Los Angeles: Ganda in Thai Town [Pics]

Ganda Restaurant is located on Hollywood Blvd. in the same strip mall as the famed Palms Thai Restaurant, Bhan Kanom Thai Pastry and Ruen Pair Restaurant.

For the local Thai community, a good part of Ganda's allure lies in the fact that it prominently features an elaborate steam table spread with an ever-changing roster of authentic Thai foodstuffs.* There is a set "plate lunch" price for this affair which--in addition to a generous serving of steamed rice and a small green salad--entitles the diner to select from any two steam table offerings.** NB Ganda also has a kitchen menu, and a number of each day's steam table offerings can also be found on the printed kitchen menu.

Here are some pictures from a lunch that I took at Ganda, last week:


néua tàet dìaw***


sômtam puu dawng


sômtam puu dawng - up close


khâo nâa pèt

Ganda did an exceptional job with the néua tàet dìaw. The relatively lean strips of beef were deeply-infused with spicy flavour and offered a delightful chew.

The sômtam puu dawng was not on the steam table, nor was it listed on the kitchen menu per se. Whereas the kitchen menu contains both standard sômtam and sômtam puu khẽm, or "papaya salad with salty crab," Ganda will also make a papaya salad with "pickled crab" upon request. For this particular version of papaya salad, large chunks of lightly-pickled blue crab are used. This version of papaya salad is a personal favourite, and Ganda delivered beautifully. In all actuality, this salad turned out to be one of the best items of my entire L.A. stay. It was brilliant.

The khâo nâa pèt called out to me from the kitchen menu. While the greens which were served with the dish were entirely forgettable, the roasted duck and "gravy sauce" were both very, very good. In fact, this version is the very best that I have had in Thai Town, to date.****


I also recommend the following items from Ganda’s kitchen menu:

"po tahk [pó tàek] - combination of seafood and mushroom in soup"
“catfish with chili sauce [plaa dùk kràwp phàt phrík] - deep-fried catfish cooked in chili sauce"
"duck salad [yam pèt yâang] - roasted duck with onion in special spicy sauce"
"chinese sausage fried rice [khâo phàt khêun chiang] - fried rice with chinese sausage, chinese broccoli and egg"
"scramble egg with ground pork [khài jiaw mũu sàp]"

Regards,
Erik M.

Ganda
5269 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323.466.4281

* For a complete listing of the day's offerings diners must refer to a board on the wall of the restaurant which is printed in Thai. Due to its somewhat ephemeral nature, I do not think that it would do much good to cover this board or the steam table itself in any kind of detail, but I will say that if you are an intrepid spirit, you would do quite well to let your senses guide you. If you have any questions about the foodstuffs presented the waitstaff can likely be of some assistance.

** Diners are, of course, free to make additions to this scheme, but the price for doing so is somewhat dependent upon the nature of the additional item(s).

*** While I initially spotted this item on the steam table, it is listed in the appetizer section of the kitchen menu, where it is described as "pork or beef jerky (mũu rẽu néua tàet dìaw)."

**** I have discussed this dish at some length, here.

Not that the post needs it, but I'll amplify Erik's sentiments about that particular strip mall. Along with the strip mall at Lawrence and Kedzie, and possibly the strip mall at Ogden and Cass in Downer's Grove, it's my favorite one-stop, with-parking, food destination.

Erik doesn't love sweets from what I understand. Neither do I, but my 5-year-old Thai-town compadre is a true connoisseur of Thai sweets, down to the delicate made-to-order over charcoal crepe-custards containing, of all things, chives. (Once you get past the chip-dip memory it works.) These are sold in the back parking lot of the Thai Grocery store next to the strip mall. Of course, the kid also digs Mexican tamarind and chile candy such as the squirt-bottle goo, El Gusano, and foul Taiwanese treats such as haw flakes and Hello Kitty lychee gel. CrazyC, TonyC, Sazerac: What is haw?

