Sanamluang: I Make Bad Life Decisions

(Good noodles at 1am = Bad life decision)

I’ve been eating continuously throughout the day, I’ve been doing pretty much ZERO exercise, it’s 1am. What do I decide to do? Oh, that’s right…I decide to devour a big fat bowl of Yen Ta Foo noodles in Thai Town. Well done Dorothy, well done.

Blegh, I DO make bad life decisions. We talk about the double consciousness in class all the time and I totally buy into that. Only, for me, I think the double consciousness thing plays into my stomach – there’s the one part of me that eats because I’m hungry. And then there’s that other part of me that’s effin’ full but just eats for kicks but KNOWS that it shouldn’t be eating but still does anyway. Welcome to the stomach of le Dorothy. It’s a disgusting place.

After catching “Once Upon a Time in China” at the New Bev with B, we headed out to Sanamluang Café in Thai Town. I had a myriad of excuses to eat at hand:

1) I had finished a final and therefore I deserved to pig out
2) I had just caught one of my favorite movies of all times and so I should go on and continue with the fantasticness of the day by pigging out
3) I was up in the projection booth at the New Bev and that was super cool and, to celebrate, I thought I should pig out
4) I always manage to find an excuse to pig out

So I did…pig out, that is. Sanamluang does not exactly serve “the best noodles in town” as their canopy suggests. BUT…they DO serve noodles until 4am for dirt cheap prices. $6.75 for a bowl so big I could literally fit my whole head into the bowl. And it was JAM-PACKED with ingredients. On top of the never-ending noodles, the bowl was brimming with slice upon slice of fish cake, fishballs, cuttlefish, veggies, tofu, and a fried wonton to boot. I tried my hardest (believe me, I don’t lie) and still couldn’t finish everything in the bowl. The tofu was a bit bland (one of the things I didn’t finish) and the fishcakes were a bit too mushy for my taste but, at that price and at that hour, I really wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the food. I have to say though, the broth is pretty kickass. A mix of salty, sour and a bit of spiciness – Asian flavors at its best. Plus, it was chock full of chopped garlic. My breath stunk afterwards but it was all for a good cause.

But now, it’s 3.22am. And I REALLY regret eating that bowl of noodles. I am way past full and, even though I say I’m going to eat a lettuce leaf for the next day, I know I’m going to eat three square meals and snack in between. What the hell is wrong with me?

FOOD: 3/5
SERVICE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 2/5

SANAMLUANG CAFÉ ($)
5170 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 660-8006