Cassia

Went on a Saturday night. My friend goofed on the reservation so we had to sit outside in the tent. I was FREEZING. I’m not sure how they think that arrangement is workable…
Food was good. Everything was flavorful and fresh. So mostly hits and couple of misses. Chickpea flatbread and chicken were standouts for me. Fried rice and spicy wontons could have been skipped.
Expensive.
I would love to return and sit INSIDE. Sort of hard to enjoy a meal when you are FREEZING.

A lot of times when restaurants try Asian Fusion out, it doesn’t work out well. In this case, Cassia hits the ball out of the park.
The restaurant is always packed and for good reason… it’s a beautiful place to dine but I bet the real reason why it’s so busy is because of the food. It’s hard to describe but many of their dishes are just so simple but are packed with complementing flavors that make your eyes pop.
For starters, the Kaya Toast… what is kaya toast really? In a nutshell, it’s toast with coconut jam. You blend that with some sort of soy sauce and a poached egg and BAM! Your tastebuds just went on a wild ride to delicious town. Other memorable dishes were the Chickpea Curry (this was soooo good) and the Laksa.
The menu has something for everyone, and it’s probably best to order family style so you can try everything. I need to come back here to try more things!

There are many mixed reviews about this place. But I am giving Cassia a solid four stars. I am kind of bummed that I can’t give it five, but here’s why.
I have been waiting to dine at Cassia for a while because of all the amazing things I have heard about it, including all of the food critics that rant and rave about how unbelievable the food is. So, with no reservation, my boyfriend and I checked it out on a Wednesday night around 7:30 pm and it was pretty much packed. For an LA restaurant, this is impressive. However, the hostess was extremely accommodating and I had done some research about the different areas to sit in the restaurant with no reservation. Within a half of an hour, we had a table near the grill, slightly warm, but fine for the colder months.
The staff is incredibly friendly, understanding, and considerate. The wine we had was exceptional on the first try. Because I don’t traditionally eat Vietnamese cuisine, I have nothing really to compare it to; and I’ve found that the people dissatisfied with the food are those that have had the top echelon Vietnamese cuisine for cheaper prices. I’ve had the traditional phở and some other appetizers, but nothing like this; EVER. The menu is incredible. There are so many wonderful vegetarian options which is super exciting.
Needless to say, the food was superb. I have not had a meal in LA with this much flavor in a long long time. What we ordered: the smoked salmon dip, kaya toast, the chino valley egg custard, the black cod, Chinese broccoli, and the kabocha squash. Unfortunately, there was a hair in our smoked salmon dip; obviously a complete mishap. With that being said, they took it right back and made us a fresh one. The flavors were great, the perfect amount of horseradish, salmon roe to add salty; the perfect starter. The kaya toast was out of this world; robust with flavor, buttery and savory. This is a must try! The Chino Valley egg custard was extremely rich, however it was perfectly executed but difficult to finish. The black cod was probably my favorite dish. The anchovy broth was the perfect pairing for a flaky white fish and again the flavor was outstanding. The squash was cooked to perfection, had a well charred crust, added with a savory curry to offset the sweetness. The broccoli was probably the least favorite of the dishes we ordered, slightly overcooked and soggy.
Because we ordered so much food, we didn’t make it to desert. But, we will definitely be back to try the other stuff on the menu. I know this restaurant does take-​out but you will truly be doing yourself a disservice. Everything must be eaten fresh! Happy eating.

I love this place.
Best dish for me, Vietnamese Pâté, Laksa, Floating Island dessert! Delicious!

BF brought me here for our anniversary and we had the best meal. There was plenty of street meter parking nearby but valet is also available. The overall vibe here is casual chic. We sat inside but the patio was warm with heat lamps abound.
Escargot and the Vietnamese pot au feu slayed me.
Jellyfish salad was a huge portion and a bit overdressed but that is precisely how I like my salads.
Kaya toast was too sweet for me as were their drinks, but personal preference aside Cassia is a wonderful addition to Santa Monica’s foodie scene.

