Bhan Kanom Thai - Los Angeles (Thai Town)

As Teenage Glutster led Gourmet Pigs and me through Bhan Kanom Thai during the Songkran (Thai New Year) Festival - Los Angeles (Thai Town), I did what I always do and started taking photos.

Packaged cookies and pastries.



Thai mangoes and sticky rice.


I bought one for $5. The mango was so perfectly sweet. The sticky rice so perfectly steamed. Sooo good. Only available from April through July when sweet mangoes are in season.


Since it was so hot that day, I also decided to get ice cream.


What else but Thai tea ice cream for $2.50 a scoop? Unfortunately, the Thai tea flavor was much too muted and the ice cream was too icy. :(


And what is he making batches and batches of?


Panchi (Thai taro, coconut, and corn fritters)! My favorite flavors all in one! Where have you been all my life?! I bought a half dozen for $2.50 since I was going to my cousin's cousin's house after the Songkran festival. Her kids loved them so much they wolfed them down. She even contemplated heading out to Thai Town to buy some more.


Umm, which is what I did the next day. I couldn't help it. The panchi, they called to me. And I promptly bought 10 pieces for $4 this time.


The panchi were amaaazing I told Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok. She said she'd never heard of them before. *Whimper.* So no recipe for me? :(

I also got a sampling of some other Thai desserts while I was at it. One of the Thai "tacos" was sweet and the other savory. Crispy and very light. The green "Tokyo" roll was pandan cream. I asked for one of each instead of a batch so they charged me 50 cents apiece.


I wanted some kanom krok (Thai coconut pudding) but they don't sell them until after 2 p.m. and I was there in the morning. :(

May 28, 2009 update:

After drinks at Tiki-Ti - Los Angeles, I convinced Kung Food Panda and Gourmet Pigs to swing by Bhan Kanom Thai for some late night desserts. They're open until 2 a.m.! More panchi, of course. And the very last batch of kanom krok, $3 for a dozen.


I guess because they were made in an aebleskiver pan and had coconut milk, I was expecting them to be like Vung Tau Restaurant's banh khot (Vietnamese savory cupcakes with shrimp). They weren't anything like those at all. Just sweet coconut half moons. I was rather disappointed actually. :(

But the panchi! I would drive all the way to Thai Town again just for the panchi. There's actually tons of other desserts that I have yet to try, many of them somewhat similar to Vietnamese desserts but different too. For a few bucks, you can sample a great many Thai desserts. So glad I discovered this place, especially for those late, late night food cravings.

P.S. the Vietnamese in me goes craaazy over the Thai spelling of bhan. :P

Other Thai restaurant posts:
Noodle World - Alhambra
Palms Thai Restaurant - Los Angeles (Hollywood)
Thai Purple - Alhambra
Top Thai Restaurant - San Dimas

Bhan Kanom Thai
5271 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-871-8030
10 a.m. to 2 a.m.

*****
1 year ago today, Dith Pran and the Killing Fields memorial in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
2 years ago today, popcorn chicken, butter toast, tea-flavored egg rolls, and freshly brewed tea at Tea Station - Alhambra.