The popular Emporium Thai Market in Westwood has established a brand new outpost on the section of Sawtelle Boulevard that is already a bustling hub of Asian markets and eateries.
The restaurant specializes in Southern Thai cuisine, highlighting the region’s signature balance of heat, acidity, aromatics, and depth. Its signature dishes include Seafood Hor Mok, a fragrant, savory and spicy dish featuring a rich, smooth, custard-like mixture of seafood served as individual bites of shrimp, crab meat and scallop in a sweet coconut curry. Jane’s Wings are crispy chicken wings glazed in a tangy, house sauce. Other crowd pleasers are Phuket Wings, Kra Duk Moo Tod, deep fried marinated pork, BLACKPINK’s Lisa Meatballs, Tom Saap Pork Rib Soup, Khao Soi, a rich, creamy, coconut curry noodle from Northern Thailand, Honey Ribs, Choo Chee Salmon, and the Bangkok Jay Fai’s style Thai Crab Omelette.
Southern Thai dishes from the owners’ hometown are known for intense spice and rich flavors, expressed in the restaurants’ specialties like Kua Kling Gai Sab, a dry curry with ground chicken, Gaeng Som, a sour orange curry with catfish fillet, Pad Sa Taw Goong, stir-fried stink beans with shrimp – a dish not for newbies, Southern Thai Crab Curry with fresh crab lump, and Pla Tod Kamin, a crispy whole Red Snapper with turmeric and garlic.
Desserts range from Sweet Roti, a buttery, crisp Thai flatbread with sweetened condensed milk and sugar, and the crowd-favorite Cardi B Mango Sticky Rice.
The bar program is integrated with the restaurant’s cuisine, drawing on Thai herbs like galanga, lemongrass, turmeric, basil, and mint. Signature cocktails include the Galanga Sunrise, Lemongrass Lavender Margarita, Coconut Espresso Martini, Dragon Fruit Martini, and Strawberry Yuzu Martini with Lychee.
They are complemented by an eclectic selection of wines, draft beers that include aromatic Thai lemongrass brews, Japanese imports, as well as local brews, and a lineup of zero-proofs.
The restaurant’s architecture pays homage to its Thai cultural heritage with the exterior recalling traditional Thai rooflines graced with an elephant motif , which continues inside with a bold elephant mural. An outdoor patio provides an option for al fresco dining.