Bashan Restaurant

We came here to use a groupon before its expiration. What a lovely dinner! Lobster Risotto was delicious, with a good amount of lobster. Both entrees, Skirt Steak & Halibut, were well prepared and well presented, not to mention tasty. The Chocolate Bread Pudding could be more bread like, but I still enjoyed it. The food was definitely on point, and I’d love to go back, but it seems like the restaurant will be open for only one more week. Service was friendly and attentive although it was slow towards the end when it got busy.

Relaxing atmosphere. Very romantic restaurant, nice spot for dates. The food here was good, really good. But servers are inconsistent at work. The lady serving the wine seems angry. No apology at all.
The owner was so nice and very attentive to our needs.

This is a small, owner run restaurant that’s hard to find without GPS assistance, but it’s absolutely worth every penny once you do. I’ve been searching all over California for a place that does flat iron steak right and this is the only restaurant I’ve found. I plan on becoming a regular here!

This place is closing down this month! :(
So before I get to my review, I want to let everyone know that out waitress informed us last night that Bashan will be closing its doors and the end of this month. So if you have a groupon, you better use it ASAP!
Wednesday nights in this place used to be a mad house. Often times it was difficult to get a reservation. This last Wednesday however, I was able to make a reservation and upon my arrival I noticed how empty it was. There were maybe only 2 – 3 other tables taken at 7:45pm. We stayed until after closing time, and only 1 other table joined after us. Immediately From the prix fixe menu I ordered the pork belly and the duck breast. Immediately I noticed the pork belly had been changed from the wonderful pork belly adobo to some teriyaki unagi pork belly. This dish was very flat and lacked imagination. The pork belly was tough in contrast to the tender one I got last time. The bed of vegetables it was served on was mushy and not flavorful. The pork belly dish has sadly gone from something amazing to something not worth trying. The duck breast also felt more tough and less flavorful that I previously remember. We also got the beef cheek and skirt steak, both of which were very good and cooked perfectly. Last time I was here, they were able to sub the prix fixe dessert for the cheesecake, since it was the same price. This time, they were unable to accommodate this. We ordered some strawberry thing that sounded like it had pop rocks in it. It tasted like strawberry shortcake ice cream, but it was extremely frozen and difficult to cut with the spoon. It also had the slight freezer burn/​frozen water taste to it.
Overall, the main dishes were still great, but most everything else has begun to slip through the cracks. Unfortunately, I don’t see any reason for me to return before this place closes. A tired owner and unmotivated staff due to the impending closure of this restaurant leave with nothing but faded memories of a once great establishment.

Went back a week ago and the duck breast was super fatty and tough. The service was also super sloooooooow. This place is still a gem. However, my expectations were rather high and I was disappointed. I wish Unilocal allowed for half stars, as this rating should be at least a 3.5 star. Maybe I’ll get the WOW factor again on my next visit, as I will be back. :)

Had a chance to try this French restaurant with my hubby since this is near by our house and it was a great experience and we end of finished two bottles of wine. It wasn’t original plan. It is nice little restaurant but the food is solid and very impressed. I am still remember their perfectly cooked Scallops, yum. Portions are large for appetizers and Entrees. I will definitely recommend it.

