The Siu Yeh pop-up at Needle on January 26th gave me some of the best bites in this nascent 2021 thus far. Authenticity-wise, I think Chef Ryan’s sensibilities were dead on in terms of selection and flavor. Every bite was a winner.
Grilled Cheung Fun Skewer… Best cheung fun I’ve had so far in Southern California. The smokiness, sauce, sesame, bite… All spectacular.
Roasted Young Chicken Wings… This dish is ubiquitous throughout the Chinese-speaking world, but if it’s prepared improperly, it’s easy to spot. Well, fear not, ‘cuz Needle nails it here. Frickin’ finger-lickin’ great!
Ground pork Skewer… Pardon the crappy photo, but THIS was just so fragrant and mouthwateringly heavenly to eat. I should have ordered 2 more of these.
Congee with ham, mushroom, runny egg, scallion, peanut, wonton skin crisp, and yeotiao (supplemental)… This anchored everything. Solid, solid juk-ology. Even the pickles were bomb.
Grilled Duck Breast, Beef Filet, King Oyster Mushroom Skewers… Beef filet proved to the star in this trio - just right, and reminded me of the incredibly tender solomillo one would encounter during pintxo crawls in Basque country. The duck pieces were cut a tad large for its fattiness. The mushrooms did not disappoint.
Almond Tofu with Local Winter Citrus and Goji Berries… IMHO this was the best iteration of Chef Ryan’s almond dessert thus far!
This pop-up offered me food which transported me to another time, another place. I hope some of my fellow FTCers had the same experience as well.