Review: Orris

Orris is an Asian fusion tapas restaurant in Los Angeles' famous Sawtelle corridor. Surrounded by numerous other Japanese restaurants, this place is arguably one of the best. Upon entering, you can sense immediately Orris's cozy, warm ambiance. The servers were friendly and helpful. I've always loved tapas because I find it is really enjoyable to sample several different small plates, instead of being limited to an appetizer and an entree. We started with beets with basque sheep milk cheese and balsamic sauce, which came with a tasty white wine pairing. This salad was delicious because it had the perfect blend of salty and sweet. We also had curry-infused shrimp tempura with sea salt. This dish was perfectly breaded and fried so that the tempura was light and airy, just like it was in Japan. After this, we had grilled king crab leg with cucumber, and prime filet mignon skewer with Roquefort butter, both of which were very tender and nicely seasoned. Our last dish was shrimp mousse ravioli with shiitake mushroom sauce, which was silky because the creamy sauce was not overpowering. We also had Pinot Grigio and Malbec wine pairings with several of these dishes. Finally, for dessert we had a fruit flambee dish with ice cream. I loved the combination of hot and cold.

Overall, this restaurant was excellent. It is a great date spot. I would love to go back to try more items on the menu!