Bold Southeast Asian Fare, Beautiful People, and a Pretentious Door Situation at E.P. & L.P.

Welcome to the Good News/Bad News on EP/LP, the glitzy Southeast Asian restaurant brought to you by a team of affable Aussies and investor Axwell of Swedish House Mafia fame. Yelpers and journalists alike have plenty of great things to say about the restaurant's gorgeous rooftop and punchy fare, but just about everyone knocks the obnoxious wait at the door. So what's the overall word?

Chef Louis Tikaram's dexterity with bold Southeast Asian flavors is undeniable:

Says the Weekly, "You'll likely get that rock shrimp, the hot and sour beef tartare made from wagyu (provenance unknown) and served with puffed rice crackers, and the slippery salmon larb imbued with lemongrass and kaffir lime and tossed with Vietnamese mint. Everything is the antithesis of bland." [LAW]

"The abalone is wood-grilled until tender, then served on top of Tikaram's fresh green curry paste on a beautiful, iridescent half shell. After you finish the fish, don't be ashamed to lick the shell." [LAT]

"The flavors were always exciting, the spice mixing superbly with the rich kingfish or the perfect touch of mint with the sweet and sour pork. It was all we could do to not ask for straws so that we could slurp up every drip of the curry sauce that dressed the scallops and mussels." [OpenTable]

"The food here reminds me of the delicious offerings that can be found in high-end restaurants in Thailand or Bali." [Yelp]

But it can be hard to focus on the food with so many beautiful people around:

"I'm not a tween, however I was impressed when Harry Stiles walked by my table. This is a scenes spot with club music and party boys and gals cavorting." [OpenTable]

"Who's at the next table: [...] two women with their hair and nails done, both wearing stilettos, sitting at the bar, actually eating carbohydrates with a bowl of vegetable green curry; and a table of eight, the women dressed in leather jackets, slip dresses and Phillip Lim bags, and the men straight out of a J.Crew ad, all eating the fried chicken with their hands." [LAT]

"It is LOUD in here, and the conversations you'll be forced to overhear all around you will be spoken by beautiful young people in scanty clothing who are either already inebriated or well on their way to getting there." [LAW]

That rooftop sports some of the best views in LA:

"The upstairs bar was to die for! Gorgeous views and great (though expensive) drinks." [OpenTable]

"This is a beautiful place for drinks and hanging out in LA. It is tough to beat the views and vibe of this new hot spot." [Yelp]

Let's not forget the drunk girls:

"At 6 p.m. on a weeknight, a young woman in very high heels was kind of falling down the stairs, obviously sloshed, as we went up. She stumbled onto the street and looked around, dazed. E.P. & L.P. has the sort of clublike vibe that makes this scenario not particularly surprising." [LAW]

Or that hit-or-miss situation at the door:

"Could not even get into this place, there was a line about 10 people long on a Friday evening, but it was not moving at all." [TripAdvisor]

"The girls at the door -- I wasn't sure if they were pretentious, or just overwhelmed." [Yelp]

"Pretentious door situation:  is it entirely necessary to have a 6'5" doorman for a RESTAURANT?  Unless, he is blocking people from leaving, as we suspected." [Yelp]