When Starry Kitchen arrived to downtown Los Angeles over a year ago, it was a saving grace to downtown workers – like yours truly! Finally, there was some quality Asian food that kept you on your toes. Why do I write “on your toes”? Well, the menu changes weekly and you have the choice of having your protein served over rice, in a wrap, or sandwich (a banh mi) with a side order that also changes weekly.
Last week, they were serving up one of my favorite choices that I hadn’t had in a while: Taiwanese Fried Pork. Check out this photo of my Taiwanese Fried Pork served in a banh mi with a side of shallot fried rice. I often get the banh mi because I love the baguettes they use.
One of the reasons why this pork is perfect in every way is the green. See it? It’s flash fried basil! Last time they had this dish, I remember just picking one leaf off and the flavor of the light and delicate basil crunch when I ate it.
Next, the pork is battered with 5 different spices and sweet potato flower and fried according to their menu. This savory dish looks even better up close.
I can’t forget the side! Starry Kitchen has a few side dish choices, one of them is usually a fried rice. The week I was there, they had the shallot fried rice which has bits of shallots mixed in. I love this fried rice because it’s not super oily or greasy. I admit I often take a bite of the sandwich, then a bite of rice, and switch back and forth because I don’t know which part of the meal to give my attention to because I love it all.
Hopefully, if you’re in the downtown area this week, you’ll be able to catch this meal before it’s gone.
Also, a special note about the staff – they are always in a good mood and they remember their loyal customers, like me!
Starry Kitchen
350 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071
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