SOME LIKE IT HOT

Variety is the spice of life, and spicy food is found in a variety of recently reviewed restaurants. These restaurants s erve meals that hail from such hot-food havens as Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, Pakistan, India and even the U . S . A . The food at these restaurants may help clear up your nasal passages or , at the very least, give you an edible jolt. All prices exclude drinks. (First of two parts.)

AGUNG INDONESIAN RESTAURANT (3909 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 660-2113). Agung owners Rudy and Francine Yap come from Sumatra, a place where the food and the weather is very hot. Rest assured, they’ve transfered the heat to L.A. Sate Padang is a specialty, which is nothing like the usual kebabs with peanut sauce--Agung makes it with tongue. The sauce is brilliantly yellow, tasting of lemon grass and definitely not of peanuts. Pork sate is marvelous too. Another exceptional dish is tahu telor . Tahu , which is tofu, is cooked with the eggs ( telor ) into a sort of large, flat omelet topped with a soy sauce mixture. To wash it all down, the Yaps whip up frosty drinks like es tape , a tall blend of ice, milk, young coconut strands and rose syrup. Open Wed.-Mon. for lunch and dinner. MC, V. Parking on street or lot. Dinner for two: $14-$20.

CHUTNEY’S (2406 S. Barrington Ave., West Los Angeles, (213) 477-6263). Two charming ladies, Farzana from Pakistan and Neela, a Punjabi from Bombay, have opened a homey little place on a busy Westside corner. Most of the recipes are their own and the menu is loaded with toothsome snacks like samosas --stuffed savory pastry triangles--and pakoras , deep-fried vegetable fritters in a chickpea batter. At a large chutney bar, little dishes of seven or eight different homemade chutneys (tamarind, mango, coconut, tomato, mint, cilantro, etc.) sit waiting to be spooned up. Chutney’s also has homemade breads, little salads and special drinks to accompany the dishes. The restaurant, which is simply appointed, is designed more for speed than comfort, but it offers a thoroughly honest style of cooking. Open daily. No credit cards. Dinner for two: $10-$20.

HOT WINGS CAFE (7011 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 930-1233). If it’s on Melrose, it has to be trendy. You know it’s not going to be standard fast-food atmosphere, and Hot Wings delivers the goods. First, there is the lively-looking, peachy pink exterior. Inside, the look is as plain as most snack places except for little, chic arty touches. No lineups here: Customers sit down and are waited on while sipping egg creams and seltzers. They order wine from a small list and choose from a menu that reflects the current veneration of traditional and regional American food. The slant here is East Coast and the food is simple--mainly sandwiches and salads. But the spice is found in the Buffalo-style chicken wings for which the cafe is named. Open Mon.-Sat. for lunch and dinner; dinner only Sun. No credit cards. Dinner for two: $7.50-$20.

HUNAN GARDEN (1119 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, (213) 451-2808). The popularity of this restaurant is understandable, for the food is immensely appealing to the American taste. Down-to earth, robust, familiar dishes are served in generous portions. There’s lemon chicken with a thick, tart-sweet sauce. Another dish in the poultry section is that old-timer moo goo gai pan . This light, fresh combination of sliced chicken breast, pea pods, bamboo shoots and mushrooms shouldn’t be overlooked. Spare ribs in super-hot sauce are irresistibly good. For a table side show, order sizzling-steak or sizzling-seas delicacies. For comparison, check out the other Hunan at 9102 Pico Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 858-1926. Open Mon.-Sat. for lunch; dinner daily. Major credit cards. Dinner for two: $15-$25.

SI YEON (721 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 382-2277). This Korean restaurant is a cavernous place. Its vast openness, tempered with plants and some beautifully etched glass, was not planned but was inherited--the building formerly housed a bowling alley. There are a number of really hot dishes here, including soups and grilled meats. Beef appears in many forms--barbecued, stewed, in soup and raw--and most of it is good stuff. Meals include a variety of side dishes, including blazing-hot kimchi , salty, sweet dried fish, marinated eggplant strands, oysters in hot sauce and marinated spinach. Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. MC, AE, V. Validated parking. Dinner for two: $15.

SOMPUN (4156 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 669-9906; 12053 Ventura Place, Studio City, (818) 762-7861; 14627 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, (818) 781-7459). There’s a lot to fall in love with at this restaurant--for starters, the cool, cottagey look, the neatness and the courtesy. And then there’s the food-- mee krob is tops and tom-ka-kai , made with chicken, is rich and creamy with coconut milk, soured with lemon grass, flavors rounded with cilantro and laos. The hot beef salad tempers the chiles with lime juice, romaine, cilantro and thin slices of sweet onion and cucumber. For dessert, the fried banana is excellent; so is the coconut ice cream. The restaurant is pleasantly plain, but there’s a charming garden at the Los Angeles location. Hours vary with location. MC, V, DC. Street parking. Dinner for two: $20-$25.

THE TAJ (1975 Sunnycrest Drive, Fullerton, (714) 526-8283). Owners of Newport Beach’s Royal Khyber have expanded their Indian empire to Fullerton. The Taj is a palace-like building done up in greens and pinks and decorated with colorful stained-glass panels depicting antique personages. The Taj says it is the first restaurant in the county to serve two traditional kinds of Indian cookery-- tava and sigri . A tava is a sort of griddle, a sigri is a charcoal grill, and they’re used for hearty Indian street food. Two tava dishes, sikandari chop and jhinga masala (thick lamb chop), come in thick, subtly rich aromatic sauces. Much of the Taj’s menu is borrowed from the Royal Khyber, including chicken karahi , a sort of chicken Indian version of stir fry. The Taj has good tandoori dishes and a remarkably delicate chicken dish called Kashmiri kabab --tender, moist and marinated in yogurt, Central Asian style. Open for lunch Mon.-Fri.; dinner nightly. Sunday brunch. Major credit cards. Dinner for two: $20-$30.