Dang, feeling a little weird that Bashan has 4.5 stars average and I’m giving it a 3… but definitely a justified 3. Came here a few days ago with a Groupon — paid $ 20 to spend $ 50. You’d think that would cover at least half the meal, but nope. Ended up spending $ 75 on top of the $ 50 (and this is with the special $ 40 prix fix menu only available on Wed-​Thurs!), so be prepared to dish out some serious dollars!
The bf & I opted for the 40 prix fix menu (available only Wed & Thurs) but did not get the wine pairing that would cost an additional $ 17 per person. They also have a regular menu for ordering ala carte. On other days they have 5 course or 7 course ($ 65 and $ 85 respectively) Chef’s tasting menu where the chef brings out his choice of dishes for you.
F O O D S; O R D E R E D
[[APPETIZERS]]
1. AMUSE BOUCHE (complimentary) — a small chestnut (apple??) and leek (or cucumber?) soup with green onion and olive oil that had beautiful texture, perfect temperature, and amazing flavor. Sorry I couldn’t remember what the waitress said so quickly lol but it tasted great and was a lovely start to our meal.
2. BREAD (complimentary) — Brown bread with lots of nuts/​seeds type stuff in it. Was OK, not bad but I usually prefer the more simple sourdough bread with no nuts.
3. BIG EYED TUNA SASHIMI (Additional $ 5) — Avocado mousse, citrus ponzu, shaved fennel, breakfast radish, edamame, micro argula [4/​5 stars]: This was pretty good. The sashimi was most definitely fresh and they didn’t try to add too many crazy flavors. Dish tasted clean and left a desire for more.
4. Teriyaki Glazed Pork Belly– Unagi, Chinese sausage, white beans, crispy chickpeas, sugar snap peas [5/​5 stars]: BEST DISH OF THE NIGHT. There is no comparison to this dish — probably one of the BEST (non-​Asian) pork belly dishes I’ve ever had {and trust me, I’ve ordered a pork belly dish at Craft before and it sucked}. The pork belly was succulent, juicy and flavorful all around. Not only that, but the veggie combination complimenting the pork belly was SO perfect. The chickpeas and snap peas were extremely fresh, crunchy and yummy. I just loved this dish so much!
[[ENTREES]]
1. New Bedford Scallops ($ 5 additional) — Quinoa, braised bacon, pickled daikon, haricot vert, roasted cashews, avocado crema, black bean purée [3/​5 stars]: This dish was not bad. The scallops were large, juicy and fresh. I am actually pretty sensitive to freshness of scallops (as opposed to certain other seafood) and could happily eat these with no problem. However, I did not think that the avocado crema/​roasted cashews/​quinoa that each of the 4 scallops sat on was that special. It was a little too heavy to go with scallops — I feel it would’ve been better if there was some type of citrus flavoring to balance out the «oiliness» of the scallops.
2. Grilled Skirt Steak– carrot purée, maitake mushrooms, butternut squash, fried shallots, gremolata [2/​5 stars]: Ugh this was no good. We ordered it to be medium rare, but it came barely pink and was pretty much cooked to «medium». Skirt steak was tough to chew on and I had to use excessive force to actually bite a piece off. There were too many strange flavors going on all at once, not sure what the dish was going for.
[[DESSERTS]]
1. Apple Strudel (this was their «special dessert» for the night, not on menu) [2/​5 stars]: What?! It was all apples. No joke. There was no baked outer layer, nothing. Just layers and layers of apples. I guess the plus side was that it wasn’t too sweet but seriously? Something is obviously lacking here… they did have a small scoop of vanilla ice cream but that didn’t really save the dessert itself. Sorry ice cream, you can’t always save the day.
2. Chocolate Bread Pudding– Chocolate sauce, cocoa nibs, vanilla ice cream [2/​5 stars]: ughhh one of the worst bread puddings EVER. It tasted like chocolate soufflé, all chocolate-​y too fudgy and not enough «bread» to it. We had like 2 bites and left the rest.
[[WINE]]
We had one red wine. It was pretty delicious actually.
S E R V I C E
Our waitress was really nice, but hard to find when we needed her the most. Took us maybe 10 min to flag her down to get our check after we were done with our meal and just literally sitting there, waving at her (turned) back that kept going back to the kitchen…
A M B I A N C E
Very cute restaurant with low lighting and romantic feel. Really small setting, so make reservations beforehand just in case.
O V E R A L L
Eeeeps. If I ever do come back, it would just be for the appetizers and wine. So that makes me think… am I going to come back just for those items? Rather unlikely… but 3 stars for a «maybe I’ll be back.»