yet another disappointing dining experience
dude eater la, i’m over you
quit hyping spots that don’t deliver
had heard a lot about cassia
so came by on a saturday night for dinner
between to the two of us, we shared:
vietnamese pot au feu — this was a tiny pot of white person phở broth
(i don’t feel bad saying this because the person i ate with
is white and he’s the one who said it)
with plain ol’ flavorless short rib and boiled vegetables
oh, and it came with grilled (but mostly burnt) bread with mustard and
another sauce that neither of us liked
total disappointement
whole grilled sea bass — we both liked the fish a lot
but agreed that you could get this at any other standard
vietnamese/​asian spot for probably half (if not a third) of the price
i had the smoked cocktail — scotch, cassia infused cardamaro, bitters, apple wood smoke
when the best thing you had at a restaurant was the cocktail
it’s a bad sign
pretty interior though!
i’m noticing a trend lately — pretty interior and «artful» plating
will usually get you on eater la’s «best blah blah blah in LA» list
don’t believe the hype

Oh the second day of my mommy vacation, I really wanted to try this place. The owners have had such great and much deserved success of their other restaurants. This place is still fancy but the portions are perfect for sharing. The Laksa noodle broth was rich and flavorful, a warm hug from the ocean. The chicken wings were made to order and plated with care and love. It is pricey but it’s great for a special occasion and if you are in need of a private room. The staff are really well trained and are professional instead of many other places in town. I love this restaurant group and are happy to support them on a daily basis. (Yes, I frequent their other places way too many times a week.)

So disappointing. Food is mediocre and, to add insult to injury, my stomach’s been hurting for the past twelve hours since eating here.
My friend and I eagerly came here after we saw that it was voted the best new restaurant of 2015 in LA by Los Angeles magazine.
We had the vietnamese pâté, papaya salad, sea bass, and laksa.
The pâté was ok; the seasoning was not evenly spread on the bread so some bites were pure salt. The papaya salad was definitely the best dish, with the spiciness in the dressing nicely balanced out by the candied pecans. The sea bass was overpriced at $ 38; there were no sides and it was not well-​fileted — there were lots of little bones I had to keep picking out. Lastly, the laksa was disappointing — the noodles tasted overcooked and not flavorful; they tasted like they’d just been dropped into the broth before being served as they didn’t have any of the flavors of the broth. The egg half that was included had some shell on it.
The persimmon spice cake that we had for dessert was tasty but nothing special.
I have no idea what the hell Los Angeles magazine was thinking when they ranked this place #1. Granted, it was a pretty lean year but this was one of my most disappointing meals in the past few months, and I really can’t recommend it.

Cassia is a beautiful restaurant with a relaxed ambiance defined by casual luxury. The floors and ceilings and a few walls have the exposed concrete, contemporary look while the tables are marbled with high quality seating. The atmosphere doesn’t feel pretentious, but even on a rainy Sunday night, it was a packed house was difficult flagging someone down at times. We came early for our reservation and enjoyed a few drinks and appetizers at the bar before our table was ready. We had about 4 different servers during our dinner because our designated one was randomly MIA.
I was introduced to Kaya Toast at this dinner, and I’m partially sad for setting the bar so high right off the bat. Am I ever going to have this delicious, buttery, coconut jam sandwiched between the crispy yet sponge-​like bread dipped with a perfectly cooked soft egg anywhere else? If I’m going to have to make reservations 3 weeks in advance to enjoy this again, we’re going to have a problem. While eating the kaya toast, I was making pleasure sounds and saying «Omg» so many times my boyfriend thought something else was going on under the table. For reals, though, I would like to bathe myself in this jam, and I don’t regret saying it publicly because it’s just the truth.
The other standout of the night was the Vietnamese Coffee Pudding. This was by far the best coffee dessert I’ve ever had. I don’t know much about coffee, and I’m not a huge fan of pudding, but seriously every other table had this cute little blue cup for dessert that I just had to find out what it was all about — so glad I did. The sweetness balanced the strong coffee flavor so well, and the texture was just perfection. I would go back to Cassia today just for the Kaya Toast and this dessert.
Our server recommended a few other dishes: Chickpea Curry Spread, Sea Urchin Egg Custard, Spicy Wontons, Laksa and Spiced Lamb Breast. All the above were flavorful, cooked to perfection and I wouldn’t complain about the presentation or preparation. The only downside is my bf and I decided that with every one of those dishes, we’ve had the same satisfaction eating similar dishes somewhere else at a lower cost. The thing about Asian fusion dishes is that the authentic dish is almost always better somewhere else. The Spicy Wontons were great, but I prefer the Spicy Wontons at Din Tai Fung or even Mama Lu’s at half the cost. The Chickpea Curry and Spiced Lamb Breast were good, but I’ve had very similar dishes at Indian restaurants and probably would not order those again. My mom would make Egg Custard for me as a kid, and it tasted the exact same with the exception of the additional sea urchin. I’m not surprised by the great reviews because the flavors are on point, and most of the authentic dishes aren’t offered in the general vicinity.
The biggest underwhelming dish was the Laksa — the noodles were too thick and udon-​like and didn’t soak up the rich curry seafood broth as much as I had hoped. With all this said, the entire menu really intrigued me, and I already know of a couple of items I’d like to try on my next visit (Kon Loh Mee — another noodle dish with egg noodles, Grilled Pork Belly Vermicelli, Pot Au Feu). Plus, I can’t get that Kaya Toast out of my head, so thanks, Cassia, for ruining my nonexistent wedding diet.

