firstborn — Restaurant in Los Angeles

You’re gonna pay a lot, but you’re not gonna get a lot. High prices and small portions, which bothers me not so much if the food blows me away, but unfortunately this wasn’t the case. We had: Eggplant- super forgettable, bland, needed more acid to cut through the eggplant’s richness. I’ve cooked better eggplant at home. Oh, and SO under-salted, this was the main problem.

Radishes- was like pon chon radishes in a sauce someone thought “hey, this sauce is good, let’s put it with …something. Sure…radishes?!” Elements did not go together and radishes too chewy for me, but sauce was good. Again under-salted.

Duck sausage- lacked flavor, especially the onion brodo. Under-salted. A theme develops.

Steamed custard- what an ODD mess of a dish. This one actually almost won me over, but the under cooked peas and uneven flavors/seasoning were it’s undoing. How on earth did they think all these things would work together? Gelee, scallops, peas, sea lettuce…etc…what? I think if they leaned into it being a soup rather than a custard it would be better. Just make it all sea lettuce, broth, and properly cooked peas. A little more salt needed, especially in flavorless gelee.

Oxtail- maybe the worst dish considering its price. Again the ingredients just don’t work together. Squid and braised beef is a fail, and the salt is once more lacking. My last bite was tough and riddled with gristle. At these prices? Unforgivable.

By now you probably think I’m a mean old salt addict. A veritable saline fiend. But then! Out comes the lamb and it was the most over salted dish I’ve ever had an restaurant. Without the potatoes it would have been inedible due to the abundance of salt. If we hadn’t shared it i would have had to send it back. It was like they saved all the salt they should have put in the other dishes and sprinkled it on the lamb. And SUCH a tiny portion for $52. Maybe 6oz…maybe. Horrific.

Service was kind of a mess too, but forgivable considering they just opened. At these prices every course should get a new plate and silverware. The only time it actually bothered me was when they didn’t take the ox plate away because it meant those flavors would mingle...

Major Letdown – Not Worth the Hype

We were genuinely excited to try Firstborn after hearing so much buzz. Unfortunately, the entire experience fell flat — and then some.

First red flag: we weren’t given any choice about where we’d be seated. Despite asking to dine inside, we were placed in the so-called “patio” — which is really just a bleak courtyard surrounded by closed storefronts. We kindly asked to be moved indoors, but the hostess brushed us off, saying it was warm and we’d be fine. No flexibility. No options.

We ordered drinks, which came out completely staggered. My glass of wine arrived a full 10 minutes before my partner’s cocktail. I waited out of courtesy, and of course by the time I drank it, it was warm. Meanwhile, two different servers tried to take our food order before we even got our drinks — clearly, the pressure to turn tables is strong here.

When we finally ordered, it started getting cold outside. There was a heater right next to us, but the server couldn’t get it to work.

Then came the food. And honestly? Nowhere near the level of praise this place seems to get. The BBQ cabbage was burnt and bitter, the tomato dish was bland, and out of 15 clams, 6 were completely empty.

And the worst offender? The “dumplings.” What we were served wasn’t dumplings at all — it was a mushy tofu mix, with no wrapper, no texture, no flavor — just a sad, soggy pile pretending to be something it’s not. A total misrepresentation of the dish.

We asked to speak to the manager and explained our disappointment. Her response? “We’re not doing anything. You could’ve just booked somewhere else.” No apology. No accountability. Just arrogance.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a thoughtful experience, solid food, or even just basic hospitality — don’t waste your time here. L.A. has plenty of restaurants that actually care. This...

The most important thing to review at a restaurant obviously is the food -- and the food gets an easy 5 stars. Yes the price point is very high, but the menu is remarkably inventive and original and the food itself is delicious. There are fusion flavors that I've never had before, such as the mapo steak tartare, which was a joy to experience.

The layered BBQ cabbage with vinaigrette was perfectly balanced between sour and savoury, the oxtail soup is an absolute must have, with a spoonful of meat, broth, and noodles forming a perfect bite. The sweetbread (veal heart) with shredded pork trotters and bok choy is another fusion dish that I've never encountered, but the combination makes a lot of sense when you eat it.

Finally for dessert, had the custard with shaved ice made from cucumber juice, which was a superb end to a great meal.

I normally don't give service too much weight when considering a restaurant experience, but I feel like the level of service here was absolutely exceptional and deserves a shout out. There are some previous reviews complaining about servers forgetting to change out plates between courses, or being overbearing, but that didn't happen tonight. The servers were attentive, on top of things (such as filling up water and clearing finished dishes, after asking if we were done) and happy to answer questions when asked but otherwise stayed out of our way.

And lastly, the space is really nice. The interiors are designed beautifully, the outside plaza has a nice vibe going with Steep next door, and the view of the Chinatown-style architecture and neon lights across the street was fun.

I hope they can keep up this level of consistency of quality in the coming...