Screenings of classic movies are becoming quite popular here, especially now that people are moving from the grassy but creepy setting of Hollywood Forever Cemetery and on to airy and inviting rooftop spaces like those in DTLA, Hollywood, and (now) Melrose.

This week, Magneto and I went to the Melrose Rooftop Cinema for Kevin Bacon’s breakout film Footloose, hosted at and on the roof of EP & LP, an Aussie-owned restaurant that specializes in Southeast Asian flavors with rooftop bar that hosts signature cocktails. Magneto bought the Dinner and a Movie package, giving us a three course meal beforehand, and reserved seating for the movie.

Presented with their prix fixe menu specially created for the film events held here, we had two choices for each of the three courses. I started with the heirloom tomato salad, with gingered endive, tamarind, and sesame. The dressing was thick and savory, and the sharp kick of ginger tempered the sticky sweetness of tamarind quite nicely.

Magneto’s starter was the sticky spare ribs, tender pieces of pork riblets fried and coated in a combination of 5 spice caramel, roasted serrano chili, and roasted rice. We loved the ribs and sauce, and the portion – though small – was perfectly sized for an appetizer with such rich, bold flavors.

We both ordered the fried chicken entree: a half chicken each brined and deep fried with no breading or coating for perfectly rendered fat, super crispy skin, and plenty of juicy meat. Served with a sauce of black vinegar, black bean sauce, lemon, and chilis, this protein plate needed no accoutrement.

For dessert, I chose the mango pudding. With the coconut ice cream, citrus-scented tapioca, puffed rice bits, and slivers of fresh and slightly salty green mango, this dessert fulfilled all my tropical island cravings.

Magneto’s desert was the ginger crunchie, a chocolate-covered honeycomb, ginger crystal, ice cream combination that knocked his socks off.

Pairing the meal with drinks, Magneto enjoyed his Piña Horchata cocktail and I couldn’t get enough of my Turning Japanese concoction, served in a bottle, and made with Japanese whiskey, bitters, and other tasty things I don’t remember (hahaha).

Let’s not talk about calorie count #becausecocktails, but we did pretty well with the food, since we skipped heavy starches and focused just on fresh proteins and veggies.

I’ll admit, there are still some kinks to work out at this venue – for example, the kitchen vents directly onto the seating area for the movie, so we all smelled like fried chicken by the end of the night – but I am so entranced by the idea of a real, lovely meal and real, lovely cocktails before a film, rather than the sloppy junk food and faux cocktails at other rooftop cinema events, that I am going to buy tickets for another screening right away!