Farbreng With The Kosher Gang: Crying Tigers, Flash Photography, and a Fresh New Look

We Rode Out To Beverly Hills To Try Some Far East Food That Was Fire Flame.

Featuring a special guest: Dovid Lieder

Photography by: Jared Kahn

A lot of times the Farbreng Gang readers get a sneak peek at what I’m eating before my TikTok audience does. I film a lot of content and I do a lot more than eat food.

For example, this week I launched a giveaway with Rabbi Fine from The Chabad of Melrose for a letter in his community’s new Sefer Torah.

Letters are $36, Parshas are $1800, and you can grab them at ChabadMelrose.com/Torah. BUT if you go to my TikTok or Instagram @WeWantMoschiachNow, throw me a quick follow, then find the Sefer Torah video and drop your best comment. The Rabbi and I are picking our favorite comment and giving that person a letter on me!

Besides that, I pulled up to a Bar Mitzvah at The Simcha House on Melrose this week to film a food review that’s dropping online soon! Great party! Shoutout to all the Farbreng Gang readers I met! They had some bussin’ smoked meats that I keep thinking back on. I gave them a 90 out of 100, but I think I’m checking out a wedding there next week so stay tuned.

Anyways, I think I talked long enough to acknowledge our redesign! Super excited to announce we’re getting a bigger section in the paper with more detailed reviews. Also, high-res photos courtesy of the newest member of the Kosher Gang, Jared Kahn!

Jared is going to be riding along on every review, snapping flicks, and dropping some hot food-takes along the way.

I’m also joined this week by another local content creator. You eat his food on Shabbos store runs, and you watch his story on your lunch break. He’s the go-to guy for your kosher needs: it’s Dovid Lieder!

Super excited to have you both here with me this week! Dovid, how are you?

“It’s Sunday, just finished Shabbos. We had a crazy week this week at Lieder’s. So this is kind of a big treat to come relax, try some food, try some drinks. Usually I’m not a taster or reviewer.

Usually, I’m doing content with restaurant owners, @DovidLieder, to get content from the owner’s perspective; owner to owner.”

“I think I enjoy that part more than even tasting or reviewing the food. My goal is to bridge kosher restaurant owners together, that way we can lift each other up. But I’m glad to be here, we’re… what was the term you used? We’re cross-pollinating! Here’s David who reviews the food, and here’s David who connects the business owners to understand their story! I think it’s a great shidduch.”

Yes! We’re cross-pollinating today! L’chaim to that! So we’re headed to Beverly Hills Thai Kosher today. Jared, welcome brother! How are you feeling about your first review?

“Hey! I’m Jared Kahn, a photographer here in LA! I’m here with David and David. I come from a background where I would eat a lot of Thai food. Where can you get authentic Thai food that’s kosher? Only here in Beverly Hills!”

BH! I’m super hungry and excited to chow down but first I gotta say: after I gave my highest score ever to Mr. Shiloh’s last week; a 97! A lot of readers I met asked me, “Is the food really that good?!” I promise you, it really is lol.

The thing is, we choose a lot of good restaurants that come highly recommended to us, so naturally if the place is good the score is also going to be good! We do give low scores around here, but only when they’re warranted.

Spoiler alert: there was no warrant this week, except for an arrest warrant… to the chef at Beverly Hills Thai because food that good should be illegal.

So without further ado, let’s get to the review!

A Party In Your Mouth.

If you’re a regular Farbreng Gang reader you know I like to get clever with the headlines, but I can’t take credit for “Party In Your Mouth.” That was all Tasha, the owner of Beverly Hills Thai located at 9036 Burton Way, Beverly Hills.

The description couldn’t be more accurate either. It really is like a party in your mouth every second you’re inside this restaurant.

Jared, you said you love Thai food! Are you pumped?

“I think this was my wife and I’s first date in LA. I’m a Baal Teshuva, so I used to eat non-kosher, and my family loved to go to different restaurants and Thai was one of them!”

“The thing is, you have all these places but it’s never really authentic Thai food. Sure they have Pad Thai and all that, but not authentic. What I love about it here at Beverly Hills Thai is that it’s good and it’s actually authentic!”

I’m getting more and more excited with every word you’re saying bro!

“You’re saying this is better than the non-kosher Thai food you’ve had?”

