Touted on LA's 101 best list and episodically headlining Eater LA as one of the SGV's best restaurants, Yang's very small kitchen sits on an Alhambra street surrounded by several powerhouses of Chinese cuisine.
The first thing I thought when I glanced at their brunch menu was that it was not what I would expect.
Despite the description of Asian fusion, there's nothing Asian about this Chicken Liver Mousse except the handful of chopped green onion. The mousse itself is rich and fatty, minerally savory with a hint of sweet, meant to be lavishly smeared across crusty slices of LA's best (Bub & Grandma's) bread.
Yang's Fried Chicken Wings are so simple, skin stretched taut across firm flesh, finished simply with salt and pepper.
Most people who don't like salmon have never had good salmon, and the Salmon & Ikura Bowl will silence any scorn. The salmon is melt-in-your-mouth quality, and the yuzu miso marinade makes it sing. Add gooey-fish poppin' bubbles of fresh ikura and a side of soft-boiled soy egg, and you've got yourself a feast.
There's a basic Breakfast Plate for those who are just craving a good morning meal. The eggs have beautiful yolk, the super-crispy hash brown cake is the best in town, and the hanger steak is incredible.
There are more Asian-oriented items on the menu like sesame noodles and mochi pancake, but the westernized vibe is there. It feels to me like a representation of an upcoming generation of Asian children raised by more modern parents who celebrate their children's calling and might even support a chef. Instead of just kids who grew up running the family restaurant, future generations are combining classical training with what they learned from grandma, and if Yang's Kitchen is any indication of what's to come, the results will be spectacular.
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