Oh Yea for "Oya"

C Says...

What was supposed to be a double date turned into a threesome (hey-oh) for our excursion to Oya. Accompanied by J's better half JL(o), we headed to what has to be the trendiest restaurant we've selected, but with none of the weird "what is that?" on the menu.

Oya features a fab prix fixe menu that is typically $35. However, the week we went, the managers had opted to keep Restaurant Week prices to a startling $20ish for THREE courses. Yes. THREE.

I opted to start with the tuna tempura. This was nicely fried, and while a little light on the tuna flavor, paired with a fantastic pepper sauce. For my entree, I chose the scallops. They were cooked to perfection and matched up with some nice Pad Thai noodles. However, there were only three (wait, there's a theme here), and I easily could have eaten 3 more.

For dessert I opted for the sorbet medley, and chose passion fruit, pineapple, and mango (here we go with three again). These were a nice trio paired together -- a tropical frenzy if you will -- even if the passion fruit was somewhat overwhelming.

Oya is definitely a place I'll come to again, and perhaps bring back our 4th MIA dining partner for a nice dinner. I hear the sushi and happy hour is killer too.
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J Says...

A wall of chains greets you upon entering Oya, already signaling this is a different type of restaurant. It actually took our party of three a round of drinks before we put our finger on why Oya's decor and sheer size was more suitable to another city than DC. The falling water in the walls, the lighting fixtures, the loungy bar area perfect for being seen...each detail screamed extrovert when DC, by nature, is introverted. OMG we were dining in Vegas (without having to fly the middle seat on Southwest to get there)!

But enough about the actual space as the food is truly something I want to rave about. Opting against the fixed menu which was preferred by my dining companions, I chose to have the Rock n Roll sushi to start, with the lobster dumplings (on the starts menu) held over to accompany my main dish. Both were outstanding...and I had heard amazing reviews of the sushi so my expectations were already high.

For my main dish, while I was eyeing C's scallops, I went with the pork chop...partially because it was served on a bed of mashed potatoes, to which is my weakness. Knowing I would skip dessert, this was quite filling and quite tasty.

And, because I wanted to be adventurous due to the Vegas inspiration (hey, what happens in Oya gets blabbed on a blog!), I went with two of their signature drinks...one mango, one raspberry...and left the bottle of red to C and JL. I preferred the latter of my cocktails, for the record.

Hands down, Oya will become one of my top restaurant destinations in DC for a nice night out with friends, guests or JL. And I'll remember to always make a reservation because it appeared impossible to wait a reasonable hour or two for a table. Again, just like Vegas.


Oya - 777 9th Street NW, 202.393.1400, www.oyadc.com