Abricott: A Great Addition to the South Lake Restaurant Renaissance

Abricott on South Lake Avenue is the brainchild of John and Jo Wee, who also own Daisy Mint, the popular Asian Fusion spot. Trying to define the food at Abricott is like trying to slow down a five year old on a sugar fix. What I can say is that it’s a little Indochine with a dash of Daisy Mint and a pinch of Cham Korean Bistro. It’s a masterful work-in-progress that you’ve just got to try.

“What we serve you here is what we eat, too,” said Jo Wee.

Her husband John was the creative maestro (brains) behind the décor “John did the interior, the books were donated from Book Alley and the frames are from my clothing store, Founderly,” commented Wee. “We want it to be comfortable like a neighborhood restaurant.”

When you come to Abricott you will order and pay for your choices at the counter and it will be brought to you at your table. Abricott is popular for breakfast, but we came to try the dinner entrees on the new menu.

“We started the new menu about a month ago, we’ll see how people like it and then we can make it permanent,” Wee said.

We tried two starters; Spicy Pork Taco and Seared Ahi Tuna and Spicy Soba salad and two entrees; Coconut Pasta and Spicy Catfish. I was worried that my spice-challenged husband might find this too much for his delicate palate but Abricott allows you to control the amount of heat.

We all have our favorite dishes that leave us wanting more, for me one of those dishes were the Kimchi tacos served at the (sadly) now defunct Elements Kitchen. I have lamented the loss of that particular delight, but now I have another taco bite to lust after: the Spicy Pork Tacos at Abricott.

Layered on mini corn tortillas are shredded pork, kimchi puree, red cabbage slaw, cilantro, and chili mayo. The pork is done Korean style so it is sweet with a kick and very tender. The whole package is a spicy-sweet delight and the price is right at $3.00 for two tacos.

Sesame-encrusted rare Ahi topped a bed of spicy soba noodles, romaine lettuce and crisp pear in the next dish. This salad was listed under Starters but is really a meal in itself and what a meal. Again there was the spicy-sweet thing going on with the noodles and the pear but there was also the nuttiness of the sesame to add to the mix. This salad was packed with flavor and plenty for two to share as a starter or one to eat as a main course.

Plentiful shrimp graced the Coconut Pasta entrée that we were served next. A delicate coconut broth which was flavored with ginger, basil, galangal (from the ginger family) and lemongrass encased angel hair pasta which in turn was the perfect foil for the tender shrimp. The dish was simple in presentation, complex in nature and just plain delicious.

For the last dish we tried the Spicy Catfish. I wasn’t sure about this since I really don’t like catfish all that much – but I do now. The catfish was mild and fried until crispy and the sauce was a sweet and sour fiesta. It’s served with your choice of brown or white rice which is a good thing because you really want to get all of the sauce.

Another great thing about Abricott is that although they don’t serve alcohol yet (they are working on it) you can bring in your own libation and there is no corkage fee. I’d say that is a more than generous compromise.

Abricott also offers a range of coffee-based drinks like Espresso, Macchiatos, Cappuccino and Café Lattes and they also have a nice hot tea assortment. I chose the Vietnamese iced coffee (which is not for the faint of heart), strong brewed coffee with a condensed milk float. My husband order his favorite Thai Tea which was as great to look at as it was to taste.

If you just want to stop by for coffee and deserts they have a nice selection of sweets to temp you.

“I want the restaurant to be homey and comfortable, somewhere you can just drop in,” Wee said with a smile.

Abricott is located at 238 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena. They are open for breakfast at 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Friday – Sunday. Dinner service begins at 5:00 p.m. For more information call (626) 796-1613 or visit www.abricott.com.