Didi

A reservation at Didi in West Hollywood promises diners a mouth watering take on modern style Vietnamese cuisine

After much too long of a delay due to scheduling and travel plans, it was time for another Table of Three dinner with Sara and Ted. After Stephany (my facialist at Flowrbombr Skincare) recommended Didi to me when it first opened, it had been on my To Try list. Finally, as I volunteered to make reservations, I secured a reservation at Didi.

Now, I will say that parking on this strip of La Cienega is the very definition of trash parking in Los Angeles. The usual side streets are now permit only after a certain time. Which makes it exceptionally trash for parking. Randomly, I got street parking on La Ciengea and headed in.

Stepping through the doors of Didi, I was immediately transported in to a lush, vibrant atmosphere. It was intimate but large enough that you had space between yourself and your neighbor. The only challenge is that getting proper white balance on photos was a lost cause. Hence, the majority of them are in black and white.

Our waitress, Dawn, was incredibly warm in welcoming us and giving us her suggestions.

I started off with the TROPIC THUNDER (Sunny vodka infused with matcha, puree of coconut, lime, Thai basil, pandan, served over crushed ice with Thai basil) as we ordered our appetizers. I will say, the Tropic Thunder is a solid order of a cocktail. It was well crafted in flavor.

We started off with the SHRIMP TOAST (milk bread, tway ploy, shrimp mayo, herbs) and the SPRING ROLLS (Gỏi cuốn) (shrimp, carrot, daikon, cucumber, fish sauce, peanut sauce). Now, what I absolutely loved about the spring rolls – even more than the rolls themselves – were the sauces. Absolutely delicious. Also, most importantly with the rolls – once you took a bite, the whole thing didn’t fall apart!

Likewise, the shrimp toast was some of the best food I’ve recently tasted. It was incredible on the tongue. If I revisit Didi again, it is absolutely a Must Order.

Next up was our salad course. The SHAKING BEEF SALAD (Bò lúc lắc) (marinated filet mignon, watercress, onion, tomato, herbs) was out of this world delicious. The richness in flavor was a shock. I honestly did not expect that to be as delicious as it was. Dawn was – once again – incredible with her suggestions of the restaurants best dishes.

For our main course, the three of us shared the CRAB FRIED RICE (Cơm Chiên Cua) (jasmine rice, jumbo lump crab, Vietnamese coriander, toasted rice powder) and CHARCOAL GRILLED RIBEYE (watercress salad, crispy garlic).

Now, I must say, after my facepalm level experience with crab fried rice at Colette, I didn’t think I’d ever order it from a menu again. However, Dawn suggested it and we all agreed on it above the noodle dishes.

10s across the board. Legendary paring. Couldn’t imagine the dish combo being served any other way.

One important addition is that I asked Dawn if there was a dipping sauce that I could have with the ribeye. She thought for a second and immediately suggested a small cup of the hoisin sauce. Perfection.

Now, one thing to note – when you make your reservation, it specifically states that you have 2 hours at your table. Two hours. Not a 2 hours and 15 minutes. Not 1 hour and 50 mins so let me order a glass of wine to extend the time.

Two. Hours.

The table next to ours did not want to respect that time limit. As such, the male of the table – more than likely to impress his female companion – told off the manager, the bar staff and the waitress. Then, blamed the waitress for “making him do that.”  This amused me because 1) They don’t care about your ego 2) Two hours means two hours. Humbling, I know. But, you are never more important than a fully booked schedule for the night.

And when you brag about hanging out with “party girls” so loudly that other tables can hear you…….  Sad to say that you are definitely not as important as you were trying to impress that you are.

But, that’s Hollywood for you…

Overall, the three of us absolutely loved our time at Didi. It offered exceptionally great food, with a great vibe. Nothing more needed beyond great friends to share it with.

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