Wow. This place truly blew me away.
Was visiting a friend who lives in santa monica and he recommended we try Cassia cuz he had been wanting to try it out for a while.
It was a Wednesday night and the place was poppin. We didn’t have a reservation but they seated us at the seafood bar immediately. They also had a nice bar, and some outdoor seating on their lit patio. As well as all of the normal indoor seating of course.
We started off with a round of drinks. I had a sour beer and he had an old fashioned. Both were good.
We decided to start with the Vietnamese Sunbathing Prawns. These were cold prawns fried in all kinds of spices and served with lime and Vietnamese chili sauce. Very good. We drenched them in lime juice and sucked the brains out. Tasty!
Next we got the spicy wontons. We were very excited for these as we heard the hype but after about 20 min of waiting they still hadn’t arrived. We asked the waitress where they were and she said she would check. 5 min later a waiter comes around with a HUGE bowl of Laksa Soup. He said it was the least they could do to make up for the wait on the wontons. Thats what I call service! Free soup while while we wait. And let me tell you thank god they brought that Laksa cuz it ended up being my favorite dish of the night and I never would have known what I was missing. It was pretty spicy, in the best way possible. With a creamy coconut milk base and well cooked udon noodles. It also contained clams/​mussels, shrimp, and by far the best fish cake I’ve ever had. We couldn’t even finish it, but by god we tried.
Anyhow. Back to the wontons. They were beyond words. So incredibly tender and beautiful soft noodles that just melt in your mouth. All dripping in a perfectly balanced chili oil with crispy fried onions on top. Perfection. We destroyed these things in literally two minutes flat.
Lastly we got the Pot Au Feu with brisket and bone marrow. This was also very good. Not my favorite dish but I mean who doesn’t like beef stew and bone marrow. This guy right here loves anything with those ingredients. It came with grilled bread and a few different condiments.
Overall, this place is fantastic. Great service, top notch food, a very cool atmosphere, crowd ages 24 – 46 apx. Will most definitely be returning very soon.

