Little Fatty: Reinventing Taiwanese Comfort Food in LA
Discover how Chef David blends childhood nostalgia, Michelin-star training, and top-tier ingredients to reinvent Taiwanese comfort food at Little Fatty in Los Angeles.
At Little Fatty, chef-owner David is redefining what it means to serve Taiwanese-American cuisine. Blending childhood nostalgia, classical training, and years of experience in top kitchens, he’s created a menu that is both familiar and refreshingly modern.
From Backyard Vegetables to Michelin-Starred Kitchens
David’s love for food started early. Growing up in Muscovina, his family had a backyard full of vegetables—something he admits was “kind of embarrassing” as a kid, but ultimately shaped his connection to fresh ingredients. His mom would cook multiple dishes a night, and weekends were reserved for dim sum and traditional Chinese restaurants.
Even in college, he found himself competing in Iron Chef-style dorm room battles, a sign that food was more than just a hobby. After a brief stint in property management—where he worked in a restaurant on the side—David took the leap, enrolling at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena before heading to New York to train at a three Michelin-starred restaurant. Eventually, he returned to LA, saved up, and opened Little Fatty, bringing his unique vision of Taiwanese food to the Westside.
A Modern Take on Tradition
Little Fatty’s menu is a culmination of David’s culinary experiences, blending classical techniques with the flavors of his upbringing. “Everything on our menu is an updated version of the great classics,” he explains. “It’s familiar, but it’s the new version of it.”
One standout dish is the mapo tofu, a dish that challenges the notion of “authenticity.” Traditionally, it’s made with doubanjiang from China’s Sichuan region, but David sources a gluten-free Taiwanese version and pairs it with organic red yeast black bean soy paste. “People say it’s not authentic, but that’s because these ingredients didn’t even exist when our parents were making it,” he says.
With LA’s rich food scene, sourcing top-tier ingredients is never a problem. His tofu comes from Megi Tofu in Gardena, which still uses 1960s machinery to produce ultra-dense, high-quality blocks. It’s this level of attention to detail that makes every dish at Little Fatty shine.
The Dishes That Keep People Coming Back
Little Fatty’s menu is so beloved that removing an item can cause an uproar. “We brought back the duck pizza because people wouldn’t stop asking for it,” David laughs. More recently, the team has expanded the seafood offerings, adding dishes like steamed sea bass, clams with basil, and soft-shell crab bao.
But if there’s one dish that defines David’s cooking, it’s the BBQ pork bao. Originally inspired by a desire to serve Peking duck, he pivoted after a friend warned him about the logistical challenges. Instead, he developed a labor-intensive process that braises the pork for four hours, air-dries the skin until crisp, and then deep-fries it before tossing it in a house-made barbecue sauce. The result? A perfect bite of crispy, tender, and flavorful pork tucked into a pillowy bao with coleslaw, sauce, and hot mustard. “It sounds crazy, but that’s how I grew up—eating things with bones, with your hands, and sharing with friends,” he says.
Expanding the Little Fatty Empire
Little Fatty isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Two new expansions are in the works, adding 50 to 75 more seats, another bar, and an event space. The team is also reimagining Fatty Mart, their Asian-inspired grocery store, by adding a liquor license and redesigning the space.
Beyond LA, David is venturing into robotic cooking with a University of Arizona partnership, bringing Little Fatty’s flavors to college students through automated wok stations. If all goes well, he hopes to expand the concept into food deserts, making high-quality Asian food more accessible.
What’s Next?
With David’s relentless drive and deep-rooted love for food, Little Fatty continues to push the boundaries of Taiwanese-American cuisine. Whether it’s perfecting a BBQ pork bao, expanding into new spaces, or bringing his food to unexpected places, one thing is clear—Little Fatty is just getting started.