It was palpable. I was forever asked, while looking out at The Boulevard, coffee in hand, "This is Hollywood?!" As if there was some secret getaway, an underground tunnel or tour bus to the chosen city that so few get to see and it takes that posed question to finally be allowed in. I, with little to no tip in my hand, as many were foreigners and didn’t understand we made our living off their change and disappointment would say, "Yeah. Sorry", as I was. It’s not what they, or any of us had expected.
It was the expectation of gloss and glamour and of course the city that didn’t really exist. We had to explain in our broken English as we now struggled in our own language trying to make sense to them in the conversation, "This is a suburban city."
Years later, Hollywood is thriving. She’s a gorgeous babe, still a little rough around the edges, which we love, as I never want to forget that she’s been around the block. Like a good woman and a good wine, age makes them all the better. She is a wee bit sexier and more seductive now, appealing to youth and the masses with her many lofts, restaurants and chain shops. The key is, she finally feels like the expected cinematic city every one wants to see.
Yet, LA as a whole or more importantly as a city was somehow still the lost city. LA did have a city; the one we all were looking for, yet somehow was left unrealized in Downtown LA. It once was Hollywood in its heyday during the early days of film. The old gorgeous movie theaters downtown are proof positive that they took the city and cinema quite seriously back then.
The awakening of this lovely urban giant has not happened over night. The revitalization of downtown LA has been on the fast track this past decade. But now more than ever, in recent years, it is full steam ahead and not looking back with its many lofts, hip & interesting restaurants, lounges and bars and by far the best cocktail scene in the city. What is being poured in downtown proper is quite impressive, by people who take it as seriously as those in other top spirit cities like San Francisco, New York and New Orleans. It is all happening in downtown LA. So, if you haven’t been lately, you really haven’t been.
It hasn’t happened over night, but it did feel that way one recent night in November. I live in Koreatown, just minutes from downtown LA. I am both embarrassed and perplexed as to why I don’t spend more time downtown. Now, I will.
We valeted our car at Pete’s Tavern in the heart of The Bank District by 4th & Main. It was a few bucks and just a few steps from Warung Cafe. Walking to the restaurant was the first time in LA that I truly felt that urban excitement that you feel once you ascend from the subway and feel the electricity of the city. It’s that enigmatic feel, like a first great date, where anything can happen. The streets were buzzing, hip interesting people, types I don’t typically see in Hollywood, were eating, laughing and living this life downtown. Pete’s was teaming with urban wonders. It was so New York. Forget about it!
A friend had suggested Warung Café for our Friday night. I knew little to none about it and felt ambivalent until I walked in, to the old historic building. Once there, I knew we were on to something special. The high ceilings and warehouse feel was so arty and ambient similar to Tribeca in NY. What I loved was that it was smaller in scale, very intimate and warm. I knew this was going to be my new local.
The manager Ivan came over immediately and his attentiveness stayed with us throughout the meal. Warung is Asian Tapas. They boast their Pan Asian Beers, Sake & Soju Infusion Bar and their Excellent Selection of international Wines.
My group was all about the sake as the list was extensive, diverse and interesting. Best bet is to get a flight. That way you can sip and try several sakes within a group and if you really fall for one, you can have that one with your meal or as your after dinner drink. Sakes were very affordable between $6 and $10 for the glass.
Warung is as much about the experience as it is about the food and the drink. The sake experience is an amazing one that can’t be missed. Ivan brought out each sake describing it in rich detail as to why he liked it and how best to pair it. It is a great, non-intimidating place to expand your knowledge and deepen your sake experience.
We started with Poochi Poochi sparkling sake, a great cleanse and start to open the palette. We then had sake Sasichi, which is distilled thinner than water. That was a favorite at the table. It was so simple yet rich, with delicate hints of butter, a perfect balance to the crisp cleanliness of the sake. Like cocktails the sake is all about balance within the drink and with the meal.
We started to order small plates and as the sake kept coming, was starting to kick in and was about to upstage the night. Their Edamame was superior. I could have made a meal on them alone. We ordered a quick combo plate to get us going while we savored the sake experience before getting serious in our decisions about ordering our small plates.
Tomuju "Eternal Company" Junmai Ginjo was a fragrant sake. I found the fragrance to be, but a hint, very light. This too was incredibly clean sake. So, good, you could easily sip it all night. I kept it close by, throughout the meal. That was a keeper for me. It did not overwhelm the palette, a perfect pairing for your sushis as well, where the fish can take center stage.
