Here are some tips for enjoying a night at Koi restaurant. As you may know, Koi restaurant was started by Nick Haque who opened several locations of the restaurant. When visiting the Los Angeles Koi here are some tips to help you enjoy your experience:

1. Make a reservation.  Koi is an extremely popular restaurant and there is usually a long wait.  Make a reservation to make sure that you will get a table.

2.  What to order:  Koi has an extensive menu and there are many ordering decisions to be made.  Make sure to order some of the classic Koi dishes.  These dishes include the Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice, The Baked Crab Handroll, and Albacore with Crispy Onions. 

3.  If you are on a diet:  If you are on a diet you have nothing to worry about!  Koi is the perfect dining destination for you.  This is because they have a “skinny menu” that features a great variety of low calorie menu items such as the lettuce wraps.  It even includes low calorie drinks like the cucumber slimtini. 

If you are planning on dining at Koi for the first time you are in for a treat!  You will have a great time and you may even spot a famous celebrity.  Have fun and eat some spicy tuna on crispy rice for me!

Nick Haque's "Pear-trified Cider"

One of the things I love about Halloween is all the seasonal treats.  From lots of candy, to themed items, to pumpkin flavored foods, there are plenty of fun Halloween specialties.  I love that Koi showed their Halloween spirit with a spooky Halloween themed drink.  The drink is called “Pear-trified Cider” and luckily we can let you know how to make it thanks to Koi.  1.5 oz Pear Vodka
Apple Juice
Lime Juice
Ginger Beer

Pour vodka into a shaker with ice. Add a splash of apple juice and a splash of lime juice. Shake and strain over ice in a highball. Top with Ginger Beer and serve.

Thanks to Nick Haque‘s Koi for providing us with this awesome spirited cocktail to get us in the mood for Halloween.  It is also a great drink for the upcoming holidays.

What restaurant has your favorite spicy tuna?  If you are a fan of the spicy tuna roll in its various incarnations, then you should try the spicy tuna at Nick Haque‘s Koi.  First of all, once you try the spicy tuna with crispy rice there, you will instantly become a fan.  The spicy tuna with crispy rice at Koi is seriously one of the best dishes I have ever tried.  There is just something magical about it.  I have eaten at sushi restaurants all over the country but always come back to Koi on La Cienega in Los Angeles because they have my favorite spicy tuna.  At Koi, the recipe is just perfection for this classic sushi favorite.  Another option you could go with is a spicy tuna handroll.  I can’t wait to go back to Koi and order this and all my other favorites.  For instance, I am also a huge fan of the baked crab handroll.  It is another amazing selection.

Not only does the famous restaurant Koi offer amazing food, but they also have been know to donate to worthy charities.  Koi has used their success to help others.  Some of the recent causes that Koi has raised money for include the earthquake and tsunami in Japan as well as for famine victims in Africa.  Koi raised money by creating new menu items which part of the money from went to charity.  There were also beverage choices that helped the cause as well.  Koi has demonstrated a commitment to helping others in need.  In just a few weeks Koi was able to raise over $15,000 for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  The new menu items were the “Just a Little Shot”  and the “Rising Sun Roll.”  Koi even created a non-profit charity to use culinary arts to raise money for worthy causes.  The charity is called “Just a Little” non-profit organization and it was started by Koi owner Nick Haque.

Koi has a wonderful menu that offers a great variety of amazing dishes.  Whether you are in the mood for sushi or cooked food, you can find something you will love at Koi.  Koi has many amazing dishes.  Countless celebrities are huge fans of Koi due to the amazing selection of dishes available at the restaurant including the low calorie skinny menu dishes.  Some of the highlights of the menu are the spicy tuna with crispy rice, seared albacore with crispy onions and ponzu sauce, and the baked crab handroll.  Another great option is the miso bronzed black cod which basically melts in your mouth like butter.  If you are on a diet, have no fear, the skinny menu is here.  The skinny menu offers a fabulous selection of low calorie dishes that are light on calories but full in flavor.  You can’t go wrong at Koi.  If you are in the mood for a steak, you can even find that at Koi.  The grilled skirt steak or filet minon both offer excellent options.  Nick Haque‘s Koi is a fun and gorgeous restaurant to enjoy a special meal.

Eva Longoria loves Koi!  Celebrities love to eat at Koi and Eva Longoria is no exception.  The actress had some friends visiting from Spain and wanted to show them a great time!  Where do celebrities go to show their friends a fabulous meal? Koi of course!  Eva took her friends to Las Vegas Nick Haque Koi after a night on the town.  She took her friends to see O and then for a meal they went to Koi.  What an exciting night out.  Cirque de Soleil is one of the hottest tickets in Las Vegas.  There could be no better way to end a wonderful night than a delicious meal at Koi.  You just never know who you may end up seeing at Koi!  There are many fun activities to enjoy in Las Vegas.  If you are taking a trip to Vegas make sure to take a clue from Eva Longoria.  Dine at Koi and catch a show such as the entertaining O.