Great question, Dovid! As you guys know, I’m also a Baal Teshuva, and I too grew up eating non-kosher Thai. So I’m curious to hear what you think Jared!

“There’s this one place in Fort Lauderdale that is my benchmark, to me this is up there with that and super authentic!”

Well now I’m really excited to try it! Tasha is really amazing, she brought us some amazing Thai beverages as soon as we sat down!

Thai Iced Tea with oat milk. Coconut Milk Green Tea. Lemonade. Dovid, look at the drinks!

“Very unique. I haven’t had this before. I think it’s my first time having Thai Iced Tea.”

I agree, it’s a different type of iced tea than I’ve ever had too. I love a milk tea every once in a while but this was next-level. Sweet but not too sweet. Milky in a good way. I’m a fan.

Dovid, do you have some questions for Tasha while we have her?

“Tasha, how long have you been here in this restaurant?”

“12 years.”

Oh I didn’t realize you guys were such seasoned veterans on the LA kosher scene! I’m high-key embarrassed I haven’t been here yet.

“Has it been a smooth ride?”

“No! You guys have a lot of holidays! A lot of Shabbats!”

Wow, I wasn’t expecting the holiday answer but yeah, fair lol.

“Yeah, a lot of holidays, a lot of closures. So it hasn’t been a smooth ride, and you’re not Jewish… What inspired you to open a kosher restaurant?”

Dovid coming in hot with the owner questions okay!!

“No, I’m not Jewish. We were open as Thai but it wasn’t kosher and we couldn’t sell. Everyone walked by and said, ‘Make it kosher, make it kosher…’ so we took it from there.”

“So people in the area approached you, said make it kosher and we will come and eat. So you went to the Rabbis at the RCC, became kosher, and now 12 years later you’re still here. Hasn’t been easy, it’s a lot of closures. Friday’s slow. It’s hard. How do you handle when there are so many holidays where you only have two days of service in a week, like this year, you have it three times?”

“We roll with it. It’s hard but we’re here. We keep going. There’s only one Thai meat restaurant here.”

“Right! You have the only one here in LA and I think the community needs to support these unique restaurants. Especially a non-Jew, someone who gave up everything, switched to kosher to serve the community. We must come here, we must eat here, we must come and support, and be here!”

Amen! That’s awesome! What do you think about Tasha becoming kosher because so many people asked her?

“I think it’s very noble, very holy, and she deserves a lot of credit. She deserves our support at a minimum. There’s something special about non-Jews who come into a community and go out of their way to serve kosher food, and they lose a lot of money. They’re not open Saturday, Friday night, and in the non-Jewish world the weekends are the days to make the big money!”

“Because we love what we do. We love where we are, and we love this community!”

Wow! Tasha that’s beautiful! I can’t let that sway today’s score, but in my heart I want to!

We still have more drinks to try.

Jared, how is that Coconut Milk Iced Green Tea?

“That’s good! It’s sweet, it’s good for the summer weather I’ll tell you that! Very good!”

Love that. I was saying the same thing. The flavor profile is very new for me but it’s very refreshing. It’s so different!

I also heard they’re BYOB, Dovid!

“Really? That’s good to know! That’s a hack. You have a special bottle that you wanna bring to a restaurant and be served; you can do it here at Beverly Hills Thai. There aren’t that many places in LA that do that. By the way, the Thai Lemonade is nice. I like the fresh mint, not too sugary, not too sweet. It doesn’t feel like a guilty indulgence. It’s perfect!”

Perfect! That’s high praise. Yeah, the beverages definitely get the stamp from me, but now I’m ready to eat!

Appetizers

Perfect timing because Tasha brought out the appetizers and she wasn’t playing games.

“My food is a party in your mouth.”

Like I said… she was not lying!

We started off with Thai wonton soup. It was so fragrant, so aromatic. The wrapper on the wonton was so light. It was next level fire.

The party was just getting started, but what we were quickly realizing is that every dish is literally like its own party.

The egg rolls were so crispy, the vegetable filling was amazing. I’m from Queens. It reminds me of a cannoli! A Thai cannoli, and I’m loving it. But we gotta hear from the guy who loves Thai! Jared! Dude, let’s hear what you think!

