Joule recently re-opened their restaurant in an old warehouse in Fremont, sharing a space with The Whale Wins (hopefully coming to the blog soon!). The space is very open, with a hint of Asian feel with turquoise colored, flowered wallpaper and an open kitchen/bar area. Very minimalist feeling; not much artwork to be seen. The noise volume of this place was rather deafening once the crowd filled in.
As I went here with my extended family, we ordered quite a few items, and everything blended together at the end. I'll do my best to recall the details, but please enjoy the pictures otherwise. :)
Starters/Appetizers
Salmon caviar dip, yuzu creme fraiche
Opinions at the table were mostly favorable (some, calling it their favorite app of the night). For me, it was a little salty and too runny. The creme fraiche did a nice job of cutting the salt, but maybe not enough? I also didn't get the hint of yuzu at all. Very pretty dish, however.
Beef tartare, Asian pear, spicy cod roe aioli
I preferred this appetizer. Nice bite-sized pieces of meat. The hint of sesame was pleasant, while not being overpowering. The Asian pear was in the smallest cubed pieces I've ever seen, almost undetectable in flavor. I really appreciated the pine nuts for texture. This was not served with crostini, however, and was missed. Very nice texture overall.
Pork belly ham, salted shrimp, chili oil
So this was another appetizer we meant to order at the beginning of the meal, but forget. We subsequently had it during the entree portions. Due to its cold nature, the flavors were a little lost compared with the entrees. In any case, this reminded me of some Chinese flavors I've had before. Again, I definitely tasted sesame. The pork belly being sliced/cooked in "ham" took away from the pork belly. I really prefer it served warm, and in chunks. The flavor was still nice, but perhaps a waste of pork belly? (Just serve ham instead?) The bottom was swimming in chili oil, and I was too afraid to mix it completely (especially given there were serrano chilis hanging out in the bowl as well). I'm not sure I got much salted shrimp flavor either. The sprinkled sesame was attractive. I'm on the fence over whether it detracted from the simple texture of the pork, versus adding interest.
Smoked tofu, honshimeji confit, soy truffle vinaigrette
We ordered this after reading some positive reviews online. The flavor was definitely interesting and had a lot of umami. Not a ton of truffle flavor. I am not usually a mushroom person, but the mushrooms added nicely to the dish, giving some more flavor and texture to the dish. The texture of the tofu itself was a little strange, almost grainy? I prefer a more silken tofu, but this was probably a byproduct of the smoking.
Noodles
Manila clam, fennel pappardelle, salted black bean
This was probably my favorite of the night (and Evan's!) The clams were tasty, and had a hint of that Chinese black bean flavor. (Do Korean's cook with black bean too? I only know Chinese from home-cooking growing up). The wide noodles were perfectly cooked and silky smooth and delicate. I didn't get much fennel flavor from them, however. Perhaps the menu meant the sliced fennel on the side? It was a little vinegary-sweet, but yummy combined with everything else.
Veg
Creamed swiss chard, wild sesame salt
This was fantastic! Think of creamed spinach, but with none of the bitter-irony flavor that annoys the teeth! I think there was a little celery in there as well, but it was so well melded, I couldn't distinguish the flavor.
Entrees
"That" short rib steak, kalbi, grilled kimchi
Another dish I had read about in a review somewhere. The steak was perfectly tender, just the right amount of char on the outside. I didn't get a lot of kalbi flavor. The grilled kimchi on the side added a nice amount of acid, without being spicy. There was a small amount of orange sauce on the side, the flavor of which was, smoky? I'm not sure what was in it, as my taste buds were becoming over stimulated at this point. A little spice on the dish overall. I was a little disappointed, as when I hear the word "short rib," I expect meat to be falling off the fork. The steak was good for "steak," but unexpected for "short ribs." Probably my own bias, really.
Octopus, bok choy, hot bacon vinaigrette
This dish was also wonderful. The octopus was cooked perfectly! No rubberiness here at all! There was also a nice large amount of octopus to cut off pieces as you willed. The bacon vinaigrette came with small pieces of fried pork belly. Overall the dish melded very well, without having too much of a bacon flavor. Second favorite dish of the night. A touch spicy!
Pork chop, date molasses, charred apple slaw
This dish was cooked well, no dryness at all. I think the pork chop must have been brined prior to cooking. There was a nice thick layer of fat on the top to add juiciness as well. I think I would've liked a little more intrinsic flavor, without needing to dip in the spare dish pan juices on the plate. The apple slaw with brussel sprout leaves was a great addition on the side, adding a little creamy sweetness that complemented the pork well.
Dessert
Sticky toffee pudding cake, date, pine nut streusel
I had high hopes for this dessert. Sticky toffee implies sweet and crunchy. Unfortunately, the cake was too grainy and dense, and lacking in flavor. The streusel on top was nice and crunchy, with a touch of saltiness. I couldn't get over the texture of the pudding cake, however.
Clove macarons
These were complimentary. Too clove-y for my tastes, but made well. Evan loved them!
Overall, we were pleased with Joule, but I'm not sure we would go back again. There were some stellar dishes, but others just didn't follow through well enough with their concept. I found myself wondering where the bowl of steamed rice was to help soak up the flavor. This would be a great place to go for carb conscious people! I would've liked a little more sauce with some of the meat items. Disappointing dessert. Go to Revel instead!
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