Chewish Log #1: Test Drive at Indochine (LA)

You've heard me gab endlessly about it. I've nommed, chopped, and savoured it. And now I'm on the brink of going abroad and documenting my travels. As such, I'll be sharing my stories through the lense of FOOD.

For those of you new to the food blog scene, expect food porn photos, outlandish descriptions of taste, flavor, and texture, and some booze shots in between (literally for me and graphically for you).

• Food Porn: The idealization of food that appeals heavily to senses, heightening the eating experience to level of, well, pure ecstasy.

Every new beginning starts where it all starts--at home. If you miss LA and it's ethnic eatings, here's a bone being thrown to you.

The Chew		The View
Vegetarian Pho		Indochine Vien - Atwater

My high school love, Lindsey, and I initially attempted to find the Vietnamese Soy Cafe. After a tough round of parking, and discovering it to be closed on Fridays & Saturdays, we headed to an old favorite.

Indochine Vien is a bright, alleyway of a restaurant--literally stretching down one hall from back entrance to front entrance. You could categorize it as "fusion" Vietnamese, insofar as they actually have veggie options (rare in authentic Viet cuisine) and a pointedly trendy interior.

Mind you, carnivores, Linds is not a vegetarian (merely dragged by yours truly to veggie-friendly places). Her Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong ($8) was a heaping boatload of rice noodles with grilled chicken on a bed of shredded lettuce, crushed peanuts, and a tangy citrus sauce. She was pretty damn satisfied at our meal's end.

• Bun (pronounced "bune"):  A hearty cold noodle dish with a mix of egg rolls, radish, lettuce and the citrus sweet and sour sauce. With a warm meat topping, this is a favorite local meal.

My Vegetarian Pho ($8.50) was another heaping stomach-load of food.  It's really overwhelming in color, with bursts of green amid bright orange, topped with swirls of yummy soup oils. The crispy tofu was a nice touch of texture. I ended up snarfing up half the dish, and taking the rest home. Enjoying that now, actually.

• Pho (prounounced "fuh"--which is why places like Pho King are so damn clever): A Vietnamese noodle soup, typically with beef broth, served with a plate of lime, basil and raw bean sprouts. The quintessential Vietnamese dish.

Overall, a solid meal where you can plan to savor it with leftovers. This place is definitely a Silverlake favorite, though I plan on making a return to Gingergrass quite soon...

~A small taste of what's to come, as I start really touring the globe. Keep your eyes peeled for updates from Hawaii (I leave tomorrow) and, eventually, BARCELONA!

lovelove,
The Chew