Ludobites 007

I’m just a commoner, a normal LA girl that happened to get lucky (yet again) and get LudoBites reservations. Before I go into my food review, I don’t understand all the people that get angry at Chef Ludo and his wife Krissy when they’re unable to get reservations or have difficulties getting reservations. What exactly is the point of being a complete ass and writing angry emails and Tweets? Just step away from the computer and take a few deep breaths and go have a drink and calm your butt down.
Even though I haven’t experience LudoBites from 1.0, I’ve been a fan before LudoBites got extremely popular. From my experience with several LudoBites meals, there’s always a few dishes that blow my mind away and give me mouthgasms.
Lucky for me, I went to 3 LudoBites 007 meals. Don’t hate me. Don’t throw rocks at me. And please don’t send me threatening messages. I got 1 reservation, got lucky with 1 walk-​in, and got a last minute OpenTable reservation for the other.
The most memorable dish for 007 had to be the Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Montee. It reminded me of the Sea Urchin dish at Providence, but much bigger. The egg was warm, the flavors of the sea urchin subtle and the saltiness of the caviar made me want to lick the bowl clean. It was an elegant dish, but comforting at the same time, something I could see myself eating several bowls of on a cold day or just when I’m craving something freaking delicious.
I also loved the Crispy Tandoori Octopus, Yogurt, Cauliflower, Grapefruit. Chef Ludo knows how to perfectly cook octopus. I’m always hesitant on ordering octopus dishes, because they tend to be too tough and I don’t care to chew my food and unnecessary amount of time before I swallow, but oohhhh, Chef Ludo cooks his octopus perfectly. Tender, juicy, and no unnecessary overchewing needed!
And of course, I loved every single foie gras dish on the menu. Chef Ludo has even turned my fiancé into a foie gras fan. I’m telling you, it’s that good.
If you missed out on 007, try to get reservations for 8.0! And I’m sure most of you guys know this by now, but ⁰⁸⁄₁₄ and 08/​15, Chef Ludo and Animal are teaming up for an 8-​course foie gras dinner! Guess who’ll be there pigging out? ;)

I just love good food… and creative food… created by people who love food. And this is what you get at Ludobites.
I loved just about everything I tried. Especially the octopus tandoori, the foie gras ravioli, and of course the Onion tart bottarga & the choucroute tarte flambee. All the desserts were fabulous.
Each plate is inventive & beautifully presented — and I loved how the menu items rotated… it kept things fun and new. I would return to any Ludobites if I ever get the chance to again — just to try whatever he’s dreamed up.

Unlike the previous year, Opentable did not have a complete meltdown. However, it meant that the spots when quicker than ever. I want to say within 2minutes. Ludolegend is growing at an alarming rate and the demand is just nuts. It is somewhat justified as the man can clearly cook. As they say, someone get him a permanent restaurant! However, this maybe the way he fosters his brand permanently. Some people have told me that the Sundance channel is showing Ludobites as a show now with them travelling across the country.
Jumping away from last years mainl Asian influenced flavors, the menu this year went all over the world. Europe, Latin America, North Africa, in addition to Asia. We showed up for the last day of service and as we walked into Gram and Papas, they were bumping some older hip hop? Ludo was getting down with OPP bobbing back and forth behind the line. Krissy his wifre assured me that it was totally his selection and that he wasn’t going to be leaving his day job soon. We sat at a table right next to the line and admired all the «Cock/​Coq» art and memorabilia that lined the walls.
As we proceeded to look at the menu we went with:
–Lavender ginger lemonade
–Choucroute Tarte Flambé
–Squid, Black Ash, Chorizo
–Salt Cod Panna Cotta, Whipped FIngerling Potatoes, Smoked Tapioca, Black Olive Bread
–Oxtail Beef, Rainbow Carrots, Shallots, Green Salad
–Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Blanc
–Plancha Tandoori Octopus, Yogurt, Cauliflower, Grapefruit
–Tandoori Spiced Chicken WIngs
–Duck, Cherry, Spicy Saucisse, Beets, Radish
–Lamb Cooked in fat Moroccan Style, Artichoke, Mint
–Lavender Tropezienne Tart, Aloe Vera, Lychee
Now some would say that the menu was all over the place with no flow. I say it was great to get so many different varieties, tastes and textures. There are plenty of other places to get a tasting menu. I don’t think that was the intent here. Being the last day, it certainly looked like they had their flow down and we had no problem staying within our time alotment, unlike last year where a lot of second seating customers had to mill around and wait. Our servers took solid care of us and Krissy is as nice as ever making sure things stayed in line. Looking forward to the one next year, just dreading the fact that I may not make it in.

Some dishes didn’t hit the mark, but as usual some blew us away:
Corn & Foie: Surprising, the foei gras took a back seat supporting role to the corn, which was phenomenal. Fresh corn taste, lightly sweet coconut milk, and the popcorn added that extra pillowy crunch.
Squid: Whole. Lee. Shizer. so effing good, and awesome presentation. The plate looked like a Pollock with squid ink and chorizo cream strewn across the ceramic. Dude, such a huge fan of squid ink and ash now.
Compressed Pig’s Head: A big fav. Perfect balance with that dense, meat, charcuterie like flavors lightened up with the cheese and jelly.
Octopus was cooked perfectly again, but I wasn’t sold on the indian flavors this time. The one at 5.0 was ridiculous, would like to see that one back.
Thank you for having us back ludo, almost missed out on this one.

Upon reflection, there’s not really much point to writing a review of a pop-​up that not only sold out for the whole season within minutes of its offering, but also is now popped back down.
However … for those who might be considering entering the fray next time … I’m here to say that you’ll need a good internet link, a good clicking finger, and it’s totally worth it.
We had an early second seating at 7:45, and arrived to a full restaurant, slightly early. They told us they might be ready closer to 8:00. We came back at 8:00 and stood around for a while, and were surprised when they comped us a flatbread pizza thing and apologized for the wait. These guys were awfully nice for it being closing night at such a popular place.
We finally got our table around 8:15 or so as the first seating started clearing out. The menu is a bunch of fairly small plates, and though it seems possible for a group of about four to order one of everything on the menu, we skipped several of what looked like the more substantial dishes and ended up quite full anyway.
Highlights were two foie preparations — a crudo with mushrooms (slightly oversalted, though) and a seared foie with several types of corn. There was also an excellent grilled octopus dish and a wonderful ceviche to start.
Probably the most disappointing thing on the menu was the much-​loved fried chicken wings, served with plastic gloves. We didn’t enjoy either the texture or flavor very much — it being limp, though hot, and saltily unclear in taste.
Overall, the dishes were beautifully plated and interesting in their flavor combinations.
Aside from a nicely balanced lavender lemonade, it’s BYO drinks — so be sure to bring a bottle of your favorite. The table next to us brought a sparkling wine, we arrived with some ciders and beers, and wine was also very much in evidence. The waiters have corkscrews, bottle openers, and bags for the bottles.
Service was friendly and very professional — excellent for a busy and temporary restaurant.
This was an experience for once worth both the relatively low price and the relatively high effort required to obtain a reservation. Highly recommended.

