It’s a small world of flavors

Five years ago chef Charles Phan sold about six orders of whole fish a night, and many were sent back at his Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco. Now he sells about 23 whole fish an evening, and not one has been sent back in the past couple of years, he said.

Diners are stepping outside their comfort zones and opening their minds and mouths to dishes from far-flung global cuisines that now are ripe for exploitation