There is a well-worn formula for success in the restaurant industry: create an appealing concept, work it until it’s perfect, then open branch operations that duplicate the original. If the chain is particularly successful then the original often acquires a mystique, the sense that this is the place where the magic came together. Diehard fans of Morton’s Steakhouse swear that the one in Chicago makes the meat by which all others are measured, and there are caffeine fanatics who swear that the coffee tastes better at the original Peet’s in Berkeley. It’s a logical attitude, because copies of things are often blurry compared to the original.
Occasionally it goes the other way, and that’s the case at the new Little Sister in Redondo.
The first Little Sister clone opened with great fanfare in Downtown Los Angeles in 2015, the second almost stealthily in Redondo Beach this May in the former Suburbia. When I visited with a companion who had failed to get into the original several times, he asked if I thought this one would be as good. I told him I was sure that a professional restaurant group like this one would certainly try to make the experience identical.
I was surprised when it was better. The space is roomier and the tables further apart, and when we stopped by during the week the hip-hop music was at a moderate level. (The manager told us that the place gets a lot louder on weekend evenings.) They’re also open for lunch, which isn’t the case at the original location, so we visited twice in order to sample both menus.
The salad we ordered on that visit, made with green papaya, julienned carrot, peanuts, grilled shrimp, cilantro, and Vietnamese-style beef jerky, is on both menus. Vietnamese beef jerky is marinated in a mix of soy and fish sauces with sugar and lemongrass before being oven-dried, which gives it a slightly chewy consistency but not the cardboard-level toughness of most American counterparts. It’s a good combination with this mix of vegetables and green papaya, which has a mild flavor that is often compared to jicama or cucumber. (Fun fact: this is the same fruit as the orange papaya, just picked at a different stage of ripeness.) The chili lime vinaigrette had a tart spiciness that tied things together nicely.
We also shared a grilled lemongrass chicken banh mi sandwich that included crushed cashews, mint, basil, and scallions, along with the traditional mix of fresh and pickled vegetables. The pickled veggies were more mild than those I’d expect to find at a lunch counter in Little Saigon, and there was almost no jalapeno bite, but the essential formula of grilled meat with a mix of pickled and fresh vegetables was there. I think that banh mi’s are the most wonderful sandwiches in America, delivering the most complex and satisfying variety of flavors, and this one did nothing to change that opinion. It arrived with a small bowl of pho-style beef broth scented with star anise, a curious accompaniment but one we enjoyed.
The sandwich and salad were a good light lunch, and though $18 for the salad and $14 for the sandwich was more than we would have paid in Gardena or Westminster, we are in the land of higher quality ingredients and higher rents. If you’re looking for an adventurous business lunch in pleasant surroundings in this area, this is the place to go.
When we stopped in for dinner we started with one of the most popular items, the Balinese fried meatballs. (And this seems like as good a time as any to defuse the critiques of this restaurant that that it isn’t “authentic” Vietnamese. It isn’t trying to be, so relax and enjoy the meatballs, or the Myanmar curry or Singapore chili crab.) Whatever you may be expecting from the meatballs, you are probably wrong. The mixture of beef and spices is breaded before frying so they look like felafel, which results in a crisp crust with moist, richly spiced ground meat inside. They were so good by themselves that we almost forgot to dip them into the cilantro-mint chutney, which had a wonderful melange of fruity, spicy, and sharp flavors. I wish I had asked for the rest of that sauce to go, because it was remarkable stuff. Some pickled vegetables on the plate added further textures and flavors to this must-have item.
We were every bit as happy with the pea tendrils, an item that made me question why I have been eating peas all my life without snacking on the other parts of the plant. When lightly sautéed the leaves and tendrils have the taste of raw peas and the texture of lightly cooked spinach, which makes them a great item to mix with crispy pork bits, almonds, and shredded dried scallop. That last item is a common seasoning in Southern China, and it lends a delicately funky seafood flavor that is accented by the garlic-lemon sauce in this dish.
Unlike the Manhattan Beach location there is a full bar here with some signature cocktails that fit the theme. My favorite of the ones we tried was “Jin and Julius,” a combination of gin with coconut fizz, lemongrass, Aperol, orgeat, and kaffir lime. It was a subtle drink that fit the classic cocktail palate while using Southeast Asian elements, and well worth trying.
We tried two other items: red-braised pork belly and a lamb satay that had an unexpected presentation. Satay is usually served on skewers with accompaniments on the side, but here it was in a medium orange curry sauce with egg noodles, yam, mustard and yu choy greens, fried garlic, and chillies, all topped with some shaved raw purple onion. The lamb was one element of a blend of flavors in a dish that was good on its merits but misleadingly described.
The red-braised pork belly was the most straightforward item we had here, a hunk of meat slow-cooked to the point that it could be cut with chopsticks, served in a leek and mushroom sauce that had hints of exotic spices. It worked as a contrast with the other items but would also be a safe choice to order for someone who is timid about trying the more unusual fare.
For dessert we considered a Vietnamese style flan, but our server strongly recommended a red velvet cake version of a ding dong. We ordered it despite the fact that I was never a big fan of the snack cake and have been similarly unimpressed by red velvet cakes. We were glad that we did, because there was a bit of cherry flavor in the moist cake in a dark chocolate shell, and it reminded me of an American version of a Viennese Sacher torte. The only thing I’d change is to lighten up on the heavy dusting of chocolate powder on the plate, because I accidentally inhaled some and it was not a positive experience.
Our food cost for an ample dinner for two was just over $60, which was remarkable for a meal of this quality. I live eight blocks from the original location in Manhattan Beach, but the more comfortable dining experience, full bar, and availability at lunch are likely to keep me coming to Riviera Village. I expect that as the place becomes better known it will be less easy to just stroll in and get a table, but it will be worth the wait.
Little Sister is at 247 Avenida del Norte in Redondo. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Street parking or city lot adjacent, wheelchair access good. Sound level varies, quiet at lunch and midweek, louder on weekends. Full bar, corkage $25. Phone 424-398-0237, menu at littlesisterrb.com. ER
