Gold Dig #18

Baroo is one of the most strikingly different restaurants I have been to. In some ways, it is so very LA… in a strip mall next to a 7-Eleven, with no sign other than the remnants from the previous establishment which looks to have once read “Thai Noodle”; ingredients that are local, sustainable, and organic; seasonal menu which changes often and is written on a large chalkboard mounted on the wall. It’s just a small rectangular space with one communal wooden table and a handful of counter stools. But then you read the menu and begin to discover what makes Baroo so unique and worthy of its spot on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list.

The Dish

Baroo uses “as much fermentation as possible”, according to their website. You’ll notice a shelf filled with jars and plastic buckets of fermenting ingredients, many of which are hard to identify. There is a refrigerator stocked with a variety of fermented juices. The chalkboard menu lists every ingredient in each of the dishes (below I’ve copied the descriptions exactly, so you can see what I mean for yourself), many of which are things I’d never heard of. The food tastes amazing, though sometimes it’s hard to know what you’re eating. It is beautiful, as much art as it is lunch. The description sounds weird and makes it a bit of a hard sell, but Baroo is a place I tell people they must visit!

Pickle

“Napa cabbage kimchi with pineapple jus, red onion with rose, watermelon rind, onion + lime + jalapeño.”

I love pickled things. The crunch and the bite are great to snack on alone or to offset savory dishes. The variety of pickled items at Baroo is fun (pickles aren’t just made from cucumbers!) and the flavors they pickle with are unique. My favorite was the watermelon rind. I also loved how the rose flavor really came through in the onion.

Kimchi Fried Rice

“Pineapple fermented kimchi, amira basmati rice, 63 degree C sous vide egg, gremolata, pineapple jalapeno salsa, purple potato chip, roasted seaweed, toasted buckwheat & quinoa, and micro greens.”

See what I mean about beautiful? It was tempting to try to maintain the aesthetics of this dish by eating it in parts, but it’s better to mix it up for all the great layers of flavor. The fermented pineapple flavors everything, and the egg adds creaminess. You can add slab bacon for $2 more, but the first time we were there we were so overwhelmed and excited when ordering that we forgot. The next time we went back, we remembered to get the bacon, which added some nice meatiness even though there were only a handful of small pieces.

Baroo’s Ragu Style

“Spicy oxtail faux ragu, tendon puff, gochujang, gremolata w/ cherry tomatoes, krout powder, three years aged parmigiano reggiano (handmade pasta)”

I’m not sure what the faux oxtail is actually made of, nor do I know what krout powder is. What I am sure of, is that this is a delicious bowl of pasta. It makes me wonder why tendon puff isn’t on more pasta, or dishes in general for that matter.

Noorook (Koji)

“Jobs tears, kamut, farro, roasted koji beet creme, concentrated kombu dashi, toasted seeds (sunflower & pumpkin) & macadamia nuts, fingerlime, and rose onion pickle.”

Noorook is the specialty of Baroo – a dish of pink mold, which Jonathan Gold says tastes “like the future”. When we decided to check out Baroo, my friend was pregnant. We googled “is it safe to eat pink mold while pregnant.” Not surprisingly, we didn’t get many results for our search. The grains were savory with a bit of tanginess. I’m not sure if that comes from the mold used to kick off the fermentation of the grains, or the rose onion pickle – either way, it was good. Don’t get freaked out by the idea of pink mold – get the Noorook!

Karma Circulation (grain, egg, chicken)

“Koda farm Kokomo rose rice and brown rice with kombusake KF Chicken (free range organic) with noorook salt, kimch-ed blistered corn salsa with celery, fennel, jalapeno perilla fermented moo, gochujang aioli, sumac, and yuza peel.”

Baroo has a Specials menu, several of which they were out of the day we were there. We did get to try the Karma Circulation, which was a fantastic combination of fried chicken pieces, fermented pork sausage (that’s what “moo” is!), rice, and veg. When all mixed together, the sauces and the textures came together really well.

Xotoall (funky fungi fromagi arancini)

“Fresh piogo (shiitake), porcini and mushroom riso, raclette dip, endive con grannysmith vin, preserved lemon and picholine, donejang.”

Also on the Specials menu was the Xotoall. I love mushrooms and I love risotto. Put them together into a fried ball, and it’s pretty wonderful. The inside was creamy, while the outside had a nice thin, crisp layer. If they have this Special when you are there, get at least one!

Drinks

We selected Elderflower and Tepache from the refrigerator of fermented beverages. Tepache is fermented pineapple – Baroo seems to have a thing for fermented pineapple. Turns out I like it too. The second time I went to Baroo I got the Rose. All of these were refreshing accompaniments to the meal.