Los Angeles, CA
I didn't really have super high expectations of this place because i've seen some mixed reviews online about it, but i was hoping to go somewhere a bit cheaper than my recent spots and I was hoping that some of the courses would be solid. Spoiler: some courses were much, much better than just solid.
It's a super interesting concept when you walk up to the restaurant. You're greeted with this giant "prehistoric" door covered in vines and branches. Its not like a normal door that opens or closes, it actually rotates in and out. The interior alludes more to this prehistoric, vibe and the interior is dark and date-nighty.
Service was … kind of what I would expect from a 1 star? Nothing particularly stood out in this regard but the server for the second half of dinner was very knowledgeable about all the dishes, so it was fun to ask them questions and ask for explanations on ingredients.
i will say that I'm a little disappointed that there was so many supplements offered on the menu. I'm generally not a fan when restaurants do this, and I'd much rather them just price in to the menu with extra courses or less.
Also apologies in advance because the photos kind of sucked – I originally was not planning on writing a review so I kind of half-assedly tooked some of them.
Food:
- Sourdough bread bites and butter (6/10):
- Not featured on the menu, but this was essentially the amuse-bouche. I've had a nice streak of recent amuse-bouches being some of the best bites of the entire meal, so I thought these were a bit lack luster. The bread bites were a bit tough on the outside, and the butter was a bit salty.
- Steelhead Crudo (6.5/10) – fuyu persimmon, horseradish cream, roasted kelp:
- Trout was fresh tasting – i didn’t love the persimmon with it. I feel like the flavors weren’t bad together but not amazing together. There was a bit of salty and sourness and sweetness, but i don’t think the overall flavors of the dish were in harmony with each other
- Grilled avocado and crispy sourdough WITHOUT CAVIAR (7/10)
- The sourdough was kind of fried like a donut, i really liked the texture. But the avocado was whatever, we didn’t get the caviar add on (this was already a supplement on its own) which i think would’ve made the dish really good since it needed some more saltiness/umami
- I probably shouldve gotten the caviar but THIS WAS ALREADY 18 DOLLARS EXTRA AND CAVIAR WAS ANOTHER 38 DOLLARS
- Pacific Black Cod (8/10) – caramelized plantain, grilled taiwanese mustard green, burnt onion
- This was a classically cooked black cod with a burnt onion and trumpet mushroom sauce. The black cod was cooked exceptionally well, buttery but still had a crispy skin. The sauce was really flavorful, a slight burnt flavor from the onion but tons of umami and saltiness. The plantain was a bit sour and creamy but paired well with the creaminess of the fish
- Embered Murasaki Yam (9/10) – yeast beurre blanc, maradol papaya, hazelnuts, smoked trout roe
- Delicious contrast of textures and flavors; the burnt yam has a bit of bitterness from the burnt skin, but a lot of crispiness too. The yam is slightly sweet but also very hearty and savory. The beurre blanc sauce is creamy and salty with an after note of tartness to cut the richness, and servers as a really good base to bind everything together. The trout roe was nice and smoky and added a lot of substance to the dish, and underneath there were hazelnuts to add a bit more fattiness and texture. One of my favorite courses of the night.
- Job's Tears "Risotto" (6.5/10) – job's tears, smoked sheep's cheese, grilled cos lettuce
- Kind of just tastes like a regular risotto?
- Dry-aged White Pekin Duck (8.5/10) – smoked rhubarb, wild spring shoots, charred habanero jus
- The duck cooked beautifully – super tender and juicy with tons of flavor. skin insanely crispy and fat rendered very well. You can definitely taste the dry-aged ness on the duck, as it had a really intense duck flavor but not overwhelming. I did not mind the sambal and plantain, but honestly they did not add much to the course in my opinion, or else this course would have scored higher.
- Tiger Nut Sorbet (7/10) –
- I did not like this dessert much when I first started eating it, but it started to grow on me. The whip cream tasted a bit medicinal on its own, but not too bad with the sorbet part. Underneath the sorbet layer was a pudding (I later found out that this was the tiger nut, which is more like a squash). It was overall good but not something I enjoyed a lot.
- Hearth-roasted Pineapple (8.5/10) – tonka bean, brazil nuts, burnt wheat
- Another great mix of flavors and textures; pineapple was sweet and a bit tangy, burnt wheat was really crispy, almost like a pie crust, brazil nut sablé was crumbly like a shortbread and was salty and sweet like salted caramel, and the mousse added some creaminess
- Cherimoya –
- I like cherimoya normally but i honestly dislike eating fruit with sour/savory powder on it so this was kind of whatever to me.
Overall I really enjoyed some of the dishes here! I think they got decently creative with some of the ingredients and flavor combinations, but a lot of the dishes still tasted delicious and I loved them. Some courses were kind of just ok, but nothing that I hated.
by SaltWaterTafffy