Somewhat Lacking Lukshon - Culver City

While Father's Office showcases some real brilliance, Lukshon is not what I would describe as Sang Yoon's finest work. Although I love the small, share-able dishes inspired by Asia and kissed by Hawaiian sun, I just can't say I was all that impressed.

It all starts with a simple fried rice because no Asian fusion is complete without some form of fried rice featuring some kooky combo of prime ingredients. The Crab Fried Rice fits the bill nicely, the barely-there blue crab clawing for recognition in a greasy-but-dry rice bowl with not enough egg. 

The Tea Leaf Salad was the opposite of greasy and fried, a refreshing reprieve. This creative cabbage punctuated by crunchy chana dal and a skimpy hint of shrimp had a sprinkling of tea that added its own dark flavor, evenly coating each cabbage shred.

The Crispy Whole Branzino was an impressive aesthetic, a whole un-filleted fried fish captured in a stunning mid-swim. The fish was undoubtedly fresh, and the puddle of pecel sauce was great, but the fish hadn't soaked up any flavor and became pretty forgettable.

The Sichuan Dumplings would have fared better as fusion fare. The kurobuta pork makes a seamless filling, and Sichuan's signature ma-la burn is escalated by a sweet but sour vinaigrette. I could drink that whole bowl of sauce, but the dumplings were a little dumbed-down.

Lukshon makes nice food with a smattering of creativity and charisma, but it's dishes like the Hawaiian Butterfish I was hoping to see more of. The cubes of fish melt in your mouth like the smoothest ceviche, covered with sweetened lime and coconut snow.

When you concoct a tasting menu, you want to show your best, and the Warm Persimmon Toffee Cake wouldn't be the note I would choose to end on. The cake with persimmon jam comes across a little too much like the fruitcake you get at Christmas except it was made by a more skilled Asian auntie. The brown butter ice cream is absolutely incredible, adding savory rich notes and giving depth to a shallower-tasting cake.

The problem with Asian cuisine is that its transition to fine dining doesn't always work. Asian cuisine is often a display of culinary prowess by a starving people, people whose creativity is driven by the need to please the palate with what the better-off throw away. I would hardly call anything at Lukshon a throwaway, but the notes of true brilliance are often masked by discordance and some flavorful disconnect