Background:
Here’s Looking at You opened in LA’s Koreatown in July 2016 and was immediately a hit. Its star chef, Jonathan Whitener and front of house manager Lien Ta, who are also co-owners, have crafted a fun, hip little spot that manages to stand out in a neighborhood with no shortage of great restaurants. Both Whitener and Ta worked at another acclaimed LA restaurant, Animal, which we also visited on this trip--that review will be coming soon!
Here's lurking at you? Here's larking at you?? Glare sad face :/
We loved the vibe at HLAY, the space is cozy and the feel is laid back, but the cuisine is innovative and high-end.
Eat This:
Avocado
Market citrus [persimmon], nori, hazelnut, champagne vinegar
The texture of the avocado the persimmon paired beautifully, and this was a nice light dish to round out everything else we ordered!
Young Yellowtail
Tamarind, serrano, radish, cilantro, banana blossom
When we see tamarind on a menu, it’s a no-brainer--we are ordering it. Also, did you know that bananas even have blossoms? I sure didn’t. But I liked it.
Beef Tartare
Red chili, ramps, yolk, turnip, cress, charred bread
Like tamarind, tartare is a dish we always order. This one was one of my absolute favorites, and by far my favorite dish of the night--until we got to dessert, that is!
Duck Breast
Blood mole, onion, Asian pear, natural jus
This was our first foray into blood mole--the traditional Mexican sauce is typically made with chili peppers, nuts, and sometimes chocolate. This mole was made with, well, blood from the duck. Crazy stuff! We enjoyed it.
White Trout
Khmeli suneli, hummus, snap peas, lemon, cilantro
The trout was fried, and spiced with khmeli suneli, a traditional Georgian spice. The hummus was a fab complement to the light and spicy breading on the fish.
Dessert:
Pear Upside Down Cake
Koji cream, lovage
Koji is a fungus and lovage is a plant, which are two things you think you would not want in your dessert, but you would be wrong. We loved this!
However, our main attraction was the bar pie--our server told us that they only serve one flavor of bar pie a day, and it can only be ordered at the bar (naturally). Their bar pie has won many awards in LA for being a top dessert, and we knew we had to try it. Plus, it was banana cream pie that day, which is maybe the best kind of pie, except for coconut cream, duh.
Bar Pie
Banana Cream
We started staking out the bar like creepers as soon as we began finishing up our main course (before we even finished dessert #1). I hopped up to steal some spots, only to be rebuffed--people had already been waiting for those seats. Embarrassment. Defeat. #barpiefail.
The hosts picked up on our persistence, and just decided to make it easy for us so we could get the pie and get outta there and stop bugging their patrons. Shame? No way. It was pie time!
Love love love.
Bar accoutrements
Drink:
The cocktail menu is detailed and creative--I wished I could have tried every single one, but that would have surely involved a visit to the hospital, so we stuck with these two:
Folk Hero
Persimmon leaf-infused tequila, winter citrus, yuzu, honey, Swiss Violette
Highway Mile
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Amaro Sfumato, fresh lemon, black sesame syrup
Atmosphere:
Intimate and trendy. We liked the picture of Morrissey on the wall, which our server let us know was a controversial picture--apparently Morrissey modeled for clothing company Supreme and wanted his photos to not be published after he found out that Supreme was sponsored by White Castle (Morrissey is an outspoken leader in the vegan community).
Morrissey probabbblyyy wouldn't want us eating that tartare
LA Baby Hospitality:
The server we had was so awesome--he explained everything thoroughly (including pop culture/Morrissey), and came around the perfect amount to check on us. Also, we really appreciated the server and host’s help in getting us a seat at the bar for some bar pie! Thanks, guys! Sorry we made it weird!
The chefs hard at work!
Frankie’s Notes:
Naming restaurants after great movie lines is such a clever idea--I would like to name a Hawaiian bakery after a line from Lilo & Stitch; It would be called: "If I gave Pudge tuna, I would be an abomination;" That fish is looking right into my soul; Morrissey is silently judging all of the diners; Cold hard fact? Even if "Bar Pie" was a fight to the death, Jason and I would still would have succeeded in eating it; No one died though; But I am saying they could have; Seacrest out.
Rating: 5 out of 5 + 2 Michigan Pugs
