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On Wednesday, August 7 2013, Yamashiro hosted the second installment of our Guest Chef Series in which our very own Chef Brock teamed up with celebrity chef Manouschka Guerrier for an unforgettable one-night only collaborative “Haitian” dinner for a select group of 40 guests that featured what Chef Brock deemed one “kick-ass menu!”

You may have seen Chef Manouschka on the Food Network’s “Private Chefs of Beverly Hills” or be familiar with her LA based brand, Single Serving, but on this warm Hollywood Summer evening we had a chance to see her like never before as she and Chef Brock joined culinary forces to create a unique 5-course meal and drink pairings that blended Chef Brock’s Asian-inspired California fare with Chef Manouschka’s bold Haitian/Caribbean flavors.

The evening began as guests gathered in our open-air garden courtyard for original cocktails served up by our expert mixologist Coral Turner and mouth-watering hors d'oeuvres like the popular Japanese Unagi meets Haitian Patty.  Once guests were able to loosen up and get a small taste of what was in store for them, we sat down for the first course of the night that the chefs named “Turning Japanese”  -- a thinly sliced grouper sashimi with fresh papaya salsa, crispy shallots, ti-malice sauce paired with a refreshing Barbancourt Rhum Punch.

Next guests were treated to the “Thrilla in Manilla,” a course combining kurobuta lechon kawali (Filipino pork belly made Haitian griot style) with Asian pikliz and homemade banana sauce paired with a Pineapple Saketini. Following this Haisian delight, guests were given a chance to catch their breath and cleanse their palate with a Chino-Latino mash-up of lychee Hamachi ceviche.

After the Intermezzo came the main course and perhaps our favorite of the evening, an Asian/Caribbean concoction known as “One Night in Bangkok,” a perfectly cooked guava curry glazed duck breast and mashed plantains with Nueske bacon and duck griot paired with a glass of Thai Tea.  The photos do not do this amazing dish justice!

Normally that would be a tough act to follow, but next chefs Brock and Manouschka hit our taste buds with a roundhouse kick of flavor aptly named the “Kung Fu’od.” This unique dish was composed of Haitian Kabrit (braised goat) on a buttery toasted bao bun with Chinese mustard paired with a Sexy Coconut cocktail. For the final course, the chefs offered up some “Seoul Food,” a Haitian oxtail bibimbap with Scotch bonnet pikliz, fried green plantains, Asian ratatouille, uzura (quail egg), Haitian rice and beans. This course was paired with a one-two punch of Korean soju and Caribbean ginger beer.

Finally, the evening came to a close with a dessert known as “Heyyyyyysian,” a pain patat (sweet potato pudding) with salted kremas, tempura coconut-avocado ice cream and passion fruit caramel sauce.

It was truly a night that we won’t soon forget and we thank everyone who was able to join us for this once in a lifetime foodie affair brought to you by Chef Brock and Chef Manouschka. Luckily, this won’t be our last Guest Chef Series and you’ll want to continue to check in with us here for information about Guest Chef Series III to see what Chef Brock and our next guest chef will have in store for you!