Category: | Restaurant, |
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Address: | 923 E 3rd St #109, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA |
Zip code: | 90013 |
Website: | http://nightshadela.com/ |
Opening hours (Edit) | |
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Monday: | Closed |
Tuesday: | 5:30 – 10:30 PM |
Wednesday: | 5:30 – 10:30 PM |
Thursday: | 5:30 – 10:30 PM |
Friday: | 5:30 – 11:30 PM |
Saturday: | 5:30 – 11:30 PM |
Sunday: | 5:30 – 10:30 PM |
Great addition to Los Angeles, I hope it remains relevant for years to come.
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 valet service.
We tried it all and it was all so good. Our faves were the carrots, the onion, oysters, sun chokes, lasagne, shrimp toast, coconut mouse, and mango cream. But honestly it was all delicious!
Favorite restaurant I tried this year!
Top Chef winner Mei Lin is looking at an early 2019 opening for her first standalone project in the Arts District. The expansive space, which goes into the former Cerveteca, will feature a pan-Asian menu infused with modern touches and California sensibilities, with Lin herself calling the experience “fine food in a casual setting.” Think fine dining touches and plating with flavor influences from Italy, Japan, and China.