Tyler and I had been dying to go here for over a month. Our plans kept getting foiled, but last night (Saturday) we made it happen. And what an experience! The several recommendations leading up to our journey out to Sunset Blvd., profusely warned of the heat Jitlada packed per dish, but amidst my dying of hunger, I guess I forgot to adequately warn Tyler - or maybe at all.
We didn’t arrive until pushing 10PM and as I just mentioned we were both famished. Beforehand, we found ourselves having a great time at a friends’ birthday gathering downtown at Takami Sushi and Robata Lounge.
Quick Sidenote: The lounge’s view was fabulous – located on the 21st floor it overlooked all of downtown, including The Standard (without that annoying 20 bone cover) and my house special cocktail x 2, a lychee sake with fresh lychee juice and two juicy lychee fruits, was absolutely divine.
Parking at Jitlada could have been bad, but after driving around for a few minutes, Tyler spotted a spot across the street from the sunburnt strip mall where Jitlada hides. The wait could have been bad too, but we arrived just as several big parties were packing up. What a relief, we were seated moderately quick, despite the crowding and two parties waiting ahead of us.
I was feeling pretty wan after two sweet cocktails on an empty stomach. Tyler looked decidedly less pouty, but equally as hungry. We skipped the appetizers and drinks so as to close our menus and increase our luck of attaining our main dishes at optimal speed. Ordering this fast was tricky though because the menu has over 300 main courses to choose from. There was also a Southern Thai section with chef specialties which have only recently been translated into English (see here). The story goes that in 2006, when the restaurant changed hands to
The flavor of the fresh mussels was especially amazing, but I could have handled a little more heat. Next time I will order the Green Curry Mussels.
Tyler, as I mentioned at the beginning, felt otherwise. Despite onset starvation, he could not eat his dish slow enough. He had ordered a barbequed spicy beef with “Thai spices”. Tyler’s face just became redder and redder as he took bit after bite – all the while chasing with generous portions of white rice. I would generally say Tyler was being a baby, but I must say that results from my taste test revealed Tyler's beef dish was indeed insatiably hot.
He defended his order today by telling me “thai spices” had made him think of spices like cardamom and cinnamon rather than hot chiles, hot chiles, hot chiles. I would continue to roll my eyes at his spice logic, but I am confident he won’t forget the punch of “thai spices” anytime soon.
Too bad we crammed down so much food because I couldn’t help, but overhear the happy murmurs of the party next to us as they consumed sweet mango sticky rice. I am now planning my own time to make this with the recipe I found here.
I am so excited to come back here with a group so we can all eat family style. Look here to see more photos of Jitlada’s Southern Thai dishes! Also, Jitlada has quite a few foodies crazy about them. Follow Jitlada on Twitter here.
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