THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Soi 56

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Soi 56 Restaurant Review:

Carving out a niche for Thai cuisine in Hollywood is a tall order for a neighborhood saturated with so many authentic spots, but owner Katy Noochla-or does a good job. Her sleek and stylish Cahuenga corridor restaurant has an arty rock 'n’ roll edge rounded out with modern Asian sculpture, cool industrial design and bands on the weekend. Finding the tipping point between traditional (her parents’ Fairfax spot Chao Krung) and hipster-local (her Silver Lake restaurant Rambutan Thai), Noochla-or provides plenty of nicely turned out classics like pad thai and papaya salad, but focuses sharply on the street foods of Bangkok and a select list of gourmet house specialties. Charcoal-grilled skewers of squid, tiny meatballs, sausage or bacon-wrapped okra are perfect to pair with the high-end artisanal Asian beers listed over the bar on a chalkboard. (The bar itself is a hopping weekend spot.) A crispy mussel crêpe is an unusual savory find, along with pungent salty mackerel fried rice (arguably not for everyone), counterbalanced by the bright freshness of a delicate sautéed pumpkin or Siamese watercress. Hands down, our favorites are the roasted game hen rubbed with lemon grass, and the silky rich Muslim-style curry, a soulful mélange of tender beef braised in a sultry tropical curry sauce.