My first Ludobites experience and it was UH-​MAZING~!
We tried to order one of everything on the menu, but after a few dishes, we were starting to get full. :(But, here’s what we did have:
Prawn & Scallop Ceviche —
Perfect dish to get the palate going. The scallops were incredibly fresh and plentiful! I’m not sure if my date ate most of the prawns while I wasn’t looking =/​, but there were far less in the dish compared to the scallops. BUT, everything tasted great! I don’t think I tasted much of the aji amarillo because I kept wishing there were more jalapenos in the dish (this Korean needs more heat ;)). All the ingredients played nice with each other. Nothing was fighting for more attention than the other but I LOVED how there were so many scallops in the dish. The corn nuts (fried hominy?) was an interesting ingredient that offered the crunch factor to this dish.
Marsala Fried Chicken —
I’m so glad that they had latex gloves for the chicken because without it, I would have been a greasy, but delicious mess! As mentioned in other reviews, I wished the chicken skin was crispier, but the flavor more than made up for it. I did however get the last piece and it was the perfect amount of crispy I was hoping for. Even before tasting this dish, the aroma of the seasonings screamed goodness! After my first piece, I kind of wished we had brought a case of beer instead of wine. =P I’m craving this already. The chicken fat vinaigrette wasn’t as tangy as I thought it would be, but it didn’t matter. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Latexed finger lickin’ good!
Foie Gras Crudo —
Just the thing to get me in the mood for a second glass of wine. hehe The rich and smoothness of the thinly sliced foie was deliciousness on a whole new level. The grapes gave it a nice refreshing flavor but it didn’t overpower the foie at all. The ONLY thing I didn’t enjoy was the crushed brioche croutons. I didn’t like the grainy/​gritty texture, and it was a little too salty for my taste. However, I did like the after taste of it.
Squid, black ash, baby leeks, spring onions, chorizo —
Loved the colors and presentation. The chorizo was made into an orange-​colored sauce that resembled nacho cheese. Black ash (squid ink, fried onions, and bread? … darn it! I tried so hard to remember) was mildly flavored and delicious. The squid was tender and cooked to perfection. I was glad there were some veggies on the plate because the chorizo sauce was a little rich. I had a piece of the spring onion or leek with each bite of the squid.
Braised Oxtail Beef —
Refreshing and again, delicious. The braised beef was cooked perfectly. Not chewy at all. I really appreciated how chef Ludo was able to make a cold beef dish taste so good. The rainbow carrots were delicious and lent a beautiful color scheme as did the purple amaranth. I’m normally not a big fan of soft carrots, but it went well with the braised beef. The slices of mandarins just added more freshness to each bite.
Pig’s Head Compressed —
All the flavors and textures of this dish was right up my taste bud alley. It was like eating a mini crunchy pork sandwich. Mimolette was like the cheese in a ham sandwich that went very well with the pork. I love pickled anything so the cubed pickled melon was like the cherry on top. The barbeque gelee was a little sour, but I thought it gave it a nice punch of flavor. However, you had the option of not having it, since it was off to the side. With this dish, I started noticing that most of the dishes we had been tasting had a very rich flavor, but there were elements in each dish that made it refreshing as well. In this case, it was the pickled melons.
Egg, sea urchin, caviar —
The dish I was dying to try but too full to finish. Being Asian, the flavor of this dish was familiar. It almost seemed like comfort food. The fishy flavor of the caviar, warm eggs with the hint of uni flavor reminded me of Asian cuisine. The eggs’ texture was like scrambled eggs in solid form with the taste of uni. I think we got halfway thru this dish when we had to throw in the towel. We clearly had too much food for two people to eat/​finish.
Halfway thru the meal, I ordered the Lavender Ginger Lemonade. Although a lot of rich dishes had the refreshing element, I thought that the ginger would help me cleanse the taste buds for the remainder of the meal (and it did!) We didn’t get to any of the desserts (boo) but we had absolutely no room whatsoever.
The servers were super friendly and attentive the whole evening. The only one regret for the evening was that we didn’t come with more people. I think a party of four or five would have been perfect to try everything on the menu.
So, to sum up my first Ludobites experience was pure bliss and epic awesomeness. Chef Ludo’s menu offered some amazing dishes and they were executed superbly. The flavors of not one dish overpowered the others and each dish stood out on its own. Can’t wait f

One time is enough for me to try LudoBites…
It was okay it wasn’t anything superb that made me think I had to come back it was a bit pricey for what they gave… and there are so many other choices in LA that I really think this is overrated for what you get…
Nothing just WOWED or FLOORED me as being a must return must eat again… We pretty much tried everything on the menu…
Just an FYI I don’t eat red meat, pork (by choice, so I don’t dislike it) and some other things… but I did try some things that I don’t normally eat… and it just didn’t hit me as something I really needed to come back for.
The desserts were okay… the food was okay…
The items I really hoped were good didn’t even hit me as good… That being the Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar Dish and the Salt Cod Pana Cotta…
Ludo 8.0? is not for me!

