I was in the mood for eating at a new restaurant and came across Moko Tapas Bar, which specializes in Asian fusion tapas inspired by Korean cuisine:
The owner, Ryan, was very hospitable and was nice to talk to. Ryan told us that he used to work in a restaurant at Chinatown and wanted to open up his own restaurant. He later on partnered up with Chef Hong and they eventually opened up Moko Tapas Bar a few weeks ago. Ryan also said Chef Hong makes everything from scratch, he will only use fresh meat (none frozen), and refuses to use a microwave!
We started off with the Chilled Cucumber Noodle - cucumber noodle, cherub tomato, cold vegetable soup. The cucumber noodles were fantastic with it's clear broth. The broth was a bit sour, yet soothing. If you like sour foods, this is for you:
Eggplant Salad- grilled eggplant, cherry tomato, grilled shishito pepper, and moko dressing. A nice, light combination of vegetables:
Chicken Pottage- poached chicken with ginseng, boiled rice, and egg yolk. This dish was similar to the chicken rice porridge I ate growing up whenever I was sick. Anyways, the presentation of the chicken and egg yolk made the pottage look more appealing:
Smoked Yellowtail Sashimi - an apricot wood smoked yellowtail, micro green mix, Fuji apple, kelp powder, and sweet Korean apricot sauce. The soft yellowtail was smoked to perfection! I wish I could order like nine of this:
Spicy Chicken Thigh- yogurt and sake marinated thigh, kimchi, sweet potato, sweet and spicy sauce. This was an interesting dish because the chicken thigh was cut opened with the sweet potato and kimchi filling added inside:
Omiza (schisandra berry) Crème Brûlé- A crème brûlé made with the omiza berry that includes the five tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty. My taste buds tasted ALL these flavors at once, it kind of felt weird, but in awe at the same time! These berries could be an ingredient in a Willy Wonka candy bar:
It was a great experience dining here! I'm glad I got to eat my first Korean fusion foods at Moko and that we had the chance to chat with the owner. If you're an adventurous eater, you should check this restaurant out!