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- There will be a number of tasty options at Roy’s (Elise Thompson)
I have never been a big fan of Hawaiian food, and most of the the places I’ve seen have been fast food Places, but then there was Roy’s — an upscale Hawaiian restaurant. I’ve noticed Roy’s before in Old Town Pasadena and they were even on an episode of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” .
Last week we were invited to meet the Downtown LA location’s newest chef partner and try out some of his signature dishes. Chef Blaine is inspired by his Hawaiian background and his love for comfort food. The food was INTERESTING with TONS of FLAVOR.
Check out the pics and comments!
Appetizer: Cheese and watermelon on toast/cracker. Tuna sushi, Beef rolled around micro greens.
– I loved this watermelon Appetizer, details are always so important to me and this passed the test. The watermelon was tiny, but they made sure it was fresh and refreshing.
Item 1: Striped Bass Sashimi with Tamari Chimichurri and Black Lava Salt.
-The Black Lava Salt was very intense, but a salt lovers dream. The basil leaves were an abnormal size, but over all a very exotic dish.
It was paired with Le Coulture “Fagher” Prosecco, Veneto, NV. The sweetness played nicely off of the freshness of the fish and light tang of the chimichurri.
Item 2: 5 Spice Seared Scallop Salad with tangerine, baby mache and orange vanilla vinaigrette
* The dish had a very ambiguous temperature, the scallops were room temperature for some, and for some they were cold. The kumquats and tangerine added flavor and color to the dish.
The salad was paired with a 2007 Pfeffingen Riesling, Pfalz. The Reisling was light and unobtrusive, allowing the subtle flavor of the scallop to stand out.
Item 3: Buta Kakuni: Star Anise Braised Pork belly with shimeji mushrooms and soy mushroom foam.
-The chef was trying to be true to the original Japanese dish and so did not sear the fat on the pork belly. When the decision was made to simply braise the pork belly without searing the fat, maybe the fat should have just been removed. I noticed the fat remained on almost every plate as it was cleared. This dish did not work for me, the Pork belly was saturated with fat and had a abnormal bitter taste to it.
The pork belly was paired with a 2008 Ponzi Pinot Noir, which did a nice job of cutting into the fattiness of the dish.
Item 4: Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with a pomegranite demi glace, pea tendrils, and summer vegetables.
-This was definitely the best dish, it had a nice char and was not too gamey. A light dish and perfect for the summer. I just wish the Lamb was a little bit more tender, but still a great dish. The presentation was an optical splendor.
Paired with a 2007 Penley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Coonawarra. The tannic wine was chosen to pair with the gaminess of the lamb, but the lamb turned out to be not gamey at all.
Item 5: Caramelized Pineapple Lychee Semifreddo with pineapple shortbread cookies,pine nut dust and lime gel
-The lime gel was intentionally aiming for Otter Pops (Sir Isaac Lime) but the pine nut dust didn’t seem to serve any purpose. This dish was very refreshing, and the combination of lime and mint made the dessert reminiscent of a Mojito.
