Tuesday Night Takeover: East Meets East Popup Dinner at La Brasa

On Tuesday night, I got the chance to check out Tuesday Night Takeover: East Meet East Popup Dinner at La Brasa located at 124 Broadway, Somerville, MA. La Brasa’s Daniel Bojorquez and Daniel Amighi team up with Shojo's Mark O’Leary, OISA Ramen's Moe Kuroki, and Heritage Vinegar's Jitti Chaithiraphant for a well-organized and truly unique dining experience! I liked how the items on the menu were a la carte as opposed to charging an entry fee per person. It was nice that the bar opened an hour before the kitchen opened.

For drinks, patrons had many choices ranging from wine, sake, beer, whisky hi-ball, and shave ice cocktail. Throughout the evening, I enjoyed an iced tea, a glass of Crisp French White Wine, and Rice + Spice Shave Ice Cocktail. The Shave Ice Cocktail seemed like a hit that evening. It reminded me of a Mexican beverage known as a Horchata. The Rice + Spice Shave Ice consisted of spiced rum, long grain white rice, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and sugar,

Rice + Spice Shave Ice

I was curious about the dishes on the menu and had to order almost every food item on the menu. Even though I have a craving for sour things, I skipped the Fermented/Pickled Vegetable Plate consisting of Japanese pickled vegetable aka "tsukemono", kimchi, archard, Asian sauerkraut, and sour carrot.

The first dish that came out of the kitchen was E-Som Donburi, which consisted of mushy sticky rice topped with handpicked burdock root and mushroom, seasoned shredded seaweed, shredded cucumber, and chopped spring onion, and drizzled with mayo.

E-Som Donburi

The second dish was OISA Ramen which consisted of undercooked handmade ramen noodles in a salty, garlicky, shoyu-tonkotsu broth topped with roasted pork, scallions, and semi-cooked, halved, organic, large hard-boiled egg.

OISA Ramen

The third dish was the Beef Skewers a La Brasa which consisted of two, semi-tender, long beef skewers, marinated in sweet miso paste and soy sauce and wood-fired.

Beef Skewers a La Brasa

The fourth dish was Grilled Corn Laab, which consisted of three corn on the cob marinated with a Thai flare - coconut, lime, herbs and spices.

Grilled Corn Laab

The fifth dish was Kushikatsu Set, which consisted of pork tenderloin, double summer squash, eggplant, and shiitake mushroom on individual skewers that were lightly dusted with panko-crusted and deep-fried. These "tempura" were served with crispy Asian noodles.

Kushikatsu Set

The sixth dish was the Big 'n Tasty Mantou which consisted of two Chinese steamed buns filled with ground beef with exterior topped with melted spicy cheese, fermented cucumbers/pickles, smoked tomato, and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Being Chinese, I wasn't impressed with this dish - expected flavorful, tender beef pieces.

Big 'n Tasty Mantou

The seventh dish was Hamachi Sashimi which consisted of four, thinly sliced pieces of yellowfin tuna served over a delicious miso-nut butter spread and topped with scallion.

Hamachi Sashimi

The eighth dish was Sweet Corn Mazemen which consisted of homemade ramen noodles stir-fried with sweet roasted corn and sesame seeds and topped with freshly made doritos dusted with Japanese spice mixture aka "togarashi" and sea urchin aka "uni". The sea urchin gave the dish a slimy addition.

Sweet Corn Mazemen

The ninth dish was a Whole Roasted Flounder which consisted of a bone in flounder marinated in sea salt and soy sauce. The fish was quite mushy and boney. In my opinion, dover sole, sea bass, or tilapia would have been a better choice.

Whole Roasted Flounder

The final dish was the Sata Andagi, which consisted of sweet, deep-fried dough buns rolled in sugar and served with two types of dipping sauces - smoked miso caramel and a savory and spicy Korean condiment aka "gochujang" infused chocolate sauce. This dessert was a perfect way to end the night!