While you may not recognize the name Sang Yoon, you will most definitely recognize the name Father's Office. Yoon is the brains behind Father's Office and his newest project is Luckshon, which draws influence from Southeast Asia. I was incredibly excited to try Luckshon as I am a fan of the food at Father's Office.
It's hard not to notice the minimalist and contemporary architecture of the restaurant that gives it the feeling of both old and new. The 6-seat chef's counter are most definitely the best seats in the house, but all the seating in the restaurant has a modern feel. Banquets are ideal for groups of 6, while the large counter and communal space encourage walk-ins. For whatever reason, the place didn't fill up until after 8, so if you want to snag a seat, come early and you won't have a problem.
I loved the open kitchen and I loved the wine bar. They had a custom made wine dispenser that was beautiful set amidst wine shelves.
The menu is divided into 6 sections: raw, small, big, noodles, rice and sides. To start we tried the duck popiah. Duck confit is rolled into spring rolls with cilantro stems, pickled jicama and house-made hoisin chile sauce. They were excellent. The meat was juicy and rich but the spring roll was refreshing because of the pickled veg and fresh cilantro.
Next we had the spicy chicken pops. They were drumettes with garlic, kecap manis (an Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and spicy sichuan salt. These were really unique and really delicious. They were darker meat, since it was a drumette, and I usually don't like darker meat, but the spices really took them to another level.
For our entree we tried the short rib rendang with malay spices, red chile lemongrass rempah (a seasoning paste from Southeast Asia) and coconut cream. The meat was sous vide and ridiculously tender. It was very VERY marbled. The marbling is fat and it was actually hard for me to eat knowing how heavy it is. The coconut sauce was rich and and wonderful and very reminiscent of curry. Fried coconut rice blocks are served on the side, again just putting this dish off the richter scale for heaviness.
We also tried the dandan noodles with kurobuta pork, sesame, preserved mustard greens, sichuan peppercorns and peanuts. These noodles had a nice kick to them. The pork was ground, and the peppercorns gave the dish an unexpected crunch.
Desserts are complimentary but small. They brought out a little piece of caramel with chocolate ganache and a coffee custard with condensed milk ice cream. I could have eaten 4 of these. It was so wonderful but too tiny...especially for two people!
I'm so excited about this opening. The food was vibrant and the atmosphere beautiful and modern but relaxed. It kind of reminds me of Momofuku in NYC. I can't wait to go back!
Lukshon 3239 Helms Ave. (310) 202-6808
