The Los Angeles area is saturated with Vietnamese restaurants, and it seems like stumbling into any of them could satisfy a quick pho fix. Gingergrass, however, shines brighter than the rest on its quiet corner in Silver Lake. The modern American interior and matching clientele could have indicated low food quality, but I decided to give it a shot.
The inter-workings of the kitchen are on full display behind a casual take-out counter. This is an interesting juxtaposition next to the swanky dining room, warmly lit by giant canvas orbs that hang from the ceiling’s wooden rafters. The day’s specials are displayed on a fuss-free chalkboard, bragging of dishes from clay-pot vegetables to whole crab. My table decided to start with the appetizer special, Shrimp Yam Fritters, which came out deeply orange, fried and delicious at the ridiculously affordable price of 4.95. We munched on irresistible, light shrimp chips while waiting for this and the next course.
One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, the Banana Leaf Fish, featured a tilapia filet steamed to flakey, fork-tender perfection in banana leaves with lemongrass and ginger and topped with a tomato whose zing complemented the other flavors well. Strips of flank steak had also been cooked in the eatery’s namesake combination of ginger and lemongrass, and served cold atop cabbage, red peppers and jicama in the Mako salad. The beef was a little tough and chilled for my taste, but made a palate-pleasing turn when it showed up in the beef noodle bowl. This dish was accidentally sent to the wrong table, but showed up under 10 minutes later and was free due to the error.
Our waiter joined in our dessert vacillations, agreeing to surprise one of my companions with his favorite dish and talking up another about a shared obsession with the TV show Lost. The desserts came to our table in a flourish of balanced, artful plates. Taro flavored ice cream arrived in a small bowl garnished with mint leaves, while fried Banana Spring Rolls descended on a plate criss-crossed with chocolate sauce. The Coconut Lime Bars consisted of four squares, all refreshingly cool and silky. Horchata ice cream was also quite pleasurable, though heavy on cinnamon and too light on that ricey sweetness characteristic of the Mexican drink.
It is evident from the variation in their ice cream flavors that Gingergrass is attempting to marry two L.A. standards. They toss in local flavors while remaining true to the authentic Asian cuisine so many people look for in southern California, while pulling off a high-class interior that is also laidback. Dark wood tables and beige runners are surrounded by Vietnamese families and local students alike at this appeasing, affordable Silver Lake secret.
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