One Crudo to Rule Them All at Saffy’s in Los Angeles | Eater LA

"At this East Hollywood restaurant helmed by Ori Menashe and opened in 2022, where the dishes are described as reminiscent of Middle-Eastern home-style cooking, the Peruvian scallop crudo hits its Platonic form: buttery bivalves served four to a plate in shells that recall Botticelli’s Venus, bathed in a piquant citrus amba broth of lime, orange, sometimes Meyer lemon, preserved lemons that thicken it, and mango juice. The citrus slaps first, the amba’s spice lands as a slow burn; unripe green mangos are salted, fermented for a week, then pureed with cumin, turmeric, coriander, and preserved lemon, with a hint of sugar depending on the end product. Each scallop is dotted with a house chile oil blending Turkish peppers (Aleppo, Urfa, chile de arbol) and finished with fresh herbs and toasted, ground cracked bulgur for a crunchy salt texture, with the occasional touch of fish sauce to amplify the ocean even more. It goes down in one slurp — forget utensils; I dare you not to lick the inside of the shell — and I’ve ordered it on every subsequent visit, sometimes two rounds, because these down-the-hatch flavor bombs leave me wanting more. On an average week Menashe spins out about 300 plates, and he calls it a simple but super bright first bite that opens you up." - Sheila Yasmin Marikar