The Bakery at Fat Rice - Brunch

I like Fat Rice.  I have been several times, though I haven't been in a while and I have never been to brunch, so I decided to schedule a brunch there.  The party that I had was pretty large and Fat Rice is small, so we were seated in The Bakery at Fat Rice which is an actual bakery, which is attached to Fat Rice and is used as overflow seating.  While we were seated in The Bakery, the entire brunch menu was available to us, it was just that the aesthetic was different.  The back wall of The Bakery is occupied by the display case and bakery.  The front wall was occupied by a large window, which provided a lot of the light.  The tables were arranged in two rows, cafeteria-style and can probably seat about 30 people.  The menu has a lot of very different and interesting things on it, so it was a good thing that we were a large party, so we could try many things.  Because there were a lot of different and interesting things, though, we did need some time to plan our attack, so we ordered our drinks and then first started with the bakery menu.  My drink was very different and very different from something I might normally order.  Called a Kalimotxo, it started with Red Wine, and had Coke, Balsam Amaro, and Lemon.  As might be expected it tasted of red wine and coke, the balsam amaro added a bitterness, which made the combination similar to bitter vermouth.  The lemon was more garnish than anything.  While the drink was interesting and I did finish it, it was a little more bitter and a little less tart than I normally go for.

There were a lot of interesting things on The Bakery menu, so we decided to order several things and share.  We started with a Bolo de Arroz, similar to a muffin, it was made with Rice Flour, Lemon, Coconut, and Rosemary.  It was sweet, a little tart, slightly bitter from the rice flour, and had a nice herbaceousness from the rosemary.  We then had a Ceylon Snickerdoodle, which was similar to a regular snickerdoodle with a crispy crust and a chewy texture, but also had a Gooey Salted Egg Custard filling.  This was really good and may have been one of my favorites.  We then went to a Char Siu "Pineapple" Bun, which had a cross hatched crust that looked similar to a pineapple.  It was filled with Barbecue Pork and Scallion.  It was really good and reminded me of a barbecue pork bao, though the bun was a little more firm.  W finished things off on the bakery side with an Ube Milk Bar, which was actually packaged.  It consisted of Ube, a purple yam, a Shortbread Crust, Condensed Milk Jam, and Coconut Streusel.  It was sweet, very good, and I was happy someone ordered it, because it was one of the things that came home with me.  Also ordered before our main courses was the Linguica Sausage, a Portuguese Pork and Garlic Sausage similar to Spanish Chorizo.  It was served with Almonds, Cilantro, and Fresno Chilies.  The peppers were pretty spicy and helped cut through the fatty flavor.  The almonds were flavorful and added some texture.

After our snacks, we started receiving our appetizers.  While it was my intention to let everyone contribute to the whole order, it seems that I ordered a lot of the food.  I ordered both appetizers, Curry Vegetable Samosas with Tamarind Mustard Seed Chutney, and Bacalhau de Vovo Home Made Salt Cod Spread with Olives and Papo Seco Bread.  I like Samosas and while there shape was a little unusual, it wasn't important, because they tasted really good.  The crust was nice and crunchy and held a very nice and flavorful vegetable curry.  The dipping sauce was both tart and spicy sour and it went well with the curry.  Papa Seco Bread (literally "Dry Throat") are very popular Portuguese Rolls that are similar in similar in texture and flavor to Baguettes.  Bacalhau is also a very popular Portuguese dish and spread on the bread, it was a great match.  The olives were pitted and had a good flavor, and the chilies were pretty hot, and seemed to amp up the flavor of the fish.  It was all very good.

We ended up with three entrees, one of which I have wanted to try since the first time I came here.  We had Piri Piri Chicken, Wood Fired Thighs with Garlicky Greens, Cornichons, Potatoes, and Fresno Chilies, Yellow Vegetable Curry with Coconut Rice for our vegetarian cohort, and the dish for which the restaurant was named and the dish that I have wanted to try since I first came here, Arroz Gordo (Fat Rice).  Piri Piri Chicken is usually pretty spicy and this lived up to its reputation.  It was also very moist and flavorful on it's own without the Cornichons, or the Fresno Chilies, though they each did add something.  The chicken was spicy enough that the Fresno chilies didn't really add to the general heat of the chicken, but they did contribute a pretty good and fresh pepper flavor.  The Vegetable Curry was very similar to that that was in the Samosas, but it was very good and also went well with the Coconut Rice.  The Arroz Gordo they recommend for two or more people and there is a very good reason for that, because it's enormous.  It is similar to a paella, in that it's kind of a catch all dish and it had many of the things that we ordered on their own, Curried Chicken Thighs, Char Siu Pork, Linguica Sausage and Potatoes, plus Chili Prawns, Clams, Olives, Wood Roasted Beef, Hard Boiled Eggs, Golden Raisins, and Yellow Rice.  It was pretty amazing and with the other stuff we ordered even with 5 guys eating it, I ended up taking about half of it home.

