Fan-favorite poke returns in Silver Lake with a new space

Los Angeles Times

5 days ago

A Silver Lake poke destination is back after five years away. Ohana Superette, the casual, daytime-only poke shop from husband-and-wife team Eric and Miriam Park, recently returned with its own space and thoughtful, traditional poke.
'I always try to do my version but not mess with it too much,' chef and co-owner Eric Park said, 'and with the poke I just want to keep it super authentic.'
Scoops of ginger-and-soy-marinated tuna, garlicky poached shrimp, macaroni salad and ponzu glass noodles rest on short-grain Koshihikari rice or seaweed salad. The musubi features Spam that's slow-cooked in brown sugar for an almost brûléed crust. Sides of kimchi are made fresh throughout the day to retain crunch. Each customizable bowl features a rainbow of texture and flavor.
Ohana Superette's first iteration launched in 2015, inspired by the Parks' frequent family visits to Hawaii, and the operation ran as half of a dual concept out of their former sandwich shop, Black Hogg. They closed both restaurants in 2020 when the pandemic began, and though they later opened popular cafe Bodega Park in the space, Eric Park said he always wanted to reprise Ohana Superette in its own form.
'Almost every week there were people like, 'When's Ohana coming back?'' he said. 'And then one month Miriam's like, 'Let's just open Ohana if a space opens up.''
When the hair salon next door closed and its space became available, the couple jumped at the opportunity. It took two years to permit and flip the salon into a restaurant, even with a pared-down kitchen that doesn't allow for much cooking. They added wood paneling and marble accents. This time around, Park said, he streamlined the menu with fewer add-ons and toppings in an attempt to keep things more traditional — though a few less-traditional specials might sneak in occasionally. Ohana Superette is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2850 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, ohanasuperette.la
Chinatown's modern Filipino restaurant is drawing even more crowds to Far East Plaza and filling the courtyard with a new weekend series, Kapé. Lasita owners Nico de Leon and Chase and Steff Valencia recently launched a daytime-only Filipino cafe that riffs on meryenda culture, or as Chase Valencia says, 'the art of taking a snack break, social pause, recharge and gossip.'
At Kapé, they're serving fresh pastries such as pandan olive oil loaf iced with coconut, mango royal reimagined as rolled cake, Gouda-topped slices of ensaymadas combined with mamon, and the classic date-and-walnut 'food for the gods' bars done instead as cookies.
Fluffy-egged breakfast sandwiches arrive with cheese and smoky eggplant, longanisa, tocino ham or corned beef on freshly baked pan de leche, while specialty coffee offerings include the likes of affogato with miso condensed-milk ice cream, cappuccino with jackfruit purée and espresso with ube milk. The Valencias and De Leon plan to run Kapé on weekends for the foreseeable future, though an expansion of operations is possible. Kapé is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
727 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, [phone] , lasita-la.com
One of L.A.'s best hand-roll bars recently expanded with a second location.
Sogo Roll Bar debuted in 2020 at the edge of East Hollywood and Los Feliz with a 14-seat sushi bar almost solely dedicated to the art of temaki.
In the years since, the menu expanded with donburi and new appetizers. Now the collaborative venture between Sushi Note's Kiminobu Saito and David Gibbs, and Bar Covell and L&E Oyster Bar's Dustin Lancaster and Sarah Dietz, expanded with a second outpost, this time in Highland Park. Sogo Roll Bar's newest outpost offers an identical food menu to the original, and also serves beer, wine and sake. It takes over the former home of Holcomb wine bar, also from Lancaster, and is open Sunday to Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., and Friday to Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.
5535 York Blvd., Los Angeles, [phone], sogorollbar.com
Last year, L.A. Times Food critic Bill Addison called Bread Head 'L.A.'s next great sandwich shop.' This summer, it expanded with a location in Manhattan Beach, bringing those fresh focaccia sandwiches practically to the edge of the pier.
Founders and longtime friends Jordan Snyder and Alex Williams — both alums of Trois Mec — began popping up through Los Angeles with stacked sandwiches on crusty-edged bread, then partnered with Joolies founder Greg Willsey and Michael Pasternak (formerly of Night + Market) to launch their first restaurant, in Santa Monica.
Their new location in Manhattan Beach features indoor and outdoor seating, plus a seven-seat bar; that bar, ownership told The Times, will hopefully serve beer and wine eventually. Beachy art and pop culture — such as an autographed still from 'Point Break' — line the walls in a nod to the new surroundings, while TVs mean a new place for the neighborhood to watch sports (a feature not found in the original Santa Monica restaurant). A larger kitchen also means a probable expanded hot-foods menu, which could include breakfast and a range of hot sandwiches. Bread Head is open in Manhattan Beach Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
1129 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, [phone], breadheadla.com
L.A. County's sprawling two-week event dedicated to dining and special menus returns today, with nearly 450 restaurants participating. This summer's iteration of dineL.A. sees the largest number of restaurants offering special items and limited-run prix-fixe menus since the initiative launched in 2008, and 80 of them are entirely new to the program.
For the next 15 days find dineL.A.-exclusive meals at stalwarts such as Mélisse, Bar Amá and Wally's, along with newer spots such as Marea, Soban, Luke's Lobster and Saijo.
discoverlosangeles.com/dinela