INTERSTELLAR
ADDRESS: 109 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
WEBSITE: https://www.interstellarla.com/
At the beginning of last month, I got an e-mail that a Star Wars exhibit at the Santa Monica Art Museum was headed for its final weekend before closing for good. I hadn’t yet gotten the chance to check it out, so I made plans to go stop in on that final weekend. The exhibit didn’t open until 10AM, and timing-wise, it made it perfect for me to stop at a place for brunch afterwards. There was a restaurant called Interstellar that I had saved on my list for quite some time after I saw it on Instagram, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to check it out.
The spot is very unassuming from the outside, with a front outdoor dining patio and an overhang that displayed the restaurant name. The outdoor area seated about 20 people at a mix of two- and four-person tables. Take a step inside and it’s also a cozy dining space as well, which could accommodate an additional 16 people between more tables and seating along the wall of the restaurant.
If I had to use one word to describe the menu of Interstellar, it would definitely be “eclectic.” Flavor inspirations came from Japanese, Korean, American, and Mexican, noted by the various dishes on the menu that drew from those cuisines. It’s not often to see oyakodon, chilaquiles, Korean bulgogi burger, and French toast all on the same brunch menu. The variety of choices made it difficult for me to decide what I wanted, since there were quite a few items on the menu that sounded intriguing. Their sandwiches sounded real good, along with a number of their Japanese lunch entrées. At the same time, classic breakfast food also sounded appealing too. In the end, their chicken & waffle plate won out, and I paired that with a plate of avocado toast as well.
For a Saturday morning brunch crowd, the restaurant was definitely lighter than what I was anticipating. The outdoor seating at the front of the restaurant was pretty full when I arrived, but the inside was still open, so I didn’t need to wait at all for a table. By the time that I was leaving, however, the crowd was definitely starting to pick up for the lunch service.
It didn’t take the kitchen staff too long before my first dish arrived out to the table, the chicken & waffle. The twist with this particular dish is that instead of the southern fried chicken in the American style, it was Japanese-inspired with a chicken katsu over the waffle. Even just looking at the katsu, I could tell that the panko breading was nice and crisp, and the katsu was almost the same size as the waffle itself. The dish came with sides of maple syrup and honey butter, playing into the sweet and savory flavor combo.
After spreading out both the syrup and butter onto the top of the chicken, I managed to construct a bite encompassing all four ingredients. Let me tell you, I was a fan from that very first bite. The waffle was made with almond flour, so it was more on the fluffy side, along with a slightly nutty aftertaste. The chicken katsu was a great texture contrast with the crunch, and the sweet flavors of the maple syrup and honey butter really complemented everything really well. I also found that the dish itself wasn’t too heavy either, which was a pleasant surprise.
The other half of my order, the avocado toast, arrived probably a couple of minutes after I started to dig into my chicken & waffle. The bright green was certainly a color contrast from the other dish, and I liked how the restaurant’s plateware was gray, which helped the colors of both dishes pop off the plates. The avocado toast was also topped with a bed of arugula tossed with a citrus honey vinaigrette and sliced cucumbers. Typically, the dish also calls for burrata, but I substituted that out for feta cheese instead. All of this was stacked up high on a thick piece of sourdough.
From a flavor perspective, I enjoyed the contrast between the two dishes as well, with the avocado toast on the lighter side and the chicken & waffle tapping more into the hearty and savory side. I could definitely taste the peppery flavor of the arugula, along with the refreshing burst from each of the cucumber slices. The citrus honey vinaigrette was more on the subtle side, and the smoothness with the avocado and feta helped to contrast with the crunch from the toasted sourdough. I originally wasn’t anticipating to finish both of those dishes in one sitting, but I ended up being able to power through it without much issue. (I didn’t end up eating dinner at all later that night.)
Instagram did not lead me astray with this restaurant popping up on my feed, and the menu items I got lived up to how good they sounded. The variety of different types of dishes on the brunch menu is definitely very intriguing and certainly makes me want to come back to try out more stuff. That doesn’t even consider their dinner menu, which offers some other dishes for that meal only that also sound delicious as well. Even if this spot looks unassuming from the outside, don’t let that fool you. The flavors are really on point, the food quality is excellent, and the diversity of dish selection will leave you making some difficult choices. If you’re looking for a place nearby the Santa Monica Pier to get a bite to eat, definitely check out Interstellar and what it has to offer.
Let’s now take a look at the Interstellar Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Avocado Toast **
Mashed avocados on sourdough, topped with arugula, cucumbers, and citrus honey vinaigrette. Pictured with feta cheese.
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** Chicken & Waffle **
Panko-breaded chicken katsu with almond flour waffle. Served with maple syrup and honey butter.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Interstellar:
Food: 5 / 5
Even with such an eclectic menu, the variety of different dishes definitely motivates me to return in the future to try out more of them. The food quality was really good and the flavors definitely stood out. I enjoyed my dishes so much that I ended up deciding to eat both of them in one sitting.
Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
The restaurant certainly leaned in to the gray color palette, with that driving the accents of the walls, tables, and plateware. The greenery overhanging from the walls of the kitchen / barista area was definitely a nice touch of color to brighten the interior.
Service: 4.25 / 5
There were two waitresses that helped me during the course of my meal, and both of them were very friendly and welcoming. They stopped by to check in on how the food was and if I needed anything else for my meal. The food also arrived out at a pretty quick pace as well.
Price: 4.25 / 5
Don’t get me wrong, some of these prices are definitely on the expensive side. The chicken & waffle and avocado toast were $26 per dish, steep by most standards. But given the restaurant’s proximity to the pier along with the quality of the food, I certainly wouldn’t mind paying that amount again.
Overall:
18 / 20
(90%)
Categories: California, Restaurants
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