E.P. and L.P. takes West Hollywood

David Combes and Grant Smillie, the two Melbourne school friends behind Trunk Diner and Ponyfish Island respectively, have made a stunning debut onto the West Hollywood dining scene. Along with Longrain’s former head chef, Louis Tikaram, E.P. and L.P. has transformed a 1000 square meter site on the corner of Melrose Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard into a two level venue encompassing the restaurant (E.P.) and rooftop bar (L.P.). E.P./L.P. as it has come to be known by, champions Australian style South East Asian cooking, the sweet-spicy taste largely unrepresented in the U.S.

Open Journal enjoyed a balmy July evening in L.A. tasting a selection of the menu and toasting the views of Hollywood hills from the rooftop.

Photo Daniel Collopy

Their brief to Tikaram was simple: write the menu you want to write. It’s a freedom rarely afforded to a young chef, but the result is an accomplished selection of Chinese, Fijian and Vietnamese influences, produced with the freshest produce and complimented with a striking collection of cocktails.

For Combes and Smillie, the site made complete geographic sense. At the heart of West Hollywood’s fashion and design hub, the venue is a complete offering where diners can begin with dinner, and stay on into the evening at the rooftop. It’s a surprising anomaly for Los Angeles, with a night out usually necessitating a sting of Uber rides as people try to get from one venue to the next, sometimes kilometres apart.

The rooftop bar itself is atypical. The first rooftop in West Hollywood to open outside of a hotel, it’s an oasis from the concrete setting below. “In Los Angeles there’s a huge demand for alfresco dining, but it’s rarely a complete offering,” said Combes.

Photo Daniel Collopy

Projects of Imagination oversaw the design and fit out of the space from Melbourne, tackling the challenges of foreign building codes and orchestrating a construction team around time zone constraints. A local architect was brought on-board to help navigate local planning laws, with the final product a pragmatic outcome. The interiors incorporate a wall of antique mirror and materials selected to age well such as copper, leather and timber.

At E.P. and L.P., the devil is in the detail. Exceptional food is matched with an original spatial experience. The graphic brand is reflected across the menu, to the wallpaper, to the chef’s t-shirts. Combes is frank about it, “you’re designing for instagram as much as anything. Everyone’s a critic and everyone wants to take something away with them. You weren’t here unless your photo was taken.”

Photo Daniel Collopy

There have been some eccentricities of American dining behaviour that E.P. and L.P. has had to adapt to. The kitchen has had to turn down the spice, it certainly hasn’t compromised the taste, but it was finding the balance between providing something exciting and new, whilst not putting their clientele too far out of their comfort zone. “We also found that American’s aren’t fans of stool seating,” said Combes, “in Australia it’s fine to sit at the bar for your meal, it’s even preferred as diners like to see the activity in the kitchen. We found that to not be the case at all in Los Angeles. It was unanticipated, we’re having to replace our stool seating sections as a result, but we’re perfecting the venue as we learn these things.”

Photo Daniel Collopy

E.P. and L.P. has already found itself in the spotlight, attracting over 700 people across the restaurant and rooftop on a busy night. Gerard Butler and the Black Eyes Peas were early adapters. Being the new kid on the block has brought the expected level of press attention, Louis Tikaram will even be appearing on the Today show’s cooking segment out of New York, but being a one trick pony is of no interest. Becoming a world-class venue is the aim. It’s bold, but not unachievable. “Good food is good food,” says Smillie, “striking the balance between the best team in the kitchen, the best produce, the best design and the best service is the recipe for longevity.”

Photo Daniel Collopy

Photo Daniel Collopy

Photo Daniel Collopy

Combes and Smillie are currently on the hunt for a second site to expand their approach to new locations, whether that be in L.A. or elsewhere in the States. “The site will dictate the move,” said Combes, “we’re very thorough with our research.”

Open Journal enjoyed a balmy July evening at E.P. and L.P. tasting a selection of the menu and toasting views of the Hollywood hills from the rooftop.

E.P. and L.P. is open for dinner and drinks from 6pm seven days a week, although the rooftop is looking to launch a Sunday session in the near future.

603 N La Cienega Boulevard

West Hollywood

California