Boo. What a disappointment.
We were here almost two years ago and LOVED Bashan. Wrote a glowing review. We met two friends here tonight and were looking forward to a similar experience. We could not have been more wrong.
It pains me to write this because I really loved Bashan. But it doesn’t do any of us a service to sugarcoat reviews on Unilocal.So here is the real truth.
The food here is good. Very good. For starters: Artichoke soup. Oysters. Tuna Sashimi. Pork Belly. Entrees: Halibut, Salmon and Lobster Risotto.
Problem: Appetizers came out two by two. Weird. Hot came out first. Then a 5 minute delay. Then the other two cold appetizers. No explanation or apology. Nothing explained, including the two sauces that came with the oysters with droppers. We asked after they were eaten and the sauces were interesting. Would have been nice to know up front.
More Problems: Entrees came out two by two. Halibut and Salmon, with a comment that the Risottos would be out in a minute. What? That’s a little weird and elementary in a fine dining restaurant. Minutes pass. Our waiter and other servers pass by our table multiple times and can see that half our table has not been served. More minutes pass. We finally ask and our waiter says he will check. Risottos arrive. No explanation. No apology. Beyond weird. Distracting and unacceptable.
Other: We have to ask to have our water refilled several times throughout the meal. The attentiveness is nonexistent. We pour our own wine. The lady serving the rolls seems ANGRY. Really? Who wants to be around that attitude?
Overall, I truly believe the food trumps all. But when the service is SO BAD that it distracts from the meal, it has to be called out. And this is that call. Note: had we not been with guests, I would have said something there in the restaurant — it was that bad.
Bummer, Bashan. You had a good thing going. I read other recent reviews and this is not an anomaly. Too bad. We will not be back. There are too many other deserving restaurants in LA to try.

really cute little family-​owned restaurant on theyre way to become gourmet!
Food: very good food and i can see theyre really going for gourmet food! they have really nice dishes and theyre very nicely made! there are just little things that just does not make it gourmet yet but i can say theyre on their way there! i really like the restaurant!
Atmosphere: it is a nice little restaurant which is full of little tables. reservation is a must!

Used a groupon– $ 20 for $ 50 worth of food. I would come back without a groupon!
Small little gem, tucked away in La Canada /​Northern Glendale area. This place has only ~10 tables; small but quaint!
Prix-​Fixe menu $ 40 option (Wed. — Thur). We enjoyed this 3 course menu:
— Toro Sashimi (amazing)
— Scallop entrée & duck entrée (both very good)
— Tiramisu dessert (one of the best I’ve had)
**You can choose to add a wine pairing option to this also, for additional $$**
They also offer other prix-​fixe tasting menu options (5 course, or 7 course).
They have small menu (8 – 10 entrees), a few appetizers, and a couple desserts, but each one is made superbly.
We brought our 11 year old, anticipating the restaurant not having a kid’s menu, and her having the Skirt Steak entrée but, they verbally offered a «gourmet mac’n’cheese» option for kids. as we sat down. She ended up loving the mac&cheese, and enjoyed an appetizer salad, along side, to fill her up.
FYI — The kids’ mac&cheese was definitely a full-​size portion of alfredo sauce & penne pasta, with a mix of different cheeses. Very tasty!

2^nd time going to this restaurant.
Sea scallops are my favorite.
The grilled skirt steak is yummy too.
The halibut tasted a little fishy when I ordered it, but the flavors of the noodles masked it a bit. I will stick to the sea scallops.

Honestly 5 stars is not enough. What a gem. Quaint setting, relaxed atmosphere. What the restaurant lacks in room it gains in the flavour of the food.
We stopped in on a Saturday night, no reservation and the owner made us feel that was no problem. he took our information and within a short few minutes the table was ready.
The Octopus appetiser was outstanding the flavour of the baba ghanouj really stood out.
The Salmon fish with a supremely tasty Farro was a delight for the pallet.
Finished off with a Chocolate bread pudding that reminded me of a rich flourless chocolate cake.
The owner was so nice, I can’t wait to go back again.

