Little Karp Seafood & Bar

Trying to find a restaurant that is not Chinese or Asian is sometimes a challenge in Richmond.  Sure, there are the usual chain restaurants and fast-food outlets, but really, it is quite limited.  Nestled amongst all of the great Asian restaurants along Alexandra Road (aka Food Street) is Little Karp Seafood & Bar.  Yes, there are Asian influences, but their menu is definitely not like the rest of the spots on the same street.  They offer brunch as well as a regular menu that has a wide range of dishes.

We came during brunch hours but ended up ordering lunch instead.  We kicked things off with a pair of soups including the Clam Chowder.  This was lightly creamy with bits of onion, carrot, celery and plump little clams.  I didn't find the broth particularly briny, but it was sweet with some savoury notes.  There was a rice cracker on top and a side of garlic herb toast.  One thing that could've been better was the temperature.  It wasn't very hot.

Now on the other hand, the Lobster Bisque with homemade wonton was definitely hot.  It was full of lobster essence and flavour with a sweet brininess.  I felt this was not has heavy (less cream) as other bisques I've had, which I prefer.  I also found that there was very little brandy-flavour as well, which was also fine as the soup ate more pure with the lobster shells coming through strong.  The lingcod wonton was really good with a delicate wrapper and a moist filling.  Loved the addition of corn as the little pops of sweetness was something different.

We went for an appie next in the Plum Chicken Wings.  These featured whole wings (drumette, flat and tip) deep fried until crispy.  I thought the skin was well-rendered as well.  The chicken meat was tender and moist, but not juicy.  Some might consider that a negative, but I thought it was consistent with a "Western" restaurant preparation.  As for the plum, I thought the glaze was more syrupy than actually tasting like plum.  Maybe some extra plum powder on top would've done the trick. 

We went for the Clams & Frites next (can also be had as Mussels or a mix).  This featured large clams that were buttery and just barely cooked through.  They were sweet and briny while completely seasoned by the broth consisting of garlic, celery, fennel, leeks, shallots and white wine.  Lots of great aromatics going on with enough salt for effect.  The frites were the Cavendish starch-covered variety and were perfectly crispy.

We were recommended to try the Truffle Wild Mushroom Risotto and it was more or less decent.  I thought there was a good amount of mushrooms that created lots of texture and woodsiness.  Combined with the truffle, it had the classic earthiness that combined well with the cheesiness.  The rice itself was not overdone retaining a bite.  However, it was somewhat dry and could've used a bit more moisture and/or cheese.

Lastly, we tried the Spaghetti Fruitti di Mare with mussels, clams and shrimp.  Really enjoyed this dish as it could be in any fine-dining establishment and not look out of place.  Beyond the fresh and well-prepared seafood, the pasta was al dente and coated with enough moisture so it wasn't clumpy, yet at the same time, not soggy either.  Nice garlickiness along with EVOO and some seafoodiness which made each bite delicious.  Overall, the food at Little Karp seemed to be carefully prepared with plenty of thoughtfulness.  It was generally tasty with a few things that could've been better.  Definitely a solid and different option along Alexandra Road in Richmond.

The Good:

- Carefully prepared food

- Honest service

- Something different in the area

The Bad:

- Tweaks to some dishes would've made something good even better