Date Visted: 20th of April, 2011
Name: Chaya Brasserie
Address: 8741 Alden Drive Los Angeles, CA 90048
Got the 5-course prix-fixe dinner ($65) with wine pairing ($32). So as for what I ate…I’m still unsure haha.
Bread & Butter – Source of life.
1st Course
2nd Course – Salmon Tartare
3rd Course – Mushroom Risotto with Japanese Brown Rice, Asparagus and Parmesan Chips
4th Course – Braised Pork and Seared Filet(?) topped with Marrow Juice
5th Course – Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
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The executive chef for Chaya Brasserie is Japanese, who grew up in France. So he takes both cultures to create an unique, Euro-Asian dining experience. (Chaya website)
The prix-fixe dinners varies week to week. It depends on what the local farmer’s market has to offer.
I had a little bit of a hard time following the explanations for each dish. Bleh.
1st course – The soup had a soft, mousse, cloud-like texture. I can drink this all day.
2nd course – Really fresh salmon. The decorations are edible! The pink stripes on the bottom are actually pickled daikon. Even that was too good to not eat.
3rd course – Delicious risotto. The rice wasn’t too soft and had a nice bite to it.
4th course – It was interesting that I was served beef and pork! The beef was savory while the braised pork was sweet so it was hard mixing the two together. Everything was cooked to perfection. I’ve never had marrow juice (seems kinda odd…) but it ended up really flavorful!
5th course – At this point, I was already stuffed. But I couldn’t waste any of that bread pudding!!! I love the contrast between the top crispy croissant skin with the extremely soft, gooey center.
Chaya Brasserie is on the pricey side but I have nothing but praise for this place. Absolutely delicious. Another important factor is the ambiance isn’t intimidating. It’s actually friendly…people are talking and laughing!! There isn’t any pressure to dress in a floor-length dress.
I Am Gourmand 