“I think it could be filled up more. The wrapper is light but the egg rolls could be filled more for me. The soup is very flavorful. A lot of seasoning. Very good.”

Tasha was not slowing down, in fact she was just getting warmed up.

Next, we had green papaya salad and chicken satay with homemade peanut sauce.

That’s one thing Tasha wanted to make sure we told you: all the sauces, all the ingredients, all the noodles: it’s all made in house. Fresh every day.

We went into the kitchen and saw it for ourselves. The original chef from 12 years ago is still whipping that authentic Thai food, just now there’s a mashgiach back there with her.

The salad was crisp and fresh, a nice summery appetizer. I could eat this out by the beach. The satay was so moist. Chicken is so easily overcooked, but this was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The fresh-made peanut sauce was the metaphorical cherry on top. My taste buds are partying the buds off like it’s Thursday night in Tel Aviv.

Dovid, how are you feeling?

“The chicken satay is very good. It’s very moist. It has a lighter feeling than you’d expect. Cooked perfectly! The sauce is delicious. I like more salt. A little spicier, or saltier would have made it better for me, so if you like that ask for a spicy sauce or salt. But it’s definitely something everybody can enjoy!”

Entrees

Then came the entrees, and they just kept coming… and coming… and coming.

The curry noodle was literally a Tasha Potter magic trick you have to see to believe! Luckily we have pictures now. Yes, the chopsticks and noodles were literally levitating.

Fun fact about me: I used to eat Thai Fried Rice as my whole dinner back in the day. That’s how much I love the stuff. But pro-tip, when they say spicy, they mean spicy. So if you’re not a heat-master like myself, go mild, because even that’s gonna be hot. It tasted even better than it looked if you can believe it. Usually I’m not the biggest curry guy, but I loved these noodles.

We got roasted chili fried rice with chicken and fried egg. The chili jam was homemade and so flavorful. Spicy, but not all heat. It was sweet, balanced, and had a well-rounded flavor profile that offered so much more than a scorched palate.

Jared, what do you think?

“Wow, that’s spicy! Uh oh… looks like we got an Ashkenazi.”

Dovid, you look like that spice caught you by surprise!

“I wasn’t prepared for that. It’s a heat that’s behind the rice. I can tolerate it, but be prepared.”

I’m sweating a little bit, not gonna lie. You eat a few spoonfuls and it builds up, but I’m also not complaining.

Then Tasha brought out the Crying Tiger Beef, Orange Chicken, homemade flat rice noodles (Pad See Ew), and a green spinach coconut milk curry.

Jared, this is getting intense, right?

“I feel like when they come up to you in the mall and ask if you want orange chicken? Like, I only want orange chicken if it’s this! Dovid, have you ever heard of Panda Express before?”

Ooh, interesting question!

“I’ve heard of it. I’ve never eaten non-kosher and I never will, but since you guys are saying this is superior I’m excited. It’s gas!”

Wait Dovid, you’re from Australia, right? Because I would say this is straight petrol!

“Yes! Straight petrol! I’m learning the new slang!”

The orange chicken was absolutely incredible though. Best I’ve had. Maybe ever. The Crying Tiger Beef?! Made me smile so much that I felt bad for the tiger until I remembered the tiger is like the spoon, there is no tiger; and thankfully he ain’t crying. So I can eat this in pure simcha, absolutely guilt free.

Which I will be doing much more often! The beef was tender, well grilled, and seasoned perfectly.

The green curry was also so tasty, and again, I’m not even a curry guy! What stood out to me was the Pad See Ew. The homemade noodles had that fresh noodle texture that brought pure happiness to my neshama.

Dovid, how do you like it?

“Delicious! That’s a steak! Clean, lean steak! Make it the Korech, David!”

Honestly good call, Dovid. I wrapped the sticky rice and a slice of beef in the lettuce and that HIT hard.

Just as we were making some headway on the entrees, Tasha brought out more food. Pad Thai, of course! We should have expected that, but also this incredible eggplant basil dish.

“It hit. I have to bring this Pad Thai home to my wife, she loves Thai food! It’s gonna be a great treat! The noodles are delicious, you can tell they’re made fresh every day.”

It’s the mouthfeel! You can tell the difference the second it passes your lips. I’ve had plenty of bad Pad Thai. If you go to some random spot on the corner the noodles usually taste like mush. This is not that. They’re real, they’re authentic.