I’d like to begin this review with that I commend the efforts of those running this business, but I hope they see this review as constructive and not bashing.
My husband and I were very excited to try this place. We were going to do the 5 course but we decided to start small and if we enjoy our meals, we’d come back for the 5 or 7 course.
For appetizer, we ordered the sashimi tuna and for dinner, we ordered the duck and wagyu entrees.
The appetizer took a VERY long time to come out, when the whole purpose of one is to keep you hanging until your meal comes out. We thought it was good, but nothing over the top in flavor.
The components on the entrée plates we’re honestly excellent, but the main items could use a LOT of work.
The duck lacked flavor and highly depended on the extremely spicy curry sauce to give this dish a kick. I love spicy food but I just saw it as a sorry excuse to make the plate flavorful.
The wagyu was kind of tough, it was almost like a filet.
For dessert, we had panne cotta and I think we enjoyed this more than any of the items listed above. The kalamata olive ice shavings on top were very unique and honestly a great addition to the dessert.
And lastly, I’d like to mention something that has nothing to do with the food at all. The owner/​manager/​old man with white hair (who you can tell is very passionate about the place) literally stares at all the diners from a distance. THE ENTIRE TIME. I thought this was very uncomfortable and not the appropriate way to manage a place.
We might give this place another go in the future, but not until reviewers start reporting some changes.

Bashan is a cute little restaurant nestled in Montrose. I’ve been here twice and have always had a pleasant experience. The first time was about 2 years ago and I had the pork chop dish. It was tasty but on my most recent visit, I had the 5 course tasting menu ($ 65). To start, we had a persimmon amuse bouche to cleanse our palate. Next were oysters and pumpkin soup. The oysters were refreshing and delicious. The soup was pretty good (on the sweet side) but the cream, chives and tortilla crumble was a nice contrast. Our second dish was the big eye tuna sashimi. It was fresh and the avocado mousse was a delightful pairing. I do think it needed a drop of soy sauce or perhaps sesame oil. The third dish was my least favorite. Wild Spanish octopus with baba ganoush and peppers. It was too spicy and I don’t think I’ve ever had Mediterranean-​styled octopus. The octopus alone was really good, I just don’t think it should ever be mixed with picked peppers. For my main entrée, I had the American Imperial Wagyu Coulotte. It was amazing! The beef was rare, tender, and seasoned to perfection. The veggies, roasted baby potatoes, and parsnip purée were all working for me! Finally, we had dessert and they gave us chocolate bread pudding and tiramisu. I love tiramisu so went with that one and it reminded me of the tiramisu in Europe. There wasn’t a lot of coffee flavor, mostly mascapone but it was so light and fluffy. My favorites from the tasting menu had to be the main entrée and the dessert. If you want fine food in a cozy setting, Bashan is for you!

