Restaurant: Corridor 109
Location: 727 N Broadway #207, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Date: January 28, 2023
Cuisine: Fusion
Rating: Delicious, minimalist
Corridor 109 | Test Kitchen is inspired by Chef Brian Baik’s passion for sourcing and experimenting with the world’s finest seafood ingredients. Influenced by experiences at high caliber establishments such as Bouley, Eleven Madison Park, The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, and Sushi Noz, Chef Brian begins his West Coast journey with an intimate tasting menu of 8-9 courses. Seating is limited to only 8 guests.
Corridor 109 tucked away, almost invisible, on the upper floor of a Chinatown mini-mall.
Tonight’s menu.
The small interior space.
NV Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut “Climax” Les Beguines. 93 points.
Spot Prawn & Caviar Tartlet. Ebi miso, vidalia onions, wasabi, citrus. Really lovely caviar tart bite with a fantastic textural and flavor contrast. Very umami.
Jeju Island Fluke with Ensui Uni. Citrus soy gelee, myoga ginger, shiso oil. Essentially a sashimi, the soy gelee served to bind together the very fresh flavors.
2020 Domaine du Côteau de Tormery Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Côteau des Ducs.
Scallop with Herbal Clam Broth. Herb Oil Extracts. The broth was delicious but subtle, with an intense clam quality enhanced by the oils. Lovely, although a challenging wine pairing.
2017 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Smaragd Achleiten. 94 points.
Iwashi Toast. Homemade milk bread, pickled red peppers, aioli. An awesome little “sando”. I love the marinated quality of the macherel, which was perfectly cut, and it paired effortlessly with the light, fluffy bit of milk bread.
Side view.
2020 Egon Müller Riesling QbA Scharzhof.
Nagawaki Red Tile Fish. Anchovy dashi, parae seaweed, Tokyo turnips. The fish itself was light and mild prepared with hot oil in the French manner. The seaweed broth however was very Japanese with that mild sea herb note.
Katsuo with Pesto. Spaghetti, shallots, grated ginger. The pasta was perfectly cooked, very green, and had an almost startling but addictive intense ginger quality nicely offset by the fatty fish.
2006 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon. VM 94+. The 2006 Rosé Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon is powerful, intense and also classically austere in its make up. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries and cranberries are all finely sketched. The 2006 finishes with striking mineral-driven precision, and while it doesn’t have the opulence or exuberance of the 2002, it is still a very pretty and appealing Champagne. The Elisabeth Salmon is 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, with about 8% still Pinot Noir. Dosage is 6 grams per liter. (Drink between 2018-2031)
Dungeness Crab. Crab consomme, chives. Crab and crab guts — who wouldn’t love this? Well, certainly I did.
2015 Y de Yquem. 94 points.
Gorgeous large abalone from Japan.
Abalone Risotto. Sumidaya rice, black truffle, gamtae seaweed. I lovely risotto. Not as rich as an Italian variant (with more butter and cheese) might be, but with great savory/umami notes and nice bitey rice. The abalone itself was tender and full of subtle flavor and chew.
Pixie Mandarin Sorbet. Very intensely mandarin with quite a bit of satisfying bitterness and a silky texture.
Corridor 109 was some very fine and innovative food. It’s possibly a bit subtle for some people’s tastes, as there is a very strong Japanese aesthetic and nothing is over the top, but it was superlatively prepared and quite elegant. Location is “interesting” — but all in all very enjoyable.
This dinner was small, but organized by Liz Lee of Sage Society.