Aging is inevitable.

Cry if that’s news to you, but it’s impossible to fight the maturation process and as badly as we may wish to have the Benjamin Button disease, we can’t. As my age has increased in years, I’ve noticed that my number of friends has decreased in quantity. If you let out a quiet sigh of pity to this inverse proportion, you may want to reel it back in. This happens to be the case for me since I simply don’t find myself in many situations where I’m exposed to new people. But one good thing about reviewing restaurants is there happens to be a few occasions where a gathering of strangers can be had over amazing dishes. Such was the instance when a fellow foodie, Lizette of DTLA Wanderer, invited myself and a few others to a Sunday brunch at KTCHN DTLA in the Arts District.

Before the day reached noon, I walked into the location of the pop up. Sitting in a space known to most as Resident, KTCHN DTLA preps and pushes out plates from a small food truck. Looking over the menu, I was a bit surprised to see some dishes that seemed more elaborate than what you would expect out of most food trucks. No tacos, ice cream, or sandwiches here. Impressed, I ordered a single dish as I met up with the hands behind DTLA Every Day, DTLA Rendezvous, and The DTLA Menu. It was great to see some people I’ve seen before and to put faces to Instagram handles.

By the time the conversation picked up and the sun started to beam down a little hotter in the outdoor patio seating, all the food arrived. To see the menu descriptions that sounded delicious, look as beautiful as I hoped made me extremely excited! The first plate that caught my eye was the Ricotta Orange Fritters ($12). A set of deep fried fritters were served alongside a seasonal jam, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped with delicate flowers. I looked at the plate, at the truck, the plate, then the truck again. “Did this really come out of that truck?” The answer was yes. The plate was so pretty in its arrangement of colors and within a few bites I realized that it was perfect in its taste as well. The fritters were fried to an almost perfect timing allowing the exterior to be a lovely golden brown while still being soft on the inside. Running them through the blueberry jam with the sugar still affixed made the simple fried dough taste like the type of brunch you always dream of having.

After the fritters, my fork and I moved on to the Salmon Lox ($14). Covering the fresh fish was a pesto basil cream cheese, honey dijon, a soft egg, red onions, and an olive oil baguette. Just like the last dish, this one was so pretty and I still couldn’t believe it came out of a food truck. While I love salmon in almost any form which it’s made, I truly loved it served under the creamy sauce here. Grabbing pieces of it and covering the baguette was such a nice way to brunch. Not too fancy and not too casual, but the lox landed somewhere smoothly in the middle. Although KTCHN DTLA asserts their dishes can be shared, this is really one you should have on your own.

The final plate that I gave a try was the Waffle BLT ($15). As creative as the name alluded, I was interested to see how the plating would be executed when I read the description. It had a cornmeal waffle, house bacon, Gouda, arugula, tomatoes, caramelized onions, pear compote, and a corn aioli.  I was unsure if it would be overdone or done right. Turns out, it was just right. The brains and hands in the kitchen managed to layer all the ingredients nicely on top of the waffle to the point that it didn’t topple over or look unappealing. It did turn into a food version of Jenga when we sliced into it. Unsure of what could be touched or pulled, it did start to fall apart at certain points. If you take into consideration that you will be the reason this no longer stays pretty, you won’t be so critical of the entree. The bites of the waffle were delicious. I ended up appreciating the way so many components could work together in tasteful harmony without one overpowering the other.

As much as I enjoyed each dish, I have to say the price for each plate was a bit more than I would normally be able to afford. Should each plate drop in price about $2-3, I could return frequently. At the prices listed, I see KTCHN being a spot that I visit on specific occasion and not on an impromptu basis. That said, I loved being able to relax in their open seating, gathering with people who through great discourse could turn into friends with time. People who have a mutual obsession over beautiful food will always be welcome in my book and since I’m not getting any younger, I’ll gladly enjoy it while I can.

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Address: 428 S. Hewitt St Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: (213) 400-8216
Hours: Monday to Saturday – 12:00pm to 10:00pm, Sunday 10:00am to 2:00pm (Brunch), 5:00pm to 10:00pm
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