Fresheast brings freshness to Los Angeles

It seems like one of my new evolving jobs is writing restaurant reviews – never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have the opportunity to participate in being an advocate for the public’s dining out experience.  I was contacted by the fresheast in West Hollywood to try their food and write a review.  I was interested since I am an advocate for “clean food” and the fresheast is known for serving food which is solely organic, sustainable with wild, grass-fed and organic protein choices

As with all reviews I had no expectations.  I welcomed going to West Hollywood as a change for lunch since the restaurant choices in Santa Monica are generally anemic with few clean eating options. Jeffrey came along to help taste test and of course photograph the dishes.

About fresheast...

Fresheast’s owner, Ravine Hiranand, is from Hong Kong but of Indian descent.  He is a humble man with a heart for sustainability, organic and fresh food and using recycled products.  The restaurant is a casual sit down or pick up your meal type of place with fun ambience and Wi-Fi if you want to hang out. 

Upon entering the beautiful "boutique" restaurant you senses are instantly peek by the delicious smells and modern artistic design of the space.  The walls are covered with exotic travels of black and white photographs to a library with a few reads.

There is a curved bar area with electrical pug in’s creating a perfect environment for work or casual media.  The overall atmosphere is light, airy and streamlined that is conducive to conversation and good eating.

Is the food truly "clean?"

I was a bit fearful since the food is a combination of cuisines (Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and India) for 2 reasons:  I have not entered a Chinese restaurant for 10 years due to migraines with MSG, sodium and soy and my skeptic hat is ON with mixing different ethnic foods.  I am so sensitive that within an hour I can feel my head hurting, my hands swelling and my need to come home and crash.

Ahead of time I chose a selection of various dishes to give an adequate write-up:

• 5 Spice-glazed Salmon (with baby asparagus and brown rice)
• Yakitori Chicken (with vegetables and quinoa)
• Palak Paneer (Spinach, fenugreek leaves, paneer cheese, yogurt, red lentil dal)
• Shanghai Beef (Braised Harris Ranch Natural beef, star anise, garlic)
• Spicy Garlic Noodles.

I chose some things I normally don’t eat so I could give a fair assessment of their menu.

And the winner?

Right off I would say my absolute favorite and something I would eat a few times a week if I lived close by was the Palak Paneer.  The flavors were the perfect combination of spices and it is the most satisfying vegetarian meal out there since it combines cheese, yogurt, and lentils.  The dish is a slam dunk and I found myself wanting to keep eating more.

The Salmon is wild and was my second favorite dish.  The accompaniment of the baby asparagus and brown rice makes it a wonderfully balanced meal with light flavors.  Fresh East uses organic vegetables that change with the seasons.

The Shangahi Beef was tasty , tender and moist and reminded me of a great brisket if you need a meat fix with spice.  The Jidori Chicken was accompanied by mixed veggies and quinoa.  It was thigh meat and I personally prefer breast meat.  However, it had a nice mild taste and is great for those who want their chicken meat dark.  The veggies, brown rice and the quinoa were tasty, and light with the right textures.

My critique for meal balance is I would have liked to see more veggies and less starch (brown rice/quinoa) on the plate.

I only had a bite of the noodles since I don’t eat pasta – they were made of wheat and very spicy.  Jeffrey loved them and if you need a spicy noodle fix this might hit the spot but not my thing.

They offered me one of the smoothies but since I don’t drink juice I took the coconut – you get an actual coconut with a straw and drink the milk out of it – a few sips was fun and different besides offsetting the spiciness of the noodles.

Before I left I toured the kitchen which was very clean with different sections and pots for meat versus vegetarian or vegan dishes.

And my assessment – if you want a fun environmentally wise type of restaurant that combines ethnicities and does it with style, class and health fresheast is the place to go.  They are budget-friendly and even give discounts to those who bike to the restaurant or drive a hybrid.

Not only do they NOT over salt but the best news was I did not get a headache, my hands did not swell and I happily went to see a movie afterward.  If you are in West Hollywood I recommend you go in for a healthful tasty meal that won’t break the piggy bank.

AND since I am reviewing restaurants I am now doing a rating system on a 5 point scale for: 

1. Clean Food
2. Clean Space
3. Friendly Staff
4. Balanced proportions of protein/carb/fat
5. No Food Hangover

With fresheast getting a 4 out of 5