So much buzz — but not from my drink!
tl;dr:
–Come in a large group to try more dishes
–Drinks are just OK. Save your $$ for your bar crawl
–True south east asian flavors with a twist
–Skip the charcuterie plate
PARKING: Valet or public parking. We parked near the library and took a short walk — only $ 1 on our way out!
FOOD:
–Charcuterie platter: Great selection of meats, but I couldn’t justify $ 25 for a small portion after we saw it at our table. The sichuan lamb ham didn’t have a ma la (numbing) taste, but that singaporean candied pork was STELLAR. I would pay $ 25 for a plate of just candied pork. The vietnamese meat loaf was very authentic, but AK said it reminded him of dog food which instantly made me stop wanting to eat it. Our bread was overly burnt and was tough to portion out with the charcuterie.
Grilled beef tripe: So this isn’t the type of tripe that you usually get in your phở. The cut is a lot more meaty and reminds me more of stomach than tripe. Phở broth was insanely good — bold beef flavor with nice aromatics. Clay oven bread was basically naan, so you place the tripe in the naan and dip your taco in the broth. Interesting way to eat the dish but definitely made for the best vessel to optimize highest broth consumption.
black cod: The cod was perfectly cooked, and I loved that they served it in a clay pot to keep it hot! This is definitely meant to be shared because even as I was halfway through the dish, I was already getting sick of the cod — no matter how perfect it was!
grilled flattened chicken: Yes, AK ordered the most boring dish on the menu, but he really enjoyed it! Great for those less adventurous eaters. You literally get half a chicken, so be ready to take half of this bad boy home for a bomb sandwich the next morning.
vietnamese coffee pudding: This is exactly what Little SIster’s similar dessert aspires to be — perfectly strong coffee flavor with a picture worthy presentation. Portion size is enough for two, and it still felt like an endless cup of pudding! Love it. MUST ORDER.
DRANK:
–Tequila Pomegranate Collins: I wasn’t impressed — not a strong tequila nor pomegranate flavor. It was incredibly watered down.
–AK’s beer (the Craftsmen Heavely Hefeweizen) had literally zero carbonation. Disappointing.
SERVICE: Food arrived in a steady stream, and our water glasses were continually full. Food delivery was a bit abrupt, and they didn’t take the time to explain each dish. Our server was MIA for most of the meal but checked in way too frequently towards the end of it.
Great for a one time experience, but next time, I’d definitely come in a large group to try more dishes!

Suzie Q’s Fun Facts:
Cassia is otherwise known as «Cinnamomum cassia,» the tree from which the «Chinese Cinnamon» spice is derived.
=≅≅≅≅≅≅≅≅≅≅≅~
Cassia is like the most popular girl in high school: She seems to have absolutely everything going for her, including an endless stream of admirers. You kinda want to be her (or in the case of Cassia, you kinda want to cook like her… or at least eat her food as often as her popularity will allow).
Nestled in a quiet part of Santa Monica, it (she?) is nevertheless located only 4 blocks away from the Promenade. The space is lofty and pretty, yet architectural and modern, with a charming outdoor area, as well as a vast but cozy-​feeling indoor dining room.
And, oh, the people: Urban hipsters, urbane professionals, and artsy bohemians all seem to coexist in peace and harmony. They’re young, old, and everywhere in between.
And I haven’t forgotten about the food. This is the restaurant that Asian-​fusion competitor Lukshon is trying (and failing) to be. Asian flavors enhance otherwise familiar dishes, making them seem just slightly new and different without alienating anyone who balks at food too «left of center.»
That doesn’t mean that all dishes were equally successful. There was roughly an equal proportion of hits and not-​so-​hits. But let’s start with the most positive, and work our way down:
— Smoked salmon dip (an unusual menu offering, I had thought) was one of the best I’ve ever had. The addition of piquant, spicy horseradish and orange roe was inspired. The flakes of fish in the dip were chunky and fork-​tender, elevating the dip above the mild purée of more boring versions.
— Unexpectedly, the Chino Valley Egg Custard with sea urchin and mushrooms was one of our favorite dishes of the evening. What an explosion of silky umami goodness! The egg wasn’t as mild and flavorless as expected, as the uni imparted its unctuous perfume to the dish, and it was perked up by exotic fish sauce. I wanted to lick the bowl.
— The tempura cauliflower was fine, if uninspired; my friend found the fish sauce dip to be too salty.
— Brocollini — nothing particularly unique about it. I liked the two different fish sauce dips (one vegan, one not), though I started to sense Cassia repeating itself.
— The black cod was — dare I say it? — downright boring, with a broth too mild and too uninteresting. We didn’t finish it.
— Dessert (beignets) was the least successful dish of the night… which was a bummer, because I’d told the server it was my friend’s birthday. (They brought the dish with a candle, but served it to me instead of my friend [whoops!]… and still charged me $ 10 for it).
Beignets are typically lofty, airy donuts. But these were like little cream-​puff-​shaped hockey pucks (in shape, as well as texture… tough and unpleasantly chewy). The pool of strawberries on which they sat made me feel like I was eating a day-​old funnel cake from a carnival. We didn’t finish this one, either.
On a more positive note, the service was friendly and efficient, without being obnoxious. We felt well cared-​for, and generally really enjoyed our meal. It was also fun to ogle the dishes of our neighbors (in close proximity to us — the tables were wedged in tightly together!), and we both made a mental note of what to order upon our return.
With a few tweaks to its menu to weed out the lower performers, Cassia could become the rare LA restaurant that truly lives up to the hype.

