Dynamic Luv2eat Duo Prepare New Thai Quick-Service Restaurant

Chefs and restaurateurs Noree Pla and Fern Kaewtathip (Luv2eat, Crying Tiger, Noree Thai) will open a casual restaurant located two doors down from their lauded Luv2eat Thai Bistro. Luv2eat Express hopes to open in March serving an entirely new menu.

Pla explained that the genesis of the new restaurant came when the duo, who usually work the dinner shift at Luv2eat, visited the restaurant during lunch in November. The restaurant was overflowing with customers waiting for a table both inside and outside. In an effort to better service their guests, who complained that they had to wait too long to be seated, Kaewtathip and Pla regrouped that day, and decided it was time to better accommodate diners who need a quick lunch. With a Subway recently closed in Luv2eat’s strip mall, the pair quickly signed a lease.

Inspired by khao gaeng street food stalls in Thailand, where diners select a variety of curries and meat dishes to eat over rice, Luv2eat Express will feature a steam table filled with dishes that Kaewtathip and Pla “love to eat.” That means items like fried pork belly with fermented fish sauce, Hainan chicken rice, stir-fried rice noodles with gravy (rad na), and stewed pork leg with skin and tendon (kagi). What will not be on the menu are pad thai and pad see ew, as the chefs are confident that their fans will be receptive to the new dishes. Hanging above the steam table will be photos of additional dishes that can be ordered from the kitchen.

Also missing from the menu is Luv2eat’s Phuket-style crab curry, which will remain exclusive to the original restaurant. Luv2eat Express will be tentatively open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight, with the possibility of staying open later to accommodate late night crowds.

Luv2eat Express. 6660 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028.