Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate my birthday- and no thanks to those of you who tried to get me drunk.
This year I celebrated at
Yi Cuisine. On the relaxed corner of Fairfax & Third, this newly renovated restaurant screamed Feng Shui. There was a large zen-like waterfall at the entrance, and many more lined the walls of the dining room. An airy entrance-way led to the atrium enclosed between the main dining room and the bar/lounge. Famed
chef Rodelio Aglibot (formerly of
Koi on La Cienega) created his own retreat for complex Asian (all types of asian- there were even 2 "Indonesian" dishes on the menu!) cuisine accented with French technique.
The food was delicious. Usually when going to an Asian Fusion restaurant I don't anticipate leaving with a full stomach, but being the first time I visited Yi, we made sure to order more than enough so we can get a taste of all the goodies on the menu. So here goes my first food review ~.~
We started with the
tuna tartare which was served on top of a cube of deep-fried rice. The fresh fish had a delicate taste and was counterbalanced well with the sweetness of the rice. A matching dish, the
kobe beef on rice krispie was another taste-buds-pleasing treat with melt-in-your-mouth kobe beef. Unfortunately, the
wok-fried kobe beef entree was a bit disappointing, as the quality of the beef seemed to be inferior to the previous appetizer. Going on with the appetizers, we also tried the
rock shrimp, as it was our waiter's favorite, and it was so delish I ordered an extra plate to share with the rest of the table. (Hey- it was my birthday, of course I got to try everything first!) The taste is very reminiscent of Chinese fried shrimp with mayonaise but this one didn't taste as fatty as chinese ones do. The rock shrimp was also fried to perfection before adding the sauce so there was just a hint of crispiness. This was my favorite dish.
The chef's special for the night, we also had an extra large helping of
foie gras... which unfortunately was a big disappointment. It was breaded with Japanese breadcrumbs and deep fried and served on top of a bed of sweet rice and an ultra-sweet red sauce. The foie gras was completely over-cooked, which made it taste more like chicken liver, and the sauces overpowered the flavor completely, leaving a sticky sweet taste in your mouth and the question "How old is this foie gras?"
Another disappointment was the
garlic noodles which aimed to be "better than Crustacean's." For one thing, it's not nearly as oily, which is a bad thing! ;) Also, it tasted more like spaghetti than noodles and was too dry, with all the flavor at the bottom of the bowl. Jabin said it best when he said "it tastes like supermie (instant noodles), except my supermie is better because of the MSG!" On a brighter note, the
garlic fried rice wasn't half bad.
I also tried the
crab-cake crusted ahi tuna, which cost a whopping $22 but was worth only about $4. He should have stuck to making crab cakes. Again, the flavor of the sauces (in this case, wasabi~ which they should have warned us on the menu) overpowered the taste of the seafood. I didn't taste any crab, although I couldn't complain about the ahi. Overall, this dish was okay, but not worth the money.
The
rib-eye, (at $48 a dish) was sliced into thin slices and served with a brown sauce. I don't know what was in the sauce, but it tasted like a bad combination of hoisin and vinegar. The quality of the meat was also a disappointment, we'll stick to Mastro's for steak.
But the winning dish of the evening was the
Black Cod. Marinated to perfection, and served with perfect texture, if I ever return I will definitely order the black cod. Also one of the side dishes caught my attention, a simple bowl of mashed potatoes.
And on a last note- if you are planning a small party where everybody is expecting to be fed a lot of food and drink and be merry, this is not the place to go. The portions are small and the menu can be difficult to order from for large groups (as the appetizers and entrees are all mixed up by styles of cooking, so everyone is confused as to what to order). However, if you're on a date and looking for a trendy night on the town, this place is perfect. Just don't expect too much from the lounge, since it is as dead as the bathroom decor. And it's a good idea to ask the waiter for his recommendations and stick to those, don't be brave and try the other things on the menu! Oh, and
skip dessert.