I love Fat Rice. It is one of my favorites and it does a lot of really good stuff.  I really enjoyed brunch, dining in the bakery, and getting to try many of their baked goods that while familiar, also have a very individual spin.  I will definitely return for dinner and for brunch.                  

Gaston Acurio: Tanta and Astrid y Gaston, Part 2

In my last post I had talked about Gaston Acurio, his cafe, Tanta in Larcomar, and the beginning of dinner at his flagship restaurant, Astrid y Gaston.  As I mentioned, the dinner was about our memories and the dining room was designed to evoke childhood memories.  As the dinner was 28 courses, it would be difficult to talk about every single course individually, so I will talk about them in the "acts" in which they were presented.  I will say though that all of the dishes were very different and creative and that I had several things that I had never encountered before.  The first act that we were presented was Sweets After School which were presented in one container that was similar to a cookie tin.  We were instructed to start with the Barquillos, the thin and delicate biscuit rolls, that were served with a Lemon, Basil, Strawberry, Rocoto Pepper, and Yogurt spread that we were to eat with it (lower picture).  We then proceeded to the Ice Cream which was a small sugar cone filled with Lucuma flavored Ice Cream (Lucuma is a South American fruit with a dry flesh and a flavor similar to Sweet Potatoes and Maple) and topped with Chocolate-covered Chestnuts.  Next were the Camotitos, crunchy wafer cookies of Ginger and Chicken Skin, the Meringue Kisses made, surprisingly, with Black Botija Olives and Anchovies, and finally, the Charada made with Prawns rolled in Peanuts.  While they all looked like sweet treats and there was some sweetness to them, they were not exceptionally sweet, but they were creative, provided a wide variety of textures and flavors and tasted good.

The next act was presented in 3 courses and were about Home Memories.  There were three courses presented individually.  We were first presented with a large Ice Cube filled with Medlar Juice (a Medlar is an Asian Fruit that is hard until it has been frozen which causes it to soften).  The dish was called Garden Fruits tasted very much like lemonade.  Our next course was called Mama's Patita which was presented on a tripod and consisted of Ground and Roasted Pig Trotters with Mustard and Cress.  And finally, Grandma's Torrejita which was like a small, warm Tortilla with Chickpeas, White Asparagus, and Caviar.

For the next act, we remembered A Summer at the Beach and were served Raspadillas, a dish of Shaved Ice.  This Shaved Ice was a combination Vegetable Ice, Syrups, and Fruits and Herbs from their gardens (which are in the front of the restaurant).

The next memories were of Products That Are Leaving Us and there were two courses.  The first course was a Frozen Delicia Apple which was thinly sliced and presented as a Ceviche with a Leche de Tigre of Rocoto,  Sea Urchin, and Borage (the small flowers).  The second course was called That Pink Clam Chowder which was kind of funny actually, because it was neither pink nor contained clams.  It contained Fake Pink Clams made from Pacae (Ice Cream Bean, a legume native to South America that produces an edible and sweet white pulp), Spicy Seafood Broth, Fava Beans, and Creamy Potatoes.

We then had a couple of dishes representing Recipes That Are Leaving Us.  We started with Memories of a Shrimp Ocopa which was a dish that looked and tasted like a shrimp stew.  It consisted of Shrimp Tails, Shrimp Essence Oil, Roasted Peanuts, Garlic, Roasted Onion Broth, Mirasol Pepper, Nuts, and Huacatay (a Marigold plant native to southern South America whose leaves are dried for seasoning and also known as Black Mint Paste).  The second dish of this group was the Escabeche of Cojinova (Escabeche is a dish similar to Ceviche except that the fish, in this case Cojinova or Palm Ruff, is poached first).  This was one of my favorite dishes.  It also used Lightly Smoked Marinade Oil, Onions, Tomatoes, and Aji Peppers.

