New restaurant: Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar
By Noelle Mateer
Few places blur the lines between restaurant and party spot as well as Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar. But then again, few places blur the lines between being a dining and drinking destination as well as the city of L.A. itself.
Welcome to L.A.maqiao. That pun’s cheesy, we know, but so is the restaurant – and no, we’re not taking a dig at the decor, which is as sleek and refreshing as any stylish L.A. bistro. We’re talking literal, melted cheese on everything, from bibimbap to our jeans after we left.
Palms’ new location is in the heart of Liangmaqiao, but who are we kidding? You knew that already. Palms is quite possibly the most talked-about thing in Beijing this summer, the Jurassic World of Beijing restaurants, if you will.
But hype can spell trouble. Being over-hyped is often worse than not being hyped at all, because the last thing you want is your customers feeling disappointed when they leave. But Palms L.A. customers don’t feel disappointed. In fact, they feel giddy. And more often, they feel drunk.
“We try to get people leaving here feeling full and lubed up for, like, 120 kuai,” says co-owner Michael Tsai, sipping on a gin and tonic of his own. “It’s like a 20-dollar night out.”
We accept the challenge (even though it’s Thursday lunch). Margaritas in hand, we try new additions to the Palms menu: grilled fish tacos (RMB45), chicken kale salad (RMB48) and the Koreatown burrito (RMB56).
The fish tacos come in your choice of soft flour shell, hard corn shell and cabbage leaves. Cabbage may be the healthy, gluten-free option, but we think it’s the best tasting, too – the crispy surface holds the taco sauce in just right.
The Koreatown burrito combines Korean and Mexican flavors to make a burrito that among Beijing’s best. Definitely get yours 'California Style' with French fries inside. And the kale salad is filling while still being, well, a kale salad, thanks to a wonderfully refreshing peanut sauce.
“I like to think our food has, since we first opened, grown up a little bit,” says Tsai.
The new location also offers all the Korean-Mexican classics you love from the original Palms location – miso hot dogs, cheese fries with dried seaweed, dope-ass cocktails.
Right, cocktails. After a tamarind margarita, a coconut margarita and an 'El Imigrante,' (all RMB48) which Tsai lovingly calls the “house vodka Red Bull,” we were practically skipping out of Palms… back to work. Should we have disclosed that? Probably not.
“We pour like we’re in L.A.,” says Tsai, with a sly smile.
Yes, yes they do.
Click 'Read more' below to view the listing information for Palms L.A Kitchen and Bar.