West Hollywood: Pacifique is Now Open

 

Pacifique is now open in West Hollywood. It’s exciting to see Chef Joe Miller back on the scene. The menu is pan-Asian Pacific with heavy nods to Japanese cuisine.

We tried all the mixed drinks on the menu including these rum and mezcal drinks. My favorite was the daiquiri variation; Don’t Hassle Me, I’m Local with charred pineapple, banana and the house rum blend. I learned a new term with the Goonies Never Say Die, a tiki type drink. Apparently clitoria ternatea is what we know as butterfly pea! You can also imagine what the flower looks like. Generally used as a tea and when combined with acid, it changes from blue to purple. So this drink is quite the beauty. The margarita variation is called Internal Exercises. Nam prik gives it a savory note.

Don’t Hassle Me, I’m Local – Pacifique house rum blend, charred pineapple, banana, apple cider vinegar

Goonies Never Say Die – Dusquesne rhum agricole, mezcal, passionfruit, kaffir lime, lemongrass, honey syrup, lime, clitoria ternatea (butterfly pea), tonic

Internal Exercises – mezcal, chipotle, nam prik, hibiscus, lime

 

The smoked trout mousse was served with nori crackers. We loved that the mousse was topped with trout roe as well.

 

 

I loved the scallops and sea urchin dish. The seaweed may have been garnish but we ate it all up as well!

 

My favorite dish was the Dungeness crab chawanmushi. I’m already very fond of the Japanese egg pudding but served warm with the freshest bit of crab claw was next level. I also enjoyed the mushrooms as well. The savory dish was one of the best puddings I’ve had.

 

There were four of us and the server recommended we get an extra wing so each of us could enjoy this appetizer. Great suggestion since I never want to share my wings!

I had arrived earlier than my friends so I had the Dr. Feelgood at the bar. The gorgeous crusta is matched in taste. I almost thought of this as a health tonic since it featured celery and porcini! But as it turns out, the really fun stuff is the booze– to your health with tequila and mezcal!

Dr. Feelgood – tequila, mezcal, pear brandy, celery, fennel, porcini, lemon

 

 

My friend had the shrimp cloud which was a dumpling without the wrapper. It was a pure ball of shrimp with a ton of mussels and greens. I enjoyed the nira broth in this dish as well.

 

One of my friends had the tsukune which are Japanese meatballs. These were made with chicken (very traditional). The cured egg yolk and duck proscuitto were interesting counterpoints to this dish. Mixed with the greens, I would almost call this a deconstructed salad!

 

I got the pork loin which was served with noodles and I was very happy with this dish as I’m quite the noodles lover.

 

 

My other friend is (was!) on the Keto diet so the steak was actually quite perfect for her. I don’t even have to be on an all meat diet to want to try this!

 

The last drink on the menu we tried was the Greenbrier which is a take on a julep. It’s refreshing and was my perfect pairing with the desserts.

The Greenbrier – cachaca, grappa, aperitivo, lychee, mint, honey

 

 

I love, love, love lemon tarts so the idea of a yuzu tart is so fantastic! The Japanese citrus, yuzu, is perfect in this dessert.

 

 

My friends and I really liked the panna cotta. I’ve come a long way from being ambivalent about panna cotta until being a true enthusiast. I liked all the fruit including lychee and blood orange. The macaron is a nice garnish.

Congratulations to the Pacifique team. I look forward to coming back now that it’s officially open!

 

Pacifique

631 N La Cienega, West Hollywood, CA 90069  —  (310) 359-0788

 

 

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