Explore Southland ethnic eats

At Phnom Penh Noodle Restaurant in Long Beach, $5 buys you a bowl of house special noodle soup. You can order the soup on the side, as seen above. (Chau Ichiban / April 5, 2012)

By Jenn Harris, Jason La and Michael Robinson Los Angeles Times

4:15 p.m. EDT, March 28, 2012
Neighborhood: Thai Town


Type: Thai

4356 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles

(323) 666-5993 http://www.watdongmoonlek.com

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

$3.99

Located in a Silver Lake shopping center, Wat Dong Moon is a small joint with chalk drawings of celebrities on the walls. The food is traditional Thai cuisine; the star dishes are the noodle soups. For less than $5 you can get a small bowl of either the beef or pork wat dong moon lek noodle soup with your choice of noodles, bean sprouts, scallions and either braised pork or beef. The soup broth is rich in flavor and definitely slurp-worthy.

—JH

Vegan crispy nuggets from Charm Vegan restaurant

Neighborhood: South Pasadena

Type: Vegan Thai

711 No. K Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena

(626) 441-2484, charmvegan.com

Open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

$4.95

Eating vegan on a budget can be difficult, with restaurants often charging extra for specialty ingredients and meat substitutes, but not at Charm Vegan. Their crispy nuggets are tender pieces of soy "chicken" fried to a golden brown and served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

—JH

Phnom Penh Noodle Restaurant

Neighborhood: Long Beach

Type: Cambodian