The last time I wrote about Camelia, I was rewinding to the time in 2017 when we ate at Kato, back when their tasting menu was $60 a pop, set up in a non-descript strip mall in Santa Monica. Now Kato is in a beautiful space at The Row, with a tasting menu that runs about $300+. It is almost a decade later, and I’m happy for Jon Yao.
We first tried Camelia when we visited Kato last year, because they did a summer series partnering with local LA restaurants to develop joint tasting menus.
This year, we had the singular Camelia experience – and we loved it.
What We Ordered
Black Sesame Parker House Rolls with Ikura
- Yes, this twist on the classic dinner roll worked
- Black sesame and ikura are a solid pairing. Who knew?
Broccolini Ohitashi, sourdough furikake, honey dashi vinaigrette
- The staff advised we should order at least one vegetable dish to offset some of the richer mains. They were right.
- Because of the ohitashi preparation, the broccolini was very tender. The honey dashi vinaigrette was a nice palate cleanser for the next two dishes
Abalone and Bay Scallop Pot Pie, King Trumpet Mushrooms, “Snail Butter”
- We are suckers for a pot pie.
- The crust was more of a puff pastry than a pie crust. When you break the pastry, you’re kissed by a waft of buttery seafood.
The staff also told us that there are 3 dishes that have been on the Camelia menu since day 1: croque madame of ham katsu, spaghetti bolognese a la japonaise, and the pot pie.
Pekin duck breast, wax beans, duck fat béarnaise, yuzu shichimi, French fries
- Beautifully cooked duck. As thick as steak.
- Fries were on the salty end
All in all, very enjoyable. The place was poppin on a Sunday at 8 PM, and I get it.