Came to Cassia… for a birthday fiesta~
* DRK — Banana Mule = all of our drinks were delicious! Here’s rest of what we got:
* DRK — Martin Miller
* DRK — Tiki Vodka
* DRK — Ramos Gin Fizz
* DRK — Island Mail Service
* DRK — Rome with View
* DRK — BTL Sparkling water
* GET — Spicy Scallops = loved this dish!
* AOK — Cereal Scallops = it was tasty but you get so few…
** GET — Escargot = OH man, I wanted to drink the entire bowl of that sauce…
* GET — Spicy Wontons = SOO spicy and delish
* GET — Black Cod = it was pleasant in home-​y garlic-​y broth
* GET — Laksa = SO spicy… the udon was MUCH chewier than I’ve ever eaten… kinda like a mix between glass noodles and regular udon. Soup is very Thai coconut-​y.
* GET — Coconut Lime Pie = tastes more like a tart than a pie
* YES — Service was great by Carol and bartenders were fun & friendly
* FYI — Seating = Bar has high tops, main dining area, oyster bar, full bar near entry
* FYI — Sister bar, esters, is located right across the hall
* FYI — Valet parking for $ 7 or street metered parking right out front (free after 9pm)
* FYI — Takes reservations
* FYI — Accepts credit cards

Finally made it for dinner last night with a friend of mine and loved the service and ambiance. The place was packed yet we were still comfortable and had our privacy.
We started with the papaya salad and half dozen oysters. I loved the sauces with the oysters. Really aded some great flavor. We also was surprised with the modern take on the papaya salad. There was a lot of fresh mint and greens in it which was surprising.
We wanted to get crabs however they didn’t have it on the menu that night we ended up getting the lobster which was not the best. There was surprisingly not that much flavor in the way they cooked it. I did enjoy the lamb belly we got. It was so delicious (must warn you it is spicy!!)
I would come back again for the lamb :)

It is rare that I am impressed by an Asian Fusion cuisine type restaurant, but Cassia definitely does it right. Cassia seems to be a mixture of Vietnamese, Singaporean, and Malaysian food with a modern twist to the dishes. The environment is very large and spacious, and had nice simple tones of silver and grey everywhere. There is a charcuterie display in the corner, and bird cages hanging from the top over one of the larger tables. After sitting down, we decided to have an epic feast and ordered almost everything we wanted from the menu.
Seafood Platter, small ($ 55) — This platter was one of my favorites; it included Vietnamese Sunbathing Prawns in Fresno chiles, garlic, and Vietnamese hot sauce, Snow Crab Claws with charred tomato, almond sauce, and asian basil, Raw Spicy Scallops with persimmons, dried shrimp, ham, and chile oil, different types of oysters, & Smoked Salmon Dip with shallots and horseradish. Almost every dish came with a side of bread which was a nice pairing. The sauce with the crab claws was delicious; it reminded me of a spicy peanut Indonesian sauce. The raw scallops were my favorite; I was obsessed with the flavor, freshness, and the softness of the scallops. The salmon dip was delicious, and I could not stopping eating it with the bread! The oysters were also extremely fresh and slight sweet. Yum. ⁵⁄₅
Fried Cauliflower with fish dip ($ 12) — a solid dish– who knew fried cauliflower would taste so yummy? It was a nice light start to our meal. ⁴⁄₅
Kaya Toast with Coconut jam, butter, slow cooked egg ($ 10) — this was… heavenly to say the least. The bread was toasted perfectly and the kaya was placed in the middle of two pieces of bread. The soy sauce with poached egg added a nice salty touch to the sweet kaya, and I never knew that Kaya could be so amazing! ⁵⁄₅
Grilled Pig’s Tail Bibb lettuce with herbs ($ 18) — The dish was full of fat which makes sense as it is the tail, but I wish that it came with fish sauce as it would have completed this lettuce wrap. The fat was very thick, and it was interesting to try especially since I’ve never had pig’s tail before! ³⁄₅
Charcuterie Platter, small ($ 25) — My favorite was the Sichuan Lamb Ham as well as the Singaporean Candied Pork. It also comes with Salted Pork, Vietnamese Meatloaf, Smoked Red Sausage, Smoked Curried Duck, and Cabbage Relish. I definitely recommend getting this dish to share. ⁵⁄₅
Whole Grilled Sea Bass Turmeric with dill, lime ($ 38) — this dish came asian style; the head and everything was still there. The sea bass was nice and tender, and it was light and refreshing. ⁴⁄₅
Vietnamese Pot Au Feu with rib, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, bone marrow, grilled bread ($ 28) — the broth was very light yet rich, and it was so different than your typical phở broth. The soup had more of a northern Vietnamese taste, and I could see why this was one of the more popular dishes. The meat was nice and tender, and it also came with three different sauces to pair with. ⁵⁄₅
Laksa Rice noodles, spicy coconut-​seafood soup ($ 19) — Although the Laksa was not as spicy as I expected, I still thought it was a solid noodle soup dish to share. Nothing too spectacular, but they did a great job on the spices in the soup. ⁴⁄₅
Last but not least, dessert! Vietnamese coffee pudding with a coconut shortbread ($ 10) — The pudding was great. I’m not a big fan of coffee so it was okay for me, but my friends loved the dessert. ⁴⁄₅
I would also recommend ordering the smoked old fashioned as it is fantastic. The service was great, and she was very accommodating to our requests and questions. The food definitely exceeded our expectations, and we enjoyed basically every dish that we ordered. Cassia is excelling as an Asian Fusion restaurant, and I hope that they will be able to keep this consistency in their food and service!

