San Diego’s Jsix offers American-Filipino fare at its finest
Named for its location at the corner of J Street and Sixth streets adjacent to the Kimpton Hotel Solamar in the East Village, JSix is known for its California Cuisine with Filipino influences from Executive Chef Anthony Sinsay.
The garage-door-sized dining room windows allow guests to enjoy the scenes of the street outside as they dine in the modern, lofty space with vaulted ceilings and original brick walls. The vibe is cool yet relaxed, like the servers. Suited to the swanky bar, the drinks are hip, fun and flirty, like the Designated Drinker cocktail of Greenmark vodka, aperol, lemon, vanilla, berries, and mint; or Morning Thunder, a blend of Pisco encanto, elderflower, giffard banana, malahat spiced rum, chareau aloe, grapefruit, and greek yogurt.
Chef Sinsay has created a menu of what he deems “honest food and drink,” featuring many of his favorite dishes from his childhood, with a modern twist. The appetizer plates, which he calls “shares,” include Lumpia Shanghai, Filipino crispy spring rolls served with a garlic chili vinegar – served on a homey floral “grandma plate,” wrapped in aluminum foil, just like it’s served by the street vendors in the Philippines; or Foie Gras Short Stack, buttermilk pancakes served with apple-brandy syrup and Foie Gras mousse. Even those foods that one might think are ordinary, the chef can make into a work of epicurean art, like the local melon and prosciutto, decorated with tiny edible floral garnishes and farmer’s market melons, with speck, burrata and espelette – comprising one of the most beautiful dishes I have ever beheld.
While I am generally not a sushi fan, I swooned over the yellowtail ceviche with its blend of flavors of coconut, citrus, chilis and red onion. Chef Sinsay visited our table and enthralled us with the history of the trading of these flavors and ingredients from the Philippines and how they became incorporated into this classic dish.
It was no surprise to us that when I suggested he should write a book about this fascinating culinary history, he informed us that he already is. The book is inspired by his journey from first believing that his Filipino culinary heritage was not “good enough.” As a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and someone who began his career opening restaurants, such as at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills and in Las Vegas at the Platinum Hotel, he thought that French cuisine was superior.
Luckily for us, Sinsay didn’t get discouraged and continued to hone his Filipino recipies, adding his flair and attitude, to create a menu and dining experience that is extraordinary and unique, and one that an adventurous diner does not have to travel half around the world to enjoy.