I was so lucky to be invited by my friend to the last night of Ludobites 007 at Gram & Papa’s. This was the 3^rd Ludobites I had attended and I think the food was not as good as 5.0 but better than 6.0. Unfortunately, our meal felt extremely rushed.
We were seated in a 2-​top next to another 2-​top that had a 15 minute head start on us. The table next to us got one item at a time with very little wait time between the time they finished an item to the time the next one arrived. We watched them in envy the entire evening. Our experience was completely different. Although we ordered way after them, all of our food started showing up all at once. We tried to keep up with the pace but in the end, there were 3 brand new dishes on our tiny table at the same time all getting cold.
The whole experience was a bit underwhelming. They were running late so we were seated later than expected. After that, we didn’t receive our menus for some time. Our plates were changed once during our meal (after the first chicken dish) but our neighbors’ plates were changed at least 3 times.
Onto the food. We got the Marsala Chicken (4*), Cod Panna Cotta (4.5*), Oxtail (3.5*), Octopus (3*), Duck (3*), Foie Gras (4.5*), Egg, Uni, Cavier (1.5*). I guess we enjoyed the first few dishes and it went downhill from there. From the other reviews, it appears that everyone loved the Egg, Uni, and Cavier dish but the 2 of us couldn’t even manage to eat half of it. I tried one spoonful and despised the curd-​like texture. My friend also tried to force himself to eat it but we simply couldn’t do it. Perhaps our palettes aren’t sophisticated enough.
Anyway, it was a good experience but I’m not sure if I’m going to try to fight with 10,000 other people for a reservation to the next version of Ludobites.

I couldn’t wait for 7.0. I loved 5.0 but didn’t get reservations for 6.0. This time, there was a handful of people helping us score reservations. Yay, we did it!
We got everything on the menu except the cheese. =/​None of my friends are too into cheese and I can’t (probably could if I tried) eat it all myself.
Lavender Ginger Lemonade: The lavender was especially strong at first sip. It wasn’t sure if I liked it. Every sip got me thinking about L’Occitane products. However, it eventually mellowed out and it became pretty good. The ginger was too subtle for me. I would have loved it stronger.
Choucroute Tart Flambee: Very thin and crispy with lots of goodies. I loved it. The onions in it were sweet and totally balanced out the saltiness of the meat.
Jamaican Fried Chicken: The wings weren’t as crispy as I thought they would be but omg, they was the most tender chicken wings I’ve ever ate in my life. The wings were flavorful as well. I would have loved to take an order home to my boyfriend.
Bouillabaise Milkshake: I could tell from the priceless expression on my friends’ faces that this wasn’t their cup of tea. It’s kind of like drinking an icy seafood bisque. However, once it warms up in your mouth, you can really appreciate its great seafood flavor, but the problem is getting over the initial shock.
Prawn & Scallop Ceviche: This was delicious. The prawns and scallops were tender and well marinated!
Squid: The squids were cooked perfectly. I tasted the squid ink (always wondered how it tasted like) and it’s salty and fishy. It’s interesting. I really enjoyed the texture of the black ash. Black ash recipe please. I coated my last piece of squid entirely with the ash. Yum!
Oxtail Beef: I loved the different colored carrots. It was pretty! The oxtail was pretty good and tender. I was expecting the actual oxtail which is not foreign to me, but it’s only the beef part. I just wished that this dish was piping hot.
Salt Cod Panna Cotta: The panna cotta was creamy and I loved the whipped fingerling potato. However, I swear the salt cod was missing as I didn’t taste any of it at all. This dish was lacking for me. I’m starting to wonder if someone got to it before I did!
Pig’s Head Compressed and Mimolette, Barbeque Gelee: This tastes a lot better than it sounds but the barbeque gelee was too strong for me. You need only very very little of it! The meat tastes like pâté from the bahn mi. The cheese was pretty creamy!
Egg, Uni, Caviar: Egg on egg on egg. It’s rich and savory and full of eggy goodness.
Plancha Tandoori Octopus: Wow, this was so tender and very well flavored. The tandoori was prominent but not overpowering. I thought the cauliflower shavings were really cute! This was probably my favorite of the night.
Foie Gras, Corn, Coconuts: This was served on top of a soup with fresh corn, a giant baby corn, cornnuts and popcorn. You have to try and get a scoop of everything! This was pretty tasty although I’ll still be thinking about the Foie Gras ravioli I will never get to try. =/​
Duck with cherry, spicy saucisse, beets, and radishes: I didn’t care much for the spicy saucisse but the duck was very good! It was cooked about a medium and it was juicy and tender. This is how duck should be made!
Lamb cooked in fat «Moroccan Style» artichoke, mint: My group isn’t big on lamb but we had to order it because, well… Ludo’s making it! It’s cooked perfectly and is tender. A lamb lover would totally know how to appreciate it.
Lavender Tropezienne Tart, Aloe Vera, Peach: The flavors in this dessert was light but very pleasant. However, it’s relatively huge and even though I had just a slice, I almost couldn’t find stomach room for it.
Chocolate Cake, Chipotle, Orange: This was my favorite dessert! I though the mild heat in the chipotle really brought all the flavors together. I would have this again.
Pistachio Brown Butter Cake, Mascarpone, Red Berries: I thought this was ok. I was expecting pistachio to hit me in the face but it didn’t. The cake is nice and dense but not as dense as the chocolate cake.
7.0 is great but 5.0 had more hot dishes which I enjoyed more. However, if I am lucky enough to score reservations for the next Ludobites, I’m in! I have not ate anything bad from Ludo and at the Four on Fish event at Providence, Ludo’s dishes were my favorite.

Friends and I were lucky enough to score a reservation for 7.0! =)
Everyone’s mother’s brother’s cousins sisters uncle’s will be reviewing the entire menu one way or another, so I am going to just discuss a few items among some random commentary.
Lavender Ginger Lemonade: I was truly surprise to find the Ginger very light and complimentary to the Lavender. I couldn’t really taste the «lemon» part of it as much since the Lavender was very powerful, which tasted like a bubble bath in my mouth. Was waiting for my mouth to foam any minute after I take a sip…
Bouillabaise Milkshake: This taste exactly how I imagined it to taste, but ice cold… very interesting. No texture and very smooth.
Squid, Black Ash, Chorizo: This is the first time I had squid ink and my first thought was black = bitter, but it tasted just like squid. The squid was cooked perfectly and very tender.
Oxtail Beef, Rainbow Carrots, Shallots, Green Salsa: I would’ve LOVED this dish it was hot, but it came out not cold, but not exactly room temperature… no bone, just meat, very tender and flavors are good… but soo wished it was a HOT dish.
Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Blanc: This was a very rich egg dish full of yummy flavors.
Plancha Tandoori Octupus, Yogurt, Califlower, Grapefruit: The Octupus was very very flavorful & tender and cooked well. Not chewy at all. The yogurt is very complimentary to the Tandoori flavor.
*This was my favorite dish of the nite*
Foie Gras, Corn, Coconut: This dish contains small decent size pieces Foie Gras, fresh Corn, one large over-​grown baby corn, popcorn & cornnuts. Sounds like a very odd mixture, but it all went very well together. The sweetness of the corn mellow out the richness of the Foie Gras. Simply Delish!
Overall, in my opinion many of the dishes were cold or less than room temperature. I think we barely had a handful of hot (temperature) dishes to enjoy. I enjoyed 5.0 much more… I don’t know if I went into 7.0 with high expectations, but if I am lucky to score reservations again for another LudoBites, I will make sure to go in with an open mind and no expectations.
Food: 3 Stars
Chef Ludo: 5 Stars cuz he’s pretty damn hot! =)