Nick Haque has been using Koi to raise money for a charitable cause.  After the devastating earthquake in Japan, Nick Haque introduced rolls to the Koi menu that would help raise money to donate to this cause. Koi joined the campaign to help the Red Cross raise money to help the people of Japan rebuild their lives.

Nick Haque created the “just a little” non-profit organization to help raise money for worthy causes through the culinary arts.  The Koi restaurants have been extremely successful and this success could be used to help others through the non-profit.  The money was raised through two menu items, “the rising sun roll” and the “just a little shot”  Those two little items added up to raise over $15000 for the cause!

Nick Haque explained, “Feedback from our customers was tremendous. Our guests were so eager to help that we outpaced our fundraising goals after the first week. And, the staff was incredibly supportive, as we have several employees who were personally affected by the tsunami.”

If you are trying to eat healthy, you don’t have to sacrifice taste.  Nick Haque Koi offers the Skinny Menu to keep you looking good and things tasting great.  On the Skinny Menu you can order some fabulous dishes that are low in calories.  If you ever wanted to cook delicious Skinny Menu inspired dishes at home, you are in luck!

Chef Robb Lucas of Nick Haque’s Los Angeles Koi has shared some recipes with “Fab Fit Fun”. Check out the recipe for a nice light salmon spring roll and a low calorie drink to go with it!

Salmon Sashimi Spring Roll

Ingredients:
1 sheet rice paper
3 oz. salmon
1 leaf of butter lettuce
3 slices of tomato
2 slices of avocado
4 leaves of cilantro
2 sticks of cucumber

Instructions:
1. Lay rice paper onto a clean, flat surface
2. Starting about half an inch from an edge of the rice paper, place lettuce, salmon, tomato, avocado, cilantro and cucumber; leave approximately one inch of rice paper open on each end
3. Fold the open inch on each side inward and then tightly roll
4. Cut into six pieces
5. Garnish with ichimi and freshly chopped chive

Enjoy this dish with Koi’s calorie-friendly cocktail! You may not be in LA, but that doesn’t mean you and your guests can’t dine like stars.

Citrus Slim-Tini

Ingredients:
2 oz. Junmai sake
2 oz. Blood Orange Hibiscus Tavalon Tea
1/2 oz. agave nectar
1 piece fresh ginger
1 lemon wedge

Instructions:
1. Add all ingredients to shaker with ice.
2. Shake, then strain into martini glass.
3. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

If you are in one of the cities where Koi is located, whether you live there or are visiting as a tourist, make sure to make a point of eating at Koi.  Koi is a restaurant that everyone who is a fan of Japanese cuisine should try.  Once you taste their spicy tuna with crispy rice or their baked crab hand roll, you will be in heaven.   Luckily, there are several locations for this restaurant.  You can find one of Nick Haque’s Koi restaurants in the following locations:  Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and Bangkok.  Once you dine here you will instantly become a fan.  From the ambiance, to the service, to the food, dining at Koi is an amazing experience.  Koi is a fun place to go because you just never know who you may see.  Many celebrities have been spotted at Koi.  If you are on a diet, you can even find some healthy low calorie items on the Koi Skinny Menu.  Koi also has a expansive menu with just about everything you could want.  Whether you are in the mood for sashimi or steak, you can find some delicious options at Koi.

Nick Haque was recently interviewed by Vegas All Night!  Koi Las Vegas is a popular restaurant so it makes sense for a magazine that focuses on Vegas night life to interview the man behind Koi.  When asked what his favorite dishes at Koi are Haque mentioned the spicy tuna with crispy rice and a new dish.  The new dish was Edamame Dumplings and they are a great dish to eat and support a cause at the same time.  50% of the proceeds from this menu item will go to support relief efforts in East Africa.  Koi restaurant has a great track record for raising money for people who are suffering.  When you eat at Koi you can feel great about your choice of restaurant because not only will you be eating delicious healthy food, but you will also be helping to support an important cause.

If you ever wondered how often Nick Haque can be seen at his restaurants, your question is answered in this interview.  Haque explained that he tries to make it to each of the Koi locations once a month.  Haque also talked about some of the specials going on right now at Koi.  For instance, “Sunset Flights is a tasting menu of three of our signature menu items and specialty cocktail pairings available in the Lounge from 5pm-7pm seven days a week,” Haque explained.