September 21, 2010

85C – Happiness Baked

Simply put, the baked goods at 85C are to die for! Sigh, I can’t stop thinking about their milk pudding roll…moist and buttery on the outside, filled with creamy, milk custard on the inside. Pure happiness in a roll…the *BEST* Asian pastry I’ve ever eaten. (Make sure to eat it right away while it’s still fluffy)
85C originated in Taiwan. The Irvine location is their first in the U.S. and already has a cult following. This is the first time I’ve seen a line outside an Asian bakery. Fortunately, the line moved pretty quickly, and they limited the number of people inside so it wasn’t a crowded madhouse.
Since there’s such a high demand, 85C continuously bakes their items throughout the day (instead of just in the morning like most places), so everything is literally fresh out of the oven. Even so, they had already run out of taro buns (one of my faves) and the next batch wouldn’t be ready for another 2 hours. Darn, I really wanted to try their version…I’m sure it would’ve been heartbreakingly good. Regardless, there was still a large selection of breads, buns, and pastries…and like everyone else, we piled our trays high with goodies. Had I known better, I would’ve gotten more milk pudding buns! Their boroh (pineapple) roll was also especially scrumptious. I also ordered the sea salt coffee…interesting but not as exceptional as the pastries.
My only complaint is that 85C doesn’t have a location in San Francisco. Please expand up here soon!

BITE METER: 85C – 4.5 bites (out of 5)

September 20, 2010

Shin Sen Gumi – Customize Your Ramen

After a weekend of gluttony, we decided to “cleanse” ourselves with a warm bowl of ramen at Shin Sen Gumi. What’s unique about this restaurant is you can choose the level of richness/oiliness you want for your broth, the firmness of your noodles, and the array of toppings for your ramen.

The tonkotsu (pork bone) broth was great. I ordered the ‘light oil’ version, but the broth still maintained a rich (albeit lighter), almost creamy pork flavor. The slices of cha-su Berkshire pork were tender, and I loved the crunchy, sweet bamboo and the bite from the pickled ginger…a wonderful medley of flavors and textures. My only gripe about the ramen was the noodles. The restaurant serves Hakata-style ramen, which I’ve had before in Tokyo so I knew to expect thinner noodles. But what bothered me was these noodles tasted more like starchy rice noodles than denser flour noodles. Even the ‘medium’ consistency noodles were too soft, so I’d recommend getting ‘hard’ noodles.


Chicken rice balls came with my meal since I ordered one of the lunch combos. It was really unappetizing – bland and mushy with dry chicken chunks. Instead of using sticky rice, they used regular rice and made it soggy so the rice ball would stick together. Not good.
To sum it up, the ramen was delicious, but make sure you order the ‘hard’ noodles. And stay away from the chicken rice balls!

BITE METER: Shin Sen Gumi – 3.7 bites (out of 5)

September 19, 2010

Urasawa – An Expensive Sushi Extravaganza

I’ve been debating on whether to dine at Masa for years. At a minimum of $500 per person, its tasting menu is by far the most expensive in the U.S (heck, than most of the world). Is it worth paying *that* much money when I’ve already had some of the best sushi in Japan? Could the fish possibly be better than what the top restaurants in Tokyo get? So when I read rave reviews about Urasawa and found out that it was Chef Masa Takayama’s restaurant before he left to open Masa in New York and was now being run by his former sous-chef/protégé, AND the tasting menu was “only” $200 per person (it’s all relative, right?), I put Urasawa on my mental list of restaurants to dine at.

Unfortunately, that was a few years ago and Urasawa’s set menu has now almost doubled to $350 per person (that doesn’t include drinks or gratuity). But since I was finally going to be down in SoCal and my friends are also sushi fanatics, we decided to take the plunge and made reservations at Urasawa.

The restaurant is located in Beverly Hills on the second floor of a nondescript building on Rodeo Drive. Despite the ritzy address, I was pleased to find a simple and intimate space with just 9 seats along a beautifully sanded wood sushi bar.