I actually tried to make a reservation for the 7^th edition of Ludobites, but within one minute all the slots were full! My finger was definitely not clicking fast enough :[ But somehow, Connie L. was able to make a reservation, so sometime last week after a month long wait, finally got the chance to try Ludobites!
Like many, we ordered one of everything! Definitely best way to go about it.
+ Lavender Ginger Lemonade — ginger gave it a little bitterness and the lavender added some floral hints to the lemonade. It actually tasted like I’m drinking lemon peel thanks to the bitterness. Not overly sweet as well, and a perfect drink for the summer!
+ Jamaican Chicken Wings — they gave us gloves to eat the wings with haha. Lots of flavor and the skin is slightly crisped.
+ Bouillabaise Milkshake — this was the weirdest thing that night. The «milkshake» tasted like a seafood chowder… except frozen. I think it weirded us out because we just couldn’t shake the cold frozen chowder feel.
+ Onion Tart with Bottarga — totally regretted not getting a second order. Super sweet caramelized onion on crispy flat bread then sprinkled with bottarga, which is salt-​cured dried roe. Great appetizer.
+ Prawn & Scallop Ceviche with Aji Amarillo, and Red Berries — not a huge fan of ceviche but this I liked. The red berries added a good deal of tartness.
+ Squid with Bread Ash & Chorizo Aioli — super tender squid with caramelized onion bulb goes well with the two sauces. One is a black ink sauce and the other is an aioli infused with chorizo oil!
+ Raw Beef with Rainbow Carrots, Shallots, Red Wine Mayo — a beef sashimi dish! Beef are cut into chunks and laid on top of a bed of red wine mayo. Surprisingly light!
+ Pig’s Head Compressed & Cheddar with BBQ Gelee — playful take on a BBQ sandwich. Couldn’t really tell it was pork that we’re eating since it was so deconstructed but nonetheless tasty. The BBQ gelee just straight up punched you in the face. Really strong vinegar taste.
+ Salt Cod Panna Cotta with Whipped Fingerling Potato, Smoked Tapioca — tapioca balls are your Asian white boba balls. Slight hint of smoke flavor. Potato is creamy and goes well with the fish.
+ Uni, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Blanc — sort of like a luxurious scramble egg dish. Great flavors! Briny, savory, and sweet all at the same time.
+ Plancha Tandoori Octopus with yogurt, cauliflower, grapefruit — my favorite dish of the night. Tender octopus with Indian tandoori spices is great. Thin-​sliced cauliflower paired with the grapefruit works well with octopus.
+ Foie Gras French «Dim Sum» stuffed with kimchi, with a layer of sake black truffle cream — definitely the most decadent dish of the night with actual sprinkles of black truffles. Best when eaten whole and you let all the flavors melt together in your mouth. Kimchi is a really nice touch since creaminess from foie gras and the earthy aroma from the sauce is cut through by the sharp kimchi.
+ Salt Crusted Pork Shoulder with Beer Sabayon, Imaginary Choucroute, Juniper Berries — the beer foam sauce is great with the tender pork shoulder. Cabbages add a nice crunch! Love the jelly of sauerkraut juices.
+ Epoisse Cheese Risotto with hazelnut, egg yolk, herb salad — I love risotto done well since it takes a lot of effort. Lots of different textures here and it’s even better when you mix the egg yolk in with the rest of the risotto.
+ Duck with cherry, spicy saucisse, beets, and radishes — Duck cooked to medium, which scared a lot of people at our table. We’re all used to duck being cooked through and through like roast duck, but I actually prefer duck cooked with a little red inside. Skin is crisped and the cherry spicy sauce is slight sweet & tart.
We ended up getting the French «dim sum,» wings, octopus, and the uni dish for our second round. We were definitely more fond of the savory dishes rather than the cold.
Afterwards, decided to try out all 3 of the desserts as well!
+ Lavender Tropezienne Tart with aloe vera and lychee — seems like Chef Ludo was particularly fond of using quite Asian ingredients in the French tart. Nice touch with the lavender as well to bring a bit of aroma to the dessert!
+ Smoked Vanilla Bacon Crème Brulee, Strawberry Soup. This one was straight up craziness. SMOKED BACON? I loveeee crème brûlée and I was really scared of the bacon ruining it, but… it works for me, surprisingly. The sweet strawberry soup sort of evens out the smokiness & saltiness of the bacon.
+ Chocolate Cake & Chipotle Ice Cream with orange sauce and coco nibs — super rich. Chocolate cake is more like a fudge. Chipotle ice cream also had a little of kick to it. The coco nibs is a touch to add some texture! The two are the best when eaten together.
Overall, a great meal at Ludobites! Definitely some interesting take but I do like how Chef Ludo sorta makes you travel around the world, with a little bit of France, Carribbean, or Germany.
Oh! No corkage fee! :]

I’m at a loss of words. This has never happened to me before.
My experience at my first Ludobites dinner was so phenomenal that I couldn’t possibly describe to you all the intense flavors I tasted.
My vocabulary isn’t extensive enough to do Ludo’s dishes justice.
First and foremost I have to give a shout out to Gram & Papas for loaning out their space to Chef Ludo (this is not the first time). G&P is a small but beautifully decorated restaurant with exposed brick, a big, open kitchen area and some cool looking portraits hanging throughout the dining room.
Now, if you wondering how I was lucky enough to snag a res for this event all I can say is luck was on my side. I have tried in the past to get reservations for a Ludobites event but I never had any success. This time around was the same. When the books opened up by the time I got to a computer they were already sold out. Well, everyday I would check
to see if someone canceled. Then, late one night after I got home from work, as I was watching Ludo’s and Krissy’s TV show, of all things, I happened to check again and found an open res for a Friday night dinner. SCORE!
Now, lets get to the point, Ludo’s fabulous food. This is what my wife and I had, in order of how they were delivered to our table;
Lavender Ginger Lemonade
Jamaican Fried Chicken Wings

