Monday, March 2, 2015

OI ASIAN FUSION (CANOGA PARK, CA)

Oi Asian Fusion
7242 Canoga Ave
Canoga Park, CA 91303
www.oiasianfusion.com
Tel: 818.776.0282
$ (under $15)
Sat, 02/21/2015, 8:00pm walk-in
   (3 Piglets)



What do you get when you fuse Filipino dishes with other Asian influences? You construct plates like braised pork belly with gravy finished off with Japanese nori; or sweet potato fries with dynamite sauce that you would find on your sushi. 

Oi Asian Fusion is a decent concept that attempts to highlight rice bowls and other small plates by incorporating Asian ingredients. The eatery is analogous to Chego by Roy Choi, but falls short of fresh flavors and luscious pork. Oi is a fairly small joint and the prices are reasonable.

Pork Belly and Umami Gravy ($7.00): Braised pork belly, umami gravy, seaweed, scallions, pickled red radish. The rice was a reasonably gooey mix accompanied by pork belly that seemed deep fried rather than braised. The seaweed added a nice finish to the dish. 


  
Pork Bun ($3.00): Braised pork belly, hoisin, sriracha, cucumber, scallion. The pork was slightly dry, but the hoisin helped to keep it slightly moist. The dish was nothing special and was probably my least favorite dish. 



Dynamite Sweet Fries ($5.00): My favorite dish. Sweet potato fries, dynamite sauce, garlic confit, cilantro. This is an awesome dish. Additionally, it only costs $5! The fries were utterly crisp, the dynamite sauce added a bit of heat, and the garlic confit was icing on the cake. I could just come here for the fries. 



Adobo Bowl ($7.00): Braised pork belly, adobo sauce, soft boiled egg, scallions. The egg was creamy and perfectly runny. The adobo sauce was sweet. The braised pork was...well, still slightly dry. Although the dish was constructed satisfactorily, Filipinos might find it a bit odd to eat pork instead of chicken.  



Overall, Oi Asian Fusion brings flavors constructed in a way that is simple and fairly satisfying. The braised pork tasted deep fried and dry. In consideration with the amount of deep fried pork I inhaled, I was left feeling a bit "queezy." Regardless, I respect Oi's attempt to be creative. Valley residents: no longer do you need to trek to Chinatown (where Chego is located) for a modest rice bowl. For the price and the amount of food, Oi is a bang for your buck. Word of advice: Be prepared to eat pork at this establishment.

Notable dishes: Dynamite Sweet Fries

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