Restaurant Ki – One Star – Los Angeles

An absolutely phenomenal meal from start to finish, possibly my favorite restaurant right now. Tuckered beneath a parking garage/office building in downtown Los Angeles, Ki is a little difficult to find and incredibly intimate.

I'll say at the top that I've been on a tasting menu binge lately and was feeling somewhat bored, and even considered cancelling a few days ago. I will also say, I have a definite bias in *wanting* to like Ki – I'm an enormous advocate for the fact that non-white and Japanese cuisines can be elevated and modernized and innovative, and hate the immediate instinct many have to suggest that any of these cuisines attempting to present a fine dining interpretation are a "ripoff."

So with a tinge of fine dining fatigue against a bias wanting Ki to succeed, I was completely blown away. The courses pictured above

1. Sweet shrimp bugak – a kimbap-like snack with an incredible crunch from the seaweed, fantastic balance of salt and sweet with the shrimp, and a light touch of citrus to round it out. A pretty amazing mood-setter for the meal to come. 10/10
2. Barley, soybean paste, roe – effectively ssam, but incredibly well done. The dish had a nice kick to it, and was excellently executed, and only fails to get a more evocative description because the rest of the meal was so on point. 8/10
3. Octopus, octopus head sauce – a menu staple that I believe has been served since their opening, and an absolute stunner. The braised-then-seared octopus has an incredible crunch on the skin that was achieved without any burning, and the center is incredibly tender. The sauce made from the octopus' head was luxurious and unctuous, and chef Ki graciously offered the counter an additional end of tentacle to the diners, which was trimmed for presentation. I believe every single one of us immediately said "yes please." 10/10
4. Duck liver mousse, fuji apple, cilantro – this could have gone very wrong. While good chefs certainly know how to balance liver, it would have been incredibly easy to throw off the balance of salty and irony liver to sweet and potent apple to the cut of cilantro, but absolutely every single bite was flawless. The course was a bit of a surprise, being a bit heavier than the other snacks and perfectly sweet, it felt like a dessert to round out the snacks courses. 10/10
5. Crab, snap peas, quinoa – Very well balanced, especially with the fat from the crab layering the bottom of the shell. As with the ssam, this dish only fails to get more praise because the rest of the meal was so stellar. 9/10
6. Noodles, crab, eel, caviar – The smell coming from the counter while this was being prepared was incredible, and it's another menu staple. Unfortunately for me, it didn't stun, though everyone else at the counter adored it. I personally find caviar in hot dishes to feel muted, with the overwhelming flavor of the dish just being "crab", except for the two big bites of eel. That's certainly not a bad thing, but it didn't surprise or wow. 7/10
7. Lobster, morel, soybean paste sauce, powdered raspberry – The last of the menu staples (I believe). I've heard some say the raspberry was too strong or that it served only as a garnish, but this whole course was just a complete masterpiece to me. The depth of flavor in the sauce was absolutely incredible, and the barbecued and smoked lobster brought a strong punch of smoke alongside the delicateness of the lobster. I've personally never had lobster with morel, and have traditionally seen morel as the star of a pasta or rice dish, or with a meat. This course was amazing. 9.5/10
8. Sable, chive oil, chayotte pepper sauce – The sable was cooked flawlessly, including a crackly crispy skin and a delicate fish underneath, that was perfectly juxtaposed with a flavorful-but-not-overpowering set of sauces. The chive oil offered a nice balance to the chayotte pepper sauce that had an awesome kick to it, without being overpowering. 9/10
9. Dry aged duck and "banchan" – the duck, as should be a clear trend at this point, was cooked flawlessly. The crispy skin gave way to a very light slice of the knife and the duck itself was incredibly moist and flavorful. The banchan on the side seem to be a clear ode to Los Angeles, with a corn puff/dumpling that evokes tamales, a piece of duck liver, and pickled chayote. I'm a sucker for duck, especially when paired with savory elements and not a typically sweet sauce. 10/10
10. The famous porcini mushroom ice cream sandwich – What I thought might be a gimmick was just so incredibly fun. The wafers that make up the outside of the sandwich are paper thin with a strong crunch, the ice cream itself is light and airy, and the flavor of the mushroom absolutely comes through, in a way I didn't expect to work, but absolutely did. I do typically find myself preferring more western-style desserts (heavier, stronger), but this was the best dessert I've had at any non-Western tasting menu. 8/10

Unfortunately I forgot to snap a photo of the dish of the night: jumbo clams with caviar and a sauce of highly reduced orange juice and a ton of butter. Given that I typically dislike sweet and fruity sauces, I really expected to find this to be "just okay" but this may have been the single best dish I've had in my entire life. And man I wish I took a photo, because it was *gorgeous* as well, with an incredible presentation in a deep bowl with some edible (and actually flavorful) flowers.

As I've posted elsewhere, after having to cancel a vacation, I went on a bit of an absurd binge and booked myself at just about every SoCal restaurant I've been meaning to try, which has included (or will include): Kato, Kaneyoshi, Orsa & Winston, Ki, Jeune et Joli, Lilo, Addison, Providence, Corridor109, Seline, and Pasta|Bar. I've had the pleasure and privilege of dining at an array of fine dining establishments in the last few years. As it relates *purely* to the food served, Ki has been the most delicious experience I've had, maybe ever.