Best of LA: Timothy Hollingsworth’s Otium is Outstanding

Posted: January 24th, 2016 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: Foodies & Dining Scene, Travel | Tags: French Laundry, Los Angeles, Otium, The Broad Art Museum, Timothy Hollingsworth, Travel | No Comments »

By Timothy Hollingsworth, Otium is L.A.’s Most Exciting New F&B Destination

With a location surrounded by iconic L.A. landmarks (it stands literally next to The Broad Art Museum) and a head chef who worked at The French Laundry, Otium has some serious pedigree. Under Timothy Hollingsworth’s (who cut his teeth at the French Laundry) leadership, Otium has emerged as one of the most talked about restaurants in the city.

The space is beautiful. Large open windows allow light in from everywhere, illuminating the centrepiece of the restaurant, the open kitchen. The design does a great job of explaining what kind of an experience you will have here. Incredible quality, yet easily accessible. The waiters are warm and friendly, the atmosphere is lively and you won’t feel like the menu is written in a foreign language. The restaurant itself says the name Otium is meant to: “emphasize a place where time can be spent on leisurely social activities”.

On a cold (for LA – 15 degrees celsius…) night, we arrived early and enjoyed a couple of cocktails around the fire pit in front of the restaurant. What followed was definitely one of the best meals I have eaten in my life.

LDS Snapshots of Otium Restaurant Space:

 Cocktails by the Fire Pit

Open Kitchen

Owner & Head Chef Timothy Hollingsworth in Action

The Chef’s Table sits between the open kitchen and dining room with a max of 12 seats

Fully Booked and Packed on a Friday Evening

With this restaurant located in prime real estate – adjacent to Grand Avenue and next to The Broad Contemporary Art Museum, you might suspect there to be some fancy fluff, but the truth is far from it. Otium’s style of cuisine actually “draws inspiration from the 100-year-old olive trees planted in The Broad’s adjacent Plaza by utilizing rustic cooking with wood fire and sustainable ingredients grown in the garden of the restaurant’s mezzanine”.

LDS Snapshots of Otium’s Dishes:

Scallop, Aquachile, Lime, Cilantro (USD$12)

What a way to start. This set the tone for the rest of the meal. Not your average scallop, but also not a work of modern art that you have to stare at for 20 minutes before you figure out what to do with it.

Hamachi, Nori, Avocado, Sweet & Sour Tomatoes (USD$15)

I am loathe to use the word delicate, but delicately balanced this is, and beautifully so. The tomatoes are tart and sweet, with some smooth avocado to balance the bite and yet throughout all of this it is the flavor of the hamachi that shines through.

Sea Urchin, Brioche, Lardo, Pistachio, Truffle Butter (USD$18) 

Everyone at the table raved about this. Gone in two mouthfuls, it left a big impression. If you love Uni, this is a must try.

Falafel – Eggplant – Cucumber – Meyer Lemon – Chickpea (USD$16)

A bit of a departure from the rest of the menu, this was nonetheless excellent. I normally find falafel dry and crumbly, but this was a tour de force. The lemon gives a touch of zing and the juicy eggplant is a

Hamachi Tart – Sea Urchin – Truffle – Caviar (USD$68)

If you have money to burn, get this. It is incredible, but with a price tag to match. If not, the sea urchin brioche is a worthy substitute.

Dry Aged Beef Tartare – Lavash – Bulgur – Yogurt – Mint – Walnut (USD$26)

Wasn’t our favourite. Outshone by other dishes. I’m sure amongst a lesser menu, my reaction would be different. But if you come to Otium, other dishes are more worthy of your attention.

Blue Prawns – Chorizo – Capers – Peppers – Garlic – Parsley (USD$34) 

 

Scallop – Bone Marrow Vinaigrette – Celeriac – Celery (USD$32)

Delicious. This is an incredible combination. If you haven’t tried bone marrow yet, I recommend you do so pronto. This is a great way to dip your toe in the water if eating out of a bone is a little too intimidating.

 Beef Short Rib – Potato – Everything Topping (USD$42)

It goes without saying that this beef was cooked to perfection, what sets it apart was the sensational flavour of the meat. There has clearly been a lot of time and energy spent in sourcing the best here and it really pays off.

Tai Snapper – Tamarind – Tomato – Fennel (USD$36)

Chocolate Torte – Persimmon – Olive Sable – EVO Jam (USD$13)

So many highlights so little time. I love olive oil, so the extra virgin olive oil jam was like catnip, but the torte itself had a rich, deep chocolate flavor and chocoholics will be in heaven.

Banana Cream Grand Macaroon (USD$14)

Grand indeed! This dessert looks like an alien spaceship and tastes phenomenal. Gooey, crunchy, sweet and in every way worthy of it’s name.

After a dozen different dishes shared between the four of us, the only dish we wished we had known about before so that we could have ordered it is their Donabe Smoked Hiramasa Pastrami (photo below!), which is also featured in the restaurant’s opening video. I’d also recommend watching it in advance to your dinner experience to get you drooling. If you go for brunch, make sure you get their specialty – smoked French Toast with Pork Belly (also served in a steaming pot like you see below!).

Donabe Smoked Hiramasa Pastrami – Beet – Potato – Rye – Thousand Island (USD$34)

Otium’s Contact Details:

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