Pasadena’s Biggest New Opening Boasts Sultry Southeast Asian Fare

10/05/2024

Southeast Asian dishes from Starleaf in Pasadena.

Star Leaf, a well-known Southeast Asian upscale restaurant, opened on April 5 in Pasadena’s Playhouse District. With 43 locations scattered throughout Asia, the brand is betting that its modern Thai, Singaporean, and Vietnamese specialties, Asian-inspired cocktails, and handpicked culinary team will help establish a presence in the U.S.

Founded in 2011 by restaurateur Ruth Lin, Star Leaf’s new Pasadena outlet boasts the chain’s most capable chefs for the opening. Max Wu is the former private chef to the prime minister of Singapore and the winner of the World Chef Championship, and Jeremy Chen is the winner of the Singapore Chef King competition. They serve as Star Leaf’s co-executive chefs. Lin also enlisted Hong Kong celebrity chef Dai Long, the inspiration for Stephen Chow’s God of Cookery, to oversee the project. In addition, chef Ryan Liu, originally from China and previously at Hakkasan Dubai, has also joined the team. Locally, the team enlisted native Angeleno and Filipino American chef Christopher Aquino, who previously helped open Erewhon Markets, to infuse Filipino and other Southeast Asian flavors with a Californian flair.

Star Leaf’s 8,000-square-foot location on Colorado Boulevard, occupying a former Roy’s Hawaiian restaurant, cost over $3.8 million to build. The interior boasts a design reminiscent of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore or Blue Elephant restaurant in Bangkok. Every detail, from the bricks to the tiles, wooden panels, and cabinets, was custom-made and shipped from Asia. Designer Weixin Zhou, known for his contributions to Beijing’s Forbidden City restoration, brought nine containers filled with decorative materials for the restaurant.

Dining room of Star Leaf in Pasadena.

“Our influence draws heavily from Asian and European cultures, blending elements from a colonial past, which includes touches of Thai, Vietnamese, French, Indonesian, and Dutch influences. We also tried to respect historic Pasadena’s existing Art Deco vibe,” says Lin.

The mostly Thai-inspired menu blends in influences from Singapore, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian cuisines. The signature tom yum soup gets simmered for 13 hours, boasting a vibrant orange hue from roasted shrimp shells and a blend of chilies, galangal, lemongrass, mushrooms, pork bones, chicken bones, mussels, and prawns. Other highlights include the Royal Crown fried rice made with wild Icelandic capelin, fish roe, scallops, shrimp, and black and white jasmine rice, giving it a nutty, fragrant aroma.

The Thai Royal curry is made with pounded herbs and slow-roasted with sambal rempah, coconut cream, duck eggs, and mashed potatoes. It comes with a fresh baguette on the side. Madame Noi’s pork collar is marinated overnight and then roasted before being paired with lettuce cups and green papaya salad. The Ikan Bakar, an Indonesian and Malay dish, features charcoal-grilled whole golden pomfret fish served with housemade sweet and sour tropical slaw, mango chili dip, Asian salsa verde, and vermicelli.

“For us, the food and the restaurant are tributes to our team’s travels and time spent living in Southeast Asia. Every detail, from the decor to the menu, reflects our love for the region and its diverse heritage, and we want to put elevated Southeast Asian cuisine and hospitality on the map here in LA,” says Lin.

Striking wood table and open kitchen at Star Leaf.

A banquette with colonial design cues at Star Leaf.

For dessert, the Pink Mekong at Star Leaf represents the region’s tapestry. Made with coconut cream, red dragon fruit, mango, lotus seeds, red beans, and peach gum, it incorporates the flavors along the Mekong River, which flows through China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. It’s served in a gold hot pot-like vessel with dry ice smoke for dramatic effect.

The restaurant seats up to 230 people and is designed for family-style dining. The bar accommodates 20 guests and offers daily cocktail specials and bar bites during happy hour from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Lin expects diners to spend about $35 per person for lunch or $80 per person for dinner. A few items can keep meals approachable, like cocktails priced at $13, mini banh mi sandwiches, Penang chicken satay, and tropical mango fish — all of which are under $10.

Star Leaf is located at 641 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101, and is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is on weekdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.