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Archive for Asian Fusion

Không Tên – Nomnom

May03

Restaurant: Không Tên LA [1, 2]

Location: 11520 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064. (424) 832-7000

Date: April 9 & 20 and July 13, 2019

Cuisine: Vietnamese Fusion

Rating: Really tasty, great place

_

Recently, at my Nightshade dinner I met a friend of Erick’s (now my friend too), Kim Vu, who is the chef/owner at pretty new Không Tên Vietnamese Fusion over on Pico — so of course I had to try it.
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Coincidently too, my old kitchen lead from RnR, who I’m also still friendly with, sometimes moonlights here.
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The location is on a busy stretch of Pico just west of the 405, close to Sawtelle.
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The Brunch menu.7U1A9049
And the dinner menu.
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The inside is very cute — and owner Kim is sitting at the end of the bar there. There is a big emphasis on the bar space and her signature cocktails.
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Of which this is one.
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Spicy and sour cashews. Savory little bar snack.

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Organic Chicken Wings. Soy and Sweet Chile. These are as good a set of chicken wings as I have ever had. Really tasty sweet and spicy sauce.

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Good enough to enjoy a different vantage.
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K10 Organic Chicken Fingers. Organic Chicken, 5 Spice Palm Syrup, House Hot Sauce. The other fried chicken type is a breaded cutlet. Very moist and delicious with the sweet and hot sauces. This, along with the dish below are combined at brunch into a “chicken and waffle.”
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Sweet Potato Spider. A giant sweet potato latke. Very addictive and crispy.

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Vegan Bánh mì. Turmeric Dill Tofu, Shiitake, Pickled Carrots & Daikon, Cucumber, Coleman Farm Cilantro & Dill & Wild Herbs, Fresno Chile, House Pickles. Really great sandwich. Tons of bright pickle flavor and varied textures. Other than a low fat vibe, you’d hardly know it was vegan.
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From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rosé Brut Nature Dosage Zero. BH 90. The color is paler than that of the regular brut rosé. A pretty and slightly more elegant nose features a similar aromatic profile but with more evident yeast character. There is fine intensity to the delicious and vibrant flavors that are supported by a firm and definitely finer mousse, all wrapped in a bone dry and youthfully austere finish where a hint of bitter cherry pit appears. This won’t be for everyone as the dryness is pronounced; I happen to like it but it would be fair to say that this is not a charmer. With that said, a few years of bottle age should serve to round off the austerity and add a bit of depth as well.
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Assorted Farmers Market Pickles. Sweet, Spicy, and Sour. Each different vegetable had it’s own brine!

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House Made Four-Day Beef Jerky. Peanuts and Herbs. A touch dry, but it is beef jerky!
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Toothpick Beef. Sesame Chile Oil. Like a less spicy version of the Szechuan toothpick lamb. Really, really tasty. Tender and full of flavor.
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From my cellar: 2016 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Blanc. BH 88. A discreet application of wood easily allows the aromas of petrol straw and pear to be appreciated. There is more richness and volume to the nicely textured flavors that possess reasonably good depth and persistence if not quite the same punch.

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Chef’s Daily Crudo — which I think was albacore with a touch of spice.
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Coleman Farm Blistered Sunchokes. Carrot Garlic Chile Romesco. Nice, for a veggie!

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Tutti Frutti Farm Zucchini Sticks. Carrot Garlic Chile Romesco, Lime. In some ways like giant thick cut fries.
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Thao Farm Bok Choy Salad. Terry Farm Asian Pear, Weiser Farm Rainbow Carrot, Toasted Almonds, Watermelon Radish, Coriander Lemon Vinaigrette. Good salad with nice texture variations.

