>> La Manaba | Eat the World Los Angeles

Wednesday 26 October 2022

La Manaba

Elysian Park location under large tree

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ ECUADOR
๐Ÿ“ Academy Road Parking Lot, Elysian Park, Central Los Angeles
๐Ÿ…ฟ️ Parking Lot
๐Ÿ’ฒ Cash Only
๐Ÿฅค No Alcohol (although industrious drinkers will find beer for sale nearby)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Saturday only, check with vendor for exact lunch hours.

As you cruise down Stadium Way through Elysian Park on a weekend, you will see many birthday parties and family outings, sometimes with bouncy castles and always with tables full of food. On Saturdays near the volleyball courts you could mistake another gathering under the large tree as a private affair, but it is actually Chef Yanine and her crew who bring a few tables for customers and run an operation serving the coastal Ecuadorian food from Manabรญ province.

La Manaba promotes specifically the city of Portoviejo, the capital of Manabรญ which is known as "Ciudad de los Reales Tamarindos" or City of Royal Tamarind Trees. While many of the tamarind plantations are no longer around, the tree and fruit still mean a lot to its residents. The flag of the state is on the business's logo next to that of Ecuador, and while no flags are hanging to tip you off at the park, just look for the row of large pots and good smells.

Large and larger pots on the gas stove

The food will have a lot of rotation depending on the day you arrive, so take a look at the plates and bowls on other tables or ask Yanine in Spanish what she is cooking. You may see viche de cangrejo, a thick crab soup, or caldo de bola, the namesake ball of which is made from mashed plantain and placed in more hearty soup. Stews and soups in big bubbling cauldrons are perfect for this park setup, so as chilly weather sets in for winter this stand is now in the business of warming bodies.

One stew you will usually find each Saturday is encebollado de pescado ($15, below), which arrives looking like a pond whose surface is covered in algae. It is actually cilantro covering everything, moving it to the side reveals big hunks of meaty whitefish cooked with onions as the name suggests.

Encebollado de pescado

It is easy to close your eyes, put your nose to the bowl, and smell the Pacific Coast of Ecuador as if you were sitting in a seafood shack near Manta, the closest coastal city to Portoviejo. Often the soup is served with a big plate of Ecuadorian-style white rice, so make sure to ask for a side of this if you are eating it alone as it goes together so well.

Besides fish, the broth is fortified with chunks of yuca and some pickled goodies here and there along with plenty more sliced up onions. A lot of lime is used to make this tart, but you might find other people squeezing more in as desired so do not feel shy to ask for one to do the same.

Encebollado de pescado

When you walk up to the chef's table and cooking area, you will likely see a stack of pre-made but still uncooked cheese empanadas de viento (below). These are placed in the frying oil when they are ordered and show up scalding hot, everything inside melting slightly. It will be asked if you want a dusting of sugar and the only acceptable answer to this is yes.

The sugar combines with the oil for the perfect sweet fried treat, with the cheese bringing the whole creation back to the savory side. Initially you might be skeptical of the idea of sugar on your empanada, but try it at least once and you are likely to never go back when enjoying empanadas de queso ecuatorianas. Game changer.

Empanada de queso

If you order multiple items and choose one of the stews, you are likely to get that white rice discussed earlier. Ecuadorian rice has the addition of finely diced onions sauteed in butter being added while cooking, leaving a shiny layer of oily goodness. It could be eaten on its own it is so good.

This seco de chivo (below) had all the bones of a delicious meal, but unfortunately on this day the meat of the goat itself was far too bony and half the meat was not tender at all, making it hard to eat. The stew was delicious and full of so many flavors, and was eaten down to the last drop with the rice. people at other tables seemed to be more in the know, and were ordering the seco de pollo instead. Next time.

Seco de chivo

Chilly Saturdays during winter might be far from the tropical climates these dishes are naturally eaten in along the coast of Manabรญ province, but trips to Yanine are going to have to be worked into itineraries. You could even visit another weekends-only pop-up five minutes away in Solano Canyon if you were extra ambitious.

The tables she sets up are in a constant ebb and flow of Ecuadorians arriving for lunch, and others taking a break from their volleyball games to eat. Spaces will be made if necessary, and the whole thing feels like a big community gathering for someone visiting the first time. For Yanine and her regular customers, it is just another Saturday in Elysian Park.

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ

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