Grant Smillie & David Combs Founders of EP & LP South East Asian Restaurant

E.P. & L.P - the restaurant-rooftop-bar -place-to-be-seen that Smillie and his fellow Australian business partner David Combes built from scratch in West Hollywood - counts the likes of Al Pacino, Matt Damon and Jerry Bruckheimer among its star-studded clientele.Such heady success is no small feat in a city that is notoriously difficult to impress. It was built on business acumen, creative nous, two years of hard work and an investment of about five million dollars. "When I started the project, I didn't have grey hair," Smillie reflects.A cornerstone of the overnight success story of E.P. & L.P., located on North La Cienega Boulevard near iconic Melrose Avenue has been its food offering. "We believe there was a gap in the market in the way that Australians do a spin on modern Asian. Louis Tikaram (formerly Longrain, Sydney) is a real asset." Being a pair of Aussies in Tinsel Town – where casting agents and barflies alike drink up the Antipodean accent and work ethic – certainly hasn't hurt. "Americans love an Aussie," Smillie says. "They love the way we work, and our spirit and integrity. They really like risk-takers and go-getters."