For an $ 85 tasting menu, I expected to be full, and I was. I expected the flavors and textures to be brilliant, and they were.
The ebb and flow of the courses really impressed me. Lighter fare built up to the heavier courses. The heaviness peaked early on with the pork belly adobo (course 3) and gently lowered with each subsequent course.
I’m a fan of tasting menus. I love that I’m able to sample many dishes instead of being tied down to one main entrée.
First amuse bouche — persimmon purée — this was really good, but tiny in size. I wanted a bowl of it. It had a light, refreshing flavor.
Second amuse bouche — shigoku oyster — this was ok, and slightly briny, without a sweet finish.
Course 1 — bigeye tuna with avocado mousse, shaved fennel, breakfast radish, micro arugula — light, very good, delicate edamame went well with the tuna. The citrus ponzu sauce was great.
2 — New Bedford scallops with celery root purée, balsamic glaze, apple, jicama, green papaya slaw, jalapeño aioli, roasted cashews, and pickled king trumpets — the scallops had a nice, light, crisp golden sear. They were juicy and not rubbery at all.
3 — braised pork belly adobo with grilled pineapple, charred shishito peppers, sushi rice cake, ponzu, piquillo purée, and chicharron — The peppers were too spicy for me. This dish displayed an asian flavor profile. After avoiding the remaining peppers, the dish was top class. Tender pork belly with fat met textural contrast in the crispy sushi rice cake underneath.
4 — Maine lobster risotto with aged acquerello carnaroli rice, english peas, chervil, and lobster jus — there was a slight cheese flavor, and excellent lobster. This course was creamy and salty in a good way, only slightly less heavy than the pork belly before it.
5 — Maple Leaf farms duck breast with house coconut curry sauce, basmati rice, lime, cilantro, Chinese long beans, roasted red beets, and Granny Smith apples. Excellent, tender meat, tasty crispy fat on the outside. Good rice and sauce. It felt to me like Mediterranean or East Asian fusion.
6 — American Imperial wagyu coulotte with parsnip purée, roasted new potatoes, broccolini, golden raisins, and red chimichurri. This definitely was not real wagyu, and actually would translate to «American Japanese beef.» This was lean meat with not much fat content at all. Nevertheless it was tasty and delicious. It was more like a sirloin.
7 — desserts — chocolate bread pudding, coffee tiramisu, and buttermilk panna cotta. All three desserts were good. Strangely, I enjoyed the chocolate cake w ice cream the most. The panna cotta was good, but I did not enjoy it as much my dining partners (long time gourmets Gary I and Isobel L, and our non Unilocaler buddy Leo) did.
The only downside is that the chairs are uncomfortable. I couldn’t sit comfortably the entire time. My back hurt. New chairs would be my only request to an otherwise outstanding culinary adventure!
Overall I love Bashan. I was pleasantly surprised how full I was by the end. Starting with course 4, the lobster risotto, I started getting full. This was the best tasting menu I’ve had for $ 85. Bravo, chef Bashan. I drove from Long Beach to Glendale specifically to try Bashan. It was well worth the drive! Thanks for reading. Enjoy!

I had a very good experience at this restaurant, food it’s so delicious and fresh I order the risotto and you can feel the fresh lobster and texture it’s so superb that I keep coming fore more. I also had the steak and halibut and everything is out of this world I would come back to this place many times .
You must try this place at least once and I promise u will be back

So quaint, you can smell each other!
Open your face and shove it at the decadent, well-​fooded, wonderful Bashan. Opened at 5:30 Friday evening to seat a rowdy hodgepodge of a quintet; with whom they handled gracefully and with ceaseless professionalism.
Beef cheek, steak, scallops, duck, lobster risotto, heirloom tomato salad, EVERY dessert. We tried and we could. not. go. wrong.
Miiight have had a switch in coffee/​decaf order at the end; but my gma’s birthday dinner was an overall success, soooo 5 Stars.
As I type from my porcelain throne I sit in gastrointestinal ease knowing what proceeded that evening was of quality and passion. Will return.
Kristofer’s sip of the evening:
Coffee is Blue Bottle!
More craft beer, please.

This place is the definition of a hidden gem. So hidden, that utilizes groupons to pull in customers and so hidden that, its always been half full whenever I go.
Despite that, the food is solid all around. The cauliflower soup is a surprisingly large portion. The waitress offered to split it into two bowls and I was surprised how much was in each bowl. A solid choice that I’d get again and again. The beef cheek is so tender it falls off the fork. The gnocchi, beef and quince purée mix so well to produce a great flavor. It wasn’t enough to eat all the pieces separately. They were meant to be enjoyed together. The chocolate bread pudding came out hot and was ooey gooey good.
Unfortunately, while I like this place a lot, the price prohibits me from going more often. The groupons help though!
Parking is pretty easy on the street. If not on Verdugo, then definitely on the surrounding streets. Service is solid, the place is intimate and cute.

