Thi Tran

Chef
Thi Tran

Los Angeles

About Thi Tran

Thi Tran is the Executive Chef, “Kitchen Ninja” and better- (and-less-obnoixious-) half of the Downtown Pan-Asian eatery, Starry Kitchen and Button Mash. Her and her husband, Nguyen originally started Starry Kitchen in May 2009 as an illegal and underground restaurant experiment out of the back of their apartment literally built on Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. Six months later, their apartment became the number one Asian Fusion listing in all of Los Angeles on Yelp. In Feb 2010, they went “legit” and opened a brick and mortar restaurant with no prior restaurant experience.

My Venues

Accolades

  • 101 Best Restaurants
    LA Times
  • Best Street Food
    LA Street Food Fest
  • Best Churros
    Thrillist LA

Where I Go Out

Manila clam kalguksu
Manila clam kalguksu
Hangari Bajirak Kalguksoo
$$, Korean, Koreatown
"It's so tasty and cheap. A regular bowl will easily serve two people. On top of the price and how good it is, you get free barley rice with fermented bean paste. And some of the best kimchi in Ktown is here. Don't forget to get the Dduk-Bok-Gi (fresh chewy rice cakes)—they're some of the thinnest and tastiest fish cakes around."
Thi Tran
Chef
Thi Tran
Button Mash
Boneless short rib
Boneless short rib
Kang Ho Dong Baek Jeong
$$$, Happy Hour, Outdoor Seating, Korean, Bbq, Koreatown
"It's so tender, juicy and flavorful. It's marbled and not just lean meat. Fat adds flavor when barbecuing. #Protip: expect a long wait, more than one hour sometimes, but you can always put your name and number down and then go next door to Bliss to sing karaoke (and drink soju) to kill time and work up an appetite."
Thi Tran
Chef
Thi Tran
Button Mash
Udon
Udon
Tsurumaru Udon Honpo
$, Japanese, Noodles, Downtown
"It's cheap (you can get a fresh udon-only bowl for $4) and it's fresh and so delicious. I usually get the yummy bowl with extra strips of hidden beef (niku) in there as a side. It's just nice and comforting, especially on a cold day."
Thi Tran
Chef
Thi Tran
Button Mash
Vegan roll
Vegan roll
Vinh Loi Tofu
$, Vegetarian / Vegan, Asian, Vietnamese, Noodles, Reseda
"It's sweet and savory with the freshest vegetables, served with a peanut sauce. Definitely my go-to place for vegan Vietnamese food—or any vegan food. Ask Kevin, the owner, for his "Kevin special" version. If you like your food really spicy, and Kevin likes and trusts you, he might share his small stash of house-made chili paste made from the spiciest chilies in the world (think scorpion or ghost peppers)."
Thi Tran
Chef
Thi Tran
Button Mash
Bo ssäm
Bo ssäm
Kobawoo House
$$, Korean, Wilshire Center
"The meat is so tender, it melts in your mouth. Big portions and really balanced flavors here. You can order a medium size plate for under $20 that can feed 2-3 people. You can also order other solid side dishes such as the kimchi jun or the gamja jun, which are essentially pancakes with kimchi or ground potato."
Thi Tran
Chef
Thi Tran
Button Mash
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