Appetizers

Celadon — an exquisite experience

Celadon is a beautiful restaurant and bar/lounge that offers a unique experience. This is definitely the kind of romantic venue you could take someone special to, though the menu is actually skewed towards shared plates, hence ideal for groups of 4-5 or more.

Adjacent to the main bar are a few lounge rooms, where anyone underestimating the kick of the various sake or soju-based and other Asian cocktails can recover on one of the comfy-looking antique daybeds.

The dining room is large and glamorous (without feeling at all stuffy) and its walls are lined with dozens of flickering crimson votive candles. Along the walls, the booths are comfortable, though a little more brightly lit than the four-top tables set within the muted dining room.

Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh apparently hand selected the many South East Asian artifacts that decorate the little alcoves and nooks of his gorgeous restaurant. This same attention to detail can be found in his distinctive cuisine, offering a selection of small plates that meld traditional Asian tastes with ingredients from Europe and the Middle East.

The main thing to note here is his tendency to serve fairly generous portions. In this era of “small plates� dining, many establishments are taking advantage of this trend to offer minuscule portions with hefty entree prices.

Not so Celadon.

Two must-try appetisers are the Tuna Tartare Lollipop(s) and the citrus Hamachi starter. A long glass platter arrives bearing five substantial-looking portions per $15 (or so) plate, which is fantastic.

[Eight-18 in Toluca Lake – I’m thinking of sending you a photo of Celadon’s plated fare. $9 for two lousy shrimp with pomegranate reduction just doesn’t cut it.]

Poised on slender bamboo skewers, the ‘lollipops’ are tasty cubes of spicy tuna tartare and rice, layered with tempura seaweed, adding a satisfyingly oily crunch.

The fresh and nicely substantial cuts of hamachi are paired with citrus salsa, minced jalapeno, ponzu gelée and citrus dust. Funnily enough, the citrus powder sent me on an (ascorbic) acid flashback; this sweet and tangy dust tasted exactly like crushed orange froot loops!! I swear!

Almost every dish arrives garnished with micro greens, pansy petals or flowers and a brush of sauce reduction. The crispy shrimp toast fingers are crammed with a layer of black and white sesame seeds.

There was a fantastic toasted pepita and microgreen salad to accompany perfectly pink and perfectly cooked plump slices of Maple leaf Roasted Duck ($18 - from memory), on a bed of pureed purple potato which nicely contains a puddle of the duck juices.

We didn’t like the Grilled Octopus dish ($16 - from memory), though. But it is important to note, this is not baby octopus (a pertinent fact that eluded us at the time), therefore these slices are well-cooked but extremely chewy and, to my mind, indigestible. Flavourful but quite rich, with pesto and paired with a rather greasy sweet potato fritter. The only ‘miss’ among so many hits.

We skipped dessert, though the choices looked promising.

One thing we have to come back for is the “Saraudon� sizzling crispy noodles and rice ($18) – spied at the next table. A large, rustic stone pot (like an oversized mortar) comes to the table then sizzles as they serve the noodles and seafood (shrimp, scallops and bok choy) in front of you. Dramatic and impressive!

We enjoyed a delightful sake, the Daishichi Kimoto Honjozo, which arrived in a gorgeous bamboo carafe ($30).

Total for two was $108.00 (before tip). Dining at Celadon is sure to put a smile on your face.

Celadon
7910 W 3rd St., just West of Fairfax
Los Angeles, CA 90048

Tel: 323-658-8028

Dinner, Tuesday – Sunday

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past ten years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She is completing a family cookbook and also writes novels for 8-12 year olds.

© 2007 la.foodblogging.