I recently had a birthday and I felt extremely special when my cousins took my wife and me to Cassia. Co-owners Bryant and Kim Ng (Spice Table) ran a popular restaurant near Little Tokyo and was forced to close because of LA’s Metro. They re-opened as Cassia in Santa Monica and I’ve wanted to visit for a long time.
The food based after Mr. Ng’s travel experiences through Singapore and Vietnam. His experience includes the knowledge gained from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Campanile (LA), La Folie (San Francisco), Pizzeria Mozza (LA) and his own restaurant, Spice Table.
The Bar at Cassia
Walking inside Cassia, there is ample bar seating and for a restaurant of this caliber, I was very surprised to see that they were assembling a couple of orders to go. The floor includes a chilled seafood bar, an open look into the meats being cured and an extremely active wood fired grill. We were seated near the grill and I could watch the chefs actively working there throughout the evening.
Spicy Won Tons
The Spicy Wontons seemed like a natural way to begin the evening. They arrived with a soft velvet-like exterior filled with cod, shrimp, country ham and napa cabbage. Roasted chile oil provided a slight coating over the wontons which made them extra supple and moist. For me, it was just the right amount of heat and I enjoyed the overall flavor.
Grilled Chicken Wings with a sweet and spicy chile sauce
Also from the appetizers, we selected the Grilled Chicken Wings. The wings were bold in flavor and well seasoned with a plethora of of Asian spices. Sliced cucumbers were provided with the sweet chile sauce, giving the wings a slightly sweet and bitter contrast.
Grilled Branzino
I enjoy seafood and I was happy that my cousin ordered a branzino. This fish was served whole and butterflied and perfectly grilled with a nice smoky flavor. It was topped with an assortment of fresh herb sprigs such as mint, dill and laksa leaves. The turmeric/garlic/chile marinade did not overpower the flavor of the branzino.
Beef Redang with a curry sauce
The Beef Rendang is a popular dish carried over from The Spice Table. It is made with beef cheek, topped with a curry sauce and served over jasmine rice. A nice dollop of sambal topped this dish and it was not as spicy as I expected it to be.
Grilled Pork Belly Vermicelli
Another entree we shared was the Grilled Pork Belly Vermicelli. This was served in two bowls. Our server waited until we were ready to eat this and did the final preparation table-side. The warm broth was added to the bowl of noodles and tossed. They serve it this way so that the noodles don’t absorb all of the broth. Flavor-wise, this was like a combination between Vietnamese pho and bun.
Charcuterie Fried Rice
My cousins have been here before and the Charcuterie Fried Rice was one of the dishes they recommended. Ng breaks the stereotype of charcuterie by using prepared Asian meats instead of European. Thinly slice lap cheong, salt pork and salted fish was mixed with the rice and I found it surprising that this dish hasn’t been copied by other LA restaurants.
Chick Pea with a Singaporean curry sauce
The chickpea dish was a delicious melding of flavors and was slightly sweet and a bit on the spicy side. Like many of their dishes it was topped with cilantro sprigs. The recipe used is based on Ng’s traditional Singaporean chicken curry, except that he replaces chicken with chickpeas making it a vegan offering.
Vietnamese Coffee Pudding
For dessert they served us a Vietnamese coffee pudding with a lit birthday candle. A great finale to a wonderful evening.
Cassia, 1314 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
https://www.cassiala.com/