LAReview
Included In
Not everyone can pull off a double life. It works for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but politicians? Not so much. Silver Lake’s Tet-A-Tet makes harboring an alternate persona look easy, though. You might know it as All Day Baby, the cozy daytime spot on Sunset that serves milkshakes and flaky biscuits with a slice of old-school Americana. Once nighttime rolls around, however, it transforms into a Vietnamese restaurant: Tet-A-Tet. For the most part, this genre-bending space pulls off its nightly transformation with style and a bit of flair. As long as you order strategically.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
The only atmospheric difference between All Day Baby and Tet-A-Tet is that they dim the lights for dinner. Yes, it sets the mood, but they’re not really fooling anyone. You’re still in All Day Baby. During the day, you'd probably would have no idea Tet-A-Tet even exists. There’s no shiny marquee or sign spinner directing traffic to the dinner menu. All of this makes the experience of eating here feel like you're in on a secret. And we like the sharp contrast of eating Vietnamese food next to a pastry case of cookies and banana cream pies (which, by the way, are still available at dinner).
Tet-A-Tet is primarily Vietnamese, with some added miscellaneous Latin influences. These happen in all the right places: chicken wings are tossed in a smoky salsa macha, and oxtail stew comes with hominy to give it a pozole feel. If this ingenious mixing of flavors feels familiar, Tet-A-Tet is from the same people behind Here’s Looking At You, a Koreatown restaurant that we love very, very much.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
We suggest focusing your attention on the second half of the menu, where there's a silky jidori chicken liver pâte with sweet mango jam, tender pig trotters in a salty black vinegar sauce, and fried rice with generous amounts of blue crab meat. The whole fried fish sitting in green curry is also a non-negotiable, regardless if you’re dining solo or with lucky guests.
But not everything is a homerun at Tet-A-Tet. Some of the smaller plates—like the spicy beef salad and the “refreshing salad” with vermicelli—are potential skips. These dishes are tasty with their tangy, chili-infused vinaigrettes, but they're also not the most interesting things on the menu. We'd rather focus our attention (and appetite) elsewhere.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
The novelty of eating at a restaurant within a restaurant is just one part of Tet-A-Tet’s appeal, and certainly not the most exciting thing about this place. The food is genuinely very good, despite a few forgettable dishes. Its creative spins on Vietnamese food combined with a casual but lively atmosphere make for a good time with friends, or a date you actually want to last a while. So don't just call it a pop-up inside of All Day Baby. Its name is Tet-A-Tet, or at least on Wednesdays to Saturdays after 6pm.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Cocktails
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Spicy Beef Salad
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Jidori Chicken Liver Pâté
Crispy Imperial Rolls
Blue Crab Fried Rice
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Smoked Half Chicken
Smoked Whole Chicken Wings
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Whole Fried Huachinango
Wedding Cake
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