Asian Bourdain

Noodle Nazi

[asianbourdain]

San Francisco: Al’s Place

12/29/16 The Mission

I rounded up the GF and a few friends for another double date in the city.  Al’s Place had just received their first star and is well-known as one of the best new openings of 2015.  So much so, they made an appearance on Munchies almost right away.  Sure there are plenty of places left on my SF Map, but I felt like this was a good time to take a swing here.

Cool dining space, but honestly nothing unexpected.  The open kitchen fixtured in the corner is almost a staple of every modern dining room now:

On the other hand, it was really cool to see their house pickling jars on the top shelf

The bottom of the menu offered a Chef’s Selection Family Style meal for the table that would include some off-the-menu items.  Easy sell for me, of course we did it. 

Chickpeas a la Catalan, Sauce Romesco

I loved the way this dish read.  As a guy that has not yet stepped foot in Spain, this was going to be a quick trip to a Tapas/Pintxos and it also helps I’m always down for some saucy garbanzos.  Al’s romesco was light, not as nutty as I’ve had before, but it worked.  The chickpeas were tender but not mushy.  The flavors were robust and very Spanish.  A great snack to start the meal.

Charred Cabbage and Hummus

Tonight’s gimme dish on the Family Style Menu.  Charred cabbage and cauliflower have been reaching a lot of farm to table menus around the nation but serving it with a large scoop of house hummus actually grabbed my attention.  One of those “wow I didn’t know vegan food can taste this good” moments.   

House Cheese Whiz 

One of the off-menu items as part of the package of ordering the family menu.  Coincidentally this is the 2nd Cheese Whiz ode-to-my-childhood favorite snack type of dish I’ve been served at a really nice restaurant.  This rendition was a bit heavy and funky.  The crunch component came with house cool ranch Doritos over the top and garnished with some very necessary microgreens.  Not bad, but definitely not a must.

Vadouvan Almonds

Probably the only place in the world that is going to throw a salad of microgreens atop your bowl of candied nuts when you order it as a snack.  The almonds came out nice and warm with a thick, sweet crust and the undressed salad actually paired quite well.

Brined Pickled French Fries, Smoke Apple Sauce

Wait what.  What the fuck is this!? What happened here!?  They’re just regular french fries right?  Fucking wrong!  These are cucumbers jammed through the french fry cutter and then cooked with some voodoo magic of some sort to produce a cucumber french fry that in almost every way, eats like a normal fried spud.  There had to be some crazy drying process to get the surface of a cucumber to fry like that.  The smoked applesauce was also a feet-sweeping surprise.  It ate meaty, it coated well, and most importantly it was not too sweet.

Foie Gras, Peach Al’s Pastor Sauce

There’s a foie dish on the menu? On top of that a word pun!? I wanted it.  Did it taste like al pastor?  Hell no.  Did I ever imagine foie ever tasting this weird and off? No.  Huge....fucking...letdown.

Baby Lettuces, Herbed Avocado, Pistachio Crumble

Right on par with Manresa’s famed salad, Al’s Place did a lot of right here.  House baby lettuces, fennel, radishes, edible flowers are “rooted” into a base of herb avocado.  A pistachio crumble played the “dirt” element was also a dead giveaway of the Manresa inspiration.  Aside from its derivations, I loved this salad far more than it’s possible inspirator.  The vinegarette sprayed on the greens played well with the avocado cream.  The lettuces were picked as small bite-sized bouquets which facilitated an even easier eating experience.

Lightly Cured Trout, Crispy Potato, Bashed Turnips, Bagna Cauda

A fun fish dish with a variety of textures.  Basically raw trout with a light saline backnote paired with crispy potato strips, turnips, and a house bagna cauda.  It ate a bit like a crudite but with some chunks of trout.  Awesome cold dish.

Blistered Squash, Burrata, Hummus, Pickled Kohlrabi, Apricot

A little bit of a twist from a traditional cheese course to say the least.  Beautifully presented and well thought-out.  Even though most will disagree, I’m glad this was not burrata-centric.  It’s too easy to make a home run dish with a huge blob of burrata, a blob of stonefruit jam, and a handful of flowers.  A well-balanced dish and nicely done here.

Yellow Eye Bean Stew, Torn Bread + Farm Egg

My favorite dish of the night.  This was some true rustic, down-to-earth cooking.  A thick tomato soup, some yellow eye beans with some toasted torn day bread acting as the croutons.  The option was also presented to drop a 63-degree farm egg into it as well and of course, we opted for it.  Not the best social media dish, but definitely the best to warm the soul. 

Campanelle, Smoked Fumet, Grilled Turnip Top Pesto, Goat’s Gouda

First time served the campanelle cut and I loved it.  Wavy ridges along the sides to pick up a sauce, and a heavy body to remind you that pasta is still the main part of the dish.  A bit funky, lots of herbs, and lots of cheese.  Al’s Place is really proud of their turnip pesto and it’s not a bad sauce to push hard.  Good sauce, good dish, I’d definitely order again.