The food was great overall, but what really made the restaurant stand out was the happy and friendly demeanor of Chef Hiro Urasawa . At most established sushi restaurants, the head chef is usually quite formal and stern. However, Hiro-san warmly introduced himself when we sat down and talked with us throughout our meal…all while never losing focus on the fish and making sure his staff attended to even the smallest details. The service was top notch. Not only did Hiro-san provide us with informative details of each course, he also tolerated my picture taking (not allowed in most high-end sushi places), calling me the “sushi paparazzi”. He did tell us that the nigiri must be eaten within 10 seconds of him making it, so I tried to quickly snap a shot or two (all in the name of good blogging!) before enjoying the sushi at its optimum…

[Note: There were 31 different presentations (yes, 31!) so I will keep my descriptions brief]

Ankimo wrapped Toro and Caviar – WOW, what a way to start the meal! Exquisitely plated and masterfully executed. The flavors of the toro (fatty tuna) and ankimo (monkfish liver) were rich and sumptuous, while the caviar and the daikon kept things bright and added interesting textures.
Ikura and Edamame Tofu – I’ve never had anything like this before. The ikura (salmon roe) burst with such a gentle sweetness. The saltiness was so subtle that I knew the roe was fresh and hadn’t been preserved in salt water for very long. The silky edamame tofu had a slight nutty taste and provided a perfect contrast.
Baby Japanese Eggplant - first time I’ve eaten raw eggplant. It was soft and slightly spongy, while dipping it in soy sauce accentuated its sweetness. Garden fresh taste even though it was flown in all the way from Osaka.
Sashimi (Toro, Kanpachi, Uni) – Amazing, one of my favorite courses. The sashimi was served in a beautiful hand-carved ice bowl by Hiro-san. The kanpachi was clean yet had a slight butteriness. And of course, the toro was melt-in-your-mouth heaven. But what really made my knees go weak was the uni (sea urchin) from Santa Barbara. It was absolutely sublime and some of the best I’ve had.
Kobe Beef Tartar and Caviar – two very luxurious ingredients, but I actually didn’t love this dish. The beef had similar savory-sweet flavors found in Chinese beef jerky, but it was too salty and overpowered the delicate caviar.
Shark Fin Soup – a soulful and elegant soup. The shark fin was so soft and tender, like a shitake mushroom only much more delicate. The only other time I’ve had shark fin soup this incredible was at Hiiragiya in Kyoto.
Tempura Anago – a Japanese version of the battered, fried fish. Crispy on the outside, then warm and meaty anago (sea eel) on the inside. The grated shiso leaf added an nice herbaceous element to the tempura.
Kobe Beef, Scallop, Prawn on Miso Paste – served over a small hot grill, the sweet and unctuous miso paste perfectly complemented each of the items, especially the oh-so-tender Kobe beef.
Shabu Shabu with King Eel, Red Snapper, Foie Gras, and Kombu Kelp - each item was individually placed in the boiling broth by our waiters to cook for just a few seconds. The king eel was kind of chewy with no distinguishable taste. Foie gras shabu shabu was a new concept for me, and I appreciated how the simple poaching kept the foie gras light and creamy. My favorite part of this course was actually drinking the broth afterwards. I was surprised that it was only a simple seaweed broth. But all the various items that had been cooked in it really developed the broth's depth and flavor.
Kama Toro (fatty tuna) – velvety and rich. This cut came from the collar of the tuna (unlike most toro which comes from the belly)
Seared Kama Toro (fatty tuna) – the quick sear further integrated the marbleized fat into the meat and made for a heavenly morsel
Katsuo (skipjack) – firm with a clean, subdued flavor
Kanpachi (amberjack) – liked it better in the sashimi, this cut was more chewy
Tai (red snapper) – although this had sudachi zest on top, it was too similar to the 2 other firm white fishes that were just served, none of which have a lot of flavor
Maguro (blue fin tuna) – like a beautiful red satin
Seki Aji (horse mackerel) – Hiro-san said this was the “number one mackerel from Japan”, but it didn’t particularly stand out from good aji I’ve had at other places
Ika (squid) – firm with a creamy finish, grated sudachi added flavor
Uni (sea urchin) – sweet, creamy, absolutely incredible! The most outstanding of piece of nigiri served. I wish I could have taken one of those containers of uni home with me!
ChuToro (medium fatty tuna) – rich and buttery goodness
Kohada (gizzard shad) – not as fishy as saba, but still has the oiliness and distinct flavor of silver fish
Baby Shrimp – kind of bland, needed some acidity to brighten it up. I prefer the version from Sushi Sam’s Edomata (only other place that I’ve had this).
Sanma (mackerel pike) – a traditional preparation that’s over 300 years old. The fish is "grilled" with hot metal rods pressed against the top, creating huge puffs of smoke. The chopped shiso balanced the saltiness and oiliness of the fish.
Shitake Mushroom – simple yet distinct woody and earthy flavors. The mushroom had been slowly grilled for the past hour and had a lovely tenderness.
Negitoro Maki (fatty tuna roll) - the toro was complemented by green onions and pickled radish
Awabi (abalone) – firm and slightly crunchy, but the sudachi tasted strange with it. Honestly, I usually find abalone flavorless in sushi and this was no different (only exception was the awabi at Sushi Mizutani, the best sushi restaurant I've been to date)
Amaebi (sweet shrimp) - this is as fresh as it gets! We watched Hiro-san take the large shrimp apart while it was still alive and moving. It didn't tast as sweet as I expected and had a slight mineral-like taste. Because it was so fresh, it was firmer than other amaebi I've had, but there was still a mushy consistency that I’m not fond of.
Aji No Tataki (minced Spanish mackerel) – interesting preparation, but I was so overloaded with mackerel (and sushi) at this point that it was difficult to appreciate this
Anago (sea eel) – I was relieved to have something bold and different to wake up my taste buds. The anago was lean, meaty, and full of flavor from the sweet kabayaki sauce
Tamago (egg cake) – fluffy and light with the distinct taste of egg, but also with a hint of sweetness. It is said that quality of the tamago is indicative of how good a sushi chef is..and Hiro-san's was especially delicious!
Asian Pear Gelée – great palate cleanser. Refreshing and tart.
White Sesame Ice Cream with Matcha Green Tea – smooth and creamy with the nutty sesame flavor. Hiro-san made the matcha with such care and precision, as if it had been a Japanese tea ceremony. I enjoyed the bitter contrast of the tea with the sweet dessert.
Three and a half hours later, I was beyond full. I never thought these words would ever come out of my mouth, but there *is* such a thing as too much sushi! The fish presented in the nigiri part of the meal became monotonous after a while. I would have enjoyed it more if Hiro-san had left some of the similar items out (i.e. didn’t need so many white fishes and mackerels) and kept the nigiri more distinct and focused. I also noticed that Hiro-san served nigiri to other diners in a different order, which I thought was strange. The order is important in multi-course meals, building up in richness and flavors…but Hiro-san’s was all over the place. Perhaps, my palate was overwhelmed too early in the meal with heavy items and that’s why it was hard for me to enjoy the more subtle flavors and differences in the fish later on.

