Pamper Your Palate at SAIA
By TIM SLIVINSKI
The B Ocean Hotel, on the site of the former Holiday Inn, continues the evolution of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Tucked in the left corner of the sleek and spacious lobby is its signature restaurant, SAIA. I am told the name is a play on the hotel’s location: the corner of Sunrise and A1A. I am not certain whether that is true or not, but if it is, it makes sense and is very clever. SAIA is anchored by an underlit bar offering a cocktail menu that goes beyond the typical variations on a cosmo. I fell in love with SAIA’s version of an Old-Fashioned. It is a tasty, refreshing blend of ginger, lemon, honey and Soju, a Japanese vodka. Ask your bartender to tone down the sweetness a tad, and you will be rewarded with a cocktail that is refreshing and spicy. It prepares the palate well for the delicious dishes to come.
The dining room is subtle yet elegant, anchored in soothing tones of blue and grey. Tables line the floor to ceiling glass walls, which give diners a beautiful view of the ocean, something we locals too often take for granted. The dining concept at SAIA is that food is meant to be shared. The serving platters are large and accommodating for each well-presented dish. James, our server, offered an overview of the menu, and his knowledge of the various dishes and entrees that Chef Subin Chenkosorn has created wasimpressive. Too often, servers appear to know little or nothing about the food the menu offers. Not the case at SAIA.
We began our journey with an order of Edamame. SAIA offers this traditional dish with a twist: You may order the soy beans salted or chili spiced or a combination of both. My dining partner and I opted for the combo. They were delicious, giving just the right amount of kick without being too spicy. Next up was the Ocean Blue Roll. It is a delectable combination of eel, avocado, boursin cheese and crab. It is then tempura fried. Quite honestly, I have never had a sushi roll quite like it. It is crunchy, creamy and fresh. The play of the fish with the cheese is a tasty contrast. Next up was a Crunchy Tuna Roll. Once again, we were treated to a fresh and beautiful roll offering spicy tuna, tempura flake, avocado, kiware and sprouts. It is topped with white tuna, cucumber and red tabiko. Spicy without being overly so, this roll is a must if you are a tuna lover. After a brief break, we next looked at the Share Plates Menu, which has several cool plate and hot plate selections. The Pork Tenderloin hot plate option caught my dining partner’s eye and it was an excellent choice. Fork tender pork arrives in a sweet soy ginger sauce with enoki mushrooms. Plated in such a way that made it so easy to share, we were impressed that the sauce, while sweet in a subtle way, was not cloying so as to overpower the pork. The Hamachi Jalapeno plate that James recommended, was an achievement in a perfect harmonious blend of flavours, thin slices of Himachi with jalapeno chili and ponzu sour orange sauce, cilantro and daiko decorated the platter. It nearly melted in my mouth as each flavor had its moment of glory. Every dish we ordered allowed all the flavors to come through, without any one ingredient overpowering the others. This suggests a careful attention to the finer details of making each dish so that diners truly experience the array of flavors suggested in the description.
Having no room for dessert — maybe next time! James offered to demonstrate a unique feature of SAIA’s after dinner cordials and cocktails. He arrived at our table with what looked like a heavy copper cylinder. He then proceeded to place a small block of ice within the cylinder and then topped it with what looked like a plunger. About 90 seconds later, he revealed a perfect ice sphere. Your selected cordial is then poured into the glass containing the ice sphere. As James explained, the spherical ice melts much more slowly than traditional ice cubes, hence lessening the “watering down” of your cocktail while keeping it chilled. It’s a clever, fun way to conclude a meal.
Friendly, knowledgeable staff, beautifully presented plates, perfectly seasoned and prepared dishes, gorgeous ocean views — SAIA possesses it all in a comfortable setting that lets you relax and leisurely enjoy each new course you order. If you have not yet done so, say “yes” to SAIA!
SAIA @ B Ocean Hotel
999 N. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 954-302-5252