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Kale Banh Mi Salad. Pickled Carrots & Daikon, Weiser Farm Radish, Tutti Frutti Farm Tomatoes, Coleman Cilantro & Rău Ram, Fresno Chile, Fresh Cucumber, Crouton, Silken Tofu Vinaigrette.
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Vietnamese Caesar Salad. Coleman Little Gem, Manchego, Lime, Blistered Tutti Frutti Tomato, Cilantro, Thai Basil, Rice Cracker. Usually I don’t like variants on a (really good) classic caesar, but this one was excellent.
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From my cellar: 2009 Domaine René Leclerc Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combes aux Moines. BH 89-91. A brooding and almost mute nose allows only glimpses of an earthy mélange of wild red and blue berry fruit aromas that are followed by rich, full and quite serious medium-bodied flavors that possess both good volume and fine length on the balanced if not especially complex finish.
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Jimenez Farm Squash & Chickpea Curry. Coconut Milk, Mint. Really delicious.

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Crab Fried Rice. Uni Emulsion with 63 Degree Farm Egg. I wanted (from the name) to love this, and it’s certainly good, but I think the “whole grain” rice just isn’t as yummy as traditional fried rice.
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Turmeric Dill Black Cod. JF Farm Warm Dill & Scallion, Pineapple Anchovy Sauce. Very lovely flavors as well. Turmeric is traditional in Vietnam on fish and it sure works here.

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Tamai Farm Swiss Chard & Shiitake Mushroom Hash. Weiser Farm Root Vegetables. Very nice veggie.

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Crispy Whole Striped Bass. Herbs, Rice Cracker, Coleman Farm Lettuce Cups, Nuoc Cham. I had a similar fish in Vietnam and this was even more delicious, particularly with all the herb salad.
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Hello fishy!
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Black Bean & Ginger Braised Beef Cheeks. Bone Marrow, Coleman Farm Greens. The (late) winter version of this dish is very hearty with a succulent rich cheek cut. Delicious!

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Ginger Scallion Braised Beef Bavette. Harris Ranch Beef, Coleman farm wild greens, Vietnamese herbs, grilled baguette. This is the spring version of the beef dish and still great, but a touch lighter.

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Lemongrass Ginger Panna Cotta. Shortbread Crumble and Terry Farm Quince Compote. Very nice exotic flavors. I have to make a lemongrass ginger gelato! Speaking of:
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A bunch of Gelatti by me:

Nocciola, Espresso e Bacio Gelato – using my new egg yolk based nut formulation with Piedmontese hazelnut to produce a stunning hazelnut base, then adding in house-made espresso caramel and chopped up bacio — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Espresso #coffee #cafe #hazelnut #Nocciola #caramel #bacio

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Gelato – the base is a Fior di Latte but I made it with brown sugar instead of white so it matched the cookies better. Inclusions are cubes of house-made gluten-free (almond flour) artisinal chocolate chip cookie dough with Valrhona chocolate chunks! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #CookieDough #ChocolateChipCookie #Cookie #chocolate #valrhona #BrownSugar #GlutenFree
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New flavor — Limoncello Biscotti — Limoncello Zabaione base with lemon cookie flavor and Lemon Oreos — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Tastes just like lemon cookie! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #lemon #limoncello #Zabaione #LemonCookie #Oreo #LemonOreos

Fresh back from Hawaii I created this new flavor with things I dragged home — Big Island — Coconut dairy base, Macadamia Nuts, and Fresh Mango — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — Island Fever! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Hawaii #MacadamiaNuts #nuts #mango #coconut #tropical

Overall, Không Tên is a hidden little gem. The food is very very good and quite interesting. It’s far more “American with Vietnamese flavors” then a more Vietnamese Fusion place like Little Sister. Quite creative. Also every dish is delicious. It might be a touch understated though, as it’s not super flashy in tonal style. And it’s a nice little space and reasonable to boot. If you’re on the Westside and like this sort of food at all, you should definitely give it a try!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Phoenicia – Hookah Time
  2. Thai Tour – Sri Siam
  3. Shaanxi Garden
  4. Day of the Dumplings
  5. SGV Nights – Seafood Palace
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Asian Fusion, BYOG, Fusion cuisine, Gelato, Khong Ten, Kim Vu, Santa Monica, Vietnamese cuisine