Warm Brownie and Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I couldn’t help but remember the molten lava cake from Chef when diving into this.  The brownie was not truly molten.  Ganache was piped into the cored, rewarmed brownie and then a little chocolate disk capped it off.  A scoop of peanut butter ice cream and a sticky peanut caramel poured over the top covers everything up.  The flavors were there, but I couldn’t get over it.  This is just poor pastry work.

Conclusion Al’s Place really has a lot of great elements to it, but it left a void for me.  Some dishes wow’d me, and a couple really raised question marks but what caused this emptiness?  I think I’m getting tired of this kind of food, its style, and its target demographic.  What separates Al’s Place?  I can’t tell you.  It seemed to be another Farm-to-table menu with a handmade pasta, burrata, some micro greens, foie, pickles, yea yea.  Did I just describe everyone else’s menu?  Yes I did. 

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Kato

12/2/16 West LA

Kato has been making a name for themselves delivering a barebones tasting menu for 50 bucks.  The food is a fusion of Taiwanese and Japanese with some highlights from other Asian cultures.  This piqued my interest to say the least, but I’m not sure if it was more the price or the style of food.  I was able to easily make a reservation online and was even able to include a couple last minute changes.  Probably no heat yet.

Hors D’oeuvres Squid Ink Bread with Pork Belly Big Eye Tuna Amberjack Pickled in Kombu

The Squid Ink Bread was really nice.  A light savory bread stuffed with pork belly.  Textures resonated a baked Char Siu Bao but the squid ink really throws your sense out of whack, much like the squid ink bread at 85C.  Possibly dual inspiration here?  The other two slices of sashimi were also really nice and a surprise for the price.  A couple slices of semi-exotic pelagics for this price?  We’re in the bonus already!

Hamachi with Charred Scallion Oil

Large chunks of raw hamachi dressed with some edible flours and a dark, robust scallion oil.  I didn’t think you could make a raw hamachi dish that I would dislike but Kato has achieved it.  The charred scallion flavor was far too overpowering.  It took over the plate, made you forget about the fish, and all you could recognize in each bite was burnt onion.  A lighter hand here, possibly accompanied by a lighter dressing to contrast it could have made this dish great.

Egg Drop Soup with Clams

A seemingly run-of-the-mill egg drop soup with a couple clams to twist it.  

A bottle of Kombu Vinegar was brought to the table as a condiment

Though it was the simplest, this was my favorite dish of the night.  A nostalgic masterpiece for any Chinese kid at heart.  A corn-starch thickened egg drop soup singing of umami notes.  Topped with a vinegar exactly the same way we did as kids.  All of those familiarities but twisted Japanese with Kombu, flashes of Assari Miso Soups, and some Katsuoboshi hints.  At the end of the movie flashback played in my head, my friends told me they crunched on a few grains of sand and broken clamshells in their bowls.  Truly unfortunate.

Seared Scallop, Emulsified Butter, Kombu Salt

Usually an easy winner here but man did this suck.  The scallop was not the freshest, and mine was annihilated.  The butter was too much, by now my palate is tired of Kombu so that was far too much.  I appreciate another great piece of value for what we’re paying but I would have preferred a damn seared vegetable as long as it was done well.

Smoked Beef Short Rib, Asian Pears, Gochujang

Another easy winner.  A thick slice of short rib served in a deconstructed galbi concept.  Good smoke, nice sweetness, good char, great beef.

Porridge with Dried Scallop, Dungeness Crab, Uni, Kombu Salt

Great presentation, awesome ingredients, decent cookery.  Stop it with the damn Kombu already.  Our tongues are hurting.  Thanks for the break with the beef but we’ve honestly had enough.  Everything is tasting fishy now, and we don’t even know if it’s the ingredients or the damn Kombu.  The porridge itself was getting overshadowed.  I applaud the use of dried scallop here as it is almost a forgotten ingredient in today’s foodscape.  On top of that, a nice little slab of SB uni to round it all out.

At this point the regular tasting menu had pretty much concluded with the exception of the desserts, but they teased us with some a la carte items...  We had to fire those too.

Niu Rou Mian

Their daily special was their take on the Taiwanese classic, but made with both beef and pork.   The pork component was reaffirmed with a slab of bacon which carried smokey vibes through the soup and was also served on top.  A fusion of Ramen and Niu Rou Mian.  Really interesting concept, but skepticism traveled the table.  The soup was tasty but lacked the pungent bits typically associated with NRM.  The tea egg was confusing but it was a necessary play for ajitsuke tamago.  The noodles were very much an alkaline ramen.  Tasty?  Sure.  Confused?  Very much so.  Pickled mustard greens you ask?  Yea nowhere to be found. Regardless, throwing tradition out the window and ignoring my palate’s confusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this.  If it wasn’t 16 dollars, I would order this any day of the week.

