By Jenny Tran & Rebecca Do
Last week, while we were pouring over what restaurant we wanted to try out, one particular name came up several times in our discussion.
Three letters, squished into two syllables, easy to roll off our tongues. Ini.
In Italian, it means “little.” However, the restaurant is anything but.
The restaurant is a part of the expanding “Kei Concepts” franchise, which has restaurants all over Fountain Valley including The Alley, Vox Kitchen and Gem Dining.
We set out to the restaurant with a tentative budget of a hundred dollars, wanting to dip into different areas of their menu. Our reservation was made a few days prior, for fear that we wouldn’t be able to snag seats any later.
Walking in, we were met with a warm, homely ambience—far less intimidating than expected. We were immediately led to a wooden table flanked by cushiony seats, with a satin napkin placed neatly on each side, and menus were distributed for our choosing.
After deliberately filtering through our food choices, we placed our orders, just going over our target budget by a couple dollars. One by one, each meal arrived at our table, our mouths watering at the inviting appearance of each one.
Truffle Cheese Bread
The first that came was the Truffle Cheese Bread, a sizzling pan paired with a glass bottle of honey. It was so fresh off the stove that one of us burnt our hand on the steel.
Pale balls of cheese were strewn all on top of the dish like crystallized snow, our forks easily digging into the cream. While the surface of the bread was crispy, the inside was stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese, thin stripes stretching whenever we pulled out a piece. The honey was a deliciously sweet addition, making the entire thing feel like a toasty campfire.
Cavatelli Alla Norcina
Our line of reasoning for choosing this dish was simple; we picked the first name under the pasta section. All three of us anticipated the caterpillar-esque noodles but had no idea what was in store for us outside of that.
The pasta wasn’t very creamy, but the al dente-ness of the noodle made up for the lack of sauce. The sausage was just spicy enough for us to taste it, but not to the point of scorching, hellish pain. We ate this dish family-style yet again and scooped the noodles onto our individual plates. The portion, had we only ordered that, would have not been enough, but considering we were ordering three more entrees including desert, it was enough to suffice until the next dish came out.
Truffle Funghi Pizza
The third dish to come out of the kitchen, this pizza was small but packed with great flavor. The cheese was nothing like the truffle bread; it was savory through and through.
The pizza itself was thin, the crust a chewy-crispy hybrid. Burnt at the edges and haphazardly cut into eight pieces, it was definitely one of the more filling dishes of the night. It was only a couple minutes after we finished our pizza when we received our main course.
Rack of Lamb
None of us had ever tried lamb before, so we were all in for a surprise. We cut into like we would a steak, around the bones and cubing it to ration it off to the three of us.
By far the star of the meal, the lamb was succulent and tender. The plate was reminiscent of a forest, sweet potato on the bottom, pistachio coating the top of the rack like leaves. Arugula proved to be a popular topping as it decorated the sides of the plate. The balsamic vinaigrette was lemony alongside its accompaniment, mustard seeds. Overall, the meat melted in your mouth and was a great end to our round of entrees.
Tiramisu
Our worn out plates were finally cleared in time for dessert. By then, we were undeniably full, but we persevered for the delicious promises of the tiramisu. It came in a small cup with spoons for each of us, paired with biscotti. Tiny chocolate balls were peppered on top. The layers were deliciously creamy in each spoonful, its texture soft and fluffy. Ini’s take on this classic dessert was definitely not a disappointment, and it made for a perfect finale of our night.
Although our wallets took a considerable hit once the bill came, we ended up satisfied with the quality of our meals and how filling they were. From its entrees to its desserts, Ini was an overall enriching dining experience.
