Each award and honor that Chef Kevin Tien gets never surprises me as he is one of the most inventive chefs in the country and this week, he is honored with Top 50 restaurants in North America's place #17! WOW!!
Last Friday, 18 of us stopped in for a feast that was truly fabulous with every bite being a revelation and everyone having a ball!
There were drinks and so many choices I cannot enumerate, but I started with a fun tasty "Grandma's Candy Jar" made from butterfly infused Seoul night soju, salted plum soda and tia to "caviar" served on the side which was a fun, if sweet, addition that was tapioca-like balls to have with the drink (hence candy jar). I loved the Hoa Sen/Lotus which was toki whiskey(learned to love Japanese whiskey when there in March!), lotus infused green tea, lemon, lemongrass syrup and soy milk clarified. The white wine was a slightly effervescent Malinga Gruner Veltliner that was not to my taste, but the Freja Cellars Pinot Noir 2017 from the Willamette Valley was a true treat.
Taro Milk Bread with cilantro butter, lemon olive oil melted in our mouths and more kept appearing on the table (and disappearing) as we moved on to plates of starters:
Summer Roll was made with daikon, hearts of palm, veggies, sprouts and had a sunflower hoisin dipping sauce which was very light and refreshing.
Ora King Crudo treated the citrus cured salmon with care in a lovely rau ram nuoc cham(fish sauce), lemon balm and strawberries.
"Muffaletta" was a deconstructed version that I never would have guessed with Vietnamese mortadella, rice noodles, olive tapenade, sesame crunch and a fried egg aioli
Water Fern Rice Cake had caramelized braised king trumpet mushrooms, sunchoke XO and herbs in a ginger oil
(all photos on FB).
We caroused some before the mains arrived and I enjoyed one of my favorites ever dishes here
SWEET POTATO & CRAB which were light sweet potato tapioca gnocchi with tomato, roasted crab fat and Maryland Jumbo lump crab. The spice was fabulous in this dish with a creamy sauce which made me go for seconds and thirds.
LEMONGRASS PORK was Berkshire pork collar with sticky rice, nectarines and more of that XO (here a jus) all presented beautifully.
FRIED QUAIL & TOMATO RICE used one of my fave birds perfectly but stuffed with Duck Sausage with crispy tomato rice, clementine mustard and herbs
CRISPY MOUNTAIN SALAD sounds simple but was a delight of preserved lime stracciatella, crispy amaranth, , dandelion, braised peanuts in a lemongrass chili vinaigrette
Dessert arrived with three choices:
SEAWEED in the form of a pandan panna cotta, coconut creme, coconut granite, chocolate streusel and yes, seaweed
CURRY was a sponge cake with avocado sorbet, soursop mousse, fish sauce caramel and finger lime that I LOVED and
DURAIn was fun as so many people love to hate this tasty fruit here in a mousse with passionfruit granita, white chocolate streusel and dill!
As it was my birthday a slice of sponge cake, Vanilla Pandan chiffon, creme anglaise and pineapple sorbet with a candle! At least there weren't 70+1!
Congratulations Chef Kevin and the entire fantabulous MOON RABBIT team on a great dinner and a well-deserved award--it's just the beginning!
