I first heard about Charles Olalia through the food he prepared at Rice Bar in downtown Los Angeles. At the time, I was working at Trailer Park and we had a food delivery service called Eat Club which featured certain offerings from various restaurants. I always looked forward to the weeks when Rice Bar offered their longanisa garlic rice bowl and egg which reminded me of my childhood breakfasts.
After I left Trailer Park, I co-chaired the Training Committee at RPA Represent and I was looking for a more organic way to present other cultures and their food and traditions. A coworker suggested I watch Migrant Kitchen and that is where I first was introduced to Charles’ story and his struggles of finding work having been fully educated in the Philippines. I appreciated his tenacity, his drive and how he finally honed in on what he wanted to see in a restaurant which was a return to the basics and roots of Filipino cooking. One could tell that Rice Bar and all its simple dishes embodied that sentiment.
When I heard about him opening a sit-down restaurant, Ma’am Sir, I was beyond excited. It took a while to make my way over because I wanted to share the experience with friends so we could order a sampling of dishes. We finally headed to Silver Lake last night and had our feast.
The meal started off great with two brown bag orders of piping hot pan de sal which can be described as hot dinner rolls. We ordered the house made Pandan curd which had a creamy coconut taste to it.
Then we were served with the hangover rice which was spectacular. On my first bite, I got a bit of crispy garlic, some of the yolk from the egg and the savory fatty juice of the sausage. I could have easily eaten that whole bowl by myself because it had layers of flavors which reminded me of home.
Next to arrive was the lumpia which got mixed reviews. Instead of the usual ground pork, it consisted of shrimp mousse with a small dollop of uni on top and a white vinegar dipping sauce. Though the egg rolls were tightly wrapped and perfectly crispy throughout, a few of us felt that this missed the authenticity of Filipino cuisine.
The chicken adobo bowl, however, was perfect and an upgrade in presentation and flavor combination from the standard Filipino food fare. The chicken was perfectly moist. It tasted like something my mom would have cooked for me as a child.
Next on the list was the happy birthday fried chicken. There were only 3 small pieces so we each shared one since there were 6 of us. I chose the breast because it was closest to me and sadly most of it was quite dry as white meat typically is. However, once I made my way to the less meaty portion, that is when the true brilliance of its flavor, seasoning and texture started to shine. It reminded me of my grandfather’s fried chicken, which was marinaded in Sprite and cooked in lard, leading to superbly moist meat on the inside and crunchy, crispy skin on the outside. It tasted like heaven in a bite.
The pork entree came in two parts as a plate of crispy lechon and a pork stew in a bowl. This was most expensive dish that we selected. The pork stew was fine as the meat was moist and had the traditional Filipino subtle combination of soy sauce, black pepper and vinegar. The lechon was a disappointment. Though I was lucky to have tasted a portion which had a crispy skin, the meat was so chewy, oily and grisly, it was inedible. I had the great fortune of recently visiting Cebu in the Philippines and was lucky enough to have eaten at Rico’s Lechon where each heavenly bite of lechon was perfectly crisp on the outside and meaty and juicy on the inside so I have a recent and accurate frame of reference how this dish should be executed.
The fish entree called bangus which is a milkfish was heavily draped in a sweet soy glaze. I think that was a mistake as less is always more in traditional Filipino cuisine. Though the fish was tender, the overpowering sweetness took away from the subtle flavor of the fish. Traditionally, whole fish is fried and seasoned with salt and pepper in the Philippines so this offering was a departure from that style of cooking.
Our last dinner entree luckily was exceptional and though it was more of a fusion dish, it deserved applause. It was crab noodles with a large dollop of lime creme fraiche on the top. The noodles were perfectly al dente, topped with coconut and basil with a light savory taste. It was delicious.
We ended the evening with their two dessert offerings. Though I didn’t have the mango verrine because of my mango allergies, our friends really enjoyed the combination which resembled a parfait. The banana bibingka was fusion as it didn’t resemble the traditional round rice cake served in a banana leave. It was a sliver of cake with a crispy coconut top layer and a dense center. The whipped cream on the side was truly the icing on the cake because it added just the right amount of flavor to make it a perfect bite.
Though due to the distance, I doubt very much that I would return, what I would recommend is the pan de sal and Pandan curd, the hangover rice, chicken adobo, the birthday chicken (dark meat only) and the crab noodles.
All in all, it was a decent experience, 3 stars out of 5. The restaurant is very pretty , quaint, medium sized and with a very lively crowd. There was predominantly a Caucasian hipster clientele which most Asians would consider to be a negative sign though in this case and in this area might not be the case. It’s always good to have the means to introduce a different culture and flavor combination to people who otherwise would not be exposed to it.
