Gochi Fusion Tapas

Disclaimer: I'm usually not a fan of fusion tapas, because they're usually done so poorly.

Gochi Fusion Tapas in Cupertino did a great job this weekend, and was cheap to boot! I don't know how we got out of there paying $15 a person, but here's what we ate (no alcohol). Thanks, South Bay Food Elves, for finding this place!

Salad with beef slices. Tasty, light, with a slightly tangy dressing.

Ceviche with crisscut potato chips. This was my least favorite item, mostly because there wasn't enough ceviche for the mountain of chips.

Deep fried tempura. Good, just like it always is at most Japanese restaurants. I got a kabocha squash slice, which is my favorite.

Risotto croquettes. This was definitely more Italian than Japanese, but very well executed. Crispy deep fried exterior, warm gooey interior, and a pool of marinara sauce as inside a pool of pesto sauce. I wanted a whole ball to myself.

Pizza. I forget what kind of meat was on the pizza (sausage?), but the cheese was so gooey! Yay for not skimping on warm stringy cheese. And I don't know how they did it, but the pizza was thin and crispy like a thin crust pizza but poofy like a thick crust pizza at the same time.

The star of the night was a kimchi clay pot rice. I don't think I've ever had a clay pot where the burnt rice at the bottom was so perfectly crisped. Not a single piece was hard or stuck to my teeth. Everthing was just perfectly crunchy and airy. It could have used a little more salt, but kimchi, beef, sesame oil, chilis, vegetables, nori, and an egg are always good comfort food when mixed together.

Gochi's approach seems to be to have a menu with dishes from different cuisines rather than making dishes that combine techiniques and flavors from different cuisines. Maybe that's why I like it more than "typical" fusion. I can eat Italian pasta and kimchi in the same meal, but I can't swallow a sushi roll that has cream cheese in it. You know what I mean?

Gochi's website.