After a small summer break from writing, it seemed appropriate to review a restaurant I tried while I was vacationing in Los Angeles! My original plans for dinner fell through (thanks to a day before cancellation from the restaurant), so we stumbled into Piccalilli over the holiday weekend. The menu looked amazing with a solid selection of Asian fusion dishes, and there were some pretty amazing recommendations for the restaurant online, so it was one of my top choices to try.
We ordered a few things to start alongside a couple of cocktails. The cocktails were fantastic, and I started with one that was basically a Thai Iced Tea which really hit the spot in the heat of the Los Angeles summer. The real winner was the Don’t Fear the Reaper, which basically was a pickle martini, but pickled with ghost peppers so it was cold, spicy and delicious.
We started with the bread plate with some Indian pickle butter, and it was a winner! The bread was great, but the taste of the pickle butter reminded me of the amazing pickles at curry houses in the UK. It definitely whet the appetite and got us ready for the Hamachi carpaccio that was very refreshing and had a hint of heat. We had to try the Nam Prik wings which turned out to be full of flavor and incredibly spicy: The two flame warning on the menu really didn’t do it justice. I did notice a lot of people ordered the sauce on the side, so if you want to try but are worried about the heat, it is definitely an option.
Up next was a crispy squid in a light curry sauce that was also incredibly tasty, even if some of the squid was slightly chewy. We also ordered a garlic naan to go with it and soak up the juices, and while it was more of a chapati than a naan, it was so delicious I didn’t really care.
Piccalilli turned out to be a fantastic choice for a fun and casual meal in Los Angeles, and if you are in or staying near the Culver City area, it’s definitely a winning choice. Not only was the food great, we had some good service with plenty of water refills and making sure our cocktail needs were satisfied. I know that I’d go back many times if I lived there, so if I make it back down to Los Angeles again, it will be on my list of places to visit for a return trip.
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Nam Prik wings and the sourdough with pickle butter!
Piccalilli
3850 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232
