Mahattan Beach gets a new bistro featuring a cross-section of Southeast Asian cuisines this Thursday, July 11 when Jed Sanford and chef Tin Vuong open Little Sister on Manhattan Avenue. It'll be the second restaurant they've opened this year, after launching their Neapolitan pizzeria WildCraft Pizza in downtown Culver City earlier in February.

The two envisioned Little Sister as the younger sibling to Abigaile, their gastropub in Hermosa Beach. Sanford says, “Tin and I have always wanted to do a smaller restaurant. The menu is more focused [than Abigaile]. There's consistency in the root way in which we cook — a lot of classic French technique and a fair amount of Asian influences on the menu.”

With that in mind, Little Sister will feature dishes that are heavy on Southeast Asian influences, “particularly the blend of French cooking that happened with the colonization” of the region. That means you might see dishes like a roasted duck salad with salted apricot vin, pan-fried pork baos with house sambal sauce, and Vietnamese coconut chicken curry with confit potatoes. “Tin grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. It's a lot more personal to him in terms of his roots. This is like if you were to go to Tin's house and he cooked what he wanted to cook.”

The drinks menu is one way the new 52-seat restaurant will benefit from its familial connection, serving five to six Abigaile beers alongside a wine list focused on California varietals.

Little Sister opens for dinner this Thursday. A weekend lunch service will soon be added to the schedule, eventually expanding to the rest of the week.

Little neck clams with sweet bean sauce, lap chueng, and sugar snap peas; Credit: Jason Speth

Little neck clams with sweet bean sauce, lap chueng, and sugar snap peas; Credit: Jason Speth

And in related news:

– Like Sourdough? Then You'll Love WildCraft Pizza in Culver City

– Abigaile, Kitchen 24 to Open Monday

– Union Cattle Co. Closing; Becoming Abigaile

Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. Follow the author on Twitter at @chrstnchiao.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.