Celebrated my birthday a couple days early with my parents at Bashan and walked away impressed and fully satiated. This tiny restaurant is nestled into a cozy street in Montrose and it’s an understandably popular destination for locals in l-​o-​v-​e.
The amuse bouche that night was something containing apples… I don’t recall much because I didn’t particularly like it. There was something crispy thrown in for texture, but other than that small surprise, it pretty much tasted like a spoonful of soft apple sauce.
The portion size of the Maine Lobster Risotto was generous to say the least and the risotto was dotted with fresh English peas, meaty chunks of lobster meat, and lobster jus. It was perfectly cooked and loaded with flavor without being too rich. The lobster meat was juicy and I would order this risotto again in a heartbeat!
My favorite entrée was the New Bedford Scallops. Very rarely do scallops come prepared just that perfectly– a gorgeous sear on the outside with the most beautifully tender meat on the inside. The subtle sweet richness of the scallops was perfectly matched by the bolder flavors of the black bean purée, piperade, chorizo, and farro. All of the flavors and textures sung together and I would go back solely for this dish.
The Braised Beef Cheek came with fried gnocchi, roasted brussels sprouts, a sweet quince purée, and veal jus. The meat was incredibly tender and reminded me of slow-​braised short ribs in its fattiness and unctuous quality. The sweetness of the purée was a good contrast to the other more savory flavors, but I was glad for the crisp vegetables to cut the richness of the dish. I didn’t try the skirt steak, but it came highly recommended by our waiter and my dad seemed to enjoy it.
We closed out the meal with the Chocolate Bread Pudding with Vanilla ice cream and oh, my goodness– sublime. The bread pudding ate like a custardy brownie/​molten lava cake and was so sinfully delicious that my mom actually closed her eyes and just sat smiling after taking her first bite. I would highly recommend you make the smart decision of leaving room for dessert when dining at Bashan.
Service left something to be desired, but the food was really great. I’d go back for any number of dishes and probably will in the near future.

I rarely write a review the same day I try the restaurant. I also rarely write a review for a restaurant I’ve only tried once. Bashan has moved me to break my rules.
Tonight I came here for the first time with a lady and was blown away by the incredible balance of each dish. To start things off, we had the cauliflower soup. It was amazing. The bisque was mild and light, but not so much so that it tasted like foam – like a lot of «soups» you get at hoity toity restaurants. It wasn’t so heavy that it made you feel like you were drinking clam chowder at the local Souplantation either. It was a perfect medium, with a wonderful subtle flavor accented with smokey capers. They really started us off amazingly with the soup.
Then came the octopus dish. This one was presented gorgeously and was quite generous with the amount of octopus (octopi?). The dish had some mediterranean flavors – something I’ve never experienced before in an octopus dish. I was surprised to find out how much it actually worked! The baba ganoush and garnishes (forgot what vegetables they were) were amazingly good additions to the perfectly tender octopus slices.
Finally, we got the Wagyu coulotte with sunchokes as our main entrée. The coulotte was surprisingly lean, which at first glance disappointed me because I normally associate Wagyu with super-​marbling, but after close examination of the plating I realized that this was actually great. The caramelized onions and garlic were absolutely perfect with the steak, and the slightly sweet persimmon purée added a nice touch as well. Those ingredients sort of made up the «fat» for the steak. The sunchokes were PERFECT. First of all, if you haven’t had sunchokes you need to try them, they’re my favorite vegetable. Second of all, the seasoning and lemon zest they do, along with the fried texture, makes these the best sunchokes I’ve ever had. This dish was so well composed and balanced, I absolutely loved it.
Other than the delicious and beautiful dishes, the restaurant is super quaint and elegant, dimly lit, and cozy. I’m no expert on wine but the recommendation I got was great and matched really well with my food. The service was top notch, not too aggressive but just attentive enough.
A resounding 5 stars. Thank you Bashan!