Onion Tart
Pig’s Head Compressed W/​Aged Cheddar & Barbeque Gelee
Plancha Tandoori Octopus, Yogurt, Cauliflower & Grapefruit

Foie Gras «French Dim Sum» W/​Crispy Kimchi & Sake Black Truffle Cream
Duck & Spicy Sausage in a Cherry Sauce W/​Beets & Radish’s

Salt Crusted Pork Shoulder, Beer Sabayon, Imaginary Choucroute & Juniper Berries
Epoisse Cheese Risotto, Hazelnuts, Egg Yolk & an Herb Salad
Lavender Tropezienne Tart, Aloe Vera, Lychee & Strawberries
Chocolate Cake W/​Chipotle Ice Cream and Orange Sauce
Again, my vocab is not extensive enough to properly describe each individual dish. All I will say is everything we ate was phenomenally fantastic. My favorites were the Foie Gras Dim Sum, which was rich and melted in mouth, and the Salt Crusted Pork Shoulder, which was one of the most flavorful dished I’ve ever tasted. It was salty, slightly sweet, tangy and a bit bitter all at the same time.
The service at this event was top notch. Our waitress, Jessica, was on her game all night. This was not here first time working with Ludo and it showed. She went into in-​depth detail when explaining the menu to us and answered all the questions we threw at her. Ludo and his beautiful wife, Krissy, were both super friendly too. Even though they were super busy they both took the time to speak to us, pose for pics and even sign a menu.
If you haven’t been to a Ludobites dinner before then I highly suggest you try your best to do so. And if you fail to score a res the first time around don’t lose hope. I was patient and it paid off. I really hope that the next time a Ludo event comes around that luck will continue to be on my side.

Ludobites back at Gram & Papa’s seems to be the place for me!!! Going back to Ludobites 5.0, I was lucky enough to snag a reservation. 6.0, they moved to a different place and no luck for me. 7.0, back to Gram & Papa’s and my boy gets a reservation! Whoo! Lucky us! We arrived for our reservation… were seated right away in the very same seats as 5.0! Strange… it felt like the first time there except with different food.
And so amid the flickering lights (dunno what was wrong with the power) we fed our tummies until we were happy as two people who love food can be.
Let’s start!
MACKEREL ESCABACHE
Mackerel and lychee actually go really well together. How does Chef Ludo figure this stuff out? There was an interesting crust on the mackerel that made an interesting texture. It was like a liquified sugar crust but it mostly just added a crunch. Some root vegetables also were on the plate along with a tomato purée. I mostly just liked the combination of the mackerel and lychee, the rest was good but more filler.
ONION TART, BOTTARGA
Definitely could eat this onion tart every single day. They used a very very thin bread that was thinner than tortilla, baked to the perfect crispness. Sweet carmalized onion with the salty bottarga made me wish I had ordered a few more onion tarts. Well I couldn’t right? Only the 2^nd dish!
PIGS HEAD COMPRESSED WITH CHEESE AND BBQ GELEE
This was by far the most interesting dish of the night. The pigs head was sandwiched between two very crispy (almost to the point of burntness) thin slices of bread. It cracked with a little pressure as we tried to eat this. Overall salty with a strange texture, bit of a chalky texture to the cheese, and then a nice tang from the bbq gelee. Went pretty well together and made me keep licking my lips afterwards.
EGG, SEA URCHIN, CAVIAR
Sooo rich… the combined egg and sea urchin had a consistency and texture akin to ricotta cheese. Tasted much much better than ricotta though. Take a bit of that, then a bit of caviar for some saltiness, and maybe a little flower (it tasted like a green onion somehow), and pop it into your mouth. Mmm… nice and rich, some saltiness, and then the flower cutting through in the beginning. I kept dipping my spoon in and made sure to scrape every little bit off at the end.
TANDOORI OCTOPUS
This was definitely our favorite for the night! The octopus was perfectly charred and was cooked so that it was able to be sliced with a fork almost. I don’t think I’ve ever had octopus this soft before. The flavor was just perfect, could taste the spices but at the same time it didn’t overwhelm octopus. There was extremely paper thin sliced cauliflower around the edges of the plate, and even the grapefruit went well in this dish! I hate grapefruit, but I didn’t mind it with this tandoori octopus.
FOIE GRAS RAVIOLI WITH KIMCHI WITH BLACK TRUFFLE CREAM
Delicious explosion… hehe. The pasta was made really well, then as you ate it you would tasty the spicyness of the kimchi followed by the richness of the foie gras. Mmmm… and a good sized piece of foie gras in every ravioli. And of course the black truffle cream sauce… is it rude to lick the plate here?
EPOISSE CHEESE AND RISOTTO WIHT HAZELNUT AND EGG YOLK AND HERB SALAD
Perfectly cooked risotto! Slightly al dente and soupylike. Haven’t had good risotto since I was in Italy years ago. Most people cook like rice… bllergh. Extremely rich with the epoisse cheese and the egg yolk, the herb salad helped with the richness of the dish. And the hazelnuts added a nice crunch to an otherwise smushy creation.
VANILLA BACON CREME BRULEE AND MELON GAZPACHO
Refreshing melon gazpacho of cantaloupe. Extremely rich vanilla bacon crème brûlée where the crust was extremely bacon in taste. Good apart… but amazing together. Combined they just work so well! The bacon flavor in the crème brûlée is extremely strong but is softened by the melon. On first taste yo get the freshness of the melon, then the sweetness of the melon combined with some of the bacon flavor, then only the bacon and vanilla is left over. Better save some room for this one.
Mmm…happy happy happy. We left full to the brim and walking veryyy slowly to the car.