The next act was about Going Back Home and for this course we were presented with an Homage to Mashed Potatoes with Fried Egg.  Potatoes are very much a staple in Peru with over 3000 varieties grown, so I was not at all surprised to see a dish based on potatoes.  The dish consisted of Chaulina Potato Cream, Chicken Jus, Dried Tomatoes and Porcini, Fried Quail Eggs, Tomato Powder and Spinich.  I wish I had been a little better with the focus on this dish.  Suffice it to say that it looked as good as it sounded and tasted just as well.

The next act contained three courses and was about Regional Longing.  With these courses, we got into the final savory courses.  We started with Between a Potato Ajiaco (a hearty potato stew with beef) and a Tongue which contained Semi-Dried Native Potatoes, Fresh Cream Cheese, Onion, Roasted Yellow Aji Pepper, and Beef Tongue.  We then went to Rabbit Pachamanca (the rabbit is baked with spices using hot stones) made with Rabbit Loin and Liver, Corn and Garlic Cream, Oca (Sweet Potatoes) and Olluco (a South American plant grown primarily as a tuber, but secondarily as a leaf vegetable).  We finished this act with an Homage to Shambar (a traditional Peruvian soup typically containing three types of meat, beans, and spices.  This version had Brisket, Pork Rib Broth, Bean Germs, and Peppermint Sprouts.

The last several acts covered the wide variety of desserts we were served.  The first set were called Children's Pranks and were presented in four courses.  We started with The Tasty Banana and Cheese with an Isla Banana, Spices, Caramel, and Pisco, Crumbs of Paria Cheese (a semi-hard cheese with wrinkled skin), Arugula, and Black Pepper.  We then remembered Pomegranate Wars During the Break which was a Pomegranate Bombe (ice cream frozen into a spherical mold), after which we remembered Strawberries and Milk which was a Strawberry Gelee and a Strawberry Flavored Condensed Milk Ball and finished with U-Alianza, an Homage to Mazamorra Morada (a Peruvian Purple Corn Pudding) and Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding).

The next act which consisted of two courses was a bit whimsical and was called Sweet Memory.  It started with Lima Blanquillos (I am not exactly sure where the name came from because blanquillo is synonymous with huevo, which is egg.  Blanquillo though, has a rather derogatory negative slang meaning).  The dish consisted of Apricots cooked with Chamomile, Almond Cake, and Apricot Kernel Ice Cream.  The second dish was called Why is it Called King Kong?  It consisted of a Quince Compote (Cotton Candy), Peanut Jelly, Herb Soup, and Flower Ice Cream.

We finished Lost Flavors.  Which was an act in two courses.  We started with a Real Chocolate Bar with Peanut Cocada (the coconut bark cookie).  The chocolate was a little on the dark side but it was very good.  Eating it together with the cocada though, was like eating a deconstructed Mounds Bar.  The last course was a little strange.  It was called an Emoliente in Two Temperatures.  An Emoliente is an herbal tea and the flute we were presented with had a leaf in it to start.  The server then poured a different liquid into each side and pulled the leaf out.  The liquids were not only two temperatures, but two colors and two consistensies as well.  We were to drink the drinks side by side to get both flavors at once (The flavors were different as well).

Dinner at Astrid y Gaston was an amazing experience and while I am sure I didn't do justice to the individual courses, I was very happy that I had the opportunity to experience this.  If I return to Lima, this is a place that I would try again as well as some of Gaston Acurio's other restaurants. 

   

    