Pork Belly Rice, Soy Egg

Tasty, but not 8 dollars tasty.  This time they aimed at a pure classic and failed miserably.  It’s not hard to make a good seasoned, minced pork belly over rice but if you were to try to do it right PLEASE BRING THE PICKLES.

Ikura Bowl

It’s exactly what it looks like and yes it’s as good as usual.  Great cured ikura.  A really fresh slab of SB Uni.  Chopped chives and their signature burnt scallion oil to garnish were the twists.  This time the hand that spooned the scallion oil was a little more friendly, but it was still overpowering.

Buttermilk Pudding and Rose Ice

The textures on this last and final dish were a hit.  Crunchy, icy, and creamy.  A dessert that worked well as a palate cleanser and refresher.  Not too sweet, a bit tart, and very aromatic.  The rose ice granita was very tart but once everything was combined on the tongue, the flavors were very balanced

Conclusion Kato really aligned with my expectations.  It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t expect it to be.  The pricepoint offers an opportunity for anybody to take a enter into the side of fine dining.  Plating was good, the variety was great, ingredients are a value, and the concepts are fresh.  Food execution can still use a bit of work but it’s nothing normal people short of a Michelin Critic should split hairs about.  Except for the sand in the clams, please fix that.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Spireworks

11/27/16 Westwood

It seems as though the Doner Kebab is making a small boom around town.  Spireworks made their presence known by kicking off their opening day with free Kebab Sandwiches.  Of course that was going to be an impossible feat with an endless line so I waited for them to work out the kinks in their first 2 months.  I was really hoping for this to be my westside fixture for Doner Kebabs so I don’t have to drive to Spitz.

The Chipotle Formula:

Beef on Fresh Bread

I got it with the Zatar Labneh, Rayu, and all the veggies to give it a run with their baseline option.  The bread was nice and crusty, but that’s not necessarily what I’m looking for with a Kebab sandwich.  I wanted lightly crusty, fluffy, and forgiving.  The meat was well cooked and all the toppings were prepared great but there are far too many options to get this right.  This is typically the flaw with the Chipotle model: too many permutations with more ways to fuck it up than get it right.  Also, if you wanted to go down the Asian route, you can top it with furikake, panko, hoisin, and some other garbage.  Of course.

Conclusion The quick hit of this is a fail.  I was looking for Spitz, I got a boujee Quizno’s with Kebabs.  Every component was executed properly, but what were the missing links?  It’s not a conventional Doner Kebab, it’s not an elevated one, and quite frankly, it’s not a good one.  Nothing worked together, I was squeezing sandwich guts out on every bite, and my tongue was an amateur battleground of clashing flavors.  I guess my expectations were skewed by hope.  I’ll still be making the drive across town to Spitz to feed my Doner Kebab cravings.

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: All the Random Shit I Ate in Hong Kong 2016

Coconut Mango Sago Drink at Hui Lau Shan

Right off the plane and you know ya boy went straight for the sweeter than summer mango drink from the holy grail of Ataulfo mangos.  Light coconut milk, ice, blended fresh mango, and some medium sized sago to cut through that humidity. 

Milk Tea and Pork Chop bun at Lan Fong Yuen

Toasted sesame seed bun, a swipe of mayo, a slice of tomato, and a seared pork chop on the flat top.  Accompanied by their famous “pantyhose milk tea” this is a meal classified by many as a must try when visiting HK.  Personally, the tea was a bit too bitter, the pork chop was a bit overcooked, and everything was a bit bland.  They’re better elsewhere.

Dinner at this Dai Pai Dong in Hang Hau

A quick dinner at the GF’s local DPD.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops and Tong Choi with Garlic

Salt and Pepper Fried Tofu

Steamed Egg with Minced Pork

A cheap local restaurant serving honest, real food to the local village of Boon Kin.  Feed the family for under 25 USD with some home cooking without dirtying your kitchen?  Amazing deal.

Breakfast at this Congee Stand in the Hang Hau Wet Market

Fish Fillet Congee with Chow Mein

Fresh chow mein at a congee stand! What!?  The congee is also mixed and reboiled to order!

Dried Shrimp Cheung Fun with all the sauces

That’s right.  All the fucking sauces.  This was my first legit experience with Cheung Fun in HK after the kiddie days and man I’ve been missing out.  This is simply an art that is forgotten in America, or never made it to begin with.  Extremely cheap, ridiculously satisfying.   

Curried Snacks at this stand in Cheung Chau

The smaller islands are known for their oversized fish and cuttlefish balls.  This bowl was packed with it but the bottom was laced with some secret weapons: Simmered pork skin.  The curry sauce was thick, robust, and the heat came late.

