The Spice Table
![Bartender and server Bree Pavey chats with customers at the Spice Table, a new downtown restaurant.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/69ea144/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x400+0+0/resize/600x400!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F93%2F5814372e5eb237b5b87adc4a2fbf%2Ffo-0616-review01-lmjx35nc.jpg)
Bartender and server Bree Pavey chats with customers at the Spice Table, a new downtown restaurant. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d46c505/2147483647/strip/true/crop/306x450+0+0/resize/306x450!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbb%2F54%2F5e3993c6e1d99a87284baa150bef%2Ffo-0616-review02-lmjx0enc.jpg)
Beef rendang features intricately spiced, slow-braised beef that’s incredibly tender. Its heat smolders and comes on slowly. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2ab4091/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x393+0+0/resize/600x393!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd6%2Fa3%2F03aff163c65c7bcd8ef51b84fbc9%2Ffo-0616-review03-lmjwstnc.jpg)
Raw yellowtail is served with scallions, sesame seeds and chiles. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b04dbbb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x393+0+0/resize/600x393!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F42%2Fcf%2Fa7240b05a4c91f3e4741a6f682d7%2Ffo-0616-review04-lmjx0rnc.jpg)
Grilled bok choy comes with mushrooms and an oyster sauce. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
![Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3f8ca48/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x400+0+0/resize/600x400!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F12%2Fd3%2Fb620da46db59c08df481e99bf9e3%2Ffo-0616-review05-lmjwz0nc.jpg)
The shrimp sambal is cooked over the wood fire and flavored with a fiery paste. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Curry fried chicken wings are first rolled in panko and a house-made spice mix. The wings are served hot and crunchy, a wonderful match for the Bruery’s Tradewinds Tripel. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/29099ca/2147483647/strip/true/crop/316x450+0+0/resize/316x450!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F13%2Fdd%2F0e3d1da89f79f2afcfc2a9f39271%2Ffo-0616-review07-lmjwtxnc.jpg)
A soft-serve ice cream is made with four kinds of black tea. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/03153b3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x400+0+0/resize/600x400!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8b%2F11%2F7f94daa39d5ed66338312aa05f92%2Ffo-0616-review08-lmjwyenc.jpg)
The restaurant in Little Toyko has an outside dining area. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f0da7d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x400+0+0/resize/600x400!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2Ffe%2Fb7f5d5d21328d10dba1ad1c72450%2Ffo-0616-review09-lmjx2pnc.jpg)
Chef Bryant Ng, at the door of his new restaurant, is from Singapore. He was formerly the chef de cuisine at Pizzeria Mozza. Ng’s wife is Vietnamese. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
![The Spice Table](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9b15322/2147483647/strip/true/crop/300x450+0+0/resize/300x450!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc7%2Fc3%2Fcf3220afe46800caa471691a1390%2Ffo-0616-review10-lmjwwvnc.jpg)
The interior of the weathered brick building in Little Tokyo is decorated with antique iron bird cages. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
The restaurant is on the eastern edge of Little Tokyo. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)