A welcome breath of Euro-Asian air in a land of bottomless bowls of
bibimbap and
kimchee, Koreatown's
La Défence is the perfect place to savor the foods of the Land of the Rising Sun, then rent a private karaoke room and belt out "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
Executive Chef Yuji Iwasa, a former executive chef at
Koi, is at the helm of this K-Town fusion eatery, which answers that age-old question: What would a pan-Asian restaurant, karaoke bar and conference center in cosmopolitan France look like? An ornate glass door leads into a proudly Vegas-style interpretation of French villas, with ultimate accuracy lying somewhere between "It's a Small World" and
The Grove.
Chef Iwasa brings a flair for beautiful presentation and a touch of whimsy to La Défence, and he's not afraid of showcasing decadent ingredients like shaved truffles in a modestly-priced Miso Risotto (how's that for Euro-Asian?). The restaurant considers itself "pan-Asian," but the menu is most heavily rooted in classic Japanese and Italian cuisine, with a large section devoted to sushi and sashimi offerings, as well as a decent selection of straightforward pasta dishes.
Want a little pop culture with your raw fish? The house specialty sushi rolls are named after overrated bestsellers (crack the “Da Vinci Code” to reveal salmon, tomatoes and smelt egg), overrated flicks (the “Napoleon Dynamite” roll features baked scallop and mushroom over a California roll), and overrated alternative rock bands (the “Flaming Lips” is a spicy mix of Cajun tuna, jalapeño and scallion hot sauce). What, no "Knocked Up" roll with salmon roe and smelt egg?
Unlike the cuisine, the karaoke at La Défence is truly pan-Asian, offering plenty of opportunities to butcher time-honored classics in Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and English. A handful of private rooms serve as functional conference rooms by day (WiFi is available), and double as full-on private karaoke studios at night. Each room features a Dewey Cox–era microphone for crooners and the requisite pair of tambourines for the truly tuneless, as well as two flat-screen TVs so both performer and audience can drunkenly sing along. The larger karaoke rooms upstairs seat 25 to 30 of your closest business associates, and feature a private bar, but since La Défence closes at midnight, you may need to take your party elsewhere to get the true karaoke-til-you-puke experience. (May we suggest
Brass Monkey, down the street?).
Don't worry—finding a place to eat, drink or play golf at midnight shouldn't be a problem. This is
Koreatown, after all.
Click here for La Défence's address, phone number and website.
Amir Kenan is a contributing editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
