Lukshon

*Post by Mark.

Lukshon may sit right next door to sister restaurant Father's Office in Culver City but Sang Yoon's newest addition to the family comes with a concept that's continents away. Missing are the burgers and the beers (well, there's still beer, but the focus is elsewhere), and in their place, we're treated to Yoon's take on Southeastern Asian cuisine. 

Inside, things are a little more upscale than the neighboring gastropub. A long communal glass table centers a bright, chic, modern bar area that oversees the open kitchen bustle. A stroll to the opposing side of the restaurant reveals a set of cozier booths, shrouded in rich wood, where it nearly feels like a separate restaurant. We were joined by the lovely ladies from Catty Critic and Rock My Palate as well as @tylersayswhat and @flowfilms and were seated on the patio where heaters and a fire pit staved off the chilly evening. 

But before our dinner mates arrived, we hit up the bar where the fusion of Asian flavors find its way into the cocktails. The Hot & Sour Gimlet (below, left) mixes dragon chile, lime, thai basil, and kinh gioi with a Monopolova vodka base to make a cocktail that really lives up to its name. The fiery dragon heat would stand up against some of the hotter dishes we'd eat later in the night. Michter's Rye is the base spirit in the Lukshon Sour (below, right) with lemon, tamarind, palm sugar and kalamansi giving it its unique sour taste. The tart kalamansi was subtle enough to be enjoyable and served as a little shout-out to the Philippines that at least one of the writers of this blog appreciated.

The food lived up to the promise of the drinks. First up was the duck popiah (below), with cilantro stems, pickled jicama, and house-made hoisin chile sauce. The popiah was a very light and simple bite. The crunchy refreshingness of the jicama balanced perfectly with the cilantro, the juicy duck, and the sweet hoisin sauce, and the ratio of wrapper to filling was perfect. If I could do it all over again, I'd probably have put in a second order because those little spring rolls were gone in a matter of seconds. 

Next were the spicy chicken pops (below), drumettes with garlic, kecap manis (an Indonesian similar to sweet soy sauce), and spicy Sichuan salt. These crispy little 'lollipops' had a nice little kick to them, but not enough to numb my mouth (I'm not a fan of that sensation, though Angela is). Sweet, savory and addicting - I was pleased that the portion-size allowed me to keep going back for more of these little poppers.

We were all excited for the foie gras ganache (below), with carob, ceylon cinnamon, tamarind gastrique, almond, and puffed rice. These sweet little cubes could've passed for dessert and went over at the table with varying degrees of success. Some (including Angela) felt like the combination of flavors was too sweet and cinnamon-y for a savory course. I loved my first bite, but after starting on my second cube fell into the same camp. The ganache is certainly best when consumed in moderation.

A more generally pleasing dish was the lamb sausage roti canai (below), with chana dal, cumin, mint, and a side of pickled cauliflower. Providing a little Malaysian touch, the roti canai was essentially savory fried bread, which was as delicious as it sounds. And the flavorful sausage with filling chana dal (similar to chickpeas) and bright notes of mint combined to great effect.

What's an Asian meal without rice? We got two dishes from the "rice" section, starting with the the crispy coconut rice cakes (below, left), with pandan and shallot chile jam. A dollop of the shallot chile jam really livened up the sweet cakes, although they were probably the least popular item of the night. We also sprung for the x.o. rice (below, right), with jasmin variety grains and "x.o." sauce, long beans, and pan-fried with egg. The x.o. rice was a favorite of Angela's, who thought the deceptively simple-looking dish delivered a surprising depth of flavor, slightly spicy, with great textural contrast from the pan-fried crust and crisp beans.

From the "big" portion of the menu, our first choice was the skirt steak (below), served Sichuan "au poivre" with shishito peppers. The succulent beef was cooked perfectly, and the Sichuan peppercorns didn't overwhelm the taste of the tender meat.

We also got the garlic pork belly (below) with rice cakes, cabbage and garlic chives. The unctuous pork belly was perfectly cooked and not overly greasy, and Angela loved the little crust on the rice cakes (an unusual preparation of this Asian staple, at least in our experience). While she wouldn't have minded a more aggressive garlic flavor, we both enjoyed this dish a lot.

Finally, we got the Dandan noodles (below) with Kurobuta pork, sesame, preserved mustard greens, Sichuan peppercorns, and peanuts. We all appreciated that the 'polarizing' dish was served last so as not to blow out our taste buds before we'd enjoyed all of the other dishes. I found their use of Sichuan peppercorn to be mild enough for me to enjoy (Angela's use of the spice has a tendency to blow out my taste buds) but still give my tongue a little tingle. And I really enjoyed how assertive the nuttiness of the peanuts was - it didn't dominate the dish, which was filled with so many strong flavors, but neither were the peanuts simply garnish.

And dessert was on the house! Actually, it's on the house for everyone. The complimentary desserts (below) are served one per guest so we got three pairs for the six of us. We each managed a few bites of the mango sorbet, a vanilla panna cotta, and a little cake with ice cream.  The desserts are small, but they're also free. And we had a trip planned to Scoops Westside since we were in the neighborhood anyway.

An across the board positive experience. The waitstaff was welcoming, our server was knowledgable and our cocktails were delicious compliments to the food and atmosphere. Few dishes really blew any of us away, but everything was very good. Angela was a little bit skeptical of the concept of "up-scale Asian dining" - she typically likes her Asian food more traditional - but by the end of our meal, she was onboard with the rest of us.