“This Pad Thai is my jam, bro! The sauce. It’s got a nice sweet taste, you can tell it’s not that cheap Thai chain restaurant. It’s quality. Real peanut taste. The eggplant is fire! All the flavors really fit together and that’s why Thai food is known for the blend of different flavors.”

I said I’m not a curry guy, but I don’t even eat eggplant unless it’s in babaganoush form. That smokiness makes it work for me, but this basil eggplant with roasted purple eggplant? It’s turning me into an eggplant person. Dovid, let’s get your pro-take.

“You never think about mixing fresh basil and eggplant. The aromas here are crazy! It’s overpowering in a good way. You always think of eggplant as Mediterranean, smokey, but this is completely different. Fresh and fragrant. The basil is central. There’s some jalapeño in there too.”

Oh yeah, I did notice that kick. From a complete non-eggplant eater, this is fire. I could sit on the couch and munch on this.

At this point it started to become clear to me that I’m really becoming a pro at these food reviews. And it was also starting to become clear that I just celebrated six months of these articles last week; because the guys were almost ready to tap out, and I was still chowing down for several minutes after them lol.

 

 

Dessert

Just as I was finishing up, Tasha brought out dessert: Mango Coconut Milk Sticky Rice. Yes, you read that correctly: rice for dessert.

“I wasn’t expecting that to actually be a dessert. It’s sweet but not too sweet. My kids don’t like coconut so they wouldn’t like it, but it’s delicious. Basically, if I want to make sure my ice cream doesn’t get eaten, I get coconut flavor. So this works for me.”

After my eggplant nosh, I think I could binge watch an entire Netflix series with this stuff. Wow! I was skeptical but seriously this is a fire dessert! Jared, what do you think?

“Oh yeah, wow! It’s sweet but not overpowering. It’s really good!”

Final Scores

Beverly Hills Thai has to get a massive score. Guys, you can rate this however you like, on any type of scale you want. So what are we thinking?

Dovid?

“Well I’m not going to rate it, but I will say that it was very good, definitely deserves our support, and this was a big treat!”

So, would that be two thumbs up?

“What? as opposed to one? Yeah, definitely two thumbs up!”

I think that’s well deserved! Jared, what are you thinking for BHT?

“I love this food. It’s perfectly done, authentic Thai. I don’t have a huge scale to base it off because this is my first review, but I think I’m going 96 out of 100. This was a really good meal!”

Wow, that’s a massive first score! But Jared also told me he wants to be a heavy hitter on the ratings, so I’m not sure we should get used to such high scores from him.

As for me, this is going to be controversial. Until last week, this would have tied for my highest score ever. A spot Lenny’s Casita held for months. Meaning Beverly Hills Thai is in the top three restaurants we’ve ever reviewed because I’m giving it a 97 out of 100.

I just gotta call it for what it is: Beverly Hills Thai is the bomb dot com. The space isn’t massive, and I have a feeling Tasha may get even more busy after this review drops, so make sure you call ahead and grab a reservation! Especially if you’re a big group!

You really should check this one out too, because in my opinion it should be packed day and night like Lenny’s. It literally has that same uniqueness that makes it stand out from the pack.

I actually cannot recommend Beverly Hills Thai enough!!

Beverly Hills Thai Kosher

@DovidLieder Guest Score: Two Thumbs Up

@JaredKahnPhotography Hot Take: 96 out of 100

@WeWantMoshiachNow Official Score: 97 out of 100

Oh my goodness. What a meal! What a way to start off this new era of Farbreng With The Kosher Gang. Huge thanks to Dovid Lieder for coming along today! For more of his conversations with kosher restaurateurs, follow him @DovidLieder or pop into Lieder’s before Shabbos this week and say hi! I’ll definitely be there before the High Holidays getting some of those homemade classics for the chagim.

Tasha and Beverly Hills Thai will also hold a special place in my heart, in Farbreng Gang history, and in our memories; since this is our first ever expanded edition featuring photos from the talented Jared Kahn. Jared’s available for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and all simchas, so get in touch with him @JaredKahnPhotography. Stay tuned because next time the gang is closing out 5785 with a bang! Until next time, I think that’s a review.