Located in Santa Monica, Cassia is the one of the stars of the Rustic Canyon family of restaurants that includes the name sake (Rustic Canyon), Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe, Sweet Rose Creamery, Milo & Olive, Esters Wine Shop & Bar, Tallula’s, Milo SRO, Cassia, Cassia Rice & Noodle Kitchen and Birdie G’s.
The Vietnamese/French menu includes chilled seafoood bar, french-inspired southeast asian appetizers, asian salads, traditional seafood/fish with asian spices, asisan-style meats, rice & noodles, vegetables, charcutterie, clay oven breads/spreads, and of course desserts. This was our third visit to Cassia, as we used to live right around the corner, but for our dining companion, it was her first time, so we wanted to make sure we hit the high-notes. The only restriction is that she is a pescatarian, so we ruled out the meat and charcutterie items.
Sesame noodle appetizer @ Cassia
The place was packed when we arrived for our 8:45pm, Saturday night reservation, and our table wasn’t ready, so we headed next door to Cassia’s sister restaurant, Ester’s Wine Bar for a glass of wine to kill the time. Around 9:00pm, the hosted came over to tell us that an outdoor table was available, which we agreed to. As soon as we sat down, we realized that the chill in the air was not ideal, so asked to move inside, which they were able to do for us. To Cassia’s credit, they do have heat lamps and blankets on their outdoor patio, but the inside table was definitely a better move, especially for a first-time dinner.
We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to order, but ran our ideas past our waiter to make sure we weren’t missing an all-star dish. He gave our order an “A+”, so we did well by his book.
Highlights from the meal included (plus some items that we’d had during previous visits)
- Cold-water, canadian oysters with lime, cocktail sauce and asian vinager. These were surprisingly good. The sauces gave it an asian kick that we don’t typically associate with oysters.
- Organic chickpea curry with house-made organic clay oven bread. This might be the all-star of the restaurant. Rich and creamy, the curry constrats with the crisp bread. Spicy, but not too spicy. So, so good.
- Grilled Chinese Broccoli with caramelized fish sauce. Very good. The fish sauce adds a layer of complexity. Be careful of the sauces that accompany the dish – they’ve got kick!
- Kaya toast: crustless, toasted bread, with butter and coconut jam with a side of slow-cooked egg with soy sauce (you dip the toasted “sandwich” in the egg/soy sauce yolk sauce….yum!). Our first time having this. Really good and unexpected mix of flavors. You don’t think of coconut jam and egg yolk mixing together, but it works!
- Cold sesame noodles, young soybeans, cucumbers, crushed walnuts and cilantro. Standard southeast asian dish, but done really well. Great appetizer.
- Whole grilled sea bass with tumeric, dill, lime and cilantro. Don’t be scared off by the head and tail. The fish is cooked perfectly and has a nice spice to it.
- Vietnamese Pot Au Feu: short rib stew with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, grilled bread, chili sauce and walnut/mustard (previous visit top pick). Comfort food with definitive southeast asian flavors.
- Kafir lime custard with lime zest. Served in a glass, there are layers of lime custard and light whipped cream. Very tasty, but could have been a little smoother (too much fruit/peel chunks).
Cassia Restaurant 
Seafood Bar 
Cold-water Oysters 
Chickpea Curry & Bread 
Sesame Noodles 
Kaya Toast 
Chinese Broccoli 
Grilled Sea Bass 
Lime Custard
Accompanying the dinner, we had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a cocktail (Thai Basil Margarita).
Recap:
Overall, we definitely recommend visiting Cassia if you are in the LA area (part of our “Four Star Life 100+ Los Angeles Restaurants”). It’s best for groups of 4 or more, so that you can get a variety of dishes and really explore the menu and keep it to under $100 per head. The menu is varied, so let the excellent wait-staff guide you through, based on your own likes and dislikes.
- Cassia (1314 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401)
- Web: CassiaLA.com
- Instagram: @DineCassia
- Cuisine: Vietnamese/French fusion
- $$$ ($100 – $200 for two)
- Overall Rating (w/o price): ★★★☆ (Very Good)
- Four Star Rating (w/ price): ★★★☆ (Good Deal)