Midtown Lunch

It’s hard to believe that it’s been an entire year since Fat Spoon brought their unique blend of Japanese curry and pasta dishes to Little Tokyo.  From Day 1 they became my katsu curry go-to and the only place I’d want to get a bowl of spaghetti with cod roe and dried seaweed in Downtown L.A.  Sure, it hasn’t replaced Daikokuya as the most popular lunch option on 1st Street but they appear to have built up a solid following.  And the best part is, they’re still working at it.  They added chicken katsu and a “loco moco” back in March, their specials board is always filled with random excitement (seafood curry yakisoba, anybody!?) and just recently they introduced a $10 lunch combo.

Check it out after the jump…

Read more »

Most people will point to upscale cocktail bars, fancy pour over coffee shops, and hip gastro-pubs as the only proof you need that Downtown is experiencing a major resurgence.  But for the Midtown Lunch crowd, nothing says DTLA hotness like the rise of the Asian fast casual lunch spot. Starry Kitchen (which, at 18 months old, could be considered the old Grandpa of the trend) hit the scene to huge fanfare last year, and it looks as if others have taken notice. Spice Table started their under $10 banh mi lunch menu four months ago, Flying Pig Cafe followed a few months later, and last week Fat Spoon got into the fray (not to be confused with Wood Spoon, the great Brazilian place on 9th & Main.)

Fat Spoon features a menu of Japanese curry and Italian pastas, a unlikely sounding combo- until you find out that Italian style pastas are huge in Japan.  In some ways it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.  But unlike Flying Pig, which seemed to stumble a bit out of the gate, Fat Spoon seems ready to dominate on week one.

Read more »