Gryphon Travel

Aris found us the best reviewed restaurant in the area and we walked through back alleys and past immaculate vegetable gardens full of perfect corn to get to this restaurant.

We were concerned that the reviews were all bots or something because there so glowing. The place was quite trendy looking. Bar seating and 2 tables for parties of 4 were all we could see, but it seems like there was at least one more table upstairs. 3 people were running the place, the kitchen was tiny and fully visible to the dining area.

They provided us a QR code to order, which we are familiar with, but it was a bit beyond what we were used to, because you actually put all your food in the cart and sent your order directly to the kitchen. In fact when we pushed the order button you could hear a little ding in the kitchen indicating an order had come in.

Our drinks came out first, David got a local beer, I got red wine, Aris had a lemon tea spritz, and Daya had Saki. We were all happy with our choices.

Our first order came out quickly, a oyster butter pate. There were four little toasted breads to smother with the buttery smooth pate and we each gobbled them up. The oyster flavor came through, tasting fresh and forward. We all wanted to order another, but had more food coming. I was a little slow on the photo for this one, we were hungry.

The second course was a bluefin tuna tartare. The tuna sat on a bed of match stick seasoned cucumbers and topped with an egg yolk.

Daya perfectly made the first cut into the yoke.

Next was the wagyu beef, which was highly recommended in the reviews.

Served with sea salt, wasabi paste, and fried garlic on the side. We each prepared our two bites to our own tastes and savored the tender beef. One of the best bites I’ve ever had. It was absolutely perfect.

Finally Daya had ordered a clay pot dish, which came last because it takes 20 minutes to prepare.

This rice dish, served in a clay pot at your table is layers of flavor. The base is rice full of pork seasoning with a touch of sweetness from some pickled red peppers. The seasoning on the pork was savory and really brought out the flavor of the meat. Above that were scallions and fried onion thread topped by a perfect egg yolk. When they set this dish down, the lid is on it, so you get to open it yourself and the smell of the dish pulls you in.

While we were waiting for our second round of wagyu beef, a fireworks display had begun and the kids were just outside the restaurant watching with delight.

Walking back to our hotel full of amazing food.