READY RESTAURANT PICKS
Grilled O’Henry sweet potato, creamy almond, Chile morita and cilantro at the EXCHANGE, the Israeli-leaning restaurant from chef Alex Chang in DTLA’s Freehand Hotel
Yakimiso and sausage porridge, numbing spice braised pork sausage, chayote in black bean sauce, rose-geranium baby onion pickles, celery pickles, seasonal edible flowers, and negi rice porridge at Porridge + Puffs.
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
THE EXCHANGE
PORRIDGE + PUFFS
VIBRANT FLAVORS, LOCALLY INSPIRED
CHEF MINH PHAN IS WHERE SHE WANTS TO BE,
Freehand LA’s restaurant, The Exchange, pays homage to the 12 story vintage blade sign (the largest in LA) under which its entrance proudly sits.
She’s on the cusp of opening up her first standalone location for Porridge + Puffs, a popular pop-up previously run out of a space in Hollywood. Phan is also happy to make her home Historic Filipinotown, a continuously growing neighborhood.
The restaurant is led by the team behind Bar Lab, who brought us the beloved 27 Restaurant at Freehand Miami, and Angeleno chef Alex Chang, best known locally for his Paladar dinner series. Similar to 27 Restaurant in Miami, where dishes explore the city’s many flavors through a Latin lens, the menu at The Exchange explores the multi-cultural flavors of urban LA through an Israeli lens. This is the first restaurant in California from the design team Roman & Williams. For more information, please email TheExchange@ thefreehand.com
Reviews courtesy of the LA Times
Phan is happy to be back in the kitchen — this time the one that used to belong to Thai East Wind restaurant, on the corner of Beverly and Occidental. The restaurant space itself has been completely peeled back, with a minimalist aesthetic with a long black banquette,and light blonde wood touches. She’s been positioning her menu of porridges to be offered at or near $12 a plate, with room to add on side dishes at will. Daytime hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to start, Tuesday through Friday, 2801 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
