Pearl River Deli Chef Johnny Lee Explores Southeast Asian Diaspora at His New LA Restaurant

After years of independently operating one notable Southern California restaurant after another, former Pearl River Deli chef Johnny Lee can take a slight breather at his new restaurant, Rasarumah . Lee, along with the founders of Last Word Hospitality, will debut their new Historic Filipinotown restaurant on Sunday, November 24. Rasarumah is where Lee can display his decades-long obsession with foods that explore the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, in a restaurant name that translates to “flavor house” in Malay.

Lee partnered with Last Word’s Holly Fox and Adam Weisblatt ( Barra Santos , Queen St. , Found Oyster , Shins ) and is happy to finally work with established operators. Though he was pleased with the response to his popular shuttered Cantonese spot in Chinatown, being without other business partners became a heavy burden for a chef-owner.



“At Pearl River Deli, I did everything on my own. I learned that growing pains can be very debilitating to your business,” says Lee. While running Pearl River Deli, Lee began ruminating about Rasarumah during travels to Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia and Singapore.

The Dutch, Portuguese, and English have colonized the region. Malaysia also borders Singapore, and Lee found that the Malaysian population could often speak three or four languages, even Lee’s native Cantonese. “I was interested in seeing what Cantonese diaspora food looked like outside of China, especially in places like America,” explains Lee.

“It was interesting seeing how the food changed as people immigrated to these other countries.” Lee describes Rasarumah as a Chinese Malaysian restaurant incorporating various parts of Malay culture, with Indian and Indonesian flavors also playing a significant part. He’ll serve fried chicken with nasi lemak, a popular Malay coconut rice.

Lee prepares two different noodles, including a char kway teow, an evolution of chow fun with more vibrant seasoning than the traditional Cantonese version. The chicken and pork jowl satay is inspired by Hainanese immigrants who like to use pork. The gado gado salad comes with traditional ingredients of fried tofu, herbs, peanut dressing, and shrimp chips.

Snacky sides include achar turmeric pickles and shrimp chips with sambal dipping sauces, but the wagyu beef cheek rendang with roti bread will likely be Rasarumah’s crowd-pleaser. Veteran sommelier and Last Word beverage director Evelyn Goreshnik (previously of Michael’s and Dudley Market) compiled an accessible list of wines, shochu, and sake, along with Skyduster and Carlsberg for beer selections. She also stocked St.

Agrestis’s non-alcoholic Negroni. Those familiar with the Vaka Burger space won’t recognize the former restaurant. Fox reimagined the 38-capacity seat space with a Penang cafe-inspired flair that rings from the 1970s, adding backsplash tiles to the eight-seat bar, custom wood banquettes, reclaimed light fixtures, and a lush plant wall on the front window facing Beverly Boulevard.

Lee’s photographs of Malaysia also line the room. If looking closely enough, one might notice a handful of images of the 2001 film Zoolander playfully stationed throughout. Lee wants diners to let the staff assist with ordering his Chinese Malaysian menu, though Southern California has plenty of Malaysian options such as Alhambra’s Ipoh Kopitiam and Fairfax’s Singapore’s Banana Leaf .

Lee is confident that people will adapt. “Rasarumah felt like a concept that people might feel unfamiliar with. But I knew if it was delicious, we should still give it a shot,” says Lee.

Starting Sunday, November 24, Rasa Rumah is open Thursday to Monday from 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm at 3107 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90026. For reservations, head to Resy . Related Sign up for our newsletter.

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