had the fortune of hitting up sang yoon's newly opened lukshon this past weekend and enjoyed as good of a dining experience i've had to date. though it launched on february 1, i decided to give it a month just to give them time to work out the kinks, get used to the menu, etc.lukshon is mere steps away from yoon's father's office 2.0 in culver city but miles away in terms of cuisine. drawing inspiration mainly from southeast asia - but tinged with influences of the dutch, french & portuguese - the menu is peppered with dishes one may have had in say thailand or singapore, but updated with a modern bent.
the dining area is akin to a gleaming white jewel box, partitioning off the bar, a glass center communal table, a cluster of booths off to the side, an outdoor patio and the pièce de resistance: the 6-seat chef's counter directly in front of the open kitchen. this is where we got to sit, and i was basically a kid in a candy store watching them prepare dish after salivating dish with yoon commanding the pass.
upon being seated, we're told that they provide complimentary sparkling or bottled water, so already we as customers, are being taken good care of. the menu is broken up into the following categories: raw, small, big, noodles, rice and sides. here's a quick rundown of what we ordered. BTW our server stated that the dandan noodles would be served last, as our taste buds would be numbed by the heat of the peppercorns. who are we to argue?
* fujian cure - isle of skye 8-year scotch, lemon, galangal, lapsang souchong black tea, candied ginger (this is a cocktail, mind you)
* hot & sour gimlet - monopolova vodka, dragon chile, lime, thai basil, kinh gioi
* baby monterey squid - chiang mai pork sausage, candlenut, mint, rau ram
* spicy chicken pops - shelton farms drumettes, garlic, kecap manis, spicy sichuan salt
* PEI (prince edward island) mussels - green chile rempah, coconut, tapioca, thai basil, lime
* dandan noodles - kurobuta pork, sesame, preserved mustard greens, sichuan peppercorns, peanuts
not to be outdone, each diner is gifted with a complimentary dessert as well! ours was a mango panna cotta w/pomegranate along with a vietnamese tea/tapioca concoction served in a shot glass - both of which were delicious, soothing counterparts to the bold flavors of our meal.
all in all, lukshon far exceeded my expectations - the only downside was the number of dishes we weren't able to try... this time. that just means a return trip is a necessity...
lukshon
3239 helms ave.
culver city, CA 90232
http://lukshon.com/
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