Restaurant: Chinois On Main [1, 2]
Location: 2709 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (310) 392-9025
Date: May 6, 2016
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Rating: Still good decades later
When I first moved to LA 22 years ago, Chinois was already a vibrant pillar of LA’s hot high end dining scene. It represented the kind of cool “fusion” of east/west cuisines that was so novel at the time, and almost never seen (by me) back on the East Coast.
The interior has been kept up, and still has that funky late 80s hip modern style. And while this is a long way from the starker more “rustic/urban” decor that is popular now, I
From my cellar: 2003 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut. VM 95. Light yellow. Powerful, complex bouquet evokes fresh peach, pear, floral honey, green almond and smoky minerals. Deep, palate-staining citrus and orchard fruit flavors show outstanding vivacity for a hot vintage, picking up ginger and talc notes with air. The strikingly long, sappy finish features zesty orange pith, smoky minerals and an echo of honeysuckle. I’d be in no rush to drink this one. Speaking of waiting, I had the chance to revisit the 2000 Vintage Krug and it has begun to pick up the smoky, weighty and nutty character that long-time fans of this producer crave. It’s still plenty young but already unmistakably Krug, with a chewy texture and a sexy floral nuance dominating right now.
The menu.
Tempura ahi tuna sashimi with fresh uni sauce.
Uni sauce.
Softshell crab special with cilantro sauce.
Stir fried Sonoma lamb with crispy garlic and mint.
Shanghai lobster with curry sauce and crispy spinach. This classic has been on the menu forever (or at least since the mid 90s). It was still my favorite of the night. There is a whole bunch of fried rice under the lobster with the tail meat.
Roasted Cantonese duck with fresh plum sauce and steamed bao. I’ve had a lot better Chinese ducks.
The steamed bao from the duck.
Whole steamed sea bass with scallions and soy glaze. Simple, but well cooked.
Peek inside.
Vegetable fried rice.
Stir fried green beans with black bean sauce and garlic. A great version of this dish.
Dessert tease. We were too full to order any.
Overall, Chinois still has a sharp kitchen and good service. They were a little slow refilling the wine (which they had shoved in a chiller on the other side of the room — I had to grab it and do it myself). No biggy though. Food was fairly on point if no where near as “innovative” as it was 20+ years ago. Some of the dishes were still super tasty though like the lobster and string beans. Of course it’s way more expensive than “unfused” Chinese (aka normal SGV style Chinese). I think the decor has aged great and is actually more unique now.
