Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of health services for L.A. County, recently reported some good news suggesting that the effective transmission rate of the coronavirus is slightly decreasing. This is good news for all LA Country residents, but in particular, to small businesses that are weathering the storm.
This week I am happy to report two restaurants that have recently re-opened for take-out business, Silog and Azuma. The other restaurant, Los Angeles Banh Mi, was recently included in an LA Banh Mi round up.
Silog
The lumpia egg rolls were fried crisp and delicious with their sweet and sour sauce. I also tried their atchara, an appetizer made from pickled green papaya. This tangy sweet and sour appetizer pairs nicely with grilled meat and I could even envision this with a grilled meat sandwich.
Adobo Chicken Silog 
Tapa Silog
Lumpia 
Papaya Salad
Entrees consist of silog, a word created from combining sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (salted egg) and a choice of meat. My wife and I found both the beef and the chicken to have delicious marinades and were grilled perfectly. It was placed on top of garlic fried rice with a soft boiled egg.
Silog, 1555 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501; 424.263.5961
eatsilog.com
Azuma
Azuma is a family-owned restaurant that is well known in the Japanese American community. They serve Japanese comfort food like rice bowls, noodle dishes and combination plates. The owners of Azuma also own the Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop in Gardena. They also re-opened recently for call ahead and take out only.
Beef Teriyaki 
Oyakodon
My wife was quite pleased that her beef teriyaki consisted of quality beef and that had been prepared with a marinade. Oyakodon is considered to be Japanese soul food consisting of chicken and onions simmered in a dashi broth with eggs added towards the end. The result is a umami rich egg, chicken and rice bowl.
Azuma, 16123 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90247; 310.532.8623
Los Angeles Banh Mi
Los Angeles Banh Mi was recently listed in the LA Times article “Eight great places for takeout banh mi” Because I was recently in the area, I selected lunch items via their integrated Yelp / Grubhub interface. Once I found their Yelp page, I was able to connect to Grubhub’s online form.
Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi 
Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi
I found that their meats had a nice marinade, but were overcooked and dry. I prefer a Vietnamese baguette because it isn’t as large as a French roll and offers a better balance. Los Angeles Bahi Mi gets points for special sandwiches like their spicy fried chicken (available on Fridays) and one made with carnitas and Mexican crema.
Los Angeles Banh Mi, 2479 E Florence Ave, Huntington Park, CA 90255; 323.553.171
thelosangelesbanhmico.com