Chinese Fusion – Nightshade

Apr12

Restaurant: Nightshade

Location: 923 E 3rd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90013. (213) 626-8888

Date: March 23, 2019

Cuisine: Chinese Fusion

Rating: Really tasty, imperfect service

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Tonight was a a smaller Foodie Club dinner with core members Erick and Larry and newcomer Kim (owner of Khong Ten in Santa Monica).
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Nightshade, located in the Arts District in Los Angeles, is a flagship concept and first restaurant for chef Mei Lin along with partners Francis Miranda and Cyrus Batchan of No.8. The highly anticipated project will draw from the culmination of Lin’s personal culinary history – from helping her parents and extended families in their Chinese restaurants as a child in Detroit.

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The sure have jazzed up the formerly hideous neighborhood a bit with street art.
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Sort of gilding the turd, but it (mostly) works.

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And while Nightshade has the standard arts district brick front.
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The inside though is elegant instead of the usual industrial look.7U1A7206
The menu is small, so even with four people we just ordered the entire menu. Turns out they also have a bunch of great looking secret larger pre-order dishes like a duck and a big steak — wish we had known.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme. VM 97. Krug’s NV Grand Cuvée 164 Edition is a total knockout. Based on the 2008 vintage, the 164th Edition shows all the crystalline tension and energy that is such a signature of the year. At times, the 164 reminds me of the 2008 vins clairs I tasted after harvest. The flavors are brisk, delineated and pulsing with energy, while the more oxidative notes that are such a signature of Krug Champagnes are not especially evident. A wine of total pedigree and class, the 164 reminds me of some of the great Grand Cuvées of the 1960s and 1970s I have been lucky to taste over the years. No Champagne lover will want to be without this spectacular, captivating wine. All that said, readers should be patient, as the 164 is painfully young, austere and in need of serious cellaring. (Drink between 2027-2047)
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oysters on the half shell, passionfruit emulsion. These were nice. Bright flavors from the sauce. It pretty much hid the oyster flavor (retaining the texture) but was still good.
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hokkaido scallops, coconut vinaigrette, crispy ginger, coriander. Sauce was great. Bright flavors here.
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baja kanpachi, radish kimchi, shiso, kohlrabi. This dish missed a little. It wasn’t bad in any way, but was mild flavored and the sauce VERY mild. I couldn’t really taste that much shiso (which I love).
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé Edition 21eme. JG95+. The Krug Brut Rosé “21ème Édition” is from the beautiful base year of 2008, with the oldest reserve wine in the blend going back to 2000. The wine was disgorged in the spring of 2015 and is a blend of fifty-one percent pinot noir, forty-one percent chardonnay and eight percent pinot meunier. Ten percent of the pinot noir in the blend is still red wine from Krug’s own parcels of vines in the village of Aÿ. The blend is a slight departure from many releases of Krug Rosé, as hail in the village of Ste. Ghemme in 2008 dramatically cut back the quality of pinot meunier from this vintage, so that Chef de Caves Eric Lebel opted to use all reserve wines for the pinot meunier portion of the blend. The very complex wine offers up the characteristically refined and gently exotic bouquet that this cuvée is cherished for, wafting from the glass in a blend of cherries, a touch of pomegranate, orange peel, beautiful, savory spice elements, rye bread, a complex base of soil tones , dried rose petals and incipient smokiness. On the palate the wine is full, complex and still quite youthful in terms of structure, with vibrant acids, a lovely core, elegant mousse and a very long, perfectly balanced and seamless finish. This is already beautifully complex, but I would love to revisit it five to ten years down the road and see what the passage of time does to this beautiful constellation of aromas and flavors. (Drink between 2018-2050)
