The Valley’s Only Indonesian Restaurant Quietly Opened in Woodland Hills

The San Fernando Valley’s only Indonesian restaurant quietly opened at 19948 Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills in June. LaaLaaPan, which is named after an Indonesian raw vegetable salad, comes from a wife and husband team, Lili Winahyu and Stephen Marli. Winahyu immigrated to the U.S. from Jakarta, Indonesia in 2011 and has always dreamed of opening a restaurant to introduce more people to the cuisine. “I grew up watching my grandma cooking in her kitchen and helping her in her restaurant,” she tells Eater. “I grew up in the restaurant business.”

The couple considers the nasi uduk (steamed coconut rice) a signature dish, while the marinated chicken skewers (sate ayam) and grilled fish also come highly recommended. LaaLaaPan is open Wednesday through Saturday (noon to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and all day Sunday (noon to 8 p.m.), and closed on Monday and Tuesday.

LaaLaaPan

Kudos for Colette

Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Bill Addison hops over to East Pasadena for a taste of Colette, the Hastings Ranch restaurant making a splash in the city’s Chinese dining scene. From chef Peter Lai’s “global reading of Cantonese cooking,” Addison recommends the crispy stuffed chicken, chayote with pork, curried crab with noodles special, and more.

What’s new at Semolina Artisanal Pasta

Semonlina, LA’s favorite dried pasta purveyor, recently expanded its in-store food offerings in Pasadena. Founder Leah Ferrazzani tells Eater that the shop is “finally becoming what I’ve always wanted: a California-inspired version of the Italian delis of my New York childhood.” Look for new pasta shapes and sauces, a larger array of Italian sandwiches available daily, and Italian ice at 1976-1978 Lincoln Avenue.

Five years in, Ronan is finally serving brunch

Mid-City pizza darling Ronan is finally serving brunch on August 6 after five years in business. The daytime menu includes pizza, of course, along with breakfast burrito calzones and focaccia with gravlax, whipped ricotta, dill, and caper berries.

An evening of sweets at All Day Baby

The latest pop-up at All Day Baby on Friday, July 28, and Saturday, July 29 is not to be missed for dessert lovers. The four-course, sweets-only affair features cake by Jordan Rondel of the Caker (@thecaker), an ice cream sundae by Erika Chan (@erikaachan) of Dunsmoor, a three-cheese plate by Leah Fierro of Milkfarm (@milkfarmla), and a rice crispy treat from Tiffany Kim of Loaf Language (@loaflanguage.la). Reservations are available here.