Westwood Village, known for the UCLA campus and student-friendly restaurants and shopping, is growing its own budding food scene. Although juiceries and fast-casual sandwich shops may come to mind first when thinking of this Westwood neighborhood, this area is lucky to have a new friend in Fellow. This new spot, owned by buddies Philip Camino & Terry Tolba, is in the works to become a full service restaurant. Executive chef Michael Bryant (past restaurants include Churchill and Cliff’s Edge) is currently serving up lunch in its soft open to get locals ready for their full opening.
Fellow
1071 Glendon Ave, Westwood, CA 90024
https://www.fellow.la/
The space is monumental with its 30 foot ceilings and bar with plenty of seating. It’s the kind of atmosphere you could enjoy with your mom dining at the spring-green booths or with your date at their loungier window seating. I’m also pretty sure the UCLA crowd will appreciate their photobooth, especially once the cocktail list is available.
Chef Bryant’s menu is a seasonal, eclectic mix of both fit-foods and comfort dishes, which I think is perfect for this location. I started with the Avocado Toast. Though I stopped ordering this new classic, due to everyone and their mother posting them on Instagram, I begrudgingly took our server’s recommendation for this staff favorite–and I’m actually glad I did.
Avocado Toast
First off, the generous amount of avocado on the toast alone makes it worthy of an order. But what separates it from the other picturesque toasts is the spread of green goddess dressing, which bursts an unexpected tarragon flavor note. The everything bagel spice on top is also a great touch, one I practice at home often. Clearly, I was off to a great start.
I decided to taste both gluttonous and healthy items, just to give you all a feel for how the menu is perfectly balanced.
The Rock Shrimp Po’Boy is perfect for those for those looking to let loose at lunch. This soft brioche hoagie is stuffed with dill and Old Bay seasoned rock shrimp, lettuce, pickles and comes with a side of yuzu tartare. Each piece of the rock shrimp is crisp and has a zest from the dill, making the yuzu tartare a perfect tart dip.
The Magnificent Three is a choose-your-own-item option allows you to pick a protein, a salad and a selection from the Delicious Plants. I chose a buttery Pan-Roasted Salmon (perfection), a Tuscan Kale Salad and the Roasted Baby Carrots. The carrots have a kick from a Sriracha-Honey glaze but it doesn’t overwhelm. This option will keep that health-nut pal of yours totally satisfied.
In rare form, my favorite dish was actually one of the Delicious Plants sides. I seldom pick a vegetarian dish over any meat options, but this is one of the exceptions. The Lemon & Dill Cauliflower almost had me licking the plate. These perfectly roasted cauliflower florets sit on a plate smear of velouté sauce with a bbq sumac spice. This item will have me coming back for more and I highly recommend you order this as well!
Whether you’re looking to keep it trim or to #treatyoself, Fellow can accommodate all eaters. With the superb flavors and a special eye to the littlest details from Chef Bryant, I have no doubt this spot will flourish in Westwood. It could also inspire more chef-forward restaurants to set up shop here.
GOF Tip: Be sure to park in the Target lot down the street; parking is 2 hours free with validation from Target.
Thank you so much to Lauren Sheftell for arranging this tasting. All though this meal was comped, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