This is Vietnamese food? Then what have I been eating all my life? lol jk. Definitely Asian fusion. I like the loft feel to the place and the cute patio they have outside. Make reservations or have a drink or two at the bar market next door. Their heat lamp works really well if it doesn’t get blown out so try the patio.
B: Pepper crab — pretty peppery but I grew up eating this a certain way and it did not meet my expectation. However, it is a different take to it, needs more salt.
B: Wok tossed peas — weak, flailing peas, the plate looks depressing but I have to eat my greens
A: Egg Custard — simple dish yet the most texture of all. I love the creamy uni mixed with the soft egg
A: Spicy wonton — flavor explosion — the sauce was great, be warn, spicy!
Surprisingly, I like their apps more than their main dishes, there were some other dishes on the menu I’d like to try, perhap next time :)

Cassia, wow!
This has got to be one of the best new restaurants which balances the line between great night out, trendy, great food, fab décor and, perhaps capturing The LA restaurant trend right now, perfectly.
When you walk in, the décor is beautiful. It’s modern and Classic, beachy and trendy. Upscale but not stuffy and yet casual enough to roll your sleeves up and crack open a crab. There is an indoor restaurant, which is loud, the patio indoor patio which is gorgeous and the outdoor patio which is more casual with fairy lights.
Our group sampled a good portion of the menu and not a single dish was forgettable. The only reason I gave cassia one star less was because service was abysmal. No, seriously, so bad that I wanted to take two stars off but I felt that it would be unfair to the testament of what a great place this is.
Our waiter was a ghost. Never to be found. He informed us to order all at once and the kitchen would pace it accordingly. Ten minutes later we received our apps.
Green papaya salad– perfectly crisp and spicy and tangy with not too much fish sauce– just oh so yummy.
Chickpea spread– oh i want to take you home!
Then, the steak arrived. We hadn’t even passed around the apps. I told the waiter, our meal is supposed to be progressive and the kitchen is supposed to slow it down. He was clueless, but said he’ll let the staff know. And while the steak was frikkin amazing and flavorful, it got cold because we were trying to catch up, but the heaviness of the red meat started settling in the stomach and we had just gotten started.
Then came the kaya toast. I wish our server had told us how sweet it was. It’s like tropical French toast and so tasty but perhaps it should be what we start our meal with, rather than than mid-​meal.
And then, nothing. For twenty minutes, we had no new plates come out. We wanted to save the steak since we’d also ordered vegetarian fried rice, which was the only OK item we had. Due to dietary issues it was without egg and pork, and I think those two items perhaps make the rice great, but otherwise it was just ok. A good side filler.
Next came the seafood laksa. If you like seafood, this is a fabulous laksa. Shrimp, cod, mussels noodles and spicy! It comes in a large bowl and they give you small bowls to spoon it into. Since we were a group of dressed up bowls, we asked our server to serve it to us. Four of us were wearing white and the noodles are very very long. He said he couldn’t because he isn’t comfortable touching our food. Huh? Not scoop it out with this fingers, just put the soup in bowls. Since his service was already so bad, this just made it even worse. And exactly what we feared happened. My friend’s white dress was ruined by the splashing of the curry as she scooped.
After the soup the fried rice and sea bass arrived. The sea bass with turmeric and spices– IMO, best thing we ate. Flattened and grilled, it’s served whole and just excellent. Perhaps it would have been even better if the server hadn’t spilled all the fish liquid on my friends arm, dress and phone. We were lucky because the sauce was cold. And yet it was so good despite the above snags.
Stuffed silly, We still made room for dessert. Vietnamese coffee pudding, dark chocolate cake and the beignets!!! Wowza!
Despite the horrid service & kitchen confusion, I know this is place is a new favorite.

