Little Trouble

Stopped by Paper Plane to check out the new Little Trouble menu that's opening on the westside... We all know Victory and Paper Plane do a great job in the kitchen with their approachable menus, can they do the same with the menu for their new spot? Whities trying to do Asian grub is a sketchy proposition anywhere. But let's take a first lookie, anyways...

Lemongrass Pork Meatballs. Not too shabby at all. Good flavors, hints of lemongrass which was nice and the ball itself was firm but yet tender kinda reminded me of a Vietnamese meatball. It's a tasty little meatball. I would include a side of sauce for dipping, though... Something with fish sauce, soy/ponzu and a little heat would be nice.

Char Siu Pork - cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrot & daikon, sesame mayo. The infamous and obligatory steam bun. Even though, I kinda had it with this ubiquitous item... I had to have it just to compare it's worth to all the other overpriced buns around town. The carrot & daikon was spot on, just as good as any Viet resto on Buford Hwy with the perfect balance with the vinegar and sugar. The char siu were big chunks that fell out when you try to eat it, slicing and layering them would be better and still give it that visual heft that people are looking for. The char siu pork isn't a traditional Chinese version but hey, it's LT/PP, so they're gonna put their spin on it. The bun was kinda cold and a bit too moist but overall, it was a tasty respectable version... The people in this area won't care or know what a real one is anyways, so this will be a hit.

Cold Ramen - ham pickled carrot & daikon, cucumber, tomato, soy vinaigrette. This was a real snoozer visually but it kinda reminded me of a quasi Asian Cobb salad. The overall ingredients were really not all that exciting (except the Sun Noodles) but the very tasty soy vinaigrette made a big difference to the overall taste of it. But at the end of the day, this dish needs an overhaul.

Hot Ramen - Tonkotsu broth, lamb, shiitake, sesame, green onion, 7 min egg. The lack of chopsticks in the joint made this very difficult to eat but the dark tonkotsu broth was pretty good. It was very rich and salty but the lip smacking collagen was present and made it all the more desirable. There's more than just pork bones in here, I assume there's a good bit of chicken bones, too... Which I'm totally ok with. Is it an authentic tonkotsu, fuck no, but they're not trying to be authentic here. They are doing their American version of it with some authenticity to it. The lamb was decent but tender, not too gamey. The egg was plain old semi hard boiled egg, not soft and runny. The ramen are Sun Noodles, so that's a plus. It was a bit overcooked but hey, it ain't gonna stop me from eating it all. The price tag is a bit rich for a small bowl of ramen but remember, you're a hipster that's willing to pay jacked up prices for the grub and ambiance. That makes you cool, dude.

This was a good first look and preview of what's to come... Better to give it a test run early with the expected demographics found on the westside and get some feedback and make the changes than to go into the new joint with a subpar menu... But seriously, would anyone going to a cocktail bar really notice or care about the food on the westside? Hopefully, the menu will be re-tuned and refined much more when the doors open at the new spot under Abattoir, err, Marcel. But for now, I like what I'm seeing so far. It's a good start for small bites at a cocktail bar.