Joss Cuisine/Traditional Awards

Joss Cuisine/Traditional Restaurant Review:

You’d better make a reservation before heading to Joss Cuisine/Traditional: the restaurant has only six tables and a small private room upstairs. A continuation of Joss/Chinese Haute Cuisine that was on Sunset Boulevard, this incarnation is a “boutique” version. The décor reflects a sophisticated expression of modernism integrated with traditional Chinese aesthetics. Guo Yu remains the chef, and Beulah Ku, whose family has been a restaurant business, takes care of the rest. Tradition is the motto. Start with the shrimp wontons in Szechuan red chili sauce, the spinach siu mai, the sesame tofu cubes or the honey-glazed barbecue ribs. Crisp yu shiang eggplants are a must-have. Soups range from the classic hot-and-sour to chicken and fig, and a ginger fish broth. A house specialty, and quite interesting, is the crispy prawns on a bed of homemade noodles in a creamy Chinese mustard sauce. Expect to find Peking duck with a lacquered mahogany-hued skin that is consumed in soft bao-like buns; it’s among the best renditions in town. Fish lovers should try the fresh steamed white snow bass served with Shanghainese dark lemon ginger vinegar with chrysanthemum petals. Unprocessed heirloom multi-grains are cooked in a clay pot to heighten their natural aroma, a cholesterol-free dish you should strongly consider. Of the two signature desserts, a steamed chocolate cake and a lychee napoleon, we highly recommend the latter (the chocolate sauce of the former had a bitter, unpleasant taste). A small wine and beer selection is available. To end on another positive note: the prices are very reasonable, especially for the neighborhood. The restaurant delivers for lunch, and has a catering department for large parties.