Gaston Acurio - Tanta and Astrid y Gaston, part 1

Before I travel somewhere, one of the first things I do is to look at what good restaurants, I might have the opportunity to try there.  When I first thought about traveling to Peru, I looked, and quickly discovered Astrid y Gaston.  It was listed as one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World, but I wanted to find out what it was about.  In my investigation, I learned about Chef/Restauranteur Gaston Acurio.  His history really interested me and his restaurant aims convinced me that Astrid y Gaston was a restaurant that I really wanted to go through.  The son of a politician, Gaston, first went to Law School thinking that he would follow in his father's footsteps, but he discovered that he really didn't want to be a lawyer and went to Paris, where he went to culinary school.  He met his wife in Paris and they returned to Lima in 1994 where he decided to apply his acquired fine dining skill to Peruvian food and try to introduce the world to Peruvian cuisine.  Through the years, Gaston Acurio has opened about 40 restaurants in several countries including the United States (La Mar in Miami, San Francisco, and San Diego, and Tanta in Chicago).  I had been to Tanta in Chicago and found that Peruvian cuisine was a fusion of various influences and it really interested me so, when plans for a trip to Peru started happening, I knew that Astrid & Gaston had to be on the list of places to visit.  We made plans to do an organized tour, but also to spend several days in Lima after the tour ended, so we would have a chance to explore things at a more leisurely pace and to see things that we might want to see on our own.  Looking at our schedule and what day might work to go to Astrid y Gaston, we found that our best day to go was going to be on the day our tour ended so that is when I made the reservation.  We left our tour hotel and settled into our apartment in the morning and our reservation wasn't until the evening so we decided to explore.  We were fairly close to the coast, which was a cliff and there was a mall, Larcomar, built into the cliff.  It was a place recommended while we were on the tour so we decided to check it out.  It was a very nice mall with a lot of high end stores, but what makes me mention it is that Gaston Acurio's Cafe Restaurant, Tanta, was located there.  As it was lunch time and we had not eaten yet, we decided to stop there for lunch and use it as kind of a preview for Astrid y Gaston.  I will start out by saying that Tanta Larcomar and Tanta Chicago have very little in common except that they serve Peruvian food.  Tanta Larcomar is very brightly colored, using a lot of reds and yellows in their color scheme.  It reminds me of a restaurant/bar that you might find on the beach which is appropriate.  It actually has two levels, the main level which is primarily bar and patio with a red and yellow canvas tent roof.  The interior of the restaurant is on the side of the cliff and you actually have to go down from the main level to get to it.  The outer walls were windows overlooking the ocean and allowing for a lot of light.  While the place looked relatively casual, the waiters were dressed very professionally with black pants, bright blue shirts (with a Tanta logo) and ties.  The place looked very friendly and casual and the menu looked very good, but as we were going to be having a 29 course meal for dinner, we thought it a good idea possibly, to take it easily and eat lightly.  After ordering and seeing other people's orders come out, we determined that that was not going to really be possible.  I started things out with Tiraditos Dos Cremas.  I knew from having it earlier that tiraditos is a dish of raw fish or seafood prepared similarly to ceviche and it sounded good.  This Tiradito was prepared with Corvina, a Drum Fish native to the Southeastern Pacific, and two sauces, Aji Amarilla (yellow pepper) and Rocoto (Red Pepper).    The Corvina was very thinly sliced and covered in the sauce, so when the plate came, it looked at first as it if I was getting a plate of sauces divided by garnishes (Sweet Potatoes, Peruvian Corn, and Red Peppers).  I had to stab my fork into the sauce to find that the plate was actually covered with fish before the sauces and garnish went on.  The corvina was very tender and tasty and went very well with both sauces.  The sauces also use a lot of lime juice so they were both pretty sour.  Of the two sauces, I would have expected the red to be spicier, but it was actually the yellow that was more spicy.

For my main course, I went with a Roast Pork Sandwich with Vegetables with a side of French Fries all served with a Yellow Pepper Sauce.  The vegetables were fresh and crisp, the pork was thinly sliced and the French bread that it was served on was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside like good French Bread is supposed to be.  The way the flavors and textures came together, this really reminded me of a Banh Mi and I really liked it.

My dining partner had a Chauffa, a Peruvian Chinese (Chifa) dish of Fried Rice and Potatoes with Shrimp, Onions, Corn, and Beef.  While it was similar to Chinese Stir Fries that I was familiar with, it very definitely had a Peruvian bent to it with the potatoes and the sauce.  Everything tasted very fresh and it tasted very good.

While some of the desserts that we saw looked very good, we really wanted to have room for dinner that night so we waived dessert.  The food and service here were very good and I would happily return. but on this trip we had other hills to climb.

We arrived a little early for service at Astrid y Gaston that evening and were told we could sit at a high top outside the restaurant which was part of the attached bar.  The place was actually an old Spanish-style farmhouse and was enormous.  There were actually herb gardens and green houses in the front that I would have investigated further had I been able to see better, it was night after all.  When we were first seated inside the restaurant, we were seated at low love seats with a low table and a round light between us.  We had a view overlooking an inner courtyard and a kitchen which was great, but my first thought was that if we were going to be sitting here for an extended time, it could get uncomfortable.

We were told that the theme for tonight's dinner would be Things We Remember.  Our first course was then served which consisted of a Sparkling Cocktail, Guinda de Huaura, a drink containing some Sparkling Wine and Morello Cherries, and some Pate Finger Sandwiches.  The drink was very bright and flavorful and the sandwiches were delicate and flavorful.  It was a great start and I was excited to see where we might go next.

