Akar - Clayton: A Delightful Culinary Experience in Clayton, MO

Nice and cozy place near the University area. Just bumped into this while searching for south east Asian cuisine on Google. Definitely worth the 4.8 stars that the reviewers have left. Excellent ambience (small but cute and cozy). Delicious food. And awesome service. They reserved a place for us inside (outside is free seating). Helped us through the menu providing great recommendations. The food was great. I loved the chicken as it had just the right balance of crispness and juicy and tenderness. The duck was tender and the ravioli was great. The ice cream was something I never tried before and I liked it very much (plain vanilla with a hint of coconut milk and pistachios). Would recommend anyone to give it a shot and I'll likely visit it again when I am in town.

This place wow’s me every time! I’ve been trying to eat through their menu and I can say everything has been a delightful experience. Service is good for a slow dining experience. The ambiance is very moody and intimate. Rating this place a 5/5 because it really has that WOW factor :)

The location is peaceful. It's a small place though, Inside seating is almost claustrophobic. We visited on a Wednesday, only 2 waiters for the entire place, not a welcoming reception. Ordered Gnocchi w/ Malaysian curry which is good and flavourful and Broccolini, which is just okay. Everything took a lot of time, we've been waiting for about an hour overall for the entire visit. Not worth the price or time if you're a food enthusiast.

I got a call the day before with someone saying, "we would like to confirm your reservation with a car." I didn't have a reservation for a car so I was perplex until my wife said our reservation for the restaurant name Akar. Bread with butter... It's a very small baguette. Frankly, what impressed me was not the bread but the butter. Very good butter! Escargot - not bad. But if you are ordering escargot don't order the bread... They came with it. Soft shell crab is soft shell crab. Not necessary better than Japanese restaurant but as long as the timing is good and not overcooked. It's fine. Lamb shank was delicious, doesn't taste gamey at all. The sauce was really impressive. Chilean sea bass - it's very good. Rather crispy on the skin. Sauce was good compliment as well. I have to say the only unpleasant experience was the waitress, she may be the boss for what I know. When we arrived at our reservation time, table was not available due to the previous party took longer. We have no problem with that. We waited for about 15-20 minutes and that's fine too. What bothered me was that we were told to leave before we finished. We were thinking about ordering dessert but she said they need our table for the next reservation. They will accommodate us if we want dessert, but we have to sit outside. My wife and our guests were kind of offended so we decided to leave without protesting. After all, they didn't give us the table on time and the food also took a while. Didn't seem it was our fault but we felt the waitress was not too sensitive to us being the victims of no dessert. Added salt the the wound was that I always tip generously but I forgot to adjust and gave the standard 20% tip... Now I'm bitter.

From the moment we walked into Akar, the ambiance set the tone — stylish and comfortable. It struck just the right balance for an evening out. Emily, our waitress, made the evening seamless. She was warm, attentive, and thoughtful with her recommendations — and she kept our table looking spotless and running smoothly the entire time. The food? Absolutely delicious. We started with the scallops and lobster ravioli as appetizers, and the kitchen was more than happy to add a fourth to each so our party of 4 could all enjoy. The scallops were beautifully seared, clean-tasting, and paired with forbidden rice that added a nuttinesa and texture. The lobster ravioli was rich and creamy without being too heavy — the perfect indulgence. Emily suggested the cabbage as an accompaniment, and it was a standout — tangy, crisp, and refreshingly bright. It cut through the richness of the dishes with just the right balance. For mains, we shared the duck, the short rib, the fish of the day (halibut), and the shrimp drunken noodles. Every dish was spot-on: the short rib was fall-off-the-bone tender, the duck was rich and satisfying, the halibut was fresh and perfectly cooked (and honestly, the sauce deserves to be bottled and sold), and the shrimp noodles brought a spicy kick that was flavorful but never overwhelming. Even the drinks — which were all a little outside my usual go-to choices — were fresh, inventive, and really tasty. Akar delivered across the board: atmosphere, service, food, and drinks. We left happy and full.

We did an early Friday night dinner here since we had heard so much about it. Our initial introduction was quite awkward and unwelcoming. It set the tone for a dinner that made us feel like we were a bother. Upon walking in one of the servers asked if we had a reservation to which we answered no. She then asked if we preferred to be seated inside or outside. We stated outside and she invited us to sit anywhere we pleased. We sat at a table for four (two small tables put together) since my husband and I like sitting next to each other. Less than 2 minutes after sitting, a man who we now know is chef B. Lee, came over and asked if anyone else was joining us. We answered no and he said we needed to move to another table (other 4 seaters) or he would take one of the tables away and make it a 2 seater. We moved but it was just the strangest thing because 15 minutes later another couple was seated there. The server was polite and kind, the food decent. I loved the blue crab donabe. The fried chicken appetizer was fine but the soba noodle was described to have a peanut sauce and we could not find that flavour. It was pretty bland. My husband thought his lamb was decent. In addition to my initial grievance, I noticed the chef routinely delivering dishes to all other tables and conversing with them but not ours. It was odd and felt like we were not welcome. Overall not sure I’ll return since food is only part of the experience. The service, especially from the chef, was disappointing and I urge him to do better. Happy to spend any amount of money an artist assigns as a value to their craft but there are expectations the higher the price tag.

Tried this place for the first time the other day, and will be back! The food was delicious and interesting! I really loved the cocktail with thai chili and togarashi on the rim. The risotto and soft shell crab were both fantastic. They were great about accommodating dietary sensitivities and the staff was very nice! The patio was lovely.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the wait staff. The drinks were unique. The one i had, serai, was very good. I lived the addition of black pepper on the rim. The pickled cabbage is hands down the best I've ever had. I would order that by the bucket! The other two meals i had were mediocre. The crispy chicken was fine. But the chicken itself was under seasoned and the breading was too much. It distracted from the amazing herbs and glaze. The breading was initially crispy but began falling off. Id have preferred a lighter maybe cornmeal breading or none at all with a crispy skin. The scallop dish was mediocre as well. Everything was good until i got to the orzo pasta. Pasta was not necessary. It was very starchy/floury? The dish would have made a great appetizer if the lobster curry was lessened and the orzo removed. The mango/scallop pairing was great! The olive oil cake for dessert was very pleasant. Not too sweet. There was a lingering bitterness though but it isn't ruin the experience. Overall I'd try it again but try other dishes to see if the more traditional Malaysian foods are better.