Dai Ho Restaurant

101 Best restaurants of Los Angeles

@latimes

"#91 “No book and newspaper reading, please,” states the sign hanging in Dai Ho’s dining room. There’s no lingering at Jim and May Ku’s Temple City noodle shop, open midday for 3 1/2 hours, six days a week. Food speeds out of the kitchen; strangers sometimes share tables. Most customers show up for the Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup, the Kus’ masterwork: The broth is alive with aromatics and thick with house-made chile oil, braised beef shank, spinach and a clutch of properly bouncy noodles. Don’t stop there. Minced meat dry noodles, slicked with the same chile oil and a flossy pile of pork, prompts a similar endorphin rush. Start with cold dishes such as inky wood ear mushrooms or delicate beef tripe with pressed tofu — or take them with you. In the fast-paced spirit of the operation, they’re already packed to go. No alcohol. Lot and street parking. Cash only."

Sean Glass

@sdotglass