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Poke
Fresh Catch
Honolulu, Hawaii
While in Hawaii recently for work, a girl from Oahu recommended a local place that serves over 20 different varieties of poke. My GM and I headed to the restaurant and perused the choices, settling on octopus, albacore, salmon, ahi and smoked ahi. The smoked ahi, in particular, was incredible: fresh, chopped with fresh ginger, some garlic and an incredible smoky flavor. My taste buds said, “Wow!” I still remember exactly every flavor my mouth experienced.
Soup Dumplings
Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
Arcadia, California
I love soup dumplings and Din Tai Fung is my favorite place—they are famous for this dish and there’s always a line out the door. They start with a pork stock soup that is reduced, cooled and placed in a wonton skin with pieces of seasoned ground pork. And then, very carefully, it’s wrapped into a purse-like wonton and steamed. They serve it with soy sauce and a very thin julienned fresh ginger. You have to eat the entire dumpling at once because it’s liquid inside. Man, it’s good.
Takoyaki
Hakata Ramen
Shinsengumi
Torrance, California
“Tako” is Japanese for octopus, and “yaki” means a type of appetizer. This is one of my favorite dishes; I even bought a special takoyaki pan so I could make it at home: deep-fried octopus in an amazing sweet yet savory batter. It’s served with bonito flakes, Japanese mayonnaise, teriyaki sauce, pickled ginger and green onions. You have the fresh seafood flavor of the octopus, the savory but sweet batter, the pickled flavor from the ginger, the vinegar flavor of the teriyaki, all finished with the fattiness of the mayo.
Fried Chicken Pops
Lukshon
Culver City, California
Out with friends for a birthday celebration, we went to a new restaurant in Los Angeles with authentic Asian cuisine run by a well-known chef. Friends had recommended this must-have dish: fried chicken pops. The presentation was beautiful—very clean and well-plated, there was Asian slaw on the bottom and just the right amount of sauce for the eight small drumettes. They were perfectly fried, very crispy and tender.
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