Restaurant Review: This Food Bulans in My Stomach

When you drive down the streets of Silverlake, you spot a restaurant on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd that is none other than Bulan Thai Vegetarian Kitchen, a rather modern spectacle. A large tree stands in the middle of a courtyard circled by stones, and a small gray path leads up to a restaurant covered in wooden panels. A warm sublime aroma greets you at the door. An elderly couple stands behind a metal table covered in brown paper bags, leaving only a small gap for a cash register. They greet you with a smile and ask for your name, then pass you one of the brown takeout bags. You proceed to drive back home, where you stuff your face with the rich vegan food of Bulan.

When you arrive home, you unpack the assortment of brown boxes and drinks. The first box is the vegan orange chicken on a bed of cabbage ($14.50). It is perfectly crispy with just the right amount of sweet and spicy sauce. In the next box is a collection of mouth-watering vegan hot wings. The hot wings ($11) are covered in a thick spicy red paste. After one bite you have to drink an entire cup of milk. The sensation of the fire on your tongue stays even after you finish them. You also ordered the Look Chin Ping ($9), which is a kebab with large balls of vegan beef. There are three on each kebab. When you open that box, the sauce has dripped, leaving greasy smudges along the sides. The kebabs are stiff on the outside but the inside is soft and chewy.

In the last box you remove a dessert of black wild rice sweetened with coconut milk, accompanied by freshly cut mango ($8). The mango is sweet and soft. The rice is thick and sugary and will make you long for something to drink.

Last but not least are the beverages. You ordered a classic Thai tea, which is sweet, rich, and creamy. You also got a ginger beer, which was strong in flavor, with a spicy sweet tang.

Bulan is usually dine-in but due to COVID, it has become a take-out or outdoor dining restaurant. The Bulan website is extremely easy to navigate. Each dish has a description and dietary choices (vegan, vegetarian, no cilantro, etc). You can choose to pick up or have your meal delivered with Grubhub. Overall, this restaurant is definitely an A+. Bulan Thai Vegetarian Kitchen, 4114 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Open daily 11:30am-9:00pm. Street parking.