During the second half of my stay in Los Angeles, I had the opportunity to stay at The Line Hotel in Korea town. What a contrast it was going from staying at The Viceroy Santa Monica to a younger – I hate to use the word – hipster crowd of people. The closest comparison I can make is that it is similar to The Ace hotel in Shoreditch. Nevertheless, I was excited to see what the hype behind it was all about. Aren’t you ? Well, here is a look at what goes down at The Line.
The deco of the rooms is very minimal and I really loved the unfinished look of the concrete walls, where interesting art work hung, such as the photo of the cloud below.
By the way, this was my initial room which had a view of the restaurant right below, facing huge office buildings. Lighting in all their rooms is amazing because it is floor-to-ceiling, using curtains controlled by the push of a button.
The bathroom was simple and minimal, with interesting pieces such a hair dryer stored in a brown sack and a rectangular mirror with an oval frame in the centre.
The first night at the hotel, I ordered in and much to my surprise, my food came wrapped in a cloth. The Line has a restaurant called The Pot and it is run by Korean-American chef Roy Choi. Apparently, with room service, the idea behind presenting food this way was inspired by Choi’s parents who used to wrap food in this manner to bring to other Korean-American households.
I ordered the club sandwich with fries and a negroni to wash it all down.
Long story short, my room above the restaurant – known as The Commissary – had one slight problem; noise in the evening from all the activity down below. Fortunately, the kind staff moved me from the 5th floor to the 10th, on the opposite side of the hotel, with a view of Hollywood. If you ever book with The Line, make sure to ask for a room facing the Hollywood sign because you wake up to a much nicer and quieter view.
My first experience at The Commisary (you know, the restaurant I’ve been mentioning) was a breakfast meeting and I must say this is one of the prettiest places I have ever had the opportunity to eat in. It’s essentially a green house with plants and they serve food in it. How cool is that ?!
I ordered their fruit selection of the day with a cappuccino, while my colleague had boiled eggs and toast.
On the other side of The Commissary is the pool with lounge chairs. It’s like a little oasis in the middle of the city.
Not to bore you with what I did while I was staying at The Line, here is even more food from The Commissary for you to drool over. This was on my last day, Sunday, a day which is packed with many people who come here for brunch.
I ordered a Po’ Boy which is tempura-fried rock shrimp with lettuce, celery, pickles and spicy mayo on a soft French roll.
My friend had a beef breakfast burrito which I just managed to take a photo off as he was already devouring the other half before I could turn my camera on !
All I can say is, The Line is a very lively place filled with young people and an amazing array of food. Between the food at The Commissary and all the Korean BBQ spots one block up, I was spoiled for choice in terms of what I could eat. And if you don’t mind a busy hotel with lots of young people, I highly recommend staying here. This place is bursting with energy in the heart of Korea Town. Seriously, consider this place next time you plan a trip to Los Angeles.
Book a room at The Line Hotel – www.thelinehotel.com
Check out Visit California – http://www.visitcalifornia.com/uk
