Thursday, February 4, 2016

Ollie's Duck & Dive UPDATE - Malibu


I love the bartenders, I love the ambiance, and I love the shuffleboard out back. But I get really guilty every time I go because I just can't love the food.

There's nothing wrong with the cooking, nothing wrong with the preparation, far as I can see. But as I said in my last review, I wish they would put things together in a way that is effective. Flavors can purposely harmonize or intentionally clash. I don't know what works for which, but I do know which ones just don't work.



The thick, goopy teriyaki on fresh, tender cubes of tuna? Why, dear god, why? Your tuna is great quality and super-fresh despite the exorbitant cost of shipping so why stick it in a sauce that gives it no credit?




It's hard to mess up cheese, and the Honey Goat Brie is no exception. A winning combination of fig jam with white truffle honey is just right on grilled baguette. I just wish they included a little more baguette.




The Truffled Fries are what bar food should be. I loved seeing them loaded on a skillet, and I loved eating them with pickled onion even more.




The Campfire Cookie is another safe and sensible combination. You can't not love burning your tongue on a chocolate chip cookie that's still cooking when you take your first bite, and a puffy toasted marshmallow made that much better by nutella and salted caramel gelato will have you singing kumbaya, especially if you enjoyed the cocktails first.


My second experience was significantly better than the first, but I made safer selections this time around. I still think Ollie's harbors a ton of potential - I'm just waiting to see it applied to more of the menu.
Duck Dive Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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