tiffin unboxed

Let me begin by saying that I'm not a huge popcorn person. I rarely eat it, not even at movie theaters.

Recently there has been lost of buzz about Kogi founder Roy Choi's and David Reiss' AFrame. Since AFrame does not take reservations and the wait was said to be 1+ hours, my plan was to let the buzz die down. Until I heard the KCRW Good Food radio segment with Jonathan Gold. The clever concept is described on their menu as a 'modern picnic', with the finger foods served in casual, stylish metal plates. I find it irresistable to eat bite sized food with my hands.

By now, I've been there twice and on the second visit, we ordered two orders of this popcorn among three people (one left early so only two of us devoured the second bowl).

This popcorn hits the right notes on the palate because it tastes simultaneously sweet, salty, spicy/hot, with a slight ocean vibe and also buttery. The glazed kettle corn is tossed with the Japanese furikake seasoning, often made with toasted nori, sesame seeds and other spices. The flavors meld beautifully. You will most likely lick your fingers clean long after the bowl is emptied into your tummy.

Another dish I eagerly sought out was the Asian inspired green curry, lemongrass and pancetta Clam Chowder. Alhtough a delicious dish, I found it a bit too rich. What really stole the show for me, besides the kettle corn of course, were the Blue Crab Cakes. They are light yet plump, containing just blue crab without fillers, with notes of ginger and lemongrass. The cakes sit on a bed of creme fraiche sauce, a unique accompaniment for crab cakes. They also come garnished with shiso and baby lola rosa leaves that you wrap around the crab forming a fresh 'taco' like flavor bomb.

Normally I'm not a huge dessert type, but there is no denying the great taste and creativity of AFrame's desserts. The Chu-Don't-Know-Mang consists of instant "pound-cake churros". Yes, they are sliced, fried and rolled in cinammon sugar then stacked on the plate to dip into the decadently thick chocolate malted milk with a dollop of vanilla ice cream in the center. Very rich, interactive and reminiscent of childhood comfort treats.

Each of these dishes take very familiar comfort foods and add a that 'modern picnic' touch.