Same Same But Different in Silverlake

20 Jun Same Same But Different in Silverlake

Posted at 11:15h in Food, Wine by Allison Levine

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Same Same……but Different. That is the name of the Thai restaurant tucked in a strip mall on Sunset Blvd in Silverlake. Locals know the place as Rambutan Thai and while the kitchen and food remain the same, the front of the house is different. Now the name makes sense, right?

Adam Weisblatt of Last Word Hospitality and his partners Angus McShane and Holly Zack are what is different about Same Same. They were on a mission to find a small, established business to buy and take over and create a Basque wine bar. They found Rambutan, a 13-year-old family business in Silverlake. However as Weisblatt shared with me, as they were looking to buy the place they noticed how customers were drawn to owners Katy Noochlaor and Annie Daniel. So instead of buying the place, they decided to collaborate.

Same Same was born. Noochlaor and Daniel are cooking many of the same recipes in the same kitchen. But in the front Weisblatt and his partners have created a wine and beer bar.

The eclectic list of wines (and beers) are well-suited to pair with the spicy flavors of Thai cuisine. Crisp white wines like txakolina, dry riesling and chenin blanc are some of the curated wines that can be found on the list.

I had never eaten at Rambutan previous to it becoming Same Same. On my visit to Same Same, I loved the fresh flavors, balanced spices and the simplicity of each dish. Paired with wines selected by Weisblatt made the meal complete. Here is a what we enjoyed:

Pa Pia Sod – Fresh Spring Roll (prawns, pork, tofu, bean sprouts, chive, cucumber with tamarind sauce)