I was pleasantly surprised by a last minute invite to join 5 friends to experience Ludobites7.0 a day before. I have long heard and never had the luck to score myself a reservation. So when I received the text, let’s just say jaws were dropped, phone lines were held, and leave-​work-​early notifications were set up immediately, hence the sky high expectations. And after the experience? Let’s just say, I’m obsessed!
We ordered EVERYTHING on the menu so we don’t miss out on anything. I strongly recommend doing so just because everything goes so strangely well together and on its own as well.
These are the highlights of the meal in my opinion; First place, the foigras raviolis — foigras wrapped in thin pasta skins, this is possibly the most amazing thing in the world. Second place, the octopus — I think they were braised and then grilled, served with a citrus purée’. It’s so tender and cut like a piece of steak, it was beyond delicious and satisfying. The cod and the Uni Caviar Egg tie in 3^rd, both soothing and pleasant to the palate.
Now I don’t dare to call my self a foodie nor have had any professional culinary training in any ways, I simply love to eat and enjoy food from all places. So I’m speaking the voice of an average person, this was an very enjoyable meal with a side serving of novelty.
We ordered the entire menu including both desserts that were offered that night, 2 orders on some smaller items. Split between 6 ppl, ended up being $ 65 per person including Tax & Tips.

Ludobites evolves a bit every iteration and definitely takes the taste buds for a great ride. 007 (license to cockery?) seems to me to be about the appreciation for ingredients that Ludo’s come across in his cross-​country journey.
If you must get one thing (though, why would you only get one?), you ought to get the duck. It’s every bit as amazing as the way it looks. The cherry and beets adds a wonderful reddish hue and tartness, the radish balances the meat well and adds a little crunch, the spicy «saucisse» (fancy or French for sausage) added a good kick and the tepanade adds good olive flavor.
If you must get a second item, get the egg with sea urchin, caviar. This one had a wonderful texture and if you took the time to enjoy all the flavors, you definitely taste the velvety uni and creamy egg.
Other noteable items included:
The beef flambé. Diced up pieces of deliciously raw beef. I favored this one over the poached ribeye though the ribeye had a wonderful horseradish sauce.
Foie gras ravioli. The foie was somehow wonderfully paired with kimchee and the creamy sauce with black truffle topped it off perfectly. This one was a lot better than the risotto, which has a strong epoisse cheese that almost taste like Cheez-​Its (Sorry Ludo… I don’t know how else to describe it).
Ok I was going to try not to name the whole menu like every other person did, but you might as well just get the whole menu, like always. Fried chicken wings, jamaican style. Squid. Ceviche. Tandoori octopus. Compressed pig head. And the bouillabaise milk shake, which is definitely not for the faint of heart. Super strong seafood flavor.
And in case I forgot to mention, don’t forget the duck. Two orders, at least.

Between 6.0 and 007, Ludo bit America and had two babies. The man has been busy, and perhaps that’s done him well. My dinner this time around was much better than at 6.0, and it almost matched 5.0.
The venue was great, and Ludo set it up with some rooster-​themed art and a lot of T-​shirted minions in the kitchen and on the floor. Our waiter was a little eccentric, but he was friendly and service was good. The food rolled out at a steady pace, and the meal lasted a little over two hours. I went with Daniel D., Darin L., and Diana Y., and we ordered one of everything. Some dishes were better than others, but unlike at 6.0, nothing was unappetizing. Few were flawless, but they all tasted good.
The first thing to arrive was a cold tomato soup with carrots, squid, and chorizo oil. Daniel compared this to Chef Boyardee, but I was less critical. It wasn’t a memorable soup, but it had a nice comforting tomato flavor that was enhanced by the salty chorizo oil. The squid was tender — if this was a version of soup from a can, the little rings of squid were grown-​up Spaghetti-​Os. Soon after, we dug into the dorade ceviche with cucumber water, purslane, cucumber flower, and jalapeño. I liked the clean high flavors and the fish was fresh and tasty.
Next came a high and a low. I loved the fried Jamaican chicken wings, which cost more than the truck chicken but offered wonderful wings with a new flavor profile. The glaze packed a lot of flavor and some light heat — I tasted black pepper, honey, a lot of curry and other fun spices. The skin of the chicken wasn’t crispy, but the meat was just right. The onion tart with bottarga was boring. I liked the soft onions and the flatbread was thin and pliant, but there was no vibrancy, and the bottarga was more understated than I would’ve liked.
The dishes that followed reinstated the tone of novelty that I look for with Ludo. The salt cod panna cotta with whipped fingerling potato, smoked tapioca, and black olive croutons had his name all over it. This was a delicious dish with a lot of salt held in a pleasant balance with the creamy texture and gummy mochi-​like tapioca. The crunch and bold flavor of the croutons made the dish. The compressed pig’s head was another success, served with cheddar between crackling shards of crispy bread, with sides of barbecue gelée and pickled chanterelles. The pig was very flavorful, with the torn fatty flavor of rillettes, and I loved the crunch of the bread and the buttony mushrooms. The barbecue was very tangy and I couldn’t decide if I needed it there.
One of the best dishes of the night was a bowl of egg, sea urchin, caviar, and champagne beurre blanc. It is hard to go wrong with that combination, and each bite was just exquisite. The egg and beurre blanc were so creamy, and the sea urchin melted in with a subtle briny touch. The caviar burst with luxurious salt. This dish was presented at the same time as the plancha tandoori octopus with yogurt, cauliflower, and grapefruit. This was also good, with bold flavors that recalled the Jamaican wings with a bit more heat. The octopus, though, was a little soft and I would have liked more grapefruit. The last of the smaller dishes was Ludo’s foie gras, this time in a «French dim sum» with crispy kimchi and sake-​black truffle cream. It was excellent, with thin pliant won ton wrappers and a thick luscious sauce. The foie gras was a bit submerged under the high salt of the kimchi, but it tasted great.
After the foie, our server swapped out our utensils and we had a small wait before receiving the heaviest dishes. The first one was the duck with cherry, spicy saucisse, beets, and radish. This was heavy and flatter than I’d hoped, but it was good, with juicy duck meat and hearty sausage. The roasted beef with horseradish cream, green beans, and dried mole was one of my favorites of the night. The beef was cut thin and cooked very rare, and I loved the horseradish and powerful dose of mole powder. The green beans could have been more al dente, but that’s a nitpick. Finally, there was an epoisse cheese risotto with hazelnut, egg yolk, and an herb salad. This was the biggest disappointment of the night. I love epoisse in its native gooey musty state, but it lost something in its transition to risotto sauce. The rice was also too gluey, with no distinction between grains. I did like the fragrant mix of herbs.
Dessert was splendid. A smoked vanilla bacon crème brûlée tasted like bacon cream, but the powerful meatiness was balanced with mastery by an accompanying cantaloupe soup. The peach melba vacherin was more classic, and it was delicious. The peach was cooked just enough and served with lavender cream, raspberry sauce, and a fabulous crunchy meringue. It was one of the best desserts I’ve had in a while.
Nothing at 007 topped my favorites from past LudoBites, but the meal was $ 75 and two hours well spent. I had fun, I ate well, and I’d do it again.