The laksa was really good. The flavors well balanced, the soup to noodles ratio just right. It really was delicious. An excellent version.
The grilled shrimp app was good. The flatbread with chickpea curry was good, next time, escargot. The profiteroles did nothing for me. The passion fruit cocktail was very nice.
The portions were large, so you do get your money’s worth.
I definitely do want to go back to try other dishes.

A good reservation time was not easy to come by, but we finally got a decent one for a Friday night. In case you’re meeting up with a group, know that they won’t seat your party until all are present and accounted for. As far as ambiance goes, this is a step (maybe a few steps) up from Spice Table. And there’s a full bar.
I started with the SEASONAL BELLINI made with prosecco, Bolivian brandy, Masumoto peach and chamomile purée, and lemon. So light and refreshing. Four of us split six dishes (these vary greatly in size so just ask your server if you’re unsure):
* KAYA TOAST — You get two pieces of toast and a side of coconut jam topped with a slow cooked egg. We were able to share it, but it’s so good you may want your own piece of toast.
* CHINO VALLEY EGG CUSTARD — This and the kaya toast were my favorites. The silky egg custard with braised mushrooms came topped with a couple of pieces of sea urchin and chopped scallions. Again, hard to share.
* VIETNAMESE PATE — This pâté came with tandoor bread and lots of fresh herbs. Also a winner.
* CHOPPED ESCARGOT — This dish also came with tandoor bread and fresh herbs. If you’re not partial to snails, this version might actually work for you. No whole snails here.
* VIETNAMESE POT AU FEU — This is what Jonathan Gold raved so much about in his review. Is it weird that the appetizers were more of a highlight for me? Regardless it’s definitely worth getting for the table.
* WHOLE SINGAPOREAN WHITE PEPPER CRAB — It’s $$$$ so choose carefully.

Nothing really stands out about Cassia. It is clean, chic, hip, loud, and a little pricey like the majority of restaurants coming on the scene these days. Not a lot amazing things to note or negative comments to make.
Our lovely waitress took great care of our needs and the entire staff made the experience just right. We were promptly seated upon arriving rather late for our reservation on the outside patio. It took a few times for our hostess to hear that we were asking for the outside, which is no reflection on the difficulty of getting the seat, but more of a comment on how loud the inside area is even with the crowd just starting to arrive for the Thursday night dinner dash.
A glass of wine and a smoky whiskey cocktail later, which contained a very clear ice cube, we perused the menu and decided on the Chopped Escargot Naan Bread, the Spicy Wontons, Steak Frites, and the Black Cod. The wontons were unfortunately sent back due to being very much overcooked and really lacking flavor, but the rest of the dishes, including the Lemon-​Lime Dessert, were quite good. Bright flavors, good temp, nice seasoning. Probably nothing I would crave, but certainly everything I would expect.
If I’m completely honest, I don’t believe that the price for dinner was quite justified, but the portion sizes were definitely generous. Try it for yourself and see what you think. Just be alert when looking for the bathroom and be sure to follow the yellow brick road. Well, not literally.