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beef tartare, sesame, egg yolk jam, kochukaru. Very nice beef tartar. Interesting “thick textured” shrimp toast. Went well though as it’s mild, and added some good crunch.
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tom yum onion, coconut dip. Like an awesome blossom with a kind of Thai-flavored coconut dip.
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tamarind glazed carrots, toasted coconut, carrot top emulsion. Good for carrots.
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sunchokes, strawberry molé, seeded granola. Can’t really remember very well.
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1995 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui. VM 92. Deep red-ruby. Extravagantly rich aromas of blackcurrant, pepper, smoke and tar. Large-scaled, deep and very sweet; explosively fruity and impressively tactile. Chewy tannins are buried under a wave of finishing fruit. A knockout Clos Vougeot truly worthy of its grand cru status.
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koshihikari rice congee, xo, pork floss, onsen egg. We mixed this all up. It was one of the best dishes with both a homey carby quality and a delicious umami flavor from all that goodness including the XO sauce.
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squid ink bucatini, cuttlefish bolognese, gochujang. Always love this kind of seafood / ragu type pasta.
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lasagna, pork ragu, tofu cream, prickly ash. Very interesting light delicate texture made from many layers of wonton wrapper pastry! Quite nice, but we needed two of them and they closed the kitchen on us early and wouldn’t give us any more (more on that later).
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Erick brought: 1996 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses. VM 93+. Saturated ruby-red. Supersweet aromas of raspberry, currant, graphite and sweet oak, plus an exotic suggestion of citrus fruit. Silky and sweet, if rather unforthcoming in the middle palate; offers great concentration and a near perfect sugar/acid balance. Firm tannins are covered by fruit. Great whiplash of a finish. This has considerable early appeal but will be even better after seven or eight years of additional bottle aging.
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prawn toast, cantonese curry. Really good. Nice firm texture to the “toast” and great curry sauce.
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szechuan hot quail, japanese milk bread, house pickles. This is a variant of the fried chicken bits in piles of aromatic chilies — the classic Szechuan dish that I order all the time. Nice, with moist larger meat and a good bit of heat. Although I would have liked the giant chili pile. I probably enjoy a great version of the classic slightly better — partially because it’s bigger!
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coconut mousse, lime coconut granita, pineapple, nata de coco.
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Check out inside. The faint white cubes were coconut jelly. The mouse is the white, the green the lime, and the pineapple inside. Weirdly deconstructed but absolutely fabulous flavors. Great, great dessert. Refreshing too.
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guava, cream cheese, white chocolate. You break the (white chocolate) top. The guava and cream-cheese are below. Nice too.
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almond sorbet, tangerine ice. Also really nice and refreshing. Interesting textures with the soft chocolate-textured sorbet rings and then the ice underneath.
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silkened tofu, rhubarb, shiso, basil seeds. The weirdest of the 4 weird desserts, but tasty too.