Since version 4, the Ludobites operation has exploded in popularity, with the increased use of foodblogging and review sites like Unilocal (of which I am also an active member). Now getting a seat on any night of his limited 6 week runs is as difficult as obtaining tickets for San Diego Comic Con or the Coachella music festival. Basically, REALLY difficult. Even tho I was asleep at the wheel when opening day for online reservations were announced, one of my friends was quick enough to grab a table for 4 during the first week. I cleared my schedule as well as my stomach for what I hoped would be a meal worth remembering. And as expected, I was not disspointed.
Now I’ll be honest. When I first tried Ludo 4.0 I was impressed and could see what much of the excitement was about, but much like any experimental menus, there will be hits or misses. Some of the dishes while good, didn’t blow me away and a couple while good in concept, we’re quite in execution. I missed 5.0 but got to attend 6.0 and once again, some great creations, but the great ones seemed outnumbered by the ‘ok’ ones which all looked fantastic in presentation, but less so in taste. 007, without a doubt, outshines my previous two experiences by a mile.
Salt cod panna cotta, whipped fingerling potatos, smoked tapioca ($ 12) — I’ve never had a savory panna cotta before, always typically a dessert item but the sweet & salty worked very well here as our first appetizer.
Pig’s head compressed and cheddar, BBQ gelee ($ 14) — A visually appealing take on the classic ‘head cheese’ served between light crispy toast slices and seasoned well with the BBQ gelee. I could eat mounds of this alone.
Dorade cerviche, cucumber water, lavender ($ 12) — I’ll be honest, this was my least favorite dish of the night in terms of flavor. While one of the prettiest and most colorful in presenatation, a cerviche should have that tangy, acidic tart but this came off fairly bland. Maybe that was Ludo’s intent? I don’t know, but fortunately the night only went uphill from there.
Plancha tandoori octopus ($ 18) — Easily my favorite dish of the night, while maybe not the most attractive, it is without a doubt, octopus, but take one bite and you will wonder what the hell you’re eating, because you’ve never tasted octopus as tender and melt-​in-​your-​mouth the way Ludo prepares it. I still don’t know how it was done and my friends can’t figure out either. Mystery for the ages.
Onion tarts, bottarga ($ 10) — light, cripsy, yet chewy. The Onion tarts actually take the longest to make of any dish on the menu, and despite being a started, we got this halfway thru our meal, but even after the sublime octopus, this was still enjoyable midway.
Egg, sea urchin, caviar, champagne beurre blanc ($ 18) — Uni lovers must try this, and if you don’t like sea urchin, try it anyway. It’s that good. None of the fishy taste associated with a lot of seafood, just a smooth, creamy, unctuous texture that is like some velvet in the mouth. Hard to describe it further than that.
Duck, cherry, spicy sausicce, beets, radish ($ 22) — A solid duck entry with a really colorful plating. Little surprises seem to come with this dish but since we expected it to taste good, this is a good thing.
Foie gras ravioli, kimchi, sake-​black truffle cream ($ 28) — Reading the description alone made it our most anticipated dish of the night. I love foie gras as well as truffle and this didn’t dissapoint but I was surprised it wasn’t my favorite as that title was taken by the octopus as mentioned earlier. Still one of the highlights of the meal.
Risotto, hazelnut, egg, herb salad ($ 18) — Beautiful in it’s clean simplicity, this dish is meant to be stirred up working the egg yolk in the risotto & cheese. I can’t see how one can go wrong with this.
Roast beef, horseradish, potatoes, green beans, dried mole ($ 25) — The inclusion of the mole adds a certain bit to a very traditional but favorite for many. I love roast beef with horseradish and Ludo’s take makes this seem refreshingly new.
Peach melba vacherin, lavender ($ 10) — Of the two desserts we chose this one and did not regret once it was brought to our table. Half a sliced peach swathed in a merengue like topping, light yet firm. I’ve said time & time again I’m not the biggest dessert fan, but this was clever and original enough to earn thumbs up from me.
All in all, we had an outstanding meal and of all the Ludobites I’ve been to, this easily ranks among the best. Those lucky enough to get a reservation you have much to look foward to and those who haven’t, there are a few walkins allowed per night so stop by and give it a try, the effort is worth it.

mmmmm. just got back from LudoBites, and I gotta say, it was super awesome. And yes, I got a reservation the NORMAL way — aka clicking repeatedly a billion times on OpenTable (with assistance from my friend who was the doing the same, and was actually able to book the reservation!). Don’t be sore if you didn’t get a reservation, you most definitely do not have to be an insider!
Everyone in my four-​person party agreed: foie gras ravioli ftw! It was our unanimous favorite. We tried to order two more servings but alas, the kitchen had shut down. :(
Runners up were: the octopus dish (my god how was it so damn tender?!?), the beef (meat so good. and. the sauce!), and that uni/​egg/​caviar thing.
Our least favorite? Definitely the ceviche. Nothing bad, but our least favorite. Also we found the sauce that came with the pig’s head to be super overpowering… unknowingly I put way too much on, and ended up tasting nothing but vinegar.
All in all, it was a super fun experience. I’m sad I missed out on meeting the Chef and his lovely wife but I’m sure there will be other times.
Yay LudoBites!!!

