My summer days have been stacked sandwiches. They’ve been multi-tiered wedding cakes. Layers and layers of work tasks and special outings and training runs and grocery shopping. These long, sunny days have been far from lazy. But just because this season has been busier than I’d planned doesn’t mean I have to skip the fun stuff. Like hanging with friends and celebrating special occasions – which I did recently, using the excuse of my ex-work daughter’s* birthday to sup at a new spot.
New to us, and relatively new to the LBC. Opened just last year, Manaow brings Thai to Long Beach in a way others haven’t – with variety and flair. With a contemporary ease that settles you in before you’ve even ordered (though after checking out their menu online, you know that you’re going to start with their fried tamarind chicken wings!). Driving down the street, you might miss it as it’s tucked in next to a Fluff & Fold, pushed back from the street behind a row of parking spaces (and me, I was so concerned with finding street parking that I didn’t even notice the spaces…until after I’d “scored” with a spot across the street and half a block down).
Needing to get out of my Pad Thai habit, I opted for a different noodle dish at Manaow. The Drunken Noodles seemed fitting, as the best way of making my sandwiched/tiered cake of a life bearable has been with alcohol. Also known as Pad Kee Mao, this dish is an edible cocktail of stir-fried rice noodles, ground chicken, bell peppers, basil, and chili. I took mine medium spiced, a good choice for me as I just barely tolerated it after squeezing it over with a wedge of lime. The basil and the peppers worked well together, bringing a punch to the perfectly al dente noodles. Though I’m super curious about their take on Pad Thai, there’s a good chance I’ll stick with the drunken noodles on my next visit.
Which will be soon, as Manaow’s charm certainly rubbed me the right way. The same way The Attic – just a couple blocks down – worked its magic with me. This place will certainly become a new Long Beach staple of mine, making my way through the menu over many visits.
Or just staying drunk. I’m good at it. Only problem with Manaow is that the drunken noodles is the only thing in the place gettin’ tipsy. That’s right – no cocktails, no beer, no wine at Manaow. Not a terrible thing. It’s certainly a way to save myself a few dollars. And there are plenty of other spots in walking distance to get your drank on (I mentioned The Attic, along with Panxa and my husband’s go-to spot, EJ Malloy’s). But it will be nice if Manaow adds a few grown-folk beverages to the repertoire. Apparently, that’s the case with desserts according to our waitress. It’s mango with sticky rice for now. More choices coming soon.
If the food weren’t tasty enough to merit a return trip, a sort of tactility there exists that you want to be part of. You want to chill with friends and strangers at the communal table running the middle of the restaurant. You long to lean into the diagonally wood-paneled walls if settled at a booth, watching the relaxed blur that is Broadway. You want to forget that your stop here is but one ingredient in your busy day. Hopefully, things slow down for me soon so I can take all the time I want to get high on my supply of drunken noodles. Or Pad Thai. Or tamarind wings (I know I mentioned them, but I failed to say how I’m still licking my fingers days later, wanting more of their sweet, succulent crispiness). Perhaps it was just one part of my day, but spending my time here with friends and family made my day awesome.
Manaow in Long Beach
3618 E. Broadway
Fried Tamarind Chicken Wings
Drunken Noodles || Pad Kee Mao
Waterfall Beef Salad || Num Tok Nuah
Northern Style Curried Noodles || Kao Soi
Still needing to satisfy a few sweet tooths in our party, we made a post-dinner stop at In-N-Out for shakes. And since we were already there, figured it wouldn’t hurt to add a few fries.
*If you’re new to Diandethal, I’ll make it simple. Some of my work colleagues are such close friends of mine that they’ve become family members. I have a work wife, a work son, a work baby-daddy, a work nanny, a work gardener, and a work sister. Kristina, whose birthday we celebrated, had been my work daughter until she left for employment elsewhere. Now she’s the daughter previously known as my work daughter, who will soon make me a Mee-Mah with that bundle cooking in her oven.