"The Sword" Daiginjo was a fruitier more fragrant sake made with Kashu juice, while Ohtoka "Cherry Petal" was velvety smooth and unpasteurized. That might overwhelm your meal. Best to try alone. Our final before we got in to signature cocktails and well needed plates was Daishichi Kimoto "Big Seven", a classic sake with hints of cedar and vanilla, creamy and savory, a perfect pair for the richer, layered plates to come.
Warung is wildly affordable with small plates hot or cold ranging from a mere $4 to $9. It was a great deal and there wasn’t a bad bite in the building. We three took on the group mentality and ordered several small plates to be shared, picking our favorites as well as stepping out of culinary comfort zones by trying new suggested dishes. We each got a few bites off each plate, which was perfect. If one was a winner, we quickly placed a reorder.
On the cold front, we had Spicy Indian Chicken Salad, which was excellent, Ahi Tuna Tataki Salad with great miso vinaigrette, Peanut Noodles and Tuna Tartar. Each one would stand alone as a great lunch on its own. As some like it hot, we opted for hot plates of Asian Pork Ribs, Crispy Tofu Bites served with a spicy homemade peanut sauce (divine), Broiled Miso Marinated Salmon that I wanted to marry. The salmon fell off the fork, ready for consumption. That was an immediate reorder. The Black Pepper Garlic Chicken Wings marinated in a mushroom soy honey followed, as did the Miso Marinated Scallops. There’s magic in their miso marinated seafood. We finished with Black Cod in light homemade curry sauce.
What really tipped it over for us were the sauces. Each dish, with its Asian spices was so rich, textured and layered in its flavors, be it the meat or the fish, there was a lot going on in the palette. Each could have stood alone, not needing any sauce. However, the sauces were so good, it was the tip factor. I was so inspired I wanted to buy a series in jars to take with me, even though they didn’t have them and I don’t cook.
As if the sake is not enough, another option to the sake flights, to add on to your Warung experience or perhaps to take in its place, are the cocktail flights. They take their cocktails as seriously as they do their sake. The female bartender works hand in hand with Ivan who appears to have his hand everywhere in the restaurant and bar.
We again tried a flight of the cocktails, so we could sip and share. All drinks are poured in Reidel glasses, where the spirit or drink is best realized. The drinks are made with Soju, an Asian Barley based spirit similar to vodka with half the alcohol. It was so clean, light and pure. You can still taste the subtle spirit, yet it did not interrupt nor overwhelm the drink at all. They make their drinks with the freshest of ingredients and juices. So, each drink was a dish unto itself where each one was better than the next.
They are constantly experimenting, trying out new drinks and creating new signatures that I assure you will not be like anywhere else. I especially liked the Soju Lime Cooler perfect for a summer BBQ and heavier foods. The Espresso Martini got star billing and was by far the best café, inspired cocktail drink I have ever had in my Irish life. (Sorry Baileys.) It was perfection! For those Red Bull and vodka types looking for some kick with their after dinner drink, look no further. I am craving it as I write this. Wowza!
The room was a vision of interesting, animated people set in an equally inspired architectural structure. I did not feel like I was in LA. I felt like I was far, far away, as I like it. There were several international and perhaps local dishes in the room, with their many accents, languages and foreign threads that I would have happily ordered for dessert. Unfortunately, they were not on the menu. So, I opted for a clean, green tea ice cream.
Before the valet pulled the car up, we stopped for a final wine at Pete’s. Tom Gilmore of Gilmore Associates who owns Warung, the building it is in and the city block it is on, is one of the three prominent forces responsible for this vibrant downtown revitalization. His lofts are in three historic buildings, the San Fernando, Hellman and the Continental on that block, in the heart of the Bank District, his domain. As we sipped our wines and the curtain was closing on our urban evening, we wistfully longed for our own downtown loft. It was true urban bliss in the red hued room.
Within minutes, I was back at home in Koreatown, all but a few minutes from the previous scene. As I laid me down to sleep, I clicked my wee little heels saying, "There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home."
For more info: www.warungcafela.com # 213 626 0662
Warung Café – 118 W. 4th Street (between Spring & Main) LA Ca. 90031
To live The Loft life, check out www.laloft.com.
For more on Gilmore: www.gilmoredev.com.
