Fickle

The Sandwich Smith by day, Fickle by night, 

but unlike Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 

both are good and right.*

* Thank goodness I'm not a poet!

The two shops, though different by name, share the same kitchen and space, located on the southwest corner of 1st & Central in Little Tokyo.  Every day between 4:30 and 5 pm, the Sandwich Smith transitions from being a made-to-order sandwich shop to a sit-and-order restaurant, cleverly-named Fickle.  And though the transition is not apparent to the naked eye, the two restaurants are hardly one in the same.

I checked out Fickle's Happy Hour on two separate occasions, and each time, Chef James Ta delivered.  And the beauty of this place, along with many other successful places, is that all of the plates are shareable amongst diners.  Sharing is caring, ya'll.

dine-in date: June 7, 2013; 6pm { HH & Dinner }

White Sangria -- $4

Complimentary kettle corn, dusted with brown sugar, cinnamon, and chai powder.

Fanny Bay Oysters -- $1.75/ each

Fresh shucked oysters are served with red wine mignonette cocktail sauce and lemon

So fresh and sweet.

Burrata Artichoke -- fresh burrata, artichoke hearts, pesto, and edible flowers atop grilled ciabatta slices -- 2 slices/ $7

Yummy! I recommend.

Half-Roasted Moroccan Chicken -- with cucumber, lentil, arugula, tomato, corn, and roasted grapes -- seasonal 

Refreshing salad, but too much residual oil from the chicken.

Mussel Oxen -- Blue mussels, whole oxtail, kimchi broth, with grilled bread -- $15

Reminiscent of a Korean stew... but not quite the same.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake -- with Frangelico hazelnuts and crispy rice nuggets -- $10

They say this massive slice of chocolate cake is a Fickle Favorite, but I found it underwhelming in a number of ways -- overly dense frosting; cake that was hard and too chilled.

**

dine-in date: August 8, 2013; 6pm. { HH only }

Kale Salad -- with cranberry, almonds, and garlic confit -- $7

Crispy Yukon nuggets with Tapatio aioli -- $5

Buffalo Cauliflower -- with bleu cheese crumbles, celery bits, and Tapatio buffalo sauce -- $5

Bone Marrow -- with basil Gremolata and daikon salad -- $7

Spread the delectable and decadent marrow on a grilled ciabatta slice and you'll be beaming.

Pulled Pork Sliders -- Dr. Pepper pulled pork with honey BBQ sauce -- $8

The only disappointing part of trip #2 were the Pulled Pork Sliders.  Considering it was their first debut on the Happy Hour menu at the time, I suppose it's excusable, but the pulled pork was on the dry side.

Overall, if you're in Little Tokyo and you're not feeling Japanese food, Fickle is a great place to visit.  Thanks for providing delicious food by day and night!



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cuisine: New American with Asian fusion flair
location: Little Tokyo
hours: M-Th: 5PM - 10PM; F-Sat: 5PM - 11PM; closed Sundays
websites: { Fickle | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
parking: Street meters or flat rate lots
attire: Casual
notes: Great weekday Happy Hour deals from 5-7PM.  If the weather's warm out, sit on the patio and people-watch!