Anyway, the same strip mall has a Thai sweets store with candy, crepes, sticky rices, and a build-your-own-ice-drink bar unlike anything here. As Erik points out, it is Bhan Kanom Thai Pastry. The closest thing in Chicago is the stuff offered as a sideline at Ba Le, which isn't so close. It's like a Thai Ambala, sort of.

Interestingly, the originally-Taiwanese bubble shakes that one can buy at any Viet or Thai place here are (or were last fall) unknown in Thai town. I looked hard. We settled for a three-bean affair with lavender coconut milk and green syrup. I point this out only because I had assumed that Taiwanese bubble drinks had swept through Asia before arriving here. Apparently, not so.

Don't underestimate the power of Joy Yee or the fact that Chicago was, for better or worse, on the cutting edge of the somewhat silly US bubble drink craze.

Slightly OT but it's Friday and

JeffB wrote:What is haw?

I had absolutely no idea. Whatsoever. Never seen it, never heard of it.
I googled. Some interesting hits:

This site wrote:Mom notices Haw Flakes on the kitchen table

"Are those drugs?"
"No, mom. I try not to leave my drugs on the kitchen table when you come over."
"Well, what are they?"
"Haw Flakes. They're like candy."
"Well, okay. How do you know they aren't drugs?"
"Eh? Well, do drugs list ingredients on the side of the package, usually?"
"I guess not."

Finally through this site, I found the answer here: Hawthorne (fruit). Now I'll have to find out what that is.
I'm assuming this is available in Chicago. JeffB, the longer I have to search the better it has taste...

Haw Flakes are pretty yummy... I ate it growing up because it was cheap, and chocolates were expensive... =)

It's sweet and a little tangy, and sometimes it sticks to your back teeth, which makes it last a little longer because you have to pick your teeth later... ewww... I agree with the site, it's like a less sticky version of fruit rollups.

Chinatown and Argyle should have it. I have not noticed it in stores though, but they should carry it...

Haw Flakes and White Rabbit candies (chewy milk candy with a rice paper wrapping) are the only candies I could afford to eat when I was in elementary school.

A flower. Thanks. See, you end up with stuff like haw flakes, salty prunes, and Fruitips brand currant chews when you let the kids carry the shopping basket. You can buy a big old bag of haw flakes, same brand as on the site above, at the Viet grocery that shares space and a parking lot with Dong Ky on Broadway south of Argyle. Citysearch lists the place as "Broadway Supermarket," but it has another name as well. I just don't remember it right now.

I too commented on the identity between firework casings and hawflake packaging. BTW, I like haw flakes, and my son thinks they are the best candy ever. He's a cheap date. I meant for my "foul" comment above to apply only to the Hello Kitty lychee gel.

I particularly enjoyed reading the nearly microscopic warning that the Hello Kitty product does not melt and is, therefore, a choking hazard. Turns out, Hello Kitty gel candies should not be given to children unless you cut them up first. Well, Duh! What reasonable parent would have thought that colorful jellies packaged in a plastic piggy-bank shaped like Hello Kitty were meant for juvenile consumption? See , that's why Taiwan is kicking our Chicagoan asses in candy production: they don't have the insane tort law abuse our confectioners must withstand.

For the less candy-inclined, the seafood counter at Broadway has live: goeyducks, monster oysters, crabs, catfish, carp and more. The formerly living critters are too numerous to metion.

PS, haw flakes are just like necco wafers, except that they taste like something.

I don't like a lot of Asian candies, but Haw Flakes are an exception.

btw, that strip in Thai Town has an added benefit: competitive prices. Ruen Pair's lunches are largely under $5 (well, last time I was there, about 1.5 years ago) and are healthy portions.

extramsg wrote:btw, that strip in Thai Town has an added benefit: competitive prices. Ruen Pair's lunches are largely under $5 (well, last time I was there, about 1.5 years ago) and are healthy portions.

L.A.'s Thai Town is, with little--if any--exception, priced more cheaply than Chicago. As a Chicagoan, I hardly see the point in bargain shopping.