Effie — youre a hater.
Ok so this is my first Ludo dinner but i thought it was a great experience. Service was great and the staff unpretentious and very friendly.
Onion Tart: Full of onion flavor. Picture a garlic bread style flat bread pizza but all onion. Delicious and simple, definitely the most filling out of the bunch.
Dorade Ceviche (with cucumber water, cornichons, borrage flower) — light and well balanced. The ceviche was a welcome starter that just made my palate sing.
Tomato Soup (with carrots, squid) — Almost like a cold pasta di mare sauce. Kind of unexpected but well balanced. It was just so-​so for me.
Salt Cod Panna Cotta — Weird. I mean it was well balanced… but it was weird. The cod was very soft, the whipped fingerling potato was fluffy and the smoked tapioca was gelly. So 3 soft but different textures mixed with a crunchy black olive bread. One bite was enough but i ate it all.
Skipped the head cheese.
Eggs, sea urchin, caviar with champagne beurre blanc, bagel chips. So basically a bowl of egg yolk with other salty stuff. It was good and the flavors were there. I guess the man-​side of me wanted to add some chorizo and make a breakfast burrito. lol
Plancha Tandoori Octopus with yogurt, cauliflower and grapefruit. Thank God for the grapefruit. Without it, its too damned salty. The flavors are rich and flavorful but the grapefruit balances out the salt. Octopus was perfectly cooked.
Foie Gras Ravioli, crispy kimchi, sake black truffle cream. Strange delicious. I’d say too much truffle cream was bad. So a little truffle cream on the ravioli was perfect. Foie gras was more of the creamy variety.
Duck, cherry, spicy saucisse, beets, radish. Comes with 2 types of duck, ground nuggets and a solid medium rare piece. Ground nugget was meh but the other piece was perfectly cooked and flavorful. Loved the tart sauce.
Roasted beef, horseradish cream, green beans, and dried crumbled mole. One of my fav dishes. Eat it.
Epoisse cheese risotto, hazelnut, egg yolk and herb salad. Yum. Risotto cooked perfectly with the right amount of cheese. Some didnt like the hazelnut but i thought it added the right amount of texture and sweetness.
Peach Melba Vacherin with Lavender. A big mouse with over ripe peaches topped with lavender. Holy moly crap. Light but fruity, loved it.
Overall… i had way too much freakin food. 2 people eating the entire menu was an overachievement. Either way, BYOB or BYOW and have a good time. Look for me on the Today show on Monday, August 8^th.

OpenTable promised a smooth reservation process this time around, though I’m not sure how many people believed it. While I can’t say it went without a hitch (pages still took minutes to load/​did not load), the system worked much better than expected and reservations were all filled within a minute. One minute to fully book 16 tables a night for 22 nights. Crazy.
Onion Tart, Bottarga — This was a pretty large portion to start the meal with. It was a crispy tart, covered with sweet onions and an interesting salinity from the bottarga.
Dorade Ceviche, Cucumber Water, Cornichons, Borrage Flower — I thought the acidity was slightly overpowering here as the fish flavor was pretty mild. I liked the crunch of the cornichons though, as well as the mild complementary heat of the jalapeño.
Salt Cod Panna Cotta, Whipped Fingerling Potato, Smoked Tapioca, Black Olive Bread — I really enjoyed this dish. There was a mild fish flavor in the smooth panna cotta and potato, and I loved the chewy texture of the tapioca. Loved. An overarching smoky flavor really complemented each bite as well. I thought this was a great example of some unusual, complex flavors mixed really well here.
Pig’s Head Compressed with Cheddar, Barbeque Gelée — Mmm pig’s head. This really looked like a s’more coming out, with the meat and cheddar teaming up to look like melted chocolate and marshmallow. I thought the meat was tender and tasty, while a little but of crunchy texture came from the cracker. The barbecue gelee (inspired by recent travels to Raleigh?) really kicked it up a notch, adding some extra depth of flavor, as well as some heat.
Egg, Sea Urchin, Caviar, Champagne Beurre Blanc, Bagel Chips — The slow-​cooked egg was really delicious here, heightened by some caviar. Those were the main flavors I got, as I felt the sea urchin was somewhat overshadowed here. Still, combining perfectly cooked egg with caviar made a combination sure to please.
Tomato Soup, Carrots, Squid — I liked the richness and body of this soup, though somehow its flavor reminded everyone of Chef Boyardee (i.e. flavors of childhood?). I wouldn’t necessarily say this was a bad thing, but it was pretty interesting nonetheless. I enjoyed the tender squid and crisp carrots as well.
Plancha Tandoori Octopus, Yogurt, Cauliflower, Grapefruit — Excellent dish. I’ve had some excellent octopus preparations at LudoBites in the past, and this was no exception. Tender and really smoky, I found the tart acidity of the yogurt and grapefruit to work really well with it.
Foie Gras Ravioli, Crispy Kimchi, Sake-​Black Truffle Cream — Ah, a foie gras dish — possibly the most anticipated ingredient in Ludo’s repertoire. I really liked the melt-​in-​mouth texture of the tasty foie gras, though found the pasta to be just a touch mealy. However, all of the flavors were spot on, especially with the earthiness of the cream sauce and crispy kimchi.
Duck, Cherry, Spicy Saucisse, Beets, Radish — I thought the duck was cooked well and was nicely complemented by a slightly tart and acidic cherry sauce. Fresh, rispy beets and radish added some texture as well.
Roasted Beef, Horseradish Cream, Green Beans, Dried Mole — The beef was cooked perfectly here, leaving it really tender and juicy. A classic condiment, horseradish, was present in a creamy form — loved the flavor combination. The flavors of a typical roast beef dinner were definitely present, though a little bit more refine hered.
Epoisse Cheese Risotto, Hazelnut, Egg Yolk, Herb Salad — Wow. Excellent. The risotto was a nice al dente, while the cheese and egg yolk aided in putting together a really rich creaminess. I thought the depth of flavor was exceptional too (with a hint of hazelnut coming through) — delicious.
Peach Melba Vacherin, Lavender — Our first dessert course featured this sweet piece of peach. It had a fresh vibrant flavor, accompanied by a sort of light whipped cream. I thought the lavender essence really elevated the dish as well — loved that part!
Crustless Lemon Tart — This dessert was just as advertised… it had the flavors of a lemon tart, without any crust at all. I thought there was a good lemon flavor here and I really liked the herbal flavor of the thyme with it. I preferred some sort of texture, though (I was desperately craving the crust, or some sort of crumble.
I found LudoBites 007 to be a success. In fact, I liked it quite a bit better than 6.0. As LudoBites gets more and more popular (i.e. reservations get harder and harder to get), I tend to wonder if increasing expectations will be met (especially by first-​time diners). I think they will. Ludo’s creativity is always present in his dishes, and I thought the flavor combinations really worked well for the most part. It will only get better as Ludo refines his dishes from opening night. Instantly, I can think of a number of «slam dunk» dishes I’m sure to remember months (if not years) from now, including the risotto, octopus, and panna cotta.