Where we went next actually was on a tour of one of the restaurant's five kitchens before being seated inside in one of the interior dining rooms which was decidedly more comfortable.  The room had tall ceilings and several round tables with comfortable chairs.  The windows were curtained and there was a tall bookshelf with knickknacks and shelved mirrors on either sides.  There were also several paintings in the room that were seemed meant to evoke memories of childhood.

Such was the start of our dinner.  To be continued in part 2.  
 

Tanta - Brunch

In my mind, Peru was doing fusion cuisine before it became popular.  The country has had many immigrations and with those, they have integrated the cuisine into the cuisine of Peru.  One of the best chef's to show this is world famous Peruvian chef, Gaston Acurio, who has a restaurant in Chicago, Tanta and loves to teach the world about the cuisine of Peru.  I have been to Tanta before and really enjoyed it.  I decided to return for brunch before I make an upcoming trip to Peru and use it as sort of preview.  The restaurant is sort of linear with a long bar running into the restaurant with a ceviche bar at the end of it.  There is a two-sided banquette in the center of the restaurant with booth seating on the right side of the restaurant.  The wall behind the bar is a chalkboard with the recipe for a Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru written large on it.  On the opposite wall is a series of very colorful paintings typifying the art and food of Peru.  Other than the paintings and the chalkboard, the general color scheme of the dining room is brown and the lighting is hung in a wooden ovoid cage.  We were seated at the banquette and started our brunch with a Leche de Tigre Ceviche.  (The picture above is not a picture that I shot or, I think, from Tanta Chicago.  I posted it to give people an example of what a Leche de Tigre Ceviche looks like.)  Ceviche is a preparation of raw fish,seafood, onions, and spices that is "cooked" (tenderized, actually) with lime juice.  I like ceviche and I have had Leche de Tigre (Tiger's Milk) Ceviche before although not at Tanta, so I wasn't exactly sure what I would be getting.  We received a glass of milky white liquid filled with seafood and onions and corn, which actually, we kind of ate wrong.  It is supposed to be eaten like a shooter, pouring everything down at one.  As it was, we kind of took things apart and were left with the marinade which I then shot.  The ceviche had Cubed Fish, Red Onions, Peruvian Corn, Habanero Pepper, and a lot of liquid.  Even though we did eat it wrong, there was still a lot of marinade on the fish, corn, and onions, which provided an intensely sour flavor and tender fish.  I drank the marinade on it's own and I could see why that people would think that it provided prowess and energy, because drinking that much lime juice at once definitely woke me up and cleansed my palate.

Our next starter were called Los Picarones.  They were Warm Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Fritters served with Spiced Chancaca Syrup (a syrup made from unrefined Cane Syrup) and topped with Powdered Sugar.  The fritters looked like deep fried doughnuts, round and with a hole in the middle.  This could also be expected of pumpkin fritters, I guess, because they are essentially hollow.  In any case, they were crunchy, and sweet, with a squash texture and a pumpkin flavor.  The Chancaca syrup had a caramel flavor that went really well with the fritters, and they were enjoyed a lot, both with and without the syrup.

For my main course, I went with a spin on a very popular breakfast dish, or I should probably say a spin on several popular breakfast dishes.  The dish was called Chicharron Waffles and consisted of Belgian Waffles, Crispy Pork Belly glazed with Panca Chili Honey, and a fresh Berry Compote with Strawberries, Blackberries, and Raspberries and topped with a little Powdered Sugar.  The waffle was thick, with a crunchy exterior and a light and airy interior.  The pork belly was also very thick with a crispy skin.  The meat itself was fork tender, and sweet like good pork is supposed to be.  The glaze was subtle, but it was there, and it added a sweet and slightly spicy flavor that went well with the pork belly and tied well with the fruit compote.  The fruit was very fresh and tasty, although it did make me wonder where it came from as they were not growing in the midwest in February.  Despite the fact though, that the berries were not midwest seasonal, it was very good and a very good finish to my meal.  The food was very good, the staff was very friendly, and I will definitely have to return, after I return from my trip to Peru.     