Don’t get me wrong though, I REALLY enjoyed my dinner at Urasawa (especially the first half of the meal), but I expected a lot more given the price. I’ve also had similar or better sushi experiences elsewhere for less, so I probably wouldn’t come back to Urasawa unless they lower the prices. Unfortunately, Hiro-san mentioned wanting to raise prices again due to the strength of Japanese yen…so if you want to eat at Urasawa, get your butt here fast before the price goes up again!

BITE METER: Urasawa – 4.2 bites (out of 5)

September 18, 2010

230 Forest Avenue - Upbeat Eats in Laguna Beach

B and I flew down to SoCal to visit our friends that recently moved to Laguna Beach. After grabbing sunset cocktails on a rooftop bar, we headed to 230 Forest Avenue for dinner. Located in Laguna’s town area, the restaurant has an energetic yet easygoing atmosphere. The staff is friendly, and our waiter surprised us with a free chocolate croissant bread pudding when he saw that my friend’s birthday had just passed (Yes, they actually carded us when we ordered wine. I’ll take that to be a complement, thank you). The California-inspired menu had many seafood items, but I decided to order something more hearty since I was so hungry…little did I know how big their portion sizes are!

Tenderloin Stroganoff with White Truffle Oil – the intoxicating smell of truffles permeated our table as soon as my enormous entree arrived….how I do love truffles! Although I couldn’t really taste truffles in the dish, its essence was strong enough to give the stroganoff a luxurious flair. I enjoyed the rich sauce with the dollop of crème fraiche and the thick egg noodles, but the meat was a tad overcooked.
Overall, I liked the restaurant, and everything I tasted was good (I also sampled everyone else’s food, of course!) A great place to dine at when catching up with good friends.

BITE METER: 230Forest – 3.5 bites (out of 5)

September 05, 2010

Pear & Almond Tart – My Favorite Baker

Thank you for baking us this beautiful and scrumptious pear & almond tart, C! You always amaze me by making such unbelievably good desserts from scratch…B and I love them all! :-9

September 03, 2010

Alinea - Beyond Words

Alinea has recently been hailed as the Best Restaurant in the U.S. (and #7 in the World). With such status, I had extremely high expectations and quite honestly, was a bit worried that I’d expect too much and be let down. Instead, I was *completely* blown away by my experience at Alinea and would have to whole heartedly agree that it’s the best restaurant I’ve been to in the U.S. (sorry, French Laundry). What’s even more remarkable is that Alinea has only been around for 5 years, during part of which Chef Grant Achatz had battled tongue cancer.

