The first thing that went wrong was on the wall. At first, I liked the decor --a casual, colorful blend of Chinese and Mexican motifs --Chinese opera masks, Oaxacan wood carvings, red glass lanterns, bicycle wheels on the ceiling (not sure the country, but cool). They also had portraits that were actually large projections, that switched every few minutes. So you had Frida Kahlo, the Dalai Lama (not Chinese, by the way!) and random peasants.\n\nWhat pissed me off before our food even came out was that they were projecting a photo of Mao. If you were running a German restaurant, would you put up a picture of Hitler? Because that's basically who Mao was in China. I know it's considered hip and trendy to use Mao's image as a cultural icon, but THIS MUST STOP. \n\nOkay, on to the food. The next thing that went wrong was they brought out the wrong order --we'd ordered duck tongue tacos, they brought the beef tendon with kumamoto oyster. My husband took a bite and realized the mistake --and also that the oyster was really off. I could smell it across the table, and no way should a fresh oyster smell that strong. Kumamotos are my favorite oyster so I am very familiar with a fresh, sweet specimen. This was wrong. \n\nOur server was very friendly and seemed sharp, she took it away with an apology and we got the duck tongue. I took a bite and it was pretty tasty. However, I couldn't get over the fact that I was chewing on a tongue, and tender and flavorful as it was, I couldn't take another bite. \n\nHowever, the salsa that came with the tacos was DELICOUS. I was eating it with a spoon (since I didn't want any more tongue). One of the best salsas I've had, it ranks up there with Papalote's in SF and Cancun's in Berkeley. Really amazing. \n\nThe Beijing glass was fresh and healthy --a big mixture of chilled glass noodles and veggies. It was underdressed, however, and finally we asked for extra dressing which helped a lot. \n\nThe gazpacho was a big surprise --we expected the traditional soup presentation, but instead, got a bowl of cut fruit, and a server squeezed orange over it, tableside. It was delicious, with jicama and dragonfruit in the mix. \n\nWe also ordered the scallop ceviche at the recommendation of our server and this was a HUGE disappointment. For the price (about $12, I think) we got 4 bay scallops (tiny). The concept was cool --they were served on top of limes that had chiles and sugar on top. You popped the scallop and followed with a squeeze of sugary, spicy lime juice. It just underwhelmed because the scallops were so diminutive and less than stellar. For that price and with that presentation, you expect stellar and full-sized diver freshness. \n\nThe dessert we got was great --Tres Lychees (a play on tres leches cake). The lychees came three ways --in a milk-soaked cake, whole, on top of the cake, and as a foam. \n\nOur whole lunch bill came to about $75, and I was still a little hungry afterwards. If you go, I recommend being extremely judicious with your ordering, read reviews to see what's good, and maybe stash a snack in your purse.\n\nSome people have complained that there isn't enough \"fusion\" on the menu --but most of the dishes (even if they're listed as \"Mexican\" or \"Chinese\" only) have a twist. We discovered that the twists are not necessarily explained on the menu, and you may get some big surprises (like our gazpacho). So I appreciate what the restaurant is trying to do --blend two disparate traditions in a delicious way, surprise with ingredients, and use molecular techniques when it enhances the food.
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