However, as a Filipino who was raised in the U.S. and went to the Philippines for the last two Christmases, I would say that perhaps the menu should be tweaked and the dishes that aren’t true to the culture and traditions be modified. Some of the dishes lost their Filipino soul, flavor and essence and in the case of the crispy lechon, it just completely missed the mark. For the price point and authenticity, I would have to choose Rice Bar over Ma’am Sir as that embodies the true Filipino cuisine.
Ma’am Sir
4330 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Rice Bar
419 W. 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Migrant Kitchen – “Barkada”
The location of the newest Culver City addition has been a revolving door of various feasts over the last decade or so. The first restaurant I recall being there was a Korean establishment called Gyenari Korean BBQ which was quite good but a bit expensive for what it was. That was replaced by Lyfe Kitchen which served healthy cafeteria style food. Most recently the space hosted OOAK, a vegetarian restaurant which didn’t last the year as its price point was much too high for its limited menu. Fortunately, it modified its menu to pseudo traditional Chinese fare that matches the West Los Angeles Chinese restaurant prices and portions.
Initially, the reviews for Fifty One on Yelp hovered around 3 stars. Wanting to celebrate a new month and the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Pig, the year in which I was born, I read the recent reviews which increased the rating to a very acceptable 4 stars. I went on Open Table and saw they had lots of availability so I picked a time that I knew would work for us and off we went.
Upon entering the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the interior design was. It felt Chinese but had an overall pleasant and bright Asian theme which could easily feel like a nice restaurant in Phuket or even in Tokyo. We were seated at a table midway into the restaurant, giving us a view of the front of house, the bar as well as a peek into the private back room which was shielded by several floral screens. I looked to see who was dining and saw a table of Jewish men to our left as well as a few other tables with possibly Chinese immigrants and an Asian couple walking around with the manager possibly considering an event at the restaurant. As an aside, what gives a Chinese restaurant street credit is having Asians eat there, preferably first generation immigrants, the newer, the better.
We tried to order more ethnic style dishes, if only by name. Our server, Caylin, was instrumental in helping us narrow down the options. He suggested the Hong Shao E-Fu Noodles with Chicken, Yang Chow Seafood Fried Rice, Sichuan Peppercorn Hot Pot with Shrimp, Scallion Fish Fillet and Spicy String Beans. I also ordered a hot and sour seafood soup which ended up being too sweet and thick. However, the rest of our dinner was exceptional. The fish had a very mild flavor with a perfectly slightly crispy exterior. The hot pot was a bigger offering with a significant amount of shrimp and vegetables. It had a mildly spiced aftertaste. The noodles and rice both packed a great deal of layered flavors and had a bit more oil than the other dishes. The spicy string beans had a bit of heat but wasn’t overpowering and crispy. With all of our dishes, we were pleasantly surprised that our bill totaled $80 for 2 people.
In addition to the amazing complexity of flavors of our entrees, the caliber of the service and the friendliness of the staff primarily from our server but also the manager was exceptional. For those who live on the Westside and don’t want the hassle of a drive to San Gabriel Valley and are looking for delicious and reasonably priced Asian food in a beautiful setting, Fifty One is a solid option and is a neighborhood gem. We’ll be back and will bring lots of Westside friends!
Fifty One
9540 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
https://www.fiftyonekitchen.com
I am always on the hunt for delicious, inexpensive eats close to home. I set the filter on my Yelp app to find these hidden gems and one that piqued my interest was technically one city over from Culver City in Palms.
Shawarma Land sits on Venice Blvd. and is adjoined to a Turkish market behind it. Though the actual restaurant is accessible from the street, the sidewalk is painted red so one would either have to park on the side street, at the next block where street parking is allowed on Venice or in the back lot and walk through the market. They have a decent covered outdoor patio which offers a few tables and they also have a few tables inside the restaurant. It’s very casual. You place your order at the counter and they call your number.
I’ve now eaten at Shawarma Land twice, once eating onsite and today I called in my order. The same girl helped me both times. I’m not sure if the gentleman in the back is of any relation to her but they work together seamlessly. Both times, I ordered the shawarma plate but asked for a 50/50 split of chicken and beef. Just like my initial visit, today’s meal was delicious and filling. The photo only shows the top layer of meat which covered a bottom layer of rice. Both types of meat were juicy and flavorful and there was a sheen of oil on the rice possibly from the natural juices of the chicken and the beef penetrating the kernels of rice. Included with the plate was a nice helping of hummus and a cucumber and green salad. For $10.99 which ended up being $12.06 with tax, it was a very generous amount of food. I gave 2/3 of it to my husband and we were both quite full and satisfied.
For an incredibly inexpensive and filling meal, I cannot recommend Shawarma Land enough. It offers great value, massive portions and delicious quality food.
Shawarma Land
10821 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Grace Gambin
A Travel Foodie
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