Little Fish
Stepping outside of my cousin and his fiancé’s apartment in Philadelphia, we walk to a nearby Italian spot that sold different wine options. We pick up a bottle of Lustig Orange Gruner Veltliner (an Austrian white wine) and then head to our final destination, Little Fish.
Little Fish, located in Queen Village, is a small BYOB seafood restaurant that on Fridays and Saturdays serves a prix fixe only menu. They also have a few al carte items that you can choose in addition to the prix fixe menu.
The restaurant interior was not very large, although that was not a problem as it offered a cozier, intimate dining experience with a good view of the front kitchen. Our wine was set in a wine chiller next to our table and the server explained the menu for the evening.
We started with the bread service, which while good, I didn’t eat much of, simply because I’m the type to get full easily if I start with bread.
Soon after this, we were given our first dish which was the Bigeye Tuna Crudo. I love crudo, and this one was well balanced with the use of blood oranges.
Tuna Crudo — Black pepper ponzu, egg yolk, blood orange, cilantro, brioche
The second dish, and my favorite dish of the night, was a scallop toast. I am a bit biased in that I love scallops, but it was the scallops paired specifically with the sesame toast that won me over. The bread choice was intentional, as I don’t believe the same taste could be replicated without the use of the sesame!
Scallop Toast — Raw scallops, buttered sesame toast, spicy chili oil, tamari, chives
Our third course was the Caviar Chawanmushi (a Japanese steamed egg custard). If I had to rank this dish, I would say it was my second favorite, possible tied with the congee (see course #TBD below).
Chawanmushi is a dish style I have yet to perfect at home, so I’m almost always excited to eat it when I dine out. Some might say that the dish is rather simple, but I think that’s what makes it even more amazing. Something as simple as an egg can be made into a standout dish if done right. And that’s exactly what Little Fish did. The texture of the squash espuma with the already smooth egg custard, paired well.
Caviar Chawanmushi — Golden osetra caviar, squash espuma, fermented chili, scallion, prosciutto
In between our third and fourth courses on the prix fixe menu, we were served our two al carte dishes. The first was the Grilled Octopus with Sichuan pork ragu, sesame, honeycrisp apple, and cured egg yolk. And the second was the Nori Pappardelle with Maine uni, smoked trout roe, chives, and chili panko.
Grilled Octopus — Sichuan pork ragu, sesame, honeycrisp apple, cured egg yolk
Between the two, I favored the Grilled Octopus, which I was surprised about since I’ve never been a huge fan of octopus. But after eating this dish, I realized I’ve been missing out (and have since then been eating much more octopus).
The latter dish, the nori pappardelle, had everything I usually like (uni and pasta, what more can I say), however I felt that the value of the dish did not measure up to my expectations. At $46 I can assume much of that cost was because of the Maine uni that was used. But in terms of taste, the dish fell flat in comparison to everything else I ate that night.
Returning to the planned menu, our fourth course was the Grilled Spanish Mackerel with a potato pave. While good, the dish had nothing particularly outstanding about it. The mackerel was grilled well and the pave had a good crisp to it. However I felt the two didn’t quite fit to my taste when put together in the same dish.
Grilled Spanish Mackerel — Potato pave, shiso vinaigrette, Dijon aioli
The fifth course, was listed as the “fish of the day” on the menu. However, and I’m kicking myself for not writing this down two months ago, I’m not entirely sure the exact fish that was used. The worse part is that I actually enjoyed this dish, and so I feel a bit fake for saying that, given I cannot remember what the fish was. All that aside, the congee was a great choice that day since it had snowed in Philly.
Additionally, I grew up eating congee with fish, so this was an elevated version of a childhood meal for me. However, for those who do not enjoy congee, or have not had it with fish before, I think this dish may seem a bit foreign.
Congee with fish and roe
The final course was a rosemary maple ice cream, served with apple compote and candied pecans, and topped with a fish shaped cinnamon sugar cookie. Absolutely loved the ice cream, and wishing I had a tub of it with me at home. The flavors of the dessert all went well together, and I found the sugar cookie a cute addition to the dish.
Rosemary maple ice cream, apple compote, cinnamon sugar cookie, candied pecans
In total I spent a little over $150 for the prix fixe menu ($90 pp) plus my share of the two al carte items and the wine we brought with us.
My top three dishes from the menu were: the Scallop Toast, the Caviar Chawanmushi, and the Fish Congee. However, the Scallop Toast is number one for me overall, and even as I’m sitting here on my couch writing this post, I can still taste the toasted sesame with the scallops.
If given the opportunity, I would dine at Little Fish again. Cheers!