THE DISTRICT BY HANNAH AN (LOS ANGELES, CA)

The District by Hannah An
8722 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
www.thedistrictbyha.com
Tel: 310.278.2345
$$$ ($30-$45)
Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion
Wed, 05/13/2015, 8:15pm reservation
    (3.5 Piglets)

The District by Hannah An is an upscale, sophisticated restaurant with décor that is reminiscent of a museum. Intricate details, from the industrial Edison lights to the elaborate wall designs are apparent throughout. A sense of comfort is felt upon arrival, which I admire. The plate setting consists of both a fork and chopsticks for your utensil preference. 

The interior

The establishment is two-stories. The upstairs dining area is spacious, ideal for events. There is an outside patio that surrounds the entrance, with fire pits to elicit a warm ambiance.

The patio

The chef Hannah An is the daughter to Crustacean's chef Helene An. The food is family style. An prepares classic Vietnamese dishes with a modern twist. For example, the French onion bone marrow is made to resemble French onion soup accompanied with a broth that would be perfect for pho.

HOT ASIAN COCKTAIL ($14.00): Lemon grass infused Loft and Bear Vodka, organic Vietnamese chili agave, fresh squeezed lime juice, garnished with lime zest and Vietnamese chili. This drink is sweet, spicy and a whole lot of citrus. Imagine a really delicious spicy orange soda with alcohol and you've got this drink. I loved it!

LOVE YOU LONG TIME COCKTAIL ($14.00): Muddle fresh cantaloupe and cucumber, cucumber-infused Loft and Bear Vodka, fresh squeezed lime juice, organic agave, garnished with cantaloupe and cucumber. The is a refreshing, slightly sweet drink. The cucumber gives the drink a sense of freshness. A winner. 

MY FAVORITE DISH. DISTRICT WOK LOBSTER- 1/2 LIVE MAINE LOBSTER ($32.00): Served with Hannah's Handmade Noodles.  Isn't there a rule about garnishing a plate? Something along the lines of only garnish with ingredients that are edible? Well, this big plate had a huge lobster tail shell. I lifted the shell only to be disappointed that there was nothing underneath. Nonetheless, what was left of the lobster was delicious. The lobster was coated in breadcrumbs. The noodles had a great texture and was mixed with garlic and butter with a hint of sweetness. Together, it created a unified dish. 

FRENCH ONION BONE MARROW ($18.00): Comte cheese, beef broth. This cheese on top of the bone marrow is new to me. It's definitely interesting and different, and I wouldn't say I loved it or hated it either. It was just ok. The beef broth was delicious but together, it didn't make sense. The broth had intense flavors that simply overpowered the bone marrow. I thought the thyme on the bone marrow was a nice touch though. 

DISTRICT BROWN RICE ($11.00): Edamame, quinoa. This rice was delicious. It was creamy, rich, buttery and oh so good. The texture was surreal. It beats plain brown rice any day! 

GRASS FED PRIME RIB EYE (BONE-IN) ($44.00): Confit garlic and anchovy butter. So....this was just ok for me. We ordered it medium-rare but somehow was served with medium to medium-well. The inconsistency of the meat temperature was seen throughout the dish. The meat was a bit tough. Additionally, we were served with a piece of plastic for our initial dish. The above pic is their second one they fired, the one below is the dish with the plastic (located in the middle of the onion). Oh well, mistakes happen. 

The rib eye served with a piece of plastic

HANNAH'S HOMEMADE NOODLES ($12.00): To rectify for the plastic being on the rib eye, we were offered to order any of the other dishes on the menu. We couldn't help but order another round of these babies....so good! 

Overall, I respect Hannah An's twist to Vietnamese cuisine. Her food was good, but was not amazing (they're great as leftovers though!). Additionally, I wasn't a fan of receiving a piece of plastic with my dish, but the manager Chris was accommodating to amend for the mistake. That is an act of great service. The waitress we had did not seem knowledgeable; however we did have another waiter Alex who was fantastic. Events tend to be held pretty regularly here. We happened to arrive on an evening when a magazine partnered with Aston Martin held an event upstairs along with Aston Martins lined up in the front of the restaurant. As beautiful as these cars are, it was quite annoying to have people rev up their cars during dinner service (as well as drunk people interrupting conversations with me and my friend). Luckily, the wait staff cleared up the awkward situation, which I appreciated. Word of advice: Check to see if an event is being held prior to making a reservation.


Notable dishes: District Wok Lobster