Words can not adequately describe the phenomenal meal I had at Alinea. It is a true experience in all forms – the surprise of hidden sliding doors, interacting with the uniquely stunning presentations of each dish, anticipating what the next extraordinary course would bring, and most importantly, having my taste buds delighted and pushed to the limit with innovative, incredible food. You really do just have to experience it for yourself.

The food at Alinea is progressive, ambitious, artistic, and totally original. It was creative without being gimmicky. Chef Achatz and his team take modern American cuisine to a whole new level with their inventive genius. They make fun and exciting food, while still putting care into every single little detail.

The service was impeccable. Every need was anticipated before we had to ask for anything. The staff was professional, courteous, and very knowledgeable (even knew the history of the stemware!) I learned so much about the food and wine. [Btw, I highly recommend the reserve wine pairing. The wine beautifully complemented the food – an impressive feat with ~20 courses!]

The only thing I did not love about my experience at Alinea was the ambience. The dining room (there are 3) is a small, rectangular room with modern, minimalist décor in cool grey, beige, and black tones. It felt impersonal and lacked warmth. It’s a good thing that the food was so mesmerizing; else it’d be awkward to be in such a sparse room where you are so acutely aware of your neighbors. But maybe that was intentional, and they want you to just focus on the food…

They hung these pretty sheets of rice paper at the edge of the table, piquing my curiosity. Are these flags surrendering us to the food? :-9
Trio of Edible Cocktails:
LEMON – a frozen and chewy pisco sour. Like a firm marshmallow with alcohol.
CUCUMBER - cool and refreshing. A pool of gin and rose water inside a cucumber cube with mint.
CHERRY – their “improved” version of a Manhattan in the form of a maraschino cherry. This one packed a punch and warmed my throat going down. Nice.
ENGLISH PEA – unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before! Peas were mixed with frozen burrata cheese and dusted with Iberico ham powder. It was ice cold yet creamy, salty, sweet, and meaty all at once. The sherry “bubbles” and melon would also transform each bite by accentuating different flavors.
Trio of Shrimp on a Stick, inspired by different countries in Asia:
FRIED SHRIMP (China) – shrimp tempura with fermented black bean on cinnamon stick, dusted with Chinese five spice powder. Light, crispy, and packed with flavor. So much better than corn dogs!
YUBA (Japan) – sesame shrimp wrapped over a fried yuba stick in a miso mayo sauce. I’ve never had yuba fried and really enjoyed it, but found the shrimp to be too salty.
CHAO TOM (Vietnam) – believe it or not, food you’re encouraged to spit out! The sugar cane was infused with shrimp paste and mint. After chewing on it to extract the flavors, you spit it out into a small paper napkin. The flavors were surprisingly delicate, like a lightly sweet shrimp broth. It was a nice way to round out the course.

