“We will be returning to the City of Angels with a our national Feast event and will continue to feature the best up-and-coming chefs in the Los Angeles area. Popular Pop-Ups will be joined by brick-and-mortar mainstays under one roof, with plenty of Asian-influenced cocktails from the city’s top mixologists to help wash down the grub.” Lucky Rice.

I had attended the LuckyRice LA feast once before, and in one word I would have to say: IMPRESSIVE. The fact that we were able to sample from so many excellent LA-based Asian restaurants at one time, and have the food paired with full-sized innovative cocktails, most made with Bombay East Sapphire Gin, was almost overwhelming. Almost.

This year we found the pairings equally ambitious. There were three separate areas to taste inside and outside of the Create nightclub in Hollywood. I couldn’t find any repeat dishes or cocktails so there was a lot of ground to cover. I took to the task in my usual diligence.

Of special note to me was the discovery of Bittercube Tonic Extracts. To see a bartender use a small dropper to add flavors like ginger, peppermint, sassafras, jasmine, lavender, orange, fennel, cinnamon…really changed the flavor profile of the juniper and other botanicals normally found in gin alone. Loved these inspired drinks with the moist and artful dumplings from Bling Bling Dumpling, the fresh scallop sashimi from Katsuya and the flavorful Szechuan Pork and Crab Wontons from Phorage.

I have bolded some of my favorites in the list below and instead of doing a story in photos, I uploaded them into a short YouTube. View it here.

The Cocktail Menu

Asahi Beer

Asahi Super Dry
Asahi Select
Asahi Kuronama Black

Bombay Sapphire^® East Gin

Feeling Sheepish: Chamomile-infused Bombay Sapphire^® East Gin, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Garnished with Lemon Slices

Break Room 86

Bruce Cost Ginger Ale

Original, Pomegranate with Hibiscus, Jasmine Tea, Passion Fruit with Turmeric, Bruce Cost 66 Calories with Monk Fruit, Blood Orange with Meyer Lemon

Butchers & Barbers

CATHAY PACIFIC AIRWAYS

Oriental Breeze: Sour Plum Tea, Cranberry Juice, Honey, Fresh Lemon Juice, Rose Water, Dried Rose Bud Garnish

Good Times at Davey Wayne’s

Harvard & Stone

Hinoki & the Bird

Son of a Beesting: Bombay Sapphire^® East Gin, Sweetened Ginger, Honey Syrup, Lemon Juice, Mist of Rose Flower Water

Smashing Leaves: Shiso Infused Cognac. Lemon Juice, Kumquat Cordial

Terrine

The Tasting Menu

Asian Box

Lamb Meatballs, Coconut Curry, Summer Herbs, Asian Street Dust

Glass Noodle Salad, Pineapple, Golden Raisins, Tamarind Vinaigrette

Ayara Thai Cuisine

Chicken Khao Soi: Thai Curry Noodles Garnished with Pickled Mustard Greens, Shallots, Fried Noodles, Coconut Cream Foam, and Lime

Badmaash

Chicken Biryani with Cilantro-Lime Whip and Paprika Masala

Bling Bling Dumpling

Blue Ribbon

Spicy Tuna Hand Roll: Raw Tuna, Spicy Mayo, Sushi Rice, Vinegar, Nori
Salmon Avocado Hand Roll: Salmon, Avocado, Sushi Rice, Vinegar, Nori
Spicy Crab Hand Roll: Crab, Spicy Mayo, Shiso Leaf, Masago, Sushi Rice, Vinegar, Nori

Crème Caramel LA

Ube Upside Down Pie: Ube (Purple Yam) Custard topped with Brûléed Graham Cracker, Greek Yogurt Crumble Crust

Fluff Ice

“Chamango”: Mango Fluff with Spicy Popping Boba

Hamasaku

Bara Chirashi: Tuna, Snapper, Salmon, Egg, Sesame, Seaweed, Shiso, Rice

Katsuya

Truffle & Chive Chawanmushi: Three Layers of Truffle, Dashi Tamago and Light Soy

Hokkaido Scallop Sashimi: Tomatillo Ponzu, Fuji Apple, Watercress & Ginger

Komodo

Vietnamese Chicken Liver Pate on Bruschetta topped with Smoked Caramelized Onions, and Pickled Carrots

HUTCHINSON COCKTAILS & GRILL

Nasi Goreng: Rice, Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Fried Egg, Sambal Oelek, Kejap Manis, Chicken Stock, and Trassi (Shrimp Paste)

Little Sister

Braised Beef Shank and Tendon, Sweet Onion, aromatics, Chili Noodles, Black Vin

Open Blue

Cobia Crudo, Chicken Skin Chicharron, Hearts of Palm, Young Ginger and Lime Gremolata, Tomatillo-White Soy Glaze

Palms Thai

Parks BBQ

Parks Galbi: Marinated Short Ribs

phorage

Szechuan Pork and Crab Wontons: Pork, Crab, Onions, Cilantro, Water Chestnut

Seoul Sausage Company

Southern Korean Braised Bacon with Country Potato Salad

Starry Kitchen

Crispy Tofu Balls

The District By Hannah An

Open Faced Bahn Mi: Tofu Pate or Beef Pate, Pickled Carrots, and Pickled Daikon with an Aioli

the Dudley Market

Seafood Shoyu Style Ramen

Twenty Eight

Slow Braised Octopus: Black Bean Chili Glaze, Garlic Aioli, Pickled Radish, Preserved Young Peach

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I highly recommend this event to anyone that is interested in where to find LA’s best Asian fare, and those budding mixologists that want to try their hand at making something well beyond a gin and tonic! http://luckyrice.com/

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 15k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com