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| - 4.5 stars. One of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh and one of the best representations of what a fusion restaurant should be, but it's just not quite 5 stars for me.
From the appetizers, I've tried their grilled romaine salad, Peking duck quesadilla and tempura soft shell crab. Of their entrees I've tried their Chilean sea bass, Lamb lollipops, their bento, and braised pork belly. I've tried all their "robatas" or skewers. For dessert I've tried the green tea cake as well as the white chocolate cheesecake. Let me just talk about the most notable ones.
The Peking duck quesadilla brings together the concept of the Peking duck wrap with the popular quesadilla. Think of your basic cheese quesadilla and add shredded Peking duck to the mix. It's served with hoisin sauce for dipping and sliced serano chili's for a bit of heat. Personally I love the idea of a Peking duck quesadilla, but I would have preferred the large sliced of duck typically found in duck wraps instead of the shredded duck in Tamari's iteration. Also, I'm curious as to why Executive Chef Roger Li opted to not have the Peking duck's signature crispy skin a part of the dish.
The tempura soft shell crab was an aesthetically pleasing appetizer that fed the eyes more so than it fed the stomach. The lightly fried soft shell crab was cooked perfectly and was served alongside kimchi that spiced up the dish and also added a textural contrast to the tempura. The presentation was absolutely beautiful.
All of the skewers are delicious, but the most notable one would easily be the bacon wrapped quail egg skewer. Each skewer is served up with three poached quail eggs that burst with flavor when you put it in your mouth and just let the "pop" melding the overtones of the bacon with the soft interior of the egg. The last time I went, one of my companions actually ordered four skewers of the quail egg for a total of 12 eggs altogether. Other ones I liked the most include the beef tenderloin, the shrimp, and the shitake.
For entrees, the lamb lollipop is probably my favorite main dish followed by the braised pork belly. The lamb was cooked to a perfect medium rare and served alongside a mashed sweet potato, which was a beautiful textural pairing. The braised pork belly is braised in five spice and served alongside a cucumber salsa and pearl potatoes. I love braised pork belly, so I was super excited to see it on the menu. My only gripe? The pork belly was around the same size as my iPod Nano (3rd generation, the ugly square one). The cucumber salsa was delightfully crunchy.
Their green tea cake is easily my favorite dessert. I absolutely love all things green tea and I really like how the cake itself has a really strong "tea" flavor component.
I'd recommend going during their 5-7 PM happy hour special when you can order 1 dollar skewers. Also, be sure to grab a seat by the open kitchen; it's super fun watching all the chef's cook. Also, if you drink, be sure to try their take of the Dark'n Stormy. It is absolutely a delicious drink. Better yet, ask the bartender to serve you the root liquor on the rocks.
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