Firstborn brings innovative takes on tradition to Chinatown - Review - Los Angeles - The Infatuation
"Firstborn is a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown from a Chinese American chef, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Their nods to Chinese cuisine on the menu are rarely literal, and the best dishes treat tradition as a loose starting point: chilled mapo tofu as a base for smoky steak tartare, cumin lamb as a thick saddle cut in sichuan peppercorn jus, and savory egg custard bulked up with soft bay scallops. What’s exciting about Firstborn is more straightforward than all that. It’s simply a well-put-together restaurant. The green-tiled dining room inside Mandarin Plaza exudes a polished cool that makes it work for an under-the-radar date night, but we’ve also sat next to a wholesome book club that was discussing next month’s pick. Servers know their stuff, but won’t bore you with soliloquies on oolong varieties, and the impressive cocktails—like the mandarin negroni or paloma with Sichuan peppercorn—are just as creative as the food. photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp photo credit: Jessie Clapp Pause Unmute The menu at Firstborn is essentially a long list of small plates, and the best way to assemble a meal is to pick out ingredients that catch your eye, rather than try to build a balanced meal—mostly because many dishes don't always match up with what you might assume. The so-smoky-it's-nearly-burnt barbecue cabbage perked up with a leek vinaigrette is heartier than many of the meat dishes, and the chef's take on zhajiangmian involves snappy strips of squid in oxtail broth rather than noodles. Your server will probably suggest an order of the signature Chongqing fried chicken for the table, and it’s the right call—even if it’s closer to really good Southern fried chicken than anything you’d find at a Sichuan spot. Firstborn feels like a breath of fresh air for Chinatown—ambitious but not stuffy, inventive but not over the top, and casual enough that you wouldn’t look out of place popping in at the bar for a sobacha bourbon fizz and sweet and sour sweetbreads after a Dodger game. It’s a Chinese restaurant, sure, but it also defies categorization—and that’s what we like most about it. Food Rundown Steak Tartare Don’t let the mapo tofu reference fool you—the chilled tofu in this dish is plain and silky, and acts a mattress topper for the fiery, finely chopped beef tartare heaped on top, which is flecked with bits of dried fig that sneak in sweetness. The whole thing tastes like a fancy beef pudding, which might sound strange, but it grew on us quickly. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Duck Sausage Six stubby rounds of duck sausage are wrapped in thin pieces of tofu skin, but these mini pucks somehow stay light. Make sure to slurp up the herby broth pooled underneath——it's surprisingly rich in flavor. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Tofu Gnudi Firstborn excels at broths with depth, so it makes sense that the umami-boosted mushroom one in this dish steals the show. The little tofu mounds are soft and supple, somewhere between a dumpling and pudding. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Steamed Custard A silky soft stew that’s rich but has just enough jiggle to still feel light. The roasted scallops and peas bob around like floaties in a pool, and there's a subtle hit of vinegar that ties everything together. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Fried Chongqing Chicken These drumsticks are the size of a turkey leg, and they crunch so hard that you might get looks from other tables. They’re unlike traditional Chongqing chicken (no fiery spice rub and minimal tingly spice), so manage your flavor expectations for this one. But we do like that the chicken inside stays extra juicy despite the heavy armor. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Cumin Lamb Saddle Rather than skewered on toothpicks, this cumin lamb shows up as a three-inch-thick slab of saddle in salty, peppercorn-laced jus poured tableside. The meat has a evenly seared skin that crackles when you slice into it, and the pile of shredded potatoes on the side is an optical illusion—it looks like glass noodles but has a nice celery-like crunch. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Chamomile Custard This dessert looks precious, but it’s meant to be destroyed. A cooling cucumber granita sits on tart apple ice cream and rich custard, covered by a thin butterscotch cookie dusted in kinako powder. Use your spoon to crack the cookies and mix all together, and it ends up tasting not unlike one of those Caramel Apple Pops from the candy store. photo credit: Jessie Clapp" - Cathy Park
