Spoon & Pork | |
---|---|
Restaurant information | |
Established | 2017 |
Owner(s) | Ray Yaptinchay, Jay Tugas |
Food type | Filipino |
Dress code | Casual |
Street address | 3131 Sunset Boulevard |
City | Los Angeles |
State | California |
Postal/ZIP Code | 90026 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 34°5′7.32″N118°16′28.55″W / 34.0853667°N 118.2745972°W |
Website | www |
Spoon & Pork is a restaurant specializing in Filipino cuisine. First opened as a food truck in 2017, its main location is presently located at 3131 Sunset Boulevard in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Spoon & Pork was opened in April 2017 by Ray Yaptinchay and Jay Tugas, childhood friends from the Philippines who both later moved to the United States. [1] Initially launching as a food truck, neither Yaptinchay nor Tugas had any experience in the restaurant industry when they first opened. [1]
In late 2018, after developing a loyal following and looking to expand, the restaurant announced that would open a permanent location in Silver Lake, which would largely serve the same menu as the food truck. [2] Initially scheduled to open in February 2019, [2] the permanent location opened in July of that year. [1]
A second branch of Spoon & Pork opened on 2121 Sawtelle Boulevard in the Sawtelle neighborhood in October 2021. [3]
Spoon & Pork's main Silver Lake branch currently occupies a 1,300-square-foot (120 m2) space along Sunset Boulevard which also includes a modestly-sized minimalist dining room, [4] modern in design with tropical-themed walls, and an outdoor patio space slightly detached from the rest of the street. [5] In addition to its in-house operation, the restaurant is also a fixture at Smorgasburg's Los Angeles iteration. [6]
The restaurant's space is in a building that is shared with Diablo Tacos, [5] a prominent Silver Lake taco restaurant. [7] The building, owned by nightclub owner Steve Edelson, also previously hosted long-time Mexican restaurant La Parrilla, [5] which closed in October 2011. [8]
Spoon & Pork's menu, with both Yaptinchay and Tugas equally sharing cooking duties at the restaurant, [4] has been described as being "modern Filipino comfort food", [6] informed by the owners' love of cooking at home despite their lack of formal culinary training. [4] Pork cooked in various ways dominates the restaurant's offerings, which include takes on lechon kawali (served as an appetizer) and the chori burger. [5] Its signature dish, the patita, is the restaurant's take on crispy pata and is large enough for up to three people, served with a sweet chili and garlic sauce. [5] Braised for up to 15 hours and subsequently air-dried for an additional 24 hours before being put in the fryer, [9] and originally served with a popsicle stick as a means of eating the dish, [6] the patita has been described as being rich and flavorful, and has been instrumental in building its following. [4]
Although it primarily serves pork, Spoon & Pork also serves other meats, [5] as well as vegan dishes, which include a jackfruit dish that was named by The New York Times as one of its top ten dishes in Los Angeles for 2019. [10]
Spoon & Pork has been identified by the Los Angeles Times as part of a growing number of Los Angeles-based modern Filipino restaurants, [11] helping raise the profile of Filipino cuisine both in the city and nationally. [12] A few months after opening in 2017, LA Weekly readers named it the best food truck in Los Angeles, [13] and in 2020, the Los Angeles Times named it as one of the city's 101 best restaurants for that year. [14]
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