Near the corner of Fairfax and 3rd you’ll find Celadon–one of Los Angeles’ newest Euro-Asian fusion restaurants. (For those who are really in the know, Yi Cuisine originally inhabited this space just a few months ago.) The restaurant hosted an official opening night in conjunction with LA.com for critics, investors, family, friends and FOODIES (that’s where I come in) alike to check out the place. A friend and I decided it would be a great way to try what could potentially be a new LA hotspot. Celadon is definitely a beautiful restaurant. If you want a chic, modern food experience, you should give it a try, but don’t go there expecting the norm. Take a look at what the place had to offer after the jump…

People are always intrigued by Asian culture, especially when it’s applied to the dining experience. I was drawn into the sensual allure of plush and luxurious daybeds covered with silken pillows, tubby-bellied Buddhas adorning the walls and the rows of lowly lit lanterns surrounding the main room. The atmosphere definitely topped my list of seductive eating locales. Clearly, the overly ornate, sexy look of any eatery can be used to enhance wonderful food or disguise not so great meals, so let’s move on to the good stuff…

Being that it was an opening night celebration of sorts, people were there for a few reasons, and two of those were food and drinks (again, that’s where I come in). A table in the main room provided a decent selection of red and white wines, while the outdoor courtyard supplied a limited variety of sakes. I figured starting the night off with a nice red wine would be the best way to go. We made our way to the courtyard patio where the man running the sake table admitted that he didn’t work there; he owned a company that was the largest importer of Japanese sake. As he tried to explain which one would satisfy me, I just waited for him to pour the rice wine into my glass. His recommendation for me was not the best sake I’ve ever had, but that was because, according to him, I had just tasted the Miller Lite equivalent of all sakes. Why he would recommended it to me off the bat I’ll never know! He led me over to what seemed like a Japanese gatorade jug and ladled something a bit sweeter into my mini glass. And he was right. This was definitely the Grey Goose of the sakes I’d had that night. All the drinking on an empty stomach had me feeling light-headed, chatty and definitely ready to tackle the first waiter balancing a plate on his hand.

We sampled a variety of different appetizers. (I am not a food critic or a culinary student. Almost everything that I tried was new to me, so if I butcher any of these things, please let me know!) The hamachi citrus salsa was tasty. It’s made with a gelled ponzu and topped with a fruit based salsa. Mini ahi pizzas came out next, and the mix of warm grilled ahi tuna, Parmesan shavings and basil pesto was enjoyable. I’ve never had a raw oyster before, but this was the best time to give it a try. Sucking down an oyster on the half shell flavored with ponzu and jalapenos was actually not the worst experience of my life. Grilled ahi tuna layered with tempura rice and seaweed stuck on a stick was a savory, crunchy ‘lollipop‘ easily eaten as we made our way to other men in black with treats. We finished the night off with alfredo crab wontons, Vietnamese shrimp toast and spicy tempura shrimp–all very good! The only not-so-great appetizers were the vegetarian sushi and the honey balsamic prosciutto. The former was bland while the latter seemed ill-placed in what professes to be Euro-Asian fare.

Would I ever go back to Celadon? Of course. Would I recommend it to other people? Sure. Is it something that everyone will love? Probably not. It’s not a taster-friendly menu unless you are open to trying new things, which luckily for me, I am. It’s also possible that you’ll spend a lot of money if you want to leave full. When it’s all said and done, the best part about trying a restaurant like this is that you don’t have to be a food connoisseur–just be open to what the menu explicitly promises: fusion! Go with a group of friends, order a few shots of sake and several different plates and sit back and relax because the best part of Celadon is the atmosphere. The enjoyment of the food should come naturally.