Camelia Tzadok
Note: A prix fixe menu, derived from the French term for “fixed price,” is a multi-course meal with pre-selected dishes. To view Glass Box’s prix fixe menu, click here.
The Glass Box, an Asian-inspired coastal kitchen, lives up to its name, offering a unique dining experience in — you guessed it — a ginormous glass box. Visitors can gaze through the glass and into the kitchen as dishes are handcrafted and artfully plated, offering an immersive and intimate culinary excursion.
The Glass Box is led by executive chef and owner Ethan Yang, who named the establishment with inspiration from his commitment to authentic and transparent dishes. As one of the most recent additions to the Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center, a chic food hall, the Glass Box is the perfect dining destination for anyone with a curiosity for behind-the-scenes action.
The first dish to arrive was the Prosperity Salad. Filled with leafy greens and a medley of assorted veggies — from daikon radish coins to mini carrot batons — it was a fresh introduction into this multi-course menu. The zesty sauce drizzled atop the salad had tangy notes, and the fistful of crispy wonton chips added a nice crunch.
The second appetizer was a warm and comforting wonton soup that featured handmade dumplings and fresh vegetables. The delicately wrapped pork and shrimp wontons rested in a rich umami broth, creating flavorful pockets of soft meat. The tender choy sum added mildly sweet undertones, and a bit of crunch to the soup — a tasty companion to the snap of the shrimp.
For the second course of the prix fixe menu, we got the tempura shrimp and an assorted dim sum plate.
The four long logs of crispy fried tempura shrimp were served alongside a savory tentsuyu dipping sauce. The shrimp had a slightly mushy interior — likely due to an excess of batter — but it was still audibly crunchy, beaming with a picturesque golden hue.
The assorted dim sum dish held a trifecta of goodies, like shumai with a springy pork filling and dotted with petite pearls of fish roe, har gao stuffed with plump morsels of shrimp, and spring rolls crisped to a lovely golden brown. Though Glass Box is high-end, the flavors in this dish reminded us of your local family-run dim sum spot.
Next up was the third course, which included a sashimi tasting and beef tartare.
The sashimi arrangement looked like an art piece one may find in a museum. The fish was expertly laid on a bed of sliced carrots, daikon, and assorted vegetable leaves over ice
pellets with crisp celery branches emerging from the bowl. The presentation creates a line inviting the viewer’s eyes to linger. Soft flower petals graced the plate, making for a dish almost too exquisite to eat — emphasis on the almost.
We could barely contain our excitement as we dug into the fresh assortment of salmon, mackerel, sea bream, and tuna. The light and buttery flavor of the salmon was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, making it the star of our show. The mackerel’s very strong piscine flavor juxtaposed with the crimson tuna’s more mild taste. The sea bream was juicy and delicately sliced; its softness also made it a quick favorite.
The sashimi tasting was a tough act to follow, but — keeping with the raw theme — the beef tartare was up next. The soft beef packed a fiery, chili-flavored punch and was perched atop a slab of crunchy golden rice. The contrasting textures made for a unique bite, and a feathery fennel garnish added a hint of brightness. In the end, the sashimi outshone this third course dish. Don’t worry, beef tartare; it’s not you, it’s us.
The fourth course included two entrees: braised pork belly and green tea white fish.
The first entree was a delicious, lightly-braised pork belly with bok choy in a bath of sweet and savory sauce. The first bite had us setting down our forks — though only momentarily — to share stories of the times we ate pork belly with our loved ones. The dish tasted so similar to the homemade dishes we adore. The tender, caramelized meat was buttery and melted into the rice, complemented well by the crunchy and slightly bitter bok choy. The sweetness of the fennel garnish balanced the umami, mustardy, and spicy undertones of the rest of the dish, making each bite more harmonious than the last.
Our second entree, the green tea white fish, had a simple and mild flavor reminiscent of the tea it was inspired by. The pearl-colored fish was soft and glossy with a mellow taste. Mushrooms, carrots, banana peppers, and tender broccolini florets were stylishly arranged under the fish and steeped in a light sauce. The fennel garnish added a soft sweetness and flavor of anise tea.
The dessert, chosen by the chef, was brought to us by none other than Chef Yang himself. Yang was a gracious host and made us feel very welcome by coming over to bring out our last course. As he introduced the chef’s choice dessert to us we thanked him for the beautifully thought-out dining experience at the Glass Box.
The chef’s choice dessert was simply stunning. Layers of pastry were delicately stacked with a decadent cream solidifying the cake. It was dressed with a light glaze and slivers of sliced strawberries on top. Nestled alongside it was a generous mound of creamy chocolate ice cream and an orchid with a dazzling shade of fuschia. The flavors melted together deliciously in this divine treat to conclude our meal.
The four-course dinner at the Glass Box was a visually stunning experience with unique flavor profiles that perfectly balanced land and sea. The restaurant’s design for transparency provided an immersive experience, allowing us to enjoy our food as we watched the chefs artfully crafting plates for the other patrons.