A TikTok star opened a restaurant. Here’s what to order
Are you curious about that new restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard? The one with the social media star chef running the kitchen?
I’ve probably watched Tue Nguyen’s Thit Kho cooking video on TikTok 1,000 out of the 1.1 million views it has on the platform. The same goes for her rice paper egg rolls and chicken porridge videos.
Nguyen, who goes by Tway Da Bae (@twaydabae) on social media, is funny and relatable, talking you through her recipes like a friend. In one video, she accidentally breaks her beautiful jade bracelet while smashing cloves of garlic. She lets out a pained “Noooooooo” after the mineral cracks on the cutting board. I could feel her pain. As could the 6.5 million other people who watched the video.
When I heard that Nguyen was opening a restaurant with the h.wood group, the hospitality company behind some of the vibiest restaurants and nightlife spots around the country, I made a reservation.
Bò Lúc Lắc and Tuna Tartare at Di Di
Di Di is a Vietnamese restaurant, only “Tway-nized.”
The bánh xèo are turned into crunchy, coconut crepe taco shells. Mae ploy sweet chile sauce is reimagined as “Tway ploy.” To dine at Di Di is to fully immerse yourself in Tway world.
“I really wanted it to be a Vietnamese restaurant that’s not just about the pho or the banh mi,” she says on a recent call. “Me growing up in Vietnam, there’s so many other dishes that I love.”
Nguyen’s bò lúc lac is one of my favorite renditions of the dish. It’s a nod to her father, who frequently orders the beef at Vietnamese restaurants.
Bò lúc lac, or shaking beef, is named for the way you shake the pan while cooking. Nguyen marinates her beef in a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic and sambal. She sears the beef in a wok, then gives it a good shake, adding even more of the marinade to the pan. The beef ends up saturated in the salty, garlicky marinade, perfectly caramelized and a just a tad sweet.
She serves the beef as a salad, tossed into a jumble of super fresh watercress, tons of mint, cilantro and basil dressed in a tart lime vinaigrette. Slivers of pickled onion and halved cherry tomatoes add nice pops of freshness to the heavily marinated beef. It’s everything you could ever want in a single bowl. And yes, it’s good on rice.
Her tuna tartare is another standout in a bowl, with squares of tuna, jicama, avocado and cucumber swimming in a tamarind and pickled garlic vinaigrette. Nguyen serves it alongside a giant puffy rice cracker coated in makrut lime dust. I drank whatever dressing was left in the bowl.
“It feels so surreal and I genuinely am in such a state of gratitude every day,” says Nguyen. “It’s different when you get support online versus when you have support in person. It’s a whole other thing when people take the initiative, make a reservation, take time out of their day.”
Will Nguyen’s restaurant signal a possible shift in who gets to open a restaurant and how? Owen Han (@Owen.han), if you’re reading this, please open a sandwich shop.
(SOURCE: LA Times)