By Have you ever been to an Asian/French restaurant? (Humor me and just say no) It’s something that I never knew I needed in my life until now. I went to Kyirisan during restaurant week and if you know me, you know that I absolutely hate restaurant week. The options the restaurants give you are shitty, the atmosphere is stuffy, and somehow you still end up paying close to $100 for two dishes. Kind of a rip off, right? Well, not so much for this restaurant. The main reason I came to this place is because everything on the menu sounded amazing all for the price of $35. I did some research on this place to one find out how to pronounce the name of it, (Kir-EE-sahn) and to find out what’s so fascinating about it.
The restaurant is located off of Florida Avenue in D.C., one of D.C.’s most known areas. The restaurant is fairly new opening in 2016 and has already received a Michelin Bib nod. The interior of this restaurant is beautiful with dim lighting and a subtle place where you can go for date night. During my visit I was able to sit at the bar where I ordered six dishes including dessert. The dishes that were ordered were nothing short of every day dishes that we eat, but the twist on them was remarkable. The six dishes that were ordered was the Creme Fraiche Wings, Pan Seared Rockfish, Scallops, Duck Confit, and two desserts which consisted of Oatmeal Creme Pie and Pandan Cheesecake.
I’ll start with the first dish of the night which was the Creme Fraiche Wings. UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE. I have NEVER tasted a sauce like the sauce that was presented on these wings. The wings consisted of Gochujang and Oyster Sauce. Gochujang is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment made from chili powder almost identical to a chili paste. Think of having a spicy, sweet, and sour wing but finished with a light version of sour cream mixed in with the ocean taste of the oysters. Did your mouth water yet? If not, then I don’t know what to tell you. These wings defined creativity, bold flavors, and a simple style. If no one told you what you were eating before you decided to get your hands sticky, then you’d think these were regular sweet and sour wings. Unfortunately, there were so much more ingredients to this dish, but simple at the same time.
The next dish that was ordered was the Pan Seared Rockfish. It consisted of mushrooms, tofu, cilantro and thai chili puree. What I enjoyed most about this dish was the more you kept eating it, the better it became. A beautiful pan seared rockfish, with flaky white meat, and bold flavors. If you’ve never eaten tofu, now is the time to indulge because you’ll be able to say you’ve had tofu without actually quite tasting it. There were so many flavors in this dish that with each bite, you’ll think of another curse word to describe the sensation in your mouth. Sweet, spicy, flavorful, and light, all of the words that would describe this mouth-watering fish.
The third dish that was ordered was the Scallops. It consisted of coconut risotto and basil ice cream. Yes, actual ice cream. I know you’re wondering, why the hell would they use Ice Cream with this dish? I was wondering why the hell is this my first time trying Ice Cream with risotto? If you would’ve seen my face with each bite, you would’ve thought I was on some kind of drug. The facial expression that I made was one who just had the orgasm of their life. The sweetness of the coconut risotto and the bold flavors of the ice cream to go with the salty flavor of the Scallops was just (fuck, I think I just shed a tear, let me get out of here)…….
The fourth dish that was ordered was the Duck Confit. It consisted of Caramalized Brussels, Apple Cider Gastrique, and Blood Orange. When the dish was presented to me I looked at it like what the Fuck is this spam patty doing sitting in front of me?! But then, I remembered, don’t judge a “food” by its cover. The duck and brussel sprouts were the perfect combination but the blood orange sauce that was presented was nothing short of amazing. Think thai flavors with a bitter brussel sprout, and that’s exactly what you’d get from this dish. I didn’t know what to expect from this dish because all of the ingredients were mixed together very fine, but once I dug into it I was more than pleased.
The last two dishes that were ordered were the desserts. Oatmeal Creme Pie and Pandan Cheesecake were the two choices of the night. The Oatmeal Creme Pie consisted of Banana Pudding, Stout Caramel, and Marshmall Fluff. I’m not big on desserts but this dish brought back memories. It brought back memories because I would always tell people NO when they asked for a piece of my oatmeal pie. The oatmeal pie with banana pudding was very different to me because I wouldn’t think of putting the two together. But then again, I never order desserts so there’s that. The overall dish was good, so I would definitely recommend this dessert for you to try. The other dish which was the Pandan Cheesecake consisted of Chocolate Crust, Chocolate Glaze, Pandan Anglaise, Szechuan Whip Cream, and Hazelnuts. I’d be the first to say this Cheesecake Factory’s cheesecake doesn’t have shit on the cheesecake I tasted. Bold Flavors, Chocolate Crust, Sweet flavors, and Fresh Hazelnuts, what more could you ask for? I had a tough time deciding which dessert I liked more, but when there are things that you enjoy equally, it’s okay to plead the fifth.
Overall, this restaurant is a STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING, and make reservations to go IMMEDIATELY. I don’t have “favorite” restaurants, because I was always told as a foodie, the best restaurant you’ve been to is the next restaurant you’re going to. But, if I didn’t live by that slogan, this would definitely get a nod from me.
OVERALL RATING : FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE
SavoryTravels 