Vegan ramen and pho stall headed for Grand Central Market

Remember that now-closed downtown restaurant that served bacon-wrapped matzo balls by that guy who won “Top Chef�? He’s back -- and he’s going to make vegan ramen and pho at a stall in Grand Central Market.

Ilan Hall, chef-owner of the downtown L.A. restaurant the Gorbals, which closed in late 2014, and the winner of the second season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,� plans to open L.A.’s first vegan ramen and pho restaurant at the downtown market this summer.

“Our food isn’t only for vegans,� Hall said in a news release. “We plan to showcase the versatility of fruits and vegetables in both traditional and non-traditional ways.�

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On the menu, you can expect khop ramen-doenjang broth with curry-roasted celeriac and kimchi; pho-ginger onion broth with rice noodles, lime, basil, cilantro and smoked tofu; and BBQ beet buns dressed in hoisin sauce with pickles.

And because this is L.A., every ramen dish will include a gluten-free option.

Rahul Khopkar, who worked at the Gorbals with Hall, will head the kitchen most of the time at the yet-to-be-named new ramen shop.

Hall’s soup shop joins a growing list of new restaurants at Grand Central Market, including Fernando Villagomez’s La Tostaderia, Mark Peel’s Bombo, and Sara Kramer and Sara Hymanson’s Madcapra falafel shop. A fresh pasta bar by Union chef Bruce Kalman and a food and beer counter by Golden Road Brewery are also coming soon.

317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, (213) 624-2378, www.grandcentralmarket.com.