I have to say that the desserts were excellent. But they aren’t a balanced set as all 4 were frozen, and sort of light fruits. All very refreshing but nothing in the cakey/bready or chocolate families. All technically very interesting though, and individually delicious with great texture factor.
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Tonight’s crew, minus me.

Overall, this was a great meal. Often these small Foodie Club affairs are more enjoyable than large format dinners. We had a good little crew, ordered everything at the restaurant (minus the pre-orders, more on that below), brought excellent wines, and had a fabulous time.

Food was very good. I like that it’s upscale fusion with Chinese (and some other Asian) influences but not just special plated forms of Chinese dishes. Many dishes were very good: onion, scallops, tartare, congee, shrimp toast, pasta, lasagna, quail. That’s a high percentage! They weren’t super big and even with all that (the complete menu) for 4 people we could have eaten a couple more (more on that below).

Desserts were EXCELLENT. Really good. But not a wide ranging set. All too similar in form and profile. They need some chocolate etc.

Which brings me to a couple service points: Server was friendly, but there was some confusion going on (they are very new) and they weren’t super attentive. They did (mostly) follow my instructions of bringing the dishes one at a time. We also asked about 2/3 through to double up some of the courses that were ALREADY COMING (some time away, not anywhere near done) and they told us the kitchen was closed. But they never warned us about “last call”, and we could see the guys working in the kitchen making dishes. There was no cleaning up going on. And our remaining savory dishes kept on coming for 20-30 more minutes. So they easily could have done it. They hadn’t closed up. This is an example of not putting the customer first. Not that we went hungry, but we were peeved. Not a good thing for a restaurant. I’m still a bit peeved 3 weeks later!

Also, we kept seeing these really awesome looking big duck and steak dishes. We asked before we ordered and were told they are pre-order. But it’s not even mentioned on the menu (and we looked online) so how were we to know? They ought to list them like Majordomo does. We would have liked the larger dishes and they were needed on this menu that barely has formal mains — and no red meats (other than the tartare).

We handled the wine service (opening and pouring) but they let us open four bottles (and they pocketed the corkage, good deal by them but as long as there isn’t an enforced bottle limit I’m fine with it).

For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more crazy Foodie Club dinners, click here.

Related posts:

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  5. Good Vegan? – Is that Possible?
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Arts District, Asian Fusion, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Fusion, DTLA, Foodie Club, Nightshade, Wine

Lukshon Lately

Dec01

Restaurant: Lukshon [1, 2]

Location: 3239 Helms Ave, Culver City, CA 90034. 310.202.6808

Date: November 25, 2016

Cuisine: New Asian

Rating: Pretty damn tasty

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It’s been slightly over 5 years since I was at Lukshon — which is amazing considering how much I enjoyed it then. But anyway, I’m back.

Cool outside space was literally cool on this chilly night.

The inside space is just as mod.

 The menu is considerably different.
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From my cellar: NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé. VM 92. Pale orange. High-pitched red berry, orange zest and jasmine aromas, with suave mineral and smoky lees notes adding complexity. Spicy and precise on the palate, showing very good punch to its strawberry and bitter cherry flavors. Opens up smoothly with air and picks up a bitter rhubarb quality that lingers onto the long, tightly focused finish. This bottling showed more brawny character than many past renditions of this cuvée, but with no lack of vivacity.

NOTE: Lukshon allows 2 bottles for corkage. Not a problem tonight, but I don’t like the limits in general.

pork larb meatballs. cabbage slaw, herbs, “green fire” aioli, puffed rice, peanuts.

sichuan dumplings. kurobuta pork, spicy ma-la vinaigrette, sesame, peanuts. Nice flavors. Not as potent as very good ones at more “authentic” Szechuan places – but great ingredients.

chinese eggplant. fennel raita, tomato sambal, eggplant “fries”. Fabulous eggplant. Blending some Chinese and a whole bunch of other Asian.

kurobuta pork ribs. spicy chicory coffee bbq sauce. Awesome take on the classic Chinese “spare ribs.”

crispy whole branzino. wok charred cucumbers, pickled onions, pecel sauce. Very nice fish with a lot of meat. I loved the green “pecel” sauce too.

beef and broccoli. prime hanger steak, grilled gai lan, black bean ghee, puffed tendon. Not your typical “beef and croccoli” lol.

heirloom black rice. lap cheong, onion, roasted garlic, lilly’s farm fried egg. Great stuff. Very soft and savory.

Mixed up.

crab fried rice. blue crab, jasmine rice, egg, pea tendrils, serrano chile. Yum!

cold sesame noodles. farmers’ market vegetables, sesame dressing, scallions, peanuts. Not as exciting as I would have hoped. The old dan dan they used to have were better.

chiang mai curry noodles. chile, turmeric, lemongrass, chicken, yu choy, rice noodles. Loved this stuff, even if hard to share. Pretty much Laksa.

The refuse.
 We didn’t get dessert because I had gelato at home!

Overall Lukshon was still great. Sort of Chinese modernized with more Southeast Asian influences. Lukshon was ahead of the curve with this trend. There are a ton of these exotics now, often with more Vietnamese influence like Cassia or Simbal. But certainly loving it still.

