I think it’s one of the more controversial restaurants on this board, with some people praising it and others underwhelmed. I need to go back to give it a second try. But “Gjelina 2.0 with a Japanese accent” makes RVR sound fantastic, which was not at all my first impression.
i don’t think you even need to read between the lines, she was pretty straightforward with how inconsistent it is.
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It really is wildly inconsistent - I’ve had good meals there for brunch but felt like we ordered well. I skip the noodle dishes, the handrolls, and the larger rice dishes and focus on the vegetables/grilled fish/meats and then I’m golden.
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I’m not always a fan of Time Out, but this particular RVR review is spot on…
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Going Saturday. Hoping it’s still as good as past visits. FWIW, we don’t get ramen, usually sticking to the veggies and seafood dishes. Haven’t had a bad dumpling here.
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With some strategic ordering, you can have a delicious meal at RVR if you want Japanese-inflected izakaya. A couple of weeks ago we had the duck meatball, yellow bean tempura, beef tongue, pork belly and all the vegetables we had made for a delicious meal. The saba belly was one of our best bites this quarter. We haven’t eaten upstairs yet, but might opt for more occasional service to the overwhelming din downstairs in our “comfy booth” even with the windows wide open. Tom Wood is now on staff as sommelier. You are in good hands with him for trustworthy libation and food recommendations.
Why anyone would perseverate on the quality of ramen at this venue is perplexing? #QuestionNotAQuestion
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Excellent food last night. Persimmon dish is back. Loved it. Charred broccoli with sesame sauce and chili is the other top veg dish for us. That sesame sauce is crack. Duck meatballs with the kabocha squash was also memorable. Chicken karage also very good. Only miss was the squid with red bell peppers. Way too much bell, good char on the squid but the sauce didn’t pull it together. The sweet bell rendered the dish clumsy. All in all a terrific meal. Shockingly, the place was not packed and suffered from a lack of energy typical to downstairs. I wonder if the TO review did damage?
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Funny on my recent visit the squid was the best dish.
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What were your favorite bites?
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Good for them but I did not really love the food there
early brunch on the patio
macadamia cookie w/ orange zest. scrumptious. sort of pull-apart able and chewy insides but crunchy outsides style that i love.
mochi beignets w/ pistachio, lemon zest, n honey I think? not as mochi mochi as I expected but a great texture nonetheless. nice w/ the pour over
love how almost waxy the insides of the sweet potatoes are. prefer the sharpness of the yogurt sauce at gjelina but these are more snackable. parsley shichimi gets thumbs up. nice papatas bravas visual.
pork loin sando. a tad wet but a tasty sandwich.
blood orange and fennel. not sure if i like the squares of shiso, but viva sicilia. orange and fennel always wins for me - even with just olive oil n salt. good pairing with the sando. wish the blood orange was just a bit more tart.
not pictured is a very very moist chicken thigh skewer. skewers on a busier following visit were a tad drer so i think leisurely early brunch time might be the move. might be able to score a cookie, too. they had 7 that day.
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I hate how NY Times publishes recipes by not including it in the article and paywalling it, plus the link to the recipe is not very obvious. Recipe is basically blend all the ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste
Ingredients
Yield:About 3 cups
- 1package (14 ounces) silken tofu (about 2 cups)
- 3tablespoons miso, preferably barley (see Tips), more as needed
- 2½tablespoons rice vinegar, more as needed
- 1teaspoon white sesame paste (see Tips)
- 1teaspoon honey, more as needed
- 1garlic clove, minced or finely grated
- ¾teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
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If you’re not subscribed to NYT for Recipes and Games you’re dead to me. 
But seriously get an intro rate and every time they threaten to raise it threaten to cancel and they’ll renew it at the lower rate.
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Annual (at least) Public Service Announcement:
You can read the New York Times with your Los Angeles Public Library subscription. Just log into your account online, and then find the NYT in the e-media section. Read away!
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Yes, I will concur with this money-saving PSA…
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