🥣 LA Food Review — Michelin One-Star Bistro Na’s: Love & Gripes

Verdict: Totally worth trying, but expect some letdowns. I’ve eaten at Bistro Na’s many times since they opened, but last weekend left me a bit disappointed — even made me predict they might lose their star this year (a sentiment many seemed to agree with). Here’s my take on the food, plus some extra notes. 📍 Bistro Na’s — 9055 Las Tunas Drive Reservations are a must — otherwise, be prepared to wait. 🌟🌟🌟 Crispy Prawns with Crispy Shell — Always order this. Prawns are marinated, coated in a thin batter, fried, then glazed with a sweet-sour hawthorn sauce with a hint of garlic. The shell is paper-crisp, even the prawn skin is edible. They’ve tweaked the recipe since opening — used to be cloyingly sweet, now it’s just right. 🌟🌟🌟 Quail Egg with Beef Brisket — Beef cut into small cubes, nicely fatty-lean with no tendons (butchering was meticulous 👍). Super tender, braised in a savory soy-based sauce with scallion oil and mushrooms for umami. Perfect meaty flavor and seasoning. 🌟🌟🌟 Stir-Fried Wild Bamboo Shoots with Pork — Highly recommend! Bamboo and wood ear mushrooms stir-fried in lard over high heat — serious wok hei! Crisp, fresh mountain veggies coated in a rich yet not overpowering sauce. Great with or without rice. 🌟🌟 Homemade Tofu — Looks like a chunk of pumpkin at first. Actually a silky egg tofu with a spongy texture, coated in starch, fried, and finished with salted egg yolk flavor. Light but not bland — pretty good. 🌟🌟 Beijing Eight Pastries — Really tasty, none are overly sweet or heavy. But for value… Daoxiangcun still wins 🏆. 🌟✨ Red Sauce Chicken — Many recommend it, but I’m less impressed. Sauce balance and spice level are good, but the chicken is just okay — not exactly dry, but tougher than even the free-range chicken you’d get at 99 Ranch. 🌟✨ Zhajiang Noodles — Fine for 2–3 people. Was taken aback when the server cut the noodles in half while mixing 😳. Sauce is authentic, but using organic bean sprouts totally shifts the flavor — even a perfect zhajiang sauce can’t save it. Previous tries I liked: 🌸 Osmanthus Sticky Rice Lotus Root, Angus Beef Ribs, Braised Pork Belly, Dry-Braised Black Cod, Pear Soup, Cheese Fish Dessert 💣 Avoid: Manchu Pepper Lamb Chops Lastly, service: Even with a reservation, waited 15 min to be seated, then another 10 min for water. Dishes that are popular come out lightning fast. After finishing, waited 30 min for the pastries (apparently made to order 🤦). When packing leftovers, realized one dish was missing… Plenty of staff, but not enough with ordering/checkout authority — ordering felt like a chore. #GlobalFoodies #Inspiration #LosAngeles #EatPlayLA #MichelinOneStar #LAFoodDiscovery