Pot Pie of Gold on Pie Day at Komodo on Pico. Duck is the Difference!

Who wants pie?!

Pi is roughly 3.14. That’s pretty much all I know about pi. I was never good at math, even though I’m Chinese and numbers should be ingrained into my DNA as powerfully as the unquenchable, vampiric desire for soup dumplings.

I do, however, understand Pie Day or 3/14, which is today. (Even more accurate and still pi, it's 3/14/15!) There are lots of places around town promoting special pies, but for this savory pie lover, there is nothing better than a nicely made chicken pot pie.

I’ve been a big fan of Komodo lately—the new fangled food truck and brick and mortar restaurant cooking up all kinds of delicious modern Asian fare often blended with other culinary flavors around the globe.

Komodo’s Chef Erwin rarely serves anything at face value. His pot pie is a good example. Instead of chicken he incorporates duck. Originally inspired by those succulent roast ducks dripping with juices and hanging in glass display cases at your local Cantonese eatery, Erwin hoped to infuse some of those rich, tempting flavors into a pot pie.


The inner life of pot pie.

A 12-hour simmered stock is made of roasted duck bone, roasted pork neck, leek, spring onions, and garlic. Then the dark brown roux flavored with bourbon comes into the mix. But the party really starts when Erwin works in shredded duck confit, roasted sweet duck sausage, spring veggies, shiitakes, and kumquat slices for some Chinese signature tastes and cultural nods.

Once these gorgeous ingredients join together and achieve a thick and creamy crescendo, they all go into a ramekin, sealed with puff pastry, and baked till golden brown.

The results are both delicate, hearty, and quite unique. And with St. Patty’s Day right around the bend, it’s truly a pot pie of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Get Komodo's Duck Pot Pie at the Pico location through March or whenever it comes up again as a special.

Komodo on Pico
8809 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
310.246.5153