Nightshade — Restaurant in Los Angeles

This was a highly anticipated restaurant on my list. I’ve heard so much praise and was so ecstatic to try their menu with some friends!

Here’s what we ordered: Oysters: Kushi oysters served on a half shell with passionfruit cream. The cream brings the tartness down a bit and it pairs very well with the oysters. I enjoyed it very much. Very refreshing! Hokkaido Scallops: Great presentation but small portion for $23... its essentially 3 scallops sliced to thinner pieces. They drizzle a coconut vinaigrette and it’s topped with crispy ginger, green chili, pickled shallot, and red coriander. I would’ve preferred a lighter sauce that’s not cream based but the shallot and red coriander added a nice touch but not memorable. Baja Kanpachi: Oh man... 3 slices of amberjack resting on the side of a large bowl, hidden under slices of radishes and a perilla leaf. We were asked to dip the fish into the turnip soup. It has a mild citrus taste. Good but not impressed. Squid ink tagliatelle: I love that they used handmade pasta. They’ve added chunks of cuttlefish in the bolognese and mixed in gochujang for a sweet and subtle kick! The pasta was thin and absorbed the sauce nicely! Lasagna: This is honestly a brilliant idea! Using bean curd skin as the pasta sheets, each layer is topped with pork ragu and tofu cream. The flavors were a play on the classic Chinese dish “Mapo Tofu”. The edges crisp up so delicately and the texture was amazing! However, as a Chinese home cook, I’m baffled by how much they charge for such a thin slice, when the ingredient are so cheap! Had they picked a more reasonable price point for a so called lasagna... I wouldn’t have any complaints. This was also heavily salted. Shrimp toast: I didn’t except this dish to be served as a fried shrimp paste. It sits over a toast in a creamy coconut curry. I loved the flavor and execution. I think what bothered me was how shrimp paste is associated with cheap street food. It’s also hard to mess up. Szechuan hot quail: This is a clever twist by using Szechuan peppers for a shot at Nashville hot chicken. This dish totally took me by surprise. Quail is typically served like a mini roast duck. It’s all dark meat. I’m slightly disappointed that it’s deep fried so you can’t taste the natural flavors of the quail. But the spices were a hit and most of the quail has been deboned! If you love spicy with a little numbness, this is highly recommended! Coconuts mousse: The dessert consists of what looks like a craquelin crusted shell with coconut mousse and pineapple chunks. It’s served over coconut jelly and lime coconut shaved ice. It taste very tropical and fun to eat! Guava cheese cream: Our second dessert taste like a creamy sorbet. It’s made from fresh pink guava and covered with marbles almond flavored white chocolate. The flavors didn’t mix well but was good individually.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal! The service was excellent! It was eye opening to try some of the creations. However, I didn’t find some of the price fitted for what was being served. I skipped a lot of the dishes because the ingredients were incredibly cheap like blooming onion or congee. I wanted to give this 3 stars based on that but it’s definitely better than average. I do look forward to what they will bring in the next season. Maybe...

Wow, what can I say?! Chef Mei Lin has not skimped on anything here. I would rate Nightshade in the top 5% of restaurants that I’ve visited. The restaurant is well staffed, I think I counted 20+ plus staff. Each person is welcoming and knows their stuff. The atmosphere is romantic with their dim lights, but at the same time lively with their bar being exposed to their open kitchen concept. Chef Mei Lin also chose to use high quality dishes and table ware. All of that is apparent when you visit. No detail is left untouched! Onto the food… the menu is simple with 14 dinner items, 3 dessert items and decent listing of spirits, whiskey, scotch, tequila and vodka drinks. The plates are a la carte style so it’s best to order 5-6+ dishes for 2 people. We had the East Coast Bay Scallops, beef tartare, roasted sunchokes, lasagna, shrimp toast, Szechuan hot quail and coconut mousse for dessert. -The scallops came out and don’t even taste or look like scallops! The bitterness of the coriander goes well with the sweetness and sour of the coconut vinaigrette while the crispy ginger goes well with the plumpness of the scallops. -The texture of the sunchokes is unique and reminds me of a soft baked yam, but with a little more snap. The slight bitterness and sourness of the mole is balanced well with the sweetness of the sunchoke.

-The tar tar is seasoned just right and goes well with the sesame, egg yolk jam and slight spiciness of the kochukaru. -The shrimp toast is rich, and each bite gives access to the shrimp topping sitting on a slice of Japanese milk bread that’s been dipped into a nice blend of curry. Very tasty. -The lasagna is unique and has thin layers of lasagna coupled with bits of pork ragu. The sweetness of the tofu cream and parmesan counters the slight spiciness of the dish.

-Our neighboring guest told us the hot quail was too spicy, but we tried it anyways since we’re accustomed to Szechuan food. The quail is fried with a nice coating breading and spices. The dish has a kick, so I don’t recommend it for those that are sensitive to spicy food. The bread helps with keep your taste buds on check and the pickles counter the spicy well with sweet and sour. -To end our experience, we chose the coconut mousse. Man, this dessert is beautiful and is just filled with so many complimentary and unique flavors. You have the mousse which reminds me of chilled whipped cream, there’s the sweet and unique texture of nata de coco, the sweet and tart from the bits of coconut hidden in the center all being brought together with the tartness of the coconut lime granita.

I assume the menus are seasonal, so we’ll try to make sure we continue trying their menus. A must try.

Note: Street parking is limited so expect to use...

Kusshi oysters were amazing. Clean flavor complimented by passionfruit, and bursts of garlic when downing the leche de tigre. One of my fav courses of the night.

Beef tartare and chicharron are well worth it. With a dash of sesame oil and Korean gochukaru red pepper, the flavors mesh together well and the plate disappeared quite quickly.

Def try the squid ink tagliatelle with cuttlefish. It was very good and the freshly made pasta was delightful. The Bolognese and Korean gochujang or red bean paste compliment one another to produce a flavorful sauce with the cuttlefish.

One item not on the menu was a shrimp and ravioli dish, with a broth made from boiled lobster head and other items. It was delicious. If they are serving it and you like seafood, you absolutely must try it. The ravioli pasta was freshly made and tasted exquisite.

The last item we tried was the pork schnitzel. The pork cutlet (similar to katsu) left a bit to be desired. I felt like it lacked some spice and was a bit bland. Perhaps it was intentional to let the gwaimei (meaning strange flavor or ugly beauty, something oxymoronic) dressing blossom and take the stage with its vinaigrette-like sweet but sour flavor accompanied by oh-so-delicious green jade tomatoes. I feel like the tomatoes and gwaimei dressing could have been a vegetable dish on it's own. Nonetheless, if you're with a big group though, it's a good dish to order as it is filling for the price.

Last but not least, we finished off with the coconut mousse and was not disappointed. The coconut lime granita provided the perfect citrus kick for the smooth, sweet mousse interior, with a delicious pineapple center. Nata de coco (aka coconut gel from your typical boba shop) adorns the dish rounding off the delectable dessert.

For drinks we had no. 7 which was fantastic and would cater to anyone with a palette for an old fashioned. No. 923 is sweet but not obnoxious, with an exquisite milk-flavor that's achieved by straining the milk out of the liquid allowing it retain a rich flavor. A must try if you prefer something on the sweeter side.

Overall, an amazing dining experience! Service was impeccable. Kudos to Chef Mei and a fantastic menu. The decor is beautiful too. I will be back to try the rib-eye, scallops, Dungeness crab, quail egg, and...