Bare essentials: the Los Angeles restaurants putting a new spin on Californian cuisine
In Los Angeles, famously home to a health food store that turned into an actual cult, food needs to nourish your soul, not just be edible. After all, why shouldn’t a crusty slice of avocado on toast come with a side of good intentions and chakra alignment? Here, we round up the top 8 restaurants feeding the fervour for California-style cooking, turning wild foraging fermentation into a holistic part of dining out.
Sawyer
A buzzing, laid-back seafood spot in Silver Lake, Sawyer is a friendly space that opens up onto an essential outdoor patio laced with fresh herbs, creeping fig and olive trees and striking tile work underfoot. This further highlights the restaurant’s informal atmosphere, making it the perfect spot to sample chef Alex McWilliam’s understated fare that includes tidbits such as delicious soft shell crab sandwiches served on squid ink bread.
3709 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026; tel: 1.323 641 3709;
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Melina Keays is the entertaining director of Wallpaper*. She has been part of the brand since the magazine’s launch in 1996, and is responsible for entertaining content across the print and digital platforms, and for Wallpaper’s creative agency Bespoke. A native Londoner, Melina takes inspiration from the whole spectrum of art and design – including film, literature, and fashion. Her work for the brand involves curating content, writing, and creative direction – conceiving luxury interior landscapes with a focus on food, drinks, and entertaining in all its forms
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