Spartan Daily

Micro Bistro fails to wow now, but don't lose hope yet

Samantha Clark, Spartan Daily

The richness of the duck confit and sweetness of the orange balanced well — an approach co-owner and chef Robert Dasalla exercises in many of his dishes.

One of San Pedro Square Market’s newest restaurants, Little Chef Counter, is a great concept that was executed in a mediocre manner.

Self-described as a “micro bistro,” this small restaurant features a little kitchen and counter where you can sit and watch the chef make your food.

I like a menu with restraint, which is why I like that their menu consists  of the same ingredients in many different dishes because it shows off co-owner and chef Robert Dasalla’s creativity and innovation.

The constantly changing menu features the same star ingredients across the board, but they have different roles in different dishes, giving light to the high regard Little Chef Counter places on freshness and seasonality.

When I visited, duck confit, braised short ribs and steamed mussels occupied much of the menu.

A confit, pronounced “con-fee,” is a style of cooking that preserves and flavors food—typically meat.

A meat confit is cooked in a marinade of herbs, spices and fat from the meat to infuse their flavors into the food.

The Duck Confit Risotto is a fried risotto cake, with a creamy rice inside, sitting in a shallow confit broth.

I enjoyed how the small, sweet orange slices balanced out the decadence of the dish, especially because the duck was a little salty. 

The Green Papaya Duck Salad ($11) is the duck confit mixed with shredded papaya and a few measly slices of crimson blood oranges.

I see where Dasalla may have wanted to go with a presentation of different flavors, but the result felt un-harmonious because the ingredients did not have a balanced ratio.

I hoped the papaya and oranges, if just a few more were added, would offer some sweet solace.

The other disappointment was the Steamed Mussels ($10.50) with fries that swim in a white wine sauce.

Hopefully it was an off night, but I sent the dish back because the mussels were mushy and smelled like ocean air.

Nevertheless, the staff was extremely accommodating and understanding, and they took the mussel dishes off the menu the next day, perhaps making room for a new and exciting dish.

The short ribs take form as a delicious braised short rib sandwich and a Canadian-inspired comfort food dish.

Dasalla’s version of Quebec’s poutine ($7.50) takes form as french fries covered in an au jus gravy, sharp cheddar and a heap of short ribs.

Its heartiness lends itself well to a Sharks after-game meal.

The braised short rib sandwich ($12.50) was delicious — juicy meat, horseradish coleslaw, fried onions and a spicy cheese sauce between oven-toasted roll halves.

The crunchy texture of the coleslaw and succulent tender meat made this one of my favorites.

Sandwiches are the star dishes at the Little Chef Counter.

The Mushrooms on Toast ($9.50) consists of marinated and soft baby portabella and cremini mushrooms with a mascarpone cream sauce and arugula on another oven-toasted roll.

Though quite simple, it was right on the mark.

It seems that Dasalla gets too ambitious with his recipes.

But Dasalla does think outside the bun.

He replaces the conventional hamburger bun with four still-connected sweet Hawaiian rolls instead.

The cheeseburger was a great example of sweet and savory. It was also filled with mushrooms, onions, tomato and romaine lettuce.

The burger was cooked perfectly — a seared outside with some pink in the middle.

The Little Chef Counter needs to refine a few dishes and perhaps taste each dish before it’s sent out.

I’m sure the establishment will improve over time because its clear Dasalla and co-owner Steven Le seem to embrace change and growth.

With their evolving menu and commitment to creativity, The Little Chef Counter will flourish in The San Pedro Square Public Market.