Desserts at Cong Sao

Walnut Soup with Sesame

Durian with Thai Black Sticky Rice

Steamed Egg with Ginger Milk

A series of classic flavors and techniques here, all done extremely well.  The only downside is their portion size.

Salted Veggie Rice Noodle Set Breakfast at this Cha Chan Teng in Hang Hau

Less than 30 HKD!  Wow...

Tofu Dessert at Kung Wo Bean Factory

Though tofu fa is fucking great almost everywhere in HK, this place is the damn experience.  It’s wet everywhere, tofu churning out of every seam.  You might get wet, but it’s ok.  At one corner they’re grilling tofu, the other corner they’re frying tofu puffs.  It’s a busy place that does not wait for anyone.  

Chicken Pot at this Hot Pot Place in Causeway Bay

Chicken Pot is a unique type of hot pot derived from the Sichuanese but has gained huge popularity in HK.  It’s a whole chicken diced up and stewed with some veg in a bed of spices.  The routine is, you work your way through the chicken first, then the normal hot pot ingredients come into play.  A bit thicker and richer than normal hot pot but man it is good.  What remains after the chicken is consumed is a hearty broth of Sichuan spice, chicken bone broth, medicinal herbs, and a whole bunch of disintegrated vegetables.  You can cut it a bit with some hot water or chicken broth, but then the real meal comes after.  The normal smorgasbord of hot pot goodies, but the key is this guy here:

Yuba sheets rolled and fried until they puff.  Dip and eat.

Coconut Juice at King of Coconut

Really reminiscent of one of the most popular drinks we made at Sweethearts Cafe (RIP).  Could this have inspired my old bosses?  Possibly.  This Coconut Milk drink is semi-blended with seemingly nothing but fresh coconut milk, ice, and sugar.  There’s got to be more.

You already fucking know at Hot-Star Chicken

No words necessary.

Pineapple Bun at Kam Wah Cafe

Known by many as the best Pineapple Bun in HK and by god now I know why.  The milk bun portion comes out fresh, light, and literally collapses in your mouth.  The sweet egg topping is crunchy, delicate, and THICK.  It’s not your normal top that caves after staring at it the wrong way.  This hard hat isn’t going anywhere until your teeth crush it.  Absolutely amazing.  Why can’t we do something like this back home?

More Desserts at Cong Sao!

Pomelo and Mango Sago

The classic dessert that floods your palate with bitter, milky, coconutty, sweet mango, and tiny sago pearls.

Steamed Egg with Ginger Milk

Shrimp Egg Noodles at Tsui Wah in Shatin

Fulfilling some nood cravings at the local chain Tsui Wah.  Still good.

French Toast at Tsui Wah in Shatin

My aunt claims her favorite HK French Toast is at the Tsui Wah chains, which is blasphemous to hear as an American because what “Best Anything” do you get at your local Denny’s?  Fucking nothing.  But I think my Aunt is pretty serious about this one.  This was the best French Toast I’ve had in recent memory, and it has truly triggered the nostalgic memories from my trip to HK when I was 5.  Golden brown, crispy, not too greasy, and the perfect ratio of crust to toast to peanut butter.

A quick little dinner at this dai pai dong in Shatin

Last quick meal before we fly out and we were shooting for an early dinner at the infamous Chan Kun Kee, but apparently they don’t open until 6:30PM.  We walked around the corner and this other DPD was open and pumping.

The Dining Room:

The Kitchen:

Fried Rice Noodles

Beef Chow Fun

Eggplant with Minced Pork over Rice

Just a few classics to feed the family for next to nothing.  When food is this good, this accessible, who needs to cook?

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: Mui Kee

11/26/16 Mong Kok

It was my mom that led us on a foodventure this time.  She wanted to try this congee place she saw on a TVB food show and I was craving congee so I was definitely game.

The OG stall was situated atop the Fa Yuen Street wet market in Mong Kok.  Obviously this place is popular as it was already the late morning on a weekday and every seat was taken around the stall.  Good thing this Hawker Center-style dining room means you just have to take a few more steps to get to an open table so it’s not a big deal. 

It looks like they still have their original sign:

The front:

One of their Legends:

Thousand Year Egg and Lean Pork with Chinese Doughnuts

Unfortunately, they were out of chow mein so we went with just the doughnuts.  The congee consistency was slick the same way everybody does it.  Another stall that throws shredded green lettuce on top for textural contrast, still not used to it.  The real standout here was the pork, perfectly cooked and the same every damn time.

Conclusion The setting inside one of HK’s oldest Hawker Centers set the ambiance, but what makes Mui Kee special is their history.  A legacy that has expanded to brick and mortar locations elsewhere in HK and even to Singapore.  The food is consistent, delicious, cheap, and all the locals know it.  There are a lot of mediocre congee shops in HK, don’t risk it if you’re in Mong Kok and come get a classic.

