Dinner at Kings Fish House at Westfield Valley Fair with Friends: The Ultimate Seafood Experience
“Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.”
—Anthony Bourdain
I was always taken by this provocative and irreverent quote by Bourdain, the late celebrity chef, author, and vagabond who explored international culture, cuisine, and the human condition. Though in principle I believe the body “is" the temple of the spirit from an Eastern and Western perspective, I simply saw Bourdain’s quote as a metaphor for enjoying food from different traditions.
This past weekend Cecile and I were invited to join our friends and our travel companions Nelson and Susan Bye for dinner at Kings Fish House at San Jose’s Westfield Valley Fair Mall’s newly renovated dining district, a first time for all of us. We were seated in a tented area at the front of the restaurant with heating lamps to ease the chill in the air. As usual and gratefully, Nelson brought a bottle of California Red Wine called Eight Years in the Desert (2019) from his private collection to enjoy with our meal.
Susan ordered a hand cut Lobster Crunchy Roll with crab salad, asparagus and cucumber with a bowl of New England Clam Chowder while Cecile enjoyed Wild Eastern Sea Scallops with a side of roasted Organic Carrots and deep-fried Brussel Sprouts, Mac ploy, and bacon lardon. Nelson and I enjoyed a Macadamia Nut Crusted Wild Alaskan Halibut with orange ginger butter sauce which included two side dishes. I had Sautéed Fresh Spinach and the Brussel Sprouts. The food did not disappoint.
For dessert, our waiter—without hesitation—recommended "Butter Cake!" I was skeptical at first. I never heard of butter cake. When it was brought to our table, it was a sight to behold. From the first bite we knew this buttery moist spongy cake with vanilla ice cream, berries and fresh whipped cream was going to satify our sweet tooth.
Postscript: King Fish House in San Jose is the first Northern California concept restaurant of the acclaimed Southern California-based restaurant chain that boasts having some of the freshest seafood that is sourced directly in-house form King’s Seafood Distribution. It offers a changing menu depending on what is in season. For those who don’t eat seafood they also offer pasta dishes, filet mignon, burgers and chicken. The chic main dining room that is across from Bloomingdale’s features two awesome 300-gallon saltwater tanks, stocked with live seafood from around the globe.
