Otium

Reviews 5

NI

Nicole Lu

Quick stop for lunch after The Broad. tl;dr: -Amazing ambiance: Think of creative industrial decor with a hint of glam (check out that glass installation in the entrance). -Stocked cocktail bar -Chicly dressed servers -Great pricey date night PARKING: Park at The Broad for $12 with validation. Theres also parking at California Plaza (entrance on Olive) for $8 with validation - cheapest I saw in the area. If youre going to spend a full day, you might want to take Metro as theres a stop right by Civic Center. FOOD: -Potatoes: Yes, we ordered the $7 side of potatoes, but THEY WERE AMAZING. No regrets. Just the right amount of salt and served with a side of creme fraiche. MUST ORDER. -Pork Belly: Highly recommend. Belly was cooked to perfection, but I do wish that the skin was crispier. Accompanied by vinegared rice (yeap, they added vinegar), greens, and a perfectly poached egg. There was great balance to the dish if you have the patience to assemble a perfect bite each time, but the pork was salty on its own. -Hangtown Fry: This is an omelet, and a good omelet at that. I never would have guessed it by its name. Parmesan foam added some textural interest, but my favorite was the bacon fried oysters. Thank you chef for thinking to serve this dish with a light salad as the omelet by itself would have been quite heavy! SERVICE: They just recently opened so service was a bit spotty at the bar. Tons of people came to fill our water, but our waiter was missing in action for the majority of the meal. We waited about 10 minutes to have our drink order taken, and I later didnt even have the opportunity to order my margarita until the first dish came (by then I was over the idea of the margarita). Definitely an amazing addition to the DTLA scene - hoping they have a great happy hour menu soon!

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AN

Annette Chang

First, I just want to say that I LOVE the space. I love the design of the building and all the little details in the design that make it so beautiful. I wish the upper patio was finished so we could have seen it, but I can imagine that space as a wonderful area to rent out to do parties. On to the food (this is based off of my brunch experience), I really wish I could give it five stars, but I have to say that the food was a bit of a hit or a miss. I really really enjoyed the funnel cake with strawberry and foie gras, the dish was really rich, but I did wish the funnel cake was warmer. The crispy potatoes were also really good, even though it was just a side, it was seasoned just well with a delicious creme fraiche dipping sauce. The mole was good but really nothing that exciting, the flavors didnt really stand out. The smoked french toast and pork belly with the berry compote was very underwhelming, the presentation looked a lot better than it tasted; I felt that the french toast and pork belly were each good on their own, but when eaten together, the flavors got lost. My favorite dish is the kurobuta pork with black rice, I would get that dish again and again, it was so good and it had the perfect amount of spice! For the drinks, the margarita is really good, the pickles inside are very tasty and the mint julep was good as well, as long as you like your drinks strong. The service was very good and attentive. I do have to warn you that it is on the pricey side, but what do you expect when you are located in the heart of LA next to the museums. They also do tack on an automatic 18% gratuity, so be mindful not to accidentally double tip. All in all, it was a very good experience and I will have to visit again to try out the dinner menu.

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AL

alain berrebi

I had lunch there with two of my neighbors and we decided to order many of the items on the menu and share them. We started with a delicious and not at all obvious salad of quinoa kale and parsley. I know this is become a cliche and the culinary scene but it was done with perfection. We then had their lobster roll which was French bread that seems to have been deep fried in butter filled with a delicious lobster salad. It was accompanied with homemade potato chips which word I can say easily the best ones I’ve ever eaten. Our next choice was pork belly that had been raised and serve with bok choy and hossin sauce and crème fresh. It was also very very good. We were delighted with the short ribs in homemade pasta which had an incredible depth of flavor and just the right amount of acidity to make it pop. Dessert was the most surprising part as they’re were two choices and we decided to get one of each. The first item we tasted was a raspberry sorbet with a quince compote and a strudel type of crunchy nut on the side. Each of the items were okay, together they were superlative. I was not keen because it featured hazelnuts, not one of my favorites. It was a Hazel Nut Mile Feuille, the puff pastry was cooked more than I was used to and it turned it into this delicious caramelized and very crispy treat. The hazelnuts or a subtle and actually added much to the flavor of the dessert. We liked it so much we ordered two. There was also a tasting of several great wines and I am sure that those will change as there Florida ceiling wine cellar attest to the fact that they have quite a selection.

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JE

Jeremy Maz

I have to say that overall I was thoroughly impressed with Otium as a dinner choice. A friend and I were planning to visit The Broad museum earlier in the day and I figured why not finish it off with dinner at Otium. I was definitely glad I made that decision. Now I’m not going to say that I’m in any sort of connoisseur of fine dining or even the popular LA term of a foodie, but still have a refined enough pallet to appreciate really great food. Environment of the restaurant itself was great! I didn’t feel too upscale and stuff he will still feeling elegant and refined. We got there a bit early for reservation they were still prepping for dinner service and probably one of my favorite parts of our visit was the smell of burning Mesquite from the open flame grill. The hostesses were friendly and accommodating and status right on time. The menu had plenty of innovative and exciting dishes for selection as well as a few specials of the evening. Honestly really everything on the menu looked appetizing and everything we ordered tasted great! Although the waiter did have a bit of a haughty attitude I can’t even strike one star from this review because the food was so impressive. I would definitely choose Otium again for a dinner out in downtown LA!

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RI

Richard L

If you want one of the most unique and modern hot new restaurant in L.A. Optium would be your answer ! The exterior of the restaurant looks like a new modern style house but js actually a restaurant. The atmosphere is easily amazing. French style but has very relax feeling . They had full open kitchen. You can see all the kitchen staff and how you food been book. This feel more like inside of a mansion than a restaurant . Theres giant wine cellar which storage like thousands of wines. They were only doing brunch from 11:30am to 3pm I our visit. The menu is simple it offer little bit everything. Many different cuisine and some unique dish. Our group try their pork belly. Mole. and Trip Tip. Little bit pricey was over $15 for the least expensive brunch entree. The portion size is small, but the quality is excellent. The sauce is delicious and is the best thing. I would definite come back when I visit the Broad Museum again, this restaurant will easily be in Jonathan Gold top 99 list in my opinion. They got a unique atmosphere and excellent food and variety of selection. This is a restaurant you wanna take for a client or special someone.

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