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Formosa Café invited Cue the Critic and provided the meal. No payment was received for coverage. Formosa Café had no editorial approval over this content.
There’s a change in the wind, said I, matey.
When an establishment has been around as long as the Formosa Café, change is inevitable. A Hollywood staple for longer than many of us can remember, Formosa has been the ‘IT’ spot for celebrities like Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Bono, Nicolas Cage, and even mob boss Bugsy Siegel. Non-celebrity patrons have come to know it as a great watering hole. Now, with the help of restaurateur Adam Fleischman and Chef Jordan Kahn of Beverly Hills’ Red Medicine, Formosa Café will stay true to its roots and carry on as a great restaurant, foodie paradise, and a Los Angeles institution.
The new late-night menu has Vietnamese and Chinese influences with a striking flair that distinguishes it from the elegant fine-dining experience you’d get at Red Medicine. The dishes are fun and festive, perfect for sharing. They create excitement at the table, and some even speak for themselves.
Snap. Crackle. Pop. These sounds are most familiar to us from those Rice Krispies commercials we saw as kids. The adult version of this is the prawn crackers that accompany the Rock Shrimp. The entrancing sound heard as you spoon the ceviche-like dish onto the crackers transports you to a couple of places: childhood memories of Rice Krispies or something a bit more mature, like the ocean breeze heard when cupping a seashell to your ear. The first bite of the Rock Shrimp is captivating; the sweet yet tart flavors bring you to a comfortable and calm place, as peaceful as standing middle watch on a quiet morning in the Gulf-Pacific. Then, unexpectedly, like a torpedo missile, the heat and spice from the aguachile attack. General Quarters. General Quarters. All hands man your battle stations. The alarms sound; you are alert, armed, and ready for the next bite.
The Asian influence on the menu is apparent, with many dishes being sweet, tart, spicy, or a combination of all. The chicken wings are savory and different; they are not fried but battered in rice, something that confused my palate yet kept me interested. The Poached Farm Egg is a delight to anyone who loves egg yolk. The boiled peanuts hidden within yield a breakfast-dinner sensation that you wouldn’t expect from bar food.
The new menu is filled with updated dishes that fit perfectly with the atmosphere. There are salads, rice cakes, whole fish, pork belly, 36-hour braised beef brisket, beef tartare, bánh mì, chicken dumplings, and several other amazing treats. For your hair-of-the-dog needs, there’s Vietnamese-style iced coffee, as well as elegantly brewed hot coffee selections and teas.
Red Med at Formosa: a modern, itinerary-style menu for your exploratory adventure around the world. It will certainly fill you up, please your taste senses, captivate your mind, guide you through a culinary and cultural experience, and, of course, cause you to drink more. All the things you could ever want in a sophisticated bar-restaurant.
Update: Please be advised that I have been made aware of a change in the menu, and Red Medicine’s relationship with Formosa Cafe. The information presented here is dated, effective 7 June 2014.
This post carries a disclosure above: a meal, invitation, or sponsorship was involved, and that is stated plainly rather than left out. Most reviews on this site are not sponsored and are paid for out of my own pocket. If you would like to help keep it that way, a coffee helps.
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