TOMATOES – this dish transported me to another place. I was initially confused and intrigued when they put pillows on top of the table. Then I started to smell the fresh, grassy aroma emitted by the pillows. Once the plate of heirloom tomatoes was set on the pillows, more of the aroma was emitted as the pillows deflated…it was like eating ripe tomatoes straight from the garden! The tomatoes were paired with different elements in powdered form (fried bread crumbs, frozen cheeses, pine nuts, bell pepper, onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar), and it was fun to mix and match. I especially liked the mozzarella, in powdered and fried form. If summer had a taste, this would be it.
DISTILLATION of Thai flavors – it looked like water but was actually fish sauce, lemon grass, and chilies distilled down to their purest form. I had expected intense flavors when I heard fish sauce, but the flavors were remarkably clean and smooth.
PORK BELLY– the mystery is solved…make your own spring roll with the rice paper. This pork belly was ABSOLUTELY ORGASMIC! It had been slowly simmered in coconut milk and just melted in my mouth. I wanted more! A beautiful and colorful display of the toppings for the spring roll (sea salt, cucumber, fried garlic, curried mango, lime, baby coconut, red onion, chili paste, cashews, marigold and leaves, basil seed and lime sauce). I can only imaging how much patience it took to prepare each of those tiny pieces with such precision.
Trio of King Crab – this unique bowl/structure held 3 different crab courses
1) CRAB MOUSSE – one of my favorite courses. The velvety and sweet crab mousse was in perfect harmony with the chilled and herbaceous chervil gelée, Unbelievably good.
2) KING CRAB – crab meat topped with bell pepper, and fried avocado crusted with crushed marcona almonds and topped plum slices. Pretty to look at but the least interesting of the trio.
3) CRAB GRATIN – I loved the combination of the crab with the cipollini onions, fennel, and cream. It was warm, savory, and decadent, while still allowing the sweetness of the crab to shine through.
HOT POTATO – great things really do come in small packages. The metal pick slides down to drop a piece of butter, hot potato, and black truffle into the tiny wax bowl filled with cold potato soup. Let me say that again – potatoes, butter, and truffles. This is my kind of comfort food! This was so delicious, it took all my restraint to keep myself from licking the bowl clean.
LAMB – this dish pays homage to Elysian Fields Farm, where the lamb comes from. Paper thin slices of the most incredibly tender lamb were skewered on a sprig of rosemary, placed over a pool of creamed corn, and topped with crispy strands of fried green onion “grass”. The combination of flavors and textures was magnificent. I especially loved the fried cubes of breaded lamb fat (yes, I’m a fried fat glutton!) which had a silky and meaty taste similar to sweetbreads.
BLACK TRUFFLE – this would be the love child of a Chinese soup dumpling and an Italian truffle ravioli. An explosion of black truffle broth filled my mouth as I bit into the disc of pasta. Mmm!
TOURNEDO à la persane – a throwback to the classics, by using a 100 year-old recipe from Le Guide Culinaire. The Australian Wagyu beef that was so tender that I could cut it with a butter knife. It was served over an Anaheim pepper stuffed with jasmine rice, a cherry tomato, a fried banana slice, and a Chateaubriand sauce. The dish was good, but after being wowed all night by Chef Achatz’ creative genius, I would have preferred seeing how he would have reinvented the dish.
BACON – to help transition to desserts, this small strip of crisp bacon was drizzled with butterscotch, “ribbons” of dehydrated granny smith apple, and thyme. As interesting to look at as it was to eat.
LEMON SODA – a dash of powdered lemon soda wrapped in edible clear paper. A great palate cleanser. (I ate this before taking a picture. Oops)

TRANSPARENCY – a more elegant version of a raspberry fruit roll-up.
BUBBLE GUM - a glass straw filled with long pepper, hibiscus gel, crème fraîche, and bubble gum tapioca pearls…all consumed with one big suck. Such a fun course! Brought me back to childhood.
EARL GREY – I was ready to dislike this dessert because I detest early grey tea, but this was surprisingly my favorite dessert of the evening. It was a moist and crumbly early grey cake served with pine nut custard, lemon curd, and rose gelée. The flavors were so well balanced – buttery, sweet, tart, and with just a hint of bitterness from the earl grey. The caramelized white chocolate noodle also added a playful yet tasty touch.
CHOCOLATE – The ultimate demonstration of fantasy and wonder at Alinea. A silicon tablecloth and several bowls and plates filled with mysterious items were placed on our table for the final dessert course. Then Chef Dave Beran (the Chef de Cuisine) comes out to greet us for a tableside presentation, where he pours molten chocolate into two glass cylinders and starts covering our table with chewy coconut balls, young coconut meringue, coconut milk, dark chocolate and menthol crumbs, hyssop leaves, and menthol crisps. Then he breaks a block of nitrogen-frozen chocolate mousse over the table and removes the glass cylinders to create a volcanic-looking chocolate wonderland. It was interesting to experience chocolate, coconut, and menthol in so many different tastes, temperatures, and textures. A tableside presentation like no other!
B and I were fortunate enough to get a quick tour of the kitchen. There are about 23 chefs/cooks in the kitchen for only 65 diners – that’s over 1 cook for every 3 diners! With so many people in the kitchen, it was impressively calm, quiet, and composed.
After our 4 hour meal, I felt inspired and completely enchanted. Alinea made me fall in love with food all over again. We stayed up that night talking about our experience for hours afterwards. I’ve had many great meals, but few have left me feeling so awestruck. The $185 tasting menu is pricey, but still a “bargain” considering the number of elaborate and well-executed courses...a small price to pay for one of the best meals of my life.

BITE METER: Alinea – 4.9 bites (out of 5)