At any rate, while Ruen Pair is a fantastic restaurant, Thai locals tell me that the "A team" does not start cooking before the evening hours, and my experience would bear that out.

E.M.

Ruen Pair
5257 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323.466.0153

Update:

I returned to Ganda twice on my most recent trip to Los Angeles, and I am happy to report that the food was as good as ever. But, more importantly, I would like to take the time and space to apprise you of a few minor changes:

1. Ganda no longer displays a complete roster of the day's offerings on the wall, which is printed in Thai. Yes, an English kitchen menu still exists. And, yes, the steam table is still present and remains the greatest draw for Ganda's Thai patrons. But, non-Thais, or those without a working familiarity of the language and/or cuisine, must now fully rely on the waitstaff to answer any questions about the items therein.

1a. Ganda now displays a laminated placard of specialty noodle and rice dishes on each table, which is printed in Thai:


"'menu' of delicious things..."





And, here is my translation of the same:

2. kũay tĩaw mũu tôm yam : rice noodles with minced pork in a hot, sweet/sour broth
3. kũay tĩaw lúesa song khrêuang : rice noodle soup with assorted vegetables
4. kũay tĩaw khàek, mũu, kài : rice noodles in a spicy, rich, coconut milk broth with pork or chicken
5. kũay tĩaw mũu tũun : rice noodles with stewed pork
6. kũay tĩaw néua tũun : rice noodles with stewed beef
7. kũay tĩaw reua mũu : “boat” noodles with pork
8. kũay tĩaw reua néua : “boat” noodles with beef
9. kũay tĩaw pèt : rice noodle soup with braised duck, in a sweet, salty broth
10. kũay jáp : rich pork and pork offal soup with “rice flake” noodles
11. kũay tĩaw làwt song khrêuang : rice noodle rolls with pork and assorted vegetables
12. khanõm jiin kaeng tai plaa : thin rice vermicelli with spicy fish kidney curry
13. khanõm jiin kaeng khĩaw-wãan lûuk chin plaa : thin rice vermicelli with green curry and fish balls
14. khao man kài meuang thawng : Hainanese steamed chicken and rice
15. khao mũu daeng meuang thawg : Chinese-style sausage and BBQ pork, served over rice
16. khao mũu kràwp meuang thawg : fried pork pieces, served over rice

Here are a few dishes which I enjoyed during my recent visits:


sôm tam puu dawng, a spicy papaya salad with raw crab


khanõm jiin kaeng khĩaw-wãan lûuk chin plaa, or thin rice vermicelli with green curry and fish balls


sâi kràwk isãan, an Isaan-style grilled pork and rice sausage

E.M.

Erik, I'm sure the sausage was good, but that's one of most UNappetizing pictures I've seen from you. It reminds me of the pool scene from Caddyshack.

I've been happy to finally have a good version of kanom jiin up here with Pok Pok. However, they aren't able to get the fermented noodles. Do you know if they were using them down there? I've heard LA is the only place in the US where they're actually attainable. I wish I would have hit Ganda on my last trip down.

extramsg wrote:Erik, I'm sure the sausage was good, but that's one of most UNappetizing pictures I've seen from you. It reminds me of the pool scene from Caddyshack.

My sincerest apologies, Nick.

extramsg wrote:I've been happy to finally have a good version of kanom jiin up here with Pok Pok. However, they aren't able to get the fermented noodles. Do you know if they were using them down there? I've heard LA is the only place in the US where they're actually attainable.

I haven't researched this matter yet, but I am nearly certain that all of the khanõm jiin which I have been served in Los Angeles was the previously-dried somen-type. It would be a pleasant surpise to find a source for fresh khanõm jiinin Los Angeles, but I am not holding my breath. From what I've heard from a friend who grew up next to a khanõm jiin "factory" in Thailand, the process of making the noodles results in a powerfully fierce odour.

E.M.

the process of making the noodles results in a powerfully fierce odour

It should blend right in, then.

Oh well, I'll be eating the real thing in less than a week anyhow, and at about 50 cents a serving.