What are you willing to do for food?

When you think of that question, I hope you’re answer doesn’t verge on criminal activity. If it is, then feel free to discuss it at length with a therapist, or a police officer. If I’m the one answering the question then I’d say: I’m willing to sweat for it, literally. That was the position I was in last week as I looked at a trek I would soon embark on my way to Multiply in Downtown Los Angeles. Sure I could have drove and paid for parking, but seeing as I work about two miles away from the space (and I’m frugal), I walked it. And not just any walk, it was a sweaty across through the eerie 2^nd Street Tunnel where I dodged bikers unaware of my presence and crazies unaware of their hallucinations.

Walking into new to downtown venue, my friend TJ and I were the only ones there alongside the staff. It was nice to see the space empty because it gave us a chance to take it all in without the crowd and semi-drunk guys fawning over girls who are clearly trying to avoid them. The vibe of the space felt as if it comes with two personalities: a restaurant and a club. I could see it successfully working as a restaurant during the day and then a lounge or club in the evening, ultimately offering something for everyone. With dinner as our focus, we decided to sit at the bar, look over the menu, and explore the items that would come out of the kitchen. Before any plates arrived, a few glasses of cocktails made an appearance.

Taking a look of the menu for Cocktails ($10 each), the names stand out: they’re all colors. While you may wonder if Crayola sponsors the drinks, Trafton behind the bar, let us know otherwise. Instead, the cocktails are named after colors so customers don’t have to struggle to remember the name of the drink. “Was that blue drink called, an Adios or an Hasta Mañana?” An example of course as there is no blue drink at Multiply, but there are a few other colors with unique tastes.

The first cocktail was the Black which is made with Kikori whisky, ferrand dry curacao, chamomile syrup, Chinese bitters, and lemon. In spite of its color the drink is very light. I assumed it would have had a charcoal gritty taste but it’s completely void of that so it’s easy to enjoy.

The Brown isn’t the prettiest, but it’s understandable as the color isn’t anything unique. Made with Jameson Caskmates, cold brew, vanilla syrup, condensed milk, and cinnamon sugar, it sounded like the perfect drink. I mean, the moment bartenders decided to combine alcohol and coffee, an angel lost its wings. Coffee and alcohol is a diabolical combination that will send your body through a delicious spin. With this cocktail, you get more coffee than alcohol in its first sips but it turns into liquor as you get closer to the bottom. What’s consistent through the glass is that it leans on a bitter side with short accents of sweetness thanks to the condensed milk.

The Pink cocktail was probably the prettiest to me, and I don’t even like that color! In this cocktail, Trafton took cinnamon infused giffards peche, Beefeater Gin, rose, mint, and lemon. It sounded so dainty and looked the same. While I don’t care for gin, here it didn’t overpower the drink. There was a pleasant balance of rose, mint, and lemon that helped relax the liquor making it enjoyable.

Red had such a deep look to it through its color. Made of Laird’s Applejack, beets, green apple, beet, ginger, and lime. The beets are very prominent in taste with the ginger comes in at a close second. Since those are two ingredients I don’t like at all, this was something TJ ordered. I on the other hand simply enjoyed the vibrant color.

The final cocktail was the Yellow. This was my favorite and it was all thanks to the wonderful components that mixed so nicely together. It took Lillet, Giffards apricot, passion fruit puree, lemon oleo, sparkling wine. I loved the taste of the sparkly wine alongside the apricots and passion fruit purée. It was my favorite of them all!

Before any food arrived, we were introduced to Chef Amy. More than just the hands in the kitchen sending out delicious plates, Amy has an impressive culinary background. Cooking for over ten years, Amy is a chef who has owned her own food truck, opened restaurants throughout Downtown LA and Venice, and serves as a restaurant consultant. With such a background, I’m glad she didn’t return the question to me.

“Um, I run a restaurant blog.”

It wouldn’t compare whatsoever. As a sister restaurant to Birdies, I was excited to see what Chef Amy would create for Multiply that would tie back to the Olympic Blvd. shop, yet still have its own personality.

To start, she sent out three sets of Chicken Wings ($10). The first of the three was the Sticky Icky (right). In spite of its name these weren’t that sticky. Additionally, they were my least favorite since they didn’t have as much flavor and were a bit dry. The Smoke and Fire ended up being a bit tougher than I would have liked. It may have been my fault as I took a while to take the photos, but I’m not too sure. We’ll consider this set a draw. The Golden BBQ wings were just right as they were full of a spicy flavor that went straight to the bone. With each bite there was a bit of a kick along with a sweet tang. I would totally order the set of wings and ask for them to be all Golden BBQ, hands down!

While I wasn’t too excited by the wings, the sliders stole the show. Remember when sliders we popularized almost a decade ago and we were all so shocked to see tasty tiny burgers? A set of sliders would come out of the kitchen and we thought chefs took an electromagnetic shrinking machine to a burger like it was Honey I Shrunk the Kids. That initial shock of having deliciously tiny burgers back then was the same feeling I had when I ate the Slider Flight ($12) from Chef Amy.

The first I tried was the Birdie OG Fried Chicken. The same sandwich from Birdies makes an appearance here at Multiply at half the size. Even though it’s smaller, it still has the same juicy coleslaw, house pickles, cheddar cheese, and the soft brioche bun. If you don’t know how I feel about this sandwich, I suggest you read about it here.

Next there was the Crispy Pork Belly and the Tempura Fried Tofu. The pork belly was topped with aged provolone, pickled apricots, sautéed broccoli rabe, and smeared with roasted garlic aioli. I loved the colors of this slider but loved devouring it even more. The pork was rich and juicy with each bite and the apricot was a nice addition of fresh citrus. Opposite that, the tofu slider came with a house kimchi, yuzu crème fraiche, and a runny egg on a brioche bun. Although I’m not a fan of tofu, this slider makes me understand why some people like it. Here, I really liked the crispy exterior of the tofu against the oozing yolk. The two together created a lovely opposing texture.

The final slider was my absolute favorite. The Flank Iron Steak took a black garlic aioli, fig jam, Gruyere, arugula, and put it all on a French roll. From beginning to end, I loved this one and if we go back to the “What would you do for food” question, I’d definitely sweat for this as a full burger. I loved that it had such a dynamic taste thanks to the smooth aioli and deep and tart fig jam. Add to that, the tender steak created such an impact that I almost inhaled it.

By the end of this dinner, I was really happy with the cocktails and food from Multiply. While I initially questioned how much effort I would exert for food, this was completely worth the energy! The cocktails were colorful and so well made to get any evening moving in a ideal direction. Even better, with Chef Amy creating such delicious sliders it feels like she’s on the cusp of taking the minature burgers in a more sophisticated route. After tasting these, whichever direction she goes with them I’ll eagerly follow along.

To see more drinks and eats, check out the photos below!

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