Porridge & Puffs will strike you with its peaceful atmosphere, absence of signs, white walls and taped dried flowers. Let’s start with dessert, as their brown butter mochi is the best thing on their menu: crispy on the outside, deliciously gooey, with a slight buckwheat taste and generously drizzled with salted caramel. Choose between the seasonal porridges, and although their mushroom and poultry one is a crowd-pleaser, we recommend the five-spice braised short rib with pickles — anyone missing Kwang Uh’s cooking at Baroo will adore this dish. Add a puff (hybrid of two Vietnamese doughnuts: banh cam and banh tieu) and a veggie dish to fully comprehend the various talents of Chef Minh Phan. After spending time in Japan, Mexico and Denmark, we’re glad Phan decided to settle in Los Angeles, where the late Jonathan Gold kept praising her porridges. In his honor, Phan created a breakfast board with pickles, salad, eggs, porridge and protein — baptized “The Gold”.
Style : Vietnamese
Address: 2801 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057 (Historic Filipinotown)
Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday 11AM-3PM, Thursday-Saturday 11AM-3PM and 5.30PM-10PM
Menu: porridgeandpuffs.com
Price: Porridge $12-14, Dessert $5
Reservations: No reservations