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: Little Bao

11/24/16 Sheung Wan

It was date night with the GF and she wanted to stroll around SoHo.  She told me about this modern HK resto that was gaining some traction and I loved the idea.  The Owner/Chef’s character paralleled a lot of the same people that we are all drooling over back in the states, and I was up for a meal to test her chops as well as her ability to fuse her HK background with her classically trained hands.

Drunken Clams

Some beautiful huge littlenecks (barely) simmered in Shaoxing wine atop a bed of a potato puree and enoki mushrooms.  HK-native ingredients touched by western techniques.  I loved the familiarity of the flavor profile here on both ends of the spectrum.  Butter (from the potatoes) + alcohol + clams said West, Shaoxing + green onions said East.  

Hot Chicken

It....has...landed....  Nashville Hot Chicken has landed in Hong Kong, and in an absolutely funky form.  Traditional batter crust, but no Louisiana Hot Sauce to be found.  The coating was crunchy, slightly numbing, a bit sweet, and was straight from Sichuan.  Not sure if the Chef has ever been to Tennessee, but it’s alright, this is fusion the way I like it.

Pork Belly Bao

The ubiquitous Pork Belly Bao.  In one way or another, it has found its way onto the tables of almost every god damn “modern” eatery today.  What’s special here?  No gua bao bifold, a fresh slider shape with a nice toast on each side.  The pork belly was sweet, tender, and packed with miso flavor.

LB Ice Cream Bao

At Little Bao they do these mini slider ice cream sandwiches.  They take their standard bao’s through a bath in the fryolator for a bit.  The flavor we got was their daily special: Pomelo and Mango, which is an HK Classic for desserts.  A ring molded puck of mango ice cream, some fresh pomelo jewels, and a dash of condensed milk.  Bitter, sweet, mango, citrus, crunchy, warm, and cold.  Really nice all around.

Conclusion Little Bao provides a bit of validation for me of sorts.  A lot of the ideas that I would love to experiment with in a restaurant of my own parallels what they do and their success is refreshing.  Presenting familiar flavor profiles with modern techniques and elevating Chinese food to the spotlight, nothing but love for this place.

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: Sing Heung Yuen

11/22/16 Sheung Wan

Since the HK episode of the Layover in Season 1, this place has been a red, red point on my map.  The classic DPD layout squeezed between the tall finance buildings and high rises.  Time has done nothing to Sing Heung Yuen other than making the OG waitresses saltier about life.  Decide what you want, buckle up, and get ready to get scolded.

I couldn’t help but notice the street mural that backdropped the dining area.

Tomato, Beef, Egg

45 HKD with the milk tea.  The soup is simple, canned Campbell’s-like base spiked with most likely underworldly-ingredients that shall remain unamed.  Thinly shredded beef flashed on top, and a fried oozy egg.  My tongue was confused, but once you get over the headbutting fusion of cultures, you realize, this is really really good.  Salty, meaty, eggy, and packed with glutamates both natural and synthetic.  The milk tea was a bit softer than Lan Fong Yuen’s, but I’m ok with that. 

Butter & Honey, with Lemon on Toast

Another must-get for all travellers when grabbing a seat at SHY.  A toasted enriched white bun topped with a load of butter, honey, and lemon.

Conclusion Another great example of how good the hype Asian utilitarian meals can be.  Non-discriminatory to the poor, rich, suits, aprons, and dirty white shirts, they will bitch you out all the like.  The food?  Seemingly a Last Chance Kitchen episode derived from a college dorm room, but man these guys came out with some real good shit.

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: Duen Kee Tea House

11/21/16 Chuen Lung

Knowing me as well as she does, the girlfriend offered to wake up early to take me on a walk on the side of the true locals.  An offer I obviously did not turn down.  We jumped in the car before the sun rose and drove up Tai Mo Shan (avoiding a few indigenous humans and steer on the way) to a small tightknit village named Chuen Lung.  We turned into this pack of buildings and it felt like we warped back to the 50s.

Multiple self-serve tea stations are scattered all around

And like the Dim Sum Don’s wildest fantasy, SELF SERVE STEAMERS

The crew was still busy churning out the first couple batches, but I could not wait.  I went in.

Self-service saucin’

The view:

and the food from above:

Spareribs with Rice, Lap Cheong Bao,  Nai Wong Bao, Steamed Chive Dumplings, and Tripe

Conclusion A tea house frozen in time, kept vacuum sealed in the mountains and seemingly untouched by the modern world.  The food still done properly, probably the same way for decades.  Callus-covered hands conditioned by the steam are repeating the preparation routine every day just to make a few bucks off a handful of patrons, mainly locals.  An amazing, humbling experience in the hills of Hong Kong, one not written in any tourist books/blogs I’ve read.

[asianbourdain]

Hong Kong: TamJai SamGor

11/20/16 Tsim Sha Tsui

The Storefront:

A massively popular HK Chain noodle shop that fuses a bevy of Chinese styles together into an ultimately affordable lunch stop.

