Oi Asian Fusion

In its original usage as a catchall term for American recipes vaguely inspired by Asian sauces and techniques, “Asian fusion” became a warning sign for inauthenticity throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Yet Oi Asian Fusion is part of a new generation of restaurants that have reclaimed and redefined that term, leveraging Filipino meat bowls, Momofuku-style buns, and other delicious recipes of mixed provenance to spotlight the possibilities of pan-Asian fusion.

While we’ve tried and enjoyed Oi’s Chinese-influnced soft buns (including Japanese fried chicken and pork belly, not the Angus burger version), as well as their pork belly jicama tacos (wow!) and their original focus – rice bowls ranging from Filipino adobo to longanisa sausage and ribeye – what has kept us coming back are the Creme Caramel-branded desserts. Perfect pandan and very good mango flans were among our favorites, but ube and honey Thai tea flans have also popped up, as well as an ube upside down pie with graham crackers and yogurt.

Oi’s sole Orange County location is inside Rodeo 39 Public Market, where we’ve routinely stopped for desserts since it opened in 2020. Originally founded in 2013 in Reseda, Oi has other shops in LA and San Diego.