Why Our Caesar Has a Temper

A Caesar is a balance problem. Too polite and it disappears under grilled chicken; too loud and it flattens everything green.

Ours starts the classical way — but the build turns at two points. First, the anchovy question: we skip it and lean on slow-toasted garlic and a touch of soy for depth, which keeps the dressing halal-kitchen friendly without going hollow. Second, the temper: a chili oil we bloom in-house, folded in at the end so the heat arrives late, after the cream.

That late heat is the whole trick. The first taste is familiar Caesar; three bites in, the chili shows up and the bowl stops being polite. Paired with char from the grill and pickled onion's acid snap, it's why the Charred Tikka Caesar outsells everything else on the menu.

Small-batch matters here. We make dressing in the morning for the day, and the recipe card in the kitchen specifies bloom temperature and rest time, not just quantities. When you take a bottle home, keep it cold and use it within five days — real emulsions don't do preservative immortality.