4 New Bits of Thai Town News You’ll Want to Know About

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1. Pa Ord has now taken over Ganda –  Since opening in 2010 Pa Ord has been on an expansion tear.  First they doubled the size of their original location on Sunset and Hobart by taking over the empty space next door. Then, they moved west into the heart of Hollywood- taking over Thai Foon, on Sunset and La Brea.  Turns out they weren’t done, and their latest takeover is the most shocking.  Yesterday Ganda, the steam table place famous for their crispy catfish, became a 3rd location of Pa Ord… just one block away from the original!  I love Pa Ord as much as the next guy, but did they really need to get rid of my favorite place for crispy catfish!?

Or did they…?

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Ganda’s crispy catfish is still there! In fact, the entire Ganda steam table is still available- and just as tasty as ever.  All the same desserts and groceries are still available at the front as well. The only difference is they’ll now be serving Pa Ord’s menu of noodles and soups, in addition to the old Ganda favorites (which is kind of like what they’re doing at the old Thai Foon.)  No idea why they’re doing this, but as long as I can still get my crispy catfish I won’t question. 5269 Hollywood Blvd, 323-466-4281

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2.  Hoy Ka has moved to a larger location – Pa Ord isn’t the only Thai noodle shop with expansion news.  Hoy Ka Thai Noodle (formerly known as Ord) has moved from Hollywood and Serrano to Sunset and Hobart.  The new location is not only larger, but it’s considerably hipper.  Thankfully the menu is still the same. 5908 Sunset Blvd. 323-463-1339

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3. Lacha Somtum is now open a serving up papaya salad to the extreme – A new place specializing in papaya salad has opened up on Hollywood Blvd, one block east of Kingsley (where Sapp Coffee Shop is.) The menu features almost 20 different kinds of papaya salads, with toppings ranging from the standard (shrimp, raw crab, string beans) to the not so standard (fried hunks of crispy pork) to the downright bizarre (fruit salad, corn).

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But the most fun by far is the “crispy papaya salad”, which features a fried bird’s nest of papaya, not unlike the famous crispy morning glory salad at Jitlada.  Their two versions of pad thai (one with crispy pork, one with crab and egg) are pretty great too. 5171 Hollywood Blvd, 323-238-3363

4. The sukhothai noodles at Sapp are amazing – Ok, so maybe this development isn’t new… but it’s new to me.  My go-to order at Sapp has always been pretty easy.  Jade noodles and boat noodles.  Need more food?  The crab noodles (Sen Chun Phad Pu) are a good bet, and you can never go wrong with crispy pork and chinese broccoli.  But the other day I discovered a new dish, that will now be part of my go-to order moving forward: Sukhothai noodles. The sweet and sour broth is similar to the Hoy Ka noodles you get from Pa Ord or Hoy Ka, but with a bit more punch.  And there’s the added bonus of crispy fish skin on top.  Delicious. Just don’t forget, they’re closed on Wednesday. 5183 Hollywood Blvd, 323-665-1035

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