Check out my much older review of Lukshon here.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Loving Lukshon
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  4. Silk Road Journeys – Shaanxi Gourmet
  5. Eating Saigon – Hoa Tuc
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Asian cuisine, Asian Fusion, Lukshon, southeast asian cuisine

Chinois – Oldie but Goodie

Jun15

Restaurant: Chinois On Main [1, 2, 3]

Location: 2709 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 392-9025

Date: May 6, 2016 and August 5, 2021

Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Rating: Still good decades later

_

When I first moved to LA 22 years ago, Chinois was already a vibrant pillar of LA’s hot high end dining scene. It represented the kind of cool “fusion” of east/west cuisines that was so novel at the time, and almost never seen (by me) back on the East Coast.

The interior has been kept up, and still has that funky late 80s hip modern style. And while this is a long way from the starker more “rustic/urban” decor that is popular now, I

From my cellar: 2003 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 95. Light yellow. Powerful, complex bouquet evokes fresh peach, pear, floral honey, green almond and smoky minerals. Deep, palate-staining citrus and orchard fruit flavors show outstanding vivacity for a hot vintage, picking up ginger and talc notes with air. The strikingly long, sappy finish features zesty orange pith, smoky minerals and an echo of honeysuckle. I’d be in no rush to drink this one. Speaking of waiting, I had the chance to revisit the 2000 Vintage Krug and it has begun to pick up the smoky, weighty and nutty character that long-time fans of this producer crave. It’s still plenty young but already unmistakably Krug, with a chewy texture and a sexy floral nuance dominating right now.

The menu.

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Crispy Lobster Spring Rolls. Comes with stir-fried lobster and vegetables.
 Tempura ahi tuna sashimi with fresh uni sauce.

Uni sauce.

Softshell crab special with cilantro sauce.

Stir fried Sonoma lamb with crispy garlic and mint.

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Shanghai lobster with curry sauce and crispy spinach. This classic has been on the menu forever (or at least since the mid 90s). It was still my favorite of the night. There is a whole bunch of fried rice under the lobster with the tail meat.

Roasted Cantonese duck with fresh plum sauce and steamed bao. I’ve had a lot better Chinese ducks.
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In Aug 2021 the duck came with these crepe-like pancakes, not as light as real spring pancakes.

In 2016 the duck came with steamed bao.

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Whole Sizzling Fried Catfish with scallions and soy glaze.

Whole steamed sea bass with scallions and soy glaze. Simple, but well cooked.

Peek inside.
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BBQ Baby Pork Ribs with soy honey glaze.
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Grilled Szechwan Beef. Classic dish. With spicy shallot cilantro sauce. Nothing at all Szechwan about this, however.

Vegetable fried rice.

Stir fried green beans with black bean sauce and garlic. A great version of this dish.
 Dessert tease. We were too full to order any (in 2016)
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But we got a whole tray in Aug 2021.
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Macadamian Nut Tart.
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Flourless chocolate cake.
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Pots au Creme.

Overall, in 2016 Chinois still has a sharp kitchen and good service. They were a little slow refilling the wine (which they had shoved in a chiller on the other side of the room — I had to grab it and do it myself). No biggy though. Food was fairly on point if no where near as “innovative” as it was 20+ years ago. Some of the dishes were still super tasty though like the lobster and string beans. Of course it’s way more expensive than “unfused” Chinese (aka normal SGV style Chinese). I think the decor has aged great and is actually more unique now.

In 2021, we ate outside because of the pandemic. Except for the busy traffic just past the barrier on main street, this was quite nice. Service was still great and food was on point for what it is.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

 

Wines from August 2021:

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  1. Golden Oldie – The Legend of Zelda
  2. Krug at Il Grano
By: agavin
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Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Asian Fusion, Champagne, Chinois, Fusion cuisine, Krug, Lobster, Wolfgang Puck
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