Kat's 9 Lives

Venture down to Hollywood's Thai Town for the best deals and authentic cuisine. Tucked away from the bustling areas of Hollywood Blvd is Red Corner Asia. Inside this shopping center there's a wide selection of delectable Thai restaurants. Hellobear recommended that we try Red Corner Asia for their Crab Pad Thai. I have been meaning to explore Thai Town more. My previous journey was only limited to Palm Thai. I have yet to breach the barrier and enter Thai Town, so it was a perfect day to explore. One of the benefits from being away from the Pantages Theater is that they offer free parking in the day time. At night time they start having valet parking and charge a fee, but if you get there before 5PM you can park there the whole time without paying. O=P
Red Corner Asia believes that Thai food's distinctive taste is because of the wonderful combination of herbs, spices, fish sauce, and lime to seal in the flavor. Tradition states that you should always start off the meal with a nice cool glass of Thai Ice Tea. Well, at least I think you should because its deliciously sweet and really hits the spot. If you plan to eat spices that will set your mouth ablaze like I do, then the Thai Ice Tea will really come in handy and cool you down.
On my recent trip up to SF I found a few new favorite Thai dishes. Sadly the Thai restaurants around OC don't have as authentic of an offering so I was ecstatic to see they offered them here! First off the bat was S12. Yum Roast Duck, which is sliced Roast Duck tossed in Spicy Lime Juice and served on a bed of Lettuce. This was a bit different from what I had up in SF, but still tasty. The duck and tangy lime juice really help bring out the sweetness of the raw lettuce. All the herbs, spices, and tangy lime juice come together nicely. I should have opted to get this dish a little more spicy for more of a kick. The reason I really like this dish is that I get tons of duck meat nicely sliced and de-boned! You never can go wrong with that in my book. =D
That day I was feeling very daring and adventurous. Even though Ms. Lin was not around to finish the dish off with me, I chose to try S10. Fresh Butterfly Shrimp. This is not for the weak at heart or stomach! It's raw butterflied Shrimp in Spicy Lime Juice served on top of sliced Cabbage. There's no choice in how spicy you would like the sauce because this is a raw dish they make sure the sauce is pretty spicy to minimize risks. This is where the Thai Ice Tea comes in handy to cool off the fire. Don't get me wrong, it's a great spicy but after a few shrimps a rest period might be needed. Raw shrimp is sweeter than cooked shrimp and the texture is completely different. I'll admit that this shrimp tends to be a little more slimy, but the combination of flavors with the sauce and cabbage makes it all worth while. Next time I will need Ms. Lin before I can order this again to help finish the plate!
Hellobear ordered her favorite N11. Crab Pad Thai made with Rice Noodles stir fried in a special sauce with Egg, Green Onion, Bean Sprouts, and Crushed Peanuts. The crab meat was embedded in the egg. They use real crab meat and not imitation. Their pad thai sauce is not as sweet and tangy as other places. It is more on the savory side.
Little did I know that Hellobear wouldn't take a single bite of my dishes. Sorry! I wish I knew and picked dishes we could share and enjoy together. We were missing one dish and apparently they forgot to put the order in. Since she only had the pad thai, she still wanted her S6. Yum Eggplant. It's grilled Eggplant, Shrimp, Hard Boiled Egg, Onion, Dried Shrimp, and Shallots tossed in a Spicy Lime Juice. The eggplant had no skin and was nicely cooked. Each piece was very tender and flavorful.

All in all it was a very enjoyable meal. They offered a vast selection of both traditional dishes and more authentic choices. The prices are very reasonable and the portions were healthy. There's a lot more items on the menu that I would like to come back and try. The best part was seeing Hellobear again! Thanks for coming and thanks for the treat! You are always so sweet!

Red Corner Asia
5267 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-6722