Mid-Continental cuisine at Ayan in Redondo?

Ecology determines the evolution of every cuisine, and places with mild weather and clusters of microclimates have an advantage. This is why as a general thing, places that are dry, cold, and flat don’t loom large in the culinary world. They’re unlikely to be agriculturally productive or have much to offer in terms of vegetables and spices, and are usually sparsely inhabited. It’s not that inhabitants of places like Manitoba or the Siberian grasslands had no urge to enjoy interesting meals, they just didn’t have much to work with.

Mongolia has that combination of unfavorable conditions, called a Continental Climate, to an extreme degree, with short, intense summers followed by winter temperatures that go to 40 below. The culture has an unearned reputation for a spicy and varied cuisine thanks to a Taiwanese entrepreneur who called a cooking style he invented “Mongolian barbecue.” That has a variety of vegetables quick-fried over high heat, while traditional Mongolian food was very meaty and usually slow-cooked because fuel was scarce.

You can experience some actual flavors of Mongolia at Ayan, which opened in the former Denny’s at the corner of Aviation and Artesia. While most of the dishes on the menu are fusion items, they do offer items like the steamed dumplings called buuza and fried pastries called kushuur. Though Mongolians were traditionally herders and lived mainly on meat and cheeses, these and other dishes are usually made here with vegetables added.

The restaurant has been tastefully decorated in modern style with Asian ceramics and wicker food baskets, and they make a good first impression. You may be surprised that nobody working the front of the house is Asian. They’re Eastern European, because the chefs in the kitchen are Mongolians who speak no English, but they do speak Russian as a second language. At first this caused some communication glitches. You order with a server for whom English is a second language, and they translate to someone whose first language is Mongolian. They seem to have smoothed that out, but there are still some quirks on the menu. The items called “Bao Burger’s” are described as “without sin before God,” which is how they inform you that they are vegetarian.

We tried one of those, a Beyond Meat patty in a bun that was steamed and then baked and found it to be enjoyable but not essential. There are more interesting items to be found on a menu that includes Ayan’s versions of Thai tom yum soup, ramen, rice bowls, and seafood.

First, though, we had to try the buuza, dumplings that are offered steamed or fried and filled with vegetables, meat, cheese, and even one with mochi topped with ice cream. The most traditional is the beef buuza, filled with ground beef seasoned with a little soy sauce. It’s a nice novelty, but we liked the cheese and vegetable versions better. A server described the cheese buuza as “a pizza inside a dumpling,” which was accurate, a blend of mozzarella, gouda, and cream cheese with a little basil and spices. The vegetable version had cabbage, onions, carrots, and bell peppers, and you see a lot of those on this menu. It’s no coincidence that these plants grow well in cool climates, and they’re a set of complementary flavors. The same vegetables were in the khusuur, the fried pastry, which I liked a bit more than the buuza version.

Ayan’s unusual version of popcorn shrimp is tossed with garlic mayonnaise and topped with bonito flakes and scallions.

We also tried starters of a warm salad with crispy eggplant and wood ear mushrooms and their eccentric version of popcorn shrimp, which is usually just tiny shrimp in an egg batter and some Cajun seasoning that have been deep fried. Here the shrimp are battered, air-fried, and then topped with mild garlic mayo and Japanese bonito flakes. Bonito flakes have a strong fishy flavor, and their inclusion overwhelmed whatever seasonings were used on the shrimp. If you like bonito flakes, go for it, but if not then give this a pass.

The fried eggplant salad at Ayan is a successful modern fusion dish.

The warm eggplant salad was a very well-considered mix of flavors and textures. The fried eggplant and wood ear mushrooms were paired with fresh tomatoes and tomatoes along with cilantro, crisped bell pepper, peanuts, and a light coating of mild dressing. I would have left off the papery dry bell pepper but approved of this dish as it was.

Over the course of two visits, we tried entrees of braised pork ribs in pepper sauce, noodles with salmon, shrimp, and spinach, chicken chop fried rice, and a pair of items called “rope meat” and gabajou. Gabajou turned out to be a pretty standard sweet and sour pork recipe and unimpressive – the pork was in unwieldy large chunks and the batter was chewy rather than crispy. The best thing about this dish was the side salad of vegetables in a sesame oil dressing, which I could have eaten more of. The rope meat was a little better but not a standout, a simple stir-fry with bell pepper, carrot, and onion in a lake of thick, mild brown sauce. It would have been better over rice, and if you order it, I’d ask for a side order of that so you have something to do with the sauce.

The chicken chop fried rice turned out to be egg fried rice topped with grilled chicken and green onions rather than having everything being fried together. The rice was light and fluffy and had been fried with very little oil, which some people will prefer. I like a bit more oil and seasoning in mine, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

The green noodles aren’t actually green, but are delicious.

The two standout items were the “green noodles” and the braised black pepper pork ribs. The noodles were in a flavorful reddish-orange tomato-based sauce, and the only green in the bowl was the fresh spinach leaves that were tossed on top and a drizzle of herb oil atop the yogurt. Visual aspects aside, it was a delicious combination, the flavors complex but not hot. The pork ribs weren’t heavily seasoned either despite what was described as a black pepper sauce – there was pepper there, but it was one element among several. The ribs had been braised rather than grilled or roasted and were so tender that it was difficult to share them with others at the table – they fell apart at the touch of a fork. They arrived with French fries that had a little seasoning that seemed to contain Chinese five spice – I tasted a hint of star anise. This is a stellar main course that is amply portioned, and highly recommended.

The black pepper pork comes with Mongolian french fries, which are tossed with bell peppers and onion.

A variety of soft drinks, smoothies, and teas are offered, as well as beer, wine, and sake. The alcohol prices are modest, the wine pours generous. I recommend the Slovenian Sauvignon Blanc.

We had considered a mochi buuza for dessert, but our server brought over green tea ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate because we hadn’t enjoyed one of the entrees, and we enjoyed that instead.

Ayan is an interesting oddity – there is something on this menu for any curious diner, though it’s not a place for culinary purists or snobs. The staff is trying hard to provide good service, but there are still some problems with miscommunication and misunderstandings of the terse menu. Go here to experiment and order whimsically, and you are likely to have a fun time exploring Asian fusion with an influence from the inland steppes.

Ayan is at 1760 Aviation Blvd, Redondo. Open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. daily. Free parking in lot, wheelchair access good. Beer and wine served. Some vegetarian and vegan options. No website (310) 406-4947. ER