January 4th, 2018 — The Experience Magazine dined at the new hot spot known as XO located in the center of Los Angeles on Beverly Boulevard. Executive Chef Micael Hung has teamed up with Chef de Cuisine Gabriel Geiger and Pastry Chef Carolyn Hawkins to create an Asian menu that is fun, casual and inviting. The dining room and patio is open for lunch, and brunch on the weekend. XO also features a grab and go marketplace that allows locals and people that are busy at the office to pick up house made items.
Chef Michael Hung, from the award winning LA restaurant Faith and Flower, has teamed up with Ardour Hospitality to create a top notch restaurant that is also the center piece of an urban neighborhood. XO on Beverly is within walking distance to the Farmers Market. Chef Michael was busy over seeing the creation of delicious dishes when we dined at XO. He had a few minutes to speak with us about the restaurant. There are a lot of new and fun seasonal menus coming up for XO.
As we arrived for dinner, the restaurant was filling up with people looking to dine on some top shelf food that’s prepared by a chef. Our server recommended several fun items. The Butterfly Lemonade is really wild looking. Prepared on your table, the lemonade is a color changing magic trick right before your eyes. Starting with a blue tea that’s from an Asian butterfly pea, the lemonade is added and turns the drink a sort go magenta. It’s tasty too!
The first appetizer we started with was the Chicken and Black Soy Stuffed Wontons. These were prepared with care and seasoned to perfection. The chili and the vinegar blend to make a spicy/sour taste. This was so delicious. I have to say, this dish really surprised me and was the favorite of the night. The flavor was unique. There is a subtle blend of flavors going on here. I recommend you try it. I hope you have a similar experience as me.
The Burmese Salad is a vegan offering with cherry tomato, seeds and a vegan fermented tea vinaigrette dressing. It was really cool to try a Tea Leaf Salad at XO. The Burmese Salad does not disappoint!
We also tried the California Summer Roll. This was also made with chef like precision. The rice paper covered the avocado salad inside and was presented in style. The idea behind XO on Beverly is to dine, chat, eat and have a great cocktail. Many people seemed to be munching and chatting as we dined.
The entree of the evening was the wild caught Petrale sole that was steamed in a banana leaf. This dish features flavors of coriander, coconut and a touch of curry. This was the surprise dish of the night. The flavors that Chef Michael selected make for a subtle taste that is tasty and expertly crafted. The fish has a creamy taste with just a hint of banana.
Pastry Chef Carolyn Hawkins had prepared an Apple Pie tart on the day we had visited. Off the regular menu, this dessert dish was topped off with a tiny bit of vanilla ice cream. This was a perfect way to end our meal at XO on Beverly.
The Experience Magazine recommends that you stop in and check out XO on Beverly. This new dining location in the heart of Los Angeles is destined to become a go to destination for LA foodies.
Check out XO ON BEVERLY