Embeya

As I have said before, I really like Chicago Restaurant Week.  For two weeks in February, about 300 restaurants in the Chicago area provide a prix fixe menu at a discount.  For most restaurants, the discount works out to getting a free dessert, but there are some restaurants whose discounts are substantially more.  For most restaurants, the prix fixe consists of an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  For pan-Asian restaurant Embeya, though, they offered their entire prix fixe menu for the entire table and it was served family style.  In other words, the entire table was served two appetizers, two main courses, two sides, and two desserts.  Admittedly, this could get a little ugly if a single person tried to eat it all.  Luckily, I did come with a few other people so it wasn't an issue.  The space was both modern and Asian and won this year at the Jean Banchet awards for best design. The front wall is a window, the ceilings are high and unfinished and the room is divided by several cutout screens with hexagonal designs.  The bar is long and marble topped with a great selection top shelf liquors and the kitchen is open.  The seating consisted of the bar as well as dark wood tables with light wood chairs and padded banquettes.  We were seated at one of the tables in the middle of the room, between the window and the bar.  While the meal consisted of many dishes, the meal was actually divided into appetizer, entree, and dessert, with all of the appetizers being brought out together, then all of the entrees (and sides), and all of the desserts.  For our appetizers we started out with a Green Papaya Salad with Cilantro, Crispy Shallots, and Vietnamese Beef Jerky.  The papaya, which made up most of the salad, was fresh, crisp, and slightly sweet and tart, as a papaya is supposed to be.  The cilantro added a little bitterness, and the shallots added a salty crunch like mini onion rings.  The beef jerky was cut into a thin strips and provided a spicy and meaty surprise.  You wouldn't find a piece of jerky in every bite but there was enough to let you know that it was there and to add flavor and texture to the dish.  I had had the papaya salad at First Bites Bash, the opening benefit for Chicago Restaurant Week although there it didn't have the beef jerky.  While it was good at the benefit, it was much better at the restaurant with the jerky.

Our other appetizer was Octopus with Confit Eggplant and Radish.  I wouldn't think that octopus would have enough fat to do a confit, but obviously it came from somewhere because it was very tender, flavorful, and not at all rubbery.  The eggplant was well cooked and soft, but it was not slimy as eggplant can become.  It kind of matched the texture of the octopus.  The only way you could really tell which you were eating was by the flavor.  The radishes were there to add a little spice and provide some much needed textural diversity to the dish.  Without the radishes, the eggplant and octopus tasted good enough, but the dish was a mass of mush.  The radishes gave your mouth something to crunch on and improved it immensely.

Our first entree was a Peking Duck Style Garlic Chicken with Confit Scallions  It was a very simple dish, but the chicken was very good and flavorful.  The garlic and scallions just added to the flavor.  It had a thin, crisp outer skin with tender meat and while most of it was sliced into medallions, there was one piece attached to a leg that i grabbed and enjoyed.

The other entree was called Thit Heo Kho and consisted of Braised Pork Belly with Coconut and Shallots in a Pork Broth.  The pork belly was obviously tender and flavorful.  The coconut was sliced into thin strips and added a little texture and flavor, but the shallots were interesting.  They were cooked whole and when I first saw them in the pan, I thought they were plums.  Trying to grab them with chop sticks, though quickly dispelled that idea because every time I tried to grab one by squeezing it, the inner layers came out.  We figured out the best way to grab them was by scooping them from the bottom.  Once we were able to get a hold on them, it was seen that they were tender, well cooked and flavorful.  All of the elements of this dish were good and I felt a little guilty for leaving the broth.  That was solved though with one of the sides.

The side was simple.  It was Sticky Rice with a little Chive for color and flavor.  On it's own it was very good.  It had a good flavor and it was fairly easy to eat.  If the pork broth from the Thit Heo Kho was added though, it was much better.  The rice and pork broth added to one another and it positively became comfort food.

The other side kind of went with the chicken, although it was very good by itself and was not necessary to finish the chicken dish.  It was Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Scallions.  The brussels sprouts cooked to tender and had a slightly crisp and brown outer coating which showed an initial sweetness before the slightly funky (but good) cabbage flavor.  The scallions added a salty crunch to the dish.

After our appetizers, entrees, and sides came the desserts, and while they were both good, one was favored much more than the other.  The first dessert were the Cream Puffs.  The pastry was very good and was filled with Vanilla and Matcha (a type of green tea).  They were topped lightly with powdered sugar.  These were sweet and flavorful but the lesser of the two desserts.

The other dessert was Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream and Peanuts.  This was sweet, tart, tropical flavored and the all around favorite.  It was a great finish to a great meal that made a good presentation of the menu.  The food was very good, the restaurant design was very cool, and the service was very good.  I will be very happy to return.