No, just an interdimensional portal in the stomach…
8 Likes
porky might be our own Kobayashi, has he ever thought about eating competitions? nothing expands your stomach faster and more effectively than water. minutes before Kobayashi competes, he chugs three gallons of water to get his belly properly bloated
and great photos as usual, the food looks incredible at Corridor 109 ! definitely on my list. also gotta get there on a Tuesday after 10pm one night for that burger.
4 Likes
Each bite has to be delicious, tho. Downing a boiled hot dog in a dry sysco bun that’s been dipped into water, without much chewing, isn’t very FTC lol…
3 Likes
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Air Jordan podcast: threat or menace?
How long is the dinner at Corridor 109? I am trying to see if I can squeeze a 5 pm dinner and still make it in time for work.
1 Like
about 2.5 hours
1 Like
around 3.5 when I went
1 Like
3 Likes
Bangin’ meal at 109-plex last evening… Every single dish and glass were top notch. Chef Brian runs a tight ship. Shout out to FOH Jennifer, who offered fantastic hospitality and warmth to all us diners throughout the meal.
Pre-game: Fried Fish Sandwich at Bar 109… Really bougie and yet so casually comforting at the same time. My (spirit free) Chic Hey was really well conceived and refreshing!
Huge Bite: Not surprisingly, the award goes to Chef Baik’s signature hikarimono toast pintxo! Today he used premium aji for the neta topper. The milk toast was terrific, and the whole construct proved way tastier than the sum of its parts.
18 Likes
W: I thought it was a borderline one star restaurant. Hayato is in another league.
P: Pretty good. I enjoyed it a lot.
2 Likes
We thought it was pretty good but somehow, we enjoyed it better when it was a pop-up in Chinatown. I recall the pop-up flavors and textures a bit more precise, and overall food seemed tastier. Hikarimono toast rocked as usual. I would not be comparing it to Hayato. Kojima, however, is much more appealing to us food-wise.
7 Likes
Bar 109
Tried to take advantage of the fact that Coachella leads folks elsewhere this weekend. Strolled into the bar about half an hour after opening. But the place soon filled to the gills.
Excellently made cocktails under $20 in the city?! Be still my heart! Had the refreshing Saigo which was very gimlet-esque and the chowpup had a highball. Both were very good. The chowpup and I just chilled at the bar with drinks and snacks.
Damn these snacks are great!
There’s no cheese, but that fish sandwich comes with an amazing nanban-style tartar sauce that’s made with medium-boiled eggs. It was rich and lush, but also sour with the cornichon bits and citrus makes one of my favorite tartar sauces. The fish was moist, though perhaps a little overshadowed by the sauce.
The hot dog was one of those great snappy dogs that I adore. Pepper relish didn’t do as much for me since it was definitely overpowered by the proper French Dijon mustard drizzled on top.
Very honorable notice to their veggie sticks…genius large matchsticks of celery and cucumber marinated in a soy vinaigrette and then showered with Furikake. I’m gonna steal this for home use.
Shout out to Adam, who took care of us.
If this was my ‘hood, they’d be taking my money at least once a week.
14 Likes
Both of us also preferred Kojima, even though Corridor 109 feels more refined and high-end. I can’t easily explain why, as all the dishes last night were good and well-prepared, and the seafood quality was excellent. One thing is: I wasn’t convinced by all the dish concepts — e.g., a piece of buri on top of risotto didn’t make sense to me. I also felt that there wasn’t the highest-end execution nuance that you’ll see at a place like Hayato. And soups and broths didn’t have the perfect balance to my tastes.
The aji toast that others praised was one of my least favorite dishes. For me, the bread detracted rather than enhanced and was a clear downgrade from sushi rice.
To be clear, I’m criticizing this restaurant in the context of its high price and hard-to-get reservation. Those things aside, the meal was excellent.
3 Likes
Reservations currently easy to obtain when I checked last night for a random Friday and Saturday.
3 Likes
reservations are very easy
2 Likes
Maybe I’ve been out of the dining scene too long, but weird to me that a bunch of restaurants are charging deposits then refunding it, as opposed to just applying the credit against your bill. Corridor 109 and Ki (along with all the places in the Kaneyoshi-plex) do it. Wonder why
3 Likes
Makes it easier to split bills and calculate tip. A lot of places weren’t getting tipped against the total with drinks because of deposit confusion. That’s at least what some chef friends have told me
5 Likes
yeah im pretty sure it’s so people can tip on the full amount easier.
3 Likes
Makes sense
many many improvements.
the beef which I thought was the weakest course on prior visits really improved with the addition of shiitake and preserved hana sansho.
the sorbet was more balanced and less boozy.
tartlet with prawn was an upgrade from ikura. mehikari an upgrade over fugu.
service is professional and warm.
aji toast is still near perfection. bestest two bites in the city?
my only minor knock is some dishes can be cumbersome to eat as intended. cutting, twirling, and assembling a bite of the pesto spaghetti takes some work. the skin on the sakura masu was hard to cut into pieces.
michelin star forthcoming.
review forthcoming @Clayfu @562?
ebi - prawn, mullet roe
tai - sea bream, ensui uni
aji - horse mackerel, toast x2
ankimo - monkfish liver, flounder
mehikari
white asparagus, clam broth
sakura masu - cherry trout, yamaimo
maguro - bluefin tuna, pesto spaghetti
aka amadai - red tilefish, fish broth
clam & uni - komasu, sushi rice risotto
wagyu - shiitake, preserved hana sansho
mango sorbet
15 Likes