DTLA: Happy Hour at LA Live’s Triple 8

 

Triple 8 is one of the newest restaurants at LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles. Taking over the old Trader Vic’s space, the newly transformed Chinese restaurant serves a variety of crowd pleasing favorites including dumplings. I checked it out for happy hour before hitting up a movie at the nearby theater.

I spotted the Dark Moon on the menu and it occurred to me it’s really a Brown Derby, a classic Los Angeles tipple. Happy hour drinks are only $6 so that worked out for us. Select wine and sake was also $6 with $1 off draft beers. Even on a Monday, this place gets packed and I can see why considering all the inexpensive drinks.

Dark Moon – Old Forester bourbon, grapefruit, honey

 

My friend and I ordered some happy hour appetizers. There were were only two of us but I was intrigued by a lot and would have gotten more but we were on a bit of a time crunch considering we were trying to make a movie.

We started with the shishito peppers. These were done properly and was a nice, bright note to our meal.

 

I wouldn’t have gone for the veggie dumplings being a carnivore (omnivore) but these were surprisingly tasty. I liked the chunky mixture of veggies.

 

I can’t pass up any chance at chicken wings and especially not during happy hour. These went well with the garlic noodles we also ordered. If we had more time, I would have explored the intriguing fish tofu and tried more dumplings including the chicken and shrimp siu mai (shumai). Usually these dumplings are made with pork so I wanted to try Triple 8’s variation. But they do have the pork and shrimp ones if you want to go for nostalgia.

 

The garlic noodles were perfectly al dente with a faint trace of garlic which is how I like them. I don’t mind a little garlic but not so much it’d scare away vampires (or that sexy guy on the next bar stool– hello, did I mention it’s a crowded bar?).

 

I’ve heard so much about the xiao long bao or soup dumplings that we had to order these. I got the pork but they also have chicken available. I found the wrappers a bit thick but I know that’s more traditional. However, there wasn’t much soup.

Overall, I’d come back for happy hour and also try them out for lunch or dinner.

Triple 8 China Bar & Grill

800 W Olympic Blvd., Ste A-120, Los Angeles, CA 90015  —  213-747-3700

 

© The Minty  2015