Yellow Fever has style and flavor to burn [RESTAURANT REVIEW]
Yellow Fever’s Jose Barrio’s servess a Shanghai Bowl. The restaurant features a variety of bowls emphasizing Vietnamese, Chinese, or Korean flavors. Photo
If I tell you that there’s a restaurant in Torrance that has been featured in an article for Interior Design magazine, you’ll probably start wondering which high style mall place I’m talking about. A lot of the action has been in malls lately, though quirky brewpubs and nightspots have also been raising the temperature around town. None of those made the cut. Instead the restaurant that has received national attention is a funky, quirky Vietnamese fusion place where no alcohol is served, and the most expensive item on the menu will set you back eleven bucks.
Yellow Fever shares a little strip mall on Crenshaw with the delightfully weird Pop Monster, a Japanese kitsch store where you can buy a statue of Hello Kitty as Egyptian goddess for a C-note, and a quirky little café specializing in Japanese-Mexican fusion food. This concentration of character in an otherwise dull stretch is enough to make you think about feng shui and portals to another, stranger universe.
The storefront is unimpressive, but inside is another story. Take a moment to enjoy the mural of a peasant farmer whose rice bowl overflows with fruits, vegetables, fish, and a whole cow. If you prefer more abstract visions, check out the undulating pattern of black and white rice bowls that twists along one whole wall. It’s a creative, whimsical, yet peaceful environment.
But back to the matter at hand, which is getting a meal. This is an order-at-the-counter place, and I can guarantee it will take a few minutes the first time because there are many permutations with various add-ins. The bowls are made with your choice of rice, noodles, or salad, topped with Japanese, Korean, Thai, Hawaiian, Chinese, or California meat, vegetables and seasonings. (The Californian bowl is based on tofu sausage, naturally. I’m not one to complain about stereotyping, and if I was, an Asian fusion restaurant probably isn’t the place to do it.)
But before you order that fusion bowl you might want to check out the “Things to share” list, because there are some nifty starters. We tried the “ugly eggrolls,” which are actually a bit misnamed – these are more like seasoned pork meatballs wrapped in one thin wonton skin so you can tell people you were eating eggrolls rather than gorging yourself on meatballs. And that’s what you’re doing, but it’s even better than it sounds because it’s a meatball that goes crunch. They’re served with a garlicky version of Vietnamese nuocmam fish sauce and are a must-have.
One item is labeled as a starter even though it’s almost as hefty as the bowls: the “3 Little Pigs.” This is a salad piled with crisped pork belly, and if the pork belly fad has been boring you lately then this might remind you what the fuss was all about. The fat has melted out so the meat is fall-apart tender and moist but not greasy, and the crust of mild but fragrant spices seals the deal. If you’re avoiding carbs and want a terrific meat salad, this is a great choice.
As for the bowls, we tried the Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese versions, and they were a cut above the usual. At most fusion fast food places the meats and vegetables are mostly the same and the differences are all about sauce and seasoning. It’s easy to see why restaurant owners would like that, since it allows them to create the illusion of variety with less expense. At Yellow Fever there really is a difference, and the vegetables in the Saigon bowl were entirely different from the ones in the Shanghai and Seoul. The Korean-themed bowl used fruity, tangy gochujang soybean sauce with sesame oil and mild kimchi, and it reminded me of flavor balances I experienced in Korea. The Chinese version had a very mild kung pao sauce that might disappoint those who like the fiery traditional version but this works on its own merits. It’s inspired by the original but crafted for American rather than Chinese palates.
The Vietnamese bowl also bowed to tradition but took liberties, particularly by including quinoa, though the way that pseudograin is sweeping the world they might be eating it in Saigon now. If so they may well use a lemongrass vinaigrette like this one, because the combination along with an Asian slaw, almonds, and greens worked just fine.
Alcohol isn’t served here, so your choices are fountain drinks, matcha green tea, or freshly made Vietnamese-style lightly salted lemonade. I suggest the lemonade, but then again I’m not a fan of fountain drinks or matcha.
As for what this meal will cost you, it’s enough to say that the most expensive item on the menu is less than eleven dollars, and the portion size is generous. Three of us over-ordered and spent $60, and we all took something home. Yellow Fever offers high quality food at a very low price, and they deserve plaudits for that every bit as much as they do for their décor.
Yellow Fever is at 24416 Crenshaw in Torrance. Open daily 11:30 a.m. – 8 p.m., parking lot, vegetarian options. Menu at yellowfevereats.com, phone: (310) 539-2249.