Oasis Café: Homey, Comfortable, All Good

 

When you think of Oasis Café think of peace, comfort, and great food: not a water hole in the desert. Helmed by owner Eric Chang, and fueled by Chef Monica Olaes, Oasis aims to bring fresh, seasonal ingredients to the palates of Pasadenans.

“It’s very friendly, very comfortable and inviting,” said Chang. “We’re trying to create more of a farm-to-table concept here,” he continued.

When asked to describe the cuisine at Oasis Chang said, “I would say it’s New American, along with California cuisine. A lot of our flavors are fusioned with Mexican or Asian influences though we have that California flare.”

With a menu full of salads, appetizers and entrees made with sweet corn, watermelon, black leaf kale and candy beets it’s apparent that freshness is the key ingredient. Chang has also just received his beer and wine license so he will be working on a wine and beer list to pair with the dishes.

Beginning with a glass of mellow Merlot, I started my meal with a salad of sweet corn, arugula, grape tomatoes, avocado, queso fresco and red onion which was dressed with zesty cilantro lime vinaigrette. The salad was just delicious; the corn was a sweet foil to the peppery arugula and the creamy avocado. The only criticism I have is that there was a tad too much onion, but other than that it was outstanding.

I was also served a grilled shrimp salad with purple and yellow wax beans, frisee, and a green I’ve never seen outside my garden, purslane. Purslane is a succulent and considered to be a weed here in the US but it is used all over Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Mexico. It has a bit of a sour/salty taste. Chef Olaes found it at the farmer’s market and made use of it in her shrimp salad. The shrimp was nicely seasoned and delicately charred and the mixture of greens complimented it nicely.

Grilled pork belly layered with thin slices of watermelon radish and drizzled with a sweet/hot molasses sauce was served next. I really don’t “get” pork belly, it has a lot of fat and I’m not into eating fat, but this pork belly was mostly meat and quite delicious with the molasses/mustard sauce. Be sure you have some water because this dish is smokin’.

Chef’s smoky chicken wings seasoned with a combination of 17 spices were delicious bites of sweet and spicy. These wings are done with a dry rub so they aren’t sticky and gooey but they are every bit as delicious.

Delicate slices of duck breast from Mary’s Farm adorned a bed of parsnip puree, the plate was finished off with a grilled peach, mustard greens and a balsamic glaze. Duck is a difficult dish to pull off either it’s greasy, overdone and chalky, or gamey. Not this duck it was mild, cooked to medium and if there was grease I wasn’t seeing it. The sweet parsnip puree, grilled peach and balsamic glaze were the perfect accompaniment. This was an excellent dish a great use of flavors and textures.

great steak is a thing to behold at least in my estimation and the hanger steak I was served next made the grade. Perfectly charred on the outside with a delicate pink middle the steak was served with a horseradish crème fraiche which teased the taste buds with heat. Confit potatoes and broccoli rabe finished the dish. If high-grade steak is what you crave this dish can’t be beat.

I couldn’t refuse the offer of some of Oasis’ whimsically-presented desserts. I dug into the caramel cream pudding served in its own Mason jar and peach cobbler cooked to order in a cute casserole dish. They both were delicious and so much fun to eat. Who says you can’t play with your food?

If you are in the mood for some fresh, high quality, tasteful food, stop by Oasis. It is conveniently located across the street from the School House parking lot at 34 South Raymond Avenue. They are open for lunch Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and for dinner Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., Friday – Saturday, 5:00 – 10:00 p.m. For reservations or more information call (626) 535-9700 or visit www.oasispasadena.com.