Century Egg w/Scallions, Garlic, Ginger, and Chili Oil

Classic app, pungent topping.  Can’t stop this.

Sliced Pork Belly w/Sesame Oil, Soy, and Garlic

The flotilla of garlic chunks is as intimidating and daunting as it looks, but it’s absolutely necessary to resonate the classicly in-your-face flavors of the Yunnanese.  Embrace the sting, embrace the bitter, and wait for the garlic to ravage your mouth and your breath.

Classic Rice Noodles w/ everything

We ordered a light spicy with everything: bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallions, and pork.  A huge bowl for a bit under 5 USD.  I instantly reach for a swig of the broth and it is packed.  Not a lot of fat on the tongue, but there’s a lot of spice, a bit of numb, and some serious depth.  The snappiness of the thin rice noodles was a pleasant surprise but of course it didn’t last.  We ate fast so it didn’t get too soggy near the end.

House Chicken Wings

Their signature chicken wings.  A model of chicken wing cookery.  I’m typically a saucey wing fan, but this dry wing had it all.  Laced with five spice, sesame, salt, a bunch of peppers, and probably 10 more things even the Triads don’t know about, the light, but super crispy crust seals in the stream of brined poultry goodness.

Conclusion 100% unfair that this quality of food is readily available all over HK.  It’s also a telling sign for the food landscape of a country when your chain restaurants are this good, yet they’re completely empty for late lunch.  The model of availability isn’t always a successful one.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Little Sister

10/28/16 Manhattan Beach

The Manhattan Beach location of the Modern Vietnamese eatery made famous by its neo classic takes of the staples churned out of its boujee downtown location.  An old coworker asked to grab a catch-up dinner and this was right on the intersection of laid-back and interesting.

Crispy Tendon Chips

Puffed tendon covered in a red curry spice topped with a squeeze of lime.  Crispy, light, and when hydrated it gets a bit gummy as aspected.  The texture is unlike any other, the flavor combination is strangely familiar.

Salt and Pepper Prawns

Skewered and fried prawns in shell atop a puddle of cashew curry.  Sliced shallots and the ubiquitous squeeze of lime.  The flavor profile ate a lot more Thai than Viet, but the dish was tasty nonetheless.  Definitely a Gringo crowd pleaser, but a big bowl of these next to a few bottles of beers and it’ll make any man happy.

Duck Sate

Caramelized pears, almonds, and crispy leaks.  Another Thai dish, but hey another inebriante pairing supreme.  Nice char, sweet, a bit smokey, and textural contrast all around.

Bo Tai Chanh

Now we’re getting into the real Viet stuff.  Lime cooked beef, rau ram, basil, mint onions, fried shallots, cilantro, and of course dressed with nuoc cham.  I had to order this because I wanted to know what Little Sister could do to elevate a familiar dish.  Flavors I’m all too familiar with and something I have fully defined.  The short story here: it hit all the right notes for twice the price and half the size.

Conclusion Classic Viet flavor profiles?  Little Sister has it.  Tailored for West LA?  They got it.  Aesthetically it plays to every visual taste that I hate, but the food appeals to all of the senses that remember my favorite childhood dishes.  My appreciation is piqued when they pull off a dish like the tendon chips.  A cut beloved by the motherland, rejected by the US masses, and reinterpreted in a way we love and gravitate towards.  If the rest of the Little Sister menu plays this symphony, it’s a real winner.

[asianbourdain]

Chicago: My Pi

9/15/16 Bucktown

Can’t make a trip to Chicago without a slice of pie.  My Pi is a modern slice shop recommended by a friend who spent a stint in Bucktown.  All of the feels of Pieology backed with a deep dish pie learned from the OG Shaolin Kung Fu Masters of Lou Malnati’s.  A couple decades into the business and they’ve gained top honors and recognition.

The Guts:

Slice of Cheese and Slice of Sausage

The moneyshot

Ratios right on par with the sensei.  A bit more formidable of a crust, probably attributed to the slice shop retoast technique.  Same classic Mozz, straight crushed San Marzanos, and a crust that has been fermented then forged to perfection.

Conclusion In a place where you would expect the classic kings to sit securely on their thrones for centuries, My Pi changes offers what we all want today: the classics presented in a fast casual format.  No frills, no bullshit, no waiters, just great pizza.

[asianbourdain]

Chicago: Small Cheval

9/13/17 Wicker Park

“The Best Burger in the Nation” as proclaimed by The Food Network.  In all of my stops to Chicago I never took the opportunity to grab a burger at Au Cheval and I was reminded by anyone that’s ever consumed one how big of a mistake that is.  Small Cheval opened recently and it’s a stripped down version of its older brother, but the essentials are still there: Burgers, fries, and beer.  What a coincidence, that’s all I was looking for.

Burger and Fries

A purist’s burger.  Solid, structural potato bun.  Aged beef blend, ooze of American cheese, and a bag of perfect twice-fried french fries.  No wait, no stupid fried mushrooms, no need for any of that garbage.  Just a straight forward awesome burger with a side of fries and a cold beer.

Conclusion Must return.  Every time.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Wolf

Marcel Vigneron’s flagship restaurant situated in the middle of the Melrose noise.  Despite his visceral persona on Top Chef, I felt he had a lot of talent beyond the crazy Willy Wonka persona he leads.  Upon arrival to his Chocolate factory, I was expecting Avante Garde to the max, but instead, it was just another dining room of reclaimed wood furniture 

I expected more character from a mad scientists’ brick and mortar, but I guess the landscape of today’s food scene forces the hand of even the most unorthodox minds.  But I’m here to see what the Oompa Loompas are doing with the menu, not the furniture.

Beets and Plums

Big splashing plates have become a trend ever since “Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart” hit the Netflix Airwaves.  This was a bit more surprising as the beets’ red contrasts on a white plate much like a bloodstain.  The presentation was stunning to say the least but I’m not sure if I loved the dish.  This was nothing more than a fruit salad with yuzu, almonds, berries, plums, beets, and nasturtium.  A really expensive, though pretty, fruit salad.

Baby Kale

Plain and simple, a great fucking salad.  Though the sound of kale salads may be tiring, Wolf’s take on it is a bombardment of textures.  To combat the tough texture of the kale, there was light crispy quinoa, baby cucumber melons, dried apricots, and a creamy almond dressing.

Burnt Carrots

Burnt farm carrots, coconut, passion fruit, tarragon, macadamia, lime, and charcoal.  Some real elevated tropical food here and some cool plating.  My favorite dish of the night, and the best part was , it was comprised of relatively common ingredients.  3 dishes in, and no real out-of-the-box mol gastro yet... I’m confused.

White Miso Black Cod

Watermelon radish, bean sprouts, dashi, honshimeiji mushrooms.  Seared black cod swimming in dashi.  A nice Japanese-influenced dish, but I’m struggling to see how this was worth the pricetag.  Though it was well cooked, how does one get away with selling half a fillet of black cod for 32 dollars?  Still waiting for the mind-bending tricks here.

Crispy Potatoes

Chive aioli, rosemary, horseradish.  OK there’s gotta be some molecular sorcery here.  These shits were way too good.  Potato texture perfection.  Yea the presentation was cool too but let’s ignore that for now.  We’re talking KFC seasoned wedge style light flaky crunch that held true until the very last bite.  Definite brine to get the sodium through the heart of the potato, but not sure what attributed to the perfect fluff.  The audible crunch.  The abnormal pairing of horseradish instead of a common hard cheese.  Always got to show love for a well-done potato.

Brussels Sprouts

Not sure why I didn’t like this more?  It had all the telltale signs of a Vincent-favorite but the only thing that was interesting to me was how the fish sauce caramel didn’t harm the crispiness of the individual leaves.

Roast Chicken

Asparagus, chanterelle, artichoke, garlic, parsley.  Solid straightforward California cuisine here.  Nice layering in the presentation, cool foams, and properly cooked veg.  The chicken was perfect once the plate hit the table, but once it sat it got dry, fast.  Instant letdown.

Vadouvan Lamb Rack

Baby summer squad, eggplant, tomato, fennel, lebneh, jus.  Same story as the chicken.  Who the fuck is at the hot stations annihilating proteins over here?

Elderflower Souffle

The pastry chef is really coming in to save this meal.  Top-notch souffle, with a contrasting tart rhubarb ice cream collapsing its middle.  I thought I was done with this elderflower dessert movement, but this piece right here brought me right back.

Conclusion The meal was priced as expected for a restaurant of this style in the middle of Melrose, but the disappointment lied in the fact that I was presented with common Californian fare.  Stuff I can find in every neighborhood of LA.  What’s the deal?  Not much has been written about Wolf so far, but I was still expecting proper protein execution at the very least.  My only thought is that Marcel might not be behind the wheel here or it might possibly be a full sellout move.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Sack Sandwiches

7/30/17 Beverly Grove

Michael Voltaggio’s fast-casual sandwich concept opened its doors a few spaces down from Ink. and it looks to be right up my alley.

Cold Fried Chicken

Cold fried chicken between some house ciabatta, ranch cheese, lettuce, pickles, and hot sauce.  The fresh day-bread was the perfect sandwich texture to hold the guts of a sandwich in place without turning into a soggy mess when faced with some wet ingredients.  The sandwich itself was intriguing.  It was a glimpse inside Mama Voltaggio’s kitchen on a Monday Morning.  Leftover fried chicken slapped together and wrapped in a brown paper bag for her kids.  American soul food for the working-class generation.

After the bite I walked by Ink. on the way to my car and look who I saw hanging outside before dinner service.

The man, the myth, the legend himself.

Conclusion

The Sack Sandwich concept is a fun one.  It brings commonfolk lunchfare back to the commonfolk, touched by hands with a Michelin pedigree for a reasonable price.  Just a bunch of sandwiches MV loves to eat, done the way he wanted to.

[asianbourdain]

Mexico: All the Random Shit I Ate in Puerto Vallarta

Mariscos a la Diabla from Los Jarritos de Paul

This yeoman’s swiss-army knife of a seafood restaurant planted at the corner entrance of a popular open air market in old town looked like a sound start to kick off vacation for me and my girlfriend.  2 plate lunches, 2 beers, for less than 20 USD.  Heavy on the seafood, thick on the sauce, and not shy with the heat.

Pescado Embarazado from the Malecon

Daily seafood marinated it Salsa Huichol, the staple bottled hot sauce of the Nayarit region.  Everybody from established kiosks to local fishermen to kids with a grill pop up on the boardwalk grilling the local catch.  The seafood ranged from shrimp to marlin and a lot of things in between.  Simple, tasty, and cheap.  Though most of the time the proteins are annihilated, the permeation of the spices from the hot sauce really sing when they caramelize on the surface of the seafood.

Tacos Al Pastor from Tacos La Hormiga

OK first thing’s first, “Ant Tacos” does cause a bit of skepticism so I had to stick with the safe stuff here.  Tacos Al Pastor only, and let’s do it double-time.  The purveyors were friendly, talkative, and vouched these were going to be the best Tacos Al Pastor ANYWHERE.  Bold words and I was willing to take his words up as a challenge.  The tacos themselves were really good.  The flavor had dimensions I was so unfamiliar with.  Picking up some fond over the years from the flat top or possibly just the natural gamey-ness from the local pork.  For a taco stand slinging tacos in the middle of the day, this was a great choice.  

Tacos de Birria from Tacos El Moreno

Fresh tortillas, giant pot of birria, and just a small u-counter on the side of the street.  Taco divinity.  Taco Bell mortals are not worthy to take a seat at this dining table.

Pozole, Tostada, and Sope at El Campanario

Pozole with pork spine.  Sope with Requeson cheese.  Pork feet tostadas.  Completely off the wall with these normal everyday dishes.  El Campanario throws a small twist onto everything down to their tostadas.  The texture is much like a puffed rice or corn cracker rather than a thin tortilla chip.  It plays a lighter crunch on the palate which is fantastic.  Will need to hunt some of these down back in the states.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Free Range

6/26/16 Mar Vista

After a trip to the farmer’s market I walked by the Free Range truck in Mar Vista.  A lot of good things have been said about their magical chicken sandwiches, but a stupid and real question to ask is: Is it better than Chick-Fil-A?

The Original Fried Chicken Sandwich

A nice sturdy, enriched bun.  Pickled red onions and a spicy slaw provide the veggie balance.  The only sauce is lightly sweet, whole grain mustard.  The chicken thigh was fried with a light, wet batter.  Textures were on point here.  The meat was still juicy and tender, but the crust held its crisp despite the barrage of wet ingredients.  A seemingly simple chicken sandwich spiked with bold flavors to attack your tongue in a very unsubtle way.

Conclusion The hype was real with these guys.  It’s nice to know their 4 wheels have expanded their reach across all corners of the LA area, but their pricepoint may face some resistance preventing them from gaining real traction.  Personally, I have a problem paying 12 dollars for a chicken sandwich off of a food truck.  Although it was a damn good one, you can get a meal for 2 at some places for that price.

[asianbourdain]

Los Angeles: Loqui

6/11/16 Culver City

A tiny closet space furnished with fancy reclaimed furniture, but powered by the same stuff as any other taqueria:

2 flat tops, 1 grill, a couple steam trays and some big chopping boards.  But seriously, what goes into a $5 dollar taco?  How do you justify this?

Asada Primo

A house tortilla (made offsite), prewarmed with some cheese then topped with pinto beans, raw onions, cilantro, guac, and some pico.  The steak was fresh grilled and diced for EVERY SINGLE TACO.  Somewhat excessive one may think, but this is seriously the only way to keep the steak moist.  The steak was incredibly well done.  Proportions were correct.  Tortilla was slightly crisp.  Cheese was melted.  A taco with all the trimmings with housemade, craft ingredients across the board.

Conclusion This restaurant is everything I hate about the food scene today.  The juxtaposition of dirty food set in a gentrified expensive plaza next to a Blue Bottle Coffee and marking it the fuck up.  Drive down the street and you can get a taco for $1 but the fact that it’s sitting in the middle of Platform LA gives justification to the vile ravaging of your wallet.  After all of that defecation, I must admit, that was a damn good taco.  I loved it, and I hate that I loved it.