all photos by Jay
Vietnamese "Sunbathing" Prawns
When you sit down in this exciting new restaurant, the waiter will place a small cup of water with a lemon slice in the center of the table. Alongside the cup they'll place a number of tiny white pellets, one for each diner. "These are magic bullets," they'll tell you. "When you want a wet napkin, just put it into the cup." Of course I immediately put a white pellet into the water....and it blossomed out into a full-size wet paper napkin. Magic....the first of many magical experiences at this stunning new Asian-French brasserie, CASSIA (1314 Seventh St., off the corner of Arizona, Santa Monica, (310-393-6699, with street parking and a $7 valet lot beside the restaurant.) Another somewhat whimsical experience occurred when I approached the front desk to confirm my arrival. The pert hostess had bright purple hair and tiny diamond studs in her nose. Really. Charming Lindsay provided her own 'magic' when she told me that I couldn't be seated until my whole party was present, a rather annoying practice. However my enchanting experience continued when I walkd back to the kitchen and encountered Chef Bryant Ng, a long-time acquaintance with wife Kim Luu-Ng from downtown's The Spice Table. They have joined with the husband-and-wife team of Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan (Rustic Canyon, Milo & Olive, Sweet Rose Creamery and Huckleberry) to together open this exciting new brasserie with Asian flavors. (The name Cassia comes from the bark of the cinnamon-like tree in Asia.)
Steak Frites, sn 8 oz. Hanger Steak with peppercorn sauce and shallot butter.
Chef Bryant Ng is a genius in the kitchen.
The Paris Le Cordon Bleu-trained Ng told me that he lives in the San Gabriel Valley and wasn't looking to open a Westside restaurant but this was an opportunity with choice partners that he just couldn't pass up. I remember that he had to close his successful Little Tokyo place at the end of 2013 when they learned the building would be demolished for a subway station. The Spice Table had catapulted Ng (who cooked at Mozza and Campanile) into national fame, becoming a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2012. "We've been waiting a long time for Cassia's building here to undergo a multimillion dollar seismic-readiness update, but it was worth it." He showed me the antique iron hood above his wood-burning stove from the Spice Table, we laughed at the vintage iron Vietnamese bird-cages from his former eatery, and he mentioned that the city's best farmer's market was just a few blocks away, a source of much of his produce. The restaurant, with 200 seats, includes a private dining room and a spacious patio.....for me, the preferred place to be seated. Cassia is in the bottom of the 1937 art deco Telephone Building (now the home of Verizon) just off the corner of Arizona and 7th. I was impressed with the space, with its high (16 foot) ceilings, polished concrete walls, floors and columns, cozy rooms....it looks like its been here forever. Last Thursday Loeb and Nathan opened Esters, adjacent to the restaurant, a wine bar and store which is being supervised by their wine expert, Kathryn Coker. She told me that they were specializing in small boutique wineries from all over the world. (I brought her a gift of a bottle of Laetita Brut Reserve from my cellar since I knew it wasn't on their list; I favor its bubbly presence, and then suggested she try their Laetita Pinot.) You can purchase a bottle of wine here and take it next door to Cassia where, for a $25 corkage fee, you can then enjoy it. The Rustic Canyon chef will provide small tapas to the wine-imbibers. Kathryn took me over to a small refrigerated case and showed me some of the 'goodies' which they sell retail there. I immediately pulled out my credit card 'cause I saw some things I definitely wantd: A homemade jar ($8) of Schmaltz, chicken fat rendered with onions and salt, as well as Chicken Liver Pate ($16). But the real prize was a tube of meat from Chicago which I had just read about. It's called 'NDUJA and it's spicy spreadable salami. Had it for breakfast today and it is delicious.
The signature dish is the Whole Singaporean White Pepper Crab.
The Vietnamese Pot Au Feu is a short rib stew with veggies and a marrow bone.
The Grilled Spicy Lamb Breast is on top of jasmine rice.
Ng and I discussed the menu at Cassia and some choices for my first dinner.....and the next magical experience was being seated on the lovely terrace and receiving superb service from a dedicated staff of professional wait persons. Kaya Toast ($9), a Singapore street treat, was a first-up must (something which Chef Susan Feniger has been featuring at her Street restaurant for about a year.) I told my brother Stan that I had first tasted it at a street booth in Singapore years ago, coconut jam and butter on their crusty bread served with a slow-cooked egg on top. Bryant's Chinese mother now lives in L.A. but was in Hong Kong previously, and he was born in Singapore. Much of the food at Cassia is reminiscent of that vibrant city.....Malaysian and Vietnamese street food elevated to a classic status. Is it ever! There's a raw bar as you enter, one of the most striking I have seen. I immediately ordered a platter of the Vietnamese "Sunbathing" Prawns ($19), giant crustaceans marinated in garlic, Fresno chiles and Vietnamese hot sauce. Loved the spicy flavors of that sauce. Various tempting oysters from six sources: at $36 a dozen not inexpensive, but you knew they were really fresh. All of the ingredients of a successful bistro-brasserie are here, from the House-cured Charcuterie Platter ($20,29,38), Steak Frites ($32), to Handcrafted Beers and a wonderful Cocktail Menu by Kenny Arbuckle. In honor of my recent Huffington article about Cuba, I ordered a Hemingway Daquiri ($12). Next time, Rome With a View.
The Grilled Pig's Tail is the most difficult, deliciousvdish Ivhave ever eaten. Not for a first date.
I shared the Vietnamese Paté ($14) somewhat reluctantly with beautiful magazine publisher Siobhan Higgins. Then we all dug into a bowl of Escargots ($18), the snails enveloped in a lemongrass butter sauce. Did I mention that some of the delicious bread is baked in a clay oven and is oh, so addictive? On another evening I was the only one at the table to enjoy the Jellyfish Salad ($15), with its shredded chicken, crispy rice, green leaf, and sesame-bacon dressing, Trust me, try it and you will like its layers of flavor. The Grilled Creekstone Farms Steak Frites are spectacular and unique, with the 8 oz. hanger steak finished in a Phu Quoc Island peppercorn sauce and shallot butter. Vietnamese food is the natural meting place of Chinese and French food. Bryant had recommended that we try his Vietnamese Pot au Feu ($28), which was a succulent short rib stew including chunks of potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and a shank bone sticking up and filled with bone marrow. It came with the great bread, spicy sauces and fried shallots. I ladled out portions for Stan and Siobhan and then split the marrow which I dug out from the bone with the tiny fork provided. Later, in my usual know-it-all manner, I emailed the chef that the ingredients of the stew could be cut up finer...but that's impulsive me. Any dish with bone marrow is a winner.)
Lindsay of the bright purple hair.
Grilled Pig's Tail ($18) is the single most delicious and difficult dish in the world to eat. On a platter they bring out a hefty 5-6 inch chunk of the pig's nether extremity. There is a lot of bibb-herb salad greens also which I suggest you remove to a separate plate. This gleaming bronze tail strip has a crispy delicious skin which you immediately remove and eat, a porky delight. Then comes the hard part. Under the skin surrounding the four or five tail joints is a thick layer of fat. Pick up the tail and with a knife do what I did: scrape off all of the fat that you could, and it's a lot. Then begin knawing away at the succulent fatty meat between and around the joints. Yes, I said 'knaw.' This is not a dish you order on a first date (or even a second or third, unless you got lucky and she is also a gourmand.) Messy, oh my yes. Delicious, you bet. Far easier to eat and pretty amazing is a new dishhe added to the menu last night: Grilledd Spicy Lamb Breast ($25), my favorite meat. It's a thick square section of the breast which has been confit in its own fat with onions, then grilled for char and caramelization until tender and juicy. He places it in a bowl of jasmine rice and then put a tiny dollop of sambal on top. This is so spicy hot it it almost unbearable, but there is a cool white sesame sauce beside the plate to cool it. Very typically Southeast Asian in nature and stunningly good. Laksa ($18) is a spicy coconut-seafood soup with rice noodles eaten all over Asia....here its' depth of seasoning made it special. This next dish, of which I actually ordered a double on my visit last night, is a starter of Chino Valley Egg Custard ($15), a cup of creamy custard with braised mushrooms on the bottom and strips of uni (sea urchin) on top. I know, either you love or you detest sea urchin....I happen to love them. Either way, the custard is wonderful and a 'must' at every dinner here.
The signature dish of the restaurant is the WHOLE SINGAPORE WHITE PEPPER CRAB ($60. Yipes). Yes, an elegant version of the Chinese pepper crab dish of every San Gabriel Chinese eatery...here large enough to be shared by several hungry diners. (Someday, if you ask me, I will tell you the amusing tale of my exchange with the chef about the contents - or lack of them - of the carapace of this dish.) It's not too spicy, the crab is cooked perfectly, it come with crab pliers to make it easier to dig out the meat, and those magic wet napkins will be put to good use.
Partner Zoe Nathan and Laurel Almerinda, who oversee the pastry programs for all of their restaurants, have prepared some scrumptious French-inspired desserts that seem to weave in Southeast Asian flavors....like Strawberry & Cherry Green Tea Millefeuille, a Blueberry and Strawberry Napoleon with green tea Bavarian cream ($10) and my favorite, a Vietnamese Coffee Pudding with coconut shortbread($10) which will overwhelm you. Again, this is a 'must' dish at every visit. We ordered the hot Vietnamese coffee ($4) and on my firs visit it came with a French coffee-infuser on top so the coffee drips down into the glass which contains organic condensed milk. Now they do the 'drip' in the itchen. No decaf or cappuccino here, this is the real French experience.
The Chino Valley Egg Custard has sea urchin and braised mushrooms. Delicious.
This warm and unpretentious restaurant in downtown Santa Monica combines the energy of a French brasserie with the fresh, vibrant flavors of Southeast Asia, striking a unique balance of soulful, ancestral cuisine and a contemporary market-driven sensibility. It's a real winner, as witness the crowds flocking here nightly.
Cassia is open from 5 to 11 pm Tuesday to Saturday, from 5 to 10 pm on Sundays. Closed Mondays. Lunch coming soon I hope. I will drive from Beverly Hills for that.
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