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LAist Pop-Up Of The Week: Lao-Lao's Curried Noodles In Chinatown
Malina Syvoravong brings her Laotian food pop-up to Chinatown this weekend.
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Flyer courtesy of Malina Syvoravong/Photos courtesy of Nick Torres
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Collage by Gab Chabrán/LAist
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We live in a golden age of chef-driven pop-ups, and Los Angeles is at the epicenter. With so many pop-ups happening at farmers' markets, breweries, and everywhere else, we are designating space to highlight some of our favorites that capture our attention and make our stomachs growl.
Welcome to the Pop-Up Of The Week. Do you have any suggestions? Email me at gchabran@scpr.org or reach out via Instagram.
Who: Malina Syvoravong, who runs Lao-Lao, is a recipe developer and food stylist. She is of Laotian descent and grew up in Northern California.
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What: This weekend at Pearl River Deli in Chinatown, Syvoravong will be serving Mee Gatee ($15), a type of “peanut pho” dish made with ground pork, blanched flat rice noodles, red coconut curry and fermented soybean, with an added egg drop base.
“It creates a curdled egg that’s very delicate but rich," Syvoravong said.
The noodle soup is then garnished with a bouquet of fresh veggies, including cabbage, cilantro, and fried red chili pepper. It's a dish beloved in Lao culture yet is often hard to find here in the U.S.
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Syvoravong will also sell baggies of her Thai-ish Chex mix ($5), based on the popular American party snack mix typically made with Rice Chex cereal. Hers is made with dried baby clams, rice, and shrimp crackers, seasoned with dried pepper flakes, and then slow-baked in a buttery fish sauce glaze.
Mee Gatee, a Laotian soup made up of curry noodles, egg drop, and celestial garnishes.
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Nick Torres
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Courtesy of Malina Syvoravong
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Grab your bag of the Thai-ish Chex Mix in Chinatown this weekend.
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Nick Torres
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Courtesy of Malina Syvoravong
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When + Where: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 20, and Sunday, Jan. 21, at Pearl River Deli, 935 Mei Ling Way, Chinatown.
Why: Syvoravong has made it her mission to promote Lao cuisine, since there aren’t many Laotian restaurants in L.A. (Most recently, Yum Sະlut, a Laotian eaterie located a few blocks from Pearl River Deli, ceased operations at the end of last year.) She hopes her cooking will continue to capitalize on Lao's particular moment in the L.A. dining scene, exhibiting its beautiful intricacies of textures and flavors, bringing in people familiar with Laotian cooking, as well as those curious to learn more about this Southeast Asian style.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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