Such an ordinary moment was a text exchange between a blogging friend of mine, Julianne the editor in chief of Girls on Food. A few sentences back and forth was a casual discussion about meeting up for dinner. Choosing the city, finding a restaurant, and within a matter of days Julianne and I were seated at Chaya Venice.

It’s hard not to love the restaurant the minute you walk in. It’s such a beautiful space with a significant degree of intimacy that other restaurants struggle to accurately capture. Some places put a heavier emphasis on romance so the single and lonely may feel isolated. Speaking from experience. However when it comes to being romantic, seductive, and inclusive Chaya feels like the last bowl of porridge in the Goldilocks story—it’s just right.

Before plates from the new seasonal and farm to table menu came from the kitchen and were placed before us, the Amuse Bouche (complimentary) arrived. A blanched and cubed potato was stuffed with mussels and topped with a Pommery mustard butter sauce. The disappointing part of the starter is that there is only one potato, however if you enjoy it slowly you’ll get to savor such a simple and well-made item. The exciting part of the starter is discovering that the small amuse bouche is unexpectedly appetizing in spite of its size. Placing mussels with a mustard flavored potato would have never entered my thought of items to order, but after having it here at Chaya Venice, I will always look forward to it when I see it on a menu.

Following was the Big-Makase/Nigiri 5 ($38). When the chef built the dish, he was looking to incorporate sushi that could be enjoyed with pairings other than the typical soy and wasabi. Instead, he utilized fish that could be accented with different flavors to instill a greater sense of a enjoyment. Because of the emphasis on the sauces and how they complement one another, it was suggested that the sushi be eaten left to right. From a simple tuna with the chef’s own savory brew we then hopped over to a buttery yellow-tail with a smoked soy sauce. A citrus focused salmon came with a yuzu pepper sauce with a welcoming lemon taste. After that was the seared albacore with a garlic ponzu and scallion, and then a chewy scallop with shiso and a bitter plum paste. After all those items we ended the entire dish with a cured mackerel topped with ginger and a shiso leaf inside the rice. While it didn’t look like a lot of food, it was more than enough to split between the both of us where we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything at all. Even more, we didn’t miss the soy or wasabi. Actually forgot they weren’t even there.

Once the sushi was gone, the Manila Clams ($15) was next. A selection of clams sat in a green garlic broth with tofu. Taking the clams from out of their shells and grabbing spoonful’s of the bright broth made for a bowl of pure delight. It was presented beautifully and tasted just the same, but isn’t one that would suffice to fill you up as dinner. I would highly suggest that you get it as a starter or a side, but not as the entree alone.

The next dish was one I didn’t care much for. Not because it was made incorrectly or because it tasted poorly, but because it was so simple and I felt like it didn’t have much to it overall. The Chrysanthemum Salad ($14) took arugula and sprinkled in crispy bacon, mushrooms, and drizzled it with a bacon vinaigrette. While I love a salad with bacon, it’s essentially just a salad. Unless you’re a vegetarian or a pure salad lover at heart, I think there are better options on the menu to explore. The next dish was one that I loved to discover. The Spicy Grilled Octopus ($20) was easily one of my favorites. Slices of octopus were plated with a green papaya salad, a garlic chili oil, and lemon. The chewy octopus with its smoky richness was perfect with the crisp salad and garlic. Thankfully it’s not too much garlic, but just enough to give the dish a nice kick.

The last item before dessert was the Pork Chop Katsu ($29). A large bone-in cut of pork was lightly breaded and topped with mole katsu sauce and karashi aioli. I liked that the chef breaded the pork because it gave it such a different texture. Taking bites of the previously sliced pork, it was clear just how juicy and succulent the meat was. The creamy sauces that came with it were just the right addition to increase the taste of the already delightful pork.

The final plate to visit the table was the dessert. A Cherry Parfait (price unavailable) with a mascarpone cream, brownie, and early grey mochi was such a beautiful way to end the dinner. While I’m not the biggest fan of cherries, I enjoyed the incredibly decadent brownie, the iced and subtle mochi, and the mascarpone that wrapped around it. Although I wished for strawberries or raspberries instead of cherries, it was clear as day that Julianne was just fine with the dessert as it was presented. A few blinks and seconds later and the dessert was gone. Surprise, surprise and the food queen herself did a little magic and abracadabra she devoured it.

Impressive? Of course.

Dinner at Chaya Venice was delicious and spending it with Julianne was just what I needed. It was great to spend the evening with a fellow restaurant blogger and bounce ideas off of one another, catch up, and do it all over beautifully plated dishes. Looking back on it all, Chaya Venice has officially become a restaurant I can’t wait to revisit and I knew it the minute I walked out their doors

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Address: 110 Navy Street Venice, CA 90291
Phone: (310) 396-1179
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – 5:00pm to 11:00pm and Friday and Saturday – 5:00pm to 12:00am
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