Restaurant Review #61: Rambutan, Silverlake

Rambutan is a very popular, relatively new Thai restaurant in Silverlake with a sleek, sexy interior. It's gotten a lot of good reviews, for both the food and the atmosphere. I haven't spent much time in Silverlake, and I'm somewhat new to Los Angeles as well, but I get the impression that Eastsiders have been appreciative of recent hip additions to the neighborhood like Gingergrass and Rambutan. Citysearch claims that Rambutan was voted the #1 Thai restaurant in LA, and while I place so little faith on Citysearch's claims that I actually use them as a barometer of

I ate at Rambutan on a Saturday night. I kind of knew the moment I walked in that I wasn't in my kind of place--as much as I like sleek interiors, low lighting, and deep house grooves, everything else that comes with that kind of atmosphere usually makes me supremely uncomfortable--snooty waitresses, trendy clothes, crowds, and loudness. I don't like it when a restaurant resembles a club. I don't like places where the tables are so close together that I have to stick my butt in my neighbor's plate in order to get to my seat; where the hostess looks me up and down because no, whatever I'm wearing is not fashion forward; where I have to wait for a table but there isn't a waiting area so I have to cram myself into a bar that I'm not ordering a drink from (I'm not a big drinker).

So if you're like me, do yourself a favor and try Rambutan for lunch or early on a weeknight. You'll probably have a much better experience that way.

Rambutan Thai 2835 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026

213-273-8424
Website (warning--plays loud music!)