Vivian Ku’s three Taiwanese restaurants — the original Pine & Crane in Silver Lake, its second location in downtown L.A. and her slightly more casual spinoff Joy in Highland Park — can be, and usually are, mobbed at any given time of day. Each has a slightly different fast-casual menu that quells cravings for shrimp wontons with satisfying snap, dan dan noodles plunged in peanut-sesame sauce and comforts like minced pork over rice gently revved with soy-braised egg and daikon pickles. Her connection to the Taiwanese dining culture in the San Gabriel Valley, where she gathered with relatives growing up, animates the spirit of her cooking. She credits her penchant for light, clean flavors to her grandmother, who immigrated to Taiwan from China in 1949 before the family moved to America. The DTLA out-post holds special appeal for its daily riffs on Taipei-style breakfast dishes, including crunchy-soft fan tuan wrapped tightly with soy egg and pork floss, savory “thousand-layer” pancake wraps that make great on-the-go meals and dan bing (rolled egg crepe crunching with corn kernels and shaved cabbage). An extensive beverage program centered around Taiwanese whiskies draws me back downtown in the evenings. — B.A.

1120 S. GRAND AVE., UNIT 101, LOS ANGELES, (213) 536-5292 l PINEANDCRANE.COM

Popular dishes include minced pork on rice, three cup chicken with rice and sauteed seasonal vegetables.