Jan 2018

Cassia – Los Angeles (Santa Monica)

Cassia – Santa Monica

It shouldn’t have taken me this long to dine at Cassia considering my enthusiasm for Vietnamese foodways and Chef Bryant Ng’s talent, but alas, here we are two-plus years post-opening and I’m just getting to it.

Inspired by the restaurant’s recent appearance on KCET’s Migrant Kitchen, I gathered a group of my favorite girls (Diep, Tien, and Minh) for a lovely weeknight dinner.

Cassia – Santa Monica

Cassia, which is named after the Vietnamese cinnamon tree, opened in the summer of 2015. Previously, Chef Ng owned and operated the now-closed Spice Table in Little Tokyo (see: lunch, brunch, dinner).

Cassia – Santa Monica

We left the ordering up to Diep—she has the meanest palate around and this was her second visit to the restaurant. She selected a parade of dishes—a bit of this and a bit of that from each of the menu’s various sections.

From the “Chilled Seafood Bar,” we delighted in the Vietnamese “Sunbathing” Prawns ($24), head- and tail-on shrimp brushed in a spicy sauce that stained our fingers.

Cassia – Santa Monica

Next up from the “Clay Oven Breads and Spreads” portion of the menu was a soulful bowlful of Koda Farms Chickpea Curry ($19) served with a simple flatbread and fresh herbs.

Cassia – Santa Monica

Moving on to the menu’s heartier dishes, we shared the Grilled Pig’s Tail ($19). The tender and caramelized tail meat was pulled from the bone table-side and served with Bibb lettuce, herbs, and a fish sauce vinaigrette for wrapping, garnishing, and dipping, respectively.

Cassia – Santa Monica

Diep’s favorite dish from her previous visit was the Whole Grilled Sea Bass ($42), turmeric-kissed, crispy-skinned, and blanketed with fresh herbs including dill, cilantro, and mint.

Cassia – Santa Monica

On the virtuous vegetable front were wok-tossed long beans with avocado, preserved turnips, ginger, and chile oil ($12). The “breath of the wok” left an unbeatable flavor, while the combination of long beans and avocado was deliciously different. Thank you for insisting that we order a vegetable, Minh!

Cassia – Santa Monica

Rounding out the spread was a duo of carbohydrates. The Singaporean Kon Loh Mee ($20), stir-fried egg noodles with Chinese broccoli, ground pork, and pork belly char siu, left our lips properly glistening and our bellies completely satisfied.

Cassia – Santa Monica

The Charcuterie Fried Rice ($18) with Chinese sausage (lap cheong), salted pork, salted fish, and lettuce was solid too. I can’t say I’ve ever met a fried rice that I didn’t like.

Cassia – Santa Monica

The final savory dish of the night was the Vietnamese Pot Au Feau ($46), a tremendous claypot brimming with short ribs, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and bone marrow. Served alongside was grilled bread, a Bird’s Eye chile sauce, walnut-mustard, and pickled onions.

While the marrow slathered on toast was certainly something, the best part of the dish had to be the soul-warming soup that we savored while we sipped.

Cassia – Santa Monica

To close out dinner, we shared the Vietnamese Coffee Pudding ($12) with dainty dark chocolate cookies served on the side.

Dinner at Cassia was a joy from start to finish. I loved how Vietnamese flavors played alongside French, Singaporean, and Chinese ones in both familiar and unexpected ways. I’ll be back again before long.

Cassia
1314 7th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: 310-393-6699

One year ago: Tết 2017: Not Your Grandma’s Bánh Chưng (InstaPot Edition)
Two years ago: 
Sadelle’s – New York
Three years ago:
Lincoln – Pasadena
Four years ago: 
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas (MGM Grand)
Five years ago: 
Thịt Bò Xào Hành Tây – Vietnamese Stir-Fried Beef with Onions
Six years ago: Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine – Oxnard
Seven years ago: OB Bear – Los Angeles (Koreatown)
Eight years ago: M Café de Chaya – Los Angeles (Beverly Hills)
Nine years ago: Cajun Steamer – Birmingham
Ten years ago: Ngự Viên – Ho Chi Minh City
Eleven years ago: Pappardelle in Lemon Cream Sauce with Peas and Smoked Salmon

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