Chinatown: Lunch at Amboy

Amboy at Unit 120 located at the Far East Plaza in Chinatown joins a myriad of trend-setting eateries foodies just can’t get enough of. The takeaway window is part of a larger concept called Unit 120 headed up by Eggslut’s Chef Alvin Cailan. During the day, they sell Filipino lunch specials and feature popups at night. Currently it’s LASA which I hope to try soon. In the meantime, I stopped by to check out Amboy.

If you didn’t know it was Filipino food, you might be confused by the simple menu detailing pork shoulder, pork belly, chicken and some vegetarian options and sides. There’s a tradition of laying out food on leaves and eating with your hands but to keep things relatively easy, your portion is wrapped up and presented as a to-go option. I ate my lunch at Far East Plaza, surrounded by dinners munching on meals purchased at Pok Pok Pad Thai, Chego, and others.

I decided to go with the pork shoulder and added spinach and eggplant to round out my meal. It was simply grilled and quite filling for lunch.

 

Much to my surprise, I loved the mung beans which I only chose because they were out of lentils. These were delightful and quite heavy-handed with the garlic. I would eat these with rice and be very happy.

 

My friend had the chicken which you can order by a quarter or half (or whole!). The skin was gorgeous and I’m sure very crispy.

I had a bite of the chick peas as well which were a good side dish and would work as a main for vegetarians. Actually, all the sides are vegan.

Next up, I’m going to have to try the new Howlin’ Ray’s which has extremely long lines at the moment and the upcoming Lao Tao, Taiwanese street food that’ll be next to Ramenchamp on the second floor of the plaza.

Amboy

727 N Broadway, Unit 120, Los Angeles, CA 90012  — (213) 537-0053

 

© The Minty 2016