Raw Tostada: dehydrated corn meal, marinated mushroom, dill-ranch sauce, and nut cheese. (All photos taken by author)
Curried Rice: sprouted wild rice, macadamia sauce, cauliflower, and dehydrated onion.
After years of testing and refinement, Au Lac went entirely vegan and organic in 2007, with two separate kitchens for raw and cooked foods. At the time, Nguyen worried about the cost of new kitchens and all-organic produce. She was assuaged by Ito, who told her that "both of us believe in God—if we take care of the customers, God will take care of us. Think of the customers and the benefit will come after. And I agreed with this."The first test for all cooks in Au Lac is they have to wash dishes. If they can't do this, they cannot advance to prep for chef.
Bun 33: kelp noodles, mushroom, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, mint, lemongrass plum sauce, dehydrated onion, and avocado tempura.
The decision to expand was not born of a desire to make Au Lac even a regional brand, but simply to serve keen LA-based customers frequently dissuaded by traffic-snarled freeways from making the trip south to the OC's Fountain Valley, where the original Au Lac is located. Three years ago, Ito began surveying patrons online to determine where the second Au Lac should be located, and decided on downtown LA. It lacks the crunchy aesthetic that characterizes a lot of vegan restaurants, instead retaining the glass, steel, and dark wood décor of its predecessor and many other downtown bistros.Nguyen and Ito also kept the clamshell-style bar and cocktail lounge of its previous occupant. Ito decided that the new location needed to cater to urban diners' want for alcoholic libations, despite none being served at the original spot. The lounge hosts music and dancers on Saturdays, and the well-known UnCabaret alternative comedy show on Sundays, as it did before Au Lac's tenancy. Clearly, despite Au Lac's focus, they want to accommodate patrons who might be expecting customary downtown features.'This country is the richest in the whole world, yet because of stress and the wrong diet, sooner or later everyone gets sick.'
Mai Nguyen of Au Lac