"It took six years for chef Michael Mina to open Orla in the Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel. The project was worth it as Orla has one of the region’s most stunning views of the Pacific Ocean paired with Mina’s menu. He incorporates dishes made by his mother and aunts while highlighting the cultural similarities between Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines including Turkish chile pepper (urfa) big eye tuna and salt-baked seabream, while the Yemeni spice hawaij flavors the prime New York strip. The round bar is the perfect place to sip on an Arabian Nights Negroni while watching the